216: The Gun Lobby's Lies: the Power of Disinformation

The gun lobby has been working for decades to drown out reputable research on guns and gun violence by funding disinformation. Devin L. Hughes, the co-founder and president of GVPedia, a non-profit organization that provides access to the largest publicly available gun study database and actively fights against misinformation about gun violence, knows this better than anyone. This week, Devin joins JJ and Kelly to discuss the “firehose of falsehood” — how groups like the NRA have effectively used disinformation to flood the research landscape with inaccuracies to change the narrative and ultimately achieve success in the courts and legislatures — and the outsized impact that flood of disinformation continues to have. Devin also shares strategies for promoting truth in effort to prevent gun violence, as well as how to separate reality from disinformation.

Further reading:
Facts About Firearms Policy Initiative(GVPedia)
MYTH: 98% of Mass Shootings Occur in Gun-Free Zones (GVPedia)
MYTH: Gun bans always increase the murder rate (GVPedia)
How Often Are Guns Used For Self-Defense? (the Trace)
Defensive Gun Use: Gary Kleck Misfires Again (Armed with Reason)