NBC’s Erin McLaughlin appeared to link last Friday’s Supreme Court decision — which overturned a Trump-era ban on bump stocks — to mass shootings that occurred over the weekend, despite the fact that bump stocks were not used in any of the instances she referenced.
McLaughlin made the intuitive leap during Monday morning’s broadcast of The Today Show, framing her report for anchor Hoda Kotb as though there was a direct connection between the court’s ruling and the shootings.
WATCH:
NBC’s Erin McLaughlin blames the Supreme Court’s decision on bump stocks to 3 mass shootings over the weekend, despite the fact none of the weapons were equipped with them. pic.twitter.com/j5IfEKaEWE
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) June 17, 2024
“A mass shooting at a splash pad in Michigan, another at a Juneteenth celebration in Texas, and yet another at a gathering in Massachusetts — all just days after Friday’s Supreme Court ruling that rejects a ban on bump stocks,” McLaughlin began.
“This morning, friends and families across the country are grieving after multiple mass shootings this weekend,” the report continued, showing several clips of emergency calls that went out during the shootings as well as the police response.
At the Michigan splash pad, a shooter discharged 28 rounds and injured at least nine, some of whom were children. The shooter then reportedly turned the weapon on himself, and an investigation into his possible motive is ongoing.
In Texas, two were killed and more than a dozen were injured when a gunman opened fire — and in that case, authorities are still looking for the alleged perpetrator.
In Massachusetts, a pop-up party was the target of a shooting that left eight injured.
At the end of the report, McLaughlin circled back to the Supreme Court ruling — seeming once again to suggest a link between the bump stock ban being overturned and the three recent shootings.
