TX: San Antonio Road Rage Attack ends with Shooting Death of Attacker

After further investigation, police said that two men were involved in a road rage incident. At some point, the men pulled over on the northbound access road near U.S. Highway 281.

Authorities then said the man got out of his vehicle and began smashing multiple windows of the other car with a hammer. The window smashing prompted the other driver, a 25-year-old, to get out of his vehicle and fire a weapon at the 36-year-old man multiple times, SAPD said.

The 36-year-old was transported to the hospital in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead, police said Thursday afternoon.

 

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AZ: Lucindy Parkison Assults People at Residence in Bullhead City, is Shot, Killed

Last night (8/8/24) at about 7:50 p.m., Bullhead City Police were called to the 900 block of Seafair Drive where a woman had been shot. Lucindy Gale Parkison, 49 of Bullhead City, was found deceased at the residence.

The investigation revealed that Parkison had gone to this residence to confront the residents regarding ongoing issues. She was armed with a knife and started to advance and threaten the residents. Parkison pushed one female victim against a wall. The victim had a defensive cut on her hand from Parkison’s knife when she reportedly held it to the victim’s throat. A male resident grabbed a gun and demanded she leave their property. Parkison reportedly charged at the male with her knife and she was shot multiple times. The altercation occurred in the front yard of the residence.

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NV: Las Vegas Apartment Dweller Shoots man who Acted Erratically, Rushed into Apartment

Occupants of an upstairs apartment were watching him from a landing. The man approached them, according to police, and charged them, attempting to enter their apartment. The occupants were able to stop him from getting inside but saw a mother and her two children exiting an apartment across from them, investigators learned. The occupants attempted to warn the family when police said the suspect reappeared and rushed into the apartment, according to police. The occupant then shot the man, law enforcement officials said.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said there were no outstanding suspects in the incident and that the shooter was cooperating with investigators.

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GA: Crisp County, Armed Worker Shoots Man who Attempted Carjacking

Sheriff Billy Hancock said that the man stopped at a worksite near that location and tried to take a vehicle from there.

He added that the man attacked the workers and threatened to kill them unless they gave up the vehicle.

One of the workers, according to Hancock, shot the man in the stomach. Multiple first responders — including a helicopter — were involved in the response. 

The man was taken to a local hospital. His current condition, alongside his name, is unclear.

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TX: Sandjack Homeowner shoots Burglary Suspect

According to Sheriff Burby, the homeowner said the suspect, who he knew, broke into the house and took a cell phone and $60.00. He then shot the suspect who fled out of the house and dropped the phone and money outside.

Burby said deputies then went to the suspect’s house on County Road 4094 and found him inside suffering from a gunshot wound to his leg. He was transported by ambulance to St Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont.

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Wind and the President Trump Assassination Attempt

 

Satellite view of the assassination attempt location at Butler Farm Show in Pennsylvania, Google maps, with lines and text added by Dean Weingarten

There has been speculation about the effect of wind on the trajectory of the bullets fired at Presidential Candidate, former President, Donald Trump. According to media reports the would be assassin fired from a position North of Donald Trump, about 130 meters away.

Measurement on google maps put the distance at about 441 feet, 147 yards, or 134 meters.  This is close to the BBC estimate of 130 meters for the shot. The direction of the shot was from North to South at about 20 degrees East of North toward 20 degrees West of South.  Meridian Rd, on the right side of the image runs North/South.

Fortunately, there is a weather station in Butler, less than five miles away, almost due East. Station KPABUTLE38 recorded wind direction and speed on July 13, 2024. The assassination attempt happened about 6:12 P.M. Here are the wind speeds and directions recorded five miles away during that period:

Meteorological measurements taken about five miles East of Butler Farm Show on July 13, 2024.

The winds were mostly light and variable. Consider the directions shown for the winds from 5:59 P.M. to 6:29 P.M. The varied considerably, from SE, WSW, South, North, SSW, SW, and WSW.   WNW or ESE would be the closest cardinal directions to be direct cross winds to the line of fire. Because the wind was so variable, it is possible there was a direct cross wind, but the odds favor a wind about 45 degrees or less to the line of fire. Gusts were recorded of up to 8.9 mph.

A direct cross wind of 5 mph would result in a standard 5.56 round being moved by the wind about 1.15 inches cross to the line of fire at 150 yards.

An examination of flags flying near the Butler Farm venue, taken from video time stamped at the event, might give us a more accurate picture of the wind direction when the shot was fired. It seems unlikely wind was a strong contributor to the would be assassin missing the shots taken.

With wind as variable as it was that day, a wind effect can not be ruled out. It is possible a gust of wind from the WNW at about 9 mph could have occurred at the moment of the shot. Such a gust would have moved the bullet 2.06 inches to the left of the person firing the shot, or to the right of Donald Trump.  That could have been the difference between a wound to the ear or death for the former president and presidential candidate.

Combine a possible wind effect with the turning of Donald Trump's head, and the inherent variation in ammunition and rifles,  and the would be assassin could have held dead on, and still only scored an ear for their efforts if the variables combined to move the bullet to the right of Donald Trump as his head moved to the left. It is well known, in the hunting fields, that game can move, just as a shot is fired, resulting in a missed shot.

Variable wind, such as occurred on the day of the attempted assassination, can make precise shots difficult for expert shooters. On such a small scale, trees and buildings create eddies in the wind, further complicating the picture. When the wind can come from many directions, judging windage is mostly an educated guess.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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TX: Cypress, Armed Workers Drive off Robbery Suspects

Deputies said the men attempted to rob workers that were servicing an ATM machine and one of the workers possibly fired shots at the suspects.

The men reportedly fled the area. It is unknown if any of the bullets struck the suspects.

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PA: Armed Philadelphia Victim Shoots Robbery Suspect

Police told Action News a 35-year-old man approached a homeless man on the street and attempted to rob him with a BB gun.

That's when the homeless man reportedly pulled out his own gun and shot the suspect in the back.

He then fled the scene, according to police.

Officers say the would-be robber was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.

 

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MN: AG asks for En Banc Review in Carry Permit Case

Image of Keith Ellison, Minnesota AG,  from AFGE stop Fast Track rally in DC, 2015 

The Attorney General of the State of Minnesota, has filed a petition in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, asking for an en banc review of the three judge panel's opinion which struck down the Minnesota statute banning the carry of firearms in public by people over the age of 18 and less than the age of 21.

On July 16, 2024, a unanimous three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, confirmed the District Judge, Katherine M. Menendez, was correct when she struck down Minnesota's law banning people over the age of 18 and under the age of 21 from obtaining a Minnesota carry permit. The three judge panel affirmed such people were part of the "people" mentioned in the Second Amendment. They affirmed the State did not meet its burden of showing a historical analogy of sufficient magnitude exists where an age restriction such as Minnesota's ban on the exercise of rights protected by the Second Amendment, was part of the tradition and historical record at the time the Second Amendment was ratified. 

This was a strong and carefully worded opinion written by Judge Benton. The Attorney General of Minnesota could either accept the decision, ask for an en banc review by the entire Eighth Circuit, or appeal to the Supreme Court. The AG chose to ask for an en banc review.  From the Petition:

The common sense gun regulation at issue here is limited and temporary. Minnesota allows significant access to guns by young people. Minnesota does not restrict the possession or use of firearms by youths of any age when supervised by parents or guardians. Minn. Stat. § 624.713, subd. 1(1); Minn. Stat. § 97B.021. By age 14, teenagers may possess guns on their property or when hunting without parental supervision if they obtain a firearms safety certificate. Minn. Stat. § 97B.021. And by age 18, young people may possess a pistol or semiautomatic assault weapon in those same situations. Id.; Minn. Stat. § 624.713, subd. 1(1).

