o TCPALM.COM I SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2022 1 29A
<br />Pro -gun extremism proliferates online
<br />Expert predicts
<br />increase in US
<br />mass shootings
<br />David Klappar
<br />AssOCiATEOPRESS
<br />The young man in the
<br />jeans and sunglasses
<br />proudly shows off his gun
<br />In the YouTube video,
<br />then instructs his million
<br />subscribers how to fit an
<br />extra clip in his gun belt,
<br />and offers a chilling ob-
<br />servation.
<br />"Pretty —1 for active
<br />shooter stuff, if you need
<br />extra mags."
<br />It's atypical video, one
<br />of thousands teaching
<br />military -style training
<br />and tactics to civilian gun
<br />owners, offering in druc-
<br />tions, on silencers and
<br />grenade launchers, on
<br />shooting from vehicles or
<br />into buildings. Other
<br />websites sell ghost gun
<br />kits, gas masks and body
<br />armor.
<br />.You shouldn't be
<br />scared of the NRA. You
<br />should be scared of us,"
<br />one online ghost gun
<br />dealer tweeted last week.
<br />As Americans reel
<br />from repeated mass
<br />shootings, law enforce-
<br />ment officials and ex-
<br />perts on extremism are
<br />takingincreasing notice
<br />of the sprawling online
<br />space devoted to guns
<br />and gun rights: gun fo-
<br />rums, tactical training
<br />videos, websites that sell
<br />unregistered gum kits and
<br />social media platforms
<br />where far -right gun own-
<br />ers swap pranical tips
<br />with talk of dark plots to
<br />take their weapons,
<br />It's an ecosystem rich
<br />with potential reendts for
<br />extremist groups exploit-
<br />ing the often blurry line
<br />separating traditional
<br />support for a Constitu-
<br />tional right from militant
<br />anti-government move-
<br />ments that champion
<br />racism and violence.
<br />White supremacists
<br />have carried out most of
<br />the deadliest attacks on
<br />U.S. soil in the last five
<br />years, including a 2018
<br />shooting inside a Plus -
<br />burgh synagogue and a
<br />2019 rampage in which a
<br />gunman targeting His-
<br />panics inside a Texas
<br />Walmart killed 23 people.
<br />The gunman who per-
<br />petrated last month's
<br />rampage in Buffalo, for
<br />example, claimed in a
<br />rambling metal diatribe
<br />that he was radicalized
<br />when pandemic boredom
<br />led him to fer-right social
<br />media groups and tacti-
<br />cal raining videos he
<br />found online.
<br />One of the companies
<br />specifically cited by the
<br />gunman sells firearm ac-
<br />cessories and operates
<br />popular social media
<br />channels boasting hun-
<br />dreds of training videos.
<br />The videos cover topics
<br />like shooting from cera,
<br />assaulting a building, us-
<br />ing gas masks while
<br />shooting, and night vi-
<br />sion goggles.
<br />"I think we're going to
<br />see an increase in these
<br />kinds of attacks," said
<br />Kurt Braddock, a profes-
<br />sor and extremism re-
<br />searcher at the Polariza-
<br />tion and Extremism Re-
<br />search and Innovation
<br />Lab at American Univer-
<br />sity. "Until we're able to
<br />figure out a way to ad-
<br />dress this, this kind of
<br />disinformation is going to
<br />keep spreading, and with
<br />it the risk of increased
<br />radicalization and vio-
<br />lence."
<br />Elected leaders in
<br />some states are consider-
<br />ing
<br />onsidering howto address the in-
<br />ternet's rote in radicaliz-
<br />ing extremists. New York
<br />lawmakers, for example,
<br />recently introduced leg-
<br />islation to require social
<br />media companies to set
<br />policies on "hateful can-
<br />duct"and to create mech-
<br />aniams for users to report
<br />disturbing posts they
<br />may read.
<br />New York Attorney
<br />General Letitia James Ini-
<br />tiated an investigation
<br />Into some of the plat-
<br />forms used by the Buffalo
<br />gunman, who streamed
<br />his attack on Twitch,
<br />which Is owned by Ama-
<br />zon. Twitchpulledthe Ifv-
<br />esream after about two
<br />minutes.
<br />Federal authorities
<br />have also taken notice,
<br />himeasing funding fur in-
<br />vestigations into domes-
<br />tic terrorism, a challenge
<br />that FBI Director Christo-
<br />pher Wray last year de-
<br />As Americans reel from repeated shootings, law enforcement officials and experts on extremism are taking
<br />Increasing notice of the sprawling online space devoted to guns and gun rights. JAE c HONG/AP RLE
<br />scribed as "metastasiz.
