Hollywood conservatives, GOP candidates slam Obama's gun control plan

Republican Presidential candidates and Hollywood conservatives reacted strongly to President Barack Obama'sexecutive actions on "common sense" gun control Tuesday.

In an op-ed on Tuesday in Cedar Rapids' The Gazette, Jeb Bush slammed Obama and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton for seizing "on every opportunity to advance a gun-grabbing agenda." Bush also promised to repeal Obama's executive order "on Day One."

Bush later echoed his remarks on Twitter, saying the president's actions are "another reminder that we can't afford to give @HillaryClinton the opportunity to expand on @POTUS' gun-grabbing agenda."

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At a campaign rally in Iowa, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Obama's executive actions are "not worth the paper they are printed on," adding, "when you live by the pen, you die by the pen and my pen has got an eraser."

Cruz, who's been surging in the Iowa polls recently, also took a jab at the president, tweeting a meme that depicts POTUS wearing a crown with the caption: "Gun control is government control."

Also Read:Watch President Obama Speak on Gun Control Measures (Live Video)

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson warned that "any executive order President Obama signs that regulates firearms transactions will merely regulate the freedom of law abiding citizens."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted an interview with Fox News during which he blasted the president for being "obsessed" with "undermining" the Second Amendment.

Just minutes before the announcement, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina called the president's order "another lawless, unconstitutional overreach," insisting the "2nd Amendment is an individual right."

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Hollywood conservatives also disapproved of the president's announcement.

"Obama just handed the Republicans a bazooka gun to take out Hillary," long-time GOP strategist and wife of actor Paul Sorvino, Dee Dee Sorvino, told TheWrap. "All this does is ignite a fire under the Second Amendment patriots to come out in force."

Dave Berg, former co-producer of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and member of Hollywood conservative group Friends of Abe, told TheWrap he'd rather see President Obama work with congress instead of going around it.

"I don't like executive actions. It makes me nervous," Berg said. "The word 'totalitarian' jumps to mind."

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Others said they agree that something needs to be done but that it should be done "right."

"This is clearly an instance of showboating," Oscar-nominated screenwriter and Friends of Abe member Lionel Chetwynd told TheWrap. "It's tragic. Obama is not doing this because he wants to find a solution. He knows this will be challenged in court."

See photos of Obama's address:

President Obama tearfully announced executive actions on Tuesday morning as part of his administration's attempt to curb gun violence following the latest deadly shooting in San Bernardino, California.

"Every year, 30,000 Americans have their lives cut short by guns," the president said at the beginning of his speech.

Also Read:President Obama to Hold Gun Control Town Hall on CNN

During the address, he called for expanded background checks and the closure of the so-called "gun show loophole," urging greater restrictions on sales by unlicensed dealers.

Obama wants to put a plan in motion that would require any business selling guns to obtain a federal license and to conduct thorough background checks on any buyer.

Watch President Obama's tearful announcement here.