Mark Smith, in a well done youtube video explains that he believes the purpose of the petition is to delay the restoration of rights protected by the Second Amendment. 

Link to the youtube video.

In an article published on AmmoLand, this correspondent wrote that a petition for an en banc review would be unlikely to succeed. Mark Smith agrees. Give a minimal chance of success to obtain an en banc review, Mark believes the purpose is one of delay, as have been many of the court challenges of opinions upholding the rights protected by the Second Amendment in the Heller, McDonald, Caetano, and Bruen decisions. If the circuits which are defying the Supreme Court can delay long enough, they hope a Harris or future Democratic president or administration will be able to change the Supreme Court back to judges sympathetic to the Progressive ideology. Such judges would reverse the last 15 years of Second Amendment jurisprudence and write the Second Amendment into a legal non-entity, as they did from 1939 to 2008. 

Justice delayed is justice denied. Delay justice long enough, and it may result in the destruction of all restraints imposed on the government by the Constitution. Progressives hate restraints on governmental power, as a foundational part of their ideology. President Woodrow Wilson stated the concept when writing as a Progressive ideologist in 1887:

The germinal conceptions of democracy are as free from all thought of a limitation of the public authority as are the corresponding conceptions of socialism; the individual rights which the democracy of our own century has actually observed, were suggested to it by a political Philosophy radically individualistic, but not necessarily democratic. Democracy is bound by no principle of its own nature to say itself nay as to the exercise of any power.

Thus Woodrow Wilson dismissed the Bill of Rights and all limitations on government power inherent in the structure of the Constitution. Woodrow Wilson was one of the founders of the Progressive ideology. The Democratic Party of today has fully embraced Progressive ideology in this regard. 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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LA: New Orleans Man Stabs Woman who is in a Wheelchair. He is Shot, Killed.

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A man was killed and a woman was injured in an incident at the intersection of Elysian Fields Avenue and St. Claude Avenue Sunday afternoon (Aug. 4), according to NOPD

The incident occurred around 3:58 p.m. when officers responded to a call reporting an aggravated battery by cutting. Upon arrival, they found an adult female victim in a wheelchair with multiple stab wounds and an unresponsive adult male on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound.

EMS transported the woman to the hospital while the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say the deceased male reportedly attacked the woman unprovoked, repeatedly stabbing her. A security guard from a nearby business intervened, shooting the attacker once.

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New York: Brooklyn Corrections Officer Shoots Man who Stole his Cell Phone

Ryan Straker, 19, entered the 54-year-old correction officer’s home on Snediker Avenue, took his cell phone and ran, police officials told Gothamist.

The correction officer chased and caught up to Straker, who punched the officer in his face and elsewhere, police said. The correction officer then fired his weapon, NYPD officials said.

Police declined to name the officer, saying he was not under arrest and had acted in self defense.

The NYPD received a 911 call at 12:40 a.m. on Sunday and emergency responders found Straker with a gunshot wound in his abdomen, police said. He was transported to Brookdale Hospital and was listed in stable condition.

 

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WA: Spanaway Carjacking and Shooting

On Sunday August 4th, at 5:14 pm, our deputies responded to a shooting call at 17700 25th Ave E. A woman was shot several times after her and her friend were carjacked at gunpoint. Deputies arrived on scene and immediately administered first aid to the victim. Other deputies contacted another woman who was driving when the suspect shot her friend.

Deputies learned the two women went to meet a man to sell him marijuana. The suspect pistol whipped the driver, pushed her out and shot the backseat passenger twice. He fled in the stolen vehicle and the driver fired several shots at the suspect as he sped away. The shooting victim was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Detectives were called out to investigate.

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Fifth Circuit Rules against Texas on Silencer Case Standing

On June 21, a three judge panel of the Fifth Circuit issued a unanimous opinion against Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of the State of Texas and three individual plaintiffs. The ruling stopped the challenge to the National Firearms Act federal regulation of silencers, at least for the present.  The opinion was not about the merits of the case. It was based solely on the standing of the plaintiffs to sue. The case is Paxon v Dettelbach.  From the opinion:

First, the declarations do not state any intention to engage in conduct proscribed by law. Rather, the declarations state only that the Individual Plaintiffs “intend to personally manufacture a firearm suppressor for [their] own non-commercial, personal use.” But, as the federal government points out, the statutes at issue do not prohibit the Individual Plaintiffs from making a firearm suppressor. Rather, they only prohibit making a firearm suppressor without complying with the applicable procedures and requirements, i.e., applying for approval, paying the requisite tax, registering the suppressor, and labeling it with a serial number. See 26 U.S.C. § 5871. This is a distinction with an important difference because it differentiates this case from those in which the statutory scheme at issue is a blanket prohibition.

From the above, the plaintiffs might gain standing if they submitted Form 1 applications to the ATF and refused to pay the $200 tax, give pictures and images of proposed silencers to be produced, and made clear they were doing so under protest.

It is not clear if AG Paxton would be required to create another challenge based on such actions. AG Paxton could ask for a hearing en banc at the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

AG Paxton filed the lawsuit as required by Texas statute HB957. From HB957:

Sec. 2.054. ATTORNEY GENERAL. On written notification to the attorney general by a United States citizen who resides in this state of the citizen’s intent to manufacture a firearm suppressor to which Section 2.052 applies, the attorney general shall seek a declaratory judgment from a federal district court in this state that Section 2.052 is consistent with the United States Constitution.

AG Paxton has filed the lawsuit. The lawsuit has been denied for lack of standing. A federal court has not ruled on the merits of the case.  AG Paxton has fulfilled his legal obligation to file the case, although the case has not settled the issue the Texas legislature wished to have settled.

Analysis: This case is one of several attacks on the viability of keeping silencers/suppressors subject to National Firearms Act (NFA) regulation. Aside from the obvious Constitutional questions, such regulation does not make any sense. The regulation is counter productive and produces much more harm than any of the known benefits.  Actual, criminal use of silencers for violent purposes is extremely rare. The 1986 ban on silencer parts is based on a foundation of lies. There is a push to make obtaining legal silencers easier, either by reforming the NFA or by removing silencers from the NFA.

If former President Trump wins his third election for the presidency, and his coattails result in a conservative majority in the House and the Senate, it is likely  a version of the Hearing Protection Act will pass. Paul Ryan will not be Speaker of the house, willing to throw away his career in a weird effort to stop President Trump from succeeding, at any cost.

 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

NV: Las Vegas Neighbor Shoots Rampaging Truck Driver

After the employer was hit, Ana Tilley – who lives at the next property over – said she told her 27-year-old grandson to “grab my shotgun.”

“(My grandson was) hollering at him, ‘Stop! Stop!’ The guy wouldn’t stop,” Tilley said next to her property Friday morning. “I said, ‘Throw me the gun.’ No. He raised the gun, and I thought, ‘Oh my god! Oh my god!’”

As the driver charged towards him, security video obtained by 8 News Now shows Tilley’s grandson firing at least three shots through the windshield and driver’s side window to subdue the driver. The SUV then comes to a stop on the sidewalk and a front lawn. Tilley and others recount seeing injuries to the driver’s face.

 

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NM: Las Cruces Resident of Apartment Shoots, Kills man Attempting to Break in

Las Cruces Police Department said it is investigating the shooting death of a man they believed attempted to force his way into a Madrid Ave. apartment.

The shooting resulted in the death of a 44-year-old man, according to police.

Investigators said early stages of the investigation indicate the man was armed with a knife and tried to force his way into an apartment. A 24-year-old resident of the apartment, armed with a handgun, discharged at least one round that struck the man.

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FL:Bokeelia Pier, Armed Samaritan Shoots Driver of Vehicle who Threatened Families

The motivation of the truck’s driver to drive onto the pier were families were fishing also remains unexplained.

Latest information from LCSO:

Throughout the investigation detectives learned the decedent approached a person on scene and displayed a firearm. The decedent then returned to their vehicle and proceeded to drive the vehicle down the pier, which was occupied by bystanders. While driving down the pier, a Good Samaritan fired multiple rounds at the vehicle. The vehicle became stuck on a gate halfway down the pier.

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MN: Three Judge Panel in Eighth Circuit Restores Right to Arms for 18-20 year-old people

A three judge panel in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has unanimously struck down a Minnesota law which forbids the exercise of rights protected by the Second Amendment for people over 18 but less than 21 years old. The decision is a significant victory in the ongoing process of restoring rights protected by the Second Amendment. Multiple infringements have piled up over the last century.

The particular infringements on the right to bear arms in Minnesota started in 1975. In 1975, the Minnesota legislature passed a sweeping gun control law which forbid anyone from carrying handguns in most circumstances. There were exceptions for carrying on your own land or home, for carrying while hunting, and for those who could convince a law enforcement official to issue them a permit to carry. The 1975 statute generally forbid people who where under the age of 18 from possessing or carrying handguns.

In 2003, as part of the push to restore rights protected by the Second Amendment, Minnesota replaced the "may issue" part of the statute with a "shall issue" statute. Under the "shall issue" statute, a permit had to be issued unless the a specific, objective criteria was violated. One of those criteria was a requirement to be at least 21 years old.

This criteria is what was challenged in the Minnesota lawsuit in the Eighth Circuit. If the court would follow the clear guidance put forward in the Bruen decision, the case was simple. The Rahimi decision reinforced significant parts of the Bruen decision. The three judge panel made clear, unlike other circuits, the Eighth circuit was going to follow the law and the Constitution, and not defy the Supreme Court. From the opinion, p. 9:

Before Bruen, many circuits—but not this court—had “coalesced around a ‘two-step’ framework for analyzing Second Amendment challenges that combines history with means-end scrutiny.”

The three judge panel swept aside the "nearly frivolous" claims of the State of Minnesota to derail the case on standing, claims 18-20 year-old citizens were not part of "the people" and claims 18-20 year-old citizens were mentally deficient. Then it got to the heart of the matter: The State did not show that restricting 18-20 year-old citizens right to bear arms in public was part of the Nations historical tradition of regulation. Here is the summation, written by Benton, Circuit Judge:

Minnesota’s permit-to-carry statute, among its objective criteria, requires applicants to be at least 21 years old. Three gun rights organizations—the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc., and the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, through their members Kristin Worth, Austin Dye, Alex Anderson, and Joe Knudsen—challenge this age restriction for violating the Second and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The district court₂ granted summary judgment to the Plaintiffs, finding the Second Amendment’s plain text covered their conduct and that the Government did not meet its burden to demonstrate that restricting 18 to 20-year-olds’ right to bear handguns in public was consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Minnesota appeals. Having jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, this court affirms.

Of special interest, the unanimous three judge panel mentioned Justice Thomas' concurrence in McDonald, which uses the privileges and immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment for incorporation of the Second Amendment.

The opinion cites the Rahimi decision eight times; on pages 5 (facial challenge), 10 (government burden), 16 (irresponsible people), 18 (historical tradition), 20 (twice) (credible threat), and 21 (twice) (not broadly restrictive, temporarily disarmed).  The Rahimi decision was cited to strike down the age restriction.

The opinion bolstered the Supreme Court guidance that the tradition of regulation around the founding era is far more important than any statutes or regulation passed long after the founding, particularly during and after Reconstruction. The "in common use" doctrine was followed and reinforced.

Analysis:

The case presents a conundrum for those who desire the American public to be disarmed. The three judge panel was unanimous. It is unlikely the three judges would change their opinion during an en banc rehearing of the case.  The Eighth Circuit is composed of eleven judges. Three of those judges were on the panel deciding the case. Of the remaining eight judges, only three more would be necessary to uphold the decision of the three judge panel if an en banc rehearing is requested. The State of Minnesota could appeal to the Supreme Court, risking the affirmation of the decision nationwide. The third option is to do nothing and accept the ruling as applying to the entire Eighth Circuit, which includes North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota.

The Eighth Circuit opinion will probably result in a circuit split, which will give the Supreme Court another reason to take up a case involving the age issue.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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VA: Norfolk Man Shot after Entering Home

NPD responded to a call reporting a shooting in the 6600 block of Chesapeake Boulevard around 8:35 p.m. 

When officers arrived, they found Javon C. Williams, 24, shot in the arm.

After a preliminary investigation, NPD said they realized Williams was shot after entering the home.

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LA: Mandeville Homeowner Shoots man who Tresspassed and Attacked

Investigators with the STPSO said one homeowner came into contact with Smith outside the house near the garage to try to find out why Smith was on their property. Smith allegedly began attacking the homeowner, who then called for the second homeowner.

The second homeowner reportedly came outside and asked Smith to stop and release the first homeowner.

According to the STPSO, “After refusing the homeowner’s pleas for Smith to stop the attack and release his hold of the first homeowner, the second homeowner retreated, armed himself with a firearm and returned to the location of the attack, again pleading with Smith to stop.”

Smith then let go of the first homeowner and then allegedly began charging at the second homeowner. The second homeowner then reportedly shot Smith and called 911.

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GA: Savanah Victim Shoots man who Attacked Him

CCPD says officers were dispatched to the 2500 block of Oak Forest Drive around 10:00 p.m. on Monday. When officers arrived, witnesses told them that one adult male had come to the residence uninvited and began a verbal argument and ass

According to authorities, as the assault continued, witnesses said that the victim shot the man who attacked him.

CCPD says the suspect, 51-year-old Diego Holland, was charged with battery, burglary in the 1^st degree and two counts of cruelty to children in the 3^rd degree after detectives determined that he was the aggressor.

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CA: Oceanside Homeowner Shoots Intruder who Hit Him in Face with a Rock

Officers responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon found the man suffering from a gunshot wound inside the home, police spokesperson Heather Mitchell said.

Police said the intruder was carrying a 3-foot wooden stake and a rock when he entered an open slider door in a back bedroom. A woman was inside the room.

“The suspect threw a rock at a male resident of the home, striking him in the face,” Mitchell said in a statement. “The male resident retrieved a firearm and shot the suspect.”

 The homeowner, a 54-year-old man, fired his Glock handgun three times, striking the intruder in the chest, she said.

 Police and fire personnel tried to resuscitate the man, but he died before he could be taken to a hospital. The homeowner who fired the gun suffered injuries to his face and was treated at the scene, Mitchell said.

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AL: Court House Security Team Shoots 21-Year-Old Ty Austin Bell

Authorities believe the Jefferson County Court House Security Team approached Bell in the parking deck of the 2121 building, then followed him to an alley where an argument lead to a fight before the shooting.

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NC:Winston-Salem Domestic Defense, Woman Shoots Man

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Police are searching for a man after a shooting in Winston-Salem Saturday.

Winston-Salem police said they responded to Shaffner Park shortly before 12 p.m.

Officers said they determined a domestic violence incident occurred between Don Kalvin Scipio, 31, and a woman which escalated to the woman shooting  Scipio in the leg in reported self-defense.

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Bear Hunting/Defense Incident Tyce Ericson, Last week in May, 2024, Kodiak Island, 10mm

Tyce Erickson with bear and pistol, image courtesy Tyce Erickson

In the last week of May, 2024, Bowhunter Tyce Erickson used his 10mm S&W 2.0 handgun to defend against a large Kodiak brown bear. The 10mm handgun was loaded with Underwood ammunition utilizing 220 grain hardcast bullets. The hunt was on Kodiak Island in Alaska.

Tyce had wounded a large Kodiak bear in the last two days of the hunt, in a shot at a moving bear from 200 yards, with a borrowed rifle. The bear was tracked for two miles, when it decided to ambush the hunters. The guide was about 10 feet in front of Tyce, with a .375 magnum rifle. Tyce followed with his 10mm handgun. His hunting companion was out of sight, about 50 feet away in the dense alder thicket.

The following occurred in a few seconds:

The bear charged the guide from the front, appearing 20 feet away. The guide managed to get off one shot, which hit the bear in the chest/shoulder area, slowing the bear. The guide fired another shot as he backed away, tripping on the brush. The second shot missed as the guide fell backward, trapped in place by the tangled vegetation. The guide yelled for help. Tyce crawled forward to get a shot at the bear without shooting the guide. Alongside the guide, Tyce used the 10mm to fire three rapid shots at the bear, which was whirling around 12 feet away. The bear dropped, rolled downhill, and lay still.

In one account the guide yelled "Stop. Don't shoot the skull!"  The initial wound was to the bears hind leg, leaving the bear mobile. The guide's first shot might have proved fatal, eventually. Two of Tyce's three shots from the 10mm hit the bear in the neck and back, incapacitating it.

When the guide poked the bear to see if it was dead, it groaned. The guide delivered a coup de grace through the bear's chest, ending the bears pain.  Tyce details his adventure on backcountryhunting.libsyn.com podcast:

 Few men know whether they'll have the courage to stand their ground and fight an irate Kodiak brown bear—or whether their defense gun will be adequate.

Backcountry hunter Tyce Erickson knows the answer to both, having recently proven himself when a wounded bear his group was tracking attacked at close quarters in thick alder brush.

The coverage of this story shows how the narrative on handgun defense against bears, and bear spray, has changed in the last few years, as more data has been collected and analyzed. From cowboystatedaily.com:

The debate over whether bear spray or firearms are a better defense in grizzly country might never be settled, and among those choosing guns, squabbling over which preferred firearm is best is likewise never-ending.

Previously, the narrative was bear spray is "scientifically proven to be a more effective defense than firearms". Cowboy State Daily shows how evidence has affected media coverage:

Now he swears by the pistol and told Cowboy State Daily he’ll pack it in Wyoming if his hoped-for elk hunt here works out.

“I love that pistol. I just got it, and that trip to Alaska was the first hunt I took it on,” he said. “And I’m glad I had it.”

Similar sentiments were expressed to Cowboy State Daily by Lee Francis of Evanston, who tangled with a grizzly bear in the remote Gros Ventre range in October 2022.

The 10mm has become a popular handgun to carry as defense against bears. Light, with 8-15 rounds available, relatively easy to shoot compared to a .44 magnum, with power close to the .41 magnum, the round has shown itself to be adequate to stop bear attacks at short range. The 10mm cartridge, out of a pistol, has ballistics very close to the black powder .44-40 out of a rifle.

 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

PA: Attempted Robbery Gunfight, Victim and Suspect Wounded

Investigators believe two 16-year-old boys attempted to rob a 26-year-old man just before 9:15 p.m. on the 1200 block of N. 41st Street in the Parkside neighborhood. The victim pulled out a gun, and shots were exchanged, according to authorities.

The PPD said the man was licensed to carry the firearm. He was hospitalized in critical condition following the shooting with wounds to his chest and arm.

One of the teens, Ishmael White, was shot multiple times and taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was also in critical condition, authorities said.

 

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CA: Minor collision results in Deadly Gunfight

The incident, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, started as a hit-and-run on the 210 Freeway when the motorcyclist, now identified as Jonathan McConnell, split lanes and collided with the driver of a sedan, now identified as Aaron Harris.  

Investigators said that Harris, whose 2-year-old and 5-year-old were in the car with him, followed McConnell off the freeway and into the parking lot of Joy’s Bar and Lounge at 27141 Baseline Street in Highland.  

Authorities said that when McConnell stopped, he met with several people familiar to him in front of the bar.

“Harris stopped his vehicle and shouted threats at McConnell,” the release noted. “When McConnell approached the vehicle, Harris fired at McConnell and McConnell returned fire.”  

Both men were struck by gunfire. 

 

 

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TX: Houston Home Invasion, 1 Suspect Wounded in Gunfight

HPD patrol officers responded to a shooting call at an apartment complex at the above address and found one male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported the male, later identified as Pijeaux, to an area hospital in critical condition.

Officers learned multiple armed suspects with masks kicked in the door of an apartment and started shooting. Pijeaux, one of the suspects, was struck multiple times as shots were fired. The other suspects fled the scene.

Investigators consulted the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and Pijeaux was subsequently charged.

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Gun Free School Zone case in Texas Appealed to Fifth Circuit

A "Gun Free School Zone" case has been appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The appeal attacks the Gun Free School Zone Act (GFSZA) as being an unconstitutional infringement of rights protected by the Second Amendment.   An amicus brief has been filed by the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA), the Second Amendment Law Center, and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF).

From January 5  to 29, 2023, Ahmed Allam spent several hours in the afternoon and evening parked across the street from a parochial school, St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica School in Beaumont, Texas. Police were called nine times. On January 25, police warned Mr. Allam the plastic frame around his license plate was obscuring the state of registration, a violation.  On Sunday evening, January 29, 2023 Mr. Allam was parked across from the school from 4:00 P.M. to about 9:05 P.M., when he started to drive away from the school. An police officer followed him and pulled him over for failing to signal a turn. He refused to talk to police and was arrested for the license plate violation.

The car was searched. An AR-15 rifle, two 50 round boxes of ammunition, and a 30 round magazine were found.

A grand jury charged Mr. Allam with a single count of violating the Gun Free School Zone Act. Mr. Allam challenged the law on an "as applied" basis, claiming the GFSZA violated the Second Amendment. The district court judge, Marcia A. Crone, found the Gun Free School Zone Act was Constitutional. Mr. Allam plead guilty without a plea deal and was sentenced to 5 years in prison on January 30, 2024. Mr. Allam submitted a timely appeal to the United States Court of appeals for the Fifth Circuit on February 1, 2024.

On July 19, 2024, the amicus curae (friend of the court) brief was file for the CRPA, the Second Amendment Law Center, and the SAF.

In the Allam case, the Judge Crone relied on similar arguments put forward in the Montana GFSZA case in Billings. She made the claim buffer zones around polling places on election day were close enough to permanent 1,000 foot zones around schools as a reasonable analogy. As the defense and the Amicus brief explain, this analogy does not work to overcome the restraints of the Second Amendment. From the amicus brief:

Third, even if the exceedingly few 19th-century polling place buffer zone laws the district court cited were deemed sufficient in number to be valid historical analogues, they are not relevantly similar to the school zone restriction of §922(q)(2)(A) in terms of the burden they impose. The polling place buffer zones would only apply on election days, totaling no more than two-to-three days in a given year depending on how many federal, state, local, and primary elections occurred. By contrast, the school zone laws apply all day long, every day of the year, regardless of the presence of children or staff, including when school is not in session and the school year is over.

Analysis: The Montana Gun Free School Zone Act case has a sentencing hearing scheduled for August 2, 2024. The Montana case started on August 23, 2023, about seven months after Mr. Allam was arrested in Beaumont, Texas. A plea deal was agreed to. An appeal will not be filed until after the sentencing hearing. The Fifth Circuit, which serves Texas, is considered to be much more considerate of rights protected by the Second Amendment than is the Ninth Circuit, which has jurisdiction in the Billings, Montana case.  It is likely one or both of the appeals will find the GFSZA to be unconstitutional. Circuit Court appeals tend to take time. Book long briefs are filed in constitutional cases. Decisions and dissents are often over 100 pages long. It is likely the results of the appeal in the Texas case and the likely appeal in the Montana case will not be known before the end of 2024.

 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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Fl: Tampa Laundromat Altercation leads to Self Defense Shooting

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — One person is hospitalized after police said an older man shot the victim in self-defense at Ybor Coin Laundromat early Friday morning.

Just before 2 a.m. Tampa police responded to the 1800 block of North 34th Street after someone had been shot.

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AR: 4-Year-Old Wounded in Hand, 21-Year-Old man Arrested

Officers spoke to the parents of the girl, who stated they had dropped off their children with their primary babysitter and her boyfriend, identified as Barron, at the Ridgeway Street residence. When they arrived to pick up the children, Barron told the parents an accident had occurred.

Then they discovered their child had the gunshot wound and transported her to the hospital. They noted that their babysitter was not at the residence when they got there.

Detectives responded to the Ridgeway Street residence and the homeowner consented to a search of the house. Detectives allegedly found a wooden stock, .22-caliber Ruger 22 Charger pistol that was determined to have been reported stolen in Jonesboro in 2017.

Detectives spoke with Barron, who stated that his daughter and the victim were playing near the sofa inside the residence. His girlfriend had left the residence, leaving him alone with the children. He said he went to the bathroom and while in there he "heard a pop."

When he came out, he found the victim with her right hand on the end of the barrel of the gun and it appeared she had shot herself in the hand. The affidavit notes Barron was the only adult left in charge of the children in the residence at the time of the incident.

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AR: Domestic Defense, Charges Dropped Against Woman who shot Man

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Charges were dropped against a woman in Tupelo after a domestic shooting.

Tupelo police said the shooting happened Wednesday afternoon at Hillsdale Apartments.

Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to the arm. He was treated and released from the hospital.

 

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Wisconsin DNR agrees to Repeal Unconstitutional Gun Ban near Water

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty has secured repeal of the unconstitutional law banning possession of firearms near almost all waters in Wisconsin.

In 1999, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) created a rule banning the possession of firearms near the "waters, banks or shores that might be used for the purpose of fishing." The regulation was created with virtually no oversight, shortly after Wisconsin passed Section 25, Wisconsin's constitutional protection for the right to keep and bear arms. The regulation was seldom, if ever, enforced.

Because of a quirk in Wisconsin statutes, no one had to be arrested to challenge the regulation. Wisconsin statutes require a legal challenge to a regulation's legitimacy be filed before a person is arrested under the challenged rule. This seems an inversion of ordinary procedure for "standing" under the law. However, the Wisconsin statutory procedure is clear. In this case it facilitated the challenge to the unconstitutional regulation.

On June 6, 2024, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, (WILL) filed a lawsuit demanding the Court permanently enjoin enforcement of the the offending code, § NR 20.05(2). The Acting Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources had 45 days to respond to the summons created as part of the legal challenge. By this correspondent's count, the deadline was July 22, 2024.

On July 22, 2024, Acting Secretary Steven Little of the Wisconsin DNR agreed to repeal the regulation as soon as possible. Obviously, negotiations between the Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty had been ongoing behind the scenes.  From the stipulation and joint motion:

     IT IS HEREBY AGREED AND STIPULATED, by and between the parties, through their undersigned counsel, that:

    1. Acting Secretary Steven Little has notified the Plaintiff that he intends to repeal Wis. Admin. Code § NR 20.05(2)as soon as practicable and without delay.He hopes to successfully effect the repeal through the expedited repeal process. However, should that process fail for any reason, he commits to pursuing the repeal through the full, formal repeal process.

2. In exchange, Travis Kobs agrees to dismiss his complaint upon the completion of the repeal process set forth in paragraph 1. Mr. Kobs will notify this Court within two business days of the repeal and file a voluntary dismissal within five business days of the repeal.

From the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL):

WILL Associate Counsel, Skylar Croy, stated, “This action by the DNR properly restores the liberties provided by our Constitution to our client and thousands of Wisconsin fisherman. Mr. Kobs and the many law-abiding gun owners can once again exercise their constitutional right without fearing unlawful enforcement.”

WILL client, Travis Kobs, expressed, “Because of this effort, I can now lawfully protect myself by carrying a firearm while out on the water, fishing, boating, and camping. I am grateful for the work done by WILL and their team to bring this issue to the forefront.

Analysis:

Acting Director Steven Little could read the writing on the wall. The regulation was blatantly unconstitutional on its face. Almost certainly with the advice of counsel, he did the correct thing and agreed to repeal the regulation without engaging in a prolonged legal battle. It is unlikely the State of Wisconsin would have prevailed. The regulation had almost no political support.

This correspondent is surprised the far left administration of Wisconsin Governor Evers was able to overcome its institutional bias in favor of all restrictions on firearms and firearm ownership. It is likely law enforcement officials pointed out the offending regulation had no exemption for law enforcement to carry firearms near Wisconsin waters.

This sort of bloodless win does not go unnoticed by government officials. It serves as an example of how to avoid pointless and unnecessary legal battles. In the process, the restoration of rights protected by the Second Amendment becomes more and more mainstream.

 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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AR: Camden Officers Investigating Possible Self Defense Incident

Officers arrived to find a 25-year-old man walking toward them with his hands in the air. He told officers that a firearm was located on the trunk of his vehicle.

They found a 36-year-old man on the ground, who was unresponsive. He was taken to Ouachita County Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

The 25-year-old man claimed self-defense in the shooting. He told officers that the man who was shot had approached him aggressively with a hammer and a prybar.

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TX: Marble Falls Armed Customers Subdue Man who Threatened Staff with a Knife

Marble Falls Police Capt. James Cole told The Highlanderthat a man remains in jail after threatening staff and then succumbing to armed customers at a cell phone retail store in Marble Falls.The incident unfolded on July 23 at 1:53 p.m. at the Verizon Store, 2600 U.S. 281 North.According to Marble Falls police, Charlie Porter Jones, Jr. 80, of Kingsland, entered the store and allegedly started…

 

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WA: Lincoln Park Armed Samaritan Shoots Man who was Assaulting Woman

Police tell us at the scene this may be a case of self-defense. Preliminary information indicates that a bystander happened onto a man assaulting a woman, told him to stop, and then was assaulted, and that’s when the bystander, who was armed, fired a shot. The bystander is the person they’re questioning; they’re not looking for anyone else. The assault suspect is the man who was shot – according to a radio transmission, he will be arrested for investigation of domestic-violence assault.

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CA: Covelo Gunfight. Residents Subdue 2 Suspects

A short time later, the caller to Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch provided updated information that a U-Haul box truck had returned to the property on Shady Lane and the residents confronted two of the suspects in their driveway. Sheriff’s Office Dispatchers then heard what they believed to be firearms being discharged over the phone line and the resident reported there was an exchange of gunfire between the residents and the suspects. The residents physically subdued two of the suspects until law enforcement arrived, while several other suspects fled the area.

Law Enforcement personnel arrived and detained 34-year-old Gary Casdell Fite from San Francisco, CA and 28-year-old Marcel Jamarie Earl Patterson from Richmond, CA. Fite and Patterson both had significant injuries to their faces, heads, and extremities which were reportedly caused by the residents prior to law enforcement arrival at the scene.

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OK: Tulsa Homeowner Shoots Burglar

The homeowner said he and his wife woke up to noises coming from their back door. When he went to investigate, he was surprised to come across a burglar in his kitchen. The homeowner didn’t recognize the intruder and he did not have permission to be in the residence.

 

The homeowner fired his gun at the suspect who fled with stolen items from the home. The suspect ran into the backyard, but collapsed from injuries sustained when he was shot. The homeowners called 911 and waited for police to arrive.

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IL: Domestic Defense, Man Shoots, Kills Jimmie Jackson, who had Order of Protection

Arlington Heights police said Jimmie Jackson, 33, went into the home of a woman who had an order of protection against him—and once inside, he attacked a man. That man had a gun, and he shot and killed Jackson, police said.

The man who fired the shots and the woman were taken into custody for questioning after the shooting.

But the Cook County State's Attorney's office reviewed the case, and decide not to charge the gunman or anyone else.

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No Gun Problems at the RNC Convention in Milwaukee, 2024

 

At the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, former President Trump has been nominated to be elected president again. Senator J.D. Vance has been selected as the Vice President candidate. No one was shot or injured at the convention. There was heightened security because of the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump.

Far left Democrats, such as Milwaukee Alderman Bauman, wanted someone, anyone, to ban the possession of firearms near the convention, but ouside the security perimeter. The City of Milwaukee did not have the power to do it. The Secret Service did not have the power to do it. They could not revoke everyones rights, protected by the Second Amendment, because of the Second Amendment, Wisconsin's similar protection, Section 25, and Wisconsin state law, which prohibits local governments from infringing on the right to be armed. From abcnews.go:

Due to Wisconsin state law, people will be allowed to openly carry guns and can conceal-carry with a permit inside the so-called "soft perimeter," which surrounds the Secret Service patrolled inner "hard perimeter." City officials tell ABC News they are frustrated following Saturday's developments but don't expect a change.

 Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D), tried to convince the Secret Service to infringe on Second Amendment rights outside the security perimiter. He failed. From jslonline.com:

 Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has requested that the decision to allow firearms within the soft perimeter of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee be reconsidered "immediately" following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, a source with knowledge of the discussion shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Such is the nature of a constitutional republic. What the government is allowed to do is limited by the Constitution and law.

The RNC Convention in Milwaukee has ended. There was a minor incident, handled by police. A young black man, Donnell Tinsely, according to foxnews.com, was interviewed by police in the security zone outside the security perimeter. He was wearing a ski mask. In July. In Wisconsin. He was carrying a "tactical backpack". He is reported as giving permission by the police to search his person and backpack. The police found an AK47 style pistol and a loaded magazine. They arrested Tinsely on possession of a concealed weapon without a permit, as Tinsely did not have a Wisconsin permit or a permit from any other state.

If Tinsely had been openly carrying the AK47 style pistol, he could not have been charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Tinsely's motives are not clear. He appears to have been eligible for a Wisconsin concealed carry permit, but had not obtained one.

This is a misdemeanor charge in Wisconsin.  Tinsely was last reported as being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on a $500 bond.

Analysis:

In spite of the fearmongering by Alderman Bauman, Governor Evers, and others who continually look for excuses to infringe on rights protected by the Second Amendment, there were no political attacks with guns at the RNC.

Most of the problems predicted by those who want the American public disarmed are illusory, created as excuses to push a political agenda.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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WA: Omak Homeowner Assaulted, Shoots, Kills Intruder

The suspect had been seen tampering with the homeowner's vehicle and prowling on property.

The armed homeowner confronted the suspect, but the suspect attacked and knocked the man to the ground. 

After witnessing the assault, the homeowner's significant other approached the assault and fired a warning shot into the ground in an attempt to deter the incident.

The suspect continued with the assault prompting the significant other to make attempts at physically removing them from the fight. 

After a momentary pause in the fight due to the efforts of the witness the suspects reengaged in the assault. 

The homeowner then shot the suspect prompting him to leave and collapse in the street nearby.

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CO: Resident of Apt Returns at 1 a.m., Shoots, Kills Intruder

DENVER — Police said an intruder was shot and killed at an apartment near the University of Denver campus early Sunday morning.

Denver Police said the resident of the apartment inside One Observatory Park, a man, came home just before 1 a.m. and was startled by the intruder.

The resident shot the intruder, who died at the scene.

 

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Trump and Bump Stocks: Shrewd Stratedy or Fortuitous Improvisation?

On October 1, 2017, a mass murderer killed 58 people by firing at them from an elevated position in Las Vegas. Over 800 were injured. Stephen Paddock was found, an apparent suicide on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel. He had a reported 23 firearms, of which 12 had bump stocks installed. In the audio recordings of the event, the firing sound much like automatic weapons fire.

President Trump had been in office less than ten months. The calls for immediate legislation to ban bump stocks, the details of which included bans on virtually all semi-automatic firearms, were loud. Congressional resistance to the media onslaught existed, but were in the minority.  The NRA called for the ATF to study the situation, and remedy it with regulation if necessary. President Trump said he would consider regulation. From factcheck.org:

Several days after the shooting, Trump was asked if bump stocks should be banned, and he vowed his administration would “be looking into that over the next short period of time.”

The NRA seemed supportive of the idea. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and NRA political strategist Chris Cox issued a statement  saying, “The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semiautomatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.”

The New York Times, a reliably far left promoter of ever more restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms, published this on November 8, 2017:

But the proposed ban on bump stocks, once hailed as a modest step toward bipartisan compromise on gun safety, may be turning into a cautionary tale of how energetic intentions in the wake of mass shootings can dissipate quickly. As attentions moved elsewhere, the N.R.A. turned against action, and Republican lawmakers decided the devices would be someone else’s problem: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or A.T.F.

“Right now everyone’s in a holding pattern, because some people around here have hope that A.T.F. will bail us out,” said Representative Carlos Curbelo, Republican of Florida, who has co-sponsored a bipartisan measure to ban bump stocks.

Less than six weeks after the massacre, the wind was gone from the push for a comprehensive ban. 

About five months later, on February 18, 2018, a deranged former student from a Parkland, Florida High School, mass murdered 11 people and injured 13 more. He was able to do so because of numerous botched responses to his actions before and during the commission of the crimes.  More calls for gun bans were immediate in the media.

On February 20, 2018, President Trump ordered the bump stock ban via regulation.

Effectively, President Trump nullified two major pushes for laws restricting rights protected by the Second Amendment, with one call for regulatory change. 

The bump stock change was predicted to be immediately challenged in the courts.

On December 18, 2018, the ATF finalized the bump stock rule.

On December 19, 2018, Senator Dianne Feinstein complained:

But let’s not celebrate too quickly. Presidents can rescind regulations just as easily as they create them, and in this case, the bump stock ban will likely be tied up in court for years. Only hours after the Trump administration released its final regulation, Gun Owners of America announced it would file a lawsuit.

On April 22, 2019, this correspondent noted that challenging a regulation had a much greater chance of success than challenging legislation.

On Friday, June 14, 2024, the Supreme Court struck down the ATF Final Rule on bump stocks, ruling the ATF exceeded the authority given it by Congress.

Whether by design or fortuitous improvisation, the Trump administration delivered a defeat to two major attempts to pass restrictions on rights protected by the Second Amendment. Mark Smith, Constitutional attorney and contributor at AmmoLand believes it was by design. Mark Smith is joined by nbcnews.com:

Former President Donald Trump didn't really want to ban bump stocks. When he did, he knew the Supreme Court was likely to overturn his action.

In a 6-3 decision Friday, that's exactly what the justices did.

From further on in the nbcnews.com article:

Trump found a third option that lowered the temperature on the gun-control debate in the short term — robbing momentum from congressional efforts to ban bump stocks — and kicked the issue to a conservative-leaning Supreme Court.

The originalist and textualist Supreme Court did not exist when President Trump made the executive decision on bump stocks. Over the next several years, the political and judicial landscape changed significantly in favor of rights protected by the Second Amendment.

Justice Kavanaugh was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2018.

Justice Barrett was appointed by President Trump in 2020.

The Supreme Court was changed from a mixed "progressive" court in 2017 to an originalist/textualist court in 2020.

The seminal Supreme Court case of Bruen was decided in June of 2022, and the move to restore the separation of powers in the three branches of government, by reining in the administrative bureaucracies, was started in 2020 by curtailing the power of the EPA in West Virginia v EPA.

From 2017 to 2024, the private stock of firearms in the USA was increased from 418 to 508 million.

The NSSF says over 22 million people became new gun owners during that period.

Was the decision to use the ATF to ban bump stocks a strategic choice by the NRA and President Trump? Was it simply a fortuitous improvisation?

It is highly likely the bump stock final rule had significant, positive results in the restoration of rights protected by the Second Amendment.

Sometimes a strategic retreat is required to win the battle or win the war.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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KY: Cadiz Homeowner Shoots, Kills, Armed Intruder

KSP stated they learned of a deadly shooting on July 20, just after the midnight hour, at a home in Trigg County.

State police said a man went into a home on Linda Lane and was armed with a weapon. He was then suspected of forcing himself into a room before being shot by the homeowner.

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OK: McAlester , Native American man Shot in Probably Self Defense

Randy Sachs, a spokesperson for the Choctaw Nation, said the initial information and investigation shows a man was shot and killed outside the McAlester residence following a case of “probable self-defense.”

Sachs confirmed a man, who has been identified as Scotty Thurman, brandished a firearm during an altercation outside of the residence and was shot and killed by another man, who has not been identified by authorities.

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MO: St. Louis Robbery Suspect Shot by Victim

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Police say a 16-year-old was shot in the chest as he and three other suspects attempted an armed robbery early Saturday in Soulard.

Following the incident, the male juvenile was dropped off at an area hospital where he is listed in critical condition, according to St. Louis Metropolitan Police.

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Romania Minister after Another Tourist Killed: Relocation of Bears Does not Work

Mircea Fechet, Romanian Minister of The Environment, Water, and Forests, from Romanian Government press briefing, official release
 

On July 10, 2024, a 19 year old tourist woman and her boyfriend hiking in Romania, were attacked by a European brown bear. The couple was on the emergency phone line with authorities as the woman and man followed directions on how to handle a bear. The woman was attacked, dragged off, killed and, apparently, partially eaten. The bear attacked authorities attempting to recover the body, and was shot and killed.

The European brown bear in Romania is a sub-species to the worldwide population of brown bears. The species includes the North American Grizzly, the Japanese Ussuri brown bear, the Kodiak bear and the European brown bear in Russia. All are part of the same species, with the primary variation caused by the availability of food. Where food is plentiful, such as along salmon streams, the bears become very large. In mountainous regions, the bears tend to be smaller, with average mature boars at about 400-500 lbs.

In eastern Europe, there is a large population of grizzly/European/brown bears. Romanian has over 8,000 heavily protected bears. They have been increasing and causing increasing problems. The Romanian population is four times larger than the population of Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. The population in the lower 48 is concentrated around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Glacier National Park. From/aussiedlerbote.de:

Approximately 8000 brown bears live in the Carpathians of Romania - and they continue to attack hikers. In one of these attacks, a 19-year-old woman has died. The young tourist was dragged away by the wild animal in the south of Brasov, in the Bucegi-Massif, according to an eyewitness who placed a call after the incident. This was reported by the Romanian news agency Mediafax.

Less than an hour later on Tuesday evening, mountain rescuers and police recovered the woman's body. They reportedly shot and killed the bear, as it had allegedly attempted to attack the rescuers.

The Romanian government took quick action. From  ziarelive.ro:

The plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, convened in an extraordinary session, approved on Monday the draft law aimed at measures to manage the bear population.The bill was approved with 214 votes "in favour", seven votes "against", 23 abstentions.

Mircea Fechet, the Romanian Minister of the Environment, Water, and Forests, was able to pass a measure to cull 500 bears. This was the number Fechet had called for previously. The number had been negotiated down to 220 bears. He observed mere relocation of bears simply moves the problem bears to other jurisdictions. From romaniajournal.ro:

Mircea Fechet claims that relocating bears does not produce results. “Managed means either shot or euthanized. Because we found that the method of relocation that we keep applying does not give any kind of results. And I say this because, today, I talked to the manager of the hunting fund within whose radius this tragedy happened, who told me that in recent years he relocated to other counties, to other hunting funds, to other areas over 100 of bears, only from the respective hunting fund. This means that relocation does not work. Relocation only means that you move the problem from one county to another county, from one city to another city or to the hunting fund,” the Minister of the Environment said.

 From aljazeera.com:

Romania’s government has more than doubled the number of bears that park rangers can legally kill, approving the culling of almost 500 bears this year following a deadly attack on a hiker that caused a nationwide outcry.

The law adopted on Monday in an emergency meeting of parliament authorises the culling of 481 bears in a bid to control “overpopulation” in the protected species, a figure that is more than twice last year’s total of 220 bears culled.

