In a tearful soliloquy worthy of a Golden Globe nomination, President Obama outlined a series of executive actions that he will issue in order to further his anti-Second Amendment agenda. While pontificating about his disdain for gun rights—playing the emotional strings of still-grieving parents and family members whose loved ones were the victims of criminals, not law-abiding citizens—our commander-in-chief threw a pitch in the dirt, hoping that the American people would swing wildly at the emotional curveball and ignore the facts.

The president expects that we will focus on gun control and ignore that he failed to address how releasing 17 more Gitmo detainees (many with direct al-Qaeda ties) serves to support a safer America. He counts on U.S. citizens to fall for his misdirection and lack of real transparency, much the way our lawmakers did when passing Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) without reading the legislation. He fails to address the hypocrisy of attacking the livelihoods of gun manufacturers and others in the lawful retail business while granting himself and his wife lifetime Secret Service armed protection due to an increasing global threat. Mr. President, since climate change is our most serious national security issue, please explain how the Secret Service will protect you from an Indian summer while you’re on holiday in Hawaii. No sir, the rise of radical Islam is our biggest security threat whether you recognize it or not. I will not swing at the pitch in the dirt, but I will stand in the batter’s box and look at the junk you’re throwing.

“A violent felon can buy the exact same weapon over the Internet with no background check, no questions asked.” No, Mr. President, that’s a falsehood. As my colleague Vasilis Chronopoulos explained, “You first purchase the weapon from a seller, then coordinate the transfer with a registered FFL dealer to arrange the shipping of the weapon to that location. You must appear in person to take possession of the firearm; there, a Firearms Transaction Record (form 4473), promulgated by the ATF, starts the background-check process via the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.”

“This happens every day in Chicago.” This may be true, but what has this administration done to address gang violence in your home state/city? Nada. President Obama was (and still is) in a unique position to be a role model and set a new standard for anti-gang warfare, but instead of decisive and productive action, his constituency receives a speech. Nice speech, yet Chicago has some of the most strict, if not the strictest, gun laws in our nation. This pitch is nowhere near the strike zone. Quit crying and enforce the laws already in place.

The president selectively ignores his own lackluster performance regarding gun violence. On his watch, gun crime prosecution (according to a Washington Times report, July 2014) has fallen by more than 25 percent. Other reports from 2015 show the number as high as 37 percent. Your failures are not wiped away as easy as your tears. Throw your pitches across home plate. Stop relying on emotion and rhetoric to advance your agenda. Leadership is not governing based on a poll where emotions skew the data.

Soon the president will detail the executive actions that he will take. No doubt there will be much debate, discussion, lawsuits, and anger. The First Amendment is our most important weapon in defending our Second Amendment rights and the protections it provides to the country’s citizens. We at SOFREP are looking forward to the president’s forthcoming town hall address as well as your comments and thoughts. Let’s hope the president gets closer to the strike zone with this next pitch, because the only thing his actions will do is drive record firearms sales.

(Featured image courtesy of nbcnews.com)