Everytown for Gun Safety, the anti-civil rights organization founded by billionaire plutocrat Michael Bloomberg, issued a statement admitting that it had misrepresented facts in one of its recent advertisements. As Cheryl Chumley of The Washington Times reports . . .
The group issued a report…that said more than 1,000 online gun ads in Vermont were posted by unlicensed dealers and therefore, leading potential buyers to bypass background checks. But Everytown for Gun Safety wrongly identified 48 ads by dealers. …
Everytown for Gun Safety…has issued an apology for the error.
“A previous version of this report incorrectly stated that we identified 1,106 ads posted by unlicensed Vermont sellers offering firearms for sale. We inadvertently included 48 ads posted by licensed dealers in Vermont in this total. This version of the report reflects data based on the updated total of 1,058 gun ads posted by unlicensed sellers,” the group said in a statement.
One of the mis-identified dealers, Bobby Richards of Crossfire Arms in Mount Holly, Vermont, is currently pursuing legal action, reports Bob Owens at Bearing Arms. Crossfire Arms has issued a press release, which states:
In the blatantly false and malicious report distirbuted to a worldwide audience, Everytown [for Gun Safety] misappropriated Crossfire Arms’ logo and defamed its owner Bobby Richards and Crossfire Arms by characterizing both as vehicles for the unlicensed sale of firearms to felons, fugitives from justice, domestic violence abusers, and other unspecified criminals.
For the record, Richards and Crossfire Arms observe and comply with all federal and state laws pertaining to firearms….
In a time when the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding firearms owners are under relentless attack by agenda-driven Bloomberg-backed organizational fronts and government authorities, Richards and Crossfire Arms rightfully fear and anticipate that Everytown’s actions will deter vendors and customers from association with Crossfire Arms….
Richards and Crossfire Arms intend to take swift and immediate legal action aimed at holding Everytown and all those associated with the defamatory report accountable for this latest irresponsible attempt by a Bloomberg-backed organization to distribute factually incorrect reports to susceptible media outlets and elected-state officials.
Alan Gottlieb, of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms was quick to issue his own statement, pointing out that Everytown’s relationship with the truth has been a rocky one in the past:
This is not the first time a Bloomberg-funded gun control lobbying group has played fast and loose with facts…. Everytown and Moms Demand Action have been challenged for falsely inflating the number of school shootings since Sandy Hook, and who can forget the gun control bus tour funded by Bloomberg that included the names of criminals and a suspected terrorist as victims of gun violence? …
“Mike Bloomberg doesn’t only owe that gun dealer an apology,” Gottlieb concluded. “He owes every gun owner in America an apology.
The NRA News Facebook page pretty much sums it all up:
It seems self-evident that nothing produced by Everytown for Gun Safety can be accepted without rigorous fact-checking, as they have proven that they will say or do nearly anything to push their agenda, including falsifying report data and results.
Well, despite all of that, I do feel a tiny bit of sympathy for the content writers over at Everytown.
Trying to fool all of the people all of the time is a tough mandate.
I hope Blomberg pays. Hard.
One would think so but his pockets have no bottom. A total of 100 suits at a million a peace will not slow him or prevent him from pushing the same crap while your consumed with the court and getting his money you are also spending money that would be better spent fighting battles at state level as they will still have the presure from Bloomburg and his puppets. Please forgive any misspelling as this is voice to text on IPhone.
Money is not where you attack someone like Bloomberg. It is credibility. With the “facts” they have been putting out it has become a game of who can find the “mistake” before the next news reporter. I can see him killing “everytown” before long and starting a new group because of their credibility. Like the NRA or hate them- they have been on a constant course this is a reason that our side is winning. When Bloomberg kills one and starts a new group, it will leave the antigunners disorganized and looking for the “next big thing”. Much like cockroaches scurrying around when you reveal them to light. They don’t want to be viewed when they feed on the decay they love so much.
I agree, the goal should be to widely and loudly point out the fiction that these groups spout. It will become (and already is) a case of boy who cried wolf, to the point where no one will even give them a seconds time, because they know it’s all certified BS.
As was mentioned, even if you sue Bloomberg, doesn’t matter, the pockets are endlessly deep, all you can hope to do is kill his already wanning credibility.
This is all well and good, but just like with the story of betrayal and corruption by CA state senator Leeland Yee, the stories of the exposed Everytown/Bloomberg/Mom’s and other anti’s lies will be here today, gone tomorrow because the anti-gun sympathizes in the press will make it so.
A never-ending battle, huh? I guess a Crusader Cross would make a good graphic to put on my gun.
… “F**k you, Bloomberg,” would also work, but it’s just too inelegant — who would want a word like “Bloomberg” on their gun?
How does someone who was officially warned by the US government to stop interfering with federal investigations, and castigated by officials in other states to keep his goons out of their jurisdictions, have any credibility anyway?
If that man wasn’t ungodly wealthy, he’d be in prison.
Aim high on how much money you are seeking for damages!
It’s not the money, it’s about getting their deceit publicized in the MSM in as big letters as they give Shannon.
