On 16 September 2016, the disreputable web site Associated Media Coverage published an article reporting that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had announced the implementation of a new gun law that would prevent "open carry" in all 50 states:
Representatives from the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) have announced the implementation of a new federal gun law preventing the practice of ‘open carry’ in all 50-states.
The term open carry refers to the practice of openly carrying a firearm in public which differs from concealed carry, where firearms cannot be seen by the casual observer.
According to Carl Peterson, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the regulation was implemented in effort to create uniformity among states and increase public safety.
While Associated Media Coverage provided several links in their article, giving it an appearance of credibility, none of those links directed readers to sources containing additional information about this purported new law.
The article also claimed that that the ATF had worked with the Brady Campaign, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, EveryTown for Gun Safety, and Moms Demand Action in implementing this alleged law, yet none of those groups has made any announcements regarding it. (Not to mention that the ATF is tasked with enforcing laws, not making them; the latter privilege still rests with the federal legislative body known as Congress.)
Associated Media Coverage is a well-known purveyor of fake news, a site that has previously published false stories concerning a motorcycle curfew and a ban on religious content on Facebook. Although many readers may now be familiar with Associated Media Coverage's reputation, the site has recently started publishing articles under the banner for a fictitious newspaper called "The Boston Tribune":
While Associated Media Coverage may be changing their name to The Boston Tribune, their content is still nothing more than fake news.