Mike Bloomberg's Super Bowl Gun Control Ad Criticized Over 'Misleading' Child Deaths Claim
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Mike Bloomberg aired one of the most talked about ads of this year's Super Bowl, one that drew widespread criticism from Conservative media and other organizations which accused the New York billionaire and 2020 presidential hopeful of using misleading gun crime figures to push his message.
Bloomberg's $11 million ad featured Calandrian Simpson Kemp, the bereaved mother of 20-year-old George Kemp Jr. from Texas who was shot dead during an altercation in 2013. In the video, Kemp lauded Bloomberg's past support for new gun regulations and suggested he is the best candidate to take on the pro-gun lobby.
But the ad also included a graphic declaring that "2,900 children die from gun violence every year," a figure that fact checkers quickly criticized as misleading or outright false.
According to FactCheck.org, Bloomberg's campaign team cited figures from the candidate's pro-gun control Everytown for Gun Safety organization. However, in a June 2019 document the group notes that the 2,900 figure refers to "children and teens (ages 0 to 19)." Those aged 18 or 19 would be legally considered adults in most U.S. states.
When restricted to those aged up to 17, the average annual death toll from 2013 to 2017 falls to 1,499, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures. Of those, there were 792 homicides, 590 suicides, 88 accidental deaths and 30 of undetermined cause.
Related Stories
Fox News described Bloomberg's message as "misleading." Right-wing website The Daily Wire said the figure was "wildly misleading" and The Washington Examiner branded the ad "fake news."
Among the critical conservative commentators was Ryan Fournier, the 24-year-old founder of Students for Trump.
"Mike Bloomberg does not represent the millions of law abiding gun owners in this country who want to protect themselves, and if the need arises, protect the lives of others," tweeted. "His policies and rhetoric will be destructive and irreversible."
School safety activist Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, dismissed the ad. "I lost a child to gun violence, but you will NEVER speak for me or my family because you'll stop at nothing to promote your self-serving agenda," he tweeted.
Andrew Pollack's daughter Meadow also died in the Stoneman Douglas shooting. He criticized Bloomberg for trying to use child gun deaths "to advance your corrupt agenda and to fear-monger and lie on national television."
In the video, Kemp suggested that the National Rifle Association (NRA) was "scared" of Bloomberg's gun regulation push. The organization posted multiple tweets attacking the former New York mayor this weekend, describing him as a "hypocritical billionaire."
"You want to take our guns, go ahead and try," the NRA wrote. "We will fight for our freedom."
Bloomberg's campaign defended its use of the 2,900 figure. Spokesperson Julie Wood told Fox News, "Ask any grieving parent whose 18- or 19-year-old son or daughter was shot and killed, and they will tell you they lost a child."
"There are simply too many of these deaths, and Mike has a plan to prevent them with common-sense gun safety laws."
Tags
Who is online
100 visitors
Whats a little false narrative during the election season. I mean he sourced his stats....from his own gun control initiative.
I am really glad that Bloomberg spent so much money to tell everyone what he wanted them to hear. Now we know him better.
I don't think he stands a chance at winning.
What Bloomberg is doing is going to guarantee Bernie a win. He will sway Biden supporters to his side. The left-wing socialist of the Democrat party will not be persuaded to leave the free ride promises of the Bern.
He doesn't. But, I also don't believe that his entering the race was to win the presidency for himself; it was to detract from Sanders and prop up Biden.
So gun lovers object to sensible gun control.
Yawn.
We already have "sensible gun control" laws. Just look at Chicago and Baltimore, which have very strict gun control laws, for proof!
Define sensible. Do you mean registration followed by confiscation. Most of the Dem candidates favor that draconian measure.
That definition remains in the basement never to be truly defined. Kind of like "pay their fair share" and "a living wage". They don't know and can't define what anything is that they parrot. Sad.
Here's a sensible question. I have a concealed weapons permit in Pennsylvania. How do I get a pistol to and from New York City on a shopping trip?
They do?
I'm a firm believer in "gun control", if you don't have control of your gun it makes it difficult to hit what you are trying to shoot.
I'm not surprised you have nothing to say about Bloomberg misleading add.
This "gun control" does NOTHING to quell the problem. But continue with your talking points.
We had a saying at the gun range I managed.
Gun control means hitting what you aim at.
"to advance your corrupt agenda and to fear-monger and lie on"
Trump does the same thing but I bet this man will now support him.
Our is " Gun control means using 2 hands and a good stock weld"
Most of the anti gun ownership left wouldn’t know “sensible” gun control if it bite em in the ass.
Mike Bloomberg is like that.
Sensible gun control ?: Making laws that only "Law abiding people" will actually follow ?
YAWN …………..
The "lawless" are jumping for joy over "Bloomberg" ! He, and other Liberals, are great at serving up "Victims" to the "Lawless" !
Michael Bloomberg is the epitome of the managerial elite; the technocratic liberal who engineers society based on academic theory and imposes a theoretical social nirvana upon society through totalitarian control.
As Bloomberg illustrates, facts don't tell us anything about honesty or truth. Yes, Mayor Bloomberg, we can make a washing machine fly with enough money; that's a fact. But what's the point?
Yes, "sensible gun control" would lower gun crime; at least in theory. But isn't crime (including gun crime) symptomatic of larger problems within society? Crime is a symptom of a society under stress. Flying washing machines won't address the underlying problem. Michael Bloomberg is not being honest.
There is a bigger problem out there right now.....ghost guns. They are made from parts you can order, no background checks, no serial numbers, and can be ordered by anyone with a computer and a credit/ATM card.
Lets see.
So explain how does restricting law-abiding citizens even more will make us safer.
These are the people who really need their guns confiscated:
An Officer Who Shot A Handcuffed Man Inside A Cop Car Was Charged With Second-Degree Murder And Manslaughter
Cops kill more people than mass shooters.
Many incidents are justified.