Federal Gun Law Bans Open Carry in All 50 States-Fiction!

Federal Gun Law Bans Open Carry in All 50 States-Fiction!

Summary of eRumor:
A new federal gun regulation will make the open carry of guns a crime in all 50 states.
The Truth:
A fake news website is behind false rumors that a new federal regulation makes it illegal to open carry guns in all 50 states.
The rumor started with an article published by Associated Media Coverage under the headline, “New Federal Gun Law Prevents Open Carry in All 50 States,” that reports:

According to Carl Peterson, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the regulation was implemented in effort to create uniformity among states and increase public safety. Previously, individual states were permitted to create and enforce laws pertaining to the practice of open carry ranging from No Permit Needed(meaning that no permits or licenses are required to open carry), Permit Required(meaning that the practice of open carry is permissible upon obtaining a permit/license), and No Open Carry Permitted (meaning that the practice of open carry is strictly prohibited).

According to Peterson, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives worked closely with several organizations when drafting the regulation including local law enforcement agencies, the Brady Campaign, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, EveryTown for Gun Safety, and Moms Demand Action. Peterson told reporters that the ATF additionally had the support of President Obama and though he wasn’t directly involved in drafting the regulation, he did assist in expediting the implementation process.

The story was widely circulated on social media and, taken out of context, many readers mistakenly believed that it was credible report. One reader commented:

Here we go again: number one no one has the right to take your constitution right from you. In the constitution it says that you can not take a constitution right and turn it into a crime. To buy the way let’s take all the guns away so the only ones that have them is the cops and criminals and then they can take your knifes next!!!!!

Associated Media Coverage doesn’t clearly identify itself as a fake or satirical news site — but we’ve investigated plenty of false claims that have come from it. There have been (false) reports of a motorcycle curfew and two-pet maximum ordinance, just to name a few. Just like previous reports from Associated Media Coverage, there’s no truth to this one.