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Tag: Guns

  • Did a 2022 gun law lead to fewer mass shootings?

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    Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a leading supporter of stricter gun laws, said hours after an Aug. 27 deadly Minneapolis school shooting that legislation enacted during the Biden administration led to a decline in mass shootings.

    “There is something deeply wrong with a country that chooses to make running for their lives part of kids’ back to school ritual,” Murphy wrote on X. “When we finally passed a gun safety bill in 2022, mass shooting began to drop. But it was an unacceptably small start. We must do more.”

    Murphy referred to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that then-President Joe Biden signed into law in June 2022 after mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. The legislation combined gun safety provisions with mental health and school security resources and marked the first congressional gun control measure in nearly three decades.

    In Minneapolis, Robin Westman fired through the windows of the Church of the Annunciation during a morning Mass to mark the beginning of the school year, killing two children and injuring  18 other people. Westman, 23, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

    Murphy’s spokesperson said the senator referred to the number of mass shootings as measured  by the Gun Violence Archive, an online database that showed a decrease in mass shootings in 2024 compared with 2023. However, assessing whether the 2022 law caused the decrease is difficult to determine. Experts said the law might have played a role, but they are unaware of academic research addressing that question.

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    “This is not to say that it may not have any impact — it’s virtually impossible to demonstrate any direct causality, but it’s important to keep in mind many other potential correlates of that drop, including, for example, an overall drop in crime, return to prevention and intervention strategies and so forth,” said Alex R. Piquero, a University of Miami professor of criminology and former director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

    RELATED: The US homicide rate has dropped, but Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy overstates effect of gun law

    No official definition of mass shootings

    There is no widely agreed upon definition for mass shootings. Different groups measure mass shootings in varying ways based on the number of people injured or killed. Some exclude gang violence or domestic violence from their counts and include only indiscriminate violence, when a shooter fires a gun at random in public. This means that mass shooting numbers can vary significantly depending on the metrics — showing anywhere from dozens or fewer incidents to hundreds in a given year.

    The Gun Violence Archive defines mass shootings as events in which at least four people are injured or killed, excluding the shooter. As of Aug. 27, the archive found 642 mass shootings in 2022, 660 mass shootings in 2023, 503 in 2024, and 286 year-to-date in 2025.

    Some other mass shooting trackers also show a decline from 2023 to 2024, although they have more narrow methodologies which result in smaller raw numbers.

    Mass shootings have decreased but law’s impact unclear

    Gun violence experts expressed caution about attributing the decline in mass shootings to 2022 law for several reasons: 

    The 2022 law had many components. It’s difficult to attribute the decrease to the law because the law “had so many different parts,” including money to support state-level “red flag” laws, said Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government. Red flag laws allow courts to temporarily remove a person’s firearms if the person poses a danger to other people.

    Proving a connection would involve analyzing changes collectively and over different initiatives over a much longer period of time, Schildkraut said.

    Mass shootings are rare. Because mass shootings are statistically very rare, “It is hard to distinguish change due to something like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act from random variation over time,” said Veronica Pear, assistant professor at the Centers for Violence Prevention at University of California, Davis.

    Terry Schell, a senior behavioral scientist who studies firearms and violence at Rand Corp., a nonpartisan think tank, said, “It is exceptionally difficult to determine, empirically, if any national law caused a particular shift in a rare outcome. Even if the mass shooting rate dropped to zero in the years following passage, all that would tell us is that SOMETHING happened in 2023 to reduce mass shootings. It could be this law; it could be something totally different.”

    Schell said to make claims about causation requires data that allows researchers to rule out alternative causes. 

    Our ruling

    Murphy said, “When we finally passed a gun safety bill in 2022, mass shooting began to drop.” 

    He pointed to Gun Violence Archive data showing 503 mass shootings in 2024, a decline from 660 in 2023. Midway through 2022, Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law. 

    Gun violence experts said they are unaware of research showing the impact of the law on mass shooting numbers. They cautioned that the law had many components and assessing its impact on mass shootings is difficult. 

    The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details. We rate it Half True.

    PolitiFact Staff Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this fact-check.

    RELATED: Congress passes historic bipartisan gun legislation: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

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  • This Is the Group That’s Been Swatting US Universities

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    A self-proclaimed leader of an online group linked to the violent extremist network The Com tells WIRED he is responsible for the flurry of hoax active-shooter alerts at universities across the US in recent days as students return to school.

    Known online as Gores, the person says he coleads a group called Purgatory, which is offering its followers a menu of services, including hoax threats against schools—known as swatting—for just $20, while faked threats against hospitals, businesses, and airports can cost up to $50. The group also offered “slashings” and “brickings” for as little as $10, according to a review of the group’s Telegram channel by WIRED, apparently referencing real-world violence.

    In recent days, however, as the incidents were reported in the media, the prices have skyrocketed, with a school swatting now costing $95 and brickings costing $35.

    The group has been linked to 764, a nihilistic subgroup of The Com that conducts targeted campaigns against children using extortion, doxing, swatting, and harassment. Members of 764 have been accused of everything from robbery to sexual abuse of minors, kidnapping, and murder.

    Since the swatting spree kicked off on August 21, around a dozen different universities have been targeted with 911 emergency calls, some having to issue alerts on multiple occasions after receiving multiple hoax calls. Gores tells WIRED that the group had earned around $100,000 since the swatting spree began. WIRED has not independently confirmed that figure.

    As well as the confirmation from Gores, two researchers who spoke to WIRED confirmed that they had both listened to the group conducting swatting calls on audio livestreams as they happened in recent days. In at least one case, a researcher was able to intercede and call the targeted institution to inform them that the call was a hoax.

    WIRED reviewed recordings of the swatting calls provided by the researchers and has been reviewing the Telegram channel run by Purgatory, where members of the group have been celebrating media coverage of their calls in recent days, including the swatting attempt on the University of Colorado Boulder on Monday afternoon.

    Nicole Mueksch, a spokesperson for the University of Colorado Boulder, tells WIRED that the incident remains under investigation, adding that university police are working with “state and federal partners, including the FBI, to explore any potential leads or patterns that may be connected to other recent swatting cases across the country.”

    The FBI told The Washington Post that it’s investigating and, in a statement to The New York Times, said it is “seeing an increase in swatting events across the country, and we take potential hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk.” The agency did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

    “Knowingly providing false information to emergency service agencies about a possible threat to life drains law enforcement resources, costs thousands of dollars and, most importantly, puts innocent people at risk,” the FBI added.

    The recent swatting spree began on August 21, the same day the current Purgatory Telegram channel was launched. At around 12:30 pm local time that day, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga received a call claiming an active shooter was on campus. The school was locked down for over an hour before campus police issued an all-clear at 1:51 pm after no threat was found. Hours later, at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, a hoax call forced the school into lockdown as students and faculty took part in the university’s orientation mass to welcome new students.

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    David Gilbert

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  • Feds say 8 Tren de Aragua gang members among 30 people charged in Colorado gun, drug-trafficking cases

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    Federal prosecutors charged 30 people with largely gun and drug-trafficking crimes after a months-long investigation in metro Denver, a mix of federal and local officials announced at a news conference Monday.

    Those charged include eight people who investigators believe are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua, U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly said. He said he considers three of the eight gang members to be “leaders.” Two of the leaders were arrested July 30 in Colombia, court records show.

    McNeilly could not say how many Tren de Aragua gang members remain in Colorado, whether the local members were taking direction from leaders in Venezuela, or how many of the 30 people arrested in the operation were Venezuelan nationals.

    David Olesky, a special agent in charge with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said the federal charges against eight gang members “diminished” Tren de Aragua’s “influence and capabilities” in the Denver area.

    The federal investigation started in October when Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown sought federal assistance to deal with rising crime at the Ivy Crossing apartments on Quebec Street. The subsequent investigation involved at least 40 undercover operations and branched out significantly from the apartment complex.

    Federal investigators seized or purchased 69 guns during the investigation, according to court records. Twenty-seven of those guns were connected through ballistics to 67 “separate shooting events,” said Brent Beavers, Denver special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    Court records show those incidents included drive-by shootings, an attempted carjacking and a shootout between two large groups, among others.

    “By removing these firearms from the street, we’ve disrupted a dangerous cycle of violence, prevented further harm to our community and sent a clear message to criminal networks,” Beavers said.

