At CNN's "Guns in America" televised town hall meeting on Thursday night, President Obama said that it was merely a conspiracy theory that the federal government wants to seize all firearms.

But Obama didn't hold back when asked by CNN moderator Anderson Cooper about the notion that the federal government — and Obama in particular — wants to seize all firearms as a precursor to imposing martial law. He blamed that notion on the NRA and like-minded groups that convince its members that "somebody's going to come grab your guns."

"Yes, that is a conspiracy," Obama said. "I'm only going to be here for another year. When would I have started on this enterprise?"

The President went on to say that his efforts to curb mass shootings was consistent with the Second Amendment. He blamed the National Rifle Association for refusing to acknowledge the government's responsibility to make their product safer. The NRA also refused to participate in the debate.

"Since this is a main reason they exist, you'd think that they'd be prepared to have a debate with the president," Obama said.

An NRA spokesman said there was "no reason to participate in a public relations spectacle orchestrated by the White House."