Shannon Watts and her blended family (courtesy money.cnn.com)

money.cnn.com has just posted a feature on Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America jefe Shannon Watts. The profile offers readers the officially sanctioned, fully sanitized version of her journey from “stay-at-home Mom” to [allegedly] pro-2A anti-gun crusader. No mention’s made of Watt’s PR background, including her extensive stint pimping for Monsanto. Or how Shannon’s blended family [above] came to be. As for the bits included, CNN’s fact checker must’ve been out the day the unnamed writer penned this nauseating hagiography. For example . . .

Backed by 30,000 donors, including Bloomberg, Moms Demand Action has become a social media powerhouse with enough heft to pressure big retail stores and restaurant chains to ban open carriers — customers who openly brandish firearms including AK-47s. Among the stores that this year bowed down to pressure from her are Target (TGT), Chipotle (CMG), Chili’s (EAT), Sonic (SONC), Panera (PNRA) and Jack in the Box (JACK).

Oh, so that’s why CNN Money blew Shannon such a big wet kiss! Her anti-gun jihad has affected companies on the stock exchange. Only it’s worth noting that NONE of these restaurant chains have changed their firearms related policies. ALL of them simply asked their patrons to leave their guns at home – no force of law involved.

This is the first we’ve heard of 30k donors to Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (as opposed to the NRA’s 5m+ registered, paying members). “Including Bloomberg”? Hello? MDA is a wholly owned subsidiary of billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s self-funded Everytown for Gun Safety disarmament group. In other words, MDA as independent grassroots organization my ass.

And then there’s this . . .

Watts, who lives in a suburb of Indianapolis, insists that she is not anti-gun.

Growing up in Indiana, Watts was raised in a household with a strong gun culture. Her grandfathers owned guns and “were avid hunters.”

But Watts does not own a gun. Citing the high rate of suicide among teenagers, Watt says she doesn’t want a firearm in a household “full of teens.” Her children range in age from 13 to 25.

As a mom, Watts’ primary motivation is to keep guns away from harming kids. What worries her most is the epidemic of shootings in public places, which is why a big part of her effort is focused on blocking gun-toting strangers from places frequented by families like restaurants and stores.

If the mainstream media has a responsibility to question Watts on anything, and I’m thinking they do, it’s her bald-faced lie contention that she’s not anti-gun. A quick Google search of MDA’s position on firearms regulation or a cursory visit to her org’s Facebook page reveals that Shannon Watts never met a gun control law she didn’t like. Never. Not one. “Tell me Ms. Watts, do you think women should arm themselves against rapists?”

It’s good to know that spree killings are her primary worry. That tells us – again, still – that she ain’t got time for worrying about women being raped. Or inner city gang bangers shooting each other and innocent bystanders. Or, for that matter, firearms-related suicides. Keep guns out of the house? That’s her answer to that one.

The CNN “report” ends with a quote previously generated by Watts for another media sycophant: “The gun lobby is very vocal about their fears of their guns getting taken away. Moms are afraid of our children being taken away, and that’s the argument that, I think, will win at the end of the day.” As I said before, I agree. Which is why sensible Moms are armed against criminals, rapists, potential government tyrants and, yes, domestic violence. While MDA’s Moms are armed with nothing more than lies, hysteria, delusion, spoonfed media mediocrity and self-righteous arrogance. [h/t RR]

[Note: abusive personal attacks against Ms. Watts in the comments section will be deleted without notice.]

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78 COMMENTS

    • Typical indeed. I love how they can call this a biography when they conveniently leave out almost 2/3 of her life. It’s almost like she was born as an adult 2 years ago and doesn’t have a history as a PR maven and lobbyist for some of the worlds larges corporations… Just ignore the fact that she has basically lied for a living for her whole life. It’s kind of like giving a convicted kiddie toucher a job as a janitor in an elementary school…

  3. ” Stay at Home Mom” AKA Woman with to much time on her hands, AKA “Save the World Do-Gooders”. Ever hear of D.A.M.M.? (Drunks Against Mad Mothers). lol. Go cook your little Angels some dinner and leave the rest of us alone, we don’t need another Mom to raise us again.