    The defendants in the federal cases announced Monday were not charged in connection with those shootings.

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    Shelly Bradbury

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  • What the US Army’s 1959 ‘Soldier of Tomorrow’ Got Right About the Future of Warfare

    What the US Army’s 1959 ‘Soldier of Tomorrow’ Got Right About the Future of Warfare

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    Then there’s the matter of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), the Army’s futuristic “smart” goggles. Currently based on a ruggedized version of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset, the IVAS is both night vision goggles and futuristic heads-up display, capable of feeding sensor inputs into a soldier’s line of sight. The Army has long experimented with helmet-mounted displays for decades as part of various “future warrior” programs, and the IVAS hasn’t been immune to the pitfalls of previous efforts—namely, complaints from soldiers about “mission-affecting physical impairments” like headache, nausea, and discomfort associated with prolonged use. And the future of the long-delayed headset now appears uncertain anyway: According to Breaking Defense, the service may end up going back to the drawing board with a new primary contractor for the sophisticated system as part of its IVAS Next initiative after auditing its existing night vision goggle capabilities. Still, between the ENVG-B and IVAS, helmet-mounted night vision devices have progressed far beyond anything Sawicki’s chain of command had previously imagined.

    Armor Up

    The bulletproof vest and camouflage suit combination that Sawicki donned for his AUSA debut, referred to in contemporaneous publications as “layered nylon armor” and “layered nylon vest,” is actually a bit closer to modern Army personal protective equipment than the flak jackets that were accompanying soldiers downrange during the Vietnam War. Currently under development, the Soldier Protection System (SPS) offers modern soldiers a “lightweight modular, scalable and tailorable suite of protective equipment,” according to the Army’s description. What this really means is that the protective ensemble comes in several different pieces that work together to maximize soldier survivability without impairing mobility; in terms of body armor, this refers primarily to the soft armor Torso and Extremity Protection subsystem and the hard armor Vital Torso Protection subsystem that, using reinforced ceramic plates, offer improved ballistic protection against small arms fire.

    Protecting soldiers from bullets is one thing, but protecting them from the effects of nuclear explosions, as Army leaders told The New York Times Sawicki’s suit would, is another thing entirely—at least, in terms of equipment. While the well-worn Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) ensemble has been safeguarding Americans service members against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats for years, it’s an entirely separate system of personal protective gear rather than one integrated into the SPS or the standard-issue Army Combat Uniform. And while the 1959 design calls for specially designed “‘welded’ combat boots” and “molded plastic gloves” to help protect soldiers on an irradiated battlefield, modern troops must, unfortunately, go into battle with their Army Regulation 670-1-authorized boots and tactical gloves, apart from what’s in their MOPP kit. Then again, if the nukes do start flying, nobody will survive long enough for ground combat anyway.

    Bullet Time

    While the 1959 “soldier of tomorrow” appears armed with an M14, advances in firearms technology have long since left the beloved battle rifle in the dust. The Army began replacing the M14 with the lighter-weight 5.56-mm M16 assault rifle in the late 1960s, which was itself replaced by the shorter-barreled M4 carbine during the Global War on Terror in the 2000s. Replacing the M16 and M4 family of rifles has proven difficult in the past, but it’s safe to say that the promises from Army brass in 1959 of a lighter standard-issue rifle for soldiers have, for the most part, come true in the intervening decades—even if the new XM7 rifle, recently adopted under the service’s Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program, is actually noticeably heavier than the M4.

    So, too, has the promise of “new high-velocity bullets.” While the Army in the early 2000s fielded the 5.56-mm M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round for improved performance over the standard M855 ammo previously adopted in the 1980s, the service undertook a major small arms study in 2017 to determine whether soldiers required a different caliber ammunition to deal with the sudden proliferation of body armor among adversaries. The study determined that the Army’s next rifle should come chambered in 6.8 mm, which would purportedly offer significantly improved performance at range compared to both 5.56-mm and 7.62-mm rounds. From there, the Army ended up selecting Sig Sauer to produce its two 6.8mm NGSW systems in 2022, weapons the service began officially fielding earlier this year. It may have taken several decades, but the Army’s new high-velocity round is finally here.

    Rocket Man

    While certain elements of Sawicki’s combat kit are clearly represented in recent military innovations, others simply never came to fruition. The automatic foxhole-digging charges, for example, never materialized as an effective replacement for the beloved handheld entrenching tool, despite their prevalence among military futurists at the time. But if there’s one vision that has persisted in military and defense circles, it’s that of jetpack-equipped troops.

    The Defense Department has pursued the militarized jetpack for decades, starting with research and development in the 1950s and culminating in October 1961 with the successful demonstration of Bell Aerosystems’s Small Rocket Lift Device (or, colloquially, the “Bell Rocket Belt”) for President John F. Kennedy at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Army ended up abandoning development of the Rocket Belt over fuel constraints that limited its potential tactical applications, but US military planners would revisit the concept time and again in subsequent decades.

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    Jared Keller

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  • Guns for sale on social media despite Meta’s policies against it

    Guns for sale on social media despite Meta’s policies against it

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    Glocks, military-style rifles and “ghost guns” have all been advertised for sale on easily accessible sites like Facebook and Instagram. Each ad appears to be in direct violation of Meta’s own policies, raising questions about the company’s ability to effectively moderate content. Some of the ads go even further, potentially violating local and federal laws. 

    Meta has banned ads for the sale of firearms since 2016. The company’s policy simply states: “Ads must not promote the sale or use of weapons, ammunition or explosives. This includes ads for weapon modification accessories.” 

    But more than 230 of these ads ran on Meta’s platforms in just over two months, many directing users to Telegram for the actual transaction, according to a new study released Oct. 7 by the Tech Transparency Project and the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. 

    “TTP’s investigation shows that Meta is giving gun traffickers unparalleled reach,” said Katie Paul, director of Tech Transparency Project. “Until Meta enforces the rules it has on the books, its advertising engine will continue to be a vector for dangerous weapons that threaten the safety of Americans and others around the world.”

    Meta’s massive reach 

    Meta’s business help center explains that “ads can appear on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and Meta Audience Network.” That means an individual ad can have a massive reach across platforms, showing up in a user’s individual Facebook and Instagram feed as well as in stories or in their Messenger inbox. 

    But ads are just one part of the problem. 

    In fact, a CBS News investigation released Oct. 2 found numerous listings on Facebook Marketplace for firearms, pellet and BB guns, in violation of the company’s policies. After CBS News asked Meta about the listings, they were removed, though CBS News continued to find new listings. A Meta spokesperson said 98.4% of problem listings on Marketplace are caught by its systems before being flagged by users.

    When CBS News reached out to Meta to ask about the TTP report’s findings on the prevalence of gun ads, a Meta spokesperson explained that the company’s ad review is an ongoing process both before and after publication, and pointed CBS News to Meta’s ad policies.

    “We’re committed to delivering trustworthy shopping experiences for people, communities and businesses through our policies, safety measures and technology,” according to a Meta business blog.

    In the past few years, several people have been charged with selling firearms and illegal gun accessories on Meta platforms, specifically via Instagram profile pages. 

    “We enforce our commerce policies through our commerce review system. As part of our ads review process — which includes both automated and human reviews — we have several layers of analysis and detection, both before and after an ad goes live,” the company said in a statement provided to CBS News.

    7-ghost-arm654-telegram-ghost-glocks-redacted.jpg
    A redacted image of guns for sale on social media, from the Tech Transparency Project report released Oct. 7, 2024.

    Tech Transparency Project report


    In the past few years, several people have been charged with selling firearms and illegal gun accessories on Meta platforms, specifically via Instagram profile pages. 

    In 2019, two former police officers were found guilty of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license, selling firearms to a convicted felon and making false statements about the sales on federal firearms licensing paperwork. They both advertised the guns on their Instagram pages. 

    Two Los Angeles-based men were charged in June 2024 with selling more than 60 firearms, including untraceable “ghost guns” and guns with scratched-off serial numbers, through Instagram accounts. Both men have pleaded not guilty. 

    The Justice Department did not immediately respond to CBS News’ questions about how prevalent gun sales are on social media platforms. 

    It’s not clear whether the allegations in those cases involved specific ads or just posts on their feeds. However, ads are frequently used across Meta platforms to increase business and profile reach and are a revenue driver for the company.

