In May 2019, the Facebook page “McGroarty for Freedom” shared the following meme containing a quote attributed to George Washington concerning the rights of citizens to bear arms: Across a black background, white text read: “When government takes away citizens’ right to bear arms it becomes citizens’ duty to take away government’s right to govern.” George Washington No …
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has captured the attention of the internet and its trolls, which means that memes and rumors about her are quite common — most of which seem to attribute either motives or quotes to her with no citation or evidence. One such meme, which has circulated for some time, …
An April 30 2019 text-based Facebook post (archived here) claiming that 2012 gun control legislation in Venezuela prompted political unrest was shared over 100,000 times in a few days: The status update, which came in text form without news links or other form of citation or context, and it drew a direct line between purported …
Are Venezuelans Being ‘Shot in the Streets’ After a 2012 Gun Ban? Read More »
In January 2019, Facebook page “The Original American Resistance” shared a meme attributing a quote to former United States Secretary of Defense James “Mad Dog” Mattis: The quote at the bottom of the image said: WHAT PISSES ME OFF IS, MY MEN DEFEND FREEDOM ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH A GUN. YET WHEN THEY GOME HOME …
On December 7 2018, the Facebook page Change The Ref shared this meme (text below): FACT: MORE AMERICANS HAVE DIED OF GUN-RELATED INCIDENTS IN THE LAST FIFTY YEARS THAN HAVE DIED IN WAR SINCE THE COUNTRY’S FOUNDING. A caption with the image read: #FckThat Fact of the Day: Did you know that more Americans have died …
Pope Francis Gun Owners Aren’t Christian, Calls to Ban All Weapons-Misleading! Summary of eRumor: Pope Francis said that gun owners and those who support gun rights can’t call themselves Christian anymore and are hypocrites. Pope Francis also called for a ban on all weapons. The Truth: Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken out against weapons of …
Pope Francis Says Gun Owners Can't Call Themselves Christians-Mostly Fiction! Read More »
A satirical article of 1995 recasts the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War to make a point about gun rights, stating that 72 People Killed Resisting Gun Confiscation by National Guard.
California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law ensuring that teachers can’t shoot back if attacked — but the law was signed because of the tragedy in Parkland, Florida.
False reports from 2012 and 2013 that the military plans to confiscate guns from private citizens resurfaced after the February 2018 shooting in Parkland, Florida, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High.
False claims that Maxine Waters tweeted about gun control and armed security came from an imposter account.
