A Republican congressional candidate from Arizona’s First District claimed on Saturday that 99% of mass shooters are Democrats.
As the Arizona Daily Star reports, Gary Kiehne made those extreme comments during a primary debate on Saturday.
Asked how he would protect gun rights, Kiehne said he owns more guns and ammunition than the other candidates and said everyone should own a gun.
When it comes to mass shootings, “if you look at all the fiascos that have occurred, 99 percent of them have been by Democrats pulling their guns out and shooting people,” Kiehne said to an audience of about 60 people. “So I don’t think you have a problem with the Republicans.”
That observation, of course, is false, as Think Progress explains:
Kiehne’s claim that 99 percent of shootings were committed by Democrats is completely false, yet continues to be a persistent myth on the radical right. Roger Hedgecock, a conservative radio host, seems to have originated this message soon after the Newtown shooting, as President Obama was preparing a plan to combat gun violence.
Yet very few gunmen have a coherent ideology, let alone a party affiliation. Some, like Aurora theater gunman James Holmes and Gabby Giffords shooter Jared Loughner, wrote manifestos full of anti-government paranoia and references to a wide range of books and media. Usually, these pseudo-political rants reveal more about the shooter’s mental instability than party affiliation.
You can watch Kiehne in action, below:
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