Funny way to hold a rifle
Looking at the supposed "capture" photo, it appears that the rifle is being held by the stock instead of the grip. There isn't a finger anywhere near the trigger, either.
As for your question, "If this pans out, where does this put the insurgency on the Desperation Scale?"
I think a better question would be, "If this pans out, what does this say about the gullibility of the Press?"