New NRA ad drags Obama children into gun debate

By Sanjay Salomon, Boston.com correspondent

This morning, the White House responded to a National Rifle Association video that brought the president's daughters into the national gun debate, describing the 30-second video clip as "repugnant and cowardly."

The NRA released the ad on Tuesday, one day before President Obama outlined his plan to reduce gun violence. The ad begins with a voice-over that asks, "Are the president's kids more important than yours?" The ad calls into question why the president is dismissive of the NRA's proposal to station armed guards at schools while his own children get Secret Service protection.

The ad does not show the faces of Sasha and Malia Obama, nor mention them by name. Instead, the ad features a child's lunchbox with the seal of the president of the United States.

A collage of images featuring President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and NBC anchor and "Meet the Press" host David Gregory appear on screen as the voice-over asks if Obama is "just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security."

The controversial ad was released Tuesday night but was removed from the NRA's website, NRA Stand and Fight by Wednesday morning. The ad can be seen here on YouTube:

A new video clip featuring NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre outlining the group's proposal to allow armed security at schools is now featured on NRA Stand and Fight.

At a White House event today, President Obama announced his $500 million plan to tackle gun violence following the tragic shooting of 20 children at a school in Newtown, Conn. The president announced 23 executive measures that include empowering schools to hire police officers, bolster research on gun violence, and improve efforts to prosecute gun crimes. The president will also ask Congress to expand background checks on gun buyers.