Ga.: DA plans to dismiss murder charge in nightclub shooting: "A Houston County grand jury has declined to indict a Gonzales, La., man on murder and related charges in connection to a fatal shooting at a Warner Robins nightclub in 2009. As a result, District Attorney George Hartwig said Wednesday he intends to dismiss all charges against Eldridge Romain LeBlanc, 24, and close the case. LeBlanc and Williams, along with two women, were attempting to leave in a car with Williams driving. Lee and Clements allegedly pulled Williams out of the car and began beating and kicking him, Gurd said. LeBlanc and the women got out of the car. At some point, another gun that Williams was carrying got loose, and all attention is focused on the gun, Gurd said. In that moment, believing he was facing a deadly threat, fearing an attack of himself or others from Lee and Clements, LeBlanc grabbed the gun and it went off, Gurd said. LeBlanc pulled the trigger, Gurd said."


CO: Liquor store owner cleared in shooting of shoplifter: "Prosecutors Wednesday dropped their case against a Colorado Springs liquor store owner who was arrested in 2010 on suspicion of shooting a shoplifter he allegedly chased into the parking lot. Chang Ho Yi, 58, faced a potential charge of attempted first-degree murder, though prosecutors never officially charged him with a crime. Bryson Dewberry, then 22, was wounded in the jaw, and a second person hit in the leg, when Yi fired once into a car after the Oct. 25 theft at Austin Bluffs Plaza Liquor, Colorado Springs police said at the time. The thief jumped into the car after stealing a bottle of Grey Goose vodka, and the driver was pulling away, police said in an arrest warrant. Crowder ordered that Yi's $250,000 bond be returned. Dewberry survived his wound."


WA: Prosecutors decline to file charges in shooting death citing self defense: "The King County Prosecutor’s Office revealed Wednesday that it won't file criminal charges against Olenthis Woods in the shooting death of Shennon Shelton and the wounding of his brother, Gaston Shelton, May 1 outside of an apartment complex in Auburn. According to the release, several witnesses saw the six men walking in a group to Woods' apartment, where Woods was standing outside with his mother, sister and several other people. At the approach of the six men, the group outside the apartment scattered except for Woods, his mother and sister. Woods ran inside the apartment and grabbed a handgun, as his mother and sister tried to prevent the six men from entering. Woods came to the door and yelled at the men to back up. Shennon and his cousin backed up a bit. Gaston also backed up a few feet, but then, in his own words "posted up" just outside Woods' front door. According to the release, Gaston told Woods, "then shoot me, shoot me, dude," and Woods shot him once in the chest. Shennon Shelton then lunged at Woods, who fired again, hitting him once in the head"


Time to close down the ATF: "Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has shone a spotlight on the criminal behavior of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, commonly referred to as the ATF. At a hearing last week, Issa took on Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich by asking him: 'Who authorized this program that was so felony stupid it got people killed.' Chairman Issa started off the interrogation of Weich by holding up one of the pages that the ATF had provided his committee. It was completely blackened, one of hundreds that had been totally redacted by the agency."

PA: Up to 20 years for home invasion: "They're admitting to forcing a family into their home, holding them at gunpoint, and then engaging in a gunfight in that house and putting five people at risk. They were there to rob the homeowners," alleged Assistant District Attorney Samantha Cauffman. "It was terror beyond words." "But for the homeowner's catching them by surprise and defending his family with force, this could have turned out very differently." The investigation determined that at least 22 gunshots had been exchanged in and around the kitchen and living room. Ballistics experts determined that "at least three different guns were fired inside the home during this fierce, close-quarters battle". Killed during the shootout inside the home was Kieme Persons, 22, of District Heights, Md., who allegedly accompanied Stone and Lawson during the home invasion. Prosecutors previously ruled that homeowner Jermaine Edwards, who shot at the men in self-defense during the violent home invasion, will face no charges"


AL: Court upholds ruling to dismiss case against man who shot father: "The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the decision of a criminal court judge who dismissed a case involving a man accused of murdering his father. In September 2010, Jefferson County Criminal Court Judge Tommy Nail dismissed the state’s case against Robert “Bob” Carleton, 49, of Pell City, who was accused of murdering his 67-year-old father, William “Bill” Randolph Carleton Sr., after defense attorneys asked the court that their client be immune from prosecution based on a 2006 change in the self-defense law of the state, a “stand your ground” self-defense law that was enacted in 13 other states. He said his client told authorities his father tried to run him over in a Kubota all-terrain vehicle as he stood behind his truck on an access road to the family’s estate. Funderburg also said Carleton told authorities his father threatened to kill him. The suspect told authorities he shot his father in self-defense after he started to reach for a .22 caliber rifle hanging on a back gun rack of the ATV."


OR: Dog buyer shot: "The Linn County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about 2:50 p.m. Sunday from John Allen Curran, who told deputies that he had been attacked by a man later identified as Leland Michael Wright, 26, of Sweet Home. According to Curran, 30, who raises and trains Labrador retrievers, Wright arrived at his residence and asked about buying a dog. After taking him to look at the dogs, Curran said he walked with Wright to the driveway and that is when, Curran told deputies, Wright suddenly knocked him to the ground. Curran yelled for help then he realized no one was around, Mueller said. Curran next drew his .38 caliber revolver and fired one round, which struck Wright in the abdomen. Curran has a license to carry a concealed weapon. Curran told detectives that he doesn’t know Wright or what motivated the incident. No charges had been filed as of Monday afternoon."


PA: Father shoots robbery suspect: "A father came to the aid of his son Sunday night when three people tried to steal the teenager's dirt bike in West Philadelphia. It all unfolded shortly before 10:00 p.m. on the 4000 block of Green Street. Police say the father was nearby as three men tried to steal his son's dirt bike. Officials say two of the suspects were armed with guns. The teen's father allegedly pulled out his own gun and shot one of the suspects, critically wounding him. The wounded suspect was shot in the eye and was taken to The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Investigators captured the two other suspects a short time later. Police say the father has a legal gun permit."

28 June, 2011

CA: Jewelry Store Robbers Identified: Fatal Shootings Appear Justified: "A would-be robber was holding a handgun to the stomach of an employee of Monaco Jewelers when another employee drew his own weapon and shot the gunman dead, authorities said today, releasing the most detailed account yet of the Friday shooting. After the first shots were fired, a second robber advanced on the armed employee, who fired again and killed the second robber, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino said. “The investigation is continuing, but at this point it looks like a case of self-defense,” Amormino said of the jewelry-store employee’s decision to fire. The statement, by attorney Bonnie Fine of Fine & Woliung, says the owner's 19-year-old son and wife were forced the ground a gunpoint during the robbery, while the manager-a "dear friend" of the owner was held at gunpoint. The two dead men were identified as Robert Earl Avery, 39, of Los Angeles and Desmond Brown, 39, of Los Angeles."


TX: Small-town killing may be self-defense: "A man is dead after a confrontation in Throckmorton. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, 63-year-old Brian Blair, of Midland, was shot and killed by 48-year-old David Sprawls, of Throckmorton, on Saturday. DPS told KTXS when Blair went to Sprawls home on Minters Street, they got in an argument and Blair attacked Sprawls with a knife. That’s when Sprawls shot and killed Blair. The Texas Rangers are investigating this case. As of Monday afternoon, no charges had been filed against Sprawls because the shooting appears to be self-defense."


FL: Home invader shot and killed: "After Indian River County investigators went to investigate a burglary call at a home in a quiet beach community in Indian River County, they found a 21-year-old man shot dead. The incident took place early Sunday morning at a house in the 9400 block of Periwinkle Drive in the Summer Place subdivision of Wabasso Beach. Indian River County Sheriff's investigators say after the homeowner heard thumping at his home, he found a 21 year old male, Jack Newstedt, who appeared to be breaking in. Authorities say it was shortly after that, the young man lunged at the homeowner and the homeowner pulled the trigger. "I wouldn't choose Clay's house to break into and I know that he's incredibly fit and armed that's just not a good choice," Cox said."


NC: Home invader shot at door: "A man who was house-sitting for a friend heard something on the porch, said Capt. Jay Burch, of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office. When the victim came to the door, a suspect kicked it in and stuck an arm through the open doorway as the victim pushed back on the door. The suspect dropped a revolver on the floor, which the victim picked up and fired toward the outside, striking and killing a juvenile police believe was involved in the crime. The remaining suspects returned fire, Burch said, but the victim was not injured. The suspect killed at the scene was a 17-year-old Marqiz Te’vonn Thomas, who Burch said was on weekend pass from the Edgecombe Youth Development Center. Burch said current information appears to favor the victim. “As it stands right now, he was within the laws of the state of North Carolina in defending the home,” Burch said."

MS: Gunfire exchanged in Jackson home burglary: "Two men are in custody after allegedly burglarizing a house and exchanging gunfire with a homeowner, a Jackson Police Department spokeswoman said. JPD’s Colendula Green said just after 4:20 p.m., a witness in the 2100 block of Alta Woods Boulevard saw a window open at a neighbor’s house and told the homeowner about it. Suddenly five males came running out of the home, Green said, and fired shots at the homeowner, who returned fire. Nobody was shot in the exchange. Two of the men were apprehended shortly thereafter by officers in the area of Peyton Avenue and Belvedere Drive. They were taken to headquarters for questioning, Green said."


