It took about four seconds for The Atlantic's Senior Editor David Frum to politicize the horrific shooting that injured four, including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, at a ballpark in Alexandria, Virginia on Wednesday.
Scalise was one of several people injured, including a congressional staffer and at least one Capitol Hill police officer, when a gunman opened fire at a baseball field where GOP congressmen were practicing for the upcoming congressional charity game. And while reports were still emerging that the injured had been transported to a local hospital and were expected to be ok, Frum took to social media to blast Virginia’s firearm laws as the clear culprit behind the tragedy – not, you know, the shooter himself.
Virginia:
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 14, 2017
No background checks
No licensing
No registration
No permit req’d for concealed carry of long guns
Open carry long guns & handguns
Other Twitter users were quick to pick up on the many factual errors in Frum’s ridiculous post, calling him out right (and even left) for his pretty obvious screw-up.
There are background checks in Virginia, and you don’t don’t “concealed carry” long guns. Why do you never do any research?
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) June 14, 2017
David, there ARE background checks in Virginia. I had one.
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) June 14, 2017
You are an idiot-background checks are required and I'm certain we will find out that the shooter is a liberal Democrat from another state
— Tony Shaffer (@T_S_P_O_O_K_Y) June 14, 2017
Everything listed here is a lie. https://t.co/lNWWBs41FJ
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) June 14, 2017
This... isn't true. https://t.co/1WUOeeTQ0l
— Virginia Dare (@vdare) June 14, 2017
Frum attempted to correct at least one of his many errors in a follow-up tweet, clarifying his claim about Virginia background checks:
One correction: “No background checks for private sales.” https://t.co/9ZgmPRyz4N https://t.co/GWtPoLvvQn
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 14, 2017
Unfortunately for him, the Twitterverse isn’t a very forgiving place:
Pretty big correction given most sales aren't private and most private sales are online, requiring shipment to an FFL that requires checks.
— Pancake (@pancakeofwallst) June 14, 2017
You were 💯% wrong & u know it.
— Erika (@erika348) June 14, 2017
Did shooter buy guns in Va? Is he from Va? If we don't know, too early to speculate about gun laws.
— Aaron Koepper (@AaronKoepper) June 14, 2017
So a killer will obey a gun law but not the one that says "do not kill?" Please explain...
— Ed Waters (@SeattleOutsider) June 14, 2017
There’s a pretty simple lesson to be learned here: regardless of your political views one way or the other, it’s probably best not to tweet about things you clearly don’t understand.