Politifact Checks Gun Claims

Politifact, the Pulitzer Prize winning website that checks claims about all sorts of subjects that come up in politics, has an extensive collection of fact-check rulings on claims about guns.

From the NRA to politicians to anti-gun groups, there is no monopoly on false or true claims.

Bill Adair-Politifact

Here is a presentation [PDF] delivered April 3, 2013 by Bill Adair to the Covering Guns seminar we held in Chicago.

Sometimes Politifact flags a statement as being totally untrue.

Here is an example of such a Pants on Fire Lie ruling.

Politifact is careful to list the sources it relied on the make the ruling. It is a key component to elevating the factual discussion over gun issues:

This is an example of such a disclosure:

Published: Monday, January 28th, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.

Subjects: Guns

Sources:

Gov. Scott Walker press conference, Jan. 10, 2013

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Daniel Bice – NRA put big money on Walker campaign,” Dec. 22, 2012

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “NRA calls for armed police officer in every school,”Dec. 21, 2012

Emails, Cullen Werwie, spokesman, Gov. Scott Walker, Jan. 11, 14, 2013

Telephone interview, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department Capt. David Mack, Jan. 11, 2013

WTAQ.com, “Man arrested after bow and arrow standoff in Winnebago County,” Jan. 3, 2013

Winnebago County, Wisconsin Circuit Court records

Written by: James B. Nelson
Researched by: James B. Nelson
Edited by: Greg Borowski