Fact Check

Did a Republican Lawmaker Accidentally Shoot His Wife While Taking Christmas Pic With AR-15s?

According to the rumor, the politician shot his wife in the foot while posing with guns for their annual family Christmas card photo.

Published Oct 23, 2023

 (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Image Via Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Claim:
In October 2023, a Republican lawmaker accidentally shot his wife in the foot while posing with AR-15s and pistols for their family Christmas card photo.

On Oct. 22, 2023, the account @HalfwayPost on X (formally Twitter) posted, "BREAKING: A Republican representative accidentally shot his wife in the foot while taking their annual Christmas card family photo where they all pose with AR-15s and pistols."

This was not a real event that happened.@HalfwayPost is an account that posts "halfway true comedy and satire," according to its X bio.

Had a lawmaker from any party or level of government shot their wife, that incident would have generated headlines by reputable news publications. That was not the case.

The satirical claim was possibly inspired by real family Christmas photos that seperately featured Reps. Lauren Boebert and Andy Ogles in 2021.

The X post about an alleged shooting by a politician wasn't the first @HalfwayPost item that we've covered. In August 2022, we alerted readers to the account's satirical claim that former U.S. President Donald Trump supposedly told his supporters to boycott the year's midterm elections. About one year later, we called attention to a @HalfwayPost post claiming that Disney World had supposedly annulled Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' marriage. (Yes, he really got married there.)

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Sources

“Https://Twitter.Com/Laurenboebert/Status/1468411381653323777?” X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1468411381653323777? Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.

LaMagdeleine, Izz Scott. “Did Disney World Annul Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Marriage?” Snopes, 7 Aug. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/disney-annul-desantis-marriage/.

---. “Yes, US Rep Whose District Covers Covenant School Took Christmas Photo of Family Holding Guns.” Snopes, 27 Mar. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/us-rep-chrismas-card-guns-nashville-shooting/.

Mikkelson, David. “Why We Include Humor and Satire in Snopes.Com.” Snopes, 15 Aug. 2019, https://www.snopes.com/notes/why-we-include-humor-and-satire-in-snopes-com/.

Izz Scott LaMagdeleine is a fact-checker for Snopes.