On Sunday, the governor claimed that the country has suffered over 400 “mass shootings” so far this year. The same erroneous figure was reported by Forbes.
The truth is that, according to the most respected compilation of national data, the number is far less. The Associated Press/Northeastern University/USA Today database, which provides the standard definition employed by most sources, reported only 29 such incidents through July 4.
While any mass shootings are obviously too many, 29 is a far cry from Newsom’s heralded 400.
The governor based his wild claim on figures from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). This organization bases its proclamations on a model that deviates far from the standard definition of a “mass shooting,” and anti-gun zealots at times reference its assertions to bolster their arguments against the Second Amendment.
Newsom tied this misleading data with his push for a new constitutional amendment to impose strict nationwide gun control measures based on those in place in California.
This 28th Amendment would include a blanket ban on so-called “assault weapons,” a national waiting period to purchase a firearm, and universal background checks.
It is important to note that California, despite being the poster child for onerous gun restrictions, is hardly a peaceful paradise. In fact, the state holds the dubious honor of being number one in the nation over the past 20 years for active shooter incidents, according to the FBI.
That’s hardly a resume to base wanting to drag the rest of the country down to your level. But politicians are not above using incorrect and irrelevant statistics to attempt to prove a point, no matter how off base that point may be.
