On the morning of March 19th, InfoWars pundit and victim of a swatting attempt, Owen Shroyer, was targeted at his Horry County, South Carolina, home. If you are not familiar, swatting is a form of criminal harassment in which an anonymous caller deceives law enforcement into believing that someone is a violent threat. After this call, a local law enforcement's SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team barges into an individual and/or their family's home as if they are a threat to everyone around them. This perilous precedent has caused an issue for many conservatives around the United States, including, most recently, Shroyer.
Since being unjustly charged by former President Joe Biden's Department of Justice for crimes he was not even associated with due to January 6th, Shroyer has been one of the most outspoken voices about the Left and the government, targeting MAGA conservatives as anyone in the country. Now, a little under a year and a half after he was released from prison, Shroyer is again in the crosshairs of a movement that is violently targeting conservative influencers all across the nation.
Shroyer, remaining patient and as calm as he could be after sticking his hands up with a gun being pointed at his face, was self-aware enough of his situation to, on video, plead to Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the rampant swatting situation against conservatives. In the most recent case, he seemed to lay out his situation detail by detail, on a video posted to X, explaining what happened, what needs to be done, and how the Left has to pay for the violence they have committed towards so many conservatives and their families due to these actions. His bravery in the face of such a terrifying situation is genuinely commendable.
Just recently, influencers such as X personality Catturd, reporter Nick Sortor's family, radio host Joe Pagliarulo, comedian Shawn Farash, InfoWars' Chase Geiser, and influencer Gunther Eagleman have all been targets of multiple attempts of swatting over the last few weeks, along with Shroyer. As Pagliarulo put it, there comes a point where this is not a funny joke or simply a threat towards conservatives but a deliberate attempt to allow a surprise swatting to lead to a shootout between police and an influencer based on pure reaction. Pagliarulo stated, "If I would have grabbed my AR-15 and walked out the front door, or my pistol and walked out the front door, I would have been dead in my doorway. Had I taken any other action, I might have been killed in my house that night. And you start to think maybe that's the tactic."
It is entirely understandable for conservatives, especially those in the public spotlight, to want to see action taken on this. Shroyer's colleague, the late great InfoWars reporter Jamie White, was recently shot dead outside of his apartment in Austin, Texas. With White's death and the swattings of both Geiser and Shroyer, it is evident that InfoWars itself has been made a primary target of this violent movement to conservatives, primarily due to their willingness to be unabashedly America First and unapologetic of what may happen to their role in media for speaking the truth.
Luckily, there are new sheriffs in town. New Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel and other law enforcement officials have stated that the crackdown on swatting as a prank will begin to cease, and action will be taken against anyone who commits it. Patel said, "This isn't about politics—weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers. That will not be tolerated. We are fully committed to working with local law enforcement to stop these crimes."
Unfortunately, 'Swatting' has been a horrid trend for some time now. The dangerous prank garnered popularity through the streaming service Twitch, in which fans watching specific live streams would make an anonymous call and have a streamer barged in by the police while still on video. Now, it is being used as a violent tool against conservatives.
It is long overdue, but Patel looks to work with Bondi and other DOJ officials to go after the leftists committing these crimes. It has taken voices like the ones targeted, such as Shroyer, to call out this behavior and demand retribution against the left and their tactics. The need for immediate and decisive action against these violent tactics is more pressing than ever, and it looks like some action will finally be taken.
Now that the Trump Administration is in power and voices like Shroyer are more prominent in the alternative media sphere than ever, leftists want to use actions like swatting to take out conservative voices that hold power.
However, swift action needs to be taken to eliminate any more of these events from happening and counter leftist tactics with the law and order that President Trump embodies. A new movement is in charge, and Trump and his government need to and will handle this problem once and for all.
