Obama photo supports skeet shoot claim

WASHINGTON -- The White House tried to settle a brewing mystery Saturday when it released a photo to back President Barack Obama's claim to be a skeet shooter.

Some Republicans expressed skepticism after Obama, in an interview last weekend with The New Republic magazine, answered "yes" when asked whether he had ever fired a gun.

"Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time," Obama said, referring to the official presidential retreat in rural Maryland.

Few could recall Obama ever talking about firing a gun.

The official White House photo is dated Aug. 4, 2012. The caption says Obama is shooting clay targets on the range at Camp David. Obama is seen holding a gun against his left shoulder, his left index finger on the trigger and smoke coming from the barrel.

Press secretary Jay Carney did not immediately respond yesterday when asked to comment on the decision to release the photo. But it, along with the skeet comments, could be part of an effort to portray Obama as sympathetic to the feelings of gun owners concerned by his gun-control proposals.

In the interview, Obama said, "The reality of guns in urban areas are very different from the realities of guns in rural areas," and "advocates of gun control have to do a little more listening than they do sometimes."