BLOG

Media Are Pushing Inflated '18 School Shootings' Statistic. Here Are the Facts.

Have there really been 18 school shootings so far in 2018? That’s what a gun control advocacy nonprofit is claiming in the wake of a horrifying school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead.

But while even one school shooting is a tragedy, using the false statistic of “18 school shootings” is incredibly misleading.

On today’s show, Stu went through each example cited on the list to debunk the fake stat. The “18” number includes not only a shooting at a high school in Benton, Kentuckyearlier this year, but also incidents where one person committed suicide near a school or a gun was unintentionally fired and did not injure anyone.

Watch the full clip (above) to learn why this talking point just isn’t accurate.

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

GLENN: It's Pat and Stu for Glenn.

Still sick. All right. The -- what are the details? Because you hear these things thrown out by the left all the time. This is the 18th time this year we've had a school shooting. It's February 14th -- yesterday -- and already, there's been 18 this year.

Really? Where have I been?

STU: Yeah.

PAT: I guess I haven't checked my Facebook feed in a while.

STU: Well, you know what, Pat, it's not that. It's just, these are so common now. They don't even get reported. People don't even care.

PAT: Yeah. Yeah.

STU: Because it just comes and go. They happen so commonly. That you don't even realize they're going on anymore.

PAT: So I love that statistic. The other than -- we'll talk about this one too, we're unique among nations. This is the only place this happens. Okay.

So the 18 statistic, how are we so stupid and uninformed and ignorant? We didn't even know. I thought this was the first one of the year.

STU: Right. And that you would be wrong for that because there's been 18.

I'm now going to give you the details to all 18 shootings, okay?

PAT: Oh, no.

STU: Are you ready? When you hear 18, these are the 18 they're talking about, okay? What we're talking about are school shootings. What do you think of when you think of school shootings? You think about the one yesterday. That's one of the 18, as we know. So there's 17 others.

January 23rd, in Benton, Kentucky, two people were killed, and another 15 were shot at marshal county high school. So that one I think qualifies (?) as what we think of when we think of a school shooting. It's a mass shooting eventual. (?) now, only two killed. Obviously two more than should be killed. But 15 shot in addition to that. That qualifies as what we think of. And you might say, I may or may not have heard about that. So here's the other. There's 16 others. (?) a fight at a Pennsylvania high school. A 32-year-old man was shot and later died. Okay. Now, that's not a mass shooting event, right? That was a fight that broke out

PAT: It's not the same thing at all.

STU: Not at all what you would think of. Okay. January 20th (?) was shot and killed. Was one player. I don't have all the details of the incidents here. But it was not a mass shooting event.

PAT: That could be a gang bang event. Who knows.

STU: Who knows. But, again, one person being shot is not what you think about when you think about these incidents. (?)

Was wounded by shots by a semi automatic handgun. (?) she was wounded.

PAT: Again, that's not a mass shooting.

STU: Not a mass shooting. And also, wouldn't it make sense that you didn't know about one person being wounded in a shooting (?) that wouldn't necessarily rise to the point of Marilyn national news coverage. Right? Obviously, things happen all the time. They're terrible when they do. But that's not a national news story. (?) was injured in a shooting. Okay. Another injury in the shooting. These are the 18 school shootings that have happened this year, supposedly. February 1st, Los Angeles. Five children were injured in an accidental shooting.

PAT: Definitely not the same thing.

STU: Definitely not the same thing. February (?) injured outside of a high school. One teenager was shot, not killed, but injured outside of a high school. Okay?

Next up, February 5th, maple wood, Minnesota, (?) on a cop's gun. No one was injured. They're counting that as a school shooting. A third grader pulled the trigger on a cop's gun. No one was injured. That is a school shooting to the media.

PAT: Hmm.

STU: February 8th, in New York, a shot was fired inside a metropolitan high school. No one was injured.

On January 25th in Mobile, Alabama (?) no one was injured. On January 26th in Dearborn, Michigan (?) no injuries were reported. Okay?

PAT: That's probably -- that's a drive-by shooting. A lot of these are probably, you know, gang violence or disagreements between people. It's not the same thing at all. It's not even close.

STU: And what on earth would make you hear about a third grader (?) and nobody was injured. Why on earth would you be alerted to that in the media.

PAT: You wouldn't. It's not a story.

STU: You wouldn't. And, of course, none of these media sources that are complaining about the 18 shootings reported something like that. They didn't report about this one either. On January 15th. A bullet (?) dorm room. No injuries were reported. The same day, Texas, bullet was accidentally fired through a classroom wall at a criminal justice sister. No one was injured.

PAT: At a criminal justice sister. (?) that doesn't sound like that's on school.

STU: A gunshot was fired at a high school in Seattle through an office window. No one was injured. (?) shattering a California state university classroom window. No one was injured.

