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aristarchus [soylentnews.org] writes:

At Business Insider at MSN [msn.com], widely reported scam, first covered by the The Washington Post [washingtonpost.com] (paywall encountered!).

Three pro-gun activist brothers are running several private Facebook groups meant to organize protests against coronavirus lockdowns.
The Washington Post first reported that the three brothers, named Ben Dorr, Christopher Dorr, and Aaron Dorr, were behind several state-specific Facebook pages. Business Insider confirmed that these men were listed as admins on the groups mentioned in the Post report.
The groups, which call for action against "excessive quarantine," have amassed tens of thousands of members in Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
According to The Post, the Dorr brothers also manage several gun-rights groups across a few states and have bypassed certain laws that would require them to register as lobbyists, arguing that they are grassroots organizations.
A Facebook representative told The Post that the groups were not removed because the activity was not illegal in the states where the groups were based.

Those are just the bullet points, which are strangely apropos!

According to The Post, the brothers also manage several gun-rights groups, including Minnesota Gun Rights, that seek to challenge firearm lobbying organizations like the National Rifle Association as too restrictive on gun laws.

The Post said Ben Dorr on Wednesday created the group Wisconsinites Against Excessive Quarantine, and by Sunday night it had amassed more than 99,000 members. Aaron Dorr created New Yorkers Against Excessive Quarantine, which had about 24,000 members by Sunday night, while Christopher Dorr created two groups: Pennsylvanians Against Excessive Quarantine, which had more than 65,000 members on Sunday evening, and Ohioans Against Excessive Quarantine, which had more than 14,000 members by Sunday evening.

Ben Dorr, along with members from the Wisconsinites Against Excessive Quarantine group, created an event for a drive-in rally in the state capital, Madison, next week, according to The Post.

The descriptions listed on some of the pages are similarly worded, further linking them together. Referring to Gov. Tony Evers, the Wisconsin Facebook group's about page says: "It's time to OPEN OUR STATE and STOP Gov. Evers' Excessive Quarantine! Politicians are on a power trip, controlling our lives, destroying our businesses, passing laws behind the cover of darkness and forcing us to hand over our freedoms and our livelihood!" The Pennsylvania group's about page is nearly identical, with Gov. Tom Wolf's name slotted in.

According to The Post, some of the groups peddle right-wing conspiracy theories, such as the idea that Evers imposed a lockdown on his state to "appease pharmaceutical giants." Some of the pages also link to websites of gun-rights groups.

"The brothers will do anything to fan the flames of a controversial issue, and maybe make a quick nickel," Republican Clel Baudler, a former Iowa state legislator, told The Post.

According to The Post, the Dorr brothers have bypassed certain laws that would require them to register as lobbyists, contending that the groups they operate are considered grassroots activism.

A Facebook representative told The Post that the groups were not removed because the activity was not illegal in the states where the groups were based.

Membership to the pages has been bolstered by President Donald Trump's tweets to "LIBERATE" states from coronavirus lockdowns, in particular Virginia, saying the state's Second Amendment was "under siege."

Trump was never one to turn down a good scam, from Trump Stakes to Universities.

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Original derivative article at Business Insider [businessinsider.com]
More on the Brothers, In Minnesota [mnscammersexposed.com]
And in Iowa, Facebook? [facebook.com]
PRO-GUN ACTIVISTS SPEARHEAD CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE PROTESTS THROUGH COORDINATED FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN GROUPS [newsweek.com] at Newsweek.
And at Al Dia News [aldianews.com]
And, PBS Newshour [pbs.org]

The idea seems to be, sacrifice the gun nuts, to get the economy going again, by tricking them into spreading the virus in large non-social-distanced groups. Ingenious!

Original Submission