Christians in California Required to Register Bibles as Assault Weapons-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
The California Legislature has advanced a bill requiring Christians to register bibles as assault weapons.
The Truth:
The Babylon Bee, a website that identifies its content as “Christian news satire” is behind false reports about registering bibles as assault weapons.
Appearing under the headline, “California Christians Must Now Register Bibles As Assault Weapons,” the satirical story reports that Gov. Jerry Brown had signed the bill into law:
Many national public safety groups and political action committees praised the new law, saying that it will foster safer and more tolerant communities and save many people from having to hear words that conflict with their own worldview presuppositions.
The satirical story plays off two hot-button issues. The first is the ongoing national debate about gun control. The second is a recent story about a bill introduced in the California Legislature to ban commercial gay conversion therapy. Critics of the bill questioned whether or not its wording would effectively ban the sale of bibles. We investigated and found that’s not the intent of the bill, but there are legitimate concerns about its ambiguous wording.
Babylon Bee stories are often mistaken for factual news. Although the website clearly identifies its content as satire, it’s often taken out of context on social media.