We have two more to go. Do you think so far, there's been 16 shootings I've told you about.

PAT: There's been another one.

STU: One. And a couple bad incidents of things that have existed forever. Mass shooting, there's been one other one. Here's the last two, January 3rd, a man shot himself in a former school's parking lot.

PAT: Suicide is not the same.

STU: And, again, it has -- what law prevents a guy from taking his gun and shooting himself in a (?) you're not allowed to bring the and he did it anyway. There's already a law that should have prevented that. And it didn't happen. Last one, January 10th, a teen killed himself in an Arizona elementary bathroom. Again, not the same thing.

PAT: Not the same thing.

STU: So what you have is the media telling you (?) and what they're including in that is a third grader pulling the trigger of a cop's gun and no one was injured. Almost all those circumstances that I told you about, there were no injuries reported whatsoever. And the media is trotting that stat out, as if it's supposed to make you give up your Second Amendment rights.

That is incomprehensibly disingenuous.

PAT: It's sickening.

STU: As you point out, Pat, it's just a lie. It's just a lie. And, by the way, it comes from a gun control group. An advocacy group for gun control. Now, even they say, there's only been six (?) as I point out, suicides are included in that. You know, some guy who is troubled has a handgun, which no one -- none of this legislation would stop him from having. And he decides he's going to go to a parking lot. (?) and just shot himself in a parking lot. No one else was hurt. And then some of these are insane. Someone getting shot -- a bullet going through a window with no injuries reported whatsoever. Why on earth would that make national news? They know it wouldn't. Nothing occurred.

PAT: Nope.

STU: And yet, they'll still trot this out. You will hear this from dozens of people in the media today. Because they just don't question it. Sadly, I heard it from a student at the school. They're talking about one of the students that survived this incident. And he goes on CNN saying, look, this is the 18th one of these this year. This is the 18th this year. Why don't we do something? Sure, we should do something. But the thing you're suggesting is the thing you can't get accomplished.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Alex Jones: Here's why People STILL Question the Official Narrative

Alex Jones recounts his experience of covering the events of September 11, 2001 and why the events from that day still raise questions today. Two decades later, Americans still wonder: How much did our government really know?

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with Alex Jones HERE

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

The Shroud of Turin and the Moment of Resurrection - Why Scientists are BAFFLED!

For centuries, the Shroud of Turin has baffled scientists and inspired believers. In this powerful conversation, Glenn Beck and Dr. Jeremiah Johnston explore the evidence — from carbon dating controversies to the face that appears only in photographic negative. Could this ancient linen be the very burial cloth of Jesus Christ, capturing the moment of resurrection itself? If science can’t explain it… what does that mean for faith?

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with Dr. Jeremiah Johnston HERE

RADIO

How JD Vance & Marco Rubio Became Trump's Not-So-Secret Weapons

Glenn Beck and Stu Burguiere unpack JD Vance’s viral response to a potential 2028 Vance-Rubio presidential ticket, where Vance praises Rubio as his “best friend” and credits Trump’s “grand strategy” for the administration’s success.

RADIO

Unveiling the secret to transforming angry boys into real men

The world has a plentiful, seemingly endless supply of angry boys. What it's lacking is real MEN. Glenn Beck shares the secret that our young men must learn if they truly want to protect and perfect our country.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: There's a difference between a revival and an awakening. We are in a revival right now, but that doesn't necessarily lead to anything. Except, oh, I have to re-learn those principles. But that doesn't mean you apply them in your life. Okay?

That's an awakening. There's been two great awakenings in American history. One brought us the American Revolution. The second one brought us the Civil War and the freedom of slaves.

We have the possibility of going into a third great awakening. That's the only thing that will save us. If you don't know the difference between a revival and an awakening. Let me give you the negative print of a godly awakening. Our kids right now, they don't have any purpose. They don't have any meaning.

They look at everything, and it doesn't -- it's not real. None of it is real. It's money. It's fame.

It's -- you know, it's ever changing truths and definitions. And they have no purpose in their life. Okay?

So they're looking for that. Because man has to have purpose in his life. Man has to search for meaning.

So they're searching for meaning. And they found a group of people that actually mean something. And they're willing to die for it. And it's ISIS.

And so they're like, at least these people believe in something. They believe it. And they're willing to die for it. I'm going to stand with them. And they put that twisted understanding into action. That's the -- that is -- that's an awakening. It's just an awakening to the dark side. And that one is already happening. It has to happen on the good side. And let me speak directly to young men: Look, you are inheriting a very loud, angry, cynical and worst of all spiritually starving and malnourished society. And you are being sold a future of cheap pleasures and hollow heroes and screens with blue light that just rob you of your strength, one distracted second after another.

And in the middle of all that noise, may I just give you one piece of instruction. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praise-worthy, seek those things.

