One thing nobody missed during the COVID-19 lockdowns was mass shootings. Sure inner-city violence is way up but there were no big public killing sprees in the past year. The fake news however is pushing a lie that mass shootings are surging and they’re doing it with a propaganda article that appeared in dozens of local papers across the country, masquerading as local interest stories.
My job is to follow the news so I know that there haven’t been any mass shootings since the coronavirus lockdowns began a year ago. That’s why I found it weird when I started seeing a bunch of articles claiming mass shootings were surging:
Mass shootings surge in Illinois as nation faces record high; Chicago among cities with an increase
Mass shootings in Illinois increased to 69 in 2020 from 41 the year before, while nationally mass shootings jumped nearly 50% during a pandemic with crippling unemployment, violent protests and idle youth.
In 2020, Illinois reported 69 mass shootings that killed 42 and injured 301. A year earlier, the state had 41 mass shootings that killed 28 and injured 182.
Among Illinois’ deadliest shootings last year was one July 4 in Chicago that killed four and injured four. The state’s bloodiest shootings included one July 21 in Chicago that injured 15.
None of these qualify as a mass shooting, which is defined as a single gunman killing 4 or more people is a continuous event.
Things got weirder because as I checked these articles out, they were all the same, only slightly altered to fit the state:
Mass shootings surge in Colorado as nation faces record high
Mass shootings in Colorado increased to 11 in 2020 from four the year before, while nationally mass shootings jumped nearly 50% during a pandemic with crippling unemployment, violent protests and idle youth.
In 2020, Colorado reported 11 mass shootings that killed six and injured 52. A year earlier, the state had four mass shootings that killed two and injured 20.
Among Colorado’s deadliest shootings last year was one Aug. 16 in Denver that killed two and injured four. The state’s bloodiest shootings included one Aug. 9 in Denver that injured nine.
And there are more:
Mass shootings rise in Missouri as nation faces record high
Mass shootings surge in South Carolina as nation faces record high
Mass shootings fall in Maryland, but nation faces record high
They even used this lie in states where “mass shootings” didn’t surge:
Indiana mass shootings fall in 2020, but nation faces record high
Mass shootings fall in Oklahoma, but nation faces record high
Mass shootings fall in Kansas, but nation faces record high
There are dozens more, but you get the idea.
Lazy newspapers often recycle news wire service stories from The AP and Reuters, but this is different. This a fake news propaganda blitz. The question is, what is the purpose of this?
Well, the article also includes this:
Another big factor in last year’s surge is record gun sales…According to the FBI, the agency performed 39.7 million background checks for gun purchases in 2020, up 40% over 2019. Those gun purchases came at a time of heightened concerns about both public safety and anti-police sentiments, as well as warnings of violence by former President Donald Trump.
The result was a more on-edge and armed citizenry.
This is the fake news industry’s attempt to help push the democrats’ gun control and citizen disarmament agenda. If everybody thinks mass shootings are surging, there will be more public support for unconstitutional measures to address the make-believe rise in mass shootings.