    • ” Stay at Home Mom” AKA Woman with to much time on her hands…

      You don’t know too many stay-at-home moms, do you? As the husband of a stay-at-home mom, I find such a generalization extremely offensive.

      • So who is this Shannon anyway? All I read was something about women who didn’t like guns and that is as far as I went, why? Because I don’t like to hear that crap that’s why. So if your a boss on here Im sorry, if your not tuff-teet I didn’t get on here to argue with you or anyone else. So I guess you get the last word because I have to go to work but if you don’t like em don’t read them. And I really don’t care what you like. Later, gotta go pay taxes to feed and give medical care to illegal immagrants, so does that offend you to? If so may as well keep it to yourself because like I said I don’t care.

      • I think he’s suggesting stay at home mom _WITH_ too much time on her hands. The “too much time on her hands” qualifies the kind of “stay at home mom”.

        And yes, I do know many stay at home moms. The spectrum is covered between those that have the daily challenge being finding ways of entertaining themselves throughout the day to those that treat staying at home as a multifaceted career choice (CFO, purchasing, chef, etc.)

      • Yeah I gotta agree with Chip here on both counts. 1) the generalization as “woman with too much time on her hands” is ridiculous and egregiously wrong in many and likely most cases (and insulting & demeaning) and 2) categorizing Ms. Watts as a “stay at home mom” is likely a mistake in the first place. She sure seems to have a full-time career that involves travel, media appearances, and more, and this (a professional career) is not a new development for her.

        …even taking a step back from all of this righteous indignation, “too much time on your hands” probably doesn’t explain her drive and commitment or her paychecks. Unfortunately we don’t have that financial information, but I don’t think she’s volunteering here.

      • “You don’t know too many stay-at-home moms, do you? As the husband of a stay-at-home mom, I find such a generalization extremely offensive.”

        Gee Chip your sweeping generalization and faux outrage makes me butthurt and so I’m gonna throw a tantrum and run to mommy. You need to grow a pair cause your estrogen levels are way too high.
        The reason Watts appears on business shows is Bloomberg News and the pressure they put on the dir. of programing, 500 million dollars helps as well

        • Maybe try again, without the ad hominem? Or should I assume that’s all you have in the arsenal?

          Also, you might want to grasp the meaning of “sweeping generalization” before making such assertions, considering that I was responding to, rather than making, one.

  5. I never understand why so many people that are anti gun portray themselves as pro 2A. If Watt’s MDA stands for anything, it is infringing on the right to legally own firearms. I’d have more respect for them if they just said “I hate guns and I want to make them illegal”.

    • Passive/Aggressive PR/corporate world half-lies.

      It works in well with low information folks who simply don’t know what the anti’s goals are and people who own guns but agree with some level of gun control, like one person who has a revolver in the house for HD or the FUDD “I’m a hunter” types.

      Besides, it’s probably not good to come out and say you hate certain parts of the Constitution. It’d show how anti American they really are.

    • The reasoning behind them saying they are “pro 2A” is that they think they will lure law abiding gun owners and true pro 2A people into a false sense of security. Unfortunately they are proving to be right in some cases, there are supporters of their organization that also believe that they support the 2nd. We all know the truth however, and that is any law restricting a law abiding citizen’s access to or bearing of a firearm is an infringement of the 2nd amendment.

  6. Well, guess bloomberg bought CNN a new car. Kinda like their i594 takeover of the front page of the Seattle Times.

  7. Last I checked, murder was illegal.

    I would like to see her outline, very specifically, how any laws she proposes or supports would directly correlate to the prevention of “children being taken away.”

    Enough with these vague generalities and demonization of firearms, and their owners.

  8. FTA:

    Moms Demand Action has become a social media powerhouse with enough heft to pressure big retail stores and restaurant chains to ban open carriers…

    The Demanding Mommies don’t push to ban open carry; they push to ban all carry.

    …customers who openly brandish firearms including AK-47s.

    Given that brandishing (also known as menacing) is a criminal act, that needs no policy in order to prohibit. (I’m guessing most businesses don’t have a “no murder” policy, either.)

    Among the stores that this year bowed down to pressure from her are Target (TGT), Chipotle (CMG), Chili’s (EAT), Sonic (SONC), Panera (PNRA) and Jack in the Box (JACK).

