TheWrap
The White House has responded to a petition calling for CNN host Piers Morgan to be deported for criticizing U.S. gun policy, and long story short: Morgan isn't going anywhere.
In a post entitled, "When Discussing the Second Amendment, Keep the First in Mind Too," White House press secretary tactfully Jay Carney tells Morgan's critics that the U.S. doesn't plan to act on their petition.
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"Let's not let arguments over the Constitution's Second Amendment violate the spirit of its First. President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. However, the Constitution not only guarantees an individual right to bear arms, but also enshrines the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press -- fundamental principles that are essential to our democracy," Carney writes.
Why did the White House bother responding to the petition to deport Morgan? Because it promised it would. The White House has created a new position on its website where people can petition the president about anything. Obama agreed to respond to petitions garnering at least 25,000 signatures, and the Morgan petition drew four times that many.
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Morgan, who is British, repeatedly criticized U.S. gun policies after the mass shootings in Newtown, Conn. At one point, he called a gun-rights advocate an "unbelievably stupid man."
The White House statement stresses that people are free to disagree without fear of deportation.
"Americans may disagree on matters of public policy and express those disagreements vigorously, but no one should be punished by the government simply because he or she expressed a view on the Second Amendment -- or any other matter of public concern," Carney wrote.
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