Gun Rights -- How Congress votes
Last Congress, the GOP attempted to pass a bill exempting gun manufacturers from civil liabilities in connection with the criminal use of handguns by persons to whom they eventually were distributed, in the chain of commerce. Democrats responded by attaching a renewal of the assault weapons ban to that bill, a procedural tactic which, ultimately, scuttled the greater, anti-product liability measures. And, germane to this discussion, the breakdown of the actual vote, on the amendment under which the assault weapons ban would have been extended, was as follows:
41 = Republicans against the extension of that firearms ban (80% of the then-current GOP caucus).
42 = Democrats in favor of banning �assault weapons� (86% of the then-current Democrat caucus, including Jeffords).
If you want fewer gun restrictions in this country, allowing modern-day Democrats to win major political offices simply will not advance that agenda.
(From Poli Pundit)
Arizona: Murder charge in shooting tossed out: "A judge today threw out the murder charge against a Valley man who shot to death a hiker during a confrontation over the hiker's dogs in southeastern Coconino County. Coconino County Superior Court Judge Mark Moran's ruling will give Harold Fish another chance before a grand jury if prosecutors choose to take the case back to the grand jury. Last summer, the grand jury indicted Fish, a retired teacher, on a count of second-degree murder in the May 11 killing of Grant Kuenzli, who was camped in the forest with his three dogs."
Gun control: Politics without reason: "We see that hoplophobes want government to be as well armed as possible, and private citizens to be as poorly armed as possible. I like to define gun control as the doctrine resting on the principle that humanity will be safe if the most effective murderer of the 20th century controls all weapons. Yes, governments kill people - lots of people as it turns out. Can antigun nuts really be ignorant of this fact? I think that most Americans with at least some high school education must know that the German government murdered its own subjects as recently as 1945, and anybody who watches or reads any news knows of recent government organized massacres in Kosovo and Iraq (obviously there have been many more murderous regimes, but these seem to have received the most press as of late)."
Gun banners shooting themselves in foot: "For the second time in two weeks, a criminal thug steals weapons from a cop and then goes on a shooting rampage. First there was Brian Nichols who, after stealing a gun from a deputy in an Atlanta court house, killed four people. Then, a 16-year-old teenager in Minnesota stole guns from his grandfather -- who was a cop -- and used one of the weapons to kill several students and adults at a Minnesota high school. Although the guns in question were stolen from the police in both cases, the gun control lobby still insists upon punishing law-abiding Americans -- even though gun control would have done nothing to keep guns out of the bad guys' hands."
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
GUN-FREE ZONES MAKE SCHOOLS UNSAFE
We at Utah Self-Defense Instructors' Network (US-DIN) are deeply saddened at the senseless loss of life that occurred last week at Red Lake High School in Minnesota. This situation, like other recent mass shootings, is frustrating to us in that we believe they are largely preventable. This is yet another shooting in another place ignorantly perceived as safe because of signs and policies that prohibit weapons. Yet these places take little, if any, affirmative action to ensure safety, let alone allowing for lawful self-defense. They pay lip service to security procedures and personnel and place "feel good" signs restricting weapons.
These "victim disarmament zones" are actually worse than doing nothing as they take the attention off the real problems. They further a sense of complacency with respect to security. Ignorantly we assume a sign stating "No Guns Allowed" will protect us.
I look forward to an enlivening and enlarging of the debate regarding firearms in schools. US-DIN has never been more committed to maintaining the ability for lawful concealed carry in Utah's schools and elsewhere. Utah, as one of few states that allow concealed carry in schools, is watched carefully as a "laboratory" of sorts for concealed carry in these environments. Concealed weapons have been allowed in schools since 1995 that has been recently re-enforced with legislation. We have also resisted efforts that would have mitigated lawful self-defense in schools and churches. Utah's and, for that matter, the nation's permit holders have proven they are safe and many times more law-abiding than the general public.
Such debate will certainly reveal the goal of the anti-self-defense groups which seek to promote their ideologically driven agenda by fear and untruths which fuel and perpetuate the public's misunderstanding of the facts. These groups had an ideal situation at Red Lake High School:
* No guns allowed per Minnesota and tribal law.
* A guard and metal detectors present at entrance.
* The shooter was on home study, barred from school grounds.
* He was too young to own, let alone possess, firearms, per state and tribal law.
* The firearms were not obtained from a gun show.
* The firearms were legally registered and came from the home of a law enforcement officer.
What additional laws would have prevented this? There are some commonalities among the recent shootings in Wisconsin, Georgia and Minnesota:
* They all occurred in gun-free zones; 95 percent of those shot were not allowed to carry a firearm.
* Police were "targeted" because their weapons were visibly a threat.
* Shooters were able to kill unimpeded, knowing that there would be no return fire.
Once again our adversaries would seek to legislate, put up signs and enact "rules against firearms." These rules are only effective against that segment of the population that is inclined to follow them and do not influence compliance by someone bent on violence. We know by sad experience that signs and rules do nothing to ensure safety. Rather they ensure that that person's bent on violence will not be inhibited by "return fire" from someone acting in lawful self-defense.
Indeed we cannot state for a certainty what would have happened had an employee at Red Lake High School been allowed to carry a concealed firearm. However, we can state with absolute certainty what did happen when lawful concealed carry was disallowed. We encourage legislators in the states that disallow guns in schools to allow more lawful self-defense rather than subject their constituents to increasingly unsafe environments.
More here
Reality intrudes: "The massacre at a Wisconsin church service 10 days ago left Corey Graff outraged. Outraged at the loss of life, of course. But furious, too, at state legislators who have refused to grant citizens the right to carry concealed handguns. Graff plans to push the issue again this spring. This time, the Wisconsin activist hopes that lawmakers will imagine themselves in that church service - cowering, crying, wishing they had a gun at hand to defend themselves. "Hopefully something positive can come out of the tragedy," Graff said. With dozens of gun-related bills working their way through state legislatures around the country, activists on both sides of the issue have come to regard a recent spate of high-profile shootings as a catalyst to advance their causes. Deadly shootings at courthouses in Atlanta and Tyler, Texas, the slaying of a judge's family in Chicago, a horrific weekend of violence in Philadelphia and the rampage at a church service in Brookfield, Wis., form an emotional backdrop to ongoing debates in a number of state capitols".
Background checks, watch lists don't work: "Should people lose rights because they are sympathetic to, but do not actually help, terrorist groups? Should law enforcement be the arbiter of those sympathizers who should be placed on 'watch lists?' ... despite all the fears generated, background checks simply aren't the solution. The Federal Brady Act has been in effect for 11 years and state background checks even longer. But despite all the academic research that has been done, a recent National Academy of Sciences report could not find any evidence -- not a single published academic study -- that background checks reduce any type of violent crime. Surely, it would be nice if these regulations worked. But it's hard to believe they will be any more successful stopping terrorists. Criminals and terrorists share a lot in common, starting with the fact that what they are doing is illegal."
Arkansas: Store owners shoot back at robbers, one killed: "Several suspects are still on the loose Tuesday night after police say they tried to rob two jewelry merchants in Little Rock Monday afternoon. Up to seven suspects were reportedly involved. Two are in custody, one was shot and killed, and three or four others are still on the loose. ... Police say the two men plus four or five others, tried to rob two jewelry merchants from Texas while at Cecil's Fine Jewelry in west Little Rock. ... A shootout began and the two merchants, who were also armed, shot back at the suspects. One suspect was hit in the shootout, dropped off near a local hospital, and later died."
We at Utah Self-Defense Instructors' Network (US-DIN) are deeply saddened at the senseless loss of life that occurred last week at Red Lake High School in Minnesota. This situation, like other recent mass shootings, is frustrating to us in that we believe they are largely preventable. This is yet another shooting in another place ignorantly perceived as safe because of signs and policies that prohibit weapons. Yet these places take little, if any, affirmative action to ensure safety, let alone allowing for lawful self-defense. They pay lip service to security procedures and personnel and place "feel good" signs restricting weapons.
These "victim disarmament zones" are actually worse than doing nothing as they take the attention off the real problems. They further a sense of complacency with respect to security. Ignorantly we assume a sign stating "No Guns Allowed" will protect us.
I look forward to an enlivening and enlarging of the debate regarding firearms in schools. US-DIN has never been more committed to maintaining the ability for lawful concealed carry in Utah's schools and elsewhere. Utah, as one of few states that allow concealed carry in schools, is watched carefully as a "laboratory" of sorts for concealed carry in these environments. Concealed weapons have been allowed in schools since 1995 that has been recently re-enforced with legislation. We have also resisted efforts that would have mitigated lawful self-defense in schools and churches. Utah's and, for that matter, the nation's permit holders have proven they are safe and many times more law-abiding than the general public.
Such debate will certainly reveal the goal of the anti-self-defense groups which seek to promote their ideologically driven agenda by fear and untruths which fuel and perpetuate the public's misunderstanding of the facts. These groups had an ideal situation at Red Lake High School:
* No guns allowed per Minnesota and tribal law.
* A guard and metal detectors present at entrance.
* The shooter was on home study, barred from school grounds.
* He was too young to own, let alone possess, firearms, per state and tribal law.
* The firearms were not obtained from a gun show.
* The firearms were legally registered and came from the home of a law enforcement officer.
What additional laws would have prevented this? There are some commonalities among the recent shootings in Wisconsin, Georgia and Minnesota:
* They all occurred in gun-free zones; 95 percent of those shot were not allowed to carry a firearm.
* Police were "targeted" because their weapons were visibly a threat.
* Shooters were able to kill unimpeded, knowing that there would be no return fire.
Once again our adversaries would seek to legislate, put up signs and enact "rules against firearms." These rules are only effective against that segment of the population that is inclined to follow them and do not influence compliance by someone bent on violence. We know by sad experience that signs and rules do nothing to ensure safety. Rather they ensure that that person's bent on violence will not be inhibited by "return fire" from someone acting in lawful self-defense.
Indeed we cannot state for a certainty what would have happened had an employee at Red Lake High School been allowed to carry a concealed firearm. However, we can state with absolute certainty what did happen when lawful concealed carry was disallowed. We encourage legislators in the states that disallow guns in schools to allow more lawful self-defense rather than subject their constituents to increasingly unsafe environments.
More here
Reality intrudes: "The massacre at a Wisconsin church service 10 days ago left Corey Graff outraged. Outraged at the loss of life, of course. But furious, too, at state legislators who have refused to grant citizens the right to carry concealed handguns. Graff plans to push the issue again this spring. This time, the Wisconsin activist hopes that lawmakers will imagine themselves in that church service - cowering, crying, wishing they had a gun at hand to defend themselves. "Hopefully something positive can come out of the tragedy," Graff said. With dozens of gun-related bills working their way through state legislatures around the country, activists on both sides of the issue have come to regard a recent spate of high-profile shootings as a catalyst to advance their causes. Deadly shootings at courthouses in Atlanta and Tyler, Texas, the slaying of a judge's family in Chicago, a horrific weekend of violence in Philadelphia and the rampage at a church service in Brookfield, Wis., form an emotional backdrop to ongoing debates in a number of state capitols".
Background checks, watch lists don't work: "Should people lose rights because they are sympathetic to, but do not actually help, terrorist groups? Should law enforcement be the arbiter of those sympathizers who should be placed on 'watch lists?' ... despite all the fears generated, background checks simply aren't the solution. The Federal Brady Act has been in effect for 11 years and state background checks even longer. But despite all the academic research that has been done, a recent National Academy of Sciences report could not find any evidence -- not a single published academic study -- that background checks reduce any type of violent crime. Surely, it would be nice if these regulations worked. But it's hard to believe they will be any more successful stopping terrorists. Criminals and terrorists share a lot in common, starting with the fact that what they are doing is illegal."
Arkansas: Store owners shoot back at robbers, one killed: "Several suspects are still on the loose Tuesday night after police say they tried to rob two jewelry merchants in Little Rock Monday afternoon. Up to seven suspects were reportedly involved. Two are in custody, one was shot and killed, and three or four others are still on the loose. ... Police say the two men plus four or five others, tried to rob two jewelry merchants from Texas while at Cecil's Fine Jewelry in west Little Rock. ... A shootout began and the two merchants, who were also armed, shot back at the suspects. One suspect was hit in the shootout, dropped off near a local hospital, and later died."
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
The myth of police protection: "Do you have the right to police protection? That's the question the US Supreme Court will be deciding in the case of Gonzalez vs Castle Rock. Frightened by her estranged husband Simon's erratic behavior, Jessica Gonzales took out a restraining order against him. When he kidnapped the couple's three children, she called the police multiple times begging for help, and even told them where the children were. ... [I]t wasn't until Simon showed up at the Castle Rock police station and began firing upon it that Castle Rock's finest responded. After killing Simon with return fire, police found the gunshot bodies of the couple's three children in Simon's truck, murdered by their own father. ... Events such as this do not prove the need for 'gun control' -- they prove the utter inability of the police to protect individuals from violent crime. Even Castle Rock's police chief Tony Lane said in a letter to 60 Minutes, '[Restraining orders] do not protect society from the Simon Gonzales of the world.'"
Gun ownership prompts evolution: "Imagine, you cross the mall and instead of a tent selling cell phone covers and long distance plans there is a representative from Smith & Wesson offering you a smoking deal on the newest and most powerful gun on the market. And if you act now he will throw in a new rubberized grip and matching silencer free of charge. This type of world (mandatory handguns) seems like the only possible direction left to take since current efforts to deal with handguns aren't having the desired effect. If everyone owned a handgun, all gun-related incidents would happen less often, not only because people would be more fearful of what piece any particular person was carrying but also because it would create a Darwinian mechanism in American culture."
Missouri: Clerk outguns would-be robber: "A gas station clerk fought back in an attempted robbery Tuesday morning. The attempted robbery happened at the Gas Mart in the 5700 block of West Florissant. Around 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, the suspect entered the store and demanded money from the clerk. The clerk pulled out a gun and fired several times at the suspect, who ran from the store."
Gun ownership prompts evolution: "Imagine, you cross the mall and instead of a tent selling cell phone covers and long distance plans there is a representative from Smith & Wesson offering you a smoking deal on the newest and most powerful gun on the market. And if you act now he will throw in a new rubberized grip and matching silencer free of charge. This type of world (mandatory handguns) seems like the only possible direction left to take since current efforts to deal with handguns aren't having the desired effect. If everyone owned a handgun, all gun-related incidents would happen less often, not only because people would be more fearful of what piece any particular person was carrying but also because it would create a Darwinian mechanism in American culture."
Missouri: Clerk outguns would-be robber: "A gas station clerk fought back in an attempted robbery Tuesday morning. The attempted robbery happened at the Gas Mart in the 5700 block of West Florissant. Around 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, the suspect entered the store and demanded money from the clerk. The clerk pulled out a gun and fired several times at the suspect, who ran from the store."
Monday, March 28, 2005
ARM THE TEACHERS
I thought no-one would ever say the obvious!
All options should be considered to prevent rampages like the Minnesota school shooting that took 10 lives -- including making guns available to teachers, a top National Rifle Association leader said Friday.
"I'm not saying that that means every teacher should have a gun or not, but what I am saying is we need to look at all the options at what will truly protect the students," the NRA's first vice president, Sandra S. Froman, told The Associated Press.
Gun-control restrictions would not have prevented Jeff Weise, 16, from killing nine people and himself Monday at Red Lake High School near Bemidji, Minn., said Froman, an attorney expected next month to be elected president of the NRA, which claims 4 million members.
The presence of an unarmed guard at the school failed to stop the siege, she noted.
"No gun law, no policy that you could implement now or that was already implemented, I think, could possibly prevent someone so intent on destruction," she said. "I think everything's on the table as far as looking at what we need to do to make our schools safe for our students."
Froman said if it is the responsibility of teachers to protect students in a school, "then we as a society, we as a community have to provide a way for the teachers to do that."
Froman cited the 1997 school shooting incident in Pearl, Miss., where a teacher retrieved a gun from his car when a student opened fire, then held the student at bay until police arrived.
A law prohibiting guns in schools "is not going to stop someone who has evil in their heart and who has the capacity to commit those crimes from doing them," Froman said.
Source
MAINE: HIGH GUN OWNERSHIP, LOW CRIME
Maine has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country, but when it comes to violent crime, those guns are seldom put to use. Figures published this week by the Muskie Institute show that guns were involved in 92 of the 1,067 murders, robberies and aggravated assaults recorded by the state in 2003. That means just 8.6 percent of violent crimes involved firearms in Maine, the lowest rate for any state in the country. Gun control opponents say Maine is a clear example that the availability of guns does not lead to more crime. "The problem isn't the firearm. The problem lies in the criminal element," said John Hohenwater, a state liaison with the National Rifle Association. "How do you stop criminals from being criminals?"
Gun control supporters say the statistics don't capture the type of gun violence more prevalent in Maine. "We have a very different version of gun violence than most of the larger states. We don't have drive-bys and drug wars among gangs," said William Harwood, a founder of Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence. If suicide and criminal threatening by abusive partners are included, the numbers are less encouraging, he said. "We lose 100 citizens every year in Maine to gun violence. That is very close to the national average of how many people die of gun violence across the country," he said.
In 2003, only North Dakota and Vermont recorded fewer than 92 violent crimes involving guns. Maine's 8.6 percent rate was one-third the national average and far below states like Mississippi and Georgia, where guns were used in 41 percent and 39 percent of violent crimes, according to numbers compiled by the Muskie Institute's Maine Statistical Analysis Center. U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby offered two possible factors contributing to the state's low rate of gun violence. "We don't have the density of population. As a result of that you don't have anonymity," she said......
More here
Oregon: Gun-toting store owner confronts burglar: "Robert Poage was relaxing at home Monday night when he heard an unusual sound coming from his adjacent convenience store. It was the clatter of coins hitting the floor. Poage went to investigate and found a burglar looting the cash register ... The burglar wore a ski mask and held a tire iron in one hand. He was stuffing money into his pockets. 'I opened the door and hollered at him,' Poage, 54, recounted Tuesday. 'He turned and ran.' Poage followed the burglar out the door and saw him climb into a green 1996 Pontiac Grand Am. Poage ordered him out, but the man started the engine. That's when Poage pulled out his .22-caliber handgun."
I thought no-one would ever say the obvious!
All options should be considered to prevent rampages like the Minnesota school shooting that took 10 lives -- including making guns available to teachers, a top National Rifle Association leader said Friday.
"I'm not saying that that means every teacher should have a gun or not, but what I am saying is we need to look at all the options at what will truly protect the students," the NRA's first vice president, Sandra S. Froman, told The Associated Press.
Gun-control restrictions would not have prevented Jeff Weise, 16, from killing nine people and himself Monday at Red Lake High School near Bemidji, Minn., said Froman, an attorney expected next month to be elected president of the NRA, which claims 4 million members.
The presence of an unarmed guard at the school failed to stop the siege, she noted.
"No gun law, no policy that you could implement now or that was already implemented, I think, could possibly prevent someone so intent on destruction," she said. "I think everything's on the table as far as looking at what we need to do to make our schools safe for our students."
Froman said if it is the responsibility of teachers to protect students in a school, "then we as a society, we as a community have to provide a way for the teachers to do that."
Froman cited the 1997 school shooting incident in Pearl, Miss., where a teacher retrieved a gun from his car when a student opened fire, then held the student at bay until police arrived.
A law prohibiting guns in schools "is not going to stop someone who has evil in their heart and who has the capacity to commit those crimes from doing them," Froman said.
Source
MAINE: HIGH GUN OWNERSHIP, LOW CRIME
Maine has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country, but when it comes to violent crime, those guns are seldom put to use. Figures published this week by the Muskie Institute show that guns were involved in 92 of the 1,067 murders, robberies and aggravated assaults recorded by the state in 2003. That means just 8.6 percent of violent crimes involved firearms in Maine, the lowest rate for any state in the country. Gun control opponents say Maine is a clear example that the availability of guns does not lead to more crime. "The problem isn't the firearm. The problem lies in the criminal element," said John Hohenwater, a state liaison with the National Rifle Association. "How do you stop criminals from being criminals?"
Gun control supporters say the statistics don't capture the type of gun violence more prevalent in Maine. "We have a very different version of gun violence than most of the larger states. We don't have drive-bys and drug wars among gangs," said William Harwood, a founder of Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence. If suicide and criminal threatening by abusive partners are included, the numbers are less encouraging, he said. "We lose 100 citizens every year in Maine to gun violence. That is very close to the national average of how many people die of gun violence across the country," he said.
In 2003, only North Dakota and Vermont recorded fewer than 92 violent crimes involving guns. Maine's 8.6 percent rate was one-third the national average and far below states like Mississippi and Georgia, where guns were used in 41 percent and 39 percent of violent crimes, according to numbers compiled by the Muskie Institute's Maine Statistical Analysis Center. U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby offered two possible factors contributing to the state's low rate of gun violence. "We don't have the density of population. As a result of that you don't have anonymity," she said......
More here
Oregon: Gun-toting store owner confronts burglar: "Robert Poage was relaxing at home Monday night when he heard an unusual sound coming from his adjacent convenience store. It was the clatter of coins hitting the floor. Poage went to investigate and found a burglar looting the cash register ... The burglar wore a ski mask and held a tire iron in one hand. He was stuffing money into his pockets. 'I opened the door and hollered at him,' Poage, 54, recounted Tuesday. 'He turned and ran.' Poage followed the burglar out the door and saw him climb into a green 1996 Pontiac Grand Am. Poage ordered him out, but the man started the engine. That's when Poage pulled out his .22-caliber handgun."
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Kentucky: Burglary suspect shot : "A Floyd County man was shot to death Tuesday night while attempting to burglarize a double-wide trailer in an Eastern Kentucky mobile-home lot, Kentucky State Police said. The victim, Ronald Dillon, 33, of Ivel broke into the trailer, where he was confronted by Mike Kurt, manager of Luv's Mobile Homes at Ivel, police said. Kurt, who was waiting inside the trailer at 10:08 p.m. -- he had been burglarized several times recently, investigators said -- shot Dillon twice in the chest with a 9-mm pistol, police said. Dillon, who lived next door in a mobile-home park, was pronounced dead at Highlands Regional Medical Center near Prestonsburg by Floyd County Coroner Roger Nelson. Police did not indicate whether Dillon was armed. No charges have been filed in the case, which is under investigation by state police."
Tennessee: Senate OKs guns in bars: "State senators have approved a bill that would allow people with a handgun carry permit to take their weapons into an establishment that sells alcohol if they do not consume alcohol. Similar bills have been proposed in the legislature in past years, but usually got stuck in the House. This year, the House has not moved the proposal yet, and Sen. Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville), who has sponsored similar bills in the past, said they were usually kept in the House Judiciary Committee, which did not seem to like the connection between guns and alcohol. However, bill sponsor Sen. Doug Jackson (D-Dickson) said the legislation has merit. 'We had no problem in the Senate, and the reason is the history of this bill; it's been proven in many other states it doesn't pose a danger to the public,' Jackson said, [noting that] 33 other states approved the law and did not have any problems."
Scotland: Executive to push for tighter gun laws: "Police objections will not be allowed to block political pressure for reform of firearms law to ban airguns or require licences for them, according to the Scottish Executive. Jack McConnell said yesterday he was pushing for a tightening of the law in talks with the Home Office, which has responsibility over firearms legislation throughout the UK. The first minister said he could not see a justification for owning an airgun unless it was for work or sport. ... Police in England and Scotland have indicated they are against a licensing scheme or ban, arguing instead that only licensed gun dealers should be allowed to sell the weapons."
Tennessee: Senate OKs guns in bars: "State senators have approved a bill that would allow people with a handgun carry permit to take their weapons into an establishment that sells alcohol if they do not consume alcohol. Similar bills have been proposed in the legislature in past years, but usually got stuck in the House. This year, the House has not moved the proposal yet, and Sen. Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville), who has sponsored similar bills in the past, said they were usually kept in the House Judiciary Committee, which did not seem to like the connection between guns and alcohol. However, bill sponsor Sen. Doug Jackson (D-Dickson) said the legislation has merit. 'We had no problem in the Senate, and the reason is the history of this bill; it's been proven in many other states it doesn't pose a danger to the public,' Jackson said, [noting that] 33 other states approved the law and did not have any problems."
Scotland: Executive to push for tighter gun laws: "Police objections will not be allowed to block political pressure for reform of firearms law to ban airguns or require licences for them, according to the Scottish Executive. Jack McConnell said yesterday he was pushing for a tightening of the law in talks with the Home Office, which has responsibility over firearms legislation throughout the UK. The first minister said he could not see a justification for owning an airgun unless it was for work or sport. ... Police in England and Scotland have indicated they are against a licensing scheme or ban, arguing instead that only licensed gun dealers should be allowed to sell the weapons."
Saturday, March 26, 2005
"SHOOT FIRST" LAW IN FLORIDA
The Florida state Legislature is considering a "shoot first, ask questions later" law. The potential Florida law would extend people's right to defend themselves not only in their homes but on their porches, in the street or in the car without fear of being charged criminally or civilly.
Trial lawyers say it is bad law, but victims say it would help to stop criminals not only in people's homes but on the streets. "I think it is absolutely horrible," defense lawyer Andy Haggard said. "To pass a law like this is vigilante law. It is going to cause chaos."
Five years after he was shot during an invasion of his home, Edmond Cody, who uses a wheelchair, said the law is necessary. "I'd be for it. I am a living example (of) the reason it has to be passed," Cody said.
Two versions of the "shoot now, ask questions later" law are winding their way through the state Legislature. Florida law now allows people to defend their homes from within. Haggard said the new bills would take these rights much further. "That young guy that is dating my ex-wife, I go to his office. I will agitate him. I will provoke him and he is going to do something and I am going to shoot him. That's self-defense, and you won't be charged civilly or criminally," Haggard said.
But, Edmond Cody said he sees the bill differently. His son, Derrick, shot two home invaders and killed one of them while Edmond Cody lay bleeding in the front yard. Edmond Cody calls Derrick his hero.
Source
A Philosopher Derives Gun Rights from the Right to Life:
I take the view that some rights are logically antecedent to anything of a conventional nature such as a group decision or a constitution. Thus the right to life is not conferred by any constitution, but recognized and protected by well-crafted ones. If so, whether we have the right to life, or any natural right, cannot depend on the interpretation of any document. Therefore, with respect to the question of gun rights, the interpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, albeit important, is logically secondary. The logically prior question is whether there are natural gun rights that need constitutional codification, recognition, and protection.
Here is a stab at an argument for natural gun rights.
(1) Every human person possesses a right to life. (2) If a human person has a right to life, then he has a right to defend his life against those who would seek to violate it. (3) If a human person has a right to defend his life, then he has a right to an effective means of defending his life. (4) A handgun is an effective means of defending one's life, and indeed, in some circumstances, the only effective means. Therefore, (5) human persons have a right to possess handguns.
It is easy to see that the conclusion follows from the premises. But are the premises true?
Surely (1) is uncontroversial. Note that this argument does not assume that every human being is a human person. Saddam Hussein is a human being, but it is arguable that by the commission of his crimes he forfeited his personhood, and with it his right to life. Some will hold that human fetuses are not persons, and so have no right to life. I believe they are wrong, but the above argument does not rest on the assumption that they are.
To see that (2) is true, consider what happens if you negate it. The negation of (2) is: (~2) Human persons have a right to life, but they do not have the right to defend their lives. The absurdity of this is self-evident. How can I have a right to life if it is morally impermissible for me to defend my life? My having a right to life does not entail any moral obligation on my part to defend my life, but it surely entails the moral permissibility of self-defense. For if I have a right to life, then others have an obligation not to harm me. This obligation of theirs entitles me to meet a deadly threat with force sufficient to thwart the attack up to and including killing the assailant. We appear to be at moral rock-bottom here. I say (2) is self-evident. Reject it, and there is probably no point in further discussion.
The negation of (3) also strikes me as absurd: "You have a right to defend yourself, but no right to the possession of any effective means of so doing." To will the end is to will the means. So, to will one's defense is to will the means to one's defense. Therefore, if it is morally permissible to will one's defense, then it is morally permissible to will the means to one's defense. I grant that qualifications may be needed. Arguably, felons ought not have the right to purchase firearms. A felon either forfeits his right to self-defense, or has that right overridden by the community's right to be safe from his predation.
(4) is obviously true pending some obvious qualifications that I left out for the sake of brevity, the soul of wit. A handgun is an effective means of self defense, but not in all circumstances, only if the defender is properly trained in the use of firearms, etc.
The conclusion follows from the premises, and the premises are defensible. So I say the individual qua individual (as opposed to the individual qua member of some collective such as a police force or military unit) has an individual right to posses firearms for the purpose of defending his own life. The existence of such an individual right does not entail that it is unlimited. Thus if I have a right to firepower sufficient to my self-defense, it does not follow that I have a right to firepower sufficent to lay waste to a city.
More here
Dear Mr. Mayor: "Dear Mr. Mayor ... You wondered aloud last week why Philadelphians feel a need to carry guns -- legal guns, using a city-issued 'carry permit.' 'For what?' you asked. 'Why are they carrying? They're not hunters.' No, Mr. Mayor, but some of us feel like the hunted. Following a single weekend that rang up 11 homicides you asked, 'For what?' The reason some of us want to carry legal guns is because some neighborhoods are swarming with criminals packing illegal guns. We carry guns for self-defense because police can't protect us from a homicidal maniac on the street or a rapist breaking in through a bedroom window. Police respond only after a crime's reported, mostly arriving in time to draw a chalk outline around the body."
The Florida state Legislature is considering a "shoot first, ask questions later" law. The potential Florida law would extend people's right to defend themselves not only in their homes but on their porches, in the street or in the car without fear of being charged criminally or civilly.
Trial lawyers say it is bad law, but victims say it would help to stop criminals not only in people's homes but on the streets. "I think it is absolutely horrible," defense lawyer Andy Haggard said. "To pass a law like this is vigilante law. It is going to cause chaos."
Five years after he was shot during an invasion of his home, Edmond Cody, who uses a wheelchair, said the law is necessary. "I'd be for it. I am a living example (of) the reason it has to be passed," Cody said.
Two versions of the "shoot now, ask questions later" law are winding their way through the state Legislature. Florida law now allows people to defend their homes from within. Haggard said the new bills would take these rights much further. "That young guy that is dating my ex-wife, I go to his office. I will agitate him. I will provoke him and he is going to do something and I am going to shoot him. That's self-defense, and you won't be charged civilly or criminally," Haggard said.
But, Edmond Cody said he sees the bill differently. His son, Derrick, shot two home invaders and killed one of them while Edmond Cody lay bleeding in the front yard. Edmond Cody calls Derrick his hero.
Source
A Philosopher Derives Gun Rights from the Right to Life:
I take the view that some rights are logically antecedent to anything of a conventional nature such as a group decision or a constitution. Thus the right to life is not conferred by any constitution, but recognized and protected by well-crafted ones. If so, whether we have the right to life, or any natural right, cannot depend on the interpretation of any document. Therefore, with respect to the question of gun rights, the interpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, albeit important, is logically secondary. The logically prior question is whether there are natural gun rights that need constitutional codification, recognition, and protection.
Here is a stab at an argument for natural gun rights.
(1) Every human person possesses a right to life. (2) If a human person has a right to life, then he has a right to defend his life against those who would seek to violate it. (3) If a human person has a right to defend his life, then he has a right to an effective means of defending his life. (4) A handgun is an effective means of defending one's life, and indeed, in some circumstances, the only effective means. Therefore, (5) human persons have a right to possess handguns.
It is easy to see that the conclusion follows from the premises. But are the premises true?
Surely (1) is uncontroversial. Note that this argument does not assume that every human being is a human person. Saddam Hussein is a human being, but it is arguable that by the commission of his crimes he forfeited his personhood, and with it his right to life. Some will hold that human fetuses are not persons, and so have no right to life. I believe they are wrong, but the above argument does not rest on the assumption that they are.
To see that (2) is true, consider what happens if you negate it. The negation of (2) is: (~2) Human persons have a right to life, but they do not have the right to defend their lives. The absurdity of this is self-evident. How can I have a right to life if it is morally impermissible for me to defend my life? My having a right to life does not entail any moral obligation on my part to defend my life, but it surely entails the moral permissibility of self-defense. For if I have a right to life, then others have an obligation not to harm me. This obligation of theirs entitles me to meet a deadly threat with force sufficient to thwart the attack up to and including killing the assailant. We appear to be at moral rock-bottom here. I say (2) is self-evident. Reject it, and there is probably no point in further discussion.
The negation of (3) also strikes me as absurd: "You have a right to defend yourself, but no right to the possession of any effective means of so doing." To will the end is to will the means. So, to will one's defense is to will the means to one's defense. Therefore, if it is morally permissible to will one's defense, then it is morally permissible to will the means to one's defense. I grant that qualifications may be needed. Arguably, felons ought not have the right to purchase firearms. A felon either forfeits his right to self-defense, or has that right overridden by the community's right to be safe from his predation.
(4) is obviously true pending some obvious qualifications that I left out for the sake of brevity, the soul of wit. A handgun is an effective means of self defense, but not in all circumstances, only if the defender is properly trained in the use of firearms, etc.
The conclusion follows from the premises, and the premises are defensible. So I say the individual qua individual (as opposed to the individual qua member of some collective such as a police force or military unit) has an individual right to posses firearms for the purpose of defending his own life. The existence of such an individual right does not entail that it is unlimited. Thus if I have a right to firepower sufficient to my self-defense, it does not follow that I have a right to firepower sufficent to lay waste to a city.
More here
Dear Mr. Mayor: "Dear Mr. Mayor ... You wondered aloud last week why Philadelphians feel a need to carry guns -- legal guns, using a city-issued 'carry permit.' 'For what?' you asked. 'Why are they carrying? They're not hunters.' No, Mr. Mayor, but some of us feel like the hunted. Following a single weekend that rang up 11 homicides you asked, 'For what?' The reason some of us want to carry legal guns is because some neighborhoods are swarming with criminals packing illegal guns. We carry guns for self-defense because police can't protect us from a homicidal maniac on the street or a rapist breaking in through a bedroom window. Police respond only after a crime's reported, mostly arriving in time to draw a chalk outline around the body."
Friday, March 25, 2005
LESSONS FROM THE RECENT SHOOTINGS
The last ten days have seen three horrific multiple-victim public shootings: the Atlanta courthouse attack that left four murdered; the Wisconsin church shooting, where seven were murdered, and Monday's high-school shooting in Minnesota, where nine were murdered. What can be learned from these attacks? Some take the attacks as confirmation that guns should be completely banned from even courthouses, let alone schools and churches.
All three attacks took place in areas where gun possession by those who did the attack as well as civilians generally was already banned - so-called "gun-free safe zones." Suppose you or your family are being stalked by a criminal who intends on harming you. Would you feel safer putting a sign in front of your home saying "This Home is a Gun-Free Zone"? It is pretty obvious why we don't put these signs up. As with many other gun laws, law-abiding citizens, not would-be criminals, would obey the sign. Instead of creating a safe zone for victims, it leaves victims defenseless and creates a safe zone for those intent on causing harm.
A three-year prison term for violating a gun-free zone represents a real penalty for a law-abiding citizen. Adding three years to a criminal's sentence when he is probably already going to face multiple death penalties or life sentences for a murderous rampage is probably not going to be the penalty that stops the criminal from committing his crime.
Many Americans have learned this lesson the hard way. In 1985, just eight states had the most liberal right-to-carry laws - laws that automatically grant permits once applicants pass a criminal background check, pay their fees and, when required, complete a training class. Today the total is 37 states. Bill Landes and I have examined all the multiple-victim public shootings with two or more victims in the United States from 1977 to 1999 and found that when states passed right-to-carry laws, these attacks fell by 60 percent. Deaths and injuries from multiple-victim public shootings fell on average by 78 percent. No other gun-control law had any beneficial effect. Indeed, right-to-carry laws were the only policy that consistently reduced these attacks.
Unfortunately, the restrictive concealed-handgun law now in effect in Minnesota bans concealed handguns around schools and Wisconsin is one of four states that completely ban concealed handguns, let alone not allowing them in churches. (There was a guard at the Minnesota school and he was apparently the first person killed, but he was also apparently unarmed.) While permitted concealed handguns by civilians are banned in Georgia courthouses, it is not clear that the benefit is anywhere near as large as other places simply because you usually have armed law enforcement nearby. One possibility is to encourage prosecutors and others to carry concealed guns around courthouses.
People's reaction to the horrific events displayed on TV such as the Minnesota attack are understandable, but the more than two million times each year that Americans use guns defensively are never discussed - even though this is five times as often as the 450,000 times that guns are used to commit crimes over the last couple of years. Seldom do cases make the news where public shootings are stopped or mothers use guns to prevent their children from being kidnapped. Few would know that a quarter of the public-school shootings were stopped by citizens with guns before uniformed police could arrive.
More here
Arm the guards!: "Reality is that there are, and always will be, a very few dangerous people, and high schools may be one of the more likely places to find them. Many of us were at our wildest and moodiest in high school ... super-sensitive about everything, emotions continually on edge, feeling estranged from the world, driven with energy and hormones. It is the stuff of many movies, and of stories we may, much later, tell our own children. Why then should we be surprised that violence occurs in school? More importantly, why have we allowed our schools to go unprotected against the occasional, rare outburst? It is a disgusting case of simply not facing reality because we want to avoid the unpleasant truth.... Being unarmed, security guard Derrick Brun, only 28, became the first helpless victim. It's possible that Jeff Weise wouldn't even have gone to the school armed if he knew the security people were capable of serious self-defense. Guns are not the villains here. Red Lake police officers arrived during the rampage and exchanged gunfire with Weise in the hallway. Weise then retreated to a classroom. Guns eventually ended the terrible episode... guns used by the police, firing inside the school. It could have, and should have, ended far sooner... when Weiss was confronted by two security guards near the front do"
Gun not to blame in school shooting: "When a shooting does occur at school, you can count on the media to lend a helping-hand to their anti-gun buddies in congress by isolating the gun as the cause of the crime. The media wants you to view the blood, suffering, and loss and come to the conclusion that the crime never would have occured if the child did not have a gun. What the media blatantly fails to recognize, however, is that teenagers used to bring guns to school on a regular basis at a time when school shootings did not exist."
The last ten days have seen three horrific multiple-victim public shootings: the Atlanta courthouse attack that left four murdered; the Wisconsin church shooting, where seven were murdered, and Monday's high-school shooting in Minnesota, where nine were murdered. What can be learned from these attacks? Some take the attacks as confirmation that guns should be completely banned from even courthouses, let alone schools and churches.
All three attacks took place in areas where gun possession by those who did the attack as well as civilians generally was already banned - so-called "gun-free safe zones." Suppose you or your family are being stalked by a criminal who intends on harming you. Would you feel safer putting a sign in front of your home saying "This Home is a Gun-Free Zone"? It is pretty obvious why we don't put these signs up. As with many other gun laws, law-abiding citizens, not would-be criminals, would obey the sign. Instead of creating a safe zone for victims, it leaves victims defenseless and creates a safe zone for those intent on causing harm.
A three-year prison term for violating a gun-free zone represents a real penalty for a law-abiding citizen. Adding three years to a criminal's sentence when he is probably already going to face multiple death penalties or life sentences for a murderous rampage is probably not going to be the penalty that stops the criminal from committing his crime.
Many Americans have learned this lesson the hard way. In 1985, just eight states had the most liberal right-to-carry laws - laws that automatically grant permits once applicants pass a criminal background check, pay their fees and, when required, complete a training class. Today the total is 37 states. Bill Landes and I have examined all the multiple-victim public shootings with two or more victims in the United States from 1977 to 1999 and found that when states passed right-to-carry laws, these attacks fell by 60 percent. Deaths and injuries from multiple-victim public shootings fell on average by 78 percent. No other gun-control law had any beneficial effect. Indeed, right-to-carry laws were the only policy that consistently reduced these attacks.
Unfortunately, the restrictive concealed-handgun law now in effect in Minnesota bans concealed handguns around schools and Wisconsin is one of four states that completely ban concealed handguns, let alone not allowing them in churches. (There was a guard at the Minnesota school and he was apparently the first person killed, but he was also apparently unarmed.) While permitted concealed handguns by civilians are banned in Georgia courthouses, it is not clear that the benefit is anywhere near as large as other places simply because you usually have armed law enforcement nearby. One possibility is to encourage prosecutors and others to carry concealed guns around courthouses.
People's reaction to the horrific events displayed on TV such as the Minnesota attack are understandable, but the more than two million times each year that Americans use guns defensively are never discussed - even though this is five times as often as the 450,000 times that guns are used to commit crimes over the last couple of years. Seldom do cases make the news where public shootings are stopped or mothers use guns to prevent their children from being kidnapped. Few would know that a quarter of the public-school shootings were stopped by citizens with guns before uniformed police could arrive.
More here
Arm the guards!: "Reality is that there are, and always will be, a very few dangerous people, and high schools may be one of the more likely places to find them. Many of us were at our wildest and moodiest in high school ... super-sensitive about everything, emotions continually on edge, feeling estranged from the world, driven with energy and hormones. It is the stuff of many movies, and of stories we may, much later, tell our own children. Why then should we be surprised that violence occurs in school? More importantly, why have we allowed our schools to go unprotected against the occasional, rare outburst? It is a disgusting case of simply not facing reality because we want to avoid the unpleasant truth.... Being unarmed, security guard Derrick Brun, only 28, became the first helpless victim. It's possible that Jeff Weise wouldn't even have gone to the school armed if he knew the security people were capable of serious self-defense. Guns are not the villains here. Red Lake police officers arrived during the rampage and exchanged gunfire with Weise in the hallway. Weise then retreated to a classroom. Guns eventually ended the terrible episode... guns used by the police, firing inside the school. It could have, and should have, ended far sooner... when Weiss was confronted by two security guards near the front do"
Gun not to blame in school shooting: "When a shooting does occur at school, you can count on the media to lend a helping-hand to their anti-gun buddies in congress by isolating the gun as the cause of the crime. The media wants you to view the blood, suffering, and loss and come to the conclusion that the crime never would have occured if the child did not have a gun. What the media blatantly fails to recognize, however, is that teenagers used to bring guns to school on a regular basis at a time when school shootings did not exist."
Thursday, March 24, 2005
ANOTHER "SUCCESS" FOR GUN-CONTROL LAWS
Two terrible tragedies were played out for us last week. On Saturday, March 12, seven people were murdered during a church service. In their rush to be part of the feeding frenzy��there were over 1,400 articles indexed by Google four days after the event��the press did its usual firearms coverage, recounting �22 bullets within a minute� to raise the specter of a proliferation of rapid-fire assault weapons. They also eulogized the shooter as �quiet and devout,� who grew vegetables and �couldn�t kill a chipmunk,� helping to procreate the myth that normal, well-adjusted people become homicidal maniacs when they hold a gun.
Wisconsin is not a shall-issue state, meaning that private citizens are rarely allowed to carry concealed firearms. No articles mentioned this, nor did they mention the resulting fact that the shooter committed a felony in this premeditated murder, by carrying a loaded, concealed handgun. With no other recourse due to state law, church members� only defense was to call out for the shooter to stop.....
States rated �A� by the Brady Campaign, meaning those states with the most gun control and no right-to-carry laws, have an average violent crime rate that is 12.5% higher than shall-issue states. The Brady Campaign neglected to include Washington, D.C. in their report card. Our nation�s capitol, with the most draconian gun control in the country and a Brady �A� candidate, has a violent crime rate over four times that of right-to-carry states.
Contrast this with the shooting in Tyler, Texas, where a legally-armed citizen intervened and stopped a mass murder from occurring. Why did the media not take the Wisconsin government to task for purposefully disarming its citizens and setting the stage for tragedy?
More here
Pennsylvania: Court overturns courthouse carry ruling: "A state court has overturned a previous ruling that would have allowed people to carry guns into courthouses. The overturned decision, by Warren County Judge Robert Wolfe, said a Jefferson County ordinance allowing metal detectors to be placed in the courthouse doorway to conduct weapons searches conflicted with state law. That's because state law already says 'no county [may] regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms.' The ruling suggested that guns still could not be carried into the courtroom judge's chambers, and 'adjoining corridors,' but could be legally carried into, say, the tax assessor's office."
Texas: Concerned neighbor defends himself after attack: "The fatal shooting happened on the falls' northside. Wichita Falls police say around 5:30 this morning they went to check out a call on a shooting at the 2700 block of Byrne Place. When they got there, they found 39 year old Robert Polk dead on the street. Investigators say witnesses saw Polk trying to kick down the door of a house on Byrne Place. A neighbor saw the incident and went to check on the person living in the house. Police say Polk confronted the neighbor. He was carrying a silver revolver. Officers say Polk hit the neighbor in the chest with the gun. The neighbor who had a gun himself shot Polk."
Two terrible tragedies were played out for us last week. On Saturday, March 12, seven people were murdered during a church service. In their rush to be part of the feeding frenzy��there were over 1,400 articles indexed by Google four days after the event��the press did its usual firearms coverage, recounting �22 bullets within a minute� to raise the specter of a proliferation of rapid-fire assault weapons. They also eulogized the shooter as �quiet and devout,� who grew vegetables and �couldn�t kill a chipmunk,� helping to procreate the myth that normal, well-adjusted people become homicidal maniacs when they hold a gun.
Wisconsin is not a shall-issue state, meaning that private citizens are rarely allowed to carry concealed firearms. No articles mentioned this, nor did they mention the resulting fact that the shooter committed a felony in this premeditated murder, by carrying a loaded, concealed handgun. With no other recourse due to state law, church members� only defense was to call out for the shooter to stop.....
States rated �A� by the Brady Campaign, meaning those states with the most gun control and no right-to-carry laws, have an average violent crime rate that is 12.5% higher than shall-issue states. The Brady Campaign neglected to include Washington, D.C. in their report card. Our nation�s capitol, with the most draconian gun control in the country and a Brady �A� candidate, has a violent crime rate over four times that of right-to-carry states.
Contrast this with the shooting in Tyler, Texas, where a legally-armed citizen intervened and stopped a mass murder from occurring. Why did the media not take the Wisconsin government to task for purposefully disarming its citizens and setting the stage for tragedy?
More here
Pennsylvania: Court overturns courthouse carry ruling: "A state court has overturned a previous ruling that would have allowed people to carry guns into courthouses. The overturned decision, by Warren County Judge Robert Wolfe, said a Jefferson County ordinance allowing metal detectors to be placed in the courthouse doorway to conduct weapons searches conflicted with state law. That's because state law already says 'no county [may] regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms.' The ruling suggested that guns still could not be carried into the courtroom judge's chambers, and 'adjoining corridors,' but could be legally carried into, say, the tax assessor's office."
Texas: Concerned neighbor defends himself after attack: "The fatal shooting happened on the falls' northside. Wichita Falls police say around 5:30 this morning they went to check out a call on a shooting at the 2700 block of Byrne Place. When they got there, they found 39 year old Robert Polk dead on the street. Investigators say witnesses saw Polk trying to kick down the door of a house on Byrne Place. A neighbor saw the incident and went to check on the person living in the house. Police say Polk confronted the neighbor. He was carrying a silver revolver. Officers say Polk hit the neighbor in the chest with the gun. The neighbor who had a gun himself shot Polk."
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
MICHIGAN: GUN CHURCH!
Packing heat and praising Jesus are cornerstones of an unusual local church where hundreds worship every Sunday by singing, dancing and screaming out messages delivered, they say, by the Lord. But when Calvary Christian Church members raise their hands to heaven, Bibles aren't the only thing under their Sunday blazers.
Pastor Mark Byers urges the congregation to get concealed weapons permits and carry firearms to church. The pastor also urges his flock to hit the firing range so their shooting skills are up to snuff, and he admits that he permits senior staff at the church's day care and elementary school to carry guns - which police say is illegal. "I believe 100 percent in the Second Amendment," Byers said in his spacious Troy home on Thursday. "I think it is a great privilege to be entrusted with the right to bear arms. I encourage anyone who will listen to get a CCW (concealed weapons permit)."
Royal Oak police investigated what some say is a dangerous situation led by an egotistical minister who follows his own rules. Byers is accused of destroying a family, alienating staff and sending people fleeing to other congregations. The pastor defends himself as an upright man of God and says he needs armed protection from local crime. Byers also has a fiery message and pushes ultra-conservative values in a world where guns stop violence, traditional families are revered, and Jesus speaks to the faithful. "If you cannot get behind the vision of the leader ... you are in the wrong church," the pastor's son, David Byers, said from the pulpit last Sunday.....
Royal Oak police looked into the gun policy at Calvary after complaints that Mark Byers carries a gun under his jacket while he preaches, as do church elders and many in the congregation. Former members said they got a letter after they were established in the church that invited them to carry weapons during services to help with "security". The letter warns not to cause "unnecessary alarm" by talking about the weapons.... Guns are forbidden in most local churches, but the law says a weapon is legal in church with permission from the presiding official. At Calvary, the pastor is the official.
This ministry came to Royal Oak in 1983 when Byers replaced his father-in-law at the helm of Calvary Christian. Byers, 54, married the Calvary pastor's daughter, Sharon DiMusto, in the 1970s. He had been raised in Detroit and graduated in 1970 from Elim Bible Institute, according to the church's Web site.
More here
GUN PRIVACY IN TEXAS
State Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, R-Lampasas, doesn't think Texans should have to disclose that they are carrying a concealed handgun. The Texas House of Representatives on Thursday agreed by a 113-30 vote. Texans would no longer be able to find out who holds a concealed handgun license under Hupp's House Bill 318. The bill, similar to one passed by the House in 2003, deletes the requirement that the Texas Department of Public Safety must release the identity of a license holder to the public.
Hupp, whose family was murdered by a gunman in a Luby's restaurant in Killeen more than a decade ago, said the legislation is necessary to protect the privacy of concealed handgun license holders. She said she's concerned that knowing a license holder's name, date of birth, gender, race and ZIP code is sufficient to locate a person's address. She said a stalker or a burglar could find out whether a potential victim has a gun. "There's an element of surprise, concealment, that is lost," Hupp said. "When government requests private information, it shouldn't give it out."
The DPS still would provide information on license holders to other criminal justice agencies. Reporters and researchers could continue to collect statistical summaries on the 236,499 Texans who hold licenses. In 2004, the DPS received 136 requests for the identity of license holders.
Source
DEA clown: "An agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency was been suspended after video surfaced showing the man shooting himself during a gun safety class in front of a group of Orlando fourth-graders, according to Local 6 News. An investigation has been launched to determine who leaked the home video of the undercover DEA agent shooting himself at an event sponsored by the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association. Before the shooting, the agent was videotaped talking about how certain weapons are popular with rap artists. 'This is a Glock 40,' the agent said on the tape. 'Fifty Cent, Too Short, all of them talk about a Glock 40, OK?,' he said. 'I'm the only one in this room professional enough that I know of to carry this Glock 40.' Seconds later, the agent shot himself in the foot."
Packing heat and praising Jesus are cornerstones of an unusual local church where hundreds worship every Sunday by singing, dancing and screaming out messages delivered, they say, by the Lord. But when Calvary Christian Church members raise their hands to heaven, Bibles aren't the only thing under their Sunday blazers.
Pastor Mark Byers urges the congregation to get concealed weapons permits and carry firearms to church. The pastor also urges his flock to hit the firing range so their shooting skills are up to snuff, and he admits that he permits senior staff at the church's day care and elementary school to carry guns - which police say is illegal. "I believe 100 percent in the Second Amendment," Byers said in his spacious Troy home on Thursday. "I think it is a great privilege to be entrusted with the right to bear arms. I encourage anyone who will listen to get a CCW (concealed weapons permit)."
Royal Oak police investigated what some say is a dangerous situation led by an egotistical minister who follows his own rules. Byers is accused of destroying a family, alienating staff and sending people fleeing to other congregations. The pastor defends himself as an upright man of God and says he needs armed protection from local crime. Byers also has a fiery message and pushes ultra-conservative values in a world where guns stop violence, traditional families are revered, and Jesus speaks to the faithful. "If you cannot get behind the vision of the leader ... you are in the wrong church," the pastor's son, David Byers, said from the pulpit last Sunday.....
Royal Oak police looked into the gun policy at Calvary after complaints that Mark Byers carries a gun under his jacket while he preaches, as do church elders and many in the congregation. Former members said they got a letter after they were established in the church that invited them to carry weapons during services to help with "security". The letter warns not to cause "unnecessary alarm" by talking about the weapons.... Guns are forbidden in most local churches, but the law says a weapon is legal in church with permission from the presiding official. At Calvary, the pastor is the official.
This ministry came to Royal Oak in 1983 when Byers replaced his father-in-law at the helm of Calvary Christian. Byers, 54, married the Calvary pastor's daughter, Sharon DiMusto, in the 1970s. He had been raised in Detroit and graduated in 1970 from Elim Bible Institute, according to the church's Web site.
More here
GUN PRIVACY IN TEXAS
State Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, R-Lampasas, doesn't think Texans should have to disclose that they are carrying a concealed handgun. The Texas House of Representatives on Thursday agreed by a 113-30 vote. Texans would no longer be able to find out who holds a concealed handgun license under Hupp's House Bill 318. The bill, similar to one passed by the House in 2003, deletes the requirement that the Texas Department of Public Safety must release the identity of a license holder to the public.
Hupp, whose family was murdered by a gunman in a Luby's restaurant in Killeen more than a decade ago, said the legislation is necessary to protect the privacy of concealed handgun license holders. She said she's concerned that knowing a license holder's name, date of birth, gender, race and ZIP code is sufficient to locate a person's address. She said a stalker or a burglar could find out whether a potential victim has a gun. "There's an element of surprise, concealment, that is lost," Hupp said. "When government requests private information, it shouldn't give it out."
The DPS still would provide information on license holders to other criminal justice agencies. Reporters and researchers could continue to collect statistical summaries on the 236,499 Texans who hold licenses. In 2004, the DPS received 136 requests for the identity of license holders.
Source
DEA clown: "An agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency was been suspended after video surfaced showing the man shooting himself during a gun safety class in front of a group of Orlando fourth-graders, according to Local 6 News. An investigation has been launched to determine who leaked the home video of the undercover DEA agent shooting himself at an event sponsored by the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association. Before the shooting, the agent was videotaped talking about how certain weapons are popular with rap artists. 'This is a Glock 40,' the agent said on the tape. 'Fifty Cent, Too Short, all of them talk about a Glock 40, OK?,' he said. 'I'm the only one in this room professional enough that I know of to carry this Glock 40.' Seconds later, the agent shot himself in the foot."
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Ban all pitchforks! "A man used a pitchfork to rob a bank Wednesday, police said. Fred Simunovic, 47, was charged with armed robbery after police spotted him at the Key West ferry terminal, trying to sail to Fort Myers. Police said Simunovic entered the Keys Federal Credit Union with a pitchfork in a trash bag and told a teller: "I'm dying of AIDS, I'm homeless and I'm robbing you." After threatening the teller with the pitchfork, he ran out with an undisclosed amount of money and discarded the garden tool behind the bank, Detective Sgt. Donie Lee said. Police found Simunovic at the terminal after the ferry captain refused to let him board because he appeared intoxicated. After Simunovic consented to a search, police found $1,859 in cash on him, and said he could not explain where the money came from. The bank teller and manager later positively identified Simunovic".
Banning guns not enough in U.K.? "The trial that followed the deaths of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare triggered renewed calls for tighter controls on the sale of firearms. Veteran anti-gun campaigner and Birmingham MP Steve McCabe said the teenagers might still be alive today if those responsible had not found it so easy to access weapons. The ready availability of guns for sale, especially through the internet, explained the increase in drive-by shootings and contract killings related to drug and gangland turf wars, he claimed."
Nevada: Shots fired at storage yard: "A Reno storage shed manager traded gunshots with a suspected burglar who hid while a second suspect climbed a fence to escape, police said. No one was hurt in the Wednesday night�s incident. .... About 11:30 p.m. Wednesday the manager of Secure Self Storage at 4370 Rewana Way responded to an alarm at one of the storage sheds, police said. He reportedly fired a gunshot into the air when he saw a man climbing a fence. Donnelly said a second suspect hiding by a storage bin fired two to three shots at the manager. He said the manager then returned fire and ran to get more bullets for his gun.The suspects fled. .... While police said the manager was lawful in defending himself and the property, they do not encourage people to take the law into their own hands."
Banning guns not enough in U.K.? "The trial that followed the deaths of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare triggered renewed calls for tighter controls on the sale of firearms. Veteran anti-gun campaigner and Birmingham MP Steve McCabe said the teenagers might still be alive today if those responsible had not found it so easy to access weapons. The ready availability of guns for sale, especially through the internet, explained the increase in drive-by shootings and contract killings related to drug and gangland turf wars, he claimed."
Nevada: Shots fired at storage yard: "A Reno storage shed manager traded gunshots with a suspected burglar who hid while a second suspect climbed a fence to escape, police said. No one was hurt in the Wednesday night�s incident. .... About 11:30 p.m. Wednesday the manager of Secure Self Storage at 4370 Rewana Way responded to an alarm at one of the storage sheds, police said. He reportedly fired a gunshot into the air when he saw a man climbing a fence. Donnelly said a second suspect hiding by a storage bin fired two to three shots at the manager. He said the manager then returned fire and ran to get more bullets for his gun.The suspects fled. .... While police said the manager was lawful in defending himself and the property, they do not encourage people to take the law into their own hands."
Monday, March 21, 2005
Gun saves another woman from a nutter: "A Wilmington woman got the scare of her life when a nearly naked intruder broke into her home, but she turned the tables on the man, who quickly turned tail and ran. According to police, Keith Simpson, 32, was wearing nothing more than a red T-shirt when he tried to break into her house Friday morning. "Somebody was ringing my doorbell and so I yelled, 'Who is it? Who is it?' They wouldn't answer," said Cheryl Pettaway. Pettaway grabbed her son and her gun and started to call 911. That was when the half-naked Simpson broke through Pettaway's back door. "The next thing you know, I just heard somebody in my house and I ran midpoint down the steps and I fired shots randomly," Pettaway said. She fired her gun at least eight times, but missed the intruder. He tried to flee through the garage, but that is where he was caught by police. Police said this was one of the oddest burglary cases they have seen. "This is definitely something we don't see every day. ... Breaking in half-clothed -- that's different," said Sgt. William Wells, of the Wilmington police."
Cabbie shoots rider: The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says a cab driver shot and killed a man who tried to rob him Thursday night. The fatal shooting happened as the cab driver dropped off two people at the Lighthouse Apartments. The shooting, coupled with Wednesday's shooting at a gas station in the same area, has police officers worried. "The convenience store clerk was brutally murdered and our hearts go out to people who have to make a living and they put themselves in harms way everyday just to make a living," said Sgt. Scott McLeod. The cab driver is an employee of Citicab. No word on whether he'll face charges.
Gun halts mental case: "A man who fled a mental health evaluation at Travis Air Force Base was found trying to break into a house, Fairfield police said Wednesday. Cole Richardson, a 21-year-old military dependent living on the base, alarmed a resident by banging on a sliding glass door to a bedroom around 1 a.m. Wednesday, said police Lt. Tony Shipp. The resident told investigators that he armed himself with a handgun and went to investigate. Shipp said that when the resident saw Richardson, clad only in a pair of underwear and still attempting to enter the house, he fired his weapon. He then went outside, fired additional shots and held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. None of the shots hit Richardson, but he was later treated for cuts to his head. Investigators did not know how Richardson suffered the cuts"
Safe hunting: "The stereotype of hunting as a dangerous activity in which participants regularly fall victim to unsafe use of firearms took another severe blow with the recent release of a report on Texas hunting-related accidents. This past calendar year saw fewer firearms-related hunting accidents in Texas than any year since 1966, when Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began maintaining detailed records. In 2004, TPWD wardens documented 29 hunting-related accidents, including four fatal ones, among the state's more than one million licensed hunters. Those 29 hunting-related accidents continue a long-term reduction of such accidents in the state. State hunting safety officials and hunter education instructors point to a concerted effort to teach firearms safety as part of a mandatory hunter education program in Texas as one of the reasons for the decline in accidents and fatalities".
Cabbie shoots rider: The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says a cab driver shot and killed a man who tried to rob him Thursday night. The fatal shooting happened as the cab driver dropped off two people at the Lighthouse Apartments. The shooting, coupled with Wednesday's shooting at a gas station in the same area, has police officers worried. "The convenience store clerk was brutally murdered and our hearts go out to people who have to make a living and they put themselves in harms way everyday just to make a living," said Sgt. Scott McLeod. The cab driver is an employee of Citicab. No word on whether he'll face charges.
Gun halts mental case: "A man who fled a mental health evaluation at Travis Air Force Base was found trying to break into a house, Fairfield police said Wednesday. Cole Richardson, a 21-year-old military dependent living on the base, alarmed a resident by banging on a sliding glass door to a bedroom around 1 a.m. Wednesday, said police Lt. Tony Shipp. The resident told investigators that he armed himself with a handgun and went to investigate. Shipp said that when the resident saw Richardson, clad only in a pair of underwear and still attempting to enter the house, he fired his weapon. He then went outside, fired additional shots and held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. None of the shots hit Richardson, but he was later treated for cuts to his head. Investigators did not know how Richardson suffered the cuts"
Safe hunting: "The stereotype of hunting as a dangerous activity in which participants regularly fall victim to unsafe use of firearms took another severe blow with the recent release of a report on Texas hunting-related accidents. This past calendar year saw fewer firearms-related hunting accidents in Texas than any year since 1966, when Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began maintaining detailed records. In 2004, TPWD wardens documented 29 hunting-related accidents, including four fatal ones, among the state's more than one million licensed hunters. Those 29 hunting-related accidents continue a long-term reduction of such accidents in the state. State hunting safety officials and hunter education instructors point to a concerted effort to teach firearms safety as part of a mandatory hunter education program in Texas as one of the reasons for the decline in accidents and fatalities".
Sunday, March 20, 2005
California: DA won't press charges in Oakland shooting: "The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has decided not to charge an Oakland man in connection with a February shooting on the man's property. Patrick McCullough reported he felt threatened by a group of people when he shot Melvin McHenry at McCullough's home at 585 59th St. on Feb. 18, Alameda County Deputy District Attorney James Lee reported. After reviewing police reports and witness statements of the incident, the district attorney's office concluded that it was unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that McCullough had not acted in self-defense. Since McCullough was on his own property at the time, he cannot be charged with weapon possession violations, according to Lee."
Florida: Gunfire erupts in jewelry store: "One employee was injured during a wild shootout Wednesday inside an Orlando jewelry store. It happened at the Magic Mall on Colonial Drive, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported. Police said four people stormed into Singh's Jewelry, and at least two of them had guns. Gunfire erupted and one worker was hit in the leg. The store owner also had a gun, officials said. Weapons were fired inside and outside of the store, and all four suspects fled. At least one of the bandits suffered an arm injury while smashing glass to access the jewelry cases."
Gun violence falls 63%: "In spite of all the hoopla regarding gun violence in America, a study by the US Department of Justice appears to dispel claims of rising gun deaths. The government study received minimal if any mainstream media attention. Estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey indicate that between 1993 and 2001 approximately 26% of the average annual 8.9 million violent victimizations were committed by offenders armed with a weapon. About 10%, or 846,950 victimizations each year, involved a firearm."
Florida: Gunfire erupts in jewelry store: "One employee was injured during a wild shootout Wednesday inside an Orlando jewelry store. It happened at the Magic Mall on Colonial Drive, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported. Police said four people stormed into Singh's Jewelry, and at least two of them had guns. Gunfire erupted and one worker was hit in the leg. The store owner also had a gun, officials said. Weapons were fired inside and outside of the store, and all four suspects fled. At least one of the bandits suffered an arm injury while smashing glass to access the jewelry cases."
Gun violence falls 63%: "In spite of all the hoopla regarding gun violence in America, a study by the US Department of Justice appears to dispel claims of rising gun deaths. The government study received minimal if any mainstream media attention. Estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey indicate that between 1993 and 2001 approximately 26% of the average annual 8.9 million violent victimizations were committed by offenders armed with a weapon. About 10%, or 846,950 victimizations each year, involved a firearm."
Saturday, March 19, 2005
MOST PILOTS STILL UNARMED
While the pace of training and deployment of armed pilots on commercial flights has picked up, supporters of the program say the Bush administration still is making it unnecessarily difficult for crews to take guns into the cockpit. Pilots who monitor the program estimate that between 4,000 and 4,500 have been trained and deputized to carry guns since the Federal Flight Deck Officer program began in April 2003. That total is about three times as many as a year ago, yet a fraction of the 95,000 pilots who fly for U.S. airlines.
David Mackett, president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, a group formed to lobby for guns in the cockpit, said tens of thousands of his colleagues are interested in the program. "We have an armed pilots program that's arming very few pilots," said Mackett, who hasn't signed up because of the way the program is run. He said many others won't join for the same reason.
Mackett contends the Transportation Security Administration isn't moving to get substantially more pilots trained to carry guns because it has never really wanted the program. TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield disputed that, saying agency chief David Stone fully backs the effort and that procedures have been changed to more quickly get pilots into the program. "I've got a pipeline with a couple of thousand applicants and we're running two full classes a week," Hatfield said. The TSA can train about 50 pilots per class. Hatfield said he couldn't disclose which procedures had been adjusted because of the program's sensitive security nature.
More here
Massachusetts: Pistol-packing mamas, and daughters: "It was a typical practice session for members of the Second Amendment Sisters, a national women's gun rights group. Since it was founded in 1999, the Texas-based organization has grown to about 10,000 members in 30 states .... Second Amendment Sisters aims to educate women about firearms and gun laws. Promotional pamphlets feature a single red rose and the group's slogan, 'Self defense is a basic human right.' Members get together to learn how to load and shoot revolvers, semiautomatic pistols, and rifles."
Maryland: Court blocks gun show groups from lawsuit: "A federal appeals court has ruled that a gun show promoter and an exhibitor have no standing to challenge a Montgomery County law that denies funding to facilities that display and sell firearms. The decision Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit reverses a lower court's ruling in favor of the promoter, Frank Krasner Enterprises Ltd., and the exhibitor, RSM Inc. Until the law was passed, Krasner, of Frederick, leased space for gun shows twice a year from the Montgomery County Agricultural Center in Gaithersburg, a privately owned, nonprofit organization that received about $500,000 from the county over 10 years."
While the pace of training and deployment of armed pilots on commercial flights has picked up, supporters of the program say the Bush administration still is making it unnecessarily difficult for crews to take guns into the cockpit. Pilots who monitor the program estimate that between 4,000 and 4,500 have been trained and deputized to carry guns since the Federal Flight Deck Officer program began in April 2003. That total is about three times as many as a year ago, yet a fraction of the 95,000 pilots who fly for U.S. airlines.
David Mackett, president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, a group formed to lobby for guns in the cockpit, said tens of thousands of his colleagues are interested in the program. "We have an armed pilots program that's arming very few pilots," said Mackett, who hasn't signed up because of the way the program is run. He said many others won't join for the same reason.
Mackett contends the Transportation Security Administration isn't moving to get substantially more pilots trained to carry guns because it has never really wanted the program. TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield disputed that, saying agency chief David Stone fully backs the effort and that procedures have been changed to more quickly get pilots into the program. "I've got a pipeline with a couple of thousand applicants and we're running two full classes a week," Hatfield said. The TSA can train about 50 pilots per class. Hatfield said he couldn't disclose which procedures had been adjusted because of the program's sensitive security nature.
More here
Massachusetts: Pistol-packing mamas, and daughters: "It was a typical practice session for members of the Second Amendment Sisters, a national women's gun rights group. Since it was founded in 1999, the Texas-based organization has grown to about 10,000 members in 30 states .... Second Amendment Sisters aims to educate women about firearms and gun laws. Promotional pamphlets feature a single red rose and the group's slogan, 'Self defense is a basic human right.' Members get together to learn how to load and shoot revolvers, semiautomatic pistols, and rifles."
Maryland: Court blocks gun show groups from lawsuit: "A federal appeals court has ruled that a gun show promoter and an exhibitor have no standing to challenge a Montgomery County law that denies funding to facilities that display and sell firearms. The decision Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit reverses a lower court's ruling in favor of the promoter, Frank Krasner Enterprises Ltd., and the exhibitor, RSM Inc. Until the law was passed, Krasner, of Frederick, leased space for gun shows twice a year from the Montgomery County Agricultural Center in Gaithersburg, a privately owned, nonprofit organization that received about $500,000 from the county over 10 years."
Friday, March 18, 2005
UK: Gun t-shirt sparks security alert: "Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones was stopped from boarding a flight at London's Heathrow Airport, after the gun print on his T-shirt sparked a security alert. The Have a Nice Day singer was taken aside by over-vigilant officials after his clothes set off a metal detector. And Jones was left amazed when told his T-shirt -- which shows a pistol with a flame coming out of the top -- was unsuitable for flying in. Jones explains, 'I beeped as I went through the metal detector, so they took my belt, watch and phone off. The guy takes me aside and says, 'You know you're not supposed to wear that.' I said, 'Not supposed to wear what?' I honestly didn't have a clue.' A security man then pointed to the star's T-shirt. Jones adds, 'I was like, 'What am I going to do with a gun on a T-shirt?'"
South Africa: Battle axes and batons are replacing guns: "Battle axes, batons and plastic bullet guns are just some of the alternatives to firearms that people are snapping up to try to improve their safety. This is since the Firearms Control Act of 2000 clamped down on the number of guns one person can own. For self-defence only, one firearm is allowed. Hunters or sports shooting enthusiasts may own as many as four firearms. However, applying for a licence has become much more difficult, with hardly any licences having been granted in the past year. So gun dealers are branching out into other types of weaponry such as knifes, swords, bows and traditional weapons like battle axes and knobkieries."
Playing chicken roulette : "Imagine that your local government makes it a crime to engage in an activity that you believe to be constitutionally protected -- like possessing a handgun in your home for self-defense. Imagine further that the weight of legal scholarship, from liberals and conservatives alike, holds that the Second Amendment secures an individual right to keep and bear arms. Too bad if you live in Washington, D.C., where you may be faced with a Hobson's choice. You can forego possessing a gun for self-defense, and perhaps suffer personal injury. Or you can defy the law, illegally own a gun, use it to defend yourself, then risk arrest, prosecution, fine, or even incarceration when D.C. authorities investigate your 'crime.'"
South Africa: Battle axes and batons are replacing guns: "Battle axes, batons and plastic bullet guns are just some of the alternatives to firearms that people are snapping up to try to improve their safety. This is since the Firearms Control Act of 2000 clamped down on the number of guns one person can own. For self-defence only, one firearm is allowed. Hunters or sports shooting enthusiasts may own as many as four firearms. However, applying for a licence has become much more difficult, with hardly any licences having been granted in the past year. So gun dealers are branching out into other types of weaponry such as knifes, swords, bows and traditional weapons like battle axes and knobkieries."
Playing chicken roulette : "Imagine that your local government makes it a crime to engage in an activity that you believe to be constitutionally protected -- like possessing a handgun in your home for self-defense. Imagine further that the weight of legal scholarship, from liberals and conservatives alike, holds that the Second Amendment secures an individual right to keep and bear arms. Too bad if you live in Washington, D.C., where you may be faced with a Hobson's choice. You can forego possessing a gun for self-defense, and perhaps suffer personal injury. Or you can defy the law, illegally own a gun, use it to defend yourself, then risk arrest, prosecution, fine, or even incarceration when D.C. authorities investigate your 'crime.'"
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Hawaii: Farm thefts sharply decline : "Farm thefts -- once a chronic problem here -- have decreased dramatically since a man reportedly stealing from a farmer was shot and killed nearly six months ago, farmers and police said. No theft reports have been made at Kahuku farms since Marcelino Pacheco Jr. was shot near Khamxath Baccam's farm on Sept. 7. Baccam, 48, was charged with second-degree murder. His trial is set for the week of July 25. Police have said Baccam told investigators he shot Pacheco, 38, because he believed that Pacheco had been stealing equipment and produce from his farm. Baccam's attorney said his client will plead self-defense. Bouabanh Piasourapany, 49, said recently that other farmers tell her they haven't had any problems since September. ... Police said thieves are still ripping off tourists' cars but the September shooting might have been a wake-up call for people stealing from farmers."
Sudden change of tune: "Judges in Illinois would be able to carry concealed weapons under a bill inspired by the murders of the mother and husband of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow. Sen. Larry Bomke (R-Springfield) said he decided to draft the bill after getting a call from Sangamon County Circuit Judge Patrick Kelley, a former prosecutor, who said judges are concerned about retribution from people who appear before them."
Violence Policy Center: The star of gun control: "For those who thought the assault weapons ban was history, listen up. The gun banners had a taste of victory for ten years. They had stolen power from the people, and it was a rush. When the ban faded into the sunset last fall, there was a general wailing and gnashing of teeth among those who thought the end was near for civilian firearms' ownership. Like addicts suddenly cut off from their favorite drug, withdrawal set in, along with an overwhelming desire for revenge on those they mistakenly hold to be accountable for their suffering. They are waiting for any opportunity, and when there is a mass murder using a firearm, the misinformation machine -- dormant but not dismantled -- will swing back into high gear.Two recent shootings were the ignition key for the Violence Policy Center public relations machine."
Sudden change of tune: "Judges in Illinois would be able to carry concealed weapons under a bill inspired by the murders of the mother and husband of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow. Sen. Larry Bomke (R-Springfield) said he decided to draft the bill after getting a call from Sangamon County Circuit Judge Patrick Kelley, a former prosecutor, who said judges are concerned about retribution from people who appear before them."
Violence Policy Center: The star of gun control: "For those who thought the assault weapons ban was history, listen up. The gun banners had a taste of victory for ten years. They had stolen power from the people, and it was a rush. When the ban faded into the sunset last fall, there was a general wailing and gnashing of teeth among those who thought the end was near for civilian firearms' ownership. Like addicts suddenly cut off from their favorite drug, withdrawal set in, along with an overwhelming desire for revenge on those they mistakenly hold to be accountable for their suffering. They are waiting for any opportunity, and when there is a mass murder using a firearm, the misinformation machine -- dormant but not dismantled -- will swing back into high gear.Two recent shootings were the ignition key for the Violence Policy Center public relations machine."
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
THE REAL SITUATION IN AUSTRALIA IS NOT TOO BAD AT ALL
An email just received
I would like to stick up for Australia in regards to firearms ownership.
Firstly We did not lose all our guns, we lost the freedom of buying without ID and not having to provide any personal details prior to the mass shooting in 1996 which was heavily covered up.
Currently we can still own semi auto, full auto but very restricted or licensed. Also the buyback in 1996 where we supposedly just handed over our all our semi auto military rifles in totally untrue.
The fact is out of the total "660,000" weapons handed in only a small percentage were semi auto. In fact they were mostly worn out rimfire and old Browning shotguns etc. People got huge payouts for say one Browning semi auto 22 and could buy 2 rifles in pump action/lever etc and eventually semiauto again for clay target use. So it actually allowed many to double up on guns -- which the government was very annoyed about. As there were no records in any State it required people to be honest and at that stage no one trusted the government, especially when our brown-nosing Prime Minister you may know of wore a full body armour jacket -- and I mean full sides, lower torso and up to neck bursting out his oversize shirt -- when he spoke to a gun-owners protest rally with a speech full of shit. He was pretty scared that day!
Also their claim of a massive hand-in by civilians of military rifles -- such as Uzis, SLRs, M14, M16 etc were actually primarily seized in storage from wholesalers who held tens of thousands per wholesaler -- plus retail shops were shut temporarily and all military weapons seized.
The true fact is we do now have registration=annoying
We do have restrictions=pain in arse
Club shooters were restricted in barrel length and mags capacity from last year=pain in arse
However we can buy as many guns a month as we want. I collect and bought 9 Handguns in one month.
Fact: In one state alone the weapons licensing authority lost all records of handguns -- approx 30% of total records -- and wrote to owners to verify what they owned. I believe many owners officially own less now.
Australians are easy-going people but generally disobey most regulations by governments, not one government-initiated referendum has been won by the government since federation. Legally the Federal government really have no right to weapons legislation at all as the states under our constitution are the ones who control them. Unfortunately the States were blackmailed with taxes and funding being reduced if they didn't toe the line. It took a while but they all did unfortunately.
We recently had a handgun buyback and even though I can still own .45 cal we lost 50cal but when I decided to let my Stainless Model 645 S&W go, which I paid $600 for, the government paid me $1800 for it and $100 per mag. I doubled my money I then proceeded to buy 6 more Handguns with some having just 2-3mm longer barrels -- which is nothing. Again we ended up with more. Everyone ended up with new handguns, revolvers etc and gunshops loved it as they had seen many hard times.
Australia has 20 million people and about 9 million working adults plus several million minors. It is conservatively said that there are over 4 million illegal militiary-style and F/auto weapons in Australia not to mention the 1 million plus registered shooters plus the 100,000 plus handgun owners of whom mostly have a minimum of 4-5 each.
I am pretty normal and did at one stage own approx 40 plus of the combination of longguns/handguns etc so we still have a large amount of guns per household or 1 in 4 of total population at the minimum quoted by anti-gunners.
The real truth is we probably go close to 1 to 1 or more. As I said earlier, they sneaked into the buyback a small amount of military rifles and shotguns.
Wholesalers said that they imported over 5 million M1 30 carbines, M1 Rifles, Thompsons,(AK and SKS variants about 7 million in the 10 years previous, not to mention the 50BMG Barrett and other rifles, Stens, Austens, FALs, M14, Ar15, Johnson 30-06, BARs -- everything under the sun and that was the last decade plus 5 years. Now, some of these companies have been importing since WW2 and especially 1960 onward. Plus we had our own Brens and SLRs, Vickers, submachine guns as our F1 is similiar to the Sterling. Plus 9mm Owens etc -- and they have no record whatsoever of how many they imported or how many the Army sold to dealers so there is no doubt the place is full of them but just not in the open, but ready and willing for any day they are needed I am sure. There are secret groups who are under the names of freedom fighters who have accumulated artillery, rocket launchers, HMG 50 cal etc. Plus additional more sophisticated weapons.
To be honest, yes, we are far more restricted now but I am legally licensed for everything. Yes they do know what I have but I know there are millions out there they don't know of that may one day help save our country again as we are not like the British or Pommies who had hardly any guns at the outbreak of WW2. While Australia has its limitations it has a great sleeping force in the people out there just waiting to go. Australia is a large barren country as well as heavily timbered mountain ranges run right down the East cost. Perfect for guerilla warfare if neccessary.
We are still gunowners and will be for a long time yet. All is not lost!!
Gun control: It's an assault weapon!: "On Sunday, February 13, 2005, a young man with a history of alleged emotional disturbance got his moment of fame without killing anybody. Had he performed his stunt without a gun, it is questionable that Google would have listed about 1,000 articles on this incident within three days. Nor would the gun banners have used this unfortunate tragedy to grab for their own moment of fame, using other people's pain and suffering to promote their flawed agenda."
An email just received
I would like to stick up for Australia in regards to firearms ownership.
Firstly We did not lose all our guns, we lost the freedom of buying without ID and not having to provide any personal details prior to the mass shooting in 1996 which was heavily covered up.
Currently we can still own semi auto, full auto but very restricted or licensed. Also the buyback in 1996 where we supposedly just handed over our all our semi auto military rifles in totally untrue.
The fact is out of the total "660,000" weapons handed in only a small percentage were semi auto. In fact they were mostly worn out rimfire and old Browning shotguns etc. People got huge payouts for say one Browning semi auto 22 and could buy 2 rifles in pump action/lever etc and eventually semiauto again for clay target use. So it actually allowed many to double up on guns -- which the government was very annoyed about. As there were no records in any State it required people to be honest and at that stage no one trusted the government, especially when our brown-nosing Prime Minister you may know of wore a full body armour jacket -- and I mean full sides, lower torso and up to neck bursting out his oversize shirt -- when he spoke to a gun-owners protest rally with a speech full of shit. He was pretty scared that day!
Also their claim of a massive hand-in by civilians of military rifles -- such as Uzis, SLRs, M14, M16 etc were actually primarily seized in storage from wholesalers who held tens of thousands per wholesaler -- plus retail shops were shut temporarily and all military weapons seized.
The true fact is we do now have registration=annoying
We do have restrictions=pain in arse
Club shooters were restricted in barrel length and mags capacity from last year=pain in arse
However we can buy as many guns a month as we want. I collect and bought 9 Handguns in one month.
Fact: In one state alone the weapons licensing authority lost all records of handguns -- approx 30% of total records -- and wrote to owners to verify what they owned. I believe many owners officially own less now.
Australians are easy-going people but generally disobey most regulations by governments, not one government-initiated referendum has been won by the government since federation. Legally the Federal government really have no right to weapons legislation at all as the states under our constitution are the ones who control them. Unfortunately the States were blackmailed with taxes and funding being reduced if they didn't toe the line. It took a while but they all did unfortunately.
We recently had a handgun buyback and even though I can still own .45 cal we lost 50cal but when I decided to let my Stainless Model 645 S&W go, which I paid $600 for, the government paid me $1800 for it and $100 per mag. I doubled my money I then proceeded to buy 6 more Handguns with some having just 2-3mm longer barrels -- which is nothing. Again we ended up with more. Everyone ended up with new handguns, revolvers etc and gunshops loved it as they had seen many hard times.
Australia has 20 million people and about 9 million working adults plus several million minors. It is conservatively said that there are over 4 million illegal militiary-style and F/auto weapons in Australia not to mention the 1 million plus registered shooters plus the 100,000 plus handgun owners of whom mostly have a minimum of 4-5 each.
I am pretty normal and did at one stage own approx 40 plus of the combination of longguns/handguns etc so we still have a large amount of guns per household or 1 in 4 of total population at the minimum quoted by anti-gunners.
The real truth is we probably go close to 1 to 1 or more. As I said earlier, they sneaked into the buyback a small amount of military rifles and shotguns.
Wholesalers said that they imported over 5 million M1 30 carbines, M1 Rifles, Thompsons,(AK and SKS variants about 7 million in the 10 years previous, not to mention the 50BMG Barrett and other rifles, Stens, Austens, FALs, M14, Ar15, Johnson 30-06, BARs -- everything under the sun and that was the last decade plus 5 years. Now, some of these companies have been importing since WW2 and especially 1960 onward. Plus we had our own Brens and SLRs, Vickers, submachine guns as our F1 is similiar to the Sterling. Plus 9mm Owens etc -- and they have no record whatsoever of how many they imported or how many the Army sold to dealers so there is no doubt the place is full of them but just not in the open, but ready and willing for any day they are needed I am sure. There are secret groups who are under the names of freedom fighters who have accumulated artillery, rocket launchers, HMG 50 cal etc. Plus additional more sophisticated weapons.
To be honest, yes, we are far more restricted now but I am legally licensed for everything. Yes they do know what I have but I know there are millions out there they don't know of that may one day help save our country again as we are not like the British or Pommies who had hardly any guns at the outbreak of WW2. While Australia has its limitations it has a great sleeping force in the people out there just waiting to go. Australia is a large barren country as well as heavily timbered mountain ranges run right down the East cost. Perfect for guerilla warfare if neccessary.
We are still gunowners and will be for a long time yet. All is not lost!!
Gun control: It's an assault weapon!: "On Sunday, February 13, 2005, a young man with a history of alleged emotional disturbance got his moment of fame without killing anybody. Had he performed his stunt without a gun, it is questionable that Google would have listed about 1,000 articles on this incident within three days. Nor would the gun banners have used this unfortunate tragedy to grab for their own moment of fame, using other people's pain and suffering to promote their flawed agenda."
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Jews, Republicans & guns: What is the problem? "Second-Amendment advocates often ask me in frustration, why Jews don't vote Republican. And it's true: the 'Jewish vote' belongs so solidly to the Democrats that the two parties don't even fight over it, as they fight for other minority votes. When I hear this question, I can only shrug and answer: 'Why should Jews vote Republican?' ... [T]he pursuit of law and justice have dominated Jewish culture since biblical days. ... Recently, the two major American parties have moved closer together in their policies. ... George W. Bush, a Republican, is expanding social-service spending ... Since most Jews believe that justice implies providing more government services for the poor, the working class, and seniors, you'd think they might gradually shift loyalties to the Rs. But there is precious little justice offered by today's Republican party."
Arizona: House passes concealed gun law, gets vapors: "The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to let people carry weapons -- including guns, grenades, rockets, mines and sawed-off shotguns -- into schools, polling places and nuclear plants if they claim they're only trying to protect themselves. The vote on the legislation came even after Rep. Ben Miranda, D-Phoenix, pointed out it even would bar prosecution of those who want to bring a weapon into the House or Senate. Despite that, lawmakers gave it preliminary approval on a 30-16 margin."
Arizona: House passes concealed gun law, gets vapors: "The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to let people carry weapons -- including guns, grenades, rockets, mines and sawed-off shotguns -- into schools, polling places and nuclear plants if they claim they're only trying to protect themselves. The vote on the legislation came even after Rep. Ben Miranda, D-Phoenix, pointed out it even would bar prosecution of those who want to bring a weapon into the House or Senate. Despite that, lawmakers gave it preliminary approval on a 30-16 margin."
Monday, March 14, 2005
Virginia: Lawmakers reject gun show bills : "Virginia laws concerning gun shows will remain status quo. Anyone can purchase a firearm at a gun show without having a background check. The Virginia General Assembly rejected a bill requiring all gun show vendors to carry a federal firearms license and submit to a background check. The U.S. Department of Justice has been struggling with what they call the 'gun-show loophole' for years. Attendees can bring their own guns to a gun show, and not only profit from their sales, but not have to provide any background information to authorities."
Common sense key to gun safety: "Statistics indicate that about half of all households in the United States have one or more firearms. While this translates to billions of guns nationwide, accident rates among firearm owners are extremely low. This safety fact speaks highly of responsible gun ownership education around the country.We should not rest on our laurels. Every shooter, hunter and gun-owning citizen should think of their gun-ownership as a privilege, as well as a constitutional right."
Alabama: Convenience store owner shoots robber: "A Phenix City convenience store owner shot and killed a man Tuesday during an apparent robbery attempt, police said. Kintae Omar James, 27, of Phenix City, was shot in the chest inside Don's Fine Foods, 2206 Fourth Ave., by the store's owner, Don Ford, 73, Phenix City Police Capt. Jim Hart said. James was transported to The Medical Center in Columbus but died of the gunshot wound, Russell County Coroner Linda Key said..... He said police responded to a shooting at the store around 4 p.m. When they arrived, they found James lying in the roadway around the corner from the shopping center on 21st Place, Hart said. He said James was running south, away from the store, when he collapsed around the corner of the shopping center.... "Don is just an outstanding guy," Westfall said. "It's just a neighborhood place to go."... A police press release states that Ford told police he shot James because he was attempting to rob him. "It appears there was a robbery attempt," Hart said".
Common sense key to gun safety: "Statistics indicate that about half of all households in the United States have one or more firearms. While this translates to billions of guns nationwide, accident rates among firearm owners are extremely low. This safety fact speaks highly of responsible gun ownership education around the country.We should not rest on our laurels. Every shooter, hunter and gun-owning citizen should think of their gun-ownership as a privilege, as well as a constitutional right."
Alabama: Convenience store owner shoots robber: "A Phenix City convenience store owner shot and killed a man Tuesday during an apparent robbery attempt, police said. Kintae Omar James, 27, of Phenix City, was shot in the chest inside Don's Fine Foods, 2206 Fourth Ave., by the store's owner, Don Ford, 73, Phenix City Police Capt. Jim Hart said. James was transported to The Medical Center in Columbus but died of the gunshot wound, Russell County Coroner Linda Key said..... He said police responded to a shooting at the store around 4 p.m. When they arrived, they found James lying in the roadway around the corner from the shopping center on 21st Place, Hart said. He said James was running south, away from the store, when he collapsed around the corner of the shopping center.... "Don is just an outstanding guy," Westfall said. "It's just a neighborhood place to go."... A police press release states that Ford told police he shot James because he was attempting to rob him. "It appears there was a robbery attempt," Hart said".
Sunday, March 13, 2005
LESSONS OF THE WILSON TRAGEDY
See my post of March 4th
"Wilson was not a lawman or a soldier; it was not his job to "protect and serve." He was just a good neighbor, doing the right thing. Alas, bad things do happen to good people.
There are millions of Americans like Mark Wilson. They, too, are licensed to carry concealed handguns, and consider it the ultimate responsibility. I have yet to meet one of them who wants to be involved in a gunfight. You rarely read about such individuals getting into trouble with the law. They are, after all, the definition of "law-abiding citizens." Their license to carry, issued only after a successful background check, says so.
Yet the press habitually leaves out references to armed citizens acting responsibly in defense of their community, unless it involves an incident in one's home or business. They never explain why, other than to blame "space limitations." That's hogwash. The press simply has an aversion to reporting legal, armed intervention by private citizens, Wilson's case being the rare exception.
Texas State Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) put it best when he told a reporter, "Because he had his license, had his gun, got involved, stood up for what he believed in I think he saved some lives at the courthouse Thursday."
Contrary to what gun banners and opponents of concealed carry laws would have us believe, legally armed citizens are not vigilantes at heart. Most are just like Mark Wilson; they care about their safety and the safety of their community. Under most self-defense statutes, and many state constitutions, they have a right to intervene, perhaps even a duty. Wilson lost his life while saving others and courageously defending his neighborhood with a firearm".
More here
Connecticut: Cab driver charged after killing in self defense: "A cab driver who says he had to kill a customer to save his own life is speaking out. John Lutters says he is the victim after he was stabbed in the neck during a robbery attempt and fought back. Lutters is now a convicted felon, having to plead guilty to charges in court. Lutters did not have a permit to carry the gun he used to shoot his passenger, Travis Hazelwood, in self defense. 'It's cost me everything I've had just about, including a criminal record,' says Lutters."
UK: Labour pledges victim disarmament, total conformity : "Raising the age restrictions for purchasing knifes will be one of the first acts of a third-term Labour government, Charles Clarke promised today, as Labour launched its mini-manifesto on crime. Accompanied by Mr Blair -- who pledged a 'step change in the fight against crime and disorder' if Labour are re-elected -- the home secretary outlined a series of measures he promised would be in one of the first acts passed after the election. He also promised further increases in community support officers to provide 'neighbourhood policing' for every community. An expansion in drug treatment and testing, a system today criticised by a committee of MPs, was also promised. Binge drinking would be tackled with a 'three strikes' policy barring repeat troublemakers from town centres. And Mr Clarke promised to continue the battle against anti-social behaviour."
See my post of March 4th
"Wilson was not a lawman or a soldier; it was not his job to "protect and serve." He was just a good neighbor, doing the right thing. Alas, bad things do happen to good people.
There are millions of Americans like Mark Wilson. They, too, are licensed to carry concealed handguns, and consider it the ultimate responsibility. I have yet to meet one of them who wants to be involved in a gunfight. You rarely read about such individuals getting into trouble with the law. They are, after all, the definition of "law-abiding citizens." Their license to carry, issued only after a successful background check, says so.
Yet the press habitually leaves out references to armed citizens acting responsibly in defense of their community, unless it involves an incident in one's home or business. They never explain why, other than to blame "space limitations." That's hogwash. The press simply has an aversion to reporting legal, armed intervention by private citizens, Wilson's case being the rare exception.
Texas State Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) put it best when he told a reporter, "Because he had his license, had his gun, got involved, stood up for what he believed in I think he saved some lives at the courthouse Thursday."
Contrary to what gun banners and opponents of concealed carry laws would have us believe, legally armed citizens are not vigilantes at heart. Most are just like Mark Wilson; they care about their safety and the safety of their community. Under most self-defense statutes, and many state constitutions, they have a right to intervene, perhaps even a duty. Wilson lost his life while saving others and courageously defending his neighborhood with a firearm".
More here
Connecticut: Cab driver charged after killing in self defense: "A cab driver who says he had to kill a customer to save his own life is speaking out. John Lutters says he is the victim after he was stabbed in the neck during a robbery attempt and fought back. Lutters is now a convicted felon, having to plead guilty to charges in court. Lutters did not have a permit to carry the gun he used to shoot his passenger, Travis Hazelwood, in self defense. 'It's cost me everything I've had just about, including a criminal record,' says Lutters."
UK: Labour pledges victim disarmament, total conformity : "Raising the age restrictions for purchasing knifes will be one of the first acts of a third-term Labour government, Charles Clarke promised today, as Labour launched its mini-manifesto on crime. Accompanied by Mr Blair -- who pledged a 'step change in the fight against crime and disorder' if Labour are re-elected -- the home secretary outlined a series of measures he promised would be in one of the first acts passed after the election. He also promised further increases in community support officers to provide 'neighbourhood policing' for every community. An expansion in drug treatment and testing, a system today criticised by a committee of MPs, was also promised. Binge drinking would be tackled with a 'three strikes' policy barring repeat troublemakers from town centres. And Mr Clarke promised to continue the battle against anti-social behaviour."
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Michigan: Vigilante dies in shoot-out: "A 41-year-old Detroit man was killed in a shoot-out Sunday while playing vigilante in northwest Detroit, police said.The man kicked in the door of a house in the 15000 block of Indiana Street about 12:30 p.m. to accuse the homeowner, a 40-year-old man, of raping a mutual acquaintance, police said. Both men were armed with guns. The 41-year-old shot the homeowner in the knee. The homeowner shot the intruder in the abdomen, killing him."
Why target firearm owners? "Is the possession of firearms a burning problem in Oregon that needs to be outlawed even if the Constitution allows it? The answer, of course, is no. Oregon has plenty of issues, the widespread misuse of illegal meth among them. But the ownership of firearms by law-abiding people is no problem at all.So why did the Oregon Senate's Judiciary Committee introduce a bill that would make owning any of a long list of specific firearms a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine?"
UK: Shooters defend right to keep airguns: "Gun associations have pleaded for an end to 'knee-jerk' calls for a ban on airguns following the death of two-year old Andrew Morton. Sporting organisations have told the Sunday Herald that they fear their hobby may end if a ban on the weapons is introduced. There are an estimated five or six million air pistols and air rifles in the UK. ... Colin Shedden, Scottish director of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said that a crackdown on ownership of airguns would not be practical. 'A licensing scheme or outright ban would be unworkable -- there are millions of airguns in the UK,' he said. 'It would present a massive problem for those who need airguns for pest control or take part in shooting as a sport.'"
Why target firearm owners? "Is the possession of firearms a burning problem in Oregon that needs to be outlawed even if the Constitution allows it? The answer, of course, is no. Oregon has plenty of issues, the widespread misuse of illegal meth among them. But the ownership of firearms by law-abiding people is no problem at all.So why did the Oregon Senate's Judiciary Committee introduce a bill that would make owning any of a long list of specific firearms a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine?"
UK: Shooters defend right to keep airguns: "Gun associations have pleaded for an end to 'knee-jerk' calls for a ban on airguns following the death of two-year old Andrew Morton. Sporting organisations have told the Sunday Herald that they fear their hobby may end if a ban on the weapons is introduced. There are an estimated five or six million air pistols and air rifles in the UK. ... Colin Shedden, Scottish director of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said that a crackdown on ownership of airguns would not be practical. 'A licensing scheme or outright ban would be unworkable -- there are millions of airguns in the UK,' he said. 'It would present a massive problem for those who need airguns for pest control or take part in shooting as a sport.'"
Friday, March 11, 2005
Arizona: Gun enthusiasts push public school training: "Gun-rights advocates say they have the answer to Jonathan's problem. They want public schools to teach students how to use shotguns and rifles. With the help of Arizona Game and Fish officials, firearms enthusiasts have been quietly shepherding a bill through the Legislature that would encourage schools to offer a semesterlong elective, combining the use of laser replicas on campus and field trips to shooting ranges. Landis Aden, a lobbyist for the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association, said the class would teach children safe ways to deal with the kinds of weapons he says are found in up to half of Arizona households."
California: Robber shot to death by gas station owner: "The owner of a Beacon gas station on Charter Way exchanged gunfire with a robber early Monday, killing him in what police say appears to be a case of justifiable homicide. Investigators believe a second robber, whom the businessman also may have shot, remains at large, said Officer Sean Fenner, spokesman for the Stockton Police Department. ... Police said the incident began when Rubio drove up in an older gold Saab, entered the small convenience store and looked around. He tried to rob the business owner at gunpoint when other customers left. The two men fired at each other, Fenner said. Rubio died on the sidewalk in front of G.K. Tires, a few steps away from the gas station."
BATFE changes its stripes? "JPFO has just received a rare bit of good news about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In at least one area of operations, the BATFE is making a dramatic turnaround. The agency is functioning with a new spirit of cooperation toward gun-makers. It began last month. The new attitude was inspired by the actions of heroic firearms manufacturer ... Len Savage, ... the owner of Historic Arms, which makes semi-automatic versions of famous military rifles. ... The BATFE's first response ... was predictable and typical. Within two days, they declared that a firearm Len had sent for their approval ... was an 'illegal machine gun' ... [and] confiscated the gun. But ... [i]nstead of bowing down, Len kept on fighting. He fought not only for his own rights, but he kept making noise about other BATFE injustices. The BATFE must have realized it had an unusual, and intransigent, opponent."
California: Robber shot to death by gas station owner: "The owner of a Beacon gas station on Charter Way exchanged gunfire with a robber early Monday, killing him in what police say appears to be a case of justifiable homicide. Investigators believe a second robber, whom the businessman also may have shot, remains at large, said Officer Sean Fenner, spokesman for the Stockton Police Department. ... Police said the incident began when Rubio drove up in an older gold Saab, entered the small convenience store and looked around. He tried to rob the business owner at gunpoint when other customers left. The two men fired at each other, Fenner said. Rubio died on the sidewalk in front of G.K. Tires, a few steps away from the gas station."
BATFE changes its stripes? "JPFO has just received a rare bit of good news about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In at least one area of operations, the BATFE is making a dramatic turnaround. The agency is functioning with a new spirit of cooperation toward gun-makers. It began last month. The new attitude was inspired by the actions of heroic firearms manufacturer ... Len Savage, ... the owner of Historic Arms, which makes semi-automatic versions of famous military rifles. ... The BATFE's first response ... was predictable and typical. Within two days, they declared that a firearm Len had sent for their approval ... was an 'illegal machine gun' ... [and] confiscated the gun. But ... [i]nstead of bowing down, Len kept on fighting. He fought not only for his own rights, but he kept making noise about other BATFE injustices. The BATFE must have realized it had an unusual, and intransigent, opponent."
Thursday, March 10, 2005
GIRLY GUN-USER
It was shooting time, and Deborah Courtney politely excused herself to reapply her deep pink lipstick. She headed to the ladies room, black Prada purse in hand. She arrived at the indoor shooting range in a black suit and wine-colored blouse, patterned black nylons and black boots with 4-inch heels. Sort of the stylishly functional business look she had the day she was raped nearly five years ago.
The brutal sexual assault transformed Courtney into one of Orange County's most tireless advocates for victims' rights and a well-known Second Amendment activist who supports the right of women to defend themselves by using firearms as "equalizers." Her lipstick reapplied, Courtney pulled some neon-pink earplugs out of an Elizabeth Arden cosmetics case and wrapped her manicured fingers around the barrel of "Rock,'' her 9 mm Glock. "Oh, I forget to breathe," Courtney told instructor T.J. Johnston after firing at a target 15 feet away at Evan's Gunsmithing World in Orange. "Inhale as you bring (the gun) up, exhale and then fire," Johnston corrected her.
Courtney relishes her role as a "girly girl" shooter in a male-dominated arena, but her aim is dead serious. In addition to pushing to strengthenMegan's Law by requiring that information on convicted sex offenders be posted on the Internet, she advocates making it easier for Californians to obtain concealed-weapons permits. "This is about much more than me becoming proficient in firearms just for the hell of it," said Courtney, a 44-year- old mortgage broker. "This is about empowering women to be able to defend themselves, rather than becoming victims of crime. Sometime I get angry that I have to spend all this time doing (advocacy), but God puts good people in bad places sometimes to see how they handle the adversity, and to see if they will rise up to the challenge of helping others."
The Orange County Register does not identify victims of sexual assault, but Courtney granted permission for this story. Her desire to put a face on female victims of violent crime has won kudos. "She truly has a passion for changing the way victims are traditionally viewed, and her entire paradigm is turning victims into victors," says Judi Fouladi, a criminal-defense attorney who met Courtney through the Aliso Viejo Republican Women Federation. "Deborah's entire focus is assisting those who are primarily in a psychological state of extreme emotional trauma, and giving them a sense of hope and the future."
The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder when Courtney put her Glock back into her black nylon range bag, next to her gun belt with the rhinestone-flower buckle.
More here
NC GUN EVANGELIST
Ted Nugent, self-proclaimed "Mother Teresa with a Glock," appeared at Sunday's Dixie Deer Classic to deliver a "whack 'em and stack 'em" call to arms among American outdoorsmen. His "big bubba campfire" gave him a standing ovation. The three take-home lessons from "The Nuge":
* Persuade the state to legalize hunting on Sundays: "You can go to a topless bar on Sunday. Is that more religious?"
* Persuade everybody at work to be a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association: "If you're not a member of the NRA, you're no friend of mine."
* Persuade your kid's school principal to let you bring in an M16 to show-and-tell to teach children about environmental stewardship: "They will handle them. Will they handle them under your supervision or otherwise?"
Uncle Ted also had some advice for the kiddies. "Kids, you say that war is not the answer," the father of four intoned. "That's what Ozzy [Osbourne] says, and he's retarded." Nugent, an anti-drug rock guitarist and best-selling author of the cookbook "Kill It and Grill It," headlined the state's premier hunting expo, now in its 25th year. The weekend event showcased "high maintenance camo" -- camouflage designed for and by women -- and a gun sling invented by a father-and-son team. It wrapped up Sunday, with nearly 20,000 attendees, coinciding with the Woman's Club of Raleigh's Spring Antiques Show at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. Other featured speakers at the Classic included Charlton Heston's replacement at the NRA, Kayne Robinson, a fast-drawing handgun artist who can split playing cards mid-air, and a world-class wild game caller.
The Classic's sponsor, the Wake County Wildlife Club, had been working since 1999 to score Nugent, said admissions manager Larry Tysor, who helped negotiate the staunch conservative's $25,000 fee. Nugent said he would donate the fee to his Kamp for Kids in Brighton, Mich., where children can get certified in how to operate a bow. "He's the man that stands up for all of us," Tysor said. "All of us guys in sports."
Wearing a wild animal print sleeveless shirt, Nugent, 57, spewed venom about the "Dan Rather-ing going on out there against our rights to be part of the two-fanged law of the natural world," in between sips of bottled water. "Whenever you hear the words 'animal rights,' you just need to go out and kill a bunch of stuff," said Nugent, who keeps a laser-shooting rig in his dressing room.
Criticized by some as bloodthirsty and brash, the Motor City Madman, who lives in Crawford, Texas, and attended a private inaugural event for the president, says he's weighing a bid for governor of Michigan. After the 40-minute talk, John Dale Wiles, 7, of Elkin presented Nugent with a knife that his father carved out of a deer horn. Nugent promised to "get it bloody" and reminded the young hunter to do his chores. Later, he signed autographs for a line backed up to the wild turkey and water fowl feed stand. Rob Walker, a countertop installer in Raleigh wearing a patriotic windbreaker, camouflage pants and a baseball cap stitched with "Whackmaster," said Nugent refuses to candycoat the truth. "You don't like what Ted says, don't listen," said Walker, whose 6-year-old jams to Nugent's "Stranglehold."
More here
SAF applauds California appeals court dismissal of gun lawsuits: "The lawsuit had originally been dismissed by California Superior Court Judge Vincent P. DiFiglia in March 2003. The lawsuits, filed by Berkeley, Compton, Inglewood, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, and the counties of San Mateo and Alameda, alleged that gun makers engaged in unfair trade practices and that resulted in criminal misuse of firearms, causing a 'public nuisance.' The First Appellate District, Division One, in the Court of Appeals of the State of California upheld the dismissal."
It was shooting time, and Deborah Courtney politely excused herself to reapply her deep pink lipstick. She headed to the ladies room, black Prada purse in hand. She arrived at the indoor shooting range in a black suit and wine-colored blouse, patterned black nylons and black boots with 4-inch heels. Sort of the stylishly functional business look she had the day she was raped nearly five years ago.
The brutal sexual assault transformed Courtney into one of Orange County's most tireless advocates for victims' rights and a well-known Second Amendment activist who supports the right of women to defend themselves by using firearms as "equalizers." Her lipstick reapplied, Courtney pulled some neon-pink earplugs out of an Elizabeth Arden cosmetics case and wrapped her manicured fingers around the barrel of "Rock,'' her 9 mm Glock. "Oh, I forget to breathe," Courtney told instructor T.J. Johnston after firing at a target 15 feet away at Evan's Gunsmithing World in Orange. "Inhale as you bring (the gun) up, exhale and then fire," Johnston corrected her.
Courtney relishes her role as a "girly girl" shooter in a male-dominated arena, but her aim is dead serious. In addition to pushing to strengthenMegan's Law by requiring that information on convicted sex offenders be posted on the Internet, she advocates making it easier for Californians to obtain concealed-weapons permits. "This is about much more than me becoming proficient in firearms just for the hell of it," said Courtney, a 44-year- old mortgage broker. "This is about empowering women to be able to defend themselves, rather than becoming victims of crime. Sometime I get angry that I have to spend all this time doing (advocacy), but God puts good people in bad places sometimes to see how they handle the adversity, and to see if they will rise up to the challenge of helping others."
The Orange County Register does not identify victims of sexual assault, but Courtney granted permission for this story. Her desire to put a face on female victims of violent crime has won kudos. "She truly has a passion for changing the way victims are traditionally viewed, and her entire paradigm is turning victims into victors," says Judi Fouladi, a criminal-defense attorney who met Courtney through the Aliso Viejo Republican Women Federation. "Deborah's entire focus is assisting those who are primarily in a psychological state of extreme emotional trauma, and giving them a sense of hope and the future."
The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder when Courtney put her Glock back into her black nylon range bag, next to her gun belt with the rhinestone-flower buckle.
More here
NC GUN EVANGELIST
Ted Nugent, self-proclaimed "Mother Teresa with a Glock," appeared at Sunday's Dixie Deer Classic to deliver a "whack 'em and stack 'em" call to arms among American outdoorsmen. His "big bubba campfire" gave him a standing ovation. The three take-home lessons from "The Nuge":
* Persuade the state to legalize hunting on Sundays: "You can go to a topless bar on Sunday. Is that more religious?"
* Persuade everybody at work to be a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association: "If you're not a member of the NRA, you're no friend of mine."
* Persuade your kid's school principal to let you bring in an M16 to show-and-tell to teach children about environmental stewardship: "They will handle them. Will they handle them under your supervision or otherwise?"
Uncle Ted also had some advice for the kiddies. "Kids, you say that war is not the answer," the father of four intoned. "That's what Ozzy [Osbourne] says, and he's retarded." Nugent, an anti-drug rock guitarist and best-selling author of the cookbook "Kill It and Grill It," headlined the state's premier hunting expo, now in its 25th year. The weekend event showcased "high maintenance camo" -- camouflage designed for and by women -- and a gun sling invented by a father-and-son team. It wrapped up Sunday, with nearly 20,000 attendees, coinciding with the Woman's Club of Raleigh's Spring Antiques Show at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. Other featured speakers at the Classic included Charlton Heston's replacement at the NRA, Kayne Robinson, a fast-drawing handgun artist who can split playing cards mid-air, and a world-class wild game caller.
The Classic's sponsor, the Wake County Wildlife Club, had been working since 1999 to score Nugent, said admissions manager Larry Tysor, who helped negotiate the staunch conservative's $25,000 fee. Nugent said he would donate the fee to his Kamp for Kids in Brighton, Mich., where children can get certified in how to operate a bow. "He's the man that stands up for all of us," Tysor said. "All of us guys in sports."
Wearing a wild animal print sleeveless shirt, Nugent, 57, spewed venom about the "Dan Rather-ing going on out there against our rights to be part of the two-fanged law of the natural world," in between sips of bottled water. "Whenever you hear the words 'animal rights,' you just need to go out and kill a bunch of stuff," said Nugent, who keeps a laser-shooting rig in his dressing room.
Criticized by some as bloodthirsty and brash, the Motor City Madman, who lives in Crawford, Texas, and attended a private inaugural event for the president, says he's weighing a bid for governor of Michigan. After the 40-minute talk, John Dale Wiles, 7, of Elkin presented Nugent with a knife that his father carved out of a deer horn. Nugent promised to "get it bloody" and reminded the young hunter to do his chores. Later, he signed autographs for a line backed up to the wild turkey and water fowl feed stand. Rob Walker, a countertop installer in Raleigh wearing a patriotic windbreaker, camouflage pants and a baseball cap stitched with "Whackmaster," said Nugent refuses to candycoat the truth. "You don't like what Ted says, don't listen," said Walker, whose 6-year-old jams to Nugent's "Stranglehold."
More here
SAF applauds California appeals court dismissal of gun lawsuits: "The lawsuit had originally been dismissed by California Superior Court Judge Vincent P. DiFiglia in March 2003. The lawsuits, filed by Berkeley, Compton, Inglewood, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, and the counties of San Mateo and Alameda, alleged that gun makers engaged in unfair trade practices and that resulted in criminal misuse of firearms, causing a 'public nuisance.' The First Appellate District, Division One, in the Court of Appeals of the State of California upheld the dismissal."
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Observations on Weapons From Iraq
Email from a reader:
Picked up a copy of a one-off magazine called COMBAT ARMS this week. It's from the publishers of Guns & Ammo. Lot of good, interesting articles, including one titled "Iraq: Lessons From The Sandbox" by Richard Venola. He was given unfettered access to a bunch of Marines back from a tour there, to discuss weapons, what worked, what didn't, etc. Some of the more interesting excerpts:
"Twenty years later, the Beretta 92F is still here, like a party guest you were pressured to invite and who now won't leave. It works, is accepted, but unloved. Beretta's design doesn't seem to be the issue, and with 40,000 Crimson Trace Laser grips headed into the system, it's going to be significantly upgraded - but caliber IS the issue."
"What is notable about its (the AK 47) use in Iraq is the total lack of anything approaching aimed fire. Lance Corporal Isaac McKay put it simply: "They just stick it around the corner and that's it," he says Images from television invariably show insurgents doing 'spray and pray' or 'Beirut Offhand' on front of the TV cameras. Bob says he asked a former sergeant in the Medina division (now in the new Iraqi army) to demonstrate the proper technique for firing the AK. The Iran-Iraq and Desert Storm veteran put it on his hip and sprayed in a wide arc. Fortuantely for us, a lot of this has to do with Islamic fatalism, the 'If Allah wills it, it will hit' attitude."
"In Fallujah, Marines with ACOG-equipped M16A4s created a stir by taking so many head shots that until the wounds were closely examined, some observers thought the insurgents had been executed. Since then the Corps has split (as usual) into East Coast and West Coast schools. The Lejeunites want to go with a special DMR AR (SAM-R) variant with a free-floating barrel (some say in 6.8 mm SPC) while the Pendeltonians just want to put an ACOG on a regular M16A4"
"A man can see a window and hit it with iron sights, but a scope sees INTO that window and can hit a target inside."
"Troop leaders are concerned about the rise of an unusual and dangerous form of indiscipline: Men are failing to report serious wounds for fear of having to be medevace'd. Morale among the combat units is so high that men will risk courts-martial, maiming or death to stay with their buddies in the fight. How's that for a leadership challenge?"
"Such is the current public awe for snipers that the next generation of barroom BS artists will all say they were 'snipers with Recon' just as the RVN generation blowhards were all 'Green Berets working for the CIA'."
" 'Johnny Jihad likes a stand-up infantry fight,' says Bob. 'It's their macho thing.' According to others, the Jihadists like to squirt a burst at a patrol and then fall back if something heavier is fired back. But if the Americans swap rifle fire with them, they'll bunch up to encourage Achmed or whomever is doing the firing. Marines entertain them in this manner while they coordinate mortars and air support."
"Whatever you have noticed about the continuing fighting in the wake of 9/11, the part that stands out is the lopsided kill ratio. In this case, a lot of the credit goes to the drug war right here at home. Door kicking on crack houses has refined our urban entry techniques. The main differences are that the Iraqis don't have a pit bull and our guys aren't throwing stun grenades."
California: Guard Wroe weighs plea agreement: "Dameon K. Wroe has four days to make what might be the hardest decision of his life. The security guard, who fatally shot a man at a Rancho Cucamonga apartment complex, must choose by Wednesday whether to admit to a crime he doesn't believe he committed, or gamble at trial and risk decades behind bars. 'It's a deal where you need to think very long and very hard before you reject it,' a judge told him Friday. Wroe fatally shot 19-year-old Michael Krause Jr. at the Sycamore Springs Apartments in Rancho Cucamonga on New Year's Day 2004. Prosecutors allege Wroe shot Krause while Krause was following the guard's orders to leave the apartment's gated parking lot. Wroe, 33, claims he fired in self-defense after Krause twice tried to run him over with a pickup."
Arizona: Gun bill approved by Senate: "Carrying your loaded gun into a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol would be legal -- as long as you don't drink -- under a bill that passed Thursday in the Senate. 'There are already guns in bars and restaurants now, but they are brought in by the criminals,' said Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu, who supported Senate Bill 1363. 'If we don't allow law-abiding citizens to protect themselves, we're doing a great disservice to the public.' The bill passed by a vote of 17-11 and now moves on to the House where supporters are confident there are enough votes for passage. Last year a similar bill passed the House, but fell one vote short in the Senate."
Email from a reader:
Picked up a copy of a one-off magazine called COMBAT ARMS this week. It's from the publishers of Guns & Ammo. Lot of good, interesting articles, including one titled "Iraq: Lessons From The Sandbox" by Richard Venola. He was given unfettered access to a bunch of Marines back from a tour there, to discuss weapons, what worked, what didn't, etc. Some of the more interesting excerpts:
"Twenty years later, the Beretta 92F is still here, like a party guest you were pressured to invite and who now won't leave. It works, is accepted, but unloved. Beretta's design doesn't seem to be the issue, and with 40,000 Crimson Trace Laser grips headed into the system, it's going to be significantly upgraded - but caliber IS the issue."
"What is notable about its (the AK 47) use in Iraq is the total lack of anything approaching aimed fire. Lance Corporal Isaac McKay put it simply: "They just stick it around the corner and that's it," he says Images from television invariably show insurgents doing 'spray and pray' or 'Beirut Offhand' on front of the TV cameras. Bob says he asked a former sergeant in the Medina division (now in the new Iraqi army) to demonstrate the proper technique for firing the AK. The Iran-Iraq and Desert Storm veteran put it on his hip and sprayed in a wide arc. Fortuantely for us, a lot of this has to do with Islamic fatalism, the 'If Allah wills it, it will hit' attitude."
"In Fallujah, Marines with ACOG-equipped M16A4s created a stir by taking so many head shots that until the wounds were closely examined, some observers thought the insurgents had been executed. Since then the Corps has split (as usual) into East Coast and West Coast schools. The Lejeunites want to go with a special DMR AR (SAM-R) variant with a free-floating barrel (some say in 6.8 mm SPC) while the Pendeltonians just want to put an ACOG on a regular M16A4"
"A man can see a window and hit it with iron sights, but a scope sees INTO that window and can hit a target inside."
"Troop leaders are concerned about the rise of an unusual and dangerous form of indiscipline: Men are failing to report serious wounds for fear of having to be medevace'd. Morale among the combat units is so high that men will risk courts-martial, maiming or death to stay with their buddies in the fight. How's that for a leadership challenge?"
"Such is the current public awe for snipers that the next generation of barroom BS artists will all say they were 'snipers with Recon' just as the RVN generation blowhards were all 'Green Berets working for the CIA'."
" 'Johnny Jihad likes a stand-up infantry fight,' says Bob. 'It's their macho thing.' According to others, the Jihadists like to squirt a burst at a patrol and then fall back if something heavier is fired back. But if the Americans swap rifle fire with them, they'll bunch up to encourage Achmed or whomever is doing the firing. Marines entertain them in this manner while they coordinate mortars and air support."
"Whatever you have noticed about the continuing fighting in the wake of 9/11, the part that stands out is the lopsided kill ratio. In this case, a lot of the credit goes to the drug war right here at home. Door kicking on crack houses has refined our urban entry techniques. The main differences are that the Iraqis don't have a pit bull and our guys aren't throwing stun grenades."
California: Guard Wroe weighs plea agreement: "Dameon K. Wroe has four days to make what might be the hardest decision of his life. The security guard, who fatally shot a man at a Rancho Cucamonga apartment complex, must choose by Wednesday whether to admit to a crime he doesn't believe he committed, or gamble at trial and risk decades behind bars. 'It's a deal where you need to think very long and very hard before you reject it,' a judge told him Friday. Wroe fatally shot 19-year-old Michael Krause Jr. at the Sycamore Springs Apartments in Rancho Cucamonga on New Year's Day 2004. Prosecutors allege Wroe shot Krause while Krause was following the guard's orders to leave the apartment's gated parking lot. Wroe, 33, claims he fired in self-defense after Krause twice tried to run him over with a pickup."
Arizona: Gun bill approved by Senate: "Carrying your loaded gun into a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol would be legal -- as long as you don't drink -- under a bill that passed Thursday in the Senate. 'There are already guns in bars and restaurants now, but they are brought in by the criminals,' said Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu, who supported Senate Bill 1363. 'If we don't allow law-abiding citizens to protect themselves, we're doing a great disservice to the public.' The bill passed by a vote of 17-11 and now moves on to the House where supporters are confident there are enough votes for passage. Last year a similar bill passed the House, but fell one vote short in the Senate."
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
GUN PROTECTS A 93 YEAR OLD
John P. Thomas Jr. retired from the Oakland Police Department almost 40 years ago, but that didn't stop him from taking action March 1 when two men made two separate attempts to break into his East Oakland house. "I was sitting here in the front room around quarter after three, and I saw this van pull up," Thomas said Friday, recalling how his police instincts kicked in. "Something told this old retired policeman to go out and get the license number.And then I sat down again and started reading the sports page." While he was reading, the doorbell began to ring repeatedly. Said Thomas, a widower who lives alone: "The next thing I know, these two guys are going into my back yard."
Thomas saw them go behind his house and then heard a sound at his window just five feet away. "I heard it first and then saw them fooling around with the window," he said. "I knocked once, and they ran." Despite the pair's quick retreat, Thomas' day was far from over. Both men eventually returned and began prying off the screen.
He got his service pistol from his bedroom, "the one that was issued in 1943," Thomas said. "I got me a gun out of retirement � like me." Thomas left his house through the back and began to walk toward the men, gun in hand. "Somehow or other they smelled me," he said. The men saw Thomas coming and ran away. Thomas called 9-1-1 to report what happened and provide a license plate number for the van.
Source
A GREAT SUCCESS FOR CANADIAN GUN CONTROL
A bagpiper played �Amazing Grace� and flags flew at half-staff Friday as Canadians grappled with the deadliest attack on police officers in 120 years, after four Mounties were slain during a raid on a marijuana farm in a rural western hamlet. The slayings stunned a nation that prides itself on far fewer acts of gun violence than its neighbor to the south. �Canadians are shocked by this brutality and join me in condemning the violent acts that brought about these deaths,� Prime Minister Paul Martin said. He has called for a moment of silence before opening his Liberal Party�s annual conference later Friday.
The four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers had been investigating a farm in Mayerthorpe, a small hamlet of some 1,300 people in western Alberta province. Spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the four Mounties and the suspected gunman were found in a Quonset hut on the farm late Thursday. A government source told The Canadian Press the suspect killed himself after shooting the officers..... The suspect was identified by police as 46-year-old James Roszko. Authorities said he had a long criminal record, including the use of illegal firearms and sexual assault. Oakes said the Mounties were investigating reports of stolen property and marijuana on Roszko�s property.
More here
John P. Thomas Jr. retired from the Oakland Police Department almost 40 years ago, but that didn't stop him from taking action March 1 when two men made two separate attempts to break into his East Oakland house. "I was sitting here in the front room around quarter after three, and I saw this van pull up," Thomas said Friday, recalling how his police instincts kicked in. "Something told this old retired policeman to go out and get the license number.And then I sat down again and started reading the sports page." While he was reading, the doorbell began to ring repeatedly. Said Thomas, a widower who lives alone: "The next thing I know, these two guys are going into my back yard."
Thomas saw them go behind his house and then heard a sound at his window just five feet away. "I heard it first and then saw them fooling around with the window," he said. "I knocked once, and they ran." Despite the pair's quick retreat, Thomas' day was far from over. Both men eventually returned and began prying off the screen.
He got his service pistol from his bedroom, "the one that was issued in 1943," Thomas said. "I got me a gun out of retirement � like me." Thomas left his house through the back and began to walk toward the men, gun in hand. "Somehow or other they smelled me," he said. The men saw Thomas coming and ran away. Thomas called 9-1-1 to report what happened and provide a license plate number for the van.
Source
A GREAT SUCCESS FOR CANADIAN GUN CONTROL
A bagpiper played �Amazing Grace� and flags flew at half-staff Friday as Canadians grappled with the deadliest attack on police officers in 120 years, after four Mounties were slain during a raid on a marijuana farm in a rural western hamlet. The slayings stunned a nation that prides itself on far fewer acts of gun violence than its neighbor to the south. �Canadians are shocked by this brutality and join me in condemning the violent acts that brought about these deaths,� Prime Minister Paul Martin said. He has called for a moment of silence before opening his Liberal Party�s annual conference later Friday.
The four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers had been investigating a farm in Mayerthorpe, a small hamlet of some 1,300 people in western Alberta province. Spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the four Mounties and the suspected gunman were found in a Quonset hut on the farm late Thursday. A government source told The Canadian Press the suspect killed himself after shooting the officers..... The suspect was identified by police as 46-year-old James Roszko. Authorities said he had a long criminal record, including the use of illegal firearms and sexual assault. Oakes said the Mounties were investigating reports of stolen property and marijuana on Roszko�s property.
More here
Monday, March 07, 2005
Texas: Bar owner shoots and kills suspected burglar in parking lot "A bar owner apparently shot and killed an alleged would-be burglar at his business early Monday morning. Harris County Sheriff's deputies were called to the Circle M Bar and Grill on Telge at 5am. Before they got there, the call was upgraded to a shooting. Deputies arrived to find Kevin Miller, 22, in the parking lot. He had been shot in the stomach. The bar owner, Robert Mitchell, was also in the parking lot, armed with a pistol. Miller was taken to Cy-Fair Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Deputies say Mitchell, who lives nearby the bar, was responding to a burglar alarm at the business when he encountered Miller. The two apparently had a confrontation in the parking lot, and Miller was shot several times."
Maine picks on gun owners: "A gun and ammunition tax that would create a fund to increase security at the state's courthouses has been proposed by several members of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee. The 7 percent tax would be in addition to the 5 percent state sales tax that consumers already pay when they buy guns and ammunition from licensed dealers in the state. George Smith, executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, said on Monday that while the organization supports improved security at courthouses, it would oppose the bill. "Making law abiding citizens who are gun owners pay the entire cost of something that serves all the people is the wrong approach," he said. "I can't see any justification in this particular funding source. Why not knives and other items?"
South Africa: Last chance for illegal gun owners: "Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula says people in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition have until the end of this month to hand these to the police. The amnesty that entails indemnity against prosecution for possessing firearms and ammunition illegally commenced 1 January and will end on 31 March. The Minister said there had since been a steady flow of firearms and ammunition handed in at police stations across the country. In this regard, about 5 395 illegal guns had been confiscated, 2 787 found and 7 881 were brought to the police voluntarily."
Maine picks on gun owners: "A gun and ammunition tax that would create a fund to increase security at the state's courthouses has been proposed by several members of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee. The 7 percent tax would be in addition to the 5 percent state sales tax that consumers already pay when they buy guns and ammunition from licensed dealers in the state. George Smith, executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, said on Monday that while the organization supports improved security at courthouses, it would oppose the bill. "Making law abiding citizens who are gun owners pay the entire cost of something that serves all the people is the wrong approach," he said. "I can't see any justification in this particular funding source. Why not knives and other items?"
South Africa: Last chance for illegal gun owners: "Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula says people in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition have until the end of this month to hand these to the police. The amnesty that entails indemnity against prosecution for possessing firearms and ammunition illegally commenced 1 January and will end on 31 March. The Minister said there had since been a steady flow of firearms and ammunition handed in at police stations across the country. In this regard, about 5 395 illegal guns had been confiscated, 2 787 found and 7 881 were brought to the police voluntarily."
Sunday, March 06, 2005
FED UP STORE-CLERK HITS BACK
"A convenience store clerk who shot and killed a robber Wednesday night had a relative who was shot and killed while working at a different store a few months ago. Around 11 p.m. Wednesday a clerk at Midtown Food Mart on Berryhill Road near the intersection of Freedom Drive shot and killed a suspected robber. According to police, Jamie Mareno, 26, had just robbed the store when the clerk shot him. Mareno died on the way to the hospital. Investigators say so far the clerk has not been charged. According to a police report, Mareno was armed with a handgun.
A clerk working at the store Thursday said the owner and his son were working during the robbery. He was not sure which one pulled the trigger. He also told us about the relative who was shot during a robbery in January at the Midtown Food Mart on Shamrock Road. He said the relative died after spending a month in the hospital. "They aren't hurting anyone. They're doing a good thing having a store in the neighborhood," one regular customer of the store said Thursday. "With their uncle being shot, they're just fed up." "Who wants to be robbed? They could have been killed," said customer Latoya Graham. "You can't trust people with guns."
Police are still looking for a suspect in the January incident where the clerk was shot and killed. It will be up to the DA to decide if charges should be filed in Wednesday's shooting.
This is the second time in less than a week police are investigating a robbery that ended with a suspect shot and killed. Three masked men armed with guns stormed a shoe store on East Sugar Creek Road and took cash from the register and started to rob customers. The manager pulled out his own gun and shot two of the robbers. One of the suspects was killed and the other was seriously hurt. Police are still looking for the third robber and the manager is moving out of the state because he is worried about retaliation".
Source
Prosecutors craved a token victory: "A former cab driver has pleaded guilty to a weapons charge for fatally shooting a passenger who had slashed his throat with scissors during a robbery. The case of John Lutters, 46, of Seymour, had reached the State Supreme Court after a judge ruled that the taxi driver did not need a gun permit while on the job. The prosecution had acknowledged that Lutters acted in self-defense and called the killing justified, but continued to pursue the weapon charge. Lutters avoided having to serve any prison time, according to the terms of the plea bargain agreement. He will be on conditional discharge for two years."
Non-fatal weapon opposed. How kind!: "Scientists have reacted angrily to the revelation that the US military is funding development of a weapon intended to deliver an 'excrutiating bout of pain' from over a mile away. The 'Pulsed Energy Projectile' (PEP) device 'fires a laser pulse that generates a burst of expanding plasma when it hits something solid,' the New Scientist explains. If you happen to be that something solid, then you get temporarily incapacitated without suffering permanent injury. That's the theory, but pain reasearchers fear that the proposed riot control weapon could be used for torture, and further doubt a solid ethical basis for the research. Andrew Rice, a consultant in pain medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, said: 'Even if the use of temporary severe pain can be justified as a restraining measure, which I do not believe it can, the long-term physical and psychological effects are unknown.'"
"A convenience store clerk who shot and killed a robber Wednesday night had a relative who was shot and killed while working at a different store a few months ago. Around 11 p.m. Wednesday a clerk at Midtown Food Mart on Berryhill Road near the intersection of Freedom Drive shot and killed a suspected robber. According to police, Jamie Mareno, 26, had just robbed the store when the clerk shot him. Mareno died on the way to the hospital. Investigators say so far the clerk has not been charged. According to a police report, Mareno was armed with a handgun.
A clerk working at the store Thursday said the owner and his son were working during the robbery. He was not sure which one pulled the trigger. He also told us about the relative who was shot during a robbery in January at the Midtown Food Mart on Shamrock Road. He said the relative died after spending a month in the hospital. "They aren't hurting anyone. They're doing a good thing having a store in the neighborhood," one regular customer of the store said Thursday. "With their uncle being shot, they're just fed up." "Who wants to be robbed? They could have been killed," said customer Latoya Graham. "You can't trust people with guns."
Police are still looking for a suspect in the January incident where the clerk was shot and killed. It will be up to the DA to decide if charges should be filed in Wednesday's shooting.
This is the second time in less than a week police are investigating a robbery that ended with a suspect shot and killed. Three masked men armed with guns stormed a shoe store on East Sugar Creek Road and took cash from the register and started to rob customers. The manager pulled out his own gun and shot two of the robbers. One of the suspects was killed and the other was seriously hurt. Police are still looking for the third robber and the manager is moving out of the state because he is worried about retaliation".
Source
Prosecutors craved a token victory: "A former cab driver has pleaded guilty to a weapons charge for fatally shooting a passenger who had slashed his throat with scissors during a robbery. The case of John Lutters, 46, of Seymour, had reached the State Supreme Court after a judge ruled that the taxi driver did not need a gun permit while on the job. The prosecution had acknowledged that Lutters acted in self-defense and called the killing justified, but continued to pursue the weapon charge. Lutters avoided having to serve any prison time, according to the terms of the plea bargain agreement. He will be on conditional discharge for two years."
Non-fatal weapon opposed. How kind!: "Scientists have reacted angrily to the revelation that the US military is funding development of a weapon intended to deliver an 'excrutiating bout of pain' from over a mile away. The 'Pulsed Energy Projectile' (PEP) device 'fires a laser pulse that generates a burst of expanding plasma when it hits something solid,' the New Scientist explains. If you happen to be that something solid, then you get temporarily incapacitated without suffering permanent injury. That's the theory, but pain reasearchers fear that the proposed riot control weapon could be used for torture, and further doubt a solid ethical basis for the research. Andrew Rice, a consultant in pain medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, said: 'Even if the use of temporary severe pain can be justified as a restraining measure, which I do not believe it can, the long-term physical and psychological effects are unknown.'"
Saturday, March 05, 2005
S.F. FOLLY: AN ARGUMENT FROM REAL-LIFE
San Francisco gun banners would put residents at the mercy of thugs and drug dealers, and the proof lies just across the bay in Oakland, where a local resident there has had to defend himself for trying to help rid his neighborhood of criminals, according to the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). CCRKBA points to the case of Patrick McCullough, who recently was surrounded on his property by a gang of about 15 young thugs. Several of them reportedly punched him, one apparently hit him with a tree branch, and a 17-year-old allegedly reached for a gun. That's when McCullough drew his own gun and shot the teen in the arm. McCullough, who has no criminal history, was arrested on suspicion of felony assault.
"Police reportedly see McCullough as a good citizen who stands up to drug dealers," said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron. "The chairman of a local crime prevention group is urging prosecutors not to charge McCullough. They do not want to see their community turned over to criminals, and prosecuting McCullough sends the wrong signal.
"Yet, across the bay," Waldron continued, "a handful of San Francisco supervisors are sending just such a signal by putting an issue on the ballot to ban handguns. They might as well be telling every honest, law-abiding San Franciscan to move because they're turning over the city to rapists, robbers, burglars, drug dealers and street criminals. And woe be unto any San Francisco resident who tries to defend himself or herself with a firearm.
"It's crazy," Waldron said about the ballot issue. "Bad enough that in Oakland, Mr. McCullough may have to defend himself in court for defending himself against a mob of thugs, but over in San Francisco, citizens won't even have that option. The supervisors want to disarm citizens, leaving them defenseless against an emboldened criminal element. And they'll get bolder, because they know there will be nothing to stop them beyond an outnumbered police force that will be literally overwhelmed when citizens can no longer fight back on their own.
"Gun bans have never accomplished anything, other than to create a safe working environment for criminals," Waldron concluded. "Lunatics may not be running asylums, but fools definitely appear to be in charge in San Francisco. Ultimately, the public will suffer for their folly."
Source
Not time for gunowners to relax: "With the sunsetting of the 1994 'Assault Weapons Ban' there may be fewer firearms restrictions on the federal level, but gunowners can't relax yet. Well-organized state level gun-prohibitionists are taking up where the feds left off, proposing and enacting draconian laws restricting your rights. ... [instances in California, Iowa, Oregon, Maryland, Washington state and New York cited] ... This is not a coincidence by any stretch of the imagination. No, this is a deliberate, coordinated attack on YOUR right to bear arms."
New Hampshire: Right to bear arms has no legal legs here: "Twenty, maybe even 10 years ago, a high school yearbook photograph of a student with his hunting or trap-shooting guns wouldn't have raised many eyebrows. One might say those were days of relative innocence. But those days are no more., Not since Columbine. Not since 9/11. Consequently, a Londonderry High School skeet-shooter lost his federal court suit, and won't have his senior portrait published in the yearbook with a gun in his arms."
San Francisco gun banners would put residents at the mercy of thugs and drug dealers, and the proof lies just across the bay in Oakland, where a local resident there has had to defend himself for trying to help rid his neighborhood of criminals, according to the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). CCRKBA points to the case of Patrick McCullough, who recently was surrounded on his property by a gang of about 15 young thugs. Several of them reportedly punched him, one apparently hit him with a tree branch, and a 17-year-old allegedly reached for a gun. That's when McCullough drew his own gun and shot the teen in the arm. McCullough, who has no criminal history, was arrested on suspicion of felony assault.
"Police reportedly see McCullough as a good citizen who stands up to drug dealers," said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron. "The chairman of a local crime prevention group is urging prosecutors not to charge McCullough. They do not want to see their community turned over to criminals, and prosecuting McCullough sends the wrong signal.
"Yet, across the bay," Waldron continued, "a handful of San Francisco supervisors are sending just such a signal by putting an issue on the ballot to ban handguns. They might as well be telling every honest, law-abiding San Franciscan to move because they're turning over the city to rapists, robbers, burglars, drug dealers and street criminals. And woe be unto any San Francisco resident who tries to defend himself or herself with a firearm.
"It's crazy," Waldron said about the ballot issue. "Bad enough that in Oakland, Mr. McCullough may have to defend himself in court for defending himself against a mob of thugs, but over in San Francisco, citizens won't even have that option. The supervisors want to disarm citizens, leaving them defenseless against an emboldened criminal element. And they'll get bolder, because they know there will be nothing to stop them beyond an outnumbered police force that will be literally overwhelmed when citizens can no longer fight back on their own.
"Gun bans have never accomplished anything, other than to create a safe working environment for criminals," Waldron concluded. "Lunatics may not be running asylums, but fools definitely appear to be in charge in San Francisco. Ultimately, the public will suffer for their folly."
Source
Not time for gunowners to relax: "With the sunsetting of the 1994 'Assault Weapons Ban' there may be fewer firearms restrictions on the federal level, but gunowners can't relax yet. Well-organized state level gun-prohibitionists are taking up where the feds left off, proposing and enacting draconian laws restricting your rights. ... [instances in California, Iowa, Oregon, Maryland, Washington state and New York cited] ... This is not a coincidence by any stretch of the imagination. No, this is a deliberate, coordinated attack on YOUR right to bear arms."
New Hampshire: Right to bear arms has no legal legs here: "Twenty, maybe even 10 years ago, a high school yearbook photograph of a student with his hunting or trap-shooting guns wouldn't have raised many eyebrows. One might say those were days of relative innocence. But those days are no more., Not since Columbine. Not since 9/11. Consequently, a Londonderry High School skeet-shooter lost his federal court suit, and won't have his senior portrait published in the yearbook with a gun in his arms."
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