    And yet, not a single one of those businesses has banned anything. All have posted weasel-worded letters requesting their patrons not carry; but not a single one of them has implemented a policy of following the statutory requirements to effect an actual ban.

    • That “social media media powerhouse” has all of 210,000 followers on Facebook, or less than 2/3 our total. Who knew we were a social media juggernaut?

      • Have you ever taken a minute to look at some of the accounts that follow her page? There are a lot of those spam accounts that just follow everyone. You know those 30 friend requests from Djeurhdrds345 or HappyHarry94754 you get every day? MDA accepts them all…

        • I wonder what would happen if someone took a day or three and went through all the “spam” accounts and reported them. 10% drop in MDA Facebook membership in a week?

    • Even though it is true that these companies are just writing a letter suggesting people not carry guns some people are believing guns are banned. My daughter was one of those. She asked me if I heard that guns are banned at Target. I explained that they are not banned the company just asked people to not open carry.

      So Ms Watts is winning some people just by having these press releases by these corporations.

  9. CNWho? I bet if you blocked shannons name and picture off that piece and then handed it to her family to read they’d be scratching their head and asking who this stranger was.

  11. Just wait until her first foible – like the domestic disturbance the cops are called on at her home or her getting busted for DUI. America loves to see its famous fall from grace…

      • or that her husband John is a former healthcare executive for a massive national healthcare chain that denied coverage to millions of people while he raked in millions in bonus and stock and then took a massive golden parachute to leave while those same people denied coverage were dying. . . . .

        hmmmm. oh wait. now if only Fox or someone would report on this real fairy tale. . . .

      • A NY Times “arsenal!”
        1 9mm w/ 20 Rds of “armor-piercing” billets
        1 20 Ga shotgun with 50 Rds of #8 birdshot
        1 22LR Cricket single shot rifle with “over ” 100 Rds

        • If that is the definition of an ‘arsenal’ then my closet houses the army of a third world country.

  12. You come after my guns I will call you every name in the book and I don’t care who it “offends”. A bunch of dam gun-grabbing liars who don’t deserve my respect. Like saying “Oh Im pro 2-A buuuuttt” Like the dumacraps and proggies/libs saying “Oh I support our troops but” and then laugh when one got killed in Iraq or Asscrackistan to push their agenda. Screw them and generalizations! They suck if they stay home or not.

  13. Liberals like her, are the real killers. Women, blacks, Hispanics, and gays take note, and arm yourselves. You are at risk!

    She’ll run for cover every time she feels at risk. That means the other Moms will take the brunt of any attack. Good for them.

    Only has to happen a few dozen times to get anyone’s attention. LOL

  14. Director, global communications, General Electric healthcare. Director, global public and corporate affairs, Monsanto. Vice President, corporate and public affairs, Fleishman-Hillard. Vice Pres., corporate communications, WellPoint, the country’s largest health benefits company

    I am surprised that she has left all of this information up on her LinkedIn page. It runs counter to everything that she portrays about herself as a quiet stay at home mom.

    Surely, her background as an extraordinarily high ranking, extraordinarily well paid corporate media relations expert would play well in the press, the press does like a good scandal, at least a good investigation every now and then. Seriously, is there no media outlet to reach out to regarding her amazing background and how it runs totally counter to her “I just baked some cookies for the gun safety bake sale” public image?

    • “the press does like a good scandal”

      Oh – like the obvious scandal one gets from connecting the dots between the former President of Wellpoint and the VP of Communications of Wellpoint, both of whom were married to someone else while at Wellpoint, but now are married to each other and no longer at Wellpoint?? You mean like that?

      • And sadly that wonderful tidbit, along with her years of corporate media relations employment, will never see the light of day in any mainstream media publication

  16. “But Watts does not own a gun. Citing the high rate of suicide among teenagers, Watt says she doesn’t want a firearm in a household “full of teens.” Her children range in age from 13 to 25.”

    So, what I hear her saying is that she believes her kids are suicidal.
    Hmmm
    Maybe she should stay at home more?

    • Let’s be serious here…

      If Shannon was your “mom” and home all the time, suicide might look like a viable option.

