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		</div><p>President Barack Obama tore into the nation’s largest gun lobby accusing it of peddling an “imaginary fiction” that has distorted the debate about firearms violence.</p>
<p>In a primetime, televised forum, the president dismissed what he called a “conspiracy” alleging that the government – and Mr Obama in particular – wants to seize all firearms as a precursor to imposing martial law.</p>
<p>He blamed the notion on the National Rifle Association (NRA) and like-minded groups that convince its members that “somebody’s going to come grab your guns”.</p>
<p>Mr Obama said: “Yes, that is a conspiracy. I’m only going to be here for another year. When would I have started on this enterprise?”</p>
<p>He defended his support for the constitutional right to gun ownership while arguing it was consistent with his efforts to curb violence and mass shootings.</p>
<p>He said the NRA was refusing to acknowledge the government’s responsibility to make legal products safer, citing seatbelts and child-proof medicine bottles as examples.</p>
<p>Mr Obama, taking the stage at George Mason University in Virginia, said he has always been willing to meet the NRA.</p>
<p>He said the NRA was invited to the forum but declined to participate. Several NRA members were in the audience for the event, which was organised and hosted by CNN.</p>
<p>“There’s a reason why the NRA’s not here. They’re just down the street,” Mr Obama said, referring to the group’s nearby headquarters.</p>
<p>“Since this is a main reason they exist, you’d think that they’d be prepared to have a debate with the president.”</p>
<p>The White House portrays the NRA, the nation’s largest gun group, as possessing a disproportionate influence over politicians that has prevented new gun laws despite polls that show broad support for measures like universal background checks.</p>
<p>Last year, following a series of mass shootings, Obama pledged to “politicise” the issue in an attempt to level the playing field for gun control supporters.</p>
<p>NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said before the event that the group saw “no reason to participate in a public relations spectacle orchestrated by the White House”.</p>
<p>The American Firearms Retailers Association, another lobby group, did participate. Asked how business had been since Mr Obama took office, Kris Jacob replied: “It’s been busy.”</p>
<p>He added: “There’s a very serious concern in this country about personal security.”</p>
<p>Mr Obama’s actions on guns have drawn major attention in the presidential campaign, with the Democratic candidates backing him and the Republicans unanimously voicing opposition.</p>
<p>Donald Trump, addressing a rally in Vermont, said he would eliminate gun-free zones in schools on his first day if elected to the White House.</p>
<p>The Republican frontrunner told the crowd: “You know what a gun-free zone is for a sicko? That’s bait.”</p>
<p>Mr Obama’s attack on the NRA came two days after unveiling a package aimed at keeping guns from people who should not have them.</p>
<p>The centrepiece is new guidance that seeks to clarify who is “in the business” of selling firearms, triggering a requirement to get a licence and conduct background checks on all prospective buyers.</p>
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