A CNN op-ed piece by a leading gun control advocate has called on President Obama to declare a "national state of emergency" so that he can gut the Second Amendment.

Elliot Fineman, of the National Gun Victims Action Council, wants the president to follow through on his recent gun control efforts by "monitoring ammunition sales and banning those on the terror watch list from buying guns."

This could be achieved without congressional approval by Obama enacting a "National State of Emergency (that) scares the gun lobby and pro-gun lawmakers," writes Fineman.

In other words, Fineman is calling on Obama to use martial-law style powers in order to water down the Second Amendment and neutralize efforts by gun rights groups to oppose such a move.

"Why have you not declared a state of emergency to halt the Gun Violence Epidemic?" Fineman implores Obama.

A petition linked from the CNN article invites support for a "National Emergencies Act" that would hand Obama "the power and responsibility to declare a state of emergency when the government lacks the procedures and capacity to address an unchecked natural or man-made public health epidemic."