A new White House petition calls for armed guards protecting President Obama, vice president Joe Biden, and their families to be replaced by a floating “gun-free zone” around them at all times.
It leaves one to wonder whether the White House will ever regret launching the We the People petition website, which allows Americans a new avenue to have their voices heard on issues they care about. Instead, the service is used to score cheap political points, frame partisan issues with clever melodrama and rhetoric, and requisition the deportation of unpopular news pundits. There was something about a Death Star as well , a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
The newest viral petition calls for the Secret Service charged with protecting the first family and various other politicians to be replaced with a floating “gun-free zone.” The petition reads :
“Gun Free Zones are supposed to protect our children, and some politicians wish to strip us of our right to keep and bear arms. Those same politicians and their families are currently under the protection of armed Secret Service agents. If Gun Free Zones are sufficient protection for our children, then Gun Free Zones should be good enough for politicians.”
It’s an interesting political point, granted, but the petition will only get a response from the White House if it exceeds 100,000 signatures (the new limit designed to prevent silly petitions from going viral and requiring a response).
The number of signatures is around 30,000 as of this posting.
I suppose the White House could just keep increasing the signature requirement to prevent silly petitions from poking through the response ceiling, but then that would inspire some kind of criticism about our national debt, and that’s no fun for anyone.
Do you think that the armed security detail surrounding President Obama should be replaced with a floating “gun-free zone?” If so, you can sign the petition here .