By Lee Williams
SAF Investigative Journalism Project
Special to Liberty Park Press
I was on a radio show this week when I first saw Everytown’s latest anti-gun campaign: “Debunking Gun Myths at the Dinner Table.”
The show’s host, Mark Walters, of Armed American Radio, is a longtime friend who enjoys discussing new anti-gun propaganda with his guests live on the air in multiple cities.
Neither of us had seen Everytown’s latest propaganda campaign before. It was new to both of us. All of a sudden, we were both struck by what we were reading. Everytown’s latest bit of propaganda was really bad—but not in a way that could negatively impact our gun rights. It was very poorly written and perhaps one of the craziest things we had ever seen.
You’ve got to understand that this is somewhat unusual for Everytown, given their unlimited financial resources, which founder Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire and former New York City mayor, keeps pumping into Everytown and his collection of other anti-gun groups.
The more we read, the broader our smiles became. Everytown submitted a “myth” and then followed up with what they called a “fact,” but none of it made any sense. The published source for most of this foolishness was “Everytown Research,” which explains a lot.
The first myth/fact combo was by far the strangest:
Myth: Criminals will always find a way to get their hands on a gun.
Fact: Laws like background checks stop gun sales to criminals every day. Since 1994, these laws have blocked more than 5 million gun sales to people who could not legally own guns.
Everytown’s “myth” is definitely not a myth. It is 100% true. Hardcore criminals always find a way to get their hands on a gun. However, they do not walk into a gun shop, submit their ID and then hope to pass a background check. Criminals have another time-proven method of obtaining firearms. They steal them, or they buy them from other criminals who have stolen them. Serious bad guys have never worried about gun laws.
Myth: Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
Fact: People with guns kill people, and more efficiently than people without guns. The US gun death rate is 13 times that of other high-income countries.
Everytown’s “myth” is definitely not a myth. If you place a handgun on your kitchen table and leave it alone, it’s unlikely to kill anyone, despite what Everytown claims. As to the group’s death statistics, their source, GunPolicy.org, no longer exists. If you go to the site, you’ll receive only the following message: “GunPolicy.org is currently being revived by Global Action on Gun Violence. The site will be available again soon. Thank you for your patience.”
Even stranger, the Global Action on Gun Violence is registered as an agent for the Governments of Mexico and the Bahamas.
So much for Everytown’s actual data.
Myth: Strong gun laws don’t work. Look at Chicago.
Fact: Chicago proves why we must push for strong federal gun laws. Many of the crime guns recovered in Chicago and in other cities in states with strong gun violence prevention laws are trafficked from states with weaker gun laws.
Everytown’s “myth” is definitely not a myth. If Everytown is correct and local and state gun laws don’t work, why do we even need them? Perhaps Everytown should lead the fight to get rid of all local and state gun laws.
Myth: The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
Fact: If more guns everywhere made us safer, America would be the safest country on earth. Instead, we have a gun homicide rate 26 times that of other high-income countries.
Everytown’s “myth” is definitely not a myth. As to Everytown’s claim that the American homicide rate is 26-times higher than other “high income” countries, their data source, GunPolicy.org, no longer exists. Also, what does the group consider a “high income” country?
Myth: Arming teachers will keep our kids safer in schools.
Fact: Arming teachers ignores research that shows the presence of a gun increases the risks posed to children and teachers. School safety experts and law enforcement oppose arming teachers.
Everytown’s “myth” is definitely not a myth. Florida’s Parkland Committee, which was established to investigate the 2018 mass-murder of 17 people and wounding of 18 more at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, recommended arming teachers who volunteer to undergo background checks and training. The commission supported expanding Florida’s School Guardian program to include these teachers. This proposal was strongly supported by the commission’s chair, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who wanted a force of trained teachers to be able to stop mass murderers who get past other safeguards. The Committee strongly supported well-trained, well-armed teachers protecting the lives of their students in our schools.
Myth: Gun makers don’t sell weapons of war to civilians.
Fact: Many gun makers sell AR-15s and other assault weapons that are nearly identical to the firearms used by soldiers in battle to the general public. These firearms have been used in the country’s deadliest mass shootings.
Everytown’s “myth” is definitely not a myth. My personal ARs are certainly not “nearly identical” to what our soldiers carry into battle.
They are all much better.
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