Romania has adopted a practical approach to the culling of bears. If a bear needs to be harvested, hunting guides in the area are allowed to contract with a licensed private  hunter to hunt for the bear. Bear hunts cost as much as $15,000. The state is spared the expense of paying state employees to remove the bear. The local economy is enhanced, with guides being paid by hunters for the privilege of hunting the great bears, made more difficult by the necessity of taking a specific animal. Instead of costing the state resources, resources flow into the local area, giving incentives for locals to preserve bears as possible income instead of viewing them merely as destructive pests.

Romanians, as with most Europeans, are not allowed to carry handguns for protection. The Czech Republic and Estonia are exceptions, where the carry of handguns is allowed after considerable training and regulation.

 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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FL: Domestic Defense:? Homeowner Shoots, Kills Husband of Female Friend

TAYLOR COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) - One man is dead after breaking into a home on Osteen Road in Perry, according to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials said the homeowner woke up to the sound of glass breaking, as someone was forcing their way through the front door.

TCSO reported when the intruder came into the bedroom - where the homeowner and a female-friend were located - the homeowner grabbed his legally-owned gun and shot him.

That man was, later, identified as the female-friend’s husband, according to deputies. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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MS: New Africa Road Homeowner and Auto Burglary Suspect Exchange Fire

On July 20, 2024 at about 3:00 a.m., deputies responded to the 6900 block of New Africa Road to take a report of an auto burglary. Upon the Deputy's arrival, it was revealed the homeowner and suspect had exchanged gunfire. No injuries were reported.

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WA: Business Owner Shoots Intruder who Broke into Business at 2 a.m.

Police began investigating one incident around 2:05 a.m. Friday, responding to a reported burglary at a commercial building in the 4200 block of Rainier Avenue South. A 42-year-old man was shot after he broke into the business and was confronted by the armed 71-year-old owner, who allegedly shot the intruder in self-defense, the Seattle Police Department said in a blog post.

The man was shot in the hand and was found by police a few blocks away from the business. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition and was placed under arrest for investigation of burglary.

The business owner told detectives that the alleged burglar was armed with a blade. The gun used in the shooting was seized for evidence, as were the shears that the police believe were wielded by the 42-year-old suspect.

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TX: Domestic Defense in Lillian, Son Shoots Mother's Husband

Officials say a woman called 9-1-1 to report her son had shot her husband.

“During the initial investigation, detectives interviewed family members, witnesses and the juvenile suspect. It is believed the juvenile was protecting his mother from being further assaulted,” said the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

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GA: Armed Citizen holds Escaped Convict for Police

A few hours later, Steven Kirby, who lives in the same area as the 911 caller, when his Labradoodle named Odie began barking at someone outside the house.

Kirby got a gun and went outside where he saw Partin and ordered him to the ground. He held Partin at gunpoint while his wife called 911.

Deputies came and took Partin back into custody.

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IN: Indianapolis Homeowner Shoots Burglary Suspect

According to investigators, the injured man and another man were attempting to burglarize a residence in the 8700 block of West 21st Street. While attempting to burglarize the residence, the homeowner shot one of the suspects. The other suspect involved in the attempted burglary was taken into custody by police. The homeowner and a witness are cooperating with investigators.

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MI: Domestic Defense: Oakland County, "Red Flag" law fails, Armed Defense Worked

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A 67-year-old suspect was fatally shot after breaking into a residence to attack his ex-girlfriend in Orion Township Wednesday morning.

The suspect was fatally wounded by the ex-girlfriend's stepson inside the house, on Elkhorn Lake Road around 10 a.m. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.

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Bouchard said that it appears Gavitt got his ex-wife's weapon and took that to the Orion Township house to shoot his former live-in girlfriend. Gavitt's own two firearms had already been confiscated from the state's so-called Red Flag law by police in Tuscola County.

 

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OR: Domestic Defense? Portland Brother Shoots Brother in Self Defense

Portland police say an investigation showed that two brothers got into an argument when one of them shot the other in self-defense and will not be arrested.

 

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NE: Omaha Homeowner Shoots Man in Self Defense

The homeowner told KETV NewsWatch 7 Gomez was acting crazy. The homeowner said he was afraid and protected himself.

The Douglas County Attorney's Office said the investigation is ongoing but based on the current evidence, the homeowner will not be charged. The shooting is being classified as self-defense at this point in the investigation.

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MS: Tupelo Homeowner Drives off Home Invaders with Gunfire

The victim said he heard a loud sound from the back of the home and went to get his gun.

He saw a masked person in the house and fired his weapon.

He says 3 people ran from the rear of the home.

The masked suspect was wearing all black and appeared to have a gun. The second suspect was wearing a black shirt and black pants. The third suspect had on black pants and a grey shirt.

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NICS for June of 2024, Sixth Highest year for Gun Sales and NICS Checks

National Instant background Check System (NICS) numbers show firearm sales for June of 2024 were down five percent from 2023. They are still over 1 million for the month. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, this is the 59th month of over one million sales a month. If July sales are over a million, it will be five complete years of over a million firearm sales a month. May, June, and July are traditionally the lowest months for firearms sales during the year, although the pattern is not absolute. Specific events can increase firearms sales. This correspondent predicts the assassination attempt, which came so close to ending former president, and likely future president, Donald Trump's life, is such an event.

There may well likely be a bump up in firearm sales for July of 2024. To facilitate the bump, firearm prices are at historical lows, when corrected with constant dollars. AmmoLand recently published a special on Plumbcrazy complete lower receivers for the popular AR15 type firearms, at only $65.99 each. Add a Bear Creek Arsenal complete upper, chambered for .223, on sale for only $215.60, and you have an fully capable AR15 style rifle, sans sights or magazines, for under $300, including shipping, but not transfer fees or sales tax. A capable rifle for nearly all uses from hunting to home defense or militia duty, all for about a weeks pay at minimum wage. Perfectly serviceable personal defensive pistols are showing similar deals. Several 9mm models are available under $300. Solid .22 rifles can be had for $100 on sale, with .22 revolvers at about the same, and .22 semi-auto pistols at $200 - $300, on sale.

With low entry prices, and the political insecurity shown by the nearly successful political assassination attempt on presidential candidate Donald Trump, new entrants to the firearms market are expected. Calls for more restrictions on firearms sales and use are likely to push up sales.

Pistols continue to be the majority of fireams sales, with long guns (rifles and shotguns) about 57% the numbers of handguns sold. Multiple sales and sales of receivers which can be made into either handguns or long guns round out the sales numbers. Of the total sales, handguns are about 57%,  long guns are about  33%, multiple sales are estimated at 5%, and other at slightly less with about 4.5% of the total firearm sales. The half percent difference from 100% is due to rounding.

The slide in firearms sales has occurred from the historical records set in the presidential election year of 2020. As seen in the NSSF chart, while sales have fallen since 2020, they remain at highs previously only seen in the record breaking year of President Trump's election in 2016. There is probably some reluctance to purchase because of market saturation and because of limited disposable income created by the Biden administration induced monetary inflation.

If presidential candidate Donald Trump survives and is elected in 2024, it will take some time for stability to be re-established. The current ruling class sees their power as threatened. The far-Left/Woke forces will see their chance at a complete destruction of Western civilization at risk of failure.

In the event of a second Donald Trump presidency, this correspond expects riots in major centers of Democratic party power. Those riots may be far greater than were observed in 2020, when the left went all out with BLM legitimization of anti-white and anti-police rioting.

 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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