Here’s the thing. Reporters make mistakes. We here at Twitchy make mistakes. But when it comes to the mainstream media, they make a lot of mistakes when it comes to reporting on guns.
Politicians, too, make a lot of mistakes when pontificating about common sense gun control, and that’s important — if you’re going to try to pass legislation regulating magazine capacity, it helps to know a magazine from a clip. And don’t get us started on chainsaw bayonet attachments.
Remember earlier today when CNN’s Jim Acosta decided to run with a mass shooting map put together by Vox, not bothering to note the definition of mass shooting used to assemble it? Emily Miller, author of “Emily Gets Her Gun,” noticed.
Hey @Acosta This is terrible reporting. You're citing another news source @voxdotcom (so not first hand info) and they are making this map based on an organization that "counts" mass shootings from NEWS REPORTS.
How about your call the FBI for your info? https://t.co/MkEG5DKite— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) December 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/941355968515985408
https://twitter.com/LDoren/status/941356479935864832
https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/941357707931594752
Very much so.
News reports get it wrong ALL THE TIME (ahem, @CNN ) so the @FBI only takes gun stats from government agencies — police, sheriffs, for each year and then do another round of checks for accuracy. https://t.co/ckX0lQUd8s
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) December 14, 2017
Nothing personal, but I've been reporting these facts since 2012 and no one else seems to care to do the research.
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) December 14, 2017
Drives me bananas that MSM reporters don't know the GOVERNMENT definition of "mass shooting." It is four or more people killed in a public place by someone who is not known (ie not domestic.)
This is in the footnotes of my book: https://t.co/5wockr0XNr https://t.co/Lq7dJfxH81— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) December 14, 2017
But wait, it gets better. As Twitchy reported Wednesday night, a Kentucky state representative accused of molestation committed suicide — and according to the Associated Press, he did it with a 40mm pistol.
This AP story from today claims that authorities recovered a "40mm pistol". https://t.co/V8IxfPfoGU
— Cargar Dolor (@k_d_payne) December 14, 2017
C'mon @AP – You're supposed to be a credible news source with an editorial process. A 40mm gun would be TEENY TINY. https://t.co/IuOiBJISmr
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) December 14, 2017
No, they meant caliber.
40 mm is huge…ainti aircraft mechanical.
— Rydak (@RydakArms) December 14, 2017
Are you sure? Here is a picture of a 40mm cannon. I am sure they meant .40 cal but 40MM is a big gun, not small. pic.twitter.com/MPstt9BmXe
— Audacity of His Hope (@grayrodzilla) December 14, 2017
40 mm is the size of a grenade launcher (M79 in my day). Would be an enormous pistol.
— Casey (@TomHankxxx) December 14, 2017
That’s a really big pistol. The AP has since updated its story to correct the description of the weapon to .40-caliber.
Good job twitter, crowdsourcing mistakes by media. Now @AP has issued a correction. #citizenjournalists https://t.co/qDRlvvuOjX
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) December 15, 2017
When are politicians going to pass common sense gun control to get these 40mm pistols off the streets and out of the hands of citizens?
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Related:
TFW Charles C.W. Cooke SCHOOLS Jim Acosta for citing Vox stats on ‘mass shootings’
Emily Miller learns from police chief that ‘high capacity magazines’ cause of DC homicide spike