    Furthermore, each ad on the platform is supposed to be reviewed by Meta systems before going live. A 2021 announcement from Facebook explains, “Our ad review system is designed to review all ads before they go live. This system relies primarily on automated technology to apply our Advertising Policies to the millions of ads that run across our apps. While our review is largely automated, we rely on our teams to build and train these systems, and in some cases, to manually review ads.”

    Studying Meta’s ads

    Between June 1 and Aug. 20, 2024, TTP searched the Meta Ad Library for “a series of gun-related terms: pistol(s), Sig Sauer, Glock(s), Glock 17, Glock 19, Glock 43, Draco, rifle(s), Ruger, ammunition, ammo, automatic switch, automatic sear, and rounds.” 

    Two of TTP’s search terms — “automatic switch” and “automatic sear” — refer to illegal machine gun conversion devices. These small, inexpensive devices are easy to install onto semi-automatic firearms to immediately turn them into fully automatic weapons, allowing users to shoot up to 1,200 rounds a minute. They’ve been illegal since 1986. 

    Thirty-four of the ads TTP found were for auto sears or switches. Two of those also included photos of switches that had swastika designs. 

    Most of the gun ads TTP identified  — 215 out of the total 237 — ran on Instagram. The platform remains one of the most popular social networks for teens in America; a 2023 Pew Research survey showed about 59% of teens between 13 and 17 use Instagram. 

    Many of these ads also reached Instagram users in EU countries, where gun sales are strictly regulated. Meta’s data showed that one ad reached more than 15,500 adults in the EU, specifically the Netherlands and Portugal. 

    5-chris17810-3-identical-ads-redacted.jpg
    Summary data on three gun-related ads from Meta, from the Tech Transparency Project report released Oct. 7, 2024.

    Tech Transparency Project report


    Most of the ads push users to Telegram to complete the actual sales. Telegram is not owned by Meta and has been sharply criticized for its unwillingness to enact any kind of moderation on users. In August, the owner of Telegram was arrested by French authorities. The Paris prosecutors office said he was detained as part of an investigation into complicity in complicity in cybercrimes like the transfer and creation of child sexual abuse material and narcotics trafficking. Some of the Telegram accounts found in TTP’s study advertised international shipping, which could violate numerous international laws regulating arms sales. 

    In a statement to CBS News, a Telegram spokesperson said, “While Telegram already removes millions of pieces of harmful content each day, further strengthening moderation is the top priority of 2024.”

    Slipping through the cracks 

    Gun safety advocacy groups have long criticized tech companies for not doing enough to crack down on gun sales.

    “Meta has made a clear promise to keep gun sales off their platforms and it is clear that Meta has failed to do so,” said Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy of Everytown for Gun Safety.

    A spokesperson for Meta said in a statement that between April and June 2024, the company “took action” on 1.9 million pieces of firearm content on Facebook and 242,000 pieces of firearm content on Instagram. They said over 99% of that content was caught before it was reported by users. These numbers do not include advertisements. 

    A spokesperson for Meta pointed to a recent community standards enforcement report that found between April and June 2024, the company “took action” on 1.9 million pieces of firearm content on Facebook and 242,000 pieces of firearm content on Instagram. They said over 99% of that content was caught before it was reported by users. These numbers do not include advertisements. 

    Anna Schecter

    Anna Schecter is the senior coordinating producer for CBS News and Stations’ Crime and Public Safety Unit, based in New York.

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  • Data shows 58% of Minnesota law enforcement agencies trace weapons, but only 13% share what they learn | WCCO Investigates

    Data shows 58% of Minnesota law enforcement agencies trace weapons, but only 13% share what they learn | WCCO Investigates

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    MINNEAPOLIS — A dozen states require police to trace guns recovered during criminal investigations, according to “Everytown for Gun Safety.” Minnesota isn’t one of them.

    Data shows that 58% of law enforcement agencies in the state trace some weapons, but only 13% of them share what they learn.

    Should that change? WCCO Senior Investigative Reporter Jennifer Mayerle went to Travis Riddle, the ATF’s Special Agent in Charge in St. Paul, to find out.

    Pistols are the most commonly traced guns found at crime scenes in Minnesota.

    “For crime guns, the easier you’re able to hide it or conceal it, or even just get rid of it, that is going to be the weapon of choice,” Riddle said.

    They account for more than 70% of crime guns traced in Minnesota last year, most often Glocks, says Riddle. Reasons for the trace range from a weapon offense to homicide.

    “The trends for the state is that the majority of the firearms that are recovered and traced in Minnesota originated in Minnesota,” Riddle said.

    Agencies in the state have a choice if they want the ATF to trace its crime guns. It can be done online using eTrace or over the phone, and it’s free. Cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul do.  

    WCCO


    “Why does St. Paul choose to do it?” Mayerle asked St. Paul District Chief Jeff Stiff.

    “I think that it’s important, right? Obviously a crime with a victim, a person’s crime with a victim, and it can help you. You don’t know when it can help you, right?” Stiff said.

    “Why does the department put all of the guns into the eTrace system?” Mayerle asked MPD Forensic Administrative Analyst Mehgan Hamann.

    “So that it can help in any, I mean, it could help in any shape or form,” Hamann said.

    Close to 40% of agencies in the state don’t use eTrace.

    “There is an incentive for them to participate. But a lot of times what it takes is to show them that the first success of you trace this gun, this is where it got you. This is how it helps you,” Riddle said.

    Agencies that opt in can share their data with other law enforcement in the state, but few do.

    “It’s not something that they’re intentionally excluding. It’s a checkbox, and either you check it or you don’t check it,” Riddle said. “And if you don’t check it, then you don’t get to share.”

    Lawmakers could change that and require agencies to trace crime guns. A move like that could create a bigger picture of guns connected to crimes within the state. It could also put more pressure on an already strapped tracing system.

    Neil Troppman runs the ATF’s National Tracing Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

    “So right now, we’re on average of about 10 or 11 days to complete this firearms trace, which in our view is too long,” Troppman said. “Our objective is to get them done within seven days for a routine trace.”

    “Why is it important for agencies to trace their crime guns?” Mayerle asked Troppman.

    “The tracing of firearms not only identifies the purchaser of that particular firearm that was used in that crime, but the collective information of a firearm trace could lead to wider trafficking issues or bigger trends in that area,” Troppman said.

    One thing is clear: the ATF wants more departments to use eTrace. And the center can already use more manpower. The budget proposal submitted for 2025 requests tens of millions for upgrades, saying in part: “Delays in crime gun trace results increase the risk of investigative leads going cold and leave shooters on the streets longer, giving them the opportunity to commit more crimes.”

    “An increase in staff would certainly assist in making improvements to our facility. More resources, more funding, those kinds of things would certainly enable us to be a little bit more efficient,” Troppman said.

    WCCO reached out to state lawmakers invested in gun legislation. They declined our interview request or said they needed more information before taking a position. We’ll be sure to follow up.

    Wednesday at 6 p.m., we look into the national conversation to modernize the ATF’s tracing system.

    Jennifer Mayerle


    jennifer-mayerle.png

    Jennifer Mayerle happily returned to Minnesota and WCCO, where she began her career as an intern. The Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist joined WCCO as a reporter in May 2014. She also anchors “WCCO Saturday Morning” from 8-9 a.m.

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    Jennifer Mayerle

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  • Kamala Harris spokesperson didn’t say she doesn’t own gun

    Kamala Harris spokesperson didn’t say she doesn’t own gun

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    A video clip featuring a spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has been distorted and spread on social media as evidence the Democratic nominee doesn’t own a gun. 

    “A staffer reveals that Kamala Harris doesn’t actually own a gun,” reads text above footage from an interview on “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta.” 

    In the Sept. 20 interview, Acosta asks Harris spokesperson Adrienne Elrod about the vice president’s recent comments on gun ownership. The exchange in the video was significantly sped up and captions appearing Elrod as she speaks reads: “She doesn’t own a firearm.”

    A Sept. 21 Instagram post sharing the video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

    The original footage of this exchange makes clear that Elrod doesn’t say “she doesn’t own a firearm.” She says: “She does own a firearm.”

    This is also reflected in CNN’s transcript of the show. 

    On X, Elrod reposted a statement from Harris spokesperson Ian Sams, who called the distorted video “the definition of disinformation.”

