As news about the Dallas shooting unfolded, former Illinois Congressmember Joe Walsh sparked controversy by declaring a war against President Obama and Black Lives Matter activists. Walsh tweeted: “3 Dallas Cops killed. 7 wounded. This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you.” Walsh later deleted the tweet. This comes as many commentators are inaccurately claiming there has been a rise in violence against police officers under the Obama administration. In reality, the opposite is true. During the first seven years of Obama’s presidency, an average of 54 officers were shot and killed annually. That’s less than the average of officers killed each year under Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. In fact, the safest two years for police officers over the last century were during the Obama presidency: the years 2013 and 2015, which also coincided with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.