NBC correspondent Pete Williams mocked for his explanation of how shotguns work

NBC News correspondent Pete Williams was mocked on social media for his explanation of how shotguns work, the Daily Caller reported.

Williams made his statements during his analysis of the mass murder that killed five staff members after a gunman stormed the offices for the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.

What did he say?

Shotguns, Williams said, work like a “backwards funnel.”

If you’re not familiar with a shotgun, it sets out a spray of pellets and because a bullet simply goes in a straight line and shotgun is sort of like a backwards funnel, it spreads it out so that you don’t have to aim very precisely. It can do a lot of damage to the people that you aim it at, but you don’t fire a lot of rounds with a shotgun, so I think that has something to do with it.

And it was purchased legally and remember the conviction that he had was a misdemeanor. And under federal, and I believe Maryland law, you would only be disqualified from buying a firearm if you’d been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction. This did not fit that category and that's why he was able to buy the weapon legally.

What was the response?

NBC anchor Andrea Mitchell tweeted out Williams’ analysis, which prompted a round of insults on Twitter. Some users suggested people should not lecture others about guns if they are not familiar with how they work.

It’s questionable if Williams saw the comments, though.

The last Tweet on his account is dated April 16, when he wrote:

“I awaken from my long Twitter nap to preview Tuesday's Supreme Court case on Internet sales taxes.”

According to Williams’ Twitter page, he covers the U.S. Supreme Court, justice, and the Department of Homeland Security.