WI: Customers pressure jewelry store owner for disallowing concealed carry: "A Wisconsin jewelry store owner is under fire from customers for opting out of the state’s recently-passed concealed carry law. Bret Eulberg, owner of Robert Haack Diamonds in Greenfield, Wis., says he has been getting angry messages threatening a boycott of the store. The new law allows residents to carry concealed firearms in public, but business owners still have a say whether or not they want to observe the law in their stores."

CA: Organizer to be tried for murder in failed pot robbery: "Mendocino County prosecutors on Friday won their bid to try a Laytonville man for murder under the rarely-used Provocative Act Doctrine, which holds that a person can be guilty of a killing even if someone else committed the slaying. Noah Shinn, 39, of Laytonville, faces the murder charge because he allegedly orchestrated a marijuana-related home invasion robbery last October at the rural Steele Lane residence of Jill Cahill. Homeowner Cahill actually shot and killed one of three intruders while Shinn allegedly waited outside. The masked robbers included victim Timothy Burger, 21, and Shinn's 19-year-old son Christopher, both of Sacramento. Deputy District Attorney Ray Killion successfully argued after a three-day preliminary hearing that even though Cahill fired the fatal shot that killed Burger, Noah Shinn is legally responsible for his death."


NYC $340 gun license charge 'inherently prohibitive': "A legal brief has been filed in U.S. District Court in New York asking for a summary judgment that would strike New York City's $340 triennial fee for just owning a handgun. The brief by the Second Amendment Foundation and its affiliate attorney, David Jensen, explains that under U.S. Supreme Court rulings, "the right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense is a part of the 'core' of the Second Amendment's protections." While the city can charge a nominal fee to defray costs, the $340 fee is not nominal, and has never been calculated to defray costs." The brief also argues that the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause must be considered, because state residents outside of New York City pay no more than $10 for a permit."

KY: Grand jury dismisses assault case: "Charges against a Richmond man accused of assault were dismissed Wednesday by a Madison grand jury. Vernon Stepp, 65, was arrested May 16 for allegedly shooting Paul Thomas Anglin, 23, in the lower left side of his torso with a .32-caliber revolver. He was charged with first-degree assault. “After reviewing the evidence, and speaking to the witnesses in this case, it is clear that Vernon Stepp was acting in self defense and that his behavior was justified under the circumstances,” Baechtold said. “It is suspicious to everyone that the alleged victim and his brother-in-law, who are approximately 20 years old, would make the choice to fight a 65-year-old man.”


AR: Would-be robber shot: "Three robbers tried to hold up a Little Rock apparel store Thursday night but were thwarted by an employee, Little Rock police said. Officers responding to a robbery call at Hip Hop Sportswear on 6624 Colonel Glenn Road said employee Iyad Otham told them, as described in the police report, that "three homosexual black men" entered the business. Two of the suspects approached the counter and displayed firearms and pepper spray. He told officers that they sprayed him and he was able to knock a gun from one of the suspect's hands, but another suspect fired shots at him. Otham then picked up the gun that had fallen, according to an incident report, and fired back, hitting one of the suspects. The suspects fled."

ATF Celebrates LGBT

From a news release Wednesday:

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today sponsored its first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month program at its headquarters, with Acting Director Kenneth Melson providing remarks and Rep. Barney Frank serving as the keynote speaker.

The celebration was in recognition of the accomplishments and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to ATF and the nation, and to promote awareness of the LGBT culture.

Heh.

VA: Robber flees when gun pointed at him: "Employee Debra Smith was working at the time of the robbery. She will never forget the moment an armed man burst through the doors and pointed a gun at both her and the customers. A surveillance video captured the robber forcing the women to walk in a single line towards the back of the store. However, the criminal failed to notice the jewelry repairman Carl hidden in his workstation at the time of the robbery. Carl acted quickly, grabbing his own gun and pointing it at the robber. At that point the robber ceased his actions and ran out of the store. Carl remained calm and collected during the ordeal even though he says, "I keep thinking this guy is going to kill me. It was so close".


OH: Homeowner shoots in self-defense: "A homeowner shot a man in self-defense during an argument late Thursday that began outside and ended when the suspect ran into a home on Joyce Avenue, Cincinnati police said. The homeowner was defending himself and will not face charges, police said. The suspect, who is expected to recover, is at University Hsoptial. When he is released, he will be taken to the Hamilton County jail on charges of felonious assault and burglary, police said. Investigators are still looking into what prompted the violence. They are not even sure yet if the two men know each other. The pair argued outside the home, and the suspected took out a gun. At that point, the homeowner ran inside and armed himself. Gunfire was exchanged when the suspect entered the home."


TX: Guard, robber shot in exchange of fire: "An off-duty San Antonio security guard was shot in the buttocks Wednesday when he exchanged gunfire with a man accused of trying to rob a pawn shop, shooting him in the torso. Police said the suspect walked into the EZ Pawn in the 3600 block of South Gevers Street in San Antonio shortly after 7 p.m., pointed a gun at the roof, and declared, "This is a holdup." The off-duty security guard - a licensed handgun owner who happened to be at the store - pulled out his own gun and two exchanged fire, Sgt. Roy Bernal said. Both men were transported to Brooke Army Medical Center with injuries not believed to be life-threatening, according to Bernal.
At least four witnesses were in the shop when the shootout occurred and were taken in for questioning, police said. The suspect was to be charged with aggravated robbery."


CA: Man Killed Trying to Hold Up Marijuana Dispensary Truck: "A Santa Ana man was shot dead while trying to rob a marijuana dispensary truck along with three friends in Brea on Wednesday night. 20-year-old Minh Kinh Dang was killed and three other men were jailed on suspicion of robbery and felony murder according to Brea police. while trying to steal marijuana from a medical marijuana deliveryman, and three other men were jailed on suspicion of robbery and felony murder. The men approached the truck around 8:15 p.m. in the Birchwood Village apartment complex in Brea. When Dang whipped out a gun, the marijuana delivery man's security guard shot him, according to the OC Weekly. He was pronounced dead at the scene."

AR: Robbery Attempt Leaves Employee Stabbed, Suspect Shot: "A possible armed robbery gone wrong leaves one man shot and another stabbed. Police say at this point, it seems a man in the store stabbed shop clerk Chris Leach, who then shot the would-be robber. If this turns out to be a stick up gone south, the suspect who was shot could be facing several felony charges. Prosecutors will have to determine if the employee acted in self-defense. "If we didn't have that gun in the store, Chris could have been a worse victim than what he was," Dunnigan said. Both men were transported to Washington Regional Hospital. Leach is in good condition after suffering a stab wound. The suspect wielding the knife has not been identified, but he has undergone surgery for a gunshot wound to the chest. Police say they have an idea of the man's identity but have not been able to confirm they are correct as of yet."


Still no concealed carry law in Illinois: "In response to the concealed carry bill about to become law in Wisconsin, Illinois Democratic Governor Pat Quinn demonstrated his ignorance of the subject when he stated "...concealed carry law would put first responders and the public at risk by allowing more weapons- hidden weapons- in public places." While the governor is simply parroting the Democratic Party's mantra, what he says is simply not true. As the state of Illinois plunges into an economic abyss caused by the inept policies of Quinn himself, and as a result crime is on the rise, especially the new-fangled "flash-mob" attacks, Governor Quinn is simply putting his head in the sand and ignoring the situation and the facts. Studies have clearly demonstrated that concealed carry laws actually decrease crime, as well as the costs of crime to society--something the Governor needs to recognize before he and his Democratic allies in the General Assembly lose their jobs."


Second open letter to the gunowners of the United Kingdom: "I have just finished reading the latest replies to my first Open Letter, sent out the Monday before last. Most are rather flattering. Some are abusive. These first I have acknowledged privately. The second I have ignored. There is, however, a third class of reply -- from people who broadly share my belief in the free ownership of guns, but who still misunderstand what I am trying to do. I am writing this second Open Letter with those people in mind."

FAST AND FURIOUS BACKPEDALING AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

It seems beyond doubt that there was an unacknowledged agenda behind this. The official excuses so far make no sense at all

We haven't written much about the Operation Fast and Furious scandal, which reportedly is about to lead to the resignation of the Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The best way to get a handle on the controversy is by reading the Joint Staff Report that was prepared for Congressman Issa's Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Senator Grassley of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and was released last Tuesday. The report is based on testimony taken from ATF agents and, to a lesser extent, on documents produced to Issa's committee by ATF.

The report relates that in the fall of 2009, the Department of Justice "developed a risky new strategy to combat gun trafficking along the Southwest Border," which was implemented by ATF, a part of the Justice Department. The new strategy was called "Operation Fast and Furious."

The operation's goal was to establish a nexus between straw purchasers of assault-style weapons in the United States and Mexican drug-trafficking organizations (DTOs) operating on both sides of the United States-Mexico border.

