DES MOINES - A family-run network of pro-gun groups, including Iowa Gun Owners, is behind five Facebook sites protesting shelter-in-place restrictions.
An NBC News analysis of Facebook groups shows four brothers, including Aaron Dorr of Iowa Gun Owners, have gathered more than 200,000 members collectively.
The network says the Dorr brothers are known in conservative circles for running pro-gun and anti-abortion rights Facebook groups that generate hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.
The Facebook groups have become digital hubs for misinformation voiced in recent protests at state capitols, including comparing COVID-19 to the flu.
The Dorrs' network of pages uses a method of data harvesting in their petitions against stay at home orders. They're gathering their members' information by asking for email and home addresses when the user signs a protest letter, which is typically addressed to state lawmakers or a governor.
NBC reports that some Republican lawmakers have called the Dorr brothers "scam artists."