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“These things can shoot dozens of bullets, you know, in just one trigger pull,” Perez told viewers during the live broadcast. He later added, referencing the weapon found at the scene: “A semi-automatic rifle, and it went on for several minutes.”
The correspondent continued his flawed explanation: “And so what happens in this case is sometimes they have enough time to reload. It’s one of the most horrific things for students to be sitting there. You saw this in Uvalde, you see this in Newtown repeatedly, where a shooter has enough time to reload.”
WATCH:
Critics immediately called out the glaring error. Perez’s description matches a fully automatic weapon, not a semi-automatic rifle like the AR-15. Semi-automatics, by definition, fire only one round per trigger pull.
Conservative commentator Eric Daugherty blasted CNN on X, writing: “BY DEFINITION, ‘semi-automatic’ means one trigger pull, ONE ROUND. And the entire magazine, on average, for an AR-15 is 30 rounds (NOT confirmed the specific model this suspect used—just an example). CNN needs to immediately retract and apologize for lying to their viewers.”
Others piled on, mocking CNN’s lack of credibility when it comes to covering firearms. One user summed it up: “Simply put, semi-automatic weapons are one-pull, one-round. Kind Regards.” Another asked why CNN continues to put correspondents on air who clearly don’t understand the basic mechanics of the weapons they report on: “What is the point of even having him on? Disgraceful.”
The outrage didn’t stop there. “How can they seek to regulate something they so clearly know nothing about…” one viewer posted. Another viral reaction read: “CNN, WTF ARE YOU DOING? A tragedy happens and the reaction is to LIE in favor of gun control? SHAME.”
Many conservatives saw CNN’s slip-up not as an accident, but as part of a larger pattern of misinformation designed to push a political agenda. Time and time again, critics argue, the media distorts the facts on firearms while using national tragedies to push for stricter gun laws.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis is still in shock. Vigils are being organized for the young victims as families and parishioners wrestle with unimaginable grief. Residents are left to comfort one another as the details of the shooting continue to emerge.
Authorities identified the suspect as 23-year-old Robin M. Westman, who unleashed chaos by firing through church windows with multiple firearms, including a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. The rampage ended when Westman turned one of the guns on himself in what police described as a murder-suicide. Law enforcement officials called the scene “absolutely incomprehensible.”
In the end, CNN’s careless misreporting only compounded the pain of an already devastated community. Instead of offering clarity in a moment of tragedy, the network is once again accused of twisting facts and misleading viewers. For critics, this latest blunder is more proof that CNN’s reporting on firearms cannot be trusted.