Don't admire them. Don't nod at them. Seek them!

Hunt them. Chase them. Build your life around those things. A man who will do that. A boy. A young man who will do that, will become different. Noticeably different.

He will stop letting the culture feed him garbage. He stops applauding the trivial. He stops laughing at the obscene or cheering for the cruel.

He will become a curator of -- of real, lasting beauty in an age that has forgotten what beauty even looks like.

When other men are chasing down or holding up cynicism, this man holds up hope!

When everyone around him is chasing dopamine, he chooses discipline. When others will blame their circumstance, he'll take responsibility for his own action. When the world worships the shallow, he goes and searches for the deep!

You want to know what the secret of becoming strong is, or becoming trusted, or becoming the kind of man that your future wife, your future children, your future nation can depend on?

Here it is!

You become what you seek. If you seek trash, you become trash. If you seek virtue, you become a man of virtue. You seek excellence, and your life will begin to shine, not loudly, but steadily. Like the steel glow of a blade being forged.

That's who you'll be.

The world has a plentiful, seemingly never-ending supply of angry boys. We don't need any more addicted boys.

We don't need any more distracted boys. The world needs men. Whole men. Clear-eyed men.

Men whose souls are anchored to something higher than the algorithms, trying to own them!

Build a life worthy of admiration. Forget about the applause. Fill your mind with words that make you wiser. Fill your days with work, hard work, that makes you stronger. Fill your home with beauty that lifts every soul who walks into it.

Have your home a place where people walk in and go, man, I say so great here. I just love it here. I don't know what it is about your house. I just love it. It's the spirit that's there! Because you built it! You protect it.

Protect your integrity like a watchman on the wall. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't steal. And when you fail, and you will, stand back up again.

Because a man who seeks the virtuous, is not a man who never fails. He just -- he just becomes a man who refuses to stay on the ground.

If you seek things that are lovely and pure, trustworthy, praiseworthy, you'll become a kind of man this age almost never produces. A man whose very existence is a rebuke to the darkness.

That's your calling. That's why you were born.

Not to be lost. Not to play video games. Not to give up. Not to say, there's no hope. Not to end up in the trash bin of human history because you've -- you've taken so many drugs, you can't stand up straight anymore.

You're not destined to be alone.

You were destined for great things. You are destined to find an amazing woman!

Believe me. I didn't think I would ever find an amazing woman. Because I didn't think I was worth it. I didn't think I was worth it.

And until I started understanding how God works. That, yeah. I'm not worth any of the stuff that I have.

When you realize, it's all a gift. It's all a gift. And even if you work your brains out, you may not ever get all the things that you want. But you're going to have everything you need. Once you realize, carefully selecting friends makes a difference. My mother used to always say, show me your friends. I will show you your future.

It's true. Be careful who you select as friends. Watch your language. Watch what you're putting into your brain and what's coming out of your mouth. Because the brain is so amazing. It's being turned to mush. Did you know that there is a new study that just came out. I have to tell you about it next week, maybe.

New study going out. It is -- it's AI. And it has access to social media, and they have found that the AI -- the AI that is scrolling through social media all day, just to keep updated on everything that's going on in social media. It's getting brain mush. It's actually becoming dumber. It's become less effective!

It's a machine. What do you think this, flesh and blood, this thing is going to do?

We say life is meaningless. And life is the only thing that has any value. And yet, we spend all of our time, on things like social media. And that has absolutely no value.

But we think that's life.

I'm not that smart. I've just lived a long time. And I've made so many mistakes.

And I decided at one point, I'm going to stop saying, it's somebody else's fault. I'm going to start saying. Maybe -- what did I do to create that?

What did I do to attract that?

Why does this thing keep happening to me?

Why is it that I always find myself involved with these same kind of people?

Because, Glenn, dummy, it's you!

What you think, it's like -- it's like think of yourself as a -- as a beacon. It's just -- you're a beacon. Your GPS pin, that is constantly saying, here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

Except, it's transmitting more than just your location. It's -- it's transmitting what you're looking for, who you are. And it's attracting other dropped pins to you. It's saying, "I like this. I think this way. I believe these things. I am afraid of these things."

Whatever it is, you're thinking. It's constantly putting that out.

And saying, here I am. Is there anything else like that?

Anything else that can reinforce that? Anything else that can live like this?

Because that's me. Here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

That's why you keep finding yourself in exactly the same situations. Nothing will change, if nothing changes!

And the only thing that you can change, is you!

Seek the things, that have virtue.

Seek the things, that have beauty in music, in -- in art, in life, in architecture, in clothing! Whatever it is. Look for real, lasting beauty and value.

Find the things that are true! Truly true.

Universally true. Find the things that uplift. Seek those things!

And you will change your life and your world!