Failed progressive candidate nailed with fierce fact-check on misleading firearms claim

Former congressional candidate Nina Turner tried to politicize a school shooting on Monday and got fact-checked by critics on social media.

One student and one teacher were shot and killed by a teenage student at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, according to police. The alleged shooter was found dead by police, apparently after committing suicide.

'This gun deaths statistic is completely made up by anti-2A activists.'

"Right now, firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the US. That’s unacceptable," said Turner on social media.

Her claim was immediately assailed as misleading because the claim depends on including statistics of shootings of people older than 18 years old. A community note on the tweet offered the counter argument, and critics responded on social media.

"The leading cause of death in children (0-17) is accidents. This gun deaths statistic is completely made up by anti-2A activists. It includes 18 & 19 year olds, so they can inflate it with gang violence," read one popular response.

"Projection is a funny thing. The people who made the most noise about social media 'misinformation' (Democrats, journalists) are now the most frequently caught out by facts tagged with community notes," responded another detractor.

Others pointed out that abortions claim far more lives of children.

"Actually, abortion is the leading cause of death for children. In 2022, there were 2,500 gun violence-related deaths among children and 613,300 abortions in the USA. This means that nearly 24,532% more children died from abortion than from gun violence," replied Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life.

The National Rifle Association has documented attempts by the media to spread the misinformation over many years.

Turner lost her campaign for Ohio's 11th Congressional District in the Democratic primary in 2021 and blamed "evil money" manipulation despite having spent far more than her victorious opponent. She gained prominence as a co-chair for the 2016 presidential campaign for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

She was also mocked when she tried to show support for student loan forgiveness and instead gave opponents of the policy a boost.

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