It's funny how two people can see the same meme, but come to two separate conclusions.
The reason why Trump needs protection is because over 70% of the murderers are Democrats.
Nice try though.
another lie Fact check: Rep. Claudia Tenney claims many mass murderers are Democrats. She is wrong.
Robert Harding Feb 25, 2018 Updated Feb 25, 2018
U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney is tripling down on a claim she made during a radio interview with Fred Dicker earlier this week — and has yet to provide evidence to back it up.
Tenney's claim: Many mass murderers are Democrats.
The context
Tenney, R-New Hartford, and Dicker were discussing the recent school shooting in Florida and gun violence on Wednesday. The conversation shifted to gun violence in urban areas, with Dicker noting that most gun crimes occur in "inner cities involving minorities."
"They're the ones that Democrats generally are going to bend over backwards to protect, so you don't hear about mandatory prison sentences for people involved in gun crimes, say, in Albany, New York or downtown Utica," Dicker said.
That set up Tenney to make her claim.
"Yeah, well obviously there's a lot of politics in it and it's interesting that so many of these people that commit the mass murders end up being Democrats," she said. "But the media doesn't talk about that either."
Tenney didn't provide evidence to back up her statement, nor was she pressed to provide that information.
The Republican congresswoman's comments quickly spread on social media and were picked up by numerous media outlets. She released a statement later in the day accusing liberals and the media of "attempting to politicize tragedies and demonize law-abiding gun owners and conservative Americans every time there is a horrible tragedy."
Again, she didn't explain the origin of her remarks or provide evidence to back up her claim. She said her comments were in response to a question from Dicker about illegal gun crime.
The story continued Friday with an interview on WKTV, a Utica television station. Tenney was asked about the radio interview and her claim.
"What the issue is is that we were talking about legal gun owners being blamed and then Fred Dicker — who's a very tough radio interviewer, very few people appear on that show because he is very provocative — I was defending legal gun owners and also, we do sadly have a lot more mass murders than we used to in the old days when we had less gun restrictions."
She added, "I don't think either party has a monopoly on this, but there are many who are either Democrats, left-leaning, or you could describe that there's a lot that aren't really registered to vote, but they're left-leaning."
This time, she offered evidence: The shooting at a congressional baseball practice last year. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was seriously wounded in that attack. An investigation found the shooter was a Bernie Sanders supporter.
But that is one example. For days, Tenney has insisted that many mass shooters are Democrats. She didn't provide any other evidence to back up her claim.
The facts
Tenney isn't the first to allege that many (or most) mass murderers are Democrats. This is a claim that has been circulating for years on the internet. It has been the subject of a meme shared on social media networks, namely Facebook.
Snopes, a popular fact-checking website, reviewed the meme and rated it "mostly false."
It's unclear if the meme is the source of Tenney's claim, but it's similar to what she has been saying over the last few days.
The Citizen conducted its own review focused on the 20 worst mass shootings in American history. Searches of internet archives and news websites found no evidence that any of the 20 murderers were Democrats.
Some of the gunmen on the list are also identified in the internet meme. The meme claimed Adam Lanza, who murdered 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and killed his mother at their home, was a Democrat. A news story indicated that not only was Lanza not a Democrat, but he wasn't registered to vote.
James Holmes, who killed 12 people at a movie theater in Colorado, is also listed as a registered Democrat in the internet meme. The origin of the claim, according to Snopes, may have been a conservative publication that found another James Holmes who was registered as a Democrat. But there is evidence that Holmes, the shooter, was a Democrat or if he was even registered to vote.
One story about Aaron Alexis, who carried out the Washington Navy Yard shooting and killed 12 people, indicated he was a "liberal type." But there was no evidence he was a registered Democrat.
The internet meme also identified Jared Loughner, who murdered six people and severely wounded then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, as a registered Democrat. He was actually a registered independent.
What the meme and Tenney ignore is that a vast majority of mass shootings lack political motivations. There are usually other factors behind the shooting. Whether the shooter is a Democrat or Republican is irrelevant.
A review of the 20 worst mass shootings in American history found mental health issues were a factor in most of the attacks. At least two of the shootings — the Orlando nightclub and San Bernardino attacks — were acts of terrorism.
Conclusion
Tenney claimed that "many" mass murderers are Democrats. At best, there is no evidence to back up her claim. At worst, it's a lie that aims to politicize a tragedy. Either way, she is spreading misinformation about mass shootings.
The Citizen's review of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history found none of the perpetrators were registered Democratic voters. There was no information available on news websites or other online resources to indicate that any of the shooters were Democrats. To cover all bases, there is also no evidence to suggest they were Republican voters.
What's troubling about Tenney's most recent comments is that she amended her claim. She told WKTV, "I would say many (mass murderers) are Democrats or left-leaning, not registered Democrats, which is — what's the difference? Many of them are on all persuasions, which is how I responded and reacted." She then referenced the statement she released Wednesday.
The full statement: "I am fed up with the media and liberals attempting to politicize tragedies and demonize law-abiding gun owners and conservative Americans every time there is a horrible tragedy. While we know the perpetrators of these atrocities have a wide variety of political views, my comments are in response to a question about the failure to prosecute illegal gun crime. I will continue to stand up for law-abiding citizens who are smeared by anti-gun liberal elitists."
Tenney mischaracterized her exchange with Dicker. While Dicker referred to gun crimes in "inner cities," Tenney shifted the focus to mass murderers with her claim that many are Democrats.
The facts, however, are clear. There has been false information spread about some shooters being Democrats when they weren't. In other cases, there is no evidence showing shooters were Democrats or even "left-leaning" as Tenney suggested.