Oh it is all about the money. Bloomberg feels empowered to steamroll over the Constitution only because of his money. If every defamatory add run by his organization cost him a million it would hurt their ability to buy off elections for antigun legislation in other states. I say sue the bastard, tie up every penny possible in litigation. A hundred or more lawsuits against his organizations will quickly eat up their budgets.
The money is fine for Richards and he deserves it, but even if it’s a million, Bloomberg makes much more than that every single day. To beat him you have to discredit him to the wider public.
It’s about money and power. Bloomberg is offended that you peons fail to accept the lackadaisical protection provided by your superiors in government. As an elite, his protection is secured, and he is fiercely guarded. You and your family deserve no better than a 5-10 minute police response time. And that’s if the police aren’t busy doing something more important somewhere else. If you want better protection, then you simply must become more important.
Hit him with slander and libel, and hit him in the checkbook. Contain his narcissism wherever possible. He and his ilk are why the 2nd Amendment was written.
Well said.
Nice. I bookmarked this page because of your statement.
A huge problem, the mainstream media has their noses so far up Bloombags tail pipe, they can’t see their own ink. Nobody in the mainstream media is going to report that Bloomberg is getting sued. If they do, I would be highly surprised. They use peoples stupidity to their advantage. It’s been like that..forever. Whoever controls the media, or the information wins.
As others have pointed out here on TTAG concerning the 594 fiasco here in Washington State, it was a pack of lies and total nonsense, but the media was bought up with billionaire dollars so that idiotic BS passed in the most populous counties where the money was spent. 594 failed in the majority of Washington State counties.
It may take a while, but it’s the old fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. People are starting to recognize the lies and I fully believe it’s going backfire on Bloombag and his pack of nitwits, including anti-gun clown Shannon Watts and the hens at Mothers Demand Action.
A 20 million dollar payout will get publicized!
It’s the money, man! Nanny Bloomie would have nothing, be nothing, and influence nothing, if it were not for his money. These many front organizations would not exist, and gun dealers and Second Amendment advocates and defenders would have an easier lot of it if that were the case.
So, make Nanny B and his front org pay! Then also get the truth out there and establish a positive atmosphere to counter the venom coming from Nanny et al.
It will take a huge judgment to get them to change their ways. I think they should also seek a court order to stop these kinds of activities, and perhaps take away their nonprofit status.
Losing a libel suit would have bad public image implications for Bloomberg. And I do feel bad for crossfire arms. There’s no way to combat Bloomberg and the mommies’ millions of dollars except taking it to court.
yes there is! set it up as a crowdsourced funded litigation, I would contribute, and so would a few hundred thousand more which will quickly add up. 1 millionaire does not trump (no pun intended) the citizenry!
Actually, you bring up something. That would be great if Trump funded and publicized this lawsuit. Bloomberg & Company would be crying by the time the litigation is over. The final blow, “Everytown For Gun Safety & MDA, YOU’RE FIRED!”
More likely the Koch brothers than Trump. Trump doesn’t want to get his feet wet.
I’m confused about the 1,058 “unlicensed dealers” he talks about. Is there some kind of requirement to be licensed to sell a gun to a person in your own state? I’m in a state that doesn’t require that. Does Vermont require a license to a sell a gun to your neighbor or a family member?
Lackoffian wordsmithing/framing. Any person who sells a gun is a “dealer,” now. It’s effective because “dealer” is already associated through the popular culture with the drug trade and the violent criminality associated with it.
The organization is fronted by paid professional liars, AKA public relations people. This is not surprising.
This is one more example for why we need reasonable controls on the First Amendment. This bombastic asshat has no need for high-capacity false word loading devices, assault prevaricators that spew lies at 30 lies per second, or short barreled lie delivery devices.
If Bloomberg and his ilk were restricted to hand-cranked printing presses and hand-lettered notices posted on lampposts, as our forefathers intended, his BS would be limited in scope and cause far less damage. Ban the internet – for the children!
Look at this baby!
We do not need any more controls than we already have. Defamation, Libel, Slander all cover untrue speech.
You are not free from being insulted or “hurt” by nasty words – that’s why we have the 1st Amendment.
We already have all the controls on the 1st we need.
Do you really want TTAG applying for a permit for every post?
I believe that you missed the sarcasm.
In other words, Bloomberg used speech rights protected by the First Amendment to wrongfully harm someone.
By Bloomberg’s own logic that would require scaling back First Amendment protections for everyone.
If the Second Amendment is negotiable so is the First. That’s non-negotiable.
“Misrepresenting facts…”
That’s lying for us non litigious folks…
They admitted to lying. I’m shocked, not about the lying, about the admitted part.
Funny how all anti’s calm stats and facts are on their side, yet frequently get caught lying.
See the ‘surprised” expression of my face???
Any lie with no facts to base it is their way.
They know people only remember the lie they read or see the 1st time.
They never see the retraction if any is given, days later.
