Pelosi claim that GOP invites violent criminals to carry concealed weapons gets her 'Three Pinocchios'
Pelosi claim that GOP invites violent criminals to carry concealed weapons gets her ‘Three Pinocchios’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks about the recent attack on the Republican congressional baseball team during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington in June.
(Reuters)
Nancy Pelosi earned “Three Pinocchios” from The Washington Post’s Fact Checker over a tweet claiming that House Republicans are inviting violent criminals, domestic abusers and convicted stalkers to carry concealed weapons.
The House minority leader sent the tweet last week after House Republicans passed the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, sending it to the Senate by a 231-198 vote.
The Washington Post awarded Three Pinocchios to Pelosi for what it said was a mostly false tweet accusing House Republicans of inviting criminals to carry guns.
“Inviting violent criminals to carry concealed weapons doesn’t save lives,” Pelosi tweeted. “Inviting domestic abusers to carry concealed weapons doesn’t save lives. Inviting convicted stalkers to carry concealed weapons doesn’t save lives. Yet the @HouseGOP just voted to do exactly that.”
“We wavered between Two and Three Pinocchios but ultimately settled on Three because her last line — ‘the @House GOP just voted to do exactly that’ — is so over the top and exaggerated.”
The Washington Post rated the tweet mostly false in a column on Tuesday.
“We wavered between Two and Three Pinocchios but ultimately settled on Three because her last line — ‘the @House GOP just voted to do exactly that’ — is so over the top and exaggerated,” the Fact Checker wrote.
Statements rated Four Pinocchios are “whoppers” under the paper’s rating scale.
The House bill, making concealed-carry permits valid across state lines, included the support of just six Democrats.
CONCEALED-CARRY BILL BACKERS BRACE FOR SENATE FIGHT
According to the Fact Checker’s analysis, Pelosi’s tweet was focused on a possible loophole in the law and then used inflammatory language such as “inviting.”
But the reality is that most states already allow for reciprocity agreements with other states, and federal law also already prohibits violent criminials, abusers and stalkers from having guns, the Fact Checker wrote.
“Pelosi’s tweet inspired such anger because responsible gun owners believe their rights are being curtailed, even if they follow the concealed-carry rules — while violent criminals who want to have a gun are not going to be bothered with following such rules in the first place,” the Fact Checker added.
The House bill includes language improving federal record-keeping as a way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and domestic abusers.
Pelosi’s office is standing by the tweet, saying the bill is terrible, according to the Fact Checker.