"Straw purchasers" are people who buy guns from gun shops for the purpose of reselling them to criminal organizations. At the time when Fast and Furious began, a number of straw purchasers were known or suspected in the Southwest. The usual course, prior to that operation, had been to surveil the suspected straw purchasers as they bought weapons and to keep them under surveillance until they tried to sell or otherwise dispose of the weapons. At that point, an arrest would be made and the weapons recovered. Or, in the alternative, they could arrest the straw purchaser for "lying and buying," making false representations in connection with his gun purchases, and try to "flip" the straw purchaser to lead them to other drug gang members. According to the agents who testified before Issa's committee, "ATF's long-standing policy has been not to knowingly allow guns to 'walk' into the hands of criminals." It was this policy that was changed by the Fast and Furious program.

Under DOJ's new strategy, gun shop owners would be given the names of suspected straw purchasers and would report to ATF the serial numbers of guns that they sold to those purchasers. However, the purchasers themselves were not kept under surveillance and no effort was made to stop them from transferring the guns to Mexican drug gangs. On the contrary, such transfers were the hoped-for result, on the theory that identifying the guns when they later turned up at crime scenes in Mexico or on the U.S. side of the border would "create a 'nexus' between the drug cartels and the straw purchasers." Under this theory, approximately 2,000 AK-47s and other weapons were allowed to pass from known straw purchasers into the hands of the drug cartels.

It is difficult to understand how DOJ thought this could be a good idea. Almost the only way in which the illegal firearms were recovered in Mexico was when they were left at crime scenes. ATF would check serial numbers, and sometimes was able to verify that a weapon that had been bought by a known straw purchaser had, indeed, wound up in the hands of a Mexican drug gang. But so what? The authorities already knew that was taking place, and identifying the serial number after the fact would do little or nothing to help identify or catch higher-ups in the drug cartel. Intuitively, the traditional approach described above seems like a much more effective way to roll up a drug gang, which was the stated purpose of Fast and Furious.

Many ATF agents were appalled by, and rebelled against, Fast and Furious. They predicted that guns the agency had purposely allowed to get into the hands of a drug cartel would inevitably be used to commit crimes of violence, potentially against law enforcement officers. But their complaints were suppressed by higher-ups in ATF and DOJ.

The weapons that were permitted to be smuggled into Mexico under Fast and Furious contributed to the drug violence there. According to ATF agents who testified, that made ATF officials "giddy." One agent recounted a conversation with an ATF higher-up in which he asked, "are you prepared to go to a border agent's funeral over this or a Cochise County deputy's over this, because that's going to happen." Her response, in a chilling echo of Lenin, was that "if you are going to make an omelette, you need to scramble some eggs."

The inevitable occurred on December 14, 2010, when Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered by a group of illegal aliens near Rio Rico, Arizona. Two AK-47-type weapons found at the scene had serial numbers that showed they were bought by a straw purchaser named Jaime Avila, whose identity as such had been known to ATF since November 2009.

The evidence suggests that the Department of Justice immediately went into cover-up mode. In January 2011, William Newell, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF's Phoenix Field Division, held a press conference in which he announced the indictment of 20 individuals. This was presented as though it represented the roll-up of a drug gang, but in fact, most of the indictments were for the relatively minor offense of "lying and buying," and nearly all of those indicted were straw purchasers whose identities were known to ATF long before Fast and Furious began.

Since then, DOJ has attempted to deflect inquiry by quibbling over whether Fast and Furious involved "gun walking" or not--it did, under any but the narrowest definition, but the terminology is immaterial--and by stonewalling the House committee's requests for documents relating to the program.

The joint staff report whose findings are summarized in this post does not accuse the Department of Justice of bad faith. It assumes that Fast and Furious was a misguided attempt at a new anti-cartel strategy, which had the unintended but foreseeable effect of contributing to the spiraling violence along the Mexican border.

Others are not so sure. At Pajamas Media, Bob Owens speculates that the Obama administration used Fast and Furious to advance a gun control agenda:

The most damning revelations coming out of the hearings on Operation Fast and Furious held by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are the unmistakable indications that the program was never designed to succeed as a law enforcement operation at all. ...

ATF agents testifying in front of the House Oversight Committee could not explain how the operation was supposed to succeed when their surveillance efforts stopped at the border and interdiction was never an option.

ATF Agent John Dodson, testifying in front of the committee, said that in his entire law enforcement career, he had "never been involved in or even heard of an operation in which law enforcement officers let guns walk." He continued: "I cannot begin to think of how the risk of letting guns fall into the hands of known criminals could possibly advance any legitimate law enforcement interest."

The obvious answer is that Gunwalker's objective was never intended to be a "legitimate law enforcement interest." Instead, it appears that ATF Acting Director Ken Melson and Department of Justice senior executives specifically created an operation that was designed from the outset to arm Mexican narco-terrorists and increase violence substantially along both sides of the Southwest border. ...

At the same time in 2009 that federal law enforcement agencies (the ATF, the DOJ, and presumably Janet Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security) were creating the operation that led to the executive branch being the largest gun smuggler in the Southwest [Ed.: This characterization is overblown; the Obama administration did not smuggle guns, but did intentionally permit and encourage the smuggling of weapons that easily could have been confiscated.], the president's team was crafting the rhetoric to sell the crisis they were creating.

On television, in various news outlets, and even in a joint appearance with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama pushed the 90 percent lie, implying that 90% of the guns recovered in Mexican cartel violence came from U.S. gun shops.

At the same time they were damning gun dealers in public, the administration was secretly forcing them to provide weapons to the cartels, by the armful and without oversight. More than one gun industry insider suggests that the administration extorted cooperation and silence from these gun shops.

This is an explosive accusation, for which there is no evidence beyond the circumstantial. But Eric Holder's Department of Justice needs to stop stonewalling Issa's committee and start providing clear--among other things, unredacted--answers as to who devised Fast and Furious, and why. In the absence of such cooperation, speculation will inevitably run rampant.

Source




WA: Man shot, killed in Port Angeles home: "One man is dead after a shooting in Port Angeles. It happened about 1:30 yesterday afternoon at a house at 211 East Vashon Avenue. Police were called there on a 9-1-1 call when a 58-year-old man reported he had been involved in a shooting with a 63-year-old man who may have been his neighbor. The two apparently got into an argument and the 58-year-old man shot the other man in what he described as self-defense. Port Angeles police say there are no suspects at large. The 58-year-old man was taken into custody for questioning. Meantime, Port Angeles police are still investigating the shooting. No arrests have been made"


'Concealed carry' about to become law in Wisconsin: "Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is expected signed into law a 'concealed carry' bill that will allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons for self-protection. The legislation has garnered much opposition from liberal lawmakers and anti-gun groups. Well, thankfully, the citizens of Wisconsin have voted into office a Republican legislature and a Republican governor, and these people have kept their promise to pass a 'concealed carry' law that will allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons for self-defense. And today is the day that they are expected to keep their promise."

Mother of bystander injured by gunman who shot at 'dangerous' Brooklyn teens hails shooter as hero: "A Brooklyn gunman who opened fire on a pack of noisy teens was hailed as a hero Monday by the most unlikely of allies - the mother of the woman he inadvertently wounded. Larisa Kaprovskaya said Thomas Dunikowski was just trying to protect them from local teens terrorizing their block. "He shot because he wants to protect us," said Kaprovskaya, 50. "I don't know what would have happened to us if he didn't try to protect us. I appreciate him." Dunikowski, 30, was slapped with a raft of charges for using a semiautomatic hunting rifle to open fire on the teens in Marine Park, cops said. Kaprovskaya said Dunikowski is a family man who lives with his wife, Kimberly, and their 2-year-old son. Another neighbor, John Westbay, felt sorry for the shooter. "I can understand why he did it," Westbay said. "It's not the first time we've had this trouble."


OK: Man shot, killed in domestic dispute: "A 52-year-old Jenks man was shot and killed Sunday afternoon at a residence in Glenpool during an apparent domestic dispute, police said. Glenpool Assistant Police Chief Bart Harris said James Mitchell was shot twice in the chest outside a home at 680 W. 131st St. and pronounced dead at the scene. Police identified the man who fired the shots as the homeowner, 50-year-old Donald Wilson. The dispute apparently started between Mitchell and his mother at a house they shared in Jenks, Harris said. "She left the scene and went to (Wilson's) address and Mitchell followed her," he said. "As the (911) call was coming in, officers were advised (Mitchell) was at the house trying to get in and had a meat cleaver," Harris said. Officers were still en route to the residence when Mitchell approached Wilson outside the residence and was shot, Harris said.
Wilson was questioned and released following the incident, Harris said. He was not arrested. "Through our investigation, it appears to be self-defense," said Harris, "but the district attorney will make the final determination."


Pa. Senate votes to expand 'castle doctrine' - right to use deadly force against attackers: "In Pennsylvania, as in most states, your home is your castle and you have a right to defend it. Soon, you will be able to add your car. Or the sidewalk. Or anywhere you "have the legal right to be." The state Senate, in a 45-5 vote, gave final approval Monday to the so-called castle doctrine bill to expand the right of people to use deadly force against attackers in places outside their homes. A spokesman for Gov. Corbett said the governor would sign the bill but was not sure when. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Scott Perry (R., York), eliminates a requirement that people try to retreat before using deadly force in those situations. Proponents - led by the National Rifle Association - say the legislation would enhance public safety by exempting gun owners acting in self-defense from prosecution."


Texas Gov. Signs Bill Allowing Guns In Vehicles At The Workplace: "Gov. Rick Perry has signed into law a bill sponsored by State Sen. Glenn Hegar that will allow residents to store legal guns locked in their vehicles while parked at the workplace. The bill takes effect Sept. 1. Hegar had introduced the bill during three sessions of the Texas Legislature, but this was the first time it made it to the governor’s desk. The bill was strongly backed by the Texas Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association. “I’d like to thank Gov. Perry for signing this bill and for recognizing that a worker’s individual and constitutional right to self-defense does not end when they drive onto their employer’s property,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action."

GA: Unidentified Suspect Shot in Home Invasion: "Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are trying to identify a suspect shot during a home invasion this morning. The suspect, who received a life-threatening injury, was one of three men who forced one victim into the house, pointed a gun at a 23-year-old woman sleeping with her infant son, and ran from the residence when the child’s father shot at them. The incident took place in the 2200 block of Hawthorne Street about 1 a.m. when at least two of the intruders approached a 22-year-old cousin of the father in the front yard and tried to rob him. The cousin ran into the house and the assailants followed. One suspect pointed a gun at the cousin as a second went into a bedroom and tried to rob the woman. The 28-year-old father had been alerted by barking dogs and picked up his gun. When he heard an altercation in the living room, he walked in and opened fire on the intruders, who ran, dropping a handgun as they fled. A fourth occupant of the house picked up the handgun and fired at the fleeing intruders. The unnamed suspect was found in a vacant lot beside the house."


AL: Burglary suspect shot: "A Tuscumbia man remains in Huntsville Hospital recovering from injuries he sustained after he was shot by a homeowner after a break-in, officials said. ... Investigators said David 'Smokey' Simmons, 69, who lives at the residence, is accused of shooting Johnson after he reportedly caught Johnson inside the house and a fight took place between the two men."


Is the Second Amendment check against tyranny obsolete?: "Based on all the idiot edicts they’re trying to pass, the government fears an armed populace. That means the Second Amendment is doing its job as a deterrent, and things can be resolved peaceably, without it having to become a remedy. It’s when they no longer fear an armed citizenry that things will get really dangerous and more likely to heat up."

Head of ATF Is Likely to Go

The Justice Department is expected to oust the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to people familiar with the matter, amid a troubled federal antitrafficking operation that has grown into the agency's biggest scandal in nearly two decades.

Moves toward the replacement of Kenneth Melson, acting ATF director since April 2009, could begin next week, although the precise sequence of events remains to be decided, these people said.

The shakeup shows the extent of the political damage caused by the gun-trafficking operation called Fast and Furious, which used tactics that allowed suspected smugglers to buy large numbers of firearms. Growing controversy over the program has paralyzed a long-beleaguered agency buffeted by partisan battles. The ATF has been without a Senate-confirmed director since 2006, with both the Bush and Obama administrations unable to overcome opposition from gun-rights groups to win approval of nominees.

In November, President Barack Obama nominated Andrew Traver, the head of the ATF's Chicago office, as permanent ATF director. The nomination stalled in the Senate after the National Rifle Association said Mr. Traver had a "demonstrated hostility" to the rights of gun owners.

Mr. Traver is set to travel to Washington on Tuesday to meet with Attorney General Eric Holder and Deputy Attorney General James Cole, the people said. The administration is weighing whether to name Mr. Traver as acting director or choose another interim chief while awaiting Senate action on his nomination, they said.

ATF spokesman Scot Thomasson said: "Acting Director Kenneth Melson continues to be focused on leading ATF in its efforts to reduce violent crime and to stem the flow of firearms to criminals and criminal organizations. We are not going to comment on any speculations."

Mr. Melson is the most senior official so far implicated in a congressional probe of the Fast and Furious operation. The ATF Phoenix office ran the program in 2009-2010 to monitor weapons purchases by suspected gun smugglers. Agency officials hoped eventually to build a case against major arms smugglers serving Mexican drug cartels. The ATF has struggled to stanch the flow of U.S. weapons to Mexican drug gangs.

At a House hearing this week, Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, disclosed internal documents showing that Mr. Melson was closely involved in managing Fast and Furious operation. One email among ATF officials described Mr. Melson's request for an Internet link to hidden cameras the ATF had planted in gun shops cooperating with the operation, Mr. Issa said, citing the documents. That allowed Mr. Melson to watch a live feed of suspected "straw buyers," who purchase firearms on behalf of others, buying AK-47-style rifles, he said.

Mr. Issa and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) are leading the congressional probe of Fast and Furious, which came to light after an Arizona shootout in December that killed a U.S. border agent. Two assault weapons bought in a gun shop that was part of the operation were found at the scene. The shooter and the gun used to kill the agent haven't been identified. A Mexican national is charged in the shootout.

Republican lawmakers say the agency was "reckless" in running the program and should have known that at least some of the thousands of weapons would end up in Mexico or be used in crimes in the U.S.

The office of the Justice Department's inspector general is investigating the matter.

Fast and Furious has grown into the agency's worst crisis since the ATF's 1993 raid on a religious sect in Waco, Texas, which triggered a gunbattle that killed four ATF agents. The fallout from the raid and subsequent government assault on the sect's compound led to years of recriminations and investigations of the ATF.

The Fast and Furious operation caused dissent in the ATF Phoenix office, according to three ATF agents who testified at a House hearing Wednesday. The agents said they battled supervisors who insisted on doing surveillance instead of arresting suspected straw buyers.

Despite the Justice Department's internal probe, the hearing helped cement the view among top Justice Department officials that Mr. Melson needed to be moved out before pressure from lawmakers grew more intense, according to the people familiar with the matter.

Ronald Weich, assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, testified at this week's hearing but gave few details of the program. Mr. Weich said that if the investigation found "flawed strategies" or "insufficient surveillance of weapons," the responsible officials would be held to account.

The ATF is at the forefront of the government's efforts to stem the flow of what both the U.S. and Mexican governments say is a flood of U.S. arms to Mexican cartels. ATF agents say stopping that flow is often complicated by gun-owning traditions, particularly in border states, and laws that make it difficult to prosecute illegal weapons sales.

Gun-rights groups, which dispute that the U.S. is a major source of firearms trafficked to Mexico, have criticized ATF attempts to increase regulation of gun purchases. At the same time, the Obama administration has been under pressure from big-city mayors and others who favor tighter restrictions.

In a 2010 audit, the Justice Department inspector general criticized the ATF for pursuing too many small-buyer cases and not using its resources to find major gun traffickers.

It's unclear how the current controversy will affect the administration's chances of winning Senate confirmation for Mr. Traver. Mr. Traver is a 24-year ATF veteran investigator and former Navy officer. As the head of the ATF office in Chicago, he made a priority of pursuing gang cases. In particular, he focused on pursuing street gangs that had spread from urban areas into the suburbs, according to people who have worked with him.

Some ATF agents believe the scandal could help highlight how Congress's refusal to approve an ATF leader contributes to the agency's troubles.

White House spokesman Jay Carney, in response to questions Friday, said, "I can tell you that, as the president has already said, he did not know about or authorize this operation."

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OH: Gas station shooting: "Police are trying to determine what led to a shooting at a gas station late Friday night. Police responded to the Sunoco gas station at Wayne Avenue and Keowee Street. The male victim was shot in the abdomen twice and taken to Miami Valley Hospital in critical condition. Officers have reviewed security footage of the shooting and think it may be a case of self defense after an argument broke out. Witnesses said the shooting could have been a case of mistaken identity. The alleged shooter eventually turned himself in to police Saturday morning."

Blood On Their Hands: Giving Guns to Criminals Was the Plan All Along

“Allowing loads of weapons that we knew to be destined for criminals, this was the plan. It was so mandated.” –Special Agent John Dodson ATF Phoenix Field Division.

Damning new evidence from Capitol Hill shows that ATF Directors and Justice Department Officials knew about and encouraged the purposeful trafficking of thousands of weapons across the southern border, despite strong objections from ATF agents. Thousands of innocent lives were taken as the result, including those of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and ICE Agent Jamie Zapata.

New emails released by House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa show that ATF Director Kenneth Melson was briefed weekly about Operation Fast and Furious and watched a live feed of straw purchasers (who serve as middle men, purchasing guns and giving them to cartel members) in Arizona gun shops from his cozy Washington D.C. office. Emails also show that Deputy Assistant Director for Field Operations William McMahon was enthusiastic about the operation.

“An e-mail from April 12, 2010, indicates that Acting Director Melson was very much in the weeds with Operation Fast and Furious. After a detailed briefing of the program by the ATF Phoenix Field Division, Acting Director Melson had a plethora of follow-up questions that required additional research to answer. As the document indicates, Mr. Melson was interested in the IP Address for hidden cameras located inside cooperating gun shops. With this information, Acting Director Melson was able to sit at his desk in Washington and – himself – watch a live feed of the straw buyers entering the gun stores to purchase dozens of AK-47 variants,” Chairman Issa said in his opening statement.

Senator Charles Grassley, who has been working closely with Rep. Issa, pointed out that officials from the Justice Department have been stonewalling the investigation for months. Attorney General Eric Holder has said he is unaware of who ordered the operation.

“On October 26, 2009, emails indicate that there was a meeting of senior law enforcement officials at the Justice Department. It appears to have included the heads every law enforcement component of the Department, including directors of the FBI, the DEA and the ATF. It also included the U.S. Attorneys for all the Southwest border states, the Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee,” Grassley testified.

Emails also show that ATF encouraged gun dealers to sell to straw buyers, in spite of their own hesitance to do so.

"ATF encouraged gun dealers to sell to straw buyers. Emails prove that at least one dealer worried prophetically about the risk. He [a dealer] wrote to ATF about his concern that a border patrol agent might end up facing the wrong end of one of these guns. ATF supervisors told the dealer not to worry. So, the agents said it was a bad idea. And, the gun dealers said it was a bad idea, but ATF supervisors continued anyway", Grassley said.

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was that agent. He was killed by cartel member 18 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border near Rio Rico, Ariz. Agent Terry was a fighter-a former Marine who was willing to put everything he had, including his life, on the line for his country. He was dedicated to his job, his family and the United States.

“It was just ten days before Christmas last year, when our family received the devastating news; Brian had been shot and killed while engaged in a firefight with a group of individuals seeking to do harm to Americans citizens and others,” said Robert Heyer, the cousin of Terry, testifying on behalf of the entire Terry family. “Brian did ultimately come home that Christmas; we buried him not far from the house that he was raised in just prior to Christmas day. The gifts that Brian had picked out with such thought and care began to arrive in the mail that same week. With each delivery, we felt the indescribable pain of Brian’s death, but at the same time also remembered his amazing love and spirit.”

ICE Agent Jamie Zapata was killed in Mexico in February 2011 while on assignment. He was killed by a gun traced back to Operation Fast and Furious, however, Zapata’s family will never see justice. Once guns flow back into Mexico, they are no longer within the jurisdiction of the United States, leaving the government without any authority to prosecute anyone for any crime.

Three Special ATF Agents gave additional incriminating testimony. ATF Agent Dodson, one of the first whistleblowers to come out publicly against Operation Fast and Furious, provided details about the failed operation.

“I was involved in this operation, we monitored as they purchased hand guns, AK-47 variants, and .50 caliber rifles almost daily. Rather than contradict any enforcement actions, we took notes, we recorded observations, we tracked movements of these individuals for a short time after their purchases, but nothing more. Knowing all the while, just days after these purchases, the guns that we saw these individuals buy would begin turning up at crime scenes in the United States and Mexico, we still did nothing,” Dodson said. “Allowing loads of weapons that we knew to be destined for criminals, this was the plan. It was so mandated.”

And there still isn’t an explanation as to why.

“Allowing firearms to be trafficked to criminals is a dangerous and deadly strategy. The thought that the techniques used in the “Fast and Furious” investigation would result in “taking down a cartel” given the toothless nature of the “straw purchasing law” and the lack of a “firearms trafficking statute” is, in my opinion, delusional,” Special Agent Peter Forcelli said. “This operation, which in my opinion endangered the American public, was orchestrated in conjunction with Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley. [Emory Hurley is the same Assistant U.S. Attorney who previously prevented agents from using some of the common and accepted law enforcement techniques that are employed elsewhere in the United States to investigate and prosecute gun crimes.] I have read documents that indicate that his boss, U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, also agreed with the direction of the case.”

There is no way to prosecute drug cartels in Mexico even if firearms trafficking had been successful in locating them. They are not within United States jurisdiction. “I can’t think of a single, logical strategy as to why this would have worked,” Forcelli said. “This was a catastrophic disaster.”

According to testimony, it has become common practice for retaliation to occur against ATF Agents who spoke out against their supervisor's corruption, even when operations had no logical backing.

Forcelli also added that while the ATF was ordering gun dealers to sell to straw buyers under surveillance, gun dealers were taking the heat for it, and being held responsible for violence in Mexico. He stressed gun dealers were not the problem. In fact gun dealers were helpful in pursuing cases against cartel members, making it blatantly clear law abiding gun owners are not at fault, but the government is.

Issa said he will continue to investigate in order to find the truth and get to the bottom of the operatation. The government owes the truth to the American people and to the family of Brian Terry and Jamie Zapata, he explained. “There has now become a focus on getting the truth out.”

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ANN BARNHARDT has an explanation for the absurdity above

If her explanation seems extreme, remember that Obama was brought up as a Muslim and had both a Communist father and Communist mentors. Those things are facts, not theories

Obama and Holder are complicit in murder and are engaging in outright treason just within the matrix of Gunwalker alone. Bottom line:

Gunwalker never, ever had ANYTHING to do with drug enforcement or stopping the cartels. NOTHING. The reason that the Obama regime, which we all know is a treasonous Marxist-totalitarian enemy force, executed the Gunwalker program was to create optics (lots of dead Mexican civilians, dead Mexican law enforcement, dead Mexican military and dead Americans) that they could then use to justify the elimination of the Second Amendment via the U.N. -- specifically the Small Arms Treaty.

ATF insiders have reported that the Obama regime was "giddy" that Mexicans were being killed by Gunwalker firearms. This is because these people are Marxists, and as I have said here repeatedly, Marxists lie and murder human beings as policy. Marxists believe that human life has no intrinsic value and that human beings are object pawns that can be used and exterminated without compunction in order to further their own goals and increase their own power.

In this case, the goal is to disarm the people of the United States so that the Marxist-Obamaist regime can seize totalitarian, dictatorial power, overthrow the Constitution, and establish a global power matrix. This disarmament will be achieved (or so they think) by using the meme of American omni-culpability. In other words, everything is OUR FAULT.

"See? These Mexicans are dead because of weapons sourced in the U.S. If it weren't for the U.S. and the Second Amendment, none of this would have happened."

Yeah, except the Obama regime specifically handed the weapons in question to the Mexican cartels, and then explicitly FORBADE the ATF agents from interdicting them.

Kids, we have to get our heads around the fact that the Obama regime is an enemy of this nation. They are not "us". They are not "on our side". These people are the sworn, declared enemy of this Republic, its constitution, and every single person who is loyal to the Republic and the constitution.

Additionally, any other sovereign nations that are allied with the United States are the ENEMY of the Obama regime, and, conversely, those nations and groups that are enemies of the United States are the allies of the Obama regime.

The Obama regime IS THE ENEMY. The Obama regime is the "black flag". They are engaging in operation after operation, be it Gunwalker, cultivated destabilization on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood in more nations than I have fingers, overt support of Marxist factions in Honduras, surrendering Poland to Russia, handing Russia the U.K.'s missile codes, and on and on, that are diametrically opposed to the United States and her allies.

All of these actions are being taken IN THE NAME of the United States, but the Obama regime IS NOT the United States. The Obama regime is its own non-American Marxist entity that is in a state of war against the United States, its constitution, its economy and its people. This is the mother of all false flag operations, and Gunwalker is just one facet of that operation.

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OH: Fatal shooting ruled self defense: "Police have determined that a fatal shooting at the Upper Deck Apartments last Friday was a case of self-defense. The man who lived in the apartment, William Wayne Anthony, was charged with a weapons violation. Police say Ricky Sanders went to Anthony's apartment to confront him about the rape of Sanders' 14 year old daughter. Police reports say Sanders kicked in the door to the apartment and was shot by Anthony. Sanders stumbled out of the apartment building to an alley where he collapsed. He died later that day at Miami Valley Hospital. Anthony has not been charged in the alleged rape, but can still face weapons charges. Police say Anthony is prohibited from owning, carrying or using a firearm because of a drug conviction dating back to 1984." [An update to a post here of 10th]

CO: Woman who killed man, wounded another, won't face charges: "The Weld County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that it will not file criminal charges against a woman who killed a man and wounded another at her home in what she said was an attempted burglary. Karen Cordova, 48, of Erie was initially arrested on charges of second-degree homicide and attempted second-degree homicide. They now say she may have acted in self-defense after the two men botched a robbery. Authorities say 40-year-old Stephen Erickson, also from Erie, drove to a friend's home after he was stabbed. He was listed in critical condition in a Lafayette hospital. Authorities found the body of a second man, identified as Kyle Dust, at Cordova's house while investigating Erickson's stabbing. An autopsy showed Dust died from a gunshot wound. Cordova told police the two men broke into her house where she grows medical marijuana."


MT: Husband told he should not have fired back at group who shot his wife (??): "The husband of a woman struck in the head by a bullet during a gunfight in December pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge. Steven Jay Schmaing, 27, appeared before Judge G. Todd Baugh and admitted to a charge of felony criminal endangerment for returning gunfire during a shooting at an Underpass Avenue storage facility. Schmaing told the judge he acted in self-defense when he fired several times at a pickup truck after his wife was hit with gunfire. But Schmaing acknowledged that his role in the shooting caused a substantial risk of serious injury to bystanders. Schmaing admitted to the charge as part of a plea agreement that calls for prosecutors to recommend a suspended sentence of 10 years. Schmaing returned fire with a .45-caliber pistol, firing into the truck five times over his shoulder as the vehicles separated. None of the of the four people inside the truck were injured. Lundberg [shooter], 26, is awaiting trial on a charge of attempted murder. She is being held in the county jail on $250,000 bond."


