Norquist declares Star Wars on Obama: 'Darth Vader supports gun control'

Grover Norquist comes out against proposed executive actions
Anti-tax activist recently dressed as Darth Vader at thinktank event

Martin Pengelly in New York
Saturday 2 January 2016 21.14 GMT

The anti-tax activist Grover Norquist has waded into controversy over President Obama’s attempt to bypass Congress on gun control, with an invocation of Star Wars’ evil empire.

On Saturday, Norquist tweeted: “To understand what Obama wants in our future … Watch the Star Wars movies and imagine that only the storm troopers have guns.”

The day before, Obama said he would meet attorney general Loretta Lynch on Monday to discuss the use of executive actions as a way to bypass the Republican-controlled Congress and tackle “our epidemic of gun violence”.

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But where the prospect of executive actions gives a new hope to supporters of gun control reform, gun rights advocates see only the empire striking back.

Faced with an angry internet reaction to his first tweet on Saturday, Norquist asked: “Why does Obama rant about gun control? We could solve 2/3 of gun deaths by outlawing suicide. Let’s try that first.”

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