One of the most bizarre instances of fake news to occur in modern times appeared as a story on CNN to the effect that conservative media personality Sean Hannity “pulled a gun” on liberal journalist Juan Williams during a heated argument. As the American Spectator reports, there is a less about the story than meets the eye. In fact, the story says more about stereotypes about gun toting right wingers than it does about objective reality.
Hannity, Williams, and Fox News deny the incident took place in the way that CNN described it. Indeed, had even a celebrity of the notoriety of Hannity had pulled heat on a coworker he would likely be in jail and out of a job.
What apparently happened was that during a discussion on firearms, Hannity did produce a pistol for which he has a concealed carry permit. He followed all of the protocols of gun safety while doing so. At no time did some sort of bizarre hostage situation take place with Hannity holding a gun on Hannity.
To be sure, Sean Hannity is one of the most combative media personalities on national media, arguing his position with great zeal on both his evening Fox News show and his nationally syndicated talk radio program. He has also gotten into Twitter fights, sometimes with fellow conservatives, usually over his warm support for President Donald Trump. But, fighting Irishman that he is, Hannity stops short of threats of deadly force.
He has cordial off-camera friendships with liberals like Williams as well as the late Alan Colmes, with whom he once co-hosted a show.
A lot of groups have to deal with bigoted stereotypes. Conservative white men are often depicted as violent, “clinging to their God and their guns” as the former president once snarkily put it.
While a few might live down to the stereotype, most do not. Just a quick check of the news with an eye of who causes political violence and who does not would confirm that many on the left tend to be more violent than righty Trump lovers. But that will not stop strange stories about people pulling guns to make their points.