GA: Bar owner shoots at club goers: "A group of club goers shot up Sports Zone Bar and Grill because they weren't ready to leave. The club bouncer was shot in the leg and taken to Phoebe Putney Hospital. The club owner, Reginald Gordon, used his gun in self-defense. At some point, the five men started shooting at the building. That's when the owner came outside with his shot-gun and fired back. Police say the group this morning left in three different cars including a Chevy Impala, a White Expedition and a burgundy car."


SAF leads coalition in amicus filing for Colorado carry case: "The Second Amendment Foundation has been joined by 17 other firearms rights groups in an amicus brief filed in a case now before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging laws that prohibit the carrying of firearms by law-abiding non-resident U.S. citizens in Denver, Colorado."

NC: Shooting outside adult book store injures man: "A preliminary investigation has shown that a shooting outside a Bragg Boulevard adult bookstore Wednesday morning may have been self-defense, a police spokesman said. "The initial investigation reveals some question as to who is the actual victim or suspect," Lt. Chris Davis said. "It could be self-defense." The victim, Timothy Chardell Malloy, 25, of Fayetteville, was shot in the leg and taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening, Davis said. Malloy spoke to a woman who was outside the store, Davis said. There was a confrontation between Malloy and a man identified as an acquaintance of the woman, Davis said. The two are believed to have fought before the unidentified man shot Malloy, Davis said."


OR: Man shot by girlfriend is arraigned: "An Alsea man who was shot by his girlfriend early Saturday morning was arraigned Tuesday on charges of two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, fourth-degree assault, strangulation and two counts of menacing at the Benton County Courthouse on Monday. Joseph Michael Pellett, 25, was arrested about 9:30 a.m. Monday at 28014 Vernon Road in Alsea, the residence that he shares with his girlfriend, Kaila Courtain, 22. He remained at the Benton County jail Tuesday on $100,000 bail. Pellett and Courtain began struggling over a .22-caliber Smith and Wesson Glock automatic handgun. When Courtain gained control of the weapon, she held it to Pellett's temple, and Pellett told her to shoot him. Pellett then stepped back, and Courtain reportedly shot him through the cheek. Courtain reportedly told sheriff's investigators after the shooting that she shot Pellett early Saturday out of self-defense."


PA: Crack dealer charged for shooting armed robber: "According to police, Doggett was in the midst of an armed-robbery spree with a .357 handgun in Bristol Township’s Bloomsdale-Fleetwing neighborhood when he was killed. Doggett had approached a group of people to rob when Williams, a crack dealer working a corner across the street, shot Doggett in the back with a .22 caliber handgun, police said. Doggett returned fire with his .357, police said, staggered to a nearby alley and died. The shooting, according to court records, was hardly justified because Williams wasn’t in harm’s way. After a four-year investigation by Bristol Township police, Williams was charged this spring in Doggett’s death."

SC: Man set free after crooked prosecution and 8 years in jail: "A 39-year-old Upstate man accused of shooting his sister’s boyfriend 14 times in 2001 has been set free because of problems with the trial process. The shooting happened at Jack Earl Parker's home on Ebenezer Church Road in Travelers Rest in October 2001. Parker’s defense alleges that Stewart showed up with a knife and a car full of people. Deputies said Parker fired a 9 mm gun at Stewart 14 times, killing him. The night before he was killed, Stewart was accused of beating Parker's sister. She was in the house at time of shooting. In 2003, a judge granted Parker a mistrial after defense attorneys said prosecutors gave them a crime scene video with graphic images blocked out but showed jurors a clear version.


Court reverses ex-NYC officer’s conviction in deadly off-duty shooting he said was self-defense: "An appeals court says a former New York City police officer shouldn’t have been convicted of manslaughter for his off-duty shooting of an unarmed, drunken driver after a car crash. The state Supreme Court’s Appellate Division voided Rafael Lora’s conviction and dismissed the case Tuesday. Lora was off duty when he heard a minivan crash into a parked car outside his Bronx home and went to investigate in May 2007. He said minivan driver Fermin Arzu ignored his commands and began driving away, dragging him along. Lora said he shot Arzu five times out of fear for his life. The court found Lora didn’t act recklessly, as the manslaughter charge required."


Wis. Senate votes to legalize concealed carry: "The Wisconsin Senate has passed a bill that would allow concealed weapons in most public places. All 19 Senate Republicans voted for the bill Tuesday, along with six Democrats. Eight other Democrats opposed it. The bill would make Wisconsin the 49th state to legalize carrying hidden guns. Those who want to carry the weapons would have to obtain a permit. Republican Gov. Scott Walker backs the bill. Before it would get to him, it must also pass the Assembly. That could happen later in the week. The bill allows concealed weapons except in places such as police stations, courthouses and Milwaukee's Summerfest music festival."


Grandpa carries a gun: "An old grandpa once said, 'Son, there comes a time in every man’s life when he stops bustin’ knuckles and starts bustin’ knee caps. Usually it’s when he becomes too old to take an ass whoopin’.' He goes on to say the following: 'I don’t carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed. I don’t carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.'"

Pa. Woman Fired Weapon in Self Defense: "Jolene Swenda, 50, of Phoenixville, was acting in self defense when she fired her revolver on the street in Royersford Monday. According to police, the woman was defending herself and her dog from a loose pit bull. No charges will be filed against Swenda. Witnesses and Swenda told police during the investigation that as Swenda was walking her small dog in the 500 block of Chestnut Street, a 75-pound pit bull worked its way loose from a nearby fenced-in yard. “Swenda felt that her life and her dog’s life were in danger so she discharged her [.38-caliber] revolver three times to scare the pit bull away,” according to police. Police said that as Swenda feared for her life and her dog’s life and as Swenda does have a valid firearms permit in Chester County, no charges will be filed."


TN: Father shoots deranged son: "Patrick Jorgensen, Sr. is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the death of his son. Jorgensen, Sr. walked into court Monday with a large gash on his forehead and family members by his side. According to family members, 24-year-old Patrick Jorgensen, Jr. suffered from mental problems and had physically attacked family members in the past. Last Thursday, the fighting started at the family's home on Glenwild. Ballin said Jorgensen, Sr. shot his son after he had attacked his father three times and was threatening his sister."


IA: Man Originally Charged With Murder Walks Free: "A Council Bluffs man charged with first degree murder is being released from jail Monday. The Pottawattamie County Attorney has decided to drop the charges. Robert Hashberger was arrested for first degree murder in April. Police say he and the victim, 41-year-old John Rodarte Junior, got into a fight at a bar near 12th and 6th Avenue in Council Bluffs. One of the men allegedly hit on the other's ex-girlfriend. The fight spilled out to the parking lot where Rodarte was shot in the chest. He was taken to Creighton University Medical Center where he died. Hashberger stayed at the scene until officers arrived and claimed self-defense. Investigators say Hashberger used a concealed weapon in the shooting that he was carrying legally. Rodarte was not armed."


Ohio about to eliminate ban on guns in bars, restaurants: "One of eight states against the practice, Ohio is on the verge of allowing guns in bars, restaurants, stadiums and any other place alcohol can be consumed. Gov. John Kasich will consider either House Bill 45 or Senate Bill 17, identical pieces of legislation that would end the state’s ban. The law would allow concealed-carry permit holders to carry a firearm into a bar, restaurant, stadium or club, but prohibit them from consuming alcohol."

Fearmongers and hypocrites in the gun debate

It was a year ago this month that a crime wave was supposed to sweep the streets of Chicago.

The Supreme Court ruled that the city’s handgun ban violated the rights of residents, making the ownership of such firearms legal after they had been banned for almost 20 years.

Gun control activists were just sure that legalizing handguns was going to be a bad thing. After all, murders in the Windy City had been spiking during the months leading up to the Court’s decision. How could “introducing more guns into the mix” make people safer?

Well, just ask the 45-year-old Chicago woman who recently killed an intruder in her home.

“I was scared for my life,” she said, relating how she opened fire with her handgun after the burglar confronted her with a tire iron in her basement. “I thank God that I’m still here.”

It’s good to know that there are some people who are happy the Chicago ban was ruled unconstitutional. Sadly, few of them are on the City Council, which responded to the McDonald v. Chicago decision by enacting new “emergency” restrictions on firearms.

But those controls aren’t making a whit of difference in keeping bad guys from getting firearms, and they’re only making it more difficult for law-abiding residents to protect themselves.

Even so, people like this Chicago woman now have the ability to legally purchase handguns, and that is helping save lives — much to the shock of those who had predicted nothing but doom and gloom in the wake of last year’s Court case which upheld individual gun rights:

* “The Supreme Court gun decision moves us toward anarchy,” said David Ignatius of The Washington Post.

* The Court’s ruling “could prove far more destructive — quite literally — to our nation’s communities,” said Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens (who is now retired).

Not to be outdone, then-Mayor Richard Daley stated that the key issue in the Chicago case “is nothing less than the safety of our streets.” More parents and children would die, he predicted, if “guns [become] too easily available in our society.”

But one must now ask the all-important question on this one-year anniversary: since the Court ruled against Chicago and guns have become more available, did crime rates skyrocket as Daley & Co. predicted?

Well, not quite. While Chicago’s murder rate was on the rise before the Court’s decision, it has plummeted in the months since handguns were made legal (in relation to previous years).

Last year marked a 45-year low in Chicago’s murder rate, and the trend continues to look optimistic. This year, it took longer for the city to reach 100 homicides than it did last year — another sign that Chicago is experiencing fewer murders.

In other words, Daley & Co. were completely off target. How can all these fearmongers be taken seriously when their predictions have been so horribly wrong?

Fearmonger: “Someone who stands to gain power, influence or funding by spreading fear in the general population.”

Get that. It doesn’t matter if a fearmonger’s prediction ever materializes. A fearmonger only wants to scare people into adopting his solution to the problem. For Daley & Co., the fear of what could happen is intended to frighten everyone into supporting even more gun control.

And that’s why it’s helpful to go back and examine some of their statements. After all, one way to test the validity of someone’s world view is to see how well he can predict the future.

Whether it’s Harold Camping telling us when the world is going to end, or Barack Obama explaining that his stimulus package will keep unemployment under eight percent, or a big city mayor promising that more gun control will keep people safe … if they can’t correctly forecast the future, then it shows the world their ideas are fundamentally flawed.

No wonder that the fearmonger usually loses his cool when his predictions fail to materialize. Such was the case with Mr. Daley, who got testy with a reporter when he was asked about the effectiveness of his city’s handgun ban which was enacted in 1982.
“It’s been very effective,” Daley snarled, grabbing the gun off the table in front of him. “If I put this up your — your butt, you’ll find out how effective it is. If we put a round up your, ha ha.”

Richard, you’re so funny. We’re all laughing … not! Actually, people are laughing at Daley, but it’s because of his hypocrisy.

Hypocrite: “A person who engages in the same behaviors he condemns in others.”

That describes Richard Daley, who fought to keep Chicagoans defenseless when he was in office. But now that he’s retired, he wants full-time protection that most mortals simply can’t afford.

While most residents of the city need to spend hundreds of dollars and wait several weeks to buy a legal handgun, outgoing Mayor Daley demanded five armed bodyguards to protect him — all at the taxpayers’ expense, of course.

Mr. Daley doesn’t have to pay a dime, and he doesn’t have to fill out any paperwork.

Maybe if we forced hypocrites like Daley to live under the laws they want to impose on everyone else, then maybe … just maybe … they’d understand the ineffectiveness of gun control.

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CO: Man convicted on minor charges only: "A Mesa County jury was unable to reach verdicts on most of the charges in the trial of a man accused of shooting five people at a party in December 2009. Joshua Anton, 21, was convicted on a pair of misdemeanors — prohibited use of a weapon and carrying a concealed weapon — in verdicts which were read aloud this afternoon in District Judge Brian Flynn’s courtroom. The jury, which started deliberations on May 12, could not agree on the most serious charges in the case, including first-degree assault, and second-degree assault. Anton had pleaded not guilty in the shooting of five people, which happened after a fight at a late-night party at 2984 Krista St., in Fruitvale on Dec. 13, 2009. Anton’s attorneys argued he shot in self-defense after several men, with whom he had fought earlier at the party, tried to force their way back into the home’s front door. Prosecutors said Anton was standing in the living room when he fired four shots from a .40-caliber handgun. One of the rounds passed completely through one victim. Three of the five wounded men suffered serious bodily injuries, doctors said." [Anton has now taken a plea deal]


NH lawmakers head to table to discuss expanding permissible use of deadly force, gun rights: "The state Senate is giving the idea of eliminating the need for a permit to carry concealed, loaded guns anyplace not prohibited by law another chance for passage this year in New Hampshire. The House and Senate will meet Monday to try to reach a compromise on a bill that lets adults carry the guns without first getting a permit from local police. Gun owners would have the option of getting a permit so they could travel to states with reciprocal permit agreements with New Hampshire. The bill would not change exemptions in the law, such as for felons carrying weapons. The bill also would allow the use of deadly force in self-defense or defense of others anywhere someone has the right to be."

TN: Female thief shot: "A woman was shot in the head after she and two other suspects stole a female victim's purse and beat her up. It happened around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. on Saturday at the Trinity Lakes Apartments in Cordova. Police said 25-year-old Maria Fugitt was followed home from work early Saturday morning. When she pulled up in her parking lot, the three women who were following her got out of their car with a gun and demanded money. They allegedly took $240, Fugitt's purse and backpack. But Fugitt didn't give up without a fight. She called for her boyfriend, who came outside. Police said that as the suspects drove off, one of them pointed a pistol out the window at both victims. Police said the boyfriend, 34-year-old Michael Ray, then fired one shot at the robbers' car, shattering the rear window. The suspects sped off. Later, one of the suspects, 20-year-old Amber Jackson, allegedly called police saying her friend was shot in the head. Harrison was treated at The MED, then released to be booked in jail."


VA: Clerk pulls gun on would-be robber: "At about 11:30 p.m. a man entered the Airport Pure convenience store, displayed a silver handgun and demanded money from the clerk, according to a news release from the Danville Police Department. The clerk pulled his own handgun from his waistband and the suspect fled the store. The clerk follow the suspect out and around the building and fired several shots into the air. As he fled, the suspect fired a single shot back at the clerk. No one was injured. The suspect was described as a black male, 5-foot 8- inches tall in his 20s wearing a white shirt, dark pants and a red bandana over his face."



Legal Action Wins Court Order Forcing LAPD to Make CCW Policies Available: "On Thursday, June 9, 2011, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Terry Green granted a motion in the NRA and CRPA Foundation financed case against the City of Los Angeles regarding the LAPD’s concealed weapons permit (CCW) processing and issuance policies. The motion was brought to force LAPD to comply with a 16-year-old Consent Judgment from the 1995 Assenza v. City of Los Angeles case. For years, LAPD has repeatedly sought to avoid its obligations under the judgment and to keep people in the dark about what it takes to get a CCW in the City of L.A. The City unsuccessfully opposed the motion. Under Penal Code § 12050, the LAPD has an obligation to process applications for CCWs, and to issue CCWs if the applicant has “good cause.” For many years, the City and the LAPD had a policy of not making CCW applications available, never finding good cause to exist, and effectively prohibiting the issuance of any CCWs."

Sportsmen calls needed as the California legislature is moving two anti-gun bills

Senate Bill 798, sponsored by Sen. Kevin De Leon (D- Los Angeles), would ban the sale of all airguns, including BB and pellet guns used by many sportsmen for small game hunting and target shooting. Under the bill, these firearms could not be sold unless the entire exterior surface of the gun was predominately colored: white; bright hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, or purple; or is transparent. The bill would effectively ban most airguns used by sportsmen as most of these guns rightfully look like other firearms and not “toy” guns.

"Airguns, like BB guns and pellet guns, are real firearms used by sportsmen for hunting and target shooting,” said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance associate director of state services. “It makes no sense to ban these firearms unless they are colored to look like a child’s water gun or other toy gun that you would buy from the toy aisle of a store. If passed, sportsmen would be unable to continue to purchase traditional airguns used for hunting, and law enforcement will be unable to tell the difference between what is a real firearm and what is a toy gun.”

The bill has passed the Senate and is schedule for a public hearing on June 14th before the Assembly Committee on Public Safety. The hearing will take place at 9:00 a.m. in State Capital Room 126. Sportsmen are encouraged to attend the hearing and voice their opposition to the bill.

Assembly Bill 809, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D- Los Angeles), would apply the state’s handgun registry requirements to all firearms, including rifles and shotguns commonly used by sportsmen for hunting and recreational shooting.

Gun owners would be required to register all of their firearms and provide personal information that includes their name, address, place of birth, telephone number, and occupation. It would also require gun owners to provide a detailed description of the gun, including serial number. This bill is unnecessary and is an invasion of gun owner rights.

AB 809 has passed out of the Assembly and will head to the Senate.

Take Action! California sportsmen should plan to attend next Tuesday’s public hearing and should call their state assembly person today and ask them to oppose Senate Bill 798.

California sportsmen are also encouraged to call their state senators today and ask them to oppose Assembly Bill 809.

To find your state legislator’s contact information, visit the USSA Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org/LAC.

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OH: Alleged rapist defends himself: "According to police, they believe that Anthony raped the 14-year-old girl earlier in the week after she had run away from home. However, when she returned on Thursday morning, officers said she told her parents about the alleged sexual attack. "Her dad became extremely enraged as a result and demanded that she show him the location where this occurred," Tolpin said. Police said the girl's father kicked in Anthony's door, there was a confrontation and then Anthony shot the girl's father. He was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he later died. The shooting investigation remains in its initial stages. Police said they are trying to figure out if Anthony fired his weapon in self defense or not."


Pa. shop owner fights back: "A second man has pleaded guilty to robbing the 74-year-old owner of a southwestern Pennsylvania recycling shop, who fought off blows from a baseball bat and a stun gun and wounded one of the robbers with a shotgun. Twenty-year-old Sean Garland, of Ruffsdale, pleaded guilty Thursday and faces at least seven-and-a-half years in prison under a plea bargain when he's sentenced June 22 by Fayette County Judge Steve Leskinen. Garland acknowledged robbing Stanley Tabaj (tah-BY') at his Toby Recyling Center in Dunbar Township on Sept. 27. But he tearfully denied attacking the elderly man with the weapons, saying that was the work of 19-year-old Nathan Smith, of Scottdale, who agreed to a similar plea bargain last month. Tabaj grabbed a shotgun and Smith was hit in the head with some pellets as he ran away."


Iowa liquor store robbers shot: "Blake Alexander Leflore is headed to prison for up to 10 years for his role in a June 2010 liquor store robbery. His two accomplices weren't as lucky. Robert Bolden and Antonio Sproles were shot and killed by a clerk shortly after they entered East Fourth Street Liquor carrying guns. East Fourth Street Liquor had already been the scene of a 2009 robbery where a clerk was shot in the arm when Bolden and Sproles, both 21, walked into the store wearing bandanas over their faces and holding a .22-caliber rifle and a .22-caliber handgun. The lone employee, Johnny Sanders, 65, grabbed a .44-caliber revolver the owner kept in the office and shot the two. They died at the scene. Sanders wasn't charged in the case, and police said the shooting appeared to be justified."

OH: Intruder shot & killed: "Police in Dayton said a man who was shot inside an apartment on North Decker Avenue Thursday morning has died from his injuries. The shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. inside an apartment at 17 North Decker Avenue. Officers said one of the residents may have fired in self-defense. The shooting happened at the Upper Deck Apartments, where officers said two men forced their way in. The victim, Ricky Sanders, 41, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he later died. The suspected shooter was taken in for questioning. Homicide detectives discovered that the shooting may have been in self-defense. According to police, the person living in the apartment fired the shot. The man who was killed, police said, was one of the two who broke in. At this time, no arrests have been made." [A bit more here]


Ohio bar security guard fatally shoots 2: "A barroom security guard shot and killed two men early Thursday after he was attacked by a group of men who tried to drag him into a restroom, Cleveland police said. The brawl started at about 1 a.m. at the Top Cat Pub & Grill, a bar on the city's east side. People at the scene told WJW-TV that the fight was over a $2 cover charge owed from last week. Police said Byron Gilson, the security guard, was attacked by eight to 10 men who tried to take his firearm and drag him into a restroom. As Gilson was being dragged, he discharged his gun, hitting two of the men, said Police Sgt. Sammy Morris. Roosevelt Guins, 33, and Alexander Burks, 25, both of Cleveland, were pronounced dead at the scene, Morris said. After Guins and Burks were shot, the other men backed off but did not leave, police said. Gilson then fired his weapon into the ceiling and they left."

Pa.: Off-duty cop shoots deranged son: "A Pennsylvania Police Lieutenant shot and killed his 17-year-old son in an act of self-defense after the teen attacked him on Wednesday, MyFoxPhilly.com reports. Hatfield Police Lt. Eric B. Schmitz fatally shot his son inside their home in Towamencin Township after the teen, Stephen Schmitz, reportedly attacked him with a large hunting knife, according to a press release. Lt. Schmitz was taken to a hospital to be treated for wounds sustained during the incident, officials say, and he is cooperating with the investigation. Stephen Schmitz was released from Horsham Clinic Tuesday after being involuntarily committed for nearly two weeks for treatment after reportedly threatening to kill himself"


TX: Woman shoots former husband: "A woman shot and killed her former husband Wednesday morning after he apparently lay in wait for her and forced her into the home where she was living with her parents and children just off Seaborn Road in unincorporated Denton County. Denton County Medical Examiner investigators have identified the man as Wendell McDonald, 28, of Oklahoma. The woman told sheriff’s investigators that she dropped off her children at an activity and returned to the house. He was hiding in the yard and accosted her as she exited her vehicle, investigators said. “She admits to shooting him and says it was self-defense,” said sheriff’s Lt. Rick Clark. “She told us that he forced her inside the house and sexually assaulted her. He got the gun out of her father’s closet. She shot him once in the chest.” McDonald was declared dead at the scene. She told investigators that she had a protective order against McDonald, and he was not supposed to be near the house."


Miss.: Castle doctrine clears two arrested in fatal shooting: "Prosecutors have declined charges against two arrested in the shooting death of an intruder in April because they said the killing was justified under Missouri's "castle doctrine" law. Police arrested a woman, 29, and a man, 37, after the April 6 shooting death of Emmett Terry. Police said Terry broke into his ex-girlfriend's home in the 4600 block of Oregon Avenue and tried to attack her. Police have said the woman had had a restraining order against Terry. Authorities say the woman shot and killed Terry, of the 1900 block of Semple Avenue. He died at the scene."


New shall-issue carry policy in Sacramento, California: "KCRA reports that the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department has begun issuing concealed carry permits to law-abiding citizens who state self-defense as their good-cause justification. Only Guns and Money blog reports this is because of a successful legal battle fought by the Second Amendment Foundation and Calguns Foundation, where they settled out of court with the Sacramento County and Sheriff. Many residents are concerned for their safety as the budget crisis may cut up to 60 more deputy positions."

Illinois Legislature Leaves Good Citizens Defenseless Against Brutal "Flash Mobs"

For the second weekend in a row, visitors to Chicago's posh Gold Coast were terrorized by so-called "flash mobs." For the uninitiated, a "flash mob" is a violent group of dozens of young people who are directed to specific locations by smart phones or social media sites for the purpose of robbing and beating unsuspecting citizens.

On Memorial Day, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel ordered the very popular North Avenue Beach closed. Although the official position of the city was that it was "too hot" for people to be on the beach, indications are that the beach was closed because a flash mob was roaming the lakefront attacking unwary beachgoers.

According to CBS 2 television, several innocent citizens – including a 68-year-old man – were attacked by flash mobs near the upscale Magnificent Mile shopping district early Saturday evening. In both cases, groups of 20 or more young men swarmed their victims – kicking, punching and robbing them. The police were only able to detain 4 of the dozens of participants in the flash mob.

"The growing tide of flash mob attacks in Chicago really drives home the point that the police are not able to defend ordinary citizens from violent crime," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "These flash mobs are like terrorist sleeper cells. They appear out of nowhere, savagely attack their victims, then blend back into the crowd before the police can arrive. So far, these flash mobs appear content with beating and robbing their victims. But, the inability of law-enforcement agencies to protect citizens from flash mobs will only serve to embolden the mob participants. It won't be long until these mobs graduate from robbery to gang rape or even murder."

"It is understandable that Mayor Emanuel and other city officials are in denial over the dangers of flash mobs," continued Pearson. "After all, tourist season is upon us and Chicago cannot afford to have tourists scared away by the specter of a violent mob attack. But whether the mayor and the city council like it or not, flash mob activity will become more commonplace with the tactics of the flash mobs exhibiting an escalation in headline-grabbing violence."

"Earlier this spring, the Illinois General Assembly passed up the opportunity to enact legislation designed to discourage flash mob violence," said Pearson. "If passed and signed into law, House Bill 148 would have allowed well-qualified, well-trained, law-abiding citizens to carry defensive firearms. Certainly, an armed citizen is in a much better position to ward off a violent flash mob attack than an unarmed citizen carrying nothing more than a mocha latte. Unfortunately, members of the gun control movement bullied legislators and the measure fell 6 votes short of passage."

"As far as I'm concerned, anyone injured at the hands of a flash mob has the General Assembly to thank for their suffering," concluded Pearson. "People have the right to defend themselves against flash mob thugs and the state has no business interfering with that right to self defense."

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Miss.: Man Claims Self-Defense In Shooting: "A McComb man accused in a fatal shooting told officers that he acted in self-defense, the McComb police chief said. The shooting happened about 8 p.m. Monday on South Locust Street, police said. When officers arrived, they found Jeff Carone lying on the ground and Jonathan Noll standing over him with a gun, Chief Gregory Martin said. A machete was found next to Carone, Martin said. Noll told officers that he fired in self-defense, Martin said. He was taken into custody, but had not been charged as of Tuesday afternoon."


WV: Nicholas man shot during alleged burglary attempt: "A Nicholas County man was shot early Sunday after he allegedly broke into a house in Summersville. Howard Franklin Harris, of Summersville, told deputies he woke up about 12:15 a.m. Sunday to find Christopher Lynn Pino, of Ramsey, burglarizing his house. Nicholas County Sheriff Wetzel Bennett said Harris called police and held a gun on Pino while waiting for help to arrive. But Harris told deputies that Pino charged him, and he had to shoot. Bennett said Pino was shot in the head with a handgun."


Terrorists prefer Americans unarmed, just as the “gun control” lobby does: "The forcible citizen disarmament lobby is positively giddy today, over having found a new ally -- someone else who wants guns to be more difficult for Americans to obtain, and available (legally) to fewer of us. Who is this ally? A kind, peace-loving soul, who is horrified by the 'gun violence' in the U.S.? Um ... not quite. Meet, courtesy of ABC News, Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn ..."