  17. Shannon dearest, I sure hope you browse these comments, because I have a request: can you take time out of your busy “not anti gun” schedule and come visit us here in Jersey? We can go to Newark, Camden or Trenton and discuss the real problems and perhaps adjust your priorities. You and other MDAs can focus all your gun-fighting and child-saving efforts on stopping and preventing gun violence in those 3 cities. I’m sure the criminals there will find your message sensible and compelling enough to end the bloodshed. I mean, those are some of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., and I can’t think of places that could use your services more. Once you make those towns the gun-free utopias you dream of, feel free to visit other states and cities with a gang problem and re-apply your strategies there. I’m sure they’ll listen to you and everything will work out. Then, and only then, come talk to the law-abiding gun owners about any remaining problems concerning gun use. We’ll be glad to have a conversation. However, if you’re unwilling to do anything I suggested above, why don’t you just stay home and leave us the f*&% alone. Thank you.

  18. This article…(on money.cnn.com)

    Now, I JUST got done taking English 101. Everybody who goes to college takes Eng101. In this course is a lesson on logical fallacies in argument. You could use this article to teach that lesson. There are examples of 14 kinds of logical fallacy. It really is that bad.

    To take a look at some of the claims, and what they actually mean. (Join the MDA email lists and read the twitters, just never post or they will sniff you out and ban you.)

    “We only want to take and keep guns away from psychopaths” means “If nobody has guns, how could psychopaths get them?” or even “Only psychopaths need guns, so get rid of them all”

    “My grandpa’s were both avid hunters” Somehow means “I have gun experience, and support every right.”

    “We are pro second amendment” includes “but not for you crazy gun owners.”

    “Some of our moms own guns” leaves out “and some are also felons who do so illegally.”

    “FBI reports show that mass shooting are on a rise” is true, once you redefine “mass shooting” to involve ANY shooting.

    “The gun lobby fears that we want to take their guns away” means “We want to take their guns away, and they are not fooled.”

    But the part that torques me.. is the CNN site that hosts the article.
    Money. Not news, not US, not World, not Health.. not even Opinion.
    Money.

  20. Odd thing, a lot of these Shannon articles seem to appear on the “money” pages–Yahoo Finance, HuffPo Money, MSNBC Money, etc. Wonder what the deal is? Trying to convince the investors that she’s a force to be reckoned with when she goes after a particular retailer?

    • She wants to exert pressure on the companies in question. It’s easier to include their names and stock ticker in an article in the money section.

  21. Ok I have to ask, and I mean this with all due respect for Mrs. Watts, and Bloomberg. How the heck do you get in every mass media publication, and TV talk show with such ease? Never a single hard ball question, her interviews are scripted BTW, and gosh it all looks so grand.
    I give her credit she is a media mavin. She is well versed in mass media. That is why she held executive positions at companies like Monsanto, and GE Wellpoint.
    But really she is totally grass roots stay at home mom.

    • I am just guessing that as a PR pro, she never walks into an interview without first requesting a transcript of the questions to be asked, under the agreement that she will walk out of the interview the second it veers from any of the questions agreed to beforehand.

  22. …why do we care how her ‘blended’ family came to be?

    I mean, I don’t really care about Watts at all, but that just stuck me as extra curious.

    • Because of the way the article presents her as a June Cleaver “stay-at-home-mom” and implies that she still has young children under her care, and the truth of her “blended family” would go far in upending that false narrative.

      • That’s a term for a family formed by the marriage of two people who have divorced their prior spouses, and each brings children of his or her own into the union. The CNN toe-suckers don’t mention it, but some of those “kids” aren’t Shannon’s at all, if I understand correctly–just like, at twenty-something or thereabouts, they aren’t exactly “kids” either.

        • frankly just on appearance alone, it looks like none of them are hers. MAYBE the girl in the white/pink pinstriped dress.

  23. A) Regardless of my firearm stance, I’d never tell the world that it don’t own or keep a gun in the house.

    B) The above picture shows 5 beautiful reasons to keep a house protected. That’s exactly why I have guns in my home.

    C) She doesn’t want guns in her house because she’s afraid of suicide? What does that say about her parenting? What about cars or knives or Tylenol or bath tubs or ropes?

    D) Post her salary in the article. That’ll clear things up.

