The old adage, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth,” has been attributed to a number of unsavory people from the past who had a penchant for wanting to exert influence and control over large swaths of the general public. Among them are Adolph Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s minister of propaganda, as well as Vladimir Lenin, the founder of one of the most infamous police states the world has ever known; the Soviet Union.
But the sentiment likely extends back much farther in time. In fact, one variation of the quote can be found in the 1869 novel The Crown of a Life, before any of the aforementioned men were born.
Regardless of the quote’s origin, it could easily be the slogan for today’s American gun-control advocates.
When it comes to promoting their agenda, gun-ban groups and their political allies have a hard time telling the truth. Of course, some of their statements aren’t outright lies, but they intentionally twist the truth enough to misinform; meanwhile, the so-called “mainstream media” are happy to broadcast and print those untruths to the masses.
Here are 10 of the most-dishonest things gun-control advocates are saying now.
“Who in God’s name needs a weapon with 100 rounds in the chamber.” President Joe Biden (D) uttered those words on Oct. 14 while stumping for a ban on “assault weapons.” Of course, there are no guns that hold “100 rounds in the chamber,” as anyone who understands even a little about firearms knows that is an impossibility. But since the president said it and the media printed it, it’s likely there are at least a few people who still believe Biden is making good-faith arguments. Biden may be referring to magazines and other ammunition feeding devices. In other tirades he has also decried capacities of 100-rounds, 80 rounds, and others, but the truth is that most proposals seeking to limit magazine capacity set limits at 10 rounds, which is far less than the standard capacity that comes with most firearms.
“The ‘Good Guys with Guns’ Keep Failing to Stop Mass Shootings.” This TIME Magazine headline is a frequent talking point of gun-ban advocates after a deranged person shoots innocent people for no apparent reason. Of course, actual research by John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, shows just the opposite. In 2021, an incredible “49% of active shooting attacks were stopped by citizens with permits to carry,” Lott reports. “If you don’t count gun-free zones, the number is closer to 60%.”
“The fact of the matter is that New Mexicans are still being threatened, injured and killed by firearms.” This statement by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) is straight from the gun-control playbook—always blame the gun, not the criminal. Gov. Lujan Grisham completely ignores the fact that it takes a violent criminal to commit a violent crime like murder or assault.
“Guns Rarely Used to Kill Criminals or Stop Crimes.” This headline is from the website of the Violence Policy Center, a gun-control organization that favors banning just about every gun imaginable. The most-recent data available on defensive gun usage, however, tells a much different picture. The 2021 National Firearms Survey, conducted under the supervision of Georgetown University professor William English, estimated that there are 1.67 million defensive gun uses (DGUs) annually in the United States. That comes out to about 4,575 a day!
“This is not a general income tax, not a corporate tax, this is … from my perspective, more of a sin tax, where there is a cause and effect and justification.” Just because California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) thinks owning a gun is a sin that should be punished by higher taxes doesn’t mean it’s true. He should take some time to read the Second Amendment, which bars governments from infringing on the right to “keep and bear arms.”
“Most mass shootings occur in areas where guns are permitted.” This is straight from the web page of the so-called Center for American Progress; this one is meant to counter pro-Second Amendment advocates who say most active-shooter attacks occur in gun-free zones; in fact, those pro-gun advocates are correct. According to Dr. Lott, who dug deep into the numbers, 94% of such attacks occur in so-called “gun-free” zones. Lott has a spreadsheet on his website detailing that information for the years 1998 to 2019.
“What gun safety? NRA using lawsuits to shoot down local gun-storage laws.” This was a headline in Salon, which is debunked here. Anti-freedom groups like to make the National Rifle Association out as the bad guy because the organization fights for the rights of America’s lawful gun owners. But as a gun-safety organization, no other organizations can compare to the NRA. NRA firearm safety programs are conducted by nearly 116,000 NRA-Certified Instructors and Range Safety Officers nationwide, reaching over 1 million program participants annually. And NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe program, which teaches children pre-K through third grade what to do if they find a gun, has reached more than 31 million children.
“Congress must take action to stem the flood of weapons of war into American communities.” S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) made this statement about his proposed measure to levy a 1,000% tax on so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity” magazines. In truth, he’s talking about extremely common semi-automatic rifles and the standard-capacity magazines that those lawfully owned firearms use. Making them sound scary doesn’t make such a statement true. Fact is, according to the latest figures from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), Americans already own more than 24 million of these semi-automatic firearms and some 304 million detachable magazines, of which about 80 million accommodate more than 30 rounds.
“The gun industry plays a central role in proliferating America’s gun violence epidemic.” This is an outright lie coming from the gun-control group Everytown for Gun Safety. In truth, from manufacturers to distributors to retailers, the firearms industry is tightly regulated by federal law--as well as many state and local laws and regulations—and the firearms industry is committed to the safe, legal, and responsible ownership and use of firearms.
“Gun violence is estimated to cause the American economy $229 billion every year.” This old chestnut from the anti-gun Brady Campaign’s home page is another example of bait and switch. Of course, there is a lot of money spent treating people shot by violent criminals every year, but the term “gun violence” lays the blame on firearms—completely inanimate objects. This claim also ignores the fact that some of the money spent treating gunshot wounds involves criminals who had been shot by law-abiding citizens defending themselves from being preyed upon by those very criminals. It also completely dismisses the aforementioned estimated 1.67 million annual defensive gun uses that likely save money for the American economy. If Brady and others would use the term “criminal violence” in place of “gun violence” the conversation might finally turn toward solutions for solving America’s crime problem instead of supposed solutions that nearly always infringe on the Second Amendment.
