More Media Misinformation: Machine guns used by criminals, ABC’s The Rookie: Feds

Oct 9, 2022 | Media Bias

As the Crime Prevention Research Center has pointed out many, many times, television crime shows seem to think criminals are constantly using machine guns to commit crime. Unfortunately, the first two episodes of ABC’s The Rookie: Feds are no different. In real life, criminals generally use machine guns so rarely that a 2016 survey of prison inmates only broke down the numbers for uses in crime of handguns (11.2%), rifles (0.8%), and shotguns (1.1%). There are few rifles, and the survey did not even mention fully automatic weapons. A similar finding is available from the FBI UCR report, where 2.6% of all murders involve rifles of any type and 0.3% of all murders involve unspecified “other guns.” There is a reason for that. Since 1934, there was only one possible known use of a civilian using a machine gun in a murder. And even before 1934, they were very rare.

Examples of similar television shows can be found here.

The Rookie Feds S1 E1 September 27, 2022, E2 October 4, 2022

Here is a video on Hollywood’s bias against guns.

This season.

CBS’ FBI International (Season 2): September 20, 2022, Episode 1,

The Rookie Feds (Season 1): E1 September 27, 2022, E2 October 4, 2022

Shows from last season.

Amazon’s new “Reacher” Season 1, Episode 8 (February 3, 2022)

NBC’s Chicago PD (Season 9): E3, October 6, 2021

NBC’s The Blacklist (Season 9): Episode 10, January 10, 2022

NBC’s Endgame (Season 1): Episode 1, February 21, 2022.

NBC’s Law & Order SVU (Season 23): Episode 8 (November 11, 2021).

CBS’ The Equalizer (Season 2): E1, Oct 10, 2021E14 (April 10, 2022).

CBS’s “FBI: Most Wanted” (Season 3) E1 September 28th, 2021 & E2 September 28th, 2021Episode 12, February 1, 2022

CBS’ Magnum PI (Season 4): E18 (April 8, 2022).

CBS’ NCIS Los Angeles (Season 13): E22 May 22, 2022

CBS’s S.W.A.T. (Season 5) E1 October 1, 2021E2, Oct 08, 2021E7, December 3, 2021E10, January 10, 2022S5 E16 (April 10, 2022)

CBS’ FBI (Season 4): E17 (April 12, 2022)

CBS’s “FBI: International” (Season 1) E2, September 28th, 2021. In another “FBI: International” (S1 E1) criminals were shown carrying machine guns but not using them. E5, November 2,  2021E18 (April 26, 2022)

From past seasons, here are some of the shows with criminals using machine guns (this is not meant to be a complete list):

ABC’s The Rookie (Season 3): Episode 11 April 18, 2021; Episode 12 April 25, 2021; Episode 14 May 9, 2021Episode 3, January 17, 2021

NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crime (Season 1): Episodes 1 & 2, April 1 and 8, 2021

CBS’s Bull (Season 5): E6, January 18 2021

CBS’s FBI Most Wanted (Season 2): E4 January 19, 2021E5 January 26, 2021.

CBS’ Coyote (Season 1): E2 January 7, 2021 and E5 January 7, 2021

CBS’ SWAT (Season 4): E7 Jan 13, 2021E8 January 27, 2021E9 Feb 17 2021

CBS’s Blue Bloods (Season 11): Episode 16, May 14, 2021

CBS’ Magnum PI (Season 3): E3 Dec 11 2020Episode 7, February 5, 2021

CBS’ The FBI (Season 3): E1 Nov 17 2020E4 Jan 24, 2021

CBS’s NCIS LA (Season 12): Episode 8, January 10, 2021

NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crime (Season 1): Episodes 1 & 2, April 1 and 8, 2021

NBC’s The Blacklist (Season 8): Episode 1, November 13, 2020

NBC’s Chicago PD (Season 8): Episode 7, February 17, 2021

In last years’ season (2019-2020), we haven’t been keeping close track, but other recent examples include:

CBS’ SWAT (Season 3): E11 January 15, 2020; E21 May 20, 2020

In last years’ season (2019-2020), we haven’t been keeping close track, but other recent examples include:

CBS’ SWAT (Season 3): E11 January 15, 2020; E21 May 20, 2020

CBS’ FBI (Season 2): E12 January 14, 2020; Episode 18, March 24, 2020

Fox’s Deputy (Season 1): E1 January 2, 2020

FBI: Most Wanted (Season 1): Episode 4, January 28, 2020; Episode 6, February 18, 2020, Episode 9, March 24, 2020

Chicago PD (Season 7): Episode 10 January 8, 2020; Episode 16, March 4, 2020; Season 7, Episode 17, March 18, 2020; Episode 20, April 15 2020

Hawaii Five-O, Season 10, Episode 18, February 28, 2020; Episode 20, March 13, 2020; Episode 21, March 27, 2020

Magnum PI, Season 2, Episode 18, May 1, 2020

Blue Bloods, Season 10, Episode 19, May 1, 2020

The Blacklist, Season 7, Episode 18, May 8, 2020

Here is a list of shows from the 2018-19 television season that showed criminals using machine guns.

The Rookie (Season1): E2, E4, E9, E17, E20

Magnum PI (Season 1): E1, E15

Chicago P.D. (Season 6): E14

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