CA: Victim fires shots after early morning robbery: "A southwest Bakersfield business owner attempted to shoot a couple of armed robbers early Sunday morning, but the thieves got away. Bakersfield police officers were dispatched to Max Muscle at 8000 McNair Ln. just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday. The owner of the business told investigators that two men armed with handguns got into the business through a back door. The robbers, who were wearing dark-colored hooded sweatshirts, confronted the business owner and his female companion. The business owner was ordered to the ground at gunpoint. When one of the robbers walked to the back of the business, the victim grabbed a gun and attempted to fire at the suspects. The suspects ran and the business owner ran after them and fired three shots. No injuries were reported."
Cleveland Thugs Rejoice: City Buys Back 700 Guns: "The city of Cleveland became a little safer last Thursday—safer for criminals. In what has become an annual spectacle, the city dumped more than 700 firearms into the Number 1 Basic Oxygen Furnace at the Cleveland Arcelor Mittal facility. The formerly useful weapons, collected in “gun buyback” programs in the city and surrounding communities in September, were subjected to temperatures of about 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit and 200 tons of molten iron. It’s not clear how the city could “buy back” something it didn’t own in the first place. According to WTAM 1100 news, “Parma Mayor Dean DePiero says in a small but significant way, the gun buy back program is making our streets safer, and hopes it is expanded to more communities next year.” Presumably he said this with a straight face. But he’s wrong—dead wrong. At best, the destruction of the firearms will have no negative impact. It’s also possible, though, that the lack of a gun will ensure that an innocent victim does not have the means of self-protection in the face of an attack."
Sunday, October 30, 2011
La.: Wife shoots abusive husband: "Police say a man was shot Saturday in the 1700 block of Alston Street in Shreveport's Allendale neighborhood after a domestic dispute. Officers said a fight between Kenneth Robinson, 26, and his wife, Tomeka Nunn, 28, took place just after 5 p.m. Officers said they think Robinson physically struck Nunn during the altercation, prompting Nunn to produce a handgun and fire two shots into Robinson's legs. Robinson was taken to LSU Hospital with what are described as nonlife-threatening injuries. Police say charges will be filed against Robinson for the abuse. They also said Nunn is not being charged at this stage in the investigation, as the shooting appears to be self-defense."
Lawsuit Seeks to Overturn California Open Carry Ban: "On December 15 a Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit will be filed seeking an injunction against a California law that was passed in 1967 which makes it a crime to openly carry a loaded firearm. Ironically, AB 144 recently passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown making it a crime to openly carry even an unloaded handgun has greatly simplified the lawsuit. Under a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in May of 2011, it would have been necessary to show that the California law, which requires openly carried firearms to be unloaded until one was in grave and immediate danger, was a “substantial burden.” With the passage of AB 144, this will no longer be necessary."
Lawsuit Seeks to Overturn California Open Carry Ban: "On December 15 a Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit will be filed seeking an injunction against a California law that was passed in 1967 which makes it a crime to openly carry a loaded firearm. Ironically, AB 144 recently passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown making it a crime to openly carry even an unloaded handgun has greatly simplified the lawsuit. Under a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in May of 2011, it would have been necessary to show that the California law, which requires openly carried firearms to be unloaded until one was in grave and immediate danger, was a “substantial burden.” With the passage of AB 144, this will no longer be necessary."
Saturday, October 29, 2011
No charges against man who confronted, shot robbery suspect in Minneapolis: "A man who confronted and fatally shot a suspected robber won't be charged in the killing because he acted in self-defense after a gun was pointed at him, prosecutors said Friday. The criminal complaint against Marberry described the events leading up to the shooting. It said a 53-year-old woman's purse was taken and she was hit in the head with a handgun shortly before 10 p.m. Evanovich, Marberry and another man — all suspects in that robbery — fled. The complaint said the unidentified man followed them in his car and asked for the robbery victim's purse back. Evanovich pointed a gun at the man, who pulled out his own handgun and fired. The man has a valid concealed-carry permit, authorities said."
TX: Homeowner shoots intruder: "Watauga police are investigating an early-morning break-in that sent the alleged 16-year-old intruder to the hospital with a critical gunshot wound to the chest. The homeowner said he shot the intruder in self defense. The homeowner said the sound of someone breaking down a door woke him up just after 2:30 a.m. He then found an intruder inside his son's bedroom holding a gun to his son's head and demanding money, he said. Police said the homeowner went back to his bedroom, got a rifle and told the intruder to drop his gun. Instead, the intruder allegedly turned and pointed the gun at the homeowner, which was when the homeowner shot the intruder in the chest area. he injured intruder was rushed to the hospital by air ambulance in critical condition. Police said he may face charges for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. The homeowner faces no charges at this time."
