Episode 1831: Colion Noir | The Brogan Report

Introduction

Episode 1831, featuring gun rights advocate Colion Noir, aired just three weeks after the Uvalde school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers. While Noir is an attorney and Second Amendment advocate with a large following, this episode is problematic because it platformed misleading gun statistics and policy claims from someone with a documented history of spreading misinformation, during a critical moment when Americans were seeking factual information about gun violence prevention.

Why This Episode Is Problematic

Timing: Policy Advocacy During National Tragedy

The episode aired on June 14, 2022, less than a month after the May 24, 2022 Uvalde shooting—the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. During this period, when the public was grieving and seeking evidence-based solutions, Rogan chose to platform a gun rights advocate rather than public health researchers, criminologists, or gun violence prevention experts who study this issue academically.

According to NPR, the Uvalde shooting was the 27th school shooting in the United States in 2022 alone, and mass shootings had nearly tripled since 2013. This context makes the accuracy of gun policy claims especially critical.

Guest’s Documented History of Misinformation

False Claims About Universal Background Checks

PolitiFact fact-checked Colion Noir’s claim that “90% of Americans do not support universal background checks” and rated it False. The fact-check found that “the best available evidence is that support for universal background checks is at or near 90%“—the exact opposite of Noir’s claim.

PolitiFact noted that Noir’s post was “flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation” and that “neither his post nor an accompanying video provides evidence to back up his claim.” When Americans were asked in 2019 polls if they support universal background checks, support was consistently at or near 90%.

Source: PolitiFact: Universal background check support is near 90%

Media Watchdog Concerns

Media Matters for America has documented that Noir has promoted misinformation regarding gun policy and engaged in misogynistic rhetoric towards female journalists who report on gun violence.

Episode Content Concerns

Gun Statistics Without Expert Context

The episode featured Noir “breaking down gun crime statistics,” including claims about suicide rates comprising 63-65% of gun deaths. While suicide does account for a significant portion of gun deaths, discussing these statistics without public health expertise can mislead listeners about policy solutions.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health notes that gun policy discussions require careful context about how firearm access affects suicide completion rates—a nuance that a gun rights advocate may not provide. Research shows that while many suicide attempts are impulsive, firearms are far more lethal than other methods, making access to firearms a critical factor in suicide deaths.

Source: Johns Hopkins: Debunking Myths About Gun Violence

Arming Teachers Without Evidence Base

The episode discussed “allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons in certain situations” as a school safety measure. However, this proposal lacks evidence of effectiveness and contradicts recommendations from education and law enforcement experts.

The Uvalde shooting itself demonstrated that even with nearly 400 law enforcement officers responding (many armed with tactical gear), they waited over an hour to breach the classroom. This raises serious questions about whether arming teachers—who lack tactical training—would improve outcomes.

The Problem with Advocacy Instead of Expertise

Colion Noir’s credentials are as an attorney and gun rights advocate, not as a public health researcher, criminologist, or gun violence prevention expert. He works as a paid commentator promoting Second Amendment rights, which creates a clear conflict of interest when discussing gun policy.

Platforming advocacy instead of research-based expertise during a national conversation about preventing mass shootings potentially misleads listeners about the evidence base for various policy interventions.

What Credible Experts Say

Evidence-Based Gun Violence Prevention

After Uvalde, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in June 2022—the most significant federal gun reform legislation since 1994. This legislation was based on evidence from researchers and law enforcement, not gun rights advocates.

NPR compiled gun control statistics from credible research institutions showing:

States with stronger gun laws have lower rates of gun deaths
Universal background checks can reduce gun homicides
Extreme risk protection orders can prevent mass shootings and suicides

Source: NPR: 12 gun control statistics to help inform the debate

Child Gun Violence Prevention

NPR reported that the U.S. is uniquely terrible at protecting children from gun violence compared to other developed nations. Research shows that over 80% of mass shooters at K-12 schools stole guns from family members, highlighting the importance of safe storage laws.

Source: NPR: The U.S. is uniquely terrible at protecting children from gun violence

The Harm

This episode contributed to misinformation during a critical period when:

Families were grieving 21 deaths in Uvalde
The public was seeking evidence-based solutions
Congress was debating gun safety legislation
Support for gun violence prevention reached a decade-high

By platforming someone with a documented history of misrepresenting public opinion on gun policy, the episode potentially influenced millions of listeners with inaccurate information during a crucial policy debate.

Conclusion

While Colion Noir has legal training and a right to advocate for his views, this episode is problematic because it presented gun policy advocacy as expert analysis during a national tragedy. Rogan could have instead interviewed:

Public health researchers who study gun violence prevention
Criminologists who analyze mass shooting prevention
Trauma surgeons who treat gunshot victims
Education safety experts with evidence-based school security recommendations

The timing, the guest’s documented misinformation history, and the lack of public health expertise make this episode a clear example of how platforming advocacy over expertise can spread harmful misinformation during critical moments.