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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Stories by Eugene Kiely

Former Director, FactCheck.org

SEIU Distorts Halvorson’s Record in Illinois Race

SEIU Distorts Halvorson’s Record in Illinois Race
February 22, 2013

A radio ad from the Service Employees International Union grossly distorts the voting record of former Rep. Debbie Halvorson in the final days of the Democratic primary to fill the House seat left vacant by Jesse Jackson Jr.’s resignation. The union claims:

Halvorson “voted against extending unemployment benefits for millions of Americans.” That’s false. Congress extended or expanded the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program seven times while Halvorson was in the House, and she voted to approve each bill.

NRA and Assault Weapons Sales

January 29, 2013

On WCBS radio, FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely discusses Sen. Chris Murphy’s claim that NRA executives “pay their salaries” by taking “a cut” of assault weapons sales. Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, cites the NRA’s so-called round-up program as evidence that the gun-rights group “does not represent gun owners anymore.”
The fact is that some gun customers voluntarily contribute to one of two NRA organizations during gun sales and much of that money helps fund community programs, such as gun safety,

NRA Misfires on Federal Gun Registry

NRA Misfires on Federal Gun Registry
January 25, 2013

The head of the National Rifle Association misfires when he claims the president’s proposal to require background checks for all gun sales will result in a “massive federal registry” of firearms. Current law bars federal agencies from retaining records on those who pass background checks, and nothing in the president’s plan would change that.
Wayne LaPierre, chief executive officer of the NRA, criticized President Obama’s proposal for universal background checks in a Jan. 22 speech in Reno,

FactChecking GOP Response to Obama Gun Plan

FactChecking GOP Response to Obama Gun Plan
January 24, 2013

Republican response to President Barack Obama’s plan to reduce gun violence has been peppered with misleading claims.

Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas claimed, “Gun bans and anti-gun laws have always led to one thing — more gun violence.” But the majority of academic research on the effect of the federal assault weapons ban, as well as restrictive gun laws in several major cities, has found no such causal link.
Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana condemned what he said was Obama’s plan to “push”

Anti-NRA Group’s Shameless Editing Tricks

Anti-NRA Group’s Shameless Editing Tricks
January 23, 2013

A Web video attacking Rep. John Barrow for taking “NRA blood money” selectively edits an old campaign ad in which Barrow touts his support for the Second Amendment and the NRA’s endorsement of him. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, which produced the video, edited out all references in which Barrow explains why he supports gun rights — including his statement that his father owned a rifle “just to keep us safe.”
Barrow’s late father, James,

Do Assault Weapons Sales Pay NRA Salaries?

Do Assault Weapons Sales Pay NRA Salaries?
January 15, 2013

A Connecticut Democrat didn’t get his facts straight when he claimed NRA executives “pay their salaries” by taking “a cut” of assault weapons sales.
In arguing that the NRA “represents gun manufacturers” and not “gun owners anymore,” Sen. Christopher Murphy discounted NRA membership dues as “less than half” of NRA funding and instead elaborated on how the NRA makes “tens of millions of dollars off of the purchases of guns.” He said, “They pay their salaries off of these gun purchases.”