Clinton confirms DOJ/DHS committed felonies in Operation Fast and Furious: "Sometimes it really does get just this simple. By denying that State played any role at all in Operation Fast and Furious, Hillary Clinton has thrown Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano under the bus at highway speeds. “How?” you may be asking. Simple. According to the Arms Export Control Act, only the State Department can authorize the export of weapons. Every weapon that the multi-agency strike force made up mostly of Department of Justice and Homeland Security personnel sent over the Mexican border should equal a felony, for at least 2,020 felonies in Operation Fast and Furious alone. Eric Holder’s December 8 agreement to appear in front of Congress under oath just got a lot more interesting. Maybe after his trial Holder, can share a cell with Jerome Pendzich until we get him and Napolitano extradited to Mexico for the 200 plus counts of their being accessories to murder."
Loaded Gun in Checked Luggage at LAX: "Media reports are expressing alarm about the fact that a loaded handgun was found by Alaska Airlines baggage workers loading planes on a flight at LAX on Sunday. The Los Angeles Times declared, "Security officials at LAX fail to detect loaded gun in bag," The gun fell out of a duffel bag that had been screened along with the rest of the checked baggage for the flight. Despite all the hand-waving, guns in checked baggage are not illegal (though they are supposed to be disclosed to the airline and packed unloaded). Nor are they a threat to the safety of flights. And the idea that TSA should minutely inspect everything in checked bags would not only add costs and time to the bag-screening process. It would also make an already overly-intrusive TSA into even more of a threat to people’s privacy and liberty. We need to distinguish here between what is being looked for at passenger checkpoints and what is being looked for in checked baggage."
TX: Homeowner shoots intruder: "Watauga police are investigating an early-morning break-in that sent the alleged 16-year-old intruder to the hospital with a critical gunshot wound to the chest. The homeowner said he shot the intruder in self defense. The homeowner said the sound of someone breaking down a door woke him up just after 2:30 a.m. He then found an intruder inside his son's bedroom holding a gun to his son's head and demanding money, he said. Police said the homeowner went back to his bedroom, got a rifle and told the intruder to drop his gun. Instead, the intruder allegedly turned and pointed the gun at the homeowner, which was when the homeowner shot the intruder in the chest area. he injured intruder was rushed to the hospital by air ambulance in critical condition. Police said he may face charges for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. The homeowner faces no charges at this time."
Clinton confirms DOJ/DHS committed felonies in Operation Fast and Furious: "Sometimes it really does get just this simple. By denying that State played any role at all in Operation Fast and Furious, Hillary Clinton has thrown Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano under the bus at highway speeds. “How?” you may be asking. Simple. According to the Arms Export Control Act, only the State Department can authorize the export of weapons. Every weapon that the multi-agency strike force made up mostly of Department of Justice and Homeland Security personnel sent over the Mexican border should equal a felony, for at least 2,020 felonies in Operation Fast and Furious alone. Eric Holder’s December 8 agreement to appear in front of Congress under oath just got a lot more interesting. Maybe after his trial Holder, can share a cell with Jerome Pendzich until we get him and Napolitano extradited to Mexico for the 200 plus counts of their being accessories to murder."
Loaded Gun in Checked Luggage at LAX: "Media reports are expressing alarm about the fact that a loaded handgun was found by Alaska Airlines baggage workers loading planes on a flight at LAX on Sunday. The Los Angeles Times declared, "Security officials at LAX fail to detect loaded gun in bag," The gun fell out of a duffel bag that had been screened along with the rest of the checked baggage for the flight. Despite all the hand-waving, guns in checked baggage are not illegal (though they are supposed to be disclosed to the airline and packed unloaded). Nor are they a threat to the safety of flights. And the idea that TSA should minutely inspect everything in checked bags would not only add costs and time to the bag-screening process. It would also make an already overly-intrusive TSA into even more of a threat to people’s privacy and liberty. We need to distinguish here between what is being looked for at passenger checkpoints and what is being looked for in checked baggage."
Friday, October 28, 2011
Don't call me grandma
Poll: US gun ownership at 20-year high: "Nearly half of Americans say they have a gun in their household, the highest percentage since 1993, according to a new Gallup poll. Forty-seven percent of Americans say they have a gun on their property."