    “Video intentionally manipulated (artificially sped up to make the audio unclear) to mislead the viewer,” the X post said. 

    It’s not news that Harris is a gun owner, though it’s getting fresh attention as the 2024 presidential election looms. In 2019, during Harris’ unsuccessful previous bid for the presidency, she said she was a gun owner and an aide then told reporters that she owns a handgun that was purchased years ago, CNN reported.

    She owns the same gun today and keeps it at her Los Angeles home, CNN reported. 

    We rate claims a staffer said Harris doesn’t own a gun Pants on Fire!

     

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  • Suspected Trump Gunman Was Once Charged With Possession of a Weapon of Mass Destruction

    Suspected Trump Gunman Was Once Charged With Possession of a Weapon of Mass Destruction

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    Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspected gunman involved in an apparent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida on Sunday, was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction over 20 years ago.

    “I figured he was either dead or in prison by now,” Tracy Fulk, the charging officer in the case, tells WIRED. “I had no clue that he had moved on and was continuing his escapades.”

    According to court records from the Guilford District Court in North Carolina obtained by WIRED, Routh was arrested by the Greensboro Police Department on December 16, 2002.

    Local reporting from Greensboro News and Record in 2002 states that Routh was pulled over by police during a traffic stop. Routh then drove to the business United Roofing, where he proceeded to barricade himself for three hours, the police said at the time.

    Fulk says he was well known in the area, and that police would get alerts about him allegedly related to, as she remembers, weapons and explosives.

    “One night I recognized him in his vehicle,” she says. “I knew he didn’t have a driver’s license, so I stopped him right in front of his roofing shop, which was what used to be on Lee Street in Greensboro. He stopped, and as I approached his truck he pulled a sack away from the center of the seat, and I saw a gun. So of course I drew my gun and started saying, ‘Hey! Show me your hands, show me your hands.’ And he just basically pulled into his driveway and ran into his house. So we ended up having a [Special Response Team] callout and a big standoff for a couple of hours before they went in and we arrested him.”

    Routh was charged with possession of a fully automatic machine gun, referred to in court filings as a weapon of mass destruction. He was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon, as well as driving without a valid license and resisting, delaying, and obstructing law enforcement, according to Greensboro News and Record.

    While the disposition of the case isn’t entirely clear, Routh did plead guilty to carrying a concealed gun.

    Trump was not harmed on Sunday while playing golf. Law enforcement apprehended Routh after a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle sticking out of a perimeter fence on the course and engaged with the threat, firing at least four rounds in that direction. It’s unclear whether the gunman fired a shot. Law enforcement later found an AK-47 style rifle with a scope and a GoPro in the bushes.

    Law enforcement personnel investigate the area around Trump International Golf Club after an apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on September 15, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

    Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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    Leah Feiger, Tim Marchman

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  • An ER Doctor’s Cure for America’s Gun Epidemic

    An ER Doctor’s Cure for America’s Gun Epidemic

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    In 2020, while the Covid-19 pandemic raged, a steadily growing epidemic continued to burn its path across the United States. Gun violence stole the lives of 45,222 Americans that fateful year, the worst year on record for gun deaths to that point.

    The path leading to each one of these deaths is layered and complex. Each American killed by a bullet, each family grieving their loved one, deserves their own book. I never once thought that I would be one to write such a story.

    I’m a gun-owning emergency physician, a father, and the cousin of a man who was shot to death. If it wasn’t for the National Rifle Association declaring in 2018 that physicians, like me, should “stay in their lane” and keep quiet about the toll of this plague, I wouldn’t have written about this subject. Yet gun violence consumes my life. I see victims of gun violence from family tragedies—children, adolescents, and adults—almost every day.

    Addressing violence and death is the duty of anyone who has ever had to mend the wounds of a gunshot victim, to attempt heroic measures in the trauma bay, to meticulously care for the injured in the intensive care unit, or admit defeat in front of their loved ones. I have found no worse feeling than having to tell a mother or a father that their child has been killed by a bullet. We have practiced and perfected evidence-based medicine for decades. We should similarly practice evidence-based health policy. As it pertains to guns, some of that evidence already exists.

    As a physician, I understand the limitations of science. The best research, at least in the biomedical sphere, usually requires the findings of randomized clinical trials, but running those for policymaking often isn’t feasible. In public health, the next best option is a natural experiment, in which one jurisdiction implements a policy and a similar, nearby jurisdiction does not, and policy makers can observe the difference.

    The RAND Corporation’s The Science of Gun Policy—a synthesis of research into US gun policy—typically relies on these types of studies to inform its analysis. It is sometimes inconclusive, sometimes weak, sometimes strong in its assertions about the impacts of various policies that might impact lives in this epidemic of gun violence, but overall its analysis describes myriad policy levers that our current lawmakers could, and in my opinion should, swiftly implement at the federal, state, and local levels. The evidence states that we can save lives through the following:

    • Background checks through federal firearms licensed dealers for every firearms purchase
    • Licenses and permits for individuals who want to buy guns
    • Raising the minimum age for all firearm purchases to 21
    • Strong child access prevention laws
    • Brief waiting periods
    • Domestic violence restraining orders that require the relinquishing of existing firearms.

    But I also believe there are two additional laws that should be repealed. Their presence in society should alarm physicians, advocates, and the people who write the laws.

    Policy Prescription #1: Reverse Stand-Your-Ground Laws

    On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a Black kid my height and with a similar build, was walking through a neighborhood in Sanford, Florida, after purchasing a bag of Skittles and a drink. He was essentially stalked by the captain of a local neighborhood watch patrol. Following an altercation—one that a 911 dispatcher urged the overly zealous neighborhood watchman to avoid—Martin lay on the ground, shot dead by a single bullet that traversed his heart and lung.

    All of that young man’s hopes and dreams of one day becoming an aviator were struck down by a man who would eventually be acquitted of murder because of Florida’s stand-your-ground statute that created a culture of approach, provoke, and kill. Stand your ground certainly contributed to the young boy’s death.

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    Cedric Dark

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  • Kamala Harris and Donald Trump respond to Georgia school shooting

    Kamala Harris and Donald Trump respond to Georgia school shooting

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    Kamala Harris and Donald Trump respond to Georgia school shooting

    So before I begin, I do want to say *** few words about this tragic shooting that took place this morning in Winder Georgia. Um We’re still gathering information about what happened, but we know that there were multiple fatalities and injuries and um you know, our hearts are with all the students, the teachers and their families, of course, and we are grateful to the first responders and the law enforcement that were on the scene. But this is just *** senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies and it’s just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United States of America that parents have to send their Children to school worried about whether or not their child will come home alive. It’s senseless it. We’ve got to stop it and we have to end this epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all, you know, it doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be this way. So we will continue of course to, to send our prayers and our thoughts to the families and all those who were affected, including, you know, I I’m going off script right. Now. But listen, I mean, you know, at, at the last year I, um, I started *** college tour and, um, I, I, I’ve traveled our country meeting with our young leaders. Right. And so it was college age, young leaders. So I did trade schools, colleges, universities, community colleges, by the way, I love Gen Z. I just love Gen Z. But I’ll tell you one of the things, one of the things that I asked every time I went to the auditorium and it would be filled with these young leader students and I’d ask them raise your hand. If at any point between kindergarten and 12th grade, you had to endure an active shooter drill. And the, for the, for the young leaders who are here who are raising their hand, I’m telling you every time the auditorium was packed and almost every hand went up. You know, *** lot of us I’ll talk, I’ll speak about myself. You know, we had, well, I grew up in California earthquake drills. We had fire drills, but our kids are sitting in *** classroom where they should be fulfilling their God given potential and some part of their big beautiful brain is concerned about *** shooter busting through the door of the classroom. It does not have to be this way.

    Kamala Harris and Donald Trump respond to Georgia school shooting

    Both 2024 presidential candidates have responded to the news of a shooting at a Georgia high school that left at least four dead and nine injured on Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris began her remarks during a rally in New Hampshire by addressing the shooting. The Democratic presidential nominee said her heart is with the students and teachers of the school. She called for action to curb gun violence.”It’s just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United States of America, that parents have to send their children to school worried about whether or not their child will come home alive,” Harris said. “We’ve got to stop it,” she said, adding that “it doesn’t have to be this way.”Watch Harris’s remarks in the video player above.Former President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, later Wednesday. The Republican presidential nominee posted about the shooting on his Truth Social page. “Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA,” Trump wrote. “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”

    Both 2024 presidential candidates have responded to the news of a shooting at a Georgia high school that left at least four dead and nine injured on Wednesday.

