3 Key Democratic Claims on Guns Get Fact-Checked by WaPo — Here’s What They Found

In the week following the worst mass shooting in American history, politicians in Washington, D.C., particularly Democrats, have made numerous claims related to gun violence. But is any of what they’re saying actually true, or just more talking points?

The Washington Post fact-checked three specific claims made by two Democratic senators, and found that, at least in these instances, there’s more political rhetoric being stated than veracity.

Claim No. 1: More Gun Control=Less Gun Crime
“What we know is that in states that have imposed those reasonable limitations, there are less gun crimes. There are less homicides.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) made this statement Wednesday during a speech on the Senate floor.

Murphy’s staff told the Post that he was referring to a chart published by the National Journal in 2015, which shows the states that had the most “gun-related deaths” in 2013, the most recent year for which data were available, and whether those states require background checks, permits, waiting periods or have so-called “stand your ground” laws.

But because of how Murphy worded his claim, referring not to “gun-related deaths,” which would include suicides, but to “gun crimes” and “homicides,” the Post gave the claim three Pinocchios.

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