<br />Personalized
<br />sibility for unfounded stars of tactical training
<br />ing: But there's little few
<br />conspiracy theories
<br />Videos posted on plat -
<br />enforcement can do but
<br />"You shouldn't be
<br />about federal plots to
<br />forms like YouTube say
<br />monitor as extremistsseize
<br />Bob Anderson, WMS
<br />Americans guns,
<br />their intended audience
<br />use the threat affirm con-
<br />Stared of the
<br />according to Braddock.
<br />is law enforcement, oth-
<br />tml to recruit new mem-
<br />NRA. You should
<br />"What'sthefirstrulein
<br />ers say their subscriber
<br />bers.
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<br />salesmanship?It's to cre-
<br />base ismostly those lack -
<br />Extremists paint any
<br />be scared of m"
<br />ate the need for the item.
<br />ing to arm themselves
<br />effort to regulate firearms
<br />We think about guns as
<br />against the government.
<br />as the prelude to wide-
<br />online ghost gun dealer
<br />something different -
<br />Despite their alarm,
<br />spread gun seizures, ac-
<br />and they are because
<br />law enforcement officials
<br />cording to Callum Hood,
<br />way in the U.S. in dec-
<br />they're instruments ofvi-
<br />and experts on extrem-
<br />director of research at the
<br />ades.
<br />olence - but they're also
<br />ism caution there's little
<br />Center for Countering
<br />Rather ftum be under
<br />commodities sold in huge
<br />to do about the growing
<br />Digital date, a UK -based
<br />threat, guns are Flourish-
<br />quantities," Braddock
<br />online spaces devoted to
<br />organization that re-
<br />ing. Since 2000, the year
<br />said. "They're creating
<br />military -style weaponry
<br />searches online extrem-
<br />after the Columbine
<br />the illusion of need."
<br />unless they find evidence
<br />ism and abuse.
<br />school shooting in Colo-
<br />Contacted by The As-
<br />of illegal gun sales or oth-
<br />"The message quickly
<br />rado, the number of fire-
<br />sociated Press, one web-
<br />er crimes.
<br />becomes 'the govern-
<br />arcus manufactured in
<br />site selling ghost gun kits
<br />For their part, tech
<br />ment is coming to take
<br />the U.S. hastripled. There
<br />responded with a state-
<br />companies and social
<br />your guns and leave you
<br />are now an estimated
<br />ment saying "ail ques-
<br />media platforms like
<br />undefended; "Hoodsaid.
<br />400million guns in the
<br />tions" about regulating
<br />Facebook and Twitter say
<br />That's despite the obvi-
<br />U.S. - more than one for
<br />firearms amount to "na-
<br />they have ndes to prohib-
<br />ous political challenges
<br />everyone in the country-
<br />ked attempts to disarm
<br />It violent threats, hate
<br />that even modest at-
<br />giving the nation the
<br />traditional Americans,
<br />speech and other content
<br />tempts at gun control
<br />world's highest gun own-
<br />weaponize the govern-
<br />that poses a direct harm.
<br />face in the U.S. Despite a
<br />ership rate.
<br />merit against them, and
<br />Some platforms also pro-
<br />long and growing list of
<br />Gun manufacturers
<br />subject them in the igno-
<br />built the sale of firearms.
<br />mass shootings, gun
<br />and industry groups like
<br />rant and vicious tools of
<br />rights have not been re-
<br />the National Rifle Associ-
<br />federal power"
<br />stricted in any significant
<br />ation bear some respon-
<br />while some of the cre-
<br />BEFORE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
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<br />INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
<br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
<br />By: -e- Petr D. O'Bry rr, Chairman
<br />Personalized
<br />Investment
<br />Advice
<br />Stock a Bonds
<br />Mutual Funds -CD's
<br />IRA's e Life Insurance
<br />Bob Anderson, WMS
<br />President/Financial Advisor (LFF)
<br />772-978-0404
<br />ANDERSON WEALTH
<br />MANAGEMENT
<br />Serving Indian River
<br />1515 Indian River Blvd., Suite A243
<br />County since 1998
<br />Vero Beach, FL 32960
<br />9ea,i,in u,l lornwra Wvivua MaW amgl Le,N Fm
<br />Fieuia.LLC IYWaNesev RXRMIIC
<br />www.AndersonWM.com
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