    Vice President Kamala Harris began her remarks during a rally in New Hampshire by addressing the shooting.

    The Democratic presidential nominee said her heart is with the students and teachers of the school. She called for action to curb gun violence.

    “It’s just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United States of America, that parents have to send their children to school worried about whether or not their child will come home alive,” Harris said. “We’ve got to stop it,” she said, adding that “it doesn’t have to be this way.”

    Watch Harris’s remarks in the video player above.

    Former President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, later Wednesday. The Republican presidential nominee posted about the shooting on his Truth Social page.

    “Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA,” Trump wrote. “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”

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  • Colorado’s November ballot will have seven citizen initiatives, from abortion rights to ranked-choice voting – The Cannabist

    Colorado’s November ballot will have seven citizen initiatives, from abortion rights to ranked-choice voting – The Cannabist

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    Colorado voters are set to weigh in on ballot questions related to abortion rights, veterinary services, mountain lion trophy hunting and an overhaul of the state’s election system in November.

    The deadline to finalize the state’s ballot is coming Friday, but all of the citizen initiatives — meaning ballot questions pursued by members of the public, rather than the legislature — were finalized late last week. State election officials certified that the final ones had received enough petition signatures after clearing earlier regulatory hurdles.

    Nine ballot measures from the public have been approved. But two of those — the property tax-related initiatives 50 and 108 — are both set to be withdrawn by sponsors as part of negotiations with the governor’s office and the state legislature, which on Thursday passed another property tax relief bill at the end of a special session.

    Read the rest of this story on TheKnow.DenverPost.com.

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    The Cannabist Network

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  • Columbus, Dayton, Gun Safety Advocates Settle Court Case Over Ohio’s Background Check System

    Columbus, Dayton, Gun Safety Advocates Settle Court Case Over Ohio’s Background Check System

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    click to enlarge

    Scene Archives

    The years-long court battle came to a close

    The cities of Dayton and Columbus as well as Everytown For Gun Safety settled a four years-long court battle this week with the state of Ohio over the criminal background check system. The program is a well-known protection to ensure people with a serious criminal convictions aren’t able to purchase a firearm, but it’s also used to ensure they aren’t hired to a position of trust, like a teacher or police officer.

    But that database is only as useful as its data.

    In court, the cities argued Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation was failing to meet its obligation to collect information and maintain the database. State law requires BCI to collect information for the system “from wherever procurable,” and designates the agency as the clearinghouse for Ohio’s criminal records.

    The cities’ initial complaint allows that court clerks have a role, too. After all, who else knows better when a case has been adjudicated? But attorneys for the cities argued “many (clerks) complain that BCI rejects that information on technical grounds; and, for the clerks that simply do not report or fail to do so in a timely manner, they do so with apparent impunity from BCI.”

    Under a settlement agreement approved in court this week, the parties, agreed to a series of steps meant to improve the background check system and make it easier for agencies to upload information.

    “We all share a responsibility to do everything we can to make sure that those prohibited from purchasing guns are unable to walk out of a gun store with a firearm,” Everytown Executive Director Eric Tirschwell argued in a press release announcing the agreement.

    “This settlement should serve as a model for other states to take the critical steps necessary to ensure that all criminal convictions and other prohibiting records can be accessed when someone tries to buy a gun,” he said.

    But attorneys for the cities warned that the success of agreed-upon changes hinges in part on cooperation from state lawmakers. And Dayton law director Barbara Doseck added, despite Ohio’s home rule provisions, local governments remain powerless to pass their own firearm restrictions.

    “This settlement is a positive step in the right direction,” she insisted. “However, without action from the General Assembly, Ohio cities cannot pass laws that reduce access to guns or the associated gun violence. Without cooperation, Dayton is left to endure, as we have since the Oregon District shooting, without any real ability to make impactful change in our own community.”

    The settlement agreement

    Under the provisions of the agreement, state officials will continue work on a self-service portal through which local agencies can share new information with BCI and resolve errors or omissions in existing records.

    The parties on both sides of the case agreed that an electronic reporting system is best, but that getting agencies’ information systems on the same page will require funding. To that end, they agreed to seek grant funding to help cover the cost of updating technology and to establish a grant advisory committee to figure out which opportunities they should pursue.

    In the interest of transparency, they’re envisioning a public facing dashboard once the reporting system is fully up and running so that the public can see an agency’s rate of compliance. They also agree to lobby state lawmakers for legislation holding agencies accountable for mandatory reporting requirements as well as regular auditing.

    The AG’s office agreed to institute a training program for reporting agencies that runs at least quarterly and to produce quarterly progress reports for the plaintiffs for the next three years.

    Columbus city attorney Zach Klein praised the agreement as a “commonsense gun safety measure.”

    “For the first time ever, Ohio has a real plan to modernize our criminal background check system to make it work for those who use it every day — to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of violent individuals and ensure employers can access the information they need when hiring,” he said. “This agreement is a historic win for Ohioans and for public safety.”

    “I urge the legislature to build on this progress,” Klein added, “and equip reporting agencies with the tools they need to fill the gaps in our system and better protect public safety.”

    Originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal. Republished here with permission.

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    Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal

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  • Deadly shooting near Randall’s Island migrant shelter

    Deadly shooting near Randall’s Island migrant shelter

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    RANDALL’S ISLAND (WABC) — A woman was killed and two other people were injured in a shooting on Randall’s Island.

    It happened near Field 71 just after 3:30 a.m. on Monday.

    Police say the 44-year-old woman died after being shot in the face and back. She is believed to be a migrant from Venezuela.

    Detectives believe the shooting stemmed from the robbery of a necklace. The victim was dancing and does not appear to be the intended target.

    Many of those gathered on the field at the time of the shooting were Venezuelans, and the gathering appears to have started as a celebration of Sunday’s election results reelecting Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

    A 31-year-old woman was shot in the lower back and a 32-year-old man was hit in the throat. They also taken to Harlem Hospital where they are in stable condition.

    Police established two separate crime scenes on the island after first arriving to an area near the the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. Their investigation led them to Field 7 near the city-run migrant shelter.

    Authorities say they are looking for at least two men. One of the suspects fled on a moped and the other was able to get away in a vehicle with New Mexico license plates.

    No arrests have been made.

    Randall’s Island Park Alliances Summer Camp, a free program for 350 to 400 children 6-12 years old, was canceled Monday due to the shooting. It will also be canceled on Tuesday.

    Police have logged rising complaints of general lawlessness around the shelter.

    On Monday, police impounded more than a dozen unregistered cars and scooters linked to asylum seekers at the shelter.

    ALSO READ | Video shows 95-year-old grandmother assaulted by home aide in Harlem

    Jim Dolan has the story from Harlem.

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    WABC

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  • What is Demolition Ranch, the YouTube channel on Thomas Matthew Crooks’ shirt?

    What is Demolition Ranch, the YouTube channel on Thomas Matthew Crooks’ shirt?

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    Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who opened fire on Saturday at a rally for former President Donald Trump, was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with “Demolition Ranch,” the name of a popular YouTube Channel focused on firearms. 

    The YouTube channel, which has more than 11 million subscribers, is run by Texas social media personality Matt Carriker. In his YouTube profile, he says the account is “not your average gun channel.” 

    In the aftermath of the shooting, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are investigating Crooks’ background and possible motive. Crooks was killed by snipers Saturday after he shot and injured Trump, killed a spectator and critically injured two others. 

    Crooks was a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh suburb about an hour south of the Trump rally’s location in Butler, Pennsylvania. A former classmate told CBS News that Crooks had tried out for the school’s varsity rifle team during his freshman year, but that he didn’t make the roster and didn’t return in later years to try out again.

    What is Demolition Ranch?

    Demolition Ranch offers videos with titles such as “Is the AK-50 any good?” and “I sawed off a .50 caliber sniper rifle.” In addition to its gun-related video content, Demolition Ranch operates a store selling merchandise branded with the channel’s name, including $30 t-shirts, $55 sweatshirts and $35 hats, as well as can coolers and stickers.

    Demolition Ranch primarily focuses on the capabilities of firearms, including esoteric weapons such as a pistol grenade launcher. Last month, the account announced that it was opening a public shooting facility called Desperado shooting range. In the video, Carriker shows off a new gun, which he uses to shoot at targets, with the action set to a soundtrack. His videos are often tagged as sponsored by a range of companies.

    In another short video, Carriker tested the force of what he called “the most powerful sniper rifle” against a bronze block. He also shows off his personal arsenal, which appears to include hundreds of weapons. 

    Carriker is also the founder of another account called Vet Ranch, described on YouTube as “a place for veterinarians to share some amazing stories.” A Facebook page calls Vet Ranch “an organization that provides veterinary treatment for homeless animals.” Carriker also has a social media presence on X, Instagram and TikTok.

    On his company’s site, Carriker says that since founding Demolition Ranch in 2011 he has amassed a personal net worth of $4.3 million. He states that his YouTube channel and his merchandise shop are two of his primary sources of income. 

    On Demolition Ranch’s site, Carriker also breaks down his earnings, claiming to earn a monthly salary of $24,000 to $27,000, plus between $13,000 to $15,000 per month from his YouTube channels. On an annual basis, he said that equates to an income between $445,000 to $504,000.

    Carriker responds to shooting

    In a Facebook post Saturday Carriker posted an image of a bloodied Crooks wearing the Demolition Range t-shirt and captioned it with, “What the hell.”


    Moment by moment breakdown of Trump assassination attempt

    06:57

    On social media site X, Carriker wrote: “Sucks seeing articles about this and they are naming 3 people… the shooter, trump… and somehow me.”  A representative for Carriker did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment. 

    Carriker also said he is “in disbelief” about the incident, adding that he will soon make a public statement on YouTube. 

    Megan Cerullo

    Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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  • No evidence the Trump rally shooting was staged

    No evidence the Trump rally shooting was staged

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    Conspiracy theories that the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was staged flooded the internet almost immediately after a shooting suspect opened fire on Trump as he spoke at a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

    Some of the claims said Trump staged it himself.

    “Donald Trump continues to play in our faces!! This was SO staged!!! If someone REALLY wanted to take him out, they wouldn’t use a BB Gun!!,” one person posted on X a little over an  hour after the shooting. 

    “If you think the ‘shooting’ at the trump rally was an assassination attempt, you are in a cult. This is the most staged thing I’ve seen in a long time. He knows he’s going to lose the election, so he fakes this s**** and shouts to the crowd to ‘fight,’” another X user wrote.

    Some social media users even falsely claimed that Trump faked the blood coming from his ear with a “blood pill.” 

    “Trump staging a fake shooting at his rally is amazing theater,” one X user wrote. “We saw him smash fake blood on the side of his head. Those were not gunshot sounds.”

    Some claims appeared on Meta, which was flagged as part of the platform’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

    These claims are baseless.

    The FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt. PolitiFact found no credible news reports or official accounts that the shooting was staged. It was witnessed by thousands of rally attendees, including dozens of news photographers and reporters.

    The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect who shot former President Donald Trump. Pennsylvania State Police said the shooter killed one person — whom the state’s governor identified as Corey Comperatore, a former volunteer fire chief and father of two — and critically injured two other people at the rally. Secret Service personnel shot Crooks dead shortly after he opened fire, the agency said. Law enforcement officials recovered an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle from a nearby building’s roof, according to The New York Times.

    Law enforcement officials continued to investigate a potential motive the day after the shooting.

    The shooter, the U.S. Secret Service said, fired multiple rounds from an “elevated position outside of the rally venue”; social media photos showed a body on a roof. Trump, who had blood trickling down his face as agents rushed him offstage, is recovering and safe, the agency said. Trump later said on Truth Social that the bullet hit the upper part of his right ear.

    PolitiFact contacted the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI for comment but did not hear back by publication.

    A Trump campaign spokesperson said Trump thanked “law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act” and said he was fine after being checked out at a local medical facility.

    Claims that violent incidents and shootings were “staged” to distract from other news are a common trope among misinformers.

    The shooting suspect was said to be about 400 feet away from the rally stage. The BBC interviewed one witness who said he tried to warn police about the shooter as he saw him climbing onto the roof. 

    In a news conference, FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek called the shooting an assassination attempt against Trump. Authorities said there would be a lengthy investigation into how the shooter was able to carry out the attack. Rojek said it was “surprising” the shooter was able to fire multiple times.

    “A lot of things need to occur investigatively to make those determinations of what, if any, failures there were,” Rojek said.

    Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at the news conference that officials were following up on reports of witnesses warning police about the shooter, adding that law enforcement had responded to “a number” of reports of suspicious occurrences. The FBI confirmed it had no threat information before the event.

    Experts say there are several reasons people turn to and believe conspiracy theories during breaking news, such as that these events were fake or planned.

    “They distrust the media and police, whether because they view the ‘fake news’ and police as complicit with or dupes of the conspiracy,” Mark Fenster, a University of Florida law professor who has written extensively about conspiracies, previously told PolitiFact. “And they either already believe or are susceptible to believe in whatever the claim cites as the reason behind the elaborate set-up.”

    Our ruling

    Social media users said Trump staged the shooting at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.

    There is no evidence to support this. Trump was visibly injured in the shooting, which thousands of people witnessed, and was later treated medically. One person was killed and at least two others were critically injured. The suspected shooter was shot dead, and the FBI is investigating the incident as an assassination attempt.

    This claim is inaccurate and meritless. We rate it Pants on Fire!

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  • Fact-checking President Joe Biden’s NATO press conference

    Fact-checking President Joe Biden’s NATO press conference

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    President Joe Biden defended his ability to serve as president and the Democratic nominee against former President Donald Trump during a July 11 press conference following the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. 

    The press conference — his first in eight months — came amid calls from some congressional Democrats and donors for Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his June 27 debate performance. Biden said he wouldn’t drop out unless his team showed him there was no path for him to win. 

    “No one’s saying that. No poll says that,” Biden said in a whisper.

    Here are the facts on seven of the president’s comments. 

    Says Donald Trump “already told Putin and I quote, ‘Do whatever the hell you want.’ In fact, the day after Putin invaded Ukraine, here’s what he said, ‘It was genius. It was wonderful.’” 

    Biden left out context and was off about when Trump paid Putin the compliment.

    Trump, at a Feb. 10 campaign rally in South Carolina, recalled a conversation with an unnamed leader of a NATO member state who he said asked whether the U.S. would protect the leader’s country if it were attacked by Russia, even if it hadn’t met defense spending targets. Trump said he told the leader, “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.” 

    Trump did praise Russian President Vladimir Putin two days before he invaded Ukraine, not the day after, as Biden said.

    Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. 

    On a Feb. 22, 2022, radio show, Trump was complimentary of Putin’s decision to declare breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent. 

    “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent,” Trump said, adding, “Oh, that’s wonderful,” sarcastically.

    “So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force. … We could use that on our southern border,” Trump said. “That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy … I know him very well. Very, very well.”

    “Trump’s calling for a 10% tariff on everything Americans buy, including foods from overseas, vegetables, and other necessities. And economists tell us that that would cost the average American working family another $2,500 a year. It’s a tax of $2,500 a year.”

    Economists say Trump’s proposed 10% tariff on all imported foreign products (not “everything Americans buy”) will cost consumers more money, but Biden’s $2,500 figure is higher than recent estimates.

    How much the tariff will cost consumers is debatable. The American Action Forum, a center-right think tank, estimated June 25 that households would pay from $1,700 to $2,350 more annually. The Peterson Institute of International Economics, another think tank focused on global economic matters, estimated in May that a middle-income household would pay about $1,700 more per year.

    The Center for American Progress, a left-leaning policy research organization, in March estimated cost to consumers at $1,500.

    “I took executive action last month. As a consequence, working with Mexico, border encounters have gone down over 50%. The current level is lower today than when Trump left office.”

    This comparison is misleading. The Department of Homeland Security on June 25 said that illegal immigration encounters at the southern border dropped 40%, to fewer than 2,400 each day, after a June 4 policy largely barred asylum access for people entering the U.S. at the southern border. Since the policy was announced only a few weeks ago, it’s unclear whether the drop in illegal immigration will continue. 

    In December 2020 and January 2021 — when Trump was still in office — Border Patrol encountered immigrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border about 71,000 and 75,000 times, respectively. That’s a daily average of around 2,300 to 2,400 encounters. (Biden was inaugurated Jan. 20, 2021.)

    The latest publicly available data for Biden’s presidency shows 170,000 southwest border encounters in May. That contradicts Biden’s claim that “the current level” is lower than when Trump left the presidency.

    CBS and The New York Times reported that unreleased data shows border encounters dropped to about 83,000 in June. That’s about 50% lower than the public May figures, but still higher than the last months of Trump’s presidency.

    “The UAW just endorsed me.” 

    This needs context. Biden gave the impression this endorsement recently happened. But it came in January, when United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain announced the union’s endorsement of Biden, saying, “Instead of talking trash about our union, Joe Biden stood with us.”

    That endorsement came before Biden’s debate performance sparked concerns about his candidacy, age and fitness for office. We contacted the UAW about the status of its endorsement but received no reply.

    “At least five presidents running or incumbent presidents … had lower numbers than I have now later in the campaign.”

    Biden didn’t specify if he was referring to campaign polling data or job approval ratings. The claim is true when looking at polling data, but wrong for approval ratings. 

    The Biden campaign pointed us to polling data that shows six presidents (either running for the first time or as an incumbent) who fared worse in national polls at a comparable point in their campaigns and won.

    Biden, according to FiveThirtyEight’s national average of polls, trails Trump by 1.9 percentage points as of July 12.

    Six other current or future presidents were trailing their opponents by greater numbers later in their campaigns, according to polling data:

    • Trump trailed Hillary Clinton by seven points in a Real Clear Politics national poll average in October 2016. He defeated Clinton in November.

    • Barack Obama trailed John McCain by 2.9 points in September 2008 and trailed Mitt Romney by 1 point in October 2012, according to Real Clear Politics data. He won both races.

    • George W. Bush trailed John Kerry by 2.5 points in August 2004, according to Real Clear Politics data, but won reelection.

    • Bill Clinton trailed George H.W. Bush by 8 percentage points in 1992 according to Gallup polling data, but won in November.

    • George H.W. Bush trailed Michael Dukakis by 17 points in July 1988, according to Gallup polling data, but won in November.

    • John F. Kennedy trailed Richard Nixon by 6 points in Gallup polling in August 1960 before winning in November.

    Approval ratings for Biden aren’t as promising. His approval rating when he made the claim was 36.8% (and inched up to 37.3% the day after his news conference), according to data from FiveThirtyEight.

    The FiveThirtyEight data goes back to the Harry Truman administration from 1945 to 1953. Only Jimmy Carter (33.9%) and George H.W. Bush (36.7%) had lower approval ratings through the same time as Biden. Carter’s approval rating dipped as low as 32.2% later in his 1980 campaign. George H.W. Bush fell as low as 30.1% late in his 1992 campaign. 

    Both incumbent presidents lost their reelection bids. 

    In the U.S. “more children are killed with, by a bullet than any other cause of death.”

    This is accurate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that in 2022, the most recent year of non-provisional data, firearms were the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 17. (Researchers generally say they don’t include infants in their analyses because of certain conditions unique to babies.)

    In total, 16,318 children ages 1 to 17 died in 2022. Of those deaths, firearms were the No. 1 cause, causing 2,526 deaths. Motor vehicle traffic crashes, broadly, were the second leading cause of death, causing 2,240 deaths.

    Firearms are not the leading cause of death for each age in that group. Firearm deaths are far more common among older children, according to the CDC data and researchers. 

    Trump “says he’s gonna do away with the civil service, eliminate the Department of Education.”

    This is largely accurate. In one of his agenda policy videos, Trump promised to close the Department of Education and “to send all education work and needs back to the states.” However, congressional approval is required, so Trump couldn’t do it on his own. 

    Trump has promised to “re-issue my 2020 Executive Order restoring the President’s authority to remove rogue bureaucrats.” More commonly known as Schedule F, this order would reclassify certain federal employees, stripping away protections from being fired or political pressures.

    Of the nearly 2 million federal employees, the vast majority are nonpolitical career officials who carry out their duties regardless of the administration. Currently, these employees cannot be fired for political reasons.

    Trump opening up the ability to fire civil servants without cause doesn’t necessarily “do away” with the service, as Biden said, but it does put many of these jobs in jeopardy. 

    RELATED: Fact-checking Donald Trump on immigration, economy in first postdebate rally in Doral, Florida
     

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  • Arrest log

    Arrest log

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    The following arrests were made recently by local police departments. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Massachusetts’ privacy law prevents police from releasing information involving domestic and sexual violence arrests with the goal to protect the alleged victims.

    LOWELL

    • Benjamin Khammanivong, 26, 14 Lundberg St., Lowell; operating motor vehicle after license suspension, marked lanes violation, carrying firearm while loaded, unlawful possession of large capacity feeding device, carrying firearm without license.

    • Kevin Rousseau, 62, 33 Morningside Drive, Lowell; public drinking, trespassing.

    • Juan Agudelo Louiza, 30, 6 Ford St., Boston; warrant (suspended license).

    • Justin Butler, 45, 181 Vale St., First Floor, Tewksbury; operating motor vehicle after license suspension.

    • Tommy Nguyen, 29, no fixed address; attempt or break safe.

    • Amanda Bellan, 28, homeless; warrants (failure to appear for malicious damage to motor vehicle, and trespassing).

    • Walezka Carmona, 30, homeless; warrants (failure to appear for possession of Class A drug, and possession of Class B drug).

    • Ashley Hartwell, 35, homeless; warrants (failure to appear for possession of Class B drug, and possession of Class C drug).

    • Jacqueline Mara, 27, 16 Wright St., Lowell; warrants (failure to appear for larceny under $1,200, shoplifting, receiving stolen property, assault with dangerous weapon, and two counts of possession of Class A drug).

    • Rok Rong, 50, homeless; warrant (probation violation for distribution of Class B drug), possession of Class B drug with intent to distribute.

    • Shelly Coiley, 39, 193 Summer St., Lowell; warrant (credit card fraud).

    • Michael Dalton, 33, 606 School St., Lowell; warrant (failure to appear for possession of Class A drug), possession of Class B drug.

    • Daniel Jacobs, 32, 7 Rolling Hill Road, Billerica; possession of Class B drug.

    • Lamar Hughes, 55, Lowell; trespassing after notice.

    • Luis Gomez, 33, 300 Massmills Drive, Apt. 307, Lowell; warrants (failure to appear for possession of Class A drug, larceny under $1,200, breaking and entering building at daytime to commit felony, and four counts of trespassing.

    • Steven Khiev, 30, 20 Eugene St., Lowell; manufacturing/dispensing Class B drug, conspiracy to violate drug law (felony).

    • Franchesca Hernandez, 40, homeless; warrants (failure to appear for possession of Class A drug, three counts of possession of Class B drug, two counts of larceny under $1,200, shoplifting, larceny over $1,200, and possession of Class C drug).

    • Jonathan Aquino, 35, 31 Maplewood Ave., Billerica; trafficking in cocaine 18 grams or more.

    • Peter Poulakos, 32, 395 Mammoth Road, Apt. 5, Lowell; warrant (larceny under $1,200).

    • Joseph Conry, 51, homeless; warrants.

    • Aimee Sherwood, 40, homeless; warrant (possession of Class B drug).

    WESTFORD

    • Kyle Thomas Ryan, 31, 8802 Luminaria Lane, Odessa, Fla.; assault and battery with dangerous weapon.

    WILMINGTON

    • Joshua Eisnor, 45, 325 Park St., North Reading; uninsured motor vehicle, unregistered motor vehicle, motor vehicle lights violation.

    • Juvenile, 17; malicious destruction of property less than $1,200.

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    Staff Report

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  • The Mystery of AI Gunshot-Detection Accuracy Is Finally Unraveling

    The Mystery of AI Gunshot-Detection Accuracy Is Finally Unraveling

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    This week, New York City’s comptroller published a similar audit of the city’s ShotSpotter system showing that only 13 percent of the alerts the system generated over an eight-month period could be confirmed as gunfire. The auditors noted that while the NYPD has the information necessary to publish data about ShotSpotter’s accuracy, it does not do so. They described the department’s accountability measures as “inadequate” and “not sufficient to demonstrate the effectiveness of the tool.”

    Champaign and Chicago have since canceled their contracts with Flock Safety and SoundThinking, respectively.

    “Raven is over 90 percent accurate at detecting gunshots with around the same accuracy percentage at detecting fireworks,” Josh Thomas, Flock Safety senior vice president of policy and communications, tells WIRED in a statement. “And critically, Raven alerts officers to gun violence incidents they never would have been aware of. In the San Jose report, for example, of the 111 true positive gunshot alerts, SJPD states that only 6 percent were called in to 911.”

    Eric Piza, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University, has conducted some of the most thorough studies available on gunshot detection systems. In a recent study of shooting incidents in Chicago and Kansas City, Missouri, his team’s analysis showed that police responded faster to shooting incidents, stopped their vehicles closer to the scene of shootings, and collected more ballistic evidence when responding to automated gunshot alerts compared to 911 calls. However, there was no reduction in gun-related crimes, and police were no more likely to solve gun crimes in areas with gunshot sensors than in areas without them. That study only examined confirmed shootings; it did not include false-positive incidents where the systems incorrectly identified gunfire.

    In another study in Kansas City, Piza found that shots-fired reports in areas with gunshot sensors were 15 percent more likely to be classified as unfounded compared to shots-fired reports in areas without the systems, where police would have relied on calls to 911 and other reporting methods.

    “If you look at the different goals of the system, research shows that [gunshot detection technology] typically tends to result in quicker police response times,” Piza says. “But research consistently has shown that gun violence victimization doesn’t reduce after gunshot detection technology has been introduced.”

    The New York City comptroller recommended the NYPD not renew its current $22 million contract with SoundThinking without first conducting a more thorough performance evaluation. In its response to the audit, the NYPD wrote that “non-renewal of ShotSpotter services may endanger the public.”

    In its report, San Jose’s Digital Privacy Office recommended that the police department continue looking for ways to improve accuracy if it intends to keep using the Raven system.

    Pointing to the report’s finding that only 6 percent of the confirmed gunshots detected by the system were reported to police via 911 calls or other means, police spokesperson Sergeant Jorge Garibay tells WIRED the SJPD will continue to use the technology. “The system is still proving useful in providing supplementary evidence for various violent gun crimes,” he says. “The hope is to solve more crime and increase apprehension efforts desirably leading to a reduction in gun violence.”

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    Todd Feathers

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  • The Supreme Court upholds a gun control law intended to protect domestic violence victims

    The Supreme Court upholds a gun control law intended to protect domestic violence victims

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    By MARK SHERMAN | Associated Press

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a federal gun control law that is intended to protect victims of domestic violence.

    In their first Second Amendment case since they expanded gun rights in 2022, the justices ruled 8-1 in favor of a 1994 ban on firearms for people under restraining orders to stay away from their spouses or partners. The justices reversed a ruling from the federal appeals court in New Orleans that had struck down the law.

    Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court, said the law uses “common sense” and applies only “after a judge determines that an individual poses a credible threat” of physical violence.

    Justice Clarence Thomas, the author of the 2022 Bruen ruling in a New York case, dissented.

    Last week, the court overturned a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the rapid-fire gun accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The court ruled that the Justice Department exceeded its authority in imposing that ban.

    Friday’s case stemmed directly from the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision in June 2022. A Texas man, Zackey Rahimi, was accused of hitting his girlfriend during an argument in a parking lot and later threatening to shoot her.

    At arguments in November, some justices voiced concern that a ruling for Rahimi could also jeopardize the background check system that the Biden administration said has stopped more than 75,000 gun sales in the past 25 years based on domestic violence protective orders.

    The case also had been closely watched for its potential to affect cases in which other gun ownership laws have been called into question, including in the high-profile prosecution of Hunter Biden. President Joe Biden’s son was convicted of lying on a form to buy a firearm while he was addicted to drugs. His lawyers have signaled they will appeal.

    A decision to strike down the domestic violence gun law might have signaled the court’s skepticism of the other laws as well. But Friday’s decision did not suggest that the court would necessarily uphold those law either.

    The justices could weigh in soon in one or more of those other cases.

    Many of the gun law cases grow out of the Bruen decision. That high court ruling not only expanded Americans’ gun rights under the Constitution but also changed the way courts are supposed to evaluate restrictions on firearms.

    Roberts turned to history in his opinion. “Since the founding, our nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms,” he wrote.

    Rahimi’s case reached the Supreme Court after prosecutors appealed a ruling that threw out his conviction for possessing guns while subject to a restraining order.

    Rahimi was involved in five shootings over two months in and around Arlington, Texas, U.S. Circuit Judge Cory Wilson noted. When police identified Rahimi as a suspect in the shootings and showed up at his home with a search warrant, he admitted having guns in the house and being subject to a domestic violence restraining order that prohibited gun possession, Wilson wrote.

    But even though Rahimi was hardly “a model citizen,” Wilson wrote, the law at issue could not be justified by looking to history. That’s the test Justice Thomas laid out in his opinion for the court in Bruen.

    The appeals court initially upheld the conviction under a balancing test that included whether the restriction enhances public safety. But the panel reversed course after Bruen. At least one district court has upheld the law since the Bruen decision.

    Advocates for domestic violence victims and gun control groups had called on the court to uphold the law.

    Firearms are the most common weapon used in homicides of spouses, intimate partners, children or relatives in recent years, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guns were used in more than half, 57%, of those killings in 2020, a year that saw an overall increase in domestic violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

    Seventy women a month, on average, are shot and killed by intimate partners, according to the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety.

    Gun rights groups backed Rahimi, arguing that the appeals court got it right when it looked at American history and found no restriction close enough to justify the gun ban.

    ___

    Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.ub/us-supreme-court.

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    Apress

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  • Oakland County sheriff slammed for telling reporters not to contact mass shooting victims

    Oakland County sheriff slammed for telling reporters not to contact mass shooting victims

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    Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard is getting a quick lesson on the importance of the media and the First Amendment.

    The Republican lawman took to Facebook and X on Sunday to tell the media to stop contacting victims of Saturday’s mass shooting that left nine people wounded at a splash pad in Rochester Hills.

    “To anyone in the media that is attempting to contact the victims from yesterday shooting [SIC], please stop,” Bouchard wrote. “They are not wanting to talk at this time and do not appreciate the intrusion. We will let you know when/ if that changes.”

    Reporters and others are admonishing the sheriff for telling journalists they shouldn’t do their jobs, pointing out that victims often do want to speak out and hold others accountable. A majority of the responses are negative.

    “To those suggesting reporters are disgusting for even reaching out – we do respect when witnesses/victims/loved ones don’t want to talk,” Detroit Free Press reporter Darcie Moran responded on X. “But this is their story — it would be wrong to not give them the chance to tell it themselves, if that’s what they want. They’ve earned the right to be the ones heard in this moment. And that’s why we do it. It is part of our pursuit of getting the story right and fairly reporting it.”

    Fellow Free Press reporter Dana Afana agreed.

    “It’s our job as reporters to seek the truth and attempt to lend people their voices to open up if they wish. If they don’t want to, we’ll note that,” Afana responded. “But we have to at least try.”

    Former journalist Ron Fournier told Bouchard to “stay in your lane.”

    “Your job is to protect people, Sheriff,” Fournier wrote on X. “The media’s job is to tell folks what happened, and in the case of a mass shooting, the victims’ stories are essentially told. Many family members welcome the chance to share. Others don’t, and reporters respect them. ”

    Political strategist Joe Spaulding suggested Bouchard’s message to the media was more nefarious.

    “That’s not how the First Amendment works. You are not a bottleneck for information from the public,” Spaulding responded. “It’s looking more and more like there is some aspect of this you are willfully covering up for political purposes, Mike. That’s despicable. Be better. Or be replaced.”

    Others accused Bouchard of hypocrisy, saying he politicized the shooting when he invited U.S. Rep. John James, a fellow Republican and gun rights supporter, to a press conference about the incident.

    “Go shrill for traitor John James,” @timfris responded.

    Bouchard, who served two terms as president of the Major County Sheriffs’ Association, has served as sheriff since 1999. He’s a former state senator and unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006 and governor in 2010.

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    Steve Neavling

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