Sheriff In Charge Of Oregon Shooting Probe: I’m No Sandy Hook Truther

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin listens to a reporters question during a news conference Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore., concerning the deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College. Armed with multiple gu... Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin listens to a reporters question during a news conference Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore., concerning the deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College. Armed with multiple guns, Chris Harper Mercer, 26, walked in a classroom at the community college the day before and opened fire, killing several and wounding several others. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The pro-gun sheriff in charge of investigating a mass shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College said Friday that he doesn’t subscribe to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting “truther” movement, despite having posted a video raising questions about the tragedy to his Facebook page.

“I know what you’re referring to, but that’s not a conspiracy theory that I have,” Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told CNN late Friday when asked about the video.

Hanlin posted a link in January 2013 to a YouTube video called “The Sandy Hook Shooting – Fully Exposed,” which summarized conspiracy theories surrounding the shooting and quickly went viral. Hanlin posted the link about a month after the massacre of elementary school children in Newtown, Connecticut.

“This makes me wonder who we can trust anymore…” Hanlin wrote. “Watch, listen, and keep an open mind.”

The Facebook post was removed from public view Friday afternoon after news outlets, including TPM, reported on it.

Two days after posting the video, Hanlin sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden stating that he did not believe stricter gun control measures would prevent potential mass shootings. That letter earned him praise from a fringe “constitutional sheriffs” organization.

Latest Livewire
106
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Ooops…Stuff Happens…There is this new fangled thing called the Interwebs…

  2. Typical conservative - nothing is “true” until it happens to them.

  3. He backed down from the edge.

    The nutters will consider him a coward now.

  4. I see this all the time. Some wingnut asshole posts some seriously flawed piece of right-wing garbage information on Facebook and snidely states something like “You libtards let this happen! Wake up sheeple!”. Then they get called out hard on it, and their response is something like “LOL, I just thought it was funny and just a bit interesting that’s all. Not really looking to debate or anything like that”.

    Sorry Hanlin, you posted that, you own it.

  5. Oh, you are a Sandy Hook Truther, sir, you are…

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

100 more replies

Participants

Avatar for lestatdelc Avatar for anniew Avatar for overreach_this Avatar for leftflank Avatar for chammy Avatar for thx1138 Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for bradbennett Avatar for semiotix Avatar for callmeeric Avatar for pshipkey Avatar for rational Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for eastlansing Avatar for gr Avatar for ottnott Avatar for kitty Avatar for jprfrog Avatar for artmofo Avatar for dnl Avatar for raincntry Avatar for jinnj Avatar for henk Avatar for gorehound

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher & Digital Producer:
Senior Developer:
Senior Designer: