Tuesday, June 30, 2009



Kansas: Clerk kills would-be robber and critically wounds another: "A Kansas City, Kan., corner-store clerk fought back when two men tried to rob him tonight, shooting and killing one suspect and critically injuring the other, police said. Officers were called to the 5th Avenue Convenience Mart at Fifth Street and Quindaro Boulevard shortly before 7 p.m., Officer Mike Golden said. The clerk told them two men with long guns entered the store and demanded money, Golden said. When one of the suspects fired a shot, the clerk grabbed a handgun from behind the counter and shot both suspects. One ran halfway up the block before collapsing, dropping a gun in the middle of Quindaro. An ambulance took him to a hospital, but he died before arriving, Golden said. The second suspect made it slightly farther and went to the hospital in a private vehicle. The clerk, mildly injured in the scuffle, was checked by paramedics at the scene."


North Carolina: Business owner shoots intruder: "A store owner shot and wounded a man who broke into his business on West Fifth Street Monday morning, police said. The names of the men involved were not available. The shooting was reported between 3 and 4 a.m. at The Auction House, said Lt. Johnny Barnes of the Lumberton Police Department. The man who broke in threatened the store owner with a tire iron, Barnes said. The owner then shot the man in the leg, Barnes said. The wounded man was taken to Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Barnes said. The wounded man will be charged with breaking and entering, Barnes said. The district attorney will decide if any charges should be filed against the business owner, Barnes said."


North Carolina: Homeowner wounds would-be burglar: "A homeowner fired a shotgun after two people broke into his home on N.C. 54 early Monday and hit one of the suspects in the arm. The gun scared the two men away, and one of them, 36-year-old Randy Stewart, of Morningside Drive, Burlington, showed up at Alamance Regional Medical later, according to an Alamance County Sheriff's Department news release. The incident happened at about 12:30 a.m. Monday at a home on N.C. 54. The home owner, John Davis, told authorities that sometime after midnight he and his girlfriend were awakened by the dog barking. They heard noises outside the door of the home. When Davis got out of bed to investigate, the two suspects allegedly shattered the door and entered the house. "The victim was then confronted by the suspects as they proceeded through the kitchen of the residence," the release states. "At that point, Mr. Davis had armed himself with a shotgun. As the suspects advanced toward him, he fired the weapon." Both suspects left the home. The investigation is ongoing. The sheriff's department plans to confer with the District Attorney's office, but it is unlikely that Davis will be charged."


Oklahoma: Shop Owner Shoots Would-Be Robber: "A jewelry store owner in Oklahoma City opened fire on a would-be robber on Thursday, sending him to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. Police said they were called to the scene of a shooting at Northwest 23rd Street and Villa Avenue. “When officers arrived at this location, they did find evidence that there was some type of shooting inside this door,” said Oklahoma City police Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow. “Shots were fired.” Police said they believe the clerk pulled out a gun from behind the counter just after the robbery began. They said the clerk told them they thought he hit the would-be robber at least once. No one else in the store was hurt. Officers said the would-be robber ran out of the store and got into a vehicle that was waiting for him. The driver of that car took the man to the hospital, where he was listed in critical condition late Thursday. Police said they were looking for a maroon or dark red Chevrolet HHR with Oklahoma license plate number 762XNR. They said the driver was a black female wearing glasses and a pink shirt who had her hair pulled back. Police urged anyone who saw this woman not to approach her and to call police instead."

Monday, June 29, 2009



SC: Man killed in club shooting: "Colleton County recorded its seventh homicide early Saturday when a man was shot inside a rural night spot. Lamont Truesdale, 31, of Jacksonboro, was shot with a handgun at a place known as "Leon's" in the Round-O area. The call came in around 3:30 a.m. "When we got there, a male subject had been shot by another male subject, and he was still on the scene," said Sheriff George Malone. Elijah Martin, 58, of Cottageville was charged with murder and was being held in the county jail, Malone said. While the case is being investigated as a homicide, Martin has made a claim of self-defense, the sheriff reported. At least two guns were recovered. The shooting is not being investigated as gang-related or in connection to the other string of shootings in the county this year. Malone said he did not know if Leon's is a licensed club, but that several people were inside at the time of the shooting. [Another report says that the dead man had just robbed the club, so the self-defense claim could well have substance]


CA: Home invasion robber fatally shot: "A homeowner fatally shot a home invasion robber Sunday morning. Riverside County Sheriff's deputies responded at 8:11 a.m. to a shots fired call in the 3100 block of Chardoney Way, according to a sheriff's news release. When they arrived, they found a dead man lying in the street. Homicide investigators learned that the deceased and a female suspect attempted a home invasion robbery at the house. The suspect struggled with the homeowners and dropped his gun during the fight, authorities said. One of the homeowners picked it up and shot him. The suspect attempted to run away but collapsed and died outside the house. The suspect's identity has not yet been released. He has been described by the Riverside County Coroner's office as a 24-year-old Costa Mesa man. The female suspect fled before deputies arrived, authorities said. Sheriff's officials did not have a description of her. No one has been arrested and the incident is under investigation."


OR: Victims, bystanders wrestle suspect to the ground: "Police arrested a second gunman and a getaway driver suspected of being accomplices to a man already in custody after an alleged attempted robbery Tuesday, June 23, of La Tapatia Market, at 18330 S.E. Stark St. Employees and patrons of the Hispanic grocery nabbed one of the gunman, a 17-year-old male, and held him until police arrived. The second alleged gunman, Lindsen L. Charles, 36, of Gresham ran to a vehicle allegedly driven by Erica C. Perez, 32, of Portland, and fled east on Stark Street. Following accurate descriptions by witnesses and several leads, Charles and Perez were arrested at 3:47 p.m. Tuesday afternoon as they attempted to drive away from a residence in Fairview. Both of the suspects are being charged with robbery in the first degree with a firearm. The 17-year-old is facing alleged charges of robbery in the first degree with a firearm and attempted murder. The two men entered the market at 10:53 a.m. and demanded cash, said Sgt. Mike LeDuc, Gresham police spokesman. Employees handed over an undisclosed amount of money and the gunmen fled out the rear service entrance. Several patrons and employees chased after the robber and the 17-year-old fired a shotgun at an employee. The employee was not injured. In fact, he and several others wrestled the shotgun from the young man. Nobody was injured in the robbery.


Gun control: What is the agenda?: "Some years or decades ago, I researched and reported on the Sullivan Act, one of America’s first gun control laws. New York State Senator Timothy Sullivan, a corrupt Tammany Hall politician, controlled New York’s Lower East Side. Commercial travelers passing through the district would be relieved of their valuables by armed robbers. In order to protect themselves and their property, travelers armed themselves. This raised the risk of, and reduced the profit from, robbery. Sullivan’s outlaw constituents demanded that Sullivan introduce a law that would prohibit concealed carry of pistols, blackjacks, and daggers, thus reducing the risk to robbers from armed victims. The criminals, of course, were already breaking the law and had no intention of being deterred by the Sullivan Act from their business activity of armed robbery. Thus, the effect of the Sullivan Act was precisely what the criminals intended. It made their life of crime easier. As the first successful gun control advocates were criminals, I have often wondered what agenda lies behind the well-organized and propagandistic gun control organizations and their donors and sponsors in the US today. The propaganda issued by these organizations consists of transparent lies".

Sunday, June 28, 2009



SC: Icecream robber caught: "A man from Bath was arrested for robbing Twisters Ice Cream Shop on 421 in Bath just after 6:45 Saturday night. Witnesses said the suspect walked into the store armed with a gun and demanded money from the employee. He was given an undisclosed amount before being confronted by the owner's son Shannon Labord. The suspect shot at Labord hitting the counter. Labord fired back and chased the suspect while firing several more shots to a near by trailer. 23 year old Joey Taylor was arrested. He is charged with armed robbery, assault and battery with intent to kill and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime. No one was injured during the incident.


Would-be robber severely beaten after choosing wrong victims: "A burglar who broke into a Lehigh Acres, Florida home wound up bloodied and bruised. The homeowners say he picked the wrong couple to mess with. Deputies say two men broke into the home around 1 a.m. Monday. One of them pointed a gun right at the resident's face while he was still in bed. "He screamed at me, 'Don't move! Don't move!' with vulgarities involved - that wasn't happening in my house. He came to the wrong party," said the victim, who wished to remain unidentified. The victim is a retired special operations officer for the Coast Guard. His fiancé, who was also in bed, is a former maximum security corrections officer. The male victim and one of the suspects got in a fight as they were both trying to get control of the gun. When the victim and the suspect were fighting in the corner of the bedroom, a shot fired from the gun went through the wall, through the medicine cabinet, and right into the bathroom mirror. When that shot was fired, the other suspect ran out of the house. Meanwhile, the victim's fiancé grabbed their own rifle and turned toward the other burglar. She beat him so hard with the gun that the rifle broke in two. Then the male victim got a hold of the suspect's gun. "At that point I was going to take his life and he begged for his life, 'I don't want to die, I don't want to die, please don't kill me. Let me go,'" said the victim. That's when he took the suspect outside and bashed his head into a truck before he ran away."


Ejected shotgun round lets victim get away: "Iowa City police say an accidental ejection of a shotgun round may have allowed a potential shooting victim to get away unharmed. Officers responded to the 900 block of Cross Park Avenue at 3:18 a.m. Thursday after receiving a 911 call that five males jumped out of a van armed with a shotgun, according to a criminal complaint. The victim said William T. Wright, 18, of 2218 Davis St. in Iowa City, brandished the shotgun and pointed it at the victim, according to police. Wright, who also goes by Rudy, then racked the shotgun and was prepared to fire when a round ejected, causing a temporary distraction that allowed the victim to run away, according to police. An independent witness corroborated the victim’s statements, police say. The victim said he believed he would have been shot had the round not accidentally ejected, according to police. Wright was in Johnson County Jail Friday morning on a $10,000 cash-only bond. He faces charges of intimidation with dangerous weapon, a Class C felony, and going armed with intent, a Class D felony.


Gun Control: Sotomayor and citizen authority: “Let me emphasize again as I have over the last several years, that what it is about guns isn’t even about guns. It is about carrying our own burdens in independence from our own public servants. … Senators who intend to grill Sotomayor when the nominee hearings begin in July should be contacted with specific issues to be brought up. This is because gun owners understand that the Second Amendment is a reflection of the overall health of our nation; it is a reflection of whether officials (such as Justices) respect liberty and our little need for the State and how we prefer it that way.”


MA: One-Gun-A-Month Law

Here's a ridiculous gun control plan out of Massachusetts that appears to be based on the unsupported belief that licensed gun owners in the state are regularly selling their weapons to street criminals.
"An Act to Reduce Firearm Violence," (H4102), an insulting, anti-gun bill filed by Governor Deval Patrick, will do nothing of the sort. The bill is just another smokescreen by the governor to divert attention away from failed social programs and a failed criminal justice system, which refuses to keep hardened, gun-wielding criminals behind bars, where they belong. The bill only infringes upon our constitutional rights and will cause increased hardship for law-abiding citizens who own guns for hunting, the shooting sports and home protection.

A section of the bill is the "One-gun-a-month" clause that would imprison lawful citizens for purchasing — or for a licensed firearm retailer for selling to a licensed citizen — more than one rifle, shotgun or handgun in a 30-day period.

Sniveling gun-grabbers, with nothing but empty space between their ears, say that limiting law-abiding gun owners to buying only one gun per month will put an end to gun-trafficking — and it lights a fire in my belly. So, us law-abiding gun owners who go through the expensive and unconstitutional licensing process and endure the lengthy procedure and paperwork to buy our guns at licensed gun dealers — are turning around and selling those guns to gang-bangers to commit murder with?

Patrick says we are risking our lives, families, jobs, reputations, our passion for hunting and the shooting sports and taking a chance on spending years in jail (please send soap on a rope) — by selling our souls for a few hundred bucks to some street punk? It's one of the worst insults Patrick has hurled at us law-abiding citizens yet and I think he should offer us a public and written apology.
And, there's more. The bill would make it illegal for legal gun owners to sell guns to other legal gun owners. Instead, all transactions will have to be performed through a licensed gun dealer with, of course, payment of a government fee. More at the link.

Saturday, June 27, 2009



Michigan: Neighborhood watch president shoots, kills dog; its owner disputes the need: "Tensions are high on a Saginaw street where the neighborhood watch president shot and killed his neighbor's dog. Jose Barajas, Southwest Saginaw Neighborhood Association president, told police he shot Onyx, a 50-plus-pound pit bull and shar-pei mix, with a 40-caliber Glock after the dog broke its chain and charged him at 1223 Maple on June 18. Barajas said he was working outside the house next door when he heard a resident crying for help. Diana M. Fick, 52, said she was mowing her backyard about 7:30 p.m. when neighbor Samantha A. Griffus' dog lunged at her. Fick said Onyx perched atop the tailgate shell and jumped off toward her, breaking his chain. She said she screamed for the owner and used the lawnmower as a buffer to keep the dog at bay. Griffus didn't hear her, but Barajas did. When the dog turned on him, he said he shot it two times. Barajas "didn't have an option," Fick said "He popped him." Griffus, 19, said the dog was on a 10-foot chain attached to a tailgate shell on the lawn. She said Barajas had no right to shoot her dog because it hadn't left her property. Saginaw police investigated and cleared Barajas".


FL: More practice needed: "After her father's store, Bob's Coins & Jewelry, was burglarized twice, and after hearing about jewelry stores being robbed recently in Ocala, Vickie Buxton decided to take precautions. Buxton, general manager at the store, took concealed weapons classes and armed herself with guns she keeps at the business in case she encounters an intruder. She did not have to wait long. While working at the store, at 17860 S.E. 109th Ave., Suite 621, on Thursday, Buxton shot at a thief after the man entered the building with a hammer, broke a glass case and escaped with an official Vatican Treasury gold medallion worth $20,000. She said before the robber entered the store, "The vehicle sat in front for several minutes, and then it drove around the parking lot some more." Then, she said, the suspect approached the business and pulled a bandana up to his face. "I yell, 'Gun!,' meaning my employees know I'm going for the gun," she said. As the robber entered the store, Buxton said she told him, "I'm going to shoot." The man ignored her and smashed a display glass that contained coins. Buxton tried to fire a .380-caliber handgun, but the weapon misfired. The robber grabbed the medallion and as he was heading out the door, Buxton again tried to fire the gun, but it misfired a second time. Buxton successfully fired a third shot, which struck the back of the SUV."


Crooked Australian police lose 'gun fight' with collector: "A South Grafton man who successfully sued the NSW Police for destroying seven of his firearms is at least $10,000 out of pocket and angry at the waste of public money spent to thwart his quest for compensation. Kevin Hebron was awarded $12,500 compensation for the lost guns, which included an almost irreplaceable antique double-barrelled Italian shotgun, during a civil hearing at Maclean Court on Wednesday. The trouble for Mr Hebron, a keen target shooter and hunter, began in 2006 when he attended a pistol shooting event in Byron Bay. Prior to the event Mr Hebron's four-wheel-drive was parked in a private, locked carpark when police were called. They noticed a Glock pistol in the rear of his vehicle and believed he was in breach of firearm safety rules. They seized the pistol and contacted Grafton police, who confiscated the firearms stored at his home. Ironically for Mr Hebron, police returned the Glock pistol, which was in minor breach of firearms safety rules, but destroyed the other guns which had been legally stored at his home.... Despite agreeing to a sum that puts him out of pocket, Mr Hebron is delighted to put the battle behind him. “This is the end of the matter. I've had more than enough of the legal system,” Mr Hebron said yesterday of his court experiences. The absence of a paper trail for the destroyed weapons also dismayed Mr Hebron. “After the firearms breach matter was settled at Byron Bay, police told me I could go to Grafton and get my guns back,” he said. But when he arrived and presented the property receipt for the guns, he was told they had been destroyed. He said he couldn't get paperwork from either the police or the Firearms Registry about the destruction of the guns." [Some cop probably still has them]


CA: Hunter spearheads amendment to reopen MCAS shotgun range: "The lead issue shut down the public shotgun range at Miramar's Marine Corps Air Station, but good old politics might soon reopen it. As reported here a few weeks ago, the San Diego Shotgun Sports Association at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar could be reopening soon. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Lakeside, is “offering an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Authorization Act that attempts to restart recreational shooting activities at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar,” according to a release from the congressman's office. “The gun range at MCAS Miramar, previously operated by the San Diego Shotgun Sports Association, was closed last year when lead shot was discovered beyond range boundaries." According to the release, “the Hunter amendment specifically encourages the Marine Corps to expedite its Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation and also submit a report to Congress that includes a plan and timeline to reopen the range.” “For more than 50 years, San Diego families have enjoyed recreational shooting and received quality firearm instruction at the Miramar Gun Range,” Hunter said in the release. “Indefinitely closing the range would deny these families and our Marines one of the few locations available for trap and skeet shooting, as well as recreational marksmanship. I look forward to working with the Marine Corps to ensure the continuation of a shooting range at Miramar that accommodates anyone interested in these activities.” The Miramar Gun Range also provided free recreational shooting to Marines and their families when it was open, and Olympic hopefuls such as Susan Sledge of El Cajon and Brian Burrows of Fallbrook practiced at the only gun range in San Diego with international trap. It was a favorite shooting range for local, state and federal law enforcement personnel, too.

Friday, June 26, 2009



Iowa: Clerk's gun scares off would-be robber: "Dominic Mathew had always felt it was better to give an armed robber what they asked for. His philosophy changed after his Food Pantry store on Lower Beaver Road was held up several times, one time with a thief behind the counter and holding a gun to his neck. He got a handgun. On Tuesday, the third time the store was held up, he and a robber were in a face-off with their weapons. “The guy came in from the side (of the store)” and walked in the front door, Mathew said. “That’s where they usually come from. The guy came in with a hoodie on. It was awfully warm on Tuesday, too warm for a hoodie.” Mathew, 30, already had his gun drawn when the robber walked in, he said. The suspect lowered his gun immediately upon seeing the handgun. The would-be robber ran out the door. “I didn’t want to get to this point,” said Mathew. “But there have been a lot of robberies. Times are tough. A lot of people are out of work.” The armed robber who tried to steal from Mathew has not been caught".


North Carolina: One dead after botched home invasion: "Deputies say at least one gunman was killed in an early-morning home invasion near Wagram. Anthony Martin, of Kale Street in Wagram, was shot to death in the failed robbery attempt while two others masked men fled, according to Shep Jones. The sheriff's department did not have Martin's age. Investigators say one of the robbers was 40-year old William Anthony Strickland, according to Jones. The last-known address for Strickland is 9539 Springview Road in Charlotte. Jones would not say how Strickland was identified as a suspect. Jones said the trio entered the home of 62-year Edmond Cooper at 23296 Wagram Street at about 12:30 a.m. through the back door, which had been left unlocked. Debbie Cooper, Edmond's wife, was still up and a suspect knocked her out by striking her over the head. The men then entered the room of the Coopers' 15-year old son. The suspects used ziploc ties to restrain the juvenile. The three men then entered the hallway of the residence, according to Jones. "Edmond Cooper came out of the bedroom with a gun," Jones said. "He fired several shots, hitting one of the suspects." He said the two suspects left standing returned fire, while fleeing from the residence. "Mr. Cooper was shot in the hand," Jones said. Martin was dead when emergency personnel arrived on the scene, according to Jones. Edmond Cooper was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released."


Tennessee: Gunman Shot to Death During Home Invasion: "Dennis Nicholson told detectives that he was confronted by 22 year old Elijah Minnard at the home. Nicholson says Minnard had a shotgun, and 17 year old Jeremie Thomas, had a pistol. Police say the men forced Nicholson inside, and Minnard held Nicholson and 25 year old Lincoya Stephens at gunpoint upstairs while Thomas searched the downstairs area of the home. Police say Stephens grabbed the shotgun to try and disarm Minnard, but Stephens was hit in the leg by a shotgun blast. Police say Stephens and Nicholson still managed to get the gun away from Minnard. Officers say Stephens then pulled a pistol that was concealed in his waistband and shot and killed Minnard. Thomas, hearing the gunfire, went to check on Minnard. Stephens opened fire on Thomas, and he fled the house. Thomas was caught by officers a short time later. Detectives say Thomas told them he and Minnard went to the home to commit a drug-related robbery. No drugs were found in the residence. Stephens is hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his leg and has not yet been interviewed by detectives. Thomas is charged at Juvenile Court with two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of unlawful weapon possession, attempted criminal homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, and attempted aggravated robbery.


Kennedy bill could send your gun info into a massive federal database: "At long last, Teddy Kennedy has partially revealed the health care system he wants to foist on the whole country — and it isn’t pretty. It won’t be pretty for your pocket book … OR FOR YOUR GUN RIGHTS! But first, let us explain what TeddyCare is all about. At the center of the plan is what’s called a ‘universal mandate.’”

Thursday, June 25, 2009



ND man shoots intruder: "Here’s the scenario: A man named Vernon Allen is sitting in his apartment late one night watching television. Shortly after midnight, a seventeen-year-old kid named Joel LaFromboise opened his door and walked in. Allen stood and asked the kid what he was doing. Asked him if he needed help. LaFromboise advanced on Allen in a manner Allen took to be combative. Allen grabbed his shotgun and pointed it at LaFromboise and again demanded that he leave. LaFromboise attempted to grab the gun from Allen. A struggled ensued, and LaFromboise ended up getting shot in the chest. At which point he staggered to his parents’ apartment, fell on the floor and died. Now the family of LaFromboise is calling Allen a murderer.... The family isn't sure why Joel LaFromboise wandered into at least three strangers apartments before his death. He does have friends in the area of Romkey Park, just down the street from the apartment complex at 1107 19th St. S. where he died. ... Police have said Allen will not face criminal charges at this time in connection with the shooting, which angers Joel LaFromboise's family."


GA: Aggressive trailer landlord shot: "Police say a tenant and her landlord got into an argument over water service being cut off.... The tenant, Shanon Eulo, says her landlord, Jesse Willis, turned off the water to her mobile home and demanded she get out. With the heat index way over 100º, heated words between Eulo's boyfriend and Willis escalated to gunfire. The shootout over the water to Shannon Eulo's mobile home happened on Homestead Avenue around 7:00PM Monday. Eulo said her landlord and next door neighbor, 46-year-old Jesse Willis, scared her when he confronted her, demanding that she move out. "He cut the water lines, so we have no water," Eulo said. Eulo's boyfriend, 36-year-old John King, repaired the broken pipes, and Willis broke them again. That started an angry argument. "My boyfriend finally hit him," Eulo said. Police say Willis went back to his house, got a .410 shotgun, and shot King's car three times, in the windshield, and the headlight. King came out of the mobile home with a pistol. "Jesse started lifting his gun up and my boyfriend shot him twice," Eulo said. Police agree John King shot in self defense, but arrested him because he is a convicted felon, and should not have a gun. John King is in jail. The landlord, Jesse Willis had surgery and is in good condition. He is charged with aggravated assault."


Guns, grades and government: "Texas is a gun-loving state. You don’t have to look too far for the proof. In 2009, a host of bills concerning gun rights made it to the floor of the Texas Legislature, and while other commentators have covered them thoroughly, it should give us a starting point to consider gun rights as a whole. Notable among this year’s legislative discussion was the passage of a measure okaying 21 year-old gun owners to carry concealed weapons onto state college campuses. The measure came two years after the Virginia Tech massacre, forty-three years after the infamous Charles Whitman shooting spree at the University of Texas, and a year after a UT student was arrested for carrying a handgun to campus."


The next generation of gun rights activists: "Now, more than ever, children are bombarded at school with anti-gun messages. Gun owners are ridiculed in the media and portrayed as either criminals or low IQ rednecks in television and the movies (except the ‘heroes,’ who are always affiliated with law enforcement or the military). Children are not taught the merits of self-defense, only to call the police and huddle under a desk until help arrives.These frequent messages attempt to mold young minds to oppose civilian gun ownership through indoctrination. If this is not countered by a pro-gun message at home, the future of gun rights will be lost.”

Wednesday, June 24, 2009



CA: Man wounded but fights off attacker: "An early morning shoot-out between two men in Orleans on Sunday resulted in one man shot several times in the legs and the other arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.... The deputy then went to Piola's neighbor's house to find 63-year-old Douglass James Tilden shot several times in the legs. The deputy retrieved a loaded handgun from the man's lap. A helicopter took Tilden to a hospital for treatment, and he is reportedly in stable condition. Sheriff's Office alleges that earlier, Piola went to Tilden's house and began firing at the residence. Tilden then reportedly went outside, armed with a handgun, and the two exchanged a total of 17 rounds. Piola was booked into Humboldt County jail on suspicion of attempted murder and for allegedly shooting at an inhabited dwelling. His bail is set at $500,000."


Australia: Man kills Lebanese Muslim attacker: "A 30-year-old Brooklyn man has admitted killing Mohammed Haddara on Saturday night but claims it was in self-defence. He told police in an interview and signed statement on Sunday night that he was abducted by Mr Haddara and another man and had his life threatened. He told investigators it was arranged that he would meet two men, including Mr Haddara, outside his home on Saturday night. But he claims that he was then forced into a car and threatened before he managed to escape the vehicle and was chased by Mr Haddara. A Victoria Police spokeswoman confirmed the Brooklyn man had been interviewed by detectives in relation to the shooting. "The man was not charged and was released pending further inquiries," she said... The spokesman said Mr Haddara and another man had tried to abduct the Brooklyn man but he wrestled the gun from Mr Haddara and shot him."


MD: Guard shoots man during attempted robbery of grocery store: "An exchange of gunfire between a security guard and an alleged robber at the Mars Super Market on Maiden Choice Lane and Westland Boulevard, in Arbutus, Sunday evening left the alleged robber with several gunshot wounds, according to Baltimore County police. Neither the guard nor any customers in the store were injured, police said. At 6:52 p.m. June 21, Jamison Harvey Johnson, 40, entered the store and “announced the robbery,” said Bill Toohey, a police spokesman. Johnson then walked to the store’s customer service office, where he demanded and was given an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. An armed security guard employed by Mars who was inside the store followed Johnson to the store’s entrance and confronted him, police said. Johnson, whose address is listed as “unknown” in court records, then shot at the guard, Toohey said. The guard returned fire and Johnson then ran into the parking lot and got into a green Honda Accord, Toohey said. As the gunman drove away, he again fired on the security guard, who again shot back, Toohey said. A man fitting Johnson’s description was spotted walking along Kenwood Avenue, in Catonsville, with several gunshot wounds by an officer involved in the search at about midnight, almost five hours after the gunfire occurred, Toohey said. The man was caught after a brief foot chase, police said.... Johnson was later charged with armed robbery, attempted murder and two handgun violations — one for the possession of a firearm with a felony conviction."


Canadian gun registry hasn’t “saved a single life”: “As Parliament breaks for summer, the opposition is mobilizing to stop a private member’s bill to scrap the long gun registry. Yet there is no convincing research showing that the gun registry has saved a single life. The homicide rate had fallen impressively before 2001, when the long gun registry started, but has remained relatively stable since. In 1991, the homicide rate was 2.7 per 100,000, in 1996, the homicide rate was down to 2.1 and by 2000, it had slid to 1.8. By 2005, the homicide rate had risen to 2.0. The gun registry had no impact on suicide rates either.”

Tuesday, June 23, 2009



MD: Woman kills husband in self-defense: “A Prince George’s County woman fatally shot her husband in an apparent act of self-defense Saturday after he attacked her at the Capitol Heights duplex where the pair lived in separate units, according to police and neighbors. … The circumstances of the incident are unclear, but police think that the shooting ‘appears to have been in self-defense,’ said Cpl. Mike Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Prince George’s police department. Wilson, police said, had violated an active protective order when he attacked his wife.”


Cities’ gun restrictions begin to topple: “It’s been a disappointing year for American cities seeking to curb violence via tough gun laws. Since last June, when the US Supreme Court struck down key parts of the District of Columbia’s gun-control ordinance, cities have seen the 20,000 local gun regulations enacted over the years begin to slip from their grip, one by one. Philadelphia’s ban on assault weapons and limits on handgun purchases are the latest to succumb, struck down Thursday by a state court. An appeal to the state Supreme Court is expected. In April, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an ordinance in California’s Alameda County that banned gun shows, saying the Second Amendment of the US Constitution applies in the states.”


Seattle mayor will take anti-gun agenda to White House: “Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, newly-elected president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, will be using his new position to push an anti-gun agenda at a White House meeting planned later this summer, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms warned today. ‘Greg Nickels knows he will find a sympathetic ear in the Oval Office for his illegal gun control scheme,’ said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb.”


More than 800 gun buyers on terrorist list : “More than 800 gun purchases were approved after background checks in the last five years even though the buyers’ names were on the government’s terrorist watch list, investigators said Monday. Being on the watch list is not among the nine factors, such as a felony conviction, that disqualify someone from buying a gun under federal law. More than 900 background checks between February 2004 and February 2009 turned up names on the watch list, and all but 98 were allowed to go through.”


AZ: No-Permit Concealed Weapons

(Phoenix, Arizona) By a 4-3 vote on Friday, the Arizona Senate Judiciary Committee agreed with a measure that would allow people to carry concealed weapons without first obtaining a state permit. The measure will now go to the full Senate.

Monday, June 22, 2009



Minnesota intruder shot, killed: "It`s been an emotional night for Sara Graham. "I thought he was drunk and trying to rob me; I did not know he was," says Graham. She begins to cry and can`t finish her sentence. She was sleeping in her apartment when a man walked in in the middle of the night. She yelled at him to leave, and he did. "No clue who he is," notes Graham. But the intruder came back, this time entering another apartment. The tenant told police the man refused to leave and tried to pick a fight with him. The apartment owner grabbed his shotgun, and when the intruder attacked again, the tenant fired. It was a fatal shot. The injured man fled back to Graham`s apartment, holing himself up in her daughter`s bedroom. But as Sara Graham surveys her blood stained carpet, she says her nightmare is just beginning. "He was screaming. He was crying. I`ll never forget it. I`d rather see it again than hear it all over again," she says. Moorhead police say they will not charge the shooter, apartment tenant Vernon Allen. Police say the dead burglar was a 17-year-old Moorhead boy."


Ohio Man Shoots Pit Bull Attacking Teen: "A man shot a pit bull in the leg Thursday evening to stop the dog from attacking a teenager. Police said the dog tore part of the 15-year-old boy's ear and bit his arm and leg, 10TV's Kevin Landers reported. According to police, the attack was the culmination of an argument among neighbors on Diane Place on the south side. The argument escalated into a fight involving the boy and others on the street. A witness told detectives they heard the owner of the dog say "sic 'em" before releasing the animal to attack the boy. "During the fight, the male released the dog and it bit one of the people they were fighting," Sgt. Thomas Nance told 10TV News. "Another man approached and shot the dog as it was attacking the 15-year-old." The boy was taken to Nationwide Children's Hospital. His condition was not known Thursday night. Police were still investigating the cause of the argument. The dog was taken into custody by animal control officers."


NC: Robber shot with own gun: "A Fremont man is recovering in the hospital from a gunshot wound to the arm after what seemed to be a robbery gone bad Thursday. Shontionne Darden, 24, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, robbery with a dangerous weapon and shooting into an occupied conveyance for allegedly attempting to rob the passenger of another car with a shotgun. According to the Fremont Police Department, Darden and two others, Joey Rowe, 20, and Lacie Hardy, 20, arranged to meet Qvontray Pitt, 23, at the 100 block of E. Branch St. Rowe told police officers they were planning on buying drugs from Pitt, but Chief R.K. Rawlings said there was no evidence that was actually the purpose of the meeting. Once stopped, Rowe walked to the passenger side of the vehicle Pitt was driving, which held three other occupants including a six-year-old in the back seat. While Rowe was talking to the passenger, Darden allegedly walked up to the car with a shotgun. Darden demanded Pitt's money and jewelry before Pitt grabbed the shotgun and a struggle ensued. During the struggle for the shotgun, shots were fired including one in the dashboard of the car, before the gun was dropped. According to the police report, Pitt picked up the gun and shot Darden in the arm as Darden was returning to the truck Hardy was driving. Darden was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital and then airlifted to Pitt Memorial Hospital."


TX: Aggressive ex-boyfriend shot: "A Lufkin man was hospitalized Saturday night after being shot in lower chest with a .22 pistol. He was listed in stable condition Sunday afternoon. Doyle Eugene Wright drove himself to Memorial Medical Health System of East Texas after being shot by his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend on Moore Street, according to a report by the Lufkin Police Department. Wright told officers he did not know why Daniel Ray Hartman, also of Lufkin, shot him. Wright said he had gone to his ex-girlfriend's house to see her when Hartman pulled up in his truck. Wright told officers that he then went to talk to Hartman and was shot when he neared the truck. Officers went back to the scene and made contact with the woman, but had only arrived when Hartman pulled back in front of the house. Hartman, who was calm and cooperative with officers, according to the report, said both he and his girlfriend have been having problems with Wright calling and making threats against them. He told police that Wright cut him off in his truck while on Moore Street and then ran aggressively toward the passenger door. Hartman said he locked the door but was unable to roll the window all the way up. He said Wright then broke the half-rolled-up window and lunged into the truck, striking Hartman in the face. Hartman said he absorbed a few punches, but could not have fended off the much larger Wright, so he shot him with his pistol."

Sunday, June 21, 2009



Florida: A masked suspect was shot and killed outside an Altamonte Springs home: "Deputies arrived on the scene just before 4 a.m. Friday on the 300 block of Magnolia Street just off of Ronald Regan Boulevard. A woman woke up when she heard someone trying to kick in the door of her home. Seminole County Sheriff's deputies say that's when her husband went to the door and shot twice at Donald Salaam. Salaam, 21, was hit once in the chest. The wife was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when the shots were fired. Investigators say it appears the homeowner was justified. “Our homeowner didn't have an obligation to retreat. He is able to protect his property," said Lt. James Clark, of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. "The questions we’re trying to answer: If he was in fear for his life and the life of his wife. If he was, he would be justified in this shooting.” Detectives are trying to determine if Salaam acted alone. Seminole County deputies say Salaam has an extensive criminal history involving drugs, fleeing/eluding law enforcement. He was also investigated for a previous armed robbery."


Tennessee: Intruder held at gunpoint: "A Blountville homeowner held an intruder at gunpoint when he spotted him going into his travel camper Tuesday morning. The Reedy Creek Lane resident told Sullivan County Sheriff's deputies he first thought a relative had entered his camper, which was parked in his driveway. When he discovered the man was a stranger, he went to get his gun. He returned with his pistol to find the man inside his car, which was parked next to the camper, according to a sheriff's office spokesman. The homeowner held the man at gunpoint until deputies arrived to arrest him. Jeffrey B. Welch, 19, 679 Deck Valley Road, Bristol, was arrested and charged with aggravated burglary, burglary of a motor vehicle, and driving on a suspended license."


NM: Not guilty of manslaughter charge: "A jury acquitted a Tomé man on Thursday in the December 2007 shooting death of 42-year-old Charles "Chucky" Diaz, a high-ranking Bandido gang member. After deliberating for nearly four hours on Thursday, the jury of five women and seven men found 46-year-old Jimmy Garcia not guilty of voluntary manslaughter. Garcia shot and killed Diaz in what he said was an act of self-defense. The defendant said that, on the day of the incident, he was raking leaves when he saw an unfamiliar car drive onto his property. Garcia said it wasn't until he approached the car that he realized that it was Diaz. "I asked him, 'What are you doing here? Where's Rose?'" Diaz said. "He said, 'I could do whatever the (expletive) I want.'" Garcia testified that, when he told him to leave, Diaz threatened that he was going to run him over. Garcia said that Diaz drove his car at him several times before he finally left the property. "He said, 'I'll be back,'" said Garcia about the last thing Diaz told him before leaving. "I was scared. I was hoping that he wouldn't come back." ... Garcia said it was at that time that he saw Diaz walking toward them at a fast pace with something in his hand. Garcia testified that he didn't know what the object was and believed it was either a hammer or a gun. "I was so scared — I just shot," he said. "I don't even know how many times I shot. I was scared ... I just wanted it to stop. I was totally convinced that this guy was going to kill me."


Massachusetts high court will review gun lock ruling: "The state’s highest court plans to review the constitutionality of a recently challenged state law that requires gun owners to lock their weapons, making it the first test in Massachusetts of a landmark US Supreme Court ruling that Americans have the constitutional right to own guns and stow them as they see fit. The SJC decided to review the law less than a year after a Lowell District Court judge dismissed firearms charges against a Billerica man whose handicapped son was accused of shooting a BB gun at a neighbor and who then showed police officers where his father kept other unlocked weapons. The Lowell judge cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in dismissing the case against Richard Runyan of Billerica, who in April 2008 was charged with improperly storing a semiautomatic hunting rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a drawer full of ammunition."

Saturday, June 20, 2009



OK: Daughter shoots drunken father to save mother: "A rural Sallisaw man was shot to death late Thursday during a domestic dispute, Sequoyah County Sheriff Ron Lockhart reported. Lockhart said Friday morning that the sheriff’s office was called to the home of Keith Foreman, 47, at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday. He reported that Foreman’s body was found in the home with a single gunshot to the chest. Foreman’s body was sent to the medical examiner’s office in Tulsa, Lockhart said. Lockhart reported, “It was apparently a domestic that had been going on for about five hours at the residence. When the daughter arrived home at about 9:30 p.m., the domestic escalated between the wife, the daughter and the victim. “He apparently pulled a gun and was holding it to the head of the mom,” Lockhart said.... He said the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) will most likely not be called in to assist with the investigation because there is little doubt how Foreman was killed. The mother and daughter, Shelly and Felicia respectively, were interviewed at the sheriff’s office. Neither one was arrested, and both were released, Lockhart said. “I have no doubt that it would have been a double homicide,” Lockhart said, if Foreman had not been shot, suggesting that the shooting was most likely self defense."


Texas man fatally shoots teen at home: "A homeowner who had twice ordered a teenager to leave the property — once while holding a rifle — shot the teen dead after the boy refused to leave and walked toward him, authorities said. “He feared for his life,” said Harris County sheriff’s Lt. Rolf Nelson. Dwayne Austgen, 69, was inside his north Harris County home in the 5500 block of Susanna around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when he noticed a teenager in his front yard, officials said. The man went outside, confronted 17-year-old Vidal Herrera, and told him to leave, authorities said. After the teen left the property, Austgen noticed Herrera had left a crack cocaine pipe, officials said. Austgen then went back inside his home, taking the pipe with him, officials said. A short while later, Herrera returned to the home, confronted Austgen about the pipe, and the pair argued, officials said. Austgen, this time holding a rifle, again ordered the teen to leave, officials said. Herrera began to walk away but then approached the homeowner, who fired the .22-caliber rifle, striking the teen in the abdomen, officials said. Herrera was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he died. The case will be referred to a Harris County grand jury without charges.


Mont. gun law challenges federal powers: "A new Montana gun law puts the state at the forefront of a national bid to restore states' rights by attacking up to a century of federal court decisions on Washington's power. Two other states - Alaska and Texas - have had favorable votes on laws similar to Montana's, declaring that guns that stay within the state are none of the feds' business. More than a dozen others are considering such laws, and more-general declarations of state sovereignty have been introduced this year in more than 30 legislatures.... In May, Montana became the first state to approve the Firearms Freedom Act, which declares that guns manufactured and sold in the Big Sky State to buyers who plan to keep the weapons within the state are exempt from federal gun regulations. According to the act's supporters, if guns bearing a "Made in Montana" stamp remain in Montana, then federal rules such as background checks, registration and dealer licensing no longer apply. But court cases have interpreted the U.S. Constitution's Interstate Commerce Clause as covering anything that might affect interstate commerce - which in practice means just about anything. So if this law sounds ripe for a court challenge, well, that's the idea, said Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Sports Shooting Association, the state's largest pro-gun group. "The Interstate Commerce Clause has grown and grown until the government asserts authority over everything under the sun," said Mr. Marbut"


PA: Nutty Nutter loses as court again strikes down Philly gun restrictions: "“A state appeals court ruled Wednesday that the city cannot enforce an assault weapons ban and a law prohibiting guns bought by one person and given to another, measures passed by City Council in an effort to combat persistent gun violence. The 6-1 ruling marked the latest setback for Philadelphia officials …. The National Rifle Association challenged a series of measures that were passed by City Council in April 2008 and signed by Mayor Michael Nutter. Both sides expect the case to end up before the state’s highest court again.”

Friday, June 19, 2009



Arizona: Homeowner With Shotgun Kills Intruder: "According to Mesa Police Department spokesman Sgt. Ed Wessing, two men armed with guns and demanding money forced their way into the home near Stapley Road and Southern Avenue. The intruders rounded up the four men who live there and forced them into a room, Wessing said. "At some point during this crime, one of the residents was able to grab a shotgun," Wessing said. "(He) shot and killed one of them, and then fired at the second suspect (who) was injured but then fled the area." Police said the second intruder ended up at a nearby hospital, where he is expected to survive. The four men were not injured."


Nevada: Resident Opens Fire During Home Invasion: "An attempted home-invasion in the southwest valley today ended with shots fired. It happened around 10:30 a.m. at a house on Ocotillo Falls Avenue, near Grand Canyon and Patrick. Police say a homeowner fired five shots in self-defense after a man kicked in his door. No one was hit, but two suspects left the scene in a car. One was caught and arrested, the other fled on foot and is still being sought."


California: Armed robber shot by homeowner during break-in: "A Los Angeles man who was trying to rob a Barstow home Friday night with two others was shot and killed by the homeowner, police said. A man who lives in the Teton Street house was attacked by three home invasion robbers about 10 p.m. as they attempted to break into his house, police said. The homeowner, who was armed, was able to shoot one of the robbers when they tried to escape. Officers found Henry Jackson III, 57, lying in the front yard with a gunshot wound in his lower stomach."


An email about a new gun site: "My name is Zach Terhark and I am 20 year old college student from rural Iowa. Last year I was browsing craigslist.org and I thought I would search for a shotgun because I was in the market for a new one. I then realized that craigslist bans guns. I then go to google to search for a craigslist dedicated to guns, and there were none to be found. At that moment I was determined to make a website where people could buy and sell guns to others in their community for free. A month later, in August of 2008, I finished gunlistings.org and it went live. Since august of last year gunlistings.org has grown immensely and we have helped thousands of people buy and sell their guns. However, many have yet to hear about gunlistings.org. Because gunlistings.org is completely free, and I have not opened the site up for banner advertising, I am not able to purchase advertisements to get the word out. While word of mouth has been very effective in the last year, I believe if gunlistings.org could get some larger public exposure, this service could be of great use for the gun-owner community. Would you consider doing a blog article introducing this service to the gun community? For more information on the service provided and the gunlistings.org mission statement you can visit the website here.

Thursday, June 18, 2009



UT: Concealed carrier stops would-be robbers : “A man with a concealed weapons permit stopped two would-be Midvale robbers from making off with his friend’s stuff. Police say the men were coming home from an errand around 7 a.m. Wednesday morning when they spotted the suspects with their things. The suspects took off on foot. One of the men being robbed grabbed a gun from his truck and started running after them. Midvale police Detective Sgt. John Salazar said, ‘Grabs a loaded .40-caliber handgun and chases with the gun, shooting rounds either into the air or into the ground as they were chasing.’ The gunfire stopped the suspects dead in their tracks. The men held the robbers at gunpoint until police arrived and arrested them. No one was hurt.”


SAF lawsuit forces change in DC gun regulations: "Firearms regulations in Washington, D.C. are being amended today by emergency order in response to a federal lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation that challenged the arbitrary nature of previous regulations enforced in the District of Columbia. The District had adopted new handgun registration regulations following last year's landmark Second Amendment ruling that struck down the city's decades-old handgun ban as unconstitutional. Under the new regulations, which take effect immediately, the city essentially acknowledges the State of California's roster of approved handguns - upon which the District's own regulations were based - is inadequate. Citizens who had been previously denied an opportunity to register their handguns will be invited to re-apply under the new guidelines, which now include information from so-called "safe gun rosters" maintained by Maryland and Massachusetts."


NY: Marking ammo won’t stop crooks: “Shifting political sands in Albany can cause just about any lawful gun owner heartache these days. If you haven’t heard about it already, New York Senate Bill 4397A is a big reason. … According to the bill, ‘firearm micro-stamping is an evolutionary forensic technology that produces an alpha-numeric and geometric code onto the rear of the cartridge casing each time a semiautomatic pistol is fired. The idea is that law enforcement can then use that code to identify the owner of the pistol and generally aid investigations. Every new semiautomatic pistol sold in New York state would have to have this micro-stamping technology built into the gun, or it could not be sold here.”


Crimes against senior citizens show need for defensive arms : “In the wild, large predators like wolves and lions tend to select old or sick animals from the herd to attack. The reason is simple, these are the weakest animals, increasing the chance of a successful kill and decreasing the chance for injury to the predator. It is no different with human predators. Muggers, robbers, carjackers, home invaders, etc. all look for the easiest target that will give them the greatest chance of success with the least chance of injury to themselves. This is demonstrated by the recent increase in crimes against the elderly.”

Wednesday, June 17, 2009



GA: Cellphone, gun trump attacker with knife: "The robber came in the door of the Beverage Mart liquor store in Roswell, waving a big, black hunting knife. He wanted the money in his knapsack. Now! He lunged at the clerk, Joseph Wescott, 59, who leaned back to get away from that 10-inch gleaming blade. The knife hit the cellphone in Wescott’s breast pocket instead. That bought time. Time enough for Wescott to reach for the Glock .40 he kept under the counter. It was Monday night, about 8:30 p.m., and that’s when robbery suspect Carlos Jeanpierre, 24, of Atlanta, realized this might be the end. He ran for the door, but not before Wescott got off a round, hitting him in the side. The bullet went in the right side and lodged in the left side of the abdomen. “He’ll live,” said Roswell Police Lt. James McGee. After doctors remove the bullet, police will match it against the gun, McGee said. Jeanpierre is charged with attempted armed robbery, aggravated assault and weapons possession. Store owner Mike Burnett watched the crime afterward on the store video and spoke with Wescott, who is the father of a Roswell Police officer. The son had bought his dad both the gun and the phone, Wescott said. The phone was a little one, similar to a Razr, Burnett said. It still worked after the attack, because that is what Wescott used to call police, he said. The phone is in evidence now. It’s unclear if Jeanpierre was a regular customer at the liquor store, but he has been a regular with the Roswell Police."


Women on Target: Preparing women to defend Liberty: “The United Kingdom and Australia instituted gun bans in 1997. Between 1995 and 2006, women in the United Kingdom suffered a 76.5% increase in rape; by 2007 Australian women experienced a 29.9% increase. Meanwhile, rape decreased 31.7% in America. ‘Today, women are raped twice as often in the UK as America, and Australian women are raped three times as often. This is damning evidence that gun control places women at greater risk. American women are hearing this message, and more and more are arming themselves every day, not only to protect themselves and their families from harm, but to ensure our government doesn’t enact laws which disenfranchise women.’”


Anti-gun cabal grows to more than 400 mayors : "The bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal [sic] Guns today announced that the membership of the coalition has grown to more than 400 mayors, making it almost 30 times as large as when it was founded in 2006. The growth of the coalition, which now represents over 56 million Americans, was announced at the United States Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. Mayors Against Illegal [sic] Guns also praised a resolution by the nonpartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors, passed at its annual meeting, in support of efforts to fight illegal guns. The resolution calls on Congress to repeal the restrictions on law enforcement access to crucial gun trace data known as the Tiahrt Amendments.”


TN: Some Nashville bar owners plan to ban guns: “At Doc Holliday’s Saloon, the sign over the bar that says ‘Please Check Your Guns at the Door’ used to be a part of the decor. Now it’s more of a political stance. Owner Josh Green says his location on Second Avenue is a quiet, mostly local haunt, but he acknowledges that he has shut the bar down on several occasions when violence has heated up a few blocks down. He can’t imagine ever willingly letting someone into his bar with a sidearm. Just up the street, Jessie Lee Jones, the owner of Robert’s Western World, says he is worried about armed people with ill intent coming into his bar, but he would feel hypocritical to deny the masses that right since he carries his own firearm most places. In the wake of a new state law that allows guns where alcohol is served, bar owners across Middle Tennessee are planning to post signs banning firearms from their establishments.”

Tuesday, June 16, 2009



Maine: Woman, 77, escorts armed intruder from home at gunpoint: "Vanessa Gatchell, 50, was home watching television on South Princeton Road when she heard footsteps in the hallway at about 4:30 p.m., according to court documents made available Monday... Vanessa Gatchell went into the hallway and found Moore armed with a gun and a knife just standing there, the affidavit said.... The woman asked him to leave and said no one would have to know he had been there, but Moore declined to leave, the affidavit said. Eventually Doris Gatchell returned home. Moore hid the firearm from view as Doris Gatchell entered the front room, the affidavit said. The two women then went into the kitchen, and Vanessa Gatchell told her mother that Moore had a gun and she “thought he was going to shoot them both,” the affidavit said. Doris Gatchell retrieved her own gun and, according to the court documents, went into the front room and stood behind Moore’s chair... Doris Gatchell told Moore she had a gun and ordered him to leave, the affidavit said. “Mrs. Gatchell escorted the defendant out the door. Once on the porch [Moore] dropped his gun and then picked it up again. It was only at that point that Mrs. Gatchell saw the gun,” the court documents said... Police surrounded Moore’s house and tried to contact him, according to St. Louis, but there was no response. After about 90 minutes, however, Moore stepped out onto his front porch to smoke a cigarette and that was when police arrested him and took him to jail, St. Louis said. Officers found the firearm in Moore’s garage and later recovered the knife from the Gatchell residence, the chief deputy said... According to the affidavit, Moore has a long criminal history"


Texas robbers shot by woman from her bedroom: "A woman opened fire when two robbery suspects broke into her Spring home on Sunday, KPRC Local 2 reported. Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables said the 34-year-old was alone inside the home in the Timberlane subdivision on Briarcreek Boulevard near Cades Cove Drive at about 6 a.m.Investigators said the woman opened fire when the attackers burst through her bedroom door. "She's in her bedroom, locked in her bedroom. And she could hear them rustling through the rooms about the house. She grabbed her weapon and you know, held up inside her bedroom. It wasn't until they forced their way into her bedroom, they kicked the bedroom door in. She fired several shots at the suspects," said Lt. Jeff Stauber with the Harris County Sheriff's Department. Investigators said Gerson Jonathon Linares and Shalom Mendoza, both 17, were wounded. Detectives said the teenagers, who live in the neighborhood, ran out of the home and called for help, claiming to be the victims of a shooting. "Through our investigation, we were able to tie them back to this incident on Briarcreek," Stauber said. Investigators said the pair has admitted that they were involved in the crime".


TN: Gun rights laws expanded : "“Among the new laws is one that would … exempt from federal regulation guns and ammunition made in Tennessee and kept within its borders … the law exempting Tennessee from federal gun regulations, while having little immediate effect, may have broader implications down the road. It comes as part of a states’ rights movement that aims to test the limits of federal power. The Tennessee bill is nearly identical to one signed into law in Montana and similar to ones under consideration in other states. Since Montana’s law does not take effect until Oct. 1, the one in Tennessee, which takes effect July 1, could become the first test case in the courts.”


PA: Eight cities try victim disarmament despite suit threat : “Eight municipalities in Pennsylvania have approved their own gun control ordinances in an effort to curb firearms violence despite the threat of lawsuits from gun rights advocates who say such measures are illegal. Last week, Lancaster’s council unanimously approved an ordinance requiring owners to report lost or stolen guns. The city joins Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Reading, Easton, Pottsville and Wilkinsburg. … The measure is aimed at curbing illegal guns sales by not allowing legal buyers who sell to felons to claim that their guns were lost or stolen when the firearms are used in crimes.”

Monday, June 15, 2009



SC Man Shoots, Kills Robbery Suspect: "Richland County deputies are investigating a fatal shooting at an apartment complex. The incident took place at 12:01 a.m. Friday at the Colonial Villa Apartments on Garners Ferry Road. According to deputies, a man was sitting in his car doing paperwork at the time of the confrontation. Deputies say he provides security detail for the apartments. Deputies say a male suspect approached the car demanding the victim's handgun; however, deputies say the victim pulled out that weapon and shot the suspect. The suspect was taken to the hospital where he later died.


Colorado: Bear shot to death after breaking into home: "A man shot a bear to death after it broke into his home in Colorado Springs. The bear broke in through the back door of a home on Columbia court around 8 p.m. Friday night. Colorado Springs police say the homeowner loaded his gun, after a roommate yelled that the bear had broken in. The bear roared at the homeowner several times, and went to a part of the house where it couldn't get out. The man shot the bear 4 times, and it died. Division of Wildlife investigated, and say the homeowner was justified in the shooting."


Wisconsin Gun bill sparks controversy: "Senator Russ Decker of Weston has introduced a bill that would change the way hunters can haul their weapons. He wants them to be able to carry uncased guns, bows and crossbows in their vehicles. But not everyone supports the bill. Portage County sheriff John Charewicz, who is also a hunting safety instructor says, "The part that's concerning to me is that people like the little gang bangers, the gangsters that want to have guns in their cars are now going to be within the law to a certain extent." But Senator Decker says his bill is geared towards hunters, "The gang bangers are law breakers, I'm more concerned about the law abiding citizens." But Charewicz thinks the bill is bad news, "It's just another example of a poorly written piece of legislation and I don't know what they're trying to accomplish, I mean I have no idea." Decker says not having to deal with a gun case is a matter of convenience, "It's just unnecessary for us to do it as long as it's unloaded. A lot of times you're hunting and go to your vehicle or someone else's vehicle and there's not a case in the vehicle that may have been left with somebody else."


NY: Controversy surrounds plan to register ammo: "Demonstrators called the event a civil rights rally Tuesday night. "We don't want our privacy violated to be in this database. We don't want local government or law enforcement knowing what we're buying, how much we're buying," said rally organizer Brian Belz. They are against a proposed law in Albany County that would require people to show their gun license when buying ammunition for handguns, and a driver's license or other ID for ammunition for rifles. The rally took place just before a public hearing in front of the Legislature. "You have to stop looking at the average gun owner as a criminal. That's what laws like this do. It makes common, everyday citizens criminals, pre-crime," said one resident speaking at the hearing. But a sponsor of the proposal, legislator Phil Steck, said this is to make sure that only licensed gun owners can buy ammunition, which is already in state law. "I think what's going on here in large part is that a lot of people don't realize that this is the law that's on the books, it isn't being enforced, and a lot of folks are ideologically opposed to gun control of any kind," Steck said".

Sunday, June 14, 2009



Sotomayor a danger to gun owners

A Democratic senator said Thursday that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor sees a 2008 ruling affirming Americans' right to own guns for self-defense as settled law. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said Sotomayor told him at a private meeting that she will work from the high court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller in future cases involving gun rights. The 5-4 ruling struck down the Washington, D.C., handgun ban and imperiled similar prohibitions in other cities.

Gun rights activists have accused Sotomayor of being hostile to gun rights because she was part of a panel that ruled that the Second Amendment protection of the right to bear arms did not apply to state and local governments. In that case, Sotomayor and two other judges on the 2nd Circuit appeals court upheld a New York state law banning the possession of "chuka sticks." They said they were bound by an 1886 Supreme Court ruling, but acknowledged the high court could take a different view, particularly in light of the Heller ruling.

Udall said he asked Sotomayor about her view of the Second Amendment during their visit. "Clearly she spoke to the fact that settled law is just that, and the Heller case has been considered by the court, and she sees that as the law, and she will work off of what the court decided as other cases may come to the court's attention," Udall said.

Other senators have come away from their meetings with Sotomayor concerned about her position on gun rights. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said Tuesday that he was disappointed that the judge refused to say during their visit that the Second Amendment "protects a fundamental right that applies to all Americans."

DeMint said Sotomayor's statement on Heller "doesn't tell us much" about her view of the issue, noting that she stands by her ruling that held that the Second Amendment only protects against federal government curbs on the right to bear arms — not state or local limits. "(H)er opinion was that the hundreds of millions of Americans in the 50 states do not have a fundamental right to bear arms. She refused to back away from that opinion in my meeting with her," DeMint said Thursday.

Source







TX: Knife-wielding boyfriend shot: "Officers talked to a 44-year-old woman who said she was threatened by her live-in boyfriend. She said he was intoxicated and they were arguing in the bedroom. Her 24-year-old daughter lives next door and came over when she heard the commotion. At about the same time, the victim’s 22-year-old son showed up. The woman’s children arrived and found the suspect holding a knife to the woman’s throat. Both children asked the suspect to put the knife down and tried to get him to leave. He threatened them, and said they would all be dead before he left. The son left the room, came back with a handgun, and shot Warrior once in the left leg. The suspect was taken to the emergency room in a private vehicle, where police took him into custody and then to jail. His injury was not considered life threatening. The assault victim’s son does not face any charges for the incident because the shooting was considered self-defense.


A Leftist makes the case against gun control: "The gun cannot be un-invented. We can all agree on that, right? So if someone is willing to commit murder, then following the law is clearly not a concern they share with the rest of us, so why would they obey gun control laws? As long as guns exist, what POSSIBLE LAW - come on, seriously, help me out here - what POSSIBLE LAW could prevent someone willing to commit a death-penalty eligible crime from acquiring a gun against the law? Take me down your slippery slope - please - I want to understand your thought process. Even if we completely banned guns and declared "War on Guns" a la our "War on Drugs" - the biggest policy failure in the history of our species - guns would still be as easily and widely available as marijuana. Only then, there would be NO background checks, serial numbers, registration, etc. It's a cliche, but if it's a crime to own a gun then only criminals will own guns. I don't see how anyone could be in favor of that. If complete gun prohibition would not work, then how can anything less than that work? So come on, take me down the path of gun control - explain to me a hypothetical law you'd like passed which you believe would have prevented Von Brunn from committing his act of faith-based terrorism with a firearm."

Saturday, June 13, 2009



NC: Self-defense claim accepted after man shoots knife-attacker: "Clark Everett filed a dismissal last Thursday of voluntary manslaughter charges against Ronald Jerome Brown, 34, when an investigation by Grifton police supported Brown's claim that he shot Marquis Graham, 25, also of Grifton, only after his efforts to escape Graham's knife attack failed, Everett said. Brown still faces charges of possession of a firearm by a felon. The police investigation showed that Brown and Graham had been feuding, and Graham was making it known around town that he intended to kill Brown, Everett said. Graham was seen that Tuesday carrying an 8-inch kitchen knife, and the two crossed paths while Graham was riding a bicycle and Brown was the passenger in the back seat of a car (across the street from First Christian Church, near Grifton Elementary School), Everett said.... Witnesses at the scene reported that Graham went at Brown with the knife and Brown shot him once with a gun he had been carrying, Everette said. Officers retrieved the knife next to Graham's body.


Virginia: Motel gunfight downs two robbers: "An attempted robbery led to a gunfight at a Norfolk motel Thursday. Three suspects, one armed with a handgun, stormed into a room at the Econo Lodge. Much to the surprise of the suspected criminals, one of the victims was also carrying a gun. Police say two of the suspects were shot by the victim. One of the suspects died at the scene, the other was transported to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition. The suspect who died has been identified as 22-year-old Dante Cooley of Virginia Beach. Police have not yet released the names of the other two suspects, one of which fled the scene and remains on the run. The victim, who was also shot by one of the suspects and transported to the hospital is expected to recover."


Texas carjacker shot: "An alleged carjacker was shot and killed in north Houston Saturday morning, police said. At about 6:15 a.m., witnesses pulled Darryl Milton Franklin Jr., 37, out of a car that he was reportedly breaking into in the 1100 block of Langwick Drive. As they waited for police to arrive, witnesses saw him attempt to break into other vehicles and even try to commit a carjacking, authorities said. Franklin attacked a man who approached him. The man, who was carrying a permitted concealed weapon, shot Franklin, said Houston Police spokesman Victor Senties. The shooting is being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office and will likely be referred to a grand jury, Senties said.


Tennessee: Man Fatally Shoots Intruding neighbor: "An Oakland, Tennessee man fatally shot an intruder trying to climb in his window early Monday morning. The incident occurred on the 400-block of Bell Grove Road. The homeowner heard what sounded like a knock on his window around 12:30am. When the noise grew, the homeowner found a neighbor, 32-year old Anthony Webb, breaking through his window with a rake. The homeowner tells FOX13 that he told the man repeatedly to stop, but Webb's reply was "What are you going to do?" The intruder was shot three times, and was declared dead upon arrival by local police. The homeowner also tells FOX13 that the intruder's father was a high school classmate of his.

Friday, June 12, 2009



Texas: Bakery worker shoots and kills would-be robber: "A man was shot and killed when police say he tried to rob a bakery. Investigators told News 4 WOAI Roberto Adame tried to rob the Cinderella Bakery in the 1200 block of Saltillo Street on the West Side Wednesday evening. The bakery owner's son, who was working in the back, heard screams and came out with a gun. Police say he shot Adame at least two times. Adame took off running. Police found him a few blocks away from the bakery and called for an ambulance. He was taken to Wilford Hall Medical Center, where he later died. The bakery owner's son is not expected to face any charges."


DETROIT: Gun Turned On Would-Be Robber: "A 16-year-old was shot and wounded with his own gun Thursday morning during an attempted robbery on Detroit's west side, police said. Two teenagers, one carrying a rifle and the other a handgun, approached a man at the BPS Gas Station on Plymouth Road and the northbound Southfield Service Drive around 6:40 a.m. The robbery victim grabbed a gun out of the teen's hand and shot him with it. The wounded teen jumped into a vehicle and attempted to drive away, but crashed into several cars on Forrer Street. He was transported to Sinai Grace Hospital and is in stable condition. The other robber fled the area. There are unconfirmed police reports that the second robbery suspect was arrested in downtown Detroit".




Florida robber shot by victim: "A Sarasota man was targeted by a teenager with a gun early Thursday morning...but the victim happened to be armed as well.... When the father of five pulled into his driveway off Rilma Avenue in Sarasota, he was approached. "I got to the house and opened the gate...guy jumps out on the passenger side with a pump shotgun, tells me to ‘give it up sir...give it up sir.' Which I immediately reached for my weapon, which I had in my pocket, and I did what I had to do to keep from being killed...looking down the business end of a pump shotgun." Firby ended up firing two shots at the suspect. One of them hit the teenager in the abdomen. The suspect was able to return to the vehicle, which was quickly driven away. Detectives say that after checking Suncoast hospitals, they found a juvenile that was dropped off shortly after the shooting. He was at Sarasota Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the stomach. The boy is just sixteen years old. Detectives later caught up with 18-year-old Cadareus Ray [above]. Detectives believe he is the driver and armed the 16-year-old with the shotgun. The 16-year-old suspect is under guard at the hospital. Detectives say he should face adult charges due to the violence in the case."


Holocaust Museum shooting was in DC “gun free zone”: “It should be noted that the museum, as well as all of Washington D.C. are ‘gun free zones’ as far as carrying guns by non-government law enforcement personnel is concerned. Which is ironic when you consider the ‘Personal Histories’ headline on the museum’s ‘Resistance’ page: ‘At that time, a gun and a million dollars, the gun was worth more than a million dollars.’ ‘Never again’ is nothing more than a hollow slogan without the means to protect against it. Disarmament helped make genocide possible.”


NH: Gun Maker Faces Federal OSHA Fines

(Concord, New Hampshire) The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed fines of more than $250,000 for health and safety violations at a New Hampshire firearms manufacturing plant, Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc.
Rosemarie Ohar, area director in OSHA’s Concord office, said, “Our inspections identified a large number of mechanical, respirator protection, electrical, lead, fire, explosive and other hazards that must be effectively and continuously addressed to protect the workers at this plant from potentially deadly or disabling injuries and illnesses now and in the future.”
The company has 15 days to contest the allegations.

It's not known if the inspection was prompted because complaints were made against the company or for some other reason. Typically, full-blown facility inspections by OSHA don't come out of the clear blue, especially when they result in proposed fines.

According to the comment thread accompanying the linked article, most participants believe that the inspection and results are simply an episode of targeted harassment of a gun maker by the federal government. Harassment or otherwise, the elements of the inspection and the outcome do seem uncharacteristically and unnecessarily heavy-handed.

Thursday, June 11, 2009



North Carolina: Resident shoots intruder: "A resident shot and wounded one of four men who forced themselves into his apartment Tuesday night, police said. About 10:18 p.m., Joseph Tyler Cox, of 5039 Winster Dr., Apt. 203, responded to a knock on the door, according to Winston-Salem police. Four men dressed in dark clothes with their faces concealed forced themselves inside. One was armed with a knife. Cox retrieved a handgun and began to fire at the suspects, police said. Quenton Alphonzo Taylor, 18, of 5489 Country Side Drive, Apt. F, was struck by several rounds, according to police. Cox also shot himself in the hand and was stabbed several times in the back. The three other suspects fled on foot, leaving Taylor behind, police said. Cox and Taylor were taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where they were treated for their injuries. Charges are pending for Taylor, police said."


California: Attempted robbery at pawn shop ends with robber, employee shot: "Three would-be robbers stormed a North Long Beach pawn shop Tuesday morning armed with one gun and a lot of bravado. When the suspects fled Long Beach Pawn & Jewelry, however, all they had to show for their efforts was a bullet from the shop supervisor's gun lodged in one suspect's leg, witnesses said. The 64-year-old supervisor from Long Beach was also shot, and hit in the face, but is expected to survive, authorities said. The witness told the Press-Telegram that he was walking into the pawn shop to pay his bill when the armed suspect walked in right before him. He recalled the gunman vividly due to his custom-looking, three-piece white suit, which looked like it belonged in church more than a pawn shop. "(The shop's employees) even complimented him on his dress," the witness recalled, saying the suspect asked a female employee to show him some rings because he was shopping for his girlfriend. After she took the armed man to the back of the shop, the other two suspects - dressed in casual clothes - rushed in, the witness said. One man jumped the counter and the other stayed by the front door as the armed suspect ordered everyone on the floor. That prompted the shop's supervisor - who the witness knew only as Bob - to confront the trio, the witness said. As the other employees ran to the back of the store and customers hit the ground, the shop's supervisor and the gunman faced off and both opened fire, the witness said. The supervisor was shot in the cheek and fell back while one of the suspects was hit in the leg, the witness said. "After the first shots I heard three more shots, and then (the suspects) crawled out of there," the witness said. "They got nothing...but one of them left his gun behind," he added. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics treated the victim at the scene and took him to a hospital. He was listed in mild distress and stable condition... The three suspects were described as black males in their 20s"


Pennsylvania: Police nab shirtless, tipsy home intruder: "Oakmont police said they arrested an intoxicated man early Sunday as he attempted to enter a house in which the owner had armed himself. The man, Brian Adam Witkovitz of Elicker Road, Plum, gave no statements and indicated no motive as to why he tried to enter two houses in the 600 block of Ninth Street about 3 a.m., according to the police report. Police said officers responded about 30 seconds after the owner of a house called the Allegheny County emergency dispatcher to report a burglary in progress. Officer Joseph Cattani observed Witkovitz, who was shirtless, open the storm door to the attached garage, according to police. Despite instructions to the contrary from the dispatcher, the homeowner had armed himself in anticipation of meeting the intruder. Cattani, backed up by another officer, entered the garage and subdued Witkovitz without incident before the suspect entered the house. Witkovitz has been charged with burglary, criminal attempt, public drunkenness, loitering and prowling at night, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and simple trespass. He is free on a non-monetary bond. Oakmont Police Chief Dave DiSanti praised his officers for their quick response. "They managed to keep the burglar from bumping into the armed homeowner," he said. "You can see how bad it would have been, had there been a confrontation. It took a lot of fortitude for Cattani to enter the garage."


Illinois: Burglar Shot During Home Invasion: "A home invasion late Tuesday night ended with an alleged burglar in the hospital, according to Hardin County Sheriff Tom Seiner. The sheriff reported in a press release that the woman in the home shot the intruder. The home on Tower Rock Road outside Elizabethtown belongs to Marty Impastato and her husband Bruce, who was not home. Impastato's daughter tells News Three that the man entered the home through an unlocked window. Shawna Stevens says the man is a friend of the family who visits the home regularly. She says she's not sure why he broke in. According to Stevens, Impastato grabbed her gun when she heard the man make his way across the house. Stevens reports that when the man entered the bedroom and rustled through the safe where the family keeps jewelry and prescription drugs, Impastato shot him. Illinois statute makes it legal for the victim of a home invasion to shoot someone in their home if they believe they can prevent violence to themselves or others in the dwelling or they reasonably believe that force is necessary to prevent a felony."

Wednesday, June 10, 2009



GA: Man Fires In Self-Defense, Kills Attacker: "An act of self-defense leaves a Lookout Mountain, Georgia man dead and a family grieving. Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said his deputies tried to stop an on-going, heated family dispute but it was just too late. "Unfortunate for the victim, the victim's family and the person that had to do the shooting," Sheriff Wilson said. Harry Lee Derryberry, known as Chuck, was just 45-years-old when his life ended in a field on his family's property in Rising Fawn on Lookout Mountain. He had been shot in the groin with a 12-gauge shotgun. His family called 911 earlier saying they needed help quickly with a domestic dispute that turned violent. "Upon speaking with the deputy arriving on the scene, he told me he actually heard the gunshot when the gun was fired," Sheriff Wilson explained. Sheriff Wilson said Brian Lee Walden fired the gun, acting in self-defense and is not being charged. He and several family members were assaulted by Derryberry - the result of an argument over one of his sons. "It appears that a 62-year-old female victim sustained injuries along with maybe one or two other people, along with the shooter," Sheriff Wilson said. The family told a story of Derryberry that included a life of alcoholism and depression. The family said Derryberry had threatened his own life and others during a fit of rage Monday evening. They and the sheriff said after Walden was struck in the face Walden got his shotgun and told Derryberry to stay away. "Pretty well warned the victim, said stay away but he came at him in an aggressive manner," Sheriff Wilson said."


Wisconsin burglar nabbed: "This Town of Ripon homeowner was craftier than the armed burglar trying to rob his house. Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department officials say the homeowner held a 23-year-old man attempting to steal cash, firearms and other items by gunpoint until police arrived around 1:20 a.m. Friday. Lt. Bill Flood says the homeowner saw lights on in his house, crept into his driveway, retrieved a handgun and waited for the burglar to come out. Ripon police and sheriff's deputies arrested the victim's 24-year-old girlfriend in a nearby vehicle. Officials say she dropped him off."


NY school official wrestles gun from armed man: "Police in suburban New York say an armed man who was wrestled to the ground by a superintendent at a middle school is a former police officer and parent of a student. Police say a letter from the district about swine flu may have played into Tuesday's incident at the Blauvelt school. Police identified the suspect as 37-year-old Tappan resident Peter Cocker. There's no phone listing for the former New York City police officer there. Police say South Orangetown Central School District Superintendent Ken Mitchell wrestled Cocker to the floor of his office, took the weapon and pinned him until police arrested him. No one was injured. Police used a shotgun to blast their way into the superintendent's office. It's unclear whether any other shots were fired."


MI: Second Amendment support: "It resembled most any Sunday afternoon picnic in Bronson Park. Except most of the people assembled around tables filled with watermelon and grilled goodies had firearms in holsters strapped to their waists. The Glocks and the Smith & Wessons remained holstered but visible during a three-hour Open Carry Picnic designed to raise public awareness of what organizers called Second Amendment rights in Michigan to openly carry a firearm in most places.”

Tuesday, June 09, 2009



CA: No arrest expected in weekend shootout: "A man injured during a shootout near Covelo is not a homicide suspect as Mendocino sheriff’s detectives say he apparently was acting in self defense when he shot and killed another man. “He didn’t draw first,” said Mendocino County sheriff’s Lt. Rusty Noe Monday. Round Valley resident Jason McLean, 22, died in the gunfire exchange early Saturday during a party in the woods. Andrew Card, 23, was shot once, according to sheriff’s officials. The two apparently have a long-standing feud, involving Card stabbing McLean two years ago at a Labor Day rodeo. Card served time in county jail for the stabbing. Early Saturday, as a party in the woods was winding down, McLean reportedly got a high-powered rifle from his car and fired at Card. Card pulled out a handgun and began firing back. The two men, standing about five feet apart, fired several times at each other. McLean was hit at least four times and died. Card was flown to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for surgery. He was not at that hospital Sunday, said a hospital spokesman. Noe said he may have been transported closer to home. Noe said Card’s status wasn’t known by detectives as the man wasn’t a suspect."


AZ: Employee fires back at armed robbery suspect: "On June 6, 2009, at about 12:30 p.m., two men went into a liquor store at 23rd Avenue and Northern Avenue. Both men had been in the store about two hours earlier and one of them bought a beer. They left and returned the second time. One of the men went outside while the other remained inside. That man, the 29-year-old suspect, asked the clerk, 23, for a piece of paper. As the clerk was waiting on other customers, the suspect wrote something on the paper. After the other customers left, the suspect handed the note, a robbery not to the clerk. The clerk acted as though he couldn’t read. At that time, the suspect came towards the clerk and opened a gate, which separates the clerk from the customers. While doing so, the suspect pulled out a knife. Seeing this, the clerk grabbed a gun and shot the suspect. The suspect ran out of the store and across the street to a friend’s apartment. He knocked on the door and as it was being answered, he collapsed. That individual called 911. The police arrived shortly after that and the suspect was taken to a local hospital where he is listed in critical condition."


OK: Police Say Shooting Possibly Self-Defense: "The shooting death of a Cameron man Monday evening is being investigated as a possible act of self-defense, but homicide has not been ruled out. Heath Lomon, 37, was killed on the property of a neighbor during a physical altercation with an unidentified man at the scene, according to Jessica Brown, public information officer for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation into the shooting death. Authorities were dispatched to a rural residential area on Blaylock Lane, just south of Williams Road, in response to a report of a man shot. When deputies with the LeFlore County Sheriff's Office arrived, they found Lomon dead, the shooter and multiple witnesses. "Lomon was shot and killed after he fired his shotgun in the direction of several people across the street from his property," Brown stated in a news release. After firing the shotgun, Lomon walked over to the neighboring property and engaged in a physical altercation with one of the men at the scene, Brown said in an interview Tuesday. Sometime during or soon after the altercation, the man Lomon was fighting with produced a handgun and shot Lomon once in the chest, according to Brown."


DC's gun regulations officially in place, but for how long?: "The District’s permanent handgun regulations that took effect Friday could be obliterated by Congress or the federal courts in less time than it took to write them. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the city’s 30-year-old handgun ban as unconstitutional last June. The city has been operating under emergency and proposed gun rules since Jan. 16., but those rules became permanent Friday. Despite strong opposition from gun rights advocates, the Metropolitan Police Department reported in Friday’s D.C. Register that no comments were received since January. District leaders believe they have met the Supreme Court’s directive, that the Second Amendment guarantees D.C. residents the right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense. But the city’s fledgling laws are being challenged on two fronts. Dick Anthony Heller, the plaintiff in the original lawsuit, is suing again over the city’s “onerous firearm registration, expiration and re-registration requirements” and its continuing prohibition of “commonly possessed” firearms and magazines. Registration requirements include five hours of certified training, ballistic testing, numerous fees and a maze of bureaucratic hurdles. “What we’re trying to do with the lawsuit is invalidate them as soon as possible through the court system,” Richard Gardiner, Heller’s lawyer, said of the regulations".