  25. We wonder what other civil rights Ms. Watts opposes. Maybe she would like to repeal the 14th Amendment? Or, maybe she would like to repeal the 1st Amendment? Her stance and organization are running against the current of American support and recoginition of civil rights.

  26. Shannon Watts is good at her work, namely using Social Media and carefully crafted made up data to support ideas that are wrong and make them sound “reasonable”, especially to people that do no research on the topics for themselves. She has shown that laws are only inconveniences, for example she supports “SWATing” against people that carry a gun. She has no hesitation about calling her opposition names and claims that “everyone” is out to get her.
    Now, what I would like to know is what the person actually feels about these issues when not under contract to push gun control. Does she actually think people do not need to be armed? I do not know since she lives in a gated community with armed private security. When she appears in public she seems to always have top level armed guards that are a little too willing to use force.
    If the NRA would offer Shannon Watts a big pay increase, would her attitude change? I think so.
    My suspicion is that Shannon Watts would work for any side of any issue, totally based on her level of reward.

    • So she’s a true capitalist? Interesting, I can’t say I disagree with your assessment. But I think Bloomy might pay better than the NRA.

  27. . What worries her most is the epidemic of shootings in public places, which is why a big part of her effort is focused on blocking gun-toting strangers from places frequented by families like restaurants and stores. So how many legal open carry activists and concealed carry permit holders have fired their guns in restaurants and stores?

  28. [Note: abusive personal attacks against Ms. Watts in the comments section will be deleted without notice.] OK, but the girl on the extreme left is good looking. Shannon is fairly photogenic as well. I can see why she goes far in some circles as a spokes person, just not mine.

  29. TIL that being a walking baby factory gives one the expertise necessary to determine national policy in a country of 300+ Million people.

  30. Her saying “no defensive gun incidents ever happen” is the equivalent of us saying “no one is murdered with a gun.” Except for the fact that she can receive wide exposure for her nonfactual claims and no one confronts her. Can’t imagine what would be response if our side made such a stupid claim.

  31. And while we’re at it, could someone with a little bit more Internet financial savvy find out a bit more about John Watts Jr., her husband? I saw something about him holding 100,000 shares of Wellpoint some years ago, worth over $100 per-share right now? Just curious what his net worth is for our stay-at-home mom and her family

  32. In the above photo I would choose the 2nd from the left or right to make Ms. Watts into Grammy Watts with the fruit of my loins to show that all families are diverse enough to accept different “lifestyles”. Possibly name the newborn Secondamendment so she could prove her support it, …. us,…. I mean da baybay,

  33. “Gun Violence” Really? These organizations continuously blame an inanimate object for causing harm and committing crimes. So who or what do they blame for the bombings, rapes, stabbings, DUIs or overdoses? If it’s the objects then why are the prisons filled with people? Why are they prisons and not hardware stores?

  34. Bullying moms lead by the propagandist, emotional fear mongerer and her sugar daddy Bloomy. This group can’t even and won’t even listen to opposing views. Deleting and banning any views that are contrary to the gun grabbing agenda.
    This group also are extensive liars, claiming victories were they had absolutely no difference. Case and Point….
    https://www.facebook.com/SlideFireSolutions/photos/a.282444525122533.72378.188119244555062/746901125343535/?type=1&theater
    My words to MDA “go pound sand”

  35. Just have to bring this up…How do people, especially one’s like Ms. Watts, get away with saying, “I really do support the second amendment but…”?

    So continuously trying to restrict a constitutional amendment is how you support said amendment? That’s a funny way of supporting something…

    Let’s say I was a politician; if I said I supported women’s right to vote but consistently tried to pass laws that made it harder for women to vote, I would be called out for not supporting women’s voting rights and for good reason too.

    Plus, if you went around trying to put restrictions on the other amendments….What would happen?
    “We need to be more responsible with our voting, we now will have mandatory IQ tests to ensure that you are competent voter.”

    OR

    “We will now have responsible, common sense restrictions on free speech. You can say anything you want, as long as it doesn’t hurt the presidents feelings.”

    Those wouldn’t fly..You know why? Because rights are something that EVERYONE gets to exercise, not just the smart or the wealthy, (that’s how it’s supposed to be anyways).

    Idk…The world is full of baloney.

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