Presidential pardons always represent somewhat of a conundrum.   While I actually agree with the pardon in this case because it is a freedom principle, this one seems particularly odd against the backdrop of Obama’s current gun restriction proposals. In essence he’s now pardoning a man who was convicted of the same crimes he’s proclaiming need to be more strictly enforced?

WASHINGTON DC – President Obama issued his first series of presidential pardons today, including one for a man who was convicted of possession of an unregistered firearm.

Larry Wayne Thornton of Forsyth, Ga., was sentenced to four years of probation for “possession of an unregistered firearm” and “possession of a firearm without a serial number.”

He is one of 17 people pardoned today.

The pardon comes as Obama is emphasizing, as part of his gun control push, the need to know who is buying weapons.

“If you want to buy a gun — whether it’s from a licensed dealer or a private seller — you should at least have to show you are not a felon or somebody legally prohibited from buying one,” Obama said in January, adding that “We should get tougher on people who buy guns with the express purpose of turning around and selling them to criminals. And we should severely punish anybody who helps them do this.” (continue reading)