What a shame they couldn’t find a sharper lawyer. I’m assuming of course, that the press release was approved by this attorney. A press release informing Everytown For Gun Safety that you are pursuing legal action for the improper use of plaintiffs name/ business, should be the only topic. The political statement “Bloomberg-backed” was unnecessary, cheap, and pointless. If you want to make a political statement, don’t employ a lawyer to do it. Bloomberg can back anyone he wants to, that is not a crime in America. If an organization he backs does something offensive, or issues a press release that wrongfully slanders a licensed firearms retailer, it is not the deep pockets of Bloomberg that are legally vulnerable.
I have no love, or respect for Bloomy, but there’s no law limiting the amount of press releases one is allowed to issue. If “the plaintiff” wishes to add his personal feelings on why “HE” is politically concerned about the sort of messages Bloomy’s money is supporting, then by all means, have at it. There’s way too much “politics” in the law as it is with this bunch of fascist miscreants. Let’s not emulate the shameless co-mingling of the law and politics as practiced by the Left. We’re better than that…..or at least we should be.
“When I want water, I drink water,……when I want whiskey, I drink whiskey.”
Drain his tiny old a## dry. I wish him luck.
Sounds like a potential admission of liability. I hope they have their checkbook handy
Since they opt to be activists they get no quarter when it comes to facts. Unleash the lawyers.
Worthy of another bookmark anytime gun-control comes up and someone starts citing “statistics” from the gun control group.
Misrepresent my ass! Why do we say “misrepresent” instead of lie.
I just posted some of the news articles to Drudge Reports “SEND NEWS TIPS TO DRUDGE” on their webpage.
Anyone else want to follow up? The more submissions, the more likely it gets posted. And then the more everyday people who see it the better!
After going through the anti-gun attack in WA State I never saw facts, always a spin, incomplete report or outright lies.
The name of their game is simple and old as the hills. Lie enough and people will believe it for fact.
Did they stake Shannon over an ant hill covered in honey?
What did those ants ever do to you to deserve *that*?
Situation normal at Bloomberg Incorporated, comrade. Just another day of Scientific Socialism.
More people are looking to the internet for news. CNN, NBC, MSNBC, CBS, are all considered left to far left of center, in Pew media polls. ABC is closest on the left to center, and surprisingly Fox even closer to center on the right side of scale.
We know this wont be covered by the NYT, LA Slimes, WAPO, or other left leaning editorial page “news” orgs, but it doesnt matter, thanks to the rise of alternative channels on the Internet, like Breitbart, The Blaze, PJMedia, and others.
The proof is they are showing up in the top Google Search rankings – thats real money, as opposed to the censors who are repaid with lower ad revenues, falling subscriptions and page views dropping off the cliff at NYT, and MSNBC for example. CNN has already announced a shift from “news” to entertainment focus- a sad sad ending for a truly ground-breaking organization before the first Gulf War.
TL;DR The Truth Wins Out. Keep spreading the word- POTG and TTAG, and kudos to Bob Owens.
Bearing Arms is on the top of google search “everytown sued by gun store”.
Proof that it works- from the description at Amazon, on kindle for $9.99:
“The only comprehensive discussion of the American Concealed Weapon Movement that has appeared in print, Professor BrIan Anse Patrick traces the emergence and diffusion of this powerful and successful citizens’ movement. Patrick shows how a New American Gun Culture has mobilized, created its own media systems (anti-media) and, by means of what he call horizontal interpretive communities, has overcome deeply entrenched, top-down professional opposition (including well-organized vertical propaganda systems delivered by mass media) to establish a new political information system in which Second Amendment rights have been recognized unambiguously as a fundamental individual right. This new informational sociology has empowered citizens in the most important informational battle of modern times–namely the right to interpret the meaning of reality for themselves, instead of having it interpreted for them by the elite propagandists who interpret it in self-interested ways at the expense of freedom.”
Or said in a different way, with equally brilliant insight, by the blogfather, and constitutional law prof, Glenn Reynolds:
“There was a time in the not-too-distant past when large companies and powerful governments reigned supreme over the little guy. But new technologies are empowering individuals like never before, and the Davids of the world-the amateur journalists, musicians, and small businessmen and women-are suddenly making a huge economic and social impact.
In Army of Davids, author Glenn Reynolds, the man behind the immensely popular Instapundit.com, provides an in-depth, big-picture point-of-view for a world where the small guys matter more and more. Reynolds explores the birth and growth of the individual’s surprisingly strong influence in: arts and entertainment, anti-terrorism, nanotech and space research, and much more.
The balance of power between the individual and the organization is finally evening out. And it’s high time the Goliaths of the world pay attention, because, as this book proves, an army of Davids is on the rise. “
“To ride, shoot straight, and speak the truth” – Jeff Cooper
I have 2 words for Bloomie that will eventually smack him in the ass.
Punitive Damages
A class action suit by everyone who has advertised guns for sale would be great — ten thousand people, a hundred thousand bucks each . . . .
Everytown thinks people are stupid.The don’t care about facts..They apologized in order to hopefully cover their asses,nothing more.
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