Is there an actual Portland, Oregon non-profit group named "Unpull the Trigger" that plans to buy each black man in America an AR-15 rifle to scare Republicans into supporting gun control? No, that's not true: The story appeared on an X account that described the story as "satire". There is no organization by that name although there was a 2006 crime drama with that title.
A link to a story about this group appeared in an X post (archived here) published on March 4, 2025 with a description that read:
BREAKING: Dems Launch Campaign to Buy Each Black Man an AR-15 to Scare Republicans Into Supporting Gun Control
"When these racist rednecks see video after video of black men shooting assault weapons at the range and carrying them in public, they'll get on the phone immediately to tell their Congressperson to support more gun control pronto!" -- Tiffany Petit
This is what the post looked like on X:
BREAKING: Dems Launch Campaign to Buy Each Black Man an AR-15 to Scare Republicans Into Supporting Gun Control
-- Jeff Charles, The Nullifier🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) March 4, 2025
"When these racist rednecks see video after video of black men shooting assault weapons at the range and carrying them in public, they'll get on the phone immediately... https://t.co/4QgA1V6d6S
The link in the post went to a longer article on X (archived here) that opened:
Portland, Oregon -- Progressive activists concerned about gun violence are launching a campaign to drum up the support they need to pass more restrictive gun laws. The group plans to purchase an AR-15 for every eligible black American to scare Republicans into backing stricter regulations on firearms.
"We've known for a long time that racist Republicans are terrified at the thought of black men owning guns," said Shelby Harris, chief operating officer of "Unpull the Trigger," a non-profit anti-gun group. "By making sure every black man has a rifle, we can finally get Republicans to support universal background checks, gun buybacks, and confiscation of assault weapons."
However the account that posted the story (@jeffcharlesjr on X - archived here) has a bio that reads:
News Editor @townhallcom | A Fresh Perspective podcast | Chasing Liberty Substack
BREAKING = Satire
http://chasingliberty.substack.com
(Highlight by Lead Stories)
The author published the same story on a website named "The Smattering" in 2023 (archived here). The Smattering's about page (archived here) describes itself as:
Welcome to the most hilarious Fake News you have ever read!
Welcome to "The Smattering," where humor meets politics in the most entertaining way possible! We are a dedicated team of writers and satirists who believe that laughter can be a powerful tool in understanding and engaging with the world of politics.
A Google Search for pages containing "Portland" and "Unpull the Trigger" (archived here) brought up copies of the satirical story reposted to other sites but no other references to such an organization at the time of writing.
According to IMDB "Unpull the Trigger" is a video short from 2006 with a synopsis that reads "Hitman has near-death experience and decides to call in quits.".