Poll: US gun ownership at 20-year high: "Nearly half of Americans say they have a gun in their household, the highest percentage since 1993, according to a new Gallup poll. Forty-seven percent of Americans say they have a gun on their property."
Thursday, October 27, 2011
IG Schnedar’s investigation: Gunwalker’s “Little Bighorn?”
A string of damning emails and testimony has laid waste to the Obama Administration’s planned defense in depth over their involvement in Operation Fast and Furious, a multi-agency plot that saw ATF, DEA, and FBI agents within the Department of Justice colluding with ICE agents in Homeland Security and IRS-CID agents within Treasury to assure that at least 2,020 firearms would be transferred from U.S. gun shops to the Sinaloa cartel without the possibility of state or local authorities interdicting smuggled weapons or arresting the straw purchasers or the smugglers themselves.
In recent comments by Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano, and repeated comments from President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, it has become apparent that the last, perhaps only defensive card the Administration has to play is to invoke the investigation into the gun-walking scheme being run by acting DOJ Inspector General Cynthia A. Schendar. By claiming that they do not want to talk because of the on-going OIG investigation, the President and appointees buy themselves both time and a plausible reason to avoid making comments that may come back to haunt them in the event of impeachment or a criminal trial.
But who is acting Inspector General Schnedar, what role does she have to play in investigating her boss and her boss’s boss? Is there any reason to suspect she can be trusted to provide a fair an impartial accounting of the actions that led to the shooting of three U.S. federal agents, and the deaths of 200 Mexican citizens, or more?
It would be unfair to malign Schnedar’s character or objectivity as the acting Inspector General, so we’ll simply report the facts as they are known.
The Obama Administration has a very bad record of intervening into Inspector General investigations, and in fact had Corporation for National and Community Servic Inspector General Gerald Walpin fired for his investigation into an ally of President Obama that misappropriated an $850,000 AmeriCorps grant.
Eric Holder is well known to be a key ally of the President, in addition to being the head of the Agency that employs Schnedar. It is reasonable for Schnedar to suspect that if she finds the Obama Administration or its high-level appointees responsible for their apparent roles in walking guns, that she would find that she is no longer needed as acting Inspector General, nor would her services as a lawyer be in great demand in the private sector, having turned against a President heavily favored by the legal profession.
This of course, assumes that acting Inspector General Schnedar is both ethically allowed and practically interested in conducting a legitimate investigation.
Why would she want to “rat out” a colleague like her old friend Eric Holder?
The ethical conflict of interest faced my acting IG Schnedar is insurmountable. She is tasked with investigating a former colleague who is currently her employer, and an unfavorable outcome would seem to terminate both her current career as an acting Inspector General and vastly reduce her chances for premium employee opportunities in the private sector as well. For these reasons, an ethical Inspector General would have recused herself from the investigation immediately, something that Schednar has steadfastly refused to do, raising the specter of impropriety and cronyism, undermining the system she is sworn to protect.
Of course, that is making the assumption that Cynthia Schnedar is ethical Inspector General, which evidence seems to suggest she may not be.
Secret tapes recorded by the gun dealer at the heart of the government’s gun-walking operation were turned over to the Congressional investigators working the case. Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa turned over copies of the tapes to Schendar, who immediately turned them over to the very people she is supposed to be investigating, without even first listening to the tapes herself. Schnedar will eventually find that her mandate as acting Inspector General is to investigate “waste fraud or abuse,” which she will not find in Operation Fast and Furious and she slow-walks her investigation to deny documents to Congress while her investigation drags on.
The Obama Administration is heavily, perhaps entirely invested in hiding behind acting Inspector General Schendar’s investigation, and certainly depends upon it as their last rhetorical stand defending themselves in the media. No wonder the President has ignored a growing chorus of calls from law enforcement officers and Congress to take Schnedar off the case and appoint an indepedent special prosecutor.
The fix is in.
Source
KY: Store owner shoots robber who demanded money: "Louisville Metro Police are investigating a shooting in old Louisville. Police say a man walked into a store and tried to rob it and the owner fought back taking aim at the intruder. Police say the robber walked into the business and demanded money. The owner gave it up, but then pulled a gun and shot the robber. The wounded suspect then fled the scene and police say he found a ride to the hospital where he remains at this hour Wednesday night. We're not sure of his condition, but police say the injuries do not appear to be life threatening."
