CNN Attorney’s Misstatement on Firearms

Evan Perez, a senior attorney for CNN, mistakenly asserted that a semi-automatic weapon could fire “dozens of bullets” with a single trigger pull.

This comment came in the wake of a tragic mass shooting at Announcement Catholic School on Wednesday morning, where at least two children were killed and 17 others injured. It’s shocking, really, and I can’t help but feel a mix of anger and sadness over incidents like this.

Co-host Pamela Brown expressed her concerns about the situation, recalling a report from an affiliate. She mentioned a witness who described the duration of the shooting, indicating it felt like “a few minutes.” It’s hard to understand whether that refers to the duration of the shooter’s actions or the time it took for law enforcement to respond.

“Yes. That’s not the case,” Perez said, in reference to his inaccurate claim. He noted that in some cases, shooters are afforded the time to reload, which is a terrifying thought for those trapped in such situations. He drew parallels to the Uvalde incident, emphasizing the disturbing frequency with which such events occur.

Further clarification on the mechanics of semi-automatic weapons can be found in various resources online.

Interestingly, CNN did not reply to inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation about Perez’s remarks.

A mislabeling of “assault weapon” was also brought up in the conversation, as a semi-automatic firearm fires one bullet per trigger pull, unlike a fully automatic firearm, or machine gun, which continues firing until the trigger is released.

According to current federal laws, owning a fully automatic firearm is illegal, as outlined in the National Firearms Act.