Man, 31, Charged After Spray-Painting 9/11 Memorial Pool With Gun Control Message

Bearing Arms writer Tom Knighton reports on a 31-year-old gun control activist charged with defacing the North Tower reflecting pool at the 9/11 Memorial in New York. Knighton calls the act disgusting and argues it will hurt the activist's own cause.

Key points

• The charges: Citing CBS News New York, Knighton reports the man was arrested on a Monday evening and charged with criminal mischief and making graffiti.
• The damage: Red spray paint spelled out the name of the man's website across the engraved names of dozens of victims at the site of the 2001 attack.
• The demands: A follow-up post from his organization said he was arrested on October 26, 2026, and was pressing President Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to put in place universal background checks and a national gun registry.
• The method: His website promoted "nonviolent civil resistance" as the way to change laws, and Knighton writes that the activist presented the arrest as a win.

Quick take

Knighton argues the stunt is more likely to push people on the fence away from gun control than win them over, and he rejects the idea that polling can override the Second Amendment. He writes that he would rather see the activist shunned by society than have the government hand out the punishment he believes is deserved.

Read the full story at Bearing Arms.