TN: Shop owner, employee beat robber, getaway car with bat: "A robber intending to knock over a liquor store Tuesday night instead had a gun pulled on him, was beaten with a baseball bat and had damage to his car as he tried to get away. At about 10:15 p.m., a man with a crowbar walked into The Wine Cellar, 4 Lealand Drive, at closing time, said he was homeless and demanded money, according to a news release from Clarksville Police spokesman Officer Jim Knoll. When the 67-year-old store owner refused, the robber struck him in the head with the crowbar. The owner pulled out a revolver, and the robber fought him for it, Knoll said. A 66-year-old woman, an employee of the store, heard the commotion, came out, saw the two men fighting, grabbed a baseball bat, and in the heat of the battle, hit the robber and the store owner. The robber was able to pull the gun out of the owner’s hand and run from the store. The owner and employee chased the robber outside and saw him get into a older model, dark colored, Jeep Cherokee. The owner grabbed the baseball bat and struck the Jeep several times, possibly breaking a headlight and a window. The robber then fled from the scene."
Record low support for gun control: "The Second Amendment has rebounded in the last half-century as support doubled since 1959, the Gallup poll reported. Nearly 3 out of every 4 Americans now opposes a ban on handguns — only 1 in four are for banning possession of a handgun. In 1959, 60% of Americans favored banning handguns — and only 36% opposed such an affront to the Second Amendment. The jump in support for handguns shows what an utter failure the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has been. Handgun use is up, yet gun homicides are down, contrary to what the Brady Campaign has preached for a quarter-century."
A string of damning emails and testimony has laid waste to the Obama Administration’s planned defense in depth over their involvement in Operation Fast and Furious, a multi-agency plot that saw ATF, DEA, and FBI agents within the Department of Justice colluding with ICE agents in Homeland Security and IRS-CID agents within Treasury to assure that at least 2,020 firearms would be transferred from U.S. gun shops to the Sinaloa cartel without the possibility of state or local authorities interdicting smuggled weapons or arresting the straw purchasers or the smugglers themselves.
In recent comments by Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano, and repeated comments from President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, it has become apparent that the last, perhaps only defensive card the Administration has to play is to invoke the investigation into the gun-walking scheme being run by acting DOJ Inspector General Cynthia A. Schendar. By claiming that they do not want to talk because of the on-going OIG investigation, the President and appointees buy themselves both time and a plausible reason to avoid making comments that may come back to haunt them in the event of impeachment or a criminal trial.
But who is acting Inspector General Schnedar, what role does she have to play in investigating her boss and her boss’s boss? Is there any reason to suspect she can be trusted to provide a fair an impartial accounting of the actions that led to the shooting of three U.S. federal agents, and the deaths of 200 Mexican citizens, or more?
It would be unfair to malign Schnedar’s character or objectivity as the acting Inspector General, so we’ll simply report the facts as they are known.
The Obama Administration has a very bad record of intervening into Inspector General investigations, and in fact had Corporation for National and Community Servic Inspector General Gerald Walpin fired for his investigation into an ally of President Obama that misappropriated an $850,000 AmeriCorps grant.
Eric Holder is well known to be a key ally of the President, in addition to being the head of the Agency that employs Schnedar. It is reasonable for Schnedar to suspect that if she finds the Obama Administration or its high-level appointees responsible for their apparent roles in walking guns, that she would find that she is no longer needed as acting Inspector General, nor would her services as a lawyer be in great demand in the private sector, having turned against a President heavily favored by the legal profession.
This of course, assumes that acting Inspector General Schnedar is both ethically allowed and practically interested in conducting a legitimate investigation.
Why would she want to “rat out” a colleague like her old friend Eric Holder?
It turns out that Ms. Schnedar has long and close ties to Mr. Holder. According to her biography on the Justice Department website, she became assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. in 1994. Eric Holder had become the U.S. attorney in Washington the previous year, so he in effect was Schnedar’s boss from 1994 until 1997, when he left to become President Clinton’s deputy attorney general. Holder would become a key player in the scandalous pardons of fugitive billionaire Marc Rich and members of the Puerto Rican nationalist terrorist group known as FALN.
But during Ms. Schnedar’s tenure before Holder had departed, it happened that they had ended up working a number of cases together. According to the LexisNexis website, there were at least fourteen of them, usually at the appellate level. For Holder, it was more than just “in name only”; in some of those cases, they apparently co-filed legal briefs.
In one case, they had represented the ATF. In another, they represented both the ATF and DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), an agency that has now also been linked to Fast and Furious.
