Posted on 02/15/2018 11:43:56 AM PST by IBD editorial writer
The latest mass shooting, which claimed 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, was a horrible tragedy. But that's no excuse for the flurry of stories parroting a gun control advocacy group's false claims about school shootings.
In the immediate wake of the shooting, headlines starting appearing at major news sites:
"There have already been 18 school shootings in the US this year" — ABC News "18 school shootings in 45 days — Florida massacre is one of many tragedies in 2018"—CNBC "18 school shootings in US in 2018"— AFP "U.S. averages a school shooting every 2.5 days in 2018" — Politico "We're Averaging One School Shooting Every 60 Hours In 2018" — Huffington Post
When not in the headline, this claim shows up in just about every story about the Florida shooting.
So, it must be true, right? Why else would every news outlet be reporting this?
It's not true.
That number comes from a gun control advocacy group — Everytown for Gun Safety — which arrived at 18 only by shoving everything it possibly could into the category of "school shooting."
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Fox News keeps running with there have been 18 school shootings this year..my memory isn’t the best in the world but WHAT..there has NOT been 18 school shootings this year!! A few weeks ago a girl at an elementary school here in LA brought a gun to school, it went off in her backpack injuring a few students..I dont call that a school shooting..
bump
They are using gang shootings NEAR a school as part of their propagands-————annoying as hell.
.
Jan. 3, St. Johns, Mich.
The first school shooting took place just three days into the new year, at East Olive Elementary School in St. Johns, Mich.
A 31-year-old man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the former school’s parking lot.
Jan. 4, Seattle, Wash.
A gunshot was fired at the New Start High School in Seattle, Wash.
The round entered an office window and ended up lodged in a three-ring binder. No one was injured.
Jan, 10 Sierra Vista, Ariz.
A teen was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a Coronado Elementary School bathroom.
Jan. 10, San Bernardino, Calif.
At least one shot was fired, shattering a California State University classroom window. No injuries were reported.
Jan. 10, Denison, Texas
A bullet was accidentally fired through a classroom wall at the Grayson College Criminal Justice Center. No one was injured.
Jan. 15, Marshall, Texas
A bullet went through a residential hall’s dorm room. No injuries were reported.
Jan. 20, Winston-Salem, N.C.
A Winston-Salem State University football player was shot and killed at an event at Wake Forest University.
Jan. 22, Italy, Texas
A teenage girl was wounded at Italy High school after a 16-year-old suspect opened fire with a semi-automatic hangun.
Jan. 22, Gentilly, La.
A shooting outside The NET Charter High School injured a 14-year-old boy.
Jan. 23, Benton, Ky.
Two people were killed and another 15 were shot at Marshall County High School.
Jan. 25, Mobile, Ala.
Murphy High School student Jonah Neal fired a gun on campus. No one was injured.
Jan. 26, Dearborn, Mich.
Shots were fired from a car in Dearborn High School's parking lot. No injuries were reported.
Jan. 31, Pa.
Gunshots erupted as a fight broke out outside of Lincoln High School. A 32-year-old man was shot twice and later pronounced dead.
Feb. 1, Los Angeles, Calif.
An accidental shooting injured five children at the Salvador B. Castro Middle School in downtown Los Angeles.
Feb. 5, Oxon Hill, Md.
A teen was shot outside of Oxon Hill High School. The victim survived.
Feb. 5, Maplewood, Minn.
A third-grader pulled the trigger on a cop's gun, firing a shot at the Harmony Learning Center. No one was injured.
Feb. 8, New York, N.Y.
A teen was taken into custody after a shot was fired inside Metropolitan High School. No one was injured.
Feb. 14, Broward County, Fla.
A former student killed 17 people at Stoneman Douglas High.
As oil and water, communists and truth NEVER mix.
Make no mistake as to who it is with our Constitution in its crosshairs.
An unceasing assault that began in the ‘20s.
Did it take place in a school? check.
Did it involve a gun? check
Were children injured? check
Or shooting a BB gun at a school bus
No on will get on the air and refute them. The first time someone says ‘No there have not been 18 mass shootings, most of those reports are of minor incidents’, the response will be, ‘Does it matter? All those children were killed and one is too many’. Which is true, and no one wants to fight a concept with facts. The concept is that school shootings are bad. It sounds idiotic to even say it, because no one opposes that concept. If you set yourself up for being called callous to the victims, it doesn’t matter how many there were. You’re going to put on the defensive.
I read it on the internet, so it must be true.
[/sarcasm]
I heard FBN during 3 o’clock hr say that there had been 18 mass shootings in USA so far this yr ie 2018. I heard the host of show say that at least two times.
I heard that the Florida school shooter was an adopted DACA baby. Still waiting for confirmation, however.
Maybe a dozen school building were shot at?
That would qualify as a school shooting.
It’s a fake statistic. Heard the breakdown of the figure a couple of weeks ago on radio (on a gun program).
Flag it as fake news on facebook.
if you hear anything new let me know..he was adopted along with his brother that I read yesterday
Kinda surprised to see this happening in New York and Los Angeles but not Maine or Vermont.
Iirc at least one of the shootings was very late at night
Is this from the link in the post? I hate the click-bait IBD... Otherwise, please provide your source so I can spread it elsewhere. Thank you.
It would not surprise me that the number of teenagers in Japan who kill themselves (particularly during the springtime national high school exam period) easily outpaces the number of American high school students killed in shooting related incidents (even with yesterday’s tragedy).
Did they actually use the term MASS shootings?
According to FBI, a mass shooting requires at least four dead bodies.
Most of the incidents on the list involved few or no victims and some minor property damage.
Two involved the firearms of “highly trained law enforcement officers”
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