Oregon Sheriff Shared Sandy Hook Conspiracy Video

Man investigating school shooting may have thought another was a hoax
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 3, 2015 10:16 AM CDT
Oregon Sheriff Shared Sandy Hook Conspiracy Video
Sheriff John Hanlin, who is in charge of the Umpqua Community College shooting investigation, shared a video claiming the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a government conspiracy.   (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting two years ago, Sheriff John Hanlin—who is in charge of investigating Thursday's mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon—shared a conspiracy video that makes a number of outrageous claims about the massacre that left 20 children and six adults dead, CNN reports. Among those claims, according to the New York Times: the children were only "allegedly shot," their grieving parents were actually hired actors, and both the Sandy Hook shooting and the Sept. 11 attacks were staged by the government to push for stricter gun control. "This makes me wonder who we can trust anymore," Hanlin wrote on his Facebook page. "Watch, listen, and keep an open mind."

Hanlin is now distancing himself from the video. The Times reports he removed it from his Facebook page Friday. And he tells CNN, "That's not a conspiracy theory that I have." In addition to removing the Sandy Hook video, Hanlin deleted other anti-gun control posts—including a meme from the Tea Party comparing Obama to famous dictators, Gawker reports. Hanlin has been a notable opponent of gun control in the past. According to the Times, he sent a letter to Vice President Biden following the Sandy Hook shooting stating any attempts at further gun control would be an "insult" to Americans and he wouldn't permit his deputies or federal officers to enforce regulations passed by the Obama administration within his county. He tells CNN his position hasn't changed. (More Sandy Hook Elementary School stories.)

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