The ethical conflict of interest faced my acting IG Schnedar is insurmountable. She is tasked with investigating a former colleague who is currently her employer, and an unfavorable outcome would seem to terminate both her current career as an acting Inspector General and vastly reduce her chances for premium employee opportunities in the private sector as well. For these reasons, an ethical Inspector General would have recused herself from the investigation immediately, something that Schednar has steadfastly refused to do, raising the specter of impropriety and cronyism, undermining the system she is sworn to protect.
Of course, that is making the assumption that Cynthia Schnedar is ethical Inspector General, which evidence seems to suggest she may not be.
Secret tapes recorded by the gun dealer at the heart of the government’s gun-walking operation were turned over to the Congressional investigators working the case. Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa turned over copies of the tapes to Schendar, who immediately turned them over to the very people she is supposed to be investigating, without even first listening to the tapes herself. Schnedar will eventually find that her mandate as acting Inspector General is to investigate “waste fraud or abuse,” which she will not find in Operation Fast and Furious and she slow-walks her investigation to deny documents to Congress while her investigation drags on.
The Obama Administration is heavily, perhaps entirely invested in hiding behind acting Inspector General Schendar’s investigation, and certainly depends upon it as their last rhetorical stand defending themselves in the media. No wonder the President has ignored a growing chorus of calls from law enforcement officers and Congress to take Schnedar off the case and appoint an indepedent special prosecutor.
The fix is in.
Source
KY: Store owner shoots robber who demanded money: "Louisville Metro Police are investigating a shooting in old Louisville. Police say a man walked into a store and tried to rob it and the owner fought back taking aim at the intruder. Police say the robber walked into the business and demanded money. The owner gave it up, but then pulled a gun and shot the robber. The wounded suspect then fled the scene and police say he found a ride to the hospital where he remains at this hour Wednesday night. We're not sure of his condition, but police say the injuries do not appear to be life threatening."
TN: Shop owner, employee beat robber, getaway car with bat: "A robber intending to knock over a liquor store Tuesday night instead had a gun pulled on him, was beaten with a baseball bat and had damage to his car as he tried to get away. At about 10:15 p.m., a man with a crowbar walked into The Wine Cellar, 4 Lealand Drive, at closing time, said he was homeless and demanded money, according to a news release from Clarksville Police spokesman Officer Jim Knoll. When the 67-year-old store owner refused, the robber struck him in the head with the crowbar. The owner pulled out a revolver, and the robber fought him for it, Knoll said. A 66-year-old woman, an employee of the store, heard the commotion, came out, saw the two men fighting, grabbed a baseball bat, and in the heat of the battle, hit the robber and the store owner. The robber was able to pull the gun out of the owner’s hand and run from the store. The owner and employee chased the robber outside and saw him get into a older model, dark colored, Jeep Cherokee. The owner grabbed the baseball bat and struck the Jeep several times, possibly breaking a headlight and a window. The robber then fled from the scene."
Record low support for gun control: "The Second Amendment has rebounded in the last half-century as support doubled since 1959, the Gallup poll reported. Nearly 3 out of every 4 Americans now opposes a ban on handguns — only 1 in four are for banning possession of a handgun. In 1959, 60% of Americans favored banning handguns — and only 36% opposed such an affront to the Second Amendment. The jump in support for handguns shows what an utter failure the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has been. Handgun use is up, yet gun homicides are down, contrary to what the Brady Campaign has preached for a quarter-century."
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
CA: Man who shot another acted in self-defense, DA's office says: "Criminal charges will be dismissed against a 46-year-old man arrested in August for shooting another man in the Montgomery Creek area in an apparent dispute over a marijuana grow, the Shasta County district attorney’s office announced today. Senior Deputy District Attorney Kelly Kafel said in a news release that the charges will be dropped against Terence Seed, who she said acted in self defense when he shot Todd Finch, 25, in the shoulder on Aug. 28. Hexum told the investigator that he tried to pull Seed away from Finch as they fought, and that he and Finch fell to the ground and that Seed was let go. Hexum said he saw Seed fire one shot at Finch from about 7 feet away, hitting him in the chest-shoulder area, the sheriff’s report said. In Kafel’s news release, she noted that the cell phones of the two witnesses were examined and that text messages on Finch’s cell phone contained information that Seed was going to be attacked."
