A gun-control activist is accused of spray-painting his website’s address across the engraved names of 9/11 victims at Ground Zero, in a stunt his own group filmed and posted to push for new gun laws.
Story Highlights
- On the evening of Monday, October 26, a man sprayed red paint reading “juststopkillingkids.com” over dozens of victims’ names at the 9/11 Memorial’s North Pool, police said.
- Jonathan Andrew Tijerina, 31, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, making graffiti and possessing graffiti tools.
- His group posted video of the act and said he wants President Trump and Mayor Zohran Mamdani to back universal background checks and a national gun registry.
- Memorial officials say the names were restored right away. Leaders in both parties condemned the act.
What Police and Reports Say Happened at the Memorial
Police say Jonathan Andrew Tijerina, 31, used red spray paint to write “juststopkillingkids.com” across bronze panels that carry the names of people killed on September 11. The website is his gun-control campaign. The panels line the North Pool, one of the two reflecting pools that sit where the Twin Towers stood. Port Authority police, who patrol the World Trade Center site, arrested him. He is charged with criminal mischief, making graffiti and possessing graffiti tools. Damage was put at more than $2,500, according to reports.
A security officer saw him in the act, and he admitted it on the spot, according to the criminal complaint. His own group, called Just Stop Killing Kids, shared a video it recorded of him painting over the names. “On October 26, 2026, Jon Tijerina was arrested for spraying red paint on Freedom Tower in NYC,” the group posted. The group describes him as a “civil resistance” organizer, meaning someone who breaks the law on purpose as a form of protest, and says he has been arrested in several states.
JUST IN: Gun Control 'Activist' ARRESTED After Vandalizing NYC 9/11 Memorial https://t.co/y0Uo9Ddrau #9/11 #NewYorkCity #vandalism via @DailyNoahNews
— Chet (@ChetRusinek) October 29, 2026
The Political Message Behind the Graffiti
The group says Tijerina wants President Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to back universal background checks and a national gun registry. Universal background checks would require a check on every gun sale, including private sales between people. A gun registry is a government list of who owns which guns.
The 9/11 Memorial honors victims of terror attacks, not of gun crime. By choosing that spot, the stunt put the focus on the place instead of the policy. Most of the reaction has been about the names that were covered, and very little has been about the gun proposals.
Backlash From Leaders of Both Parties
Former New York Gov. George Pataki, who led the state on September 11, called it a “vile, disgraceful crime.” “These are the names of people who never came home,” he said. “Their families come here to mourn.” Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from upstate New York, said, “This heinous criminal must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Democrats spoke out too. “The 9/11 memorial is a sacred space,” said New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. “Any defacement of the memorial, no matter the reason or cause, is wholly unacceptable.” Councilman David Carr, the council’s Republican minority leader, said, “The First Amendment does not give a license for vandalism, and this brazen act should be roundly condemned in all corners.”
Why This Matters for Law, Order and Respect
The 9/11 Memorial honors 2,983 people killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks and the February 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center. A memorial spokesperson called it “a sacred place of reflection” and said the incident was “swiftly addressed by security staff and law enforcement” and that “the impacted area was immediately restored to its commemorative state.”
Americans can argue hard about gun laws. Free speech protects that debate, but it does not cover painting over the names of the dead. Families still come to those pools to find a name and touch it. Tijerina is accused, not convicted, and will face the charges in court.
Sources:
nydailynews.com, whmi.com, nbcnewyork.com, nypost.com, washingtonexaminer.com, townhall.com
