Gun Grabber Lies
By Nicki Kenyon, May 19th 2014
JPFO writer contributor, © 2014.
We all know that gun grabbers will twist the truth, spin, and tell outright lies to promote their anti-freedom, anti-life agenda. This has been quaintly obvious for decades, judging by the vast number of myths Guy Smith has had to debunk (http://www.gunfacts.info/) over the years. If you haven't seen Mr. Smith's ever-growing e-book exposing some of the most prevalent lies perpetuated by hoplophobes over the years, you should check it out. It's illuminating.
Since the advent of social media, I have noticed that the number of lies and their viral spread have become worse. Much worse. Unfortunately, people don't seem to fact check the Internet. A misleading photo, an out-of-context statement, or an outright fraud are on a highway to eternity in the social media vehicle, and this gives the gun grabber groups opportunities they have never had before.
Take, for instance, a photo taken of a pro-Second Amendment group in Texas whose members turned out to protest a Moms Demand Action – a gun grabber group supported by Michael Bloomberg's astroturf funds. The liberal group Think Progress published this photo as proof that open carry advocates in Texas were threatening the innocent mommies.
The truth was much more innocuous, it appears. Apparently these folks were posing for a photo when a member of the Moms Demand Action group snapped her own picture from the side, and the group used it to shape the narrative that gun rights advocates are extremists threatening innocent mommies.
The full story is here.
More recently, my own interaction with one such mommy on Twitter revealed just how the group fear mongers and twists the truth in order to promote its odious agenda.
An obviously mad mom (her Twitter name is MADMOM – in all capital letters to ensure everyone knows she's... well... mad) posted the following:
@chipotletweet FYI: These are the people who carry loaded assault rifles in your store Chipotle. #BurritosNotBullets pic.twitter.com/mdNEBhRGZ5
— MADMOM (@madmommadmom) May 18, 2014Apparently MADMOM's claim is that the photo, which depicts a T-shirt with a target on it, with the words, "Proudly gun free," is Open Carry Texas's threat to all those who disagree with them. She also hysterically claims that these same people, who apparently paint a target on the back of those with whom they disagree on gun rights, are the ones carrying scary "assault" weapons into the fast food restaurant Chipotle.
The implication should be clear to even the daftest of halfwits. When you support citizen disarmament, you paint a target on the back of every innocent prevented from defending him or herself.
MADMOM – much like her compatriot Shannon Watts, the Mom who Demanded Action by lying about the photo of open carry advocates pictured above, and by lying on MSNBC - to an audience of millions – by claiming "we have a mass shooting every day."
JPFO responded to MADMOM on Twitter:
@madmommadmom @chipotletweet this is what armed thugs see every time an establishment bans self defense. Don't you get it?
— JPFO (@JPFO_Liberty) May 18, 2014But I doubt there will be a reply. The Internet, for all its benefits, is also an unforgiving medium. Once a lie is out there, it's tough to take it back. It will be copied, repeated, re-Tweeted and reposted on Facebook millions of times. Internet memes emerge and re-emerge – just when you think they're dead. Even if the lying Shannon Watts were to apologize or at the very least retract her patently untrue statements, no one would care. The lie is out there.
Even if MADMOM admitted that she somehow misunderstood the T-shirt's message (that would be admitting her lack of logic and reasoning ability), that photo with her blatant misrepresentation of the message is out there – reposted at least 18 times at last check.
So what can we do?
I don't have a cure for stupid. I don't have a remedy for uninformed.
So the only thing we can do is play chess and develop a long-term strategy to ensure no misinformation goes unanswered.
If you do have social media accounts, track these anti-gun groups, and make sure you answer their lies with the truth just as publicly as they promote their lies.
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Be aware of your surroundings. When I was in the military, we were taught this cardinal rule, and it's critical in this battle as well. If you are carrying a rifle or a pistol, please ensure you cannot be photographed in a position that can later be used against gun rights by lying organizations like *insert name of Bloomberg astroturf group here*. The member of Open Carry Texas fell victim to just such a manipulation, and to this day, that photo circulates among gun grabbers as an example of "extremists" allegedly "threatening" those innocent mommies with their bad, evil guns. I know it's difficult to keep positive control of your surroundings at all times, but we've got to try and avoid these situations as much as we can.
When replying – especially in a social media setting, be clear, be concise and ensure that your words cannot be misinterpreted in any way. Short, factual sentences work best. It is a good idea to ensure that as many people as possible see your original reply. Tag your friends. Use a Twitter "#" or hashtag to ensure your reply appears on popular topic lists. The more people are aware of the truth at the start of the discussion, the more difficult it will be for the gun grabbers to spread misinformation.
But mostly, just stay informed. Find primary sources, when possible, and spread the truth where you can.
We cannot lose the battle for gun rights by allowing our opponents to control the narrative by spreading lies. The truth matters. The truth is what will allow us to most effectively protect our rights, and it is on our side.
Let's roll!
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Nicki Kenyon has been an avid gun rights advocate since she returned to the United States from an overseas Army tour in Germany. She began writing about Second Amendment issues in 2001 when KeepAndBearArms.com published her first essay, "The Moment.". She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies from American Military University. Her area of expertise in those fields is European and Eurasian affairs. When not writing about gun rights or hanging out with her husband and son, she practices dry-firing her M1911 at the zombies of "The Walking Dead."
