Ostensibly aiming to mock the safety provided by gun-free zones, Fox host Eric Bolling wound up doing just the opposite.

Bolling has been a vocal critic of gun-free zones, frequently promoting the right-wing misnomer that mass shooters target places like schools where guns are banned. According to Bolling's logic, gun-free zones are “easy targets for whackos,” so “it's time to take those gun-free zones signs down.” He's argued that mass shootings “would happen with far less frequency” if no such gun bans existed.

He seemingly attempted to make a similar point on the April 16 edition of The Five, after a panel discussion roundly criticized former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg for his pledge to donate $50 million to his new gun safety advocacy group. Bolling remarked, “Can I add one of those little sayings? You never hear about a mass shooting at a gun show.” 

Of course, loaded firearms are prohibited at nearly all gun shows, which essentially makes them gun-free zones. The reason? Safety. As Crossroads of the West Gun Shows explained: (emphasis added)

Q: Can I bring a gun to the show to sell or trade?

A: Yes, and many folks do. Please be sure the gun is unloaded before you enter the building, and take it to our gun check table at the show entry for verification. They will clear it and secure it with a nylon tie to disable the action. No loaded firearms and no loaded magazines are permitted in any Crossroads gun show. Your personal safety is our number one priority while you are at the show.

This prohibition on loaded weapons matches that of other gun shows around the country. In fact, in a recent analysis, Think Progress was unable to identify a single gun show that allowed patrons to carry loaded weapons on the premises, including those with concealed-carry permits.

When shootings do occasionally occur at gun shows, it's been because people don't follow these rules and bring in loaded weapons. As CNN reported in the case of an accidental shooting at a gun show last year, “The original owner of the Taurus semi-automatic 9 mm handgun used in the shooting brought the firearm into the show fully loaded. This is despite the policy of searches to make sure all guns are not loaded and rendered safe before others can handle them.”

Studies show that most mass shootings in recent years have occurred in places where guns were allowed, and experts say that gun-free zones do not encourage mass shootings. It seems Bolling has finally agreed, albeit inadvertently.