Canadians finally scrap long-gun registry: "Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews tabled a bill to scrap long-run registry in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The federal government is making good on a promise to rural Canadians and law-abiding firearms owners to scrap the long-gun registry and destroy all evidence of its existence so future governments and other jurisdictions can't easily resurrect it. A controversial subject that has long pitted urban dwellers against their rural neighbours, the 20-page piece of legislation drew reaction from stakeholders almost immediately after Public Safety Minister Vic Toews tabled the bill Tuesday in the Commons. New Democrats and Liberals argued the move seemed counterintuitive for a government hell bent on law and order, while hunting enthusiasts and members of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation applauded the long-awaited bill. [A billion dollar boondoggle that accomplished nothing]
Canadians finally scrap long-gun registry: "Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews tabled a bill to scrap long-run registry in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The federal government is making good on a promise to rural Canadians and law-abiding firearms owners to scrap the long-gun registry and destroy all evidence of its existence so future governments and other jurisdictions can't easily resurrect it. A controversial subject that has long pitted urban dwellers against their rural neighbours, the 20-page piece of legislation drew reaction from stakeholders almost immediately after Public Safety Minister Vic Toews tabled the bill Tuesday in the Commons. New Democrats and Liberals argued the move seemed counterintuitive for a government hell bent on law and order, while hunting enthusiasts and members of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation applauded the long-awaited bill. [A billion dollar boondoggle that accomplished nothing]
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Congress Moves Closer to Restoring a Key Second Amendment Freedom
Thanks to the good work of millions of American gun owners and NRA members, Congress is moving closer to restoring one of our fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee considered amendments to the “National Right-to-Carry-Reciprocity Act” (H.R. 822), which would allow any person with a valid, state-issued concealed firearm permit to exercise the right to carry a firearm in any state that permits concealed carry.
Some members of the Committee tried to weaken the bill with anti-gun amendments, and I’m happy to report that every one of them failed. The committee is expected to pass the bill soon, after which it will go before the full House for a vote.
As of today, 49 states have laws in place that permit their citizens to carry a concealed firearm in some form or another. Only Illinois completely denies its residents the right to carry a concealed firearm outside their homes or businesses for self-defense, an injustice for which President Obama fought hard when he was an Illinois state senator.
In 41 of these 49 states, law-abiding citizens can carry a firearm without having to navigate an overly restrictive bureaucratic process.
The problem is that some states allow visiting permit holders from other states to exercise their right to carry, and some states do not. As you can imagine, this presents a nightmare for interstate travel, as many Americans are forced to check their Second Amendment rights, and their fundamental right to self-defense, at the state line.
The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act would solve this problem by simply requiring states that allow concealed carry to recognize each other’s permits. Nothing more.
Predictably, gun-ban organizations like the Brady Campaign and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s deceptively named “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” are doing everything they can to demonize H.R. 822, as are their allies in the anti-gun media.
First, they tried to scare Americans into thinking that H.R. 822 would unleash a new “wild west” atmosphere in the United States. This tactic fell flat because nearly every state in the nation already allows concealed carry and none of these outlandish predictions have materialized. In fact, quite the opposite has occurred.
On average, the 41 states that have the most tolerant right-to-carry laws have 22 percent lower total violent crime rates, 30 percent lower murder rates, 46 percent lower robbery rates and 12 percent lower aggravated assault rates, compared to the rest of the country. This is likely due to the fact that, as a group, citizens with permits to carry a firearm are more law-abiding than the general public.
Having failed at scaring Americans, the gun banners are now falling back on the Tenth Amendment as their main argument against H.R. 822. It’s a poorly conceived argument, as you might expect from groups that spend the majority of their time trying to trample the same “states’ rights” that they now want to hold up as sacrosanct.
The fact is the Tenth Amendment is most certainly sacrosanct – that’s why, in the 1990s, the NRA supported a successful constitutional challenge to provisions of the Brady Act that violated it. But the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act doesn’t violate the Tenth Amendment. Rather, the Act recognizes that the Second Amendment guarantees the fundamental, individual right of every law-abiding citizen to bear arms for safety when traveling.
This is an inalienable right that neither the federal government, nor any state government, may infringe upon. In addition, the 14th Amendment gives Congress the power to protect us from states that infringe on our inalienable, constitutional rights.
By the way, these are the same gun-ban groups that don’t give any consideration to states’ rights when they lobby for sweeping federal gun bans, ammunition bans, and magazine bans.
NRA has made the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act a top priority because it restores a fundamental, inalienable right guaranteed to all law-abiding Americans by the Second Amendment. All Second Amendment advocates, gun owners and pro-gun groups should be campaigning for the passage of this bill.
Also, as a general rule, no one should ever take seriously any lessons on constitutional law from groups whose sole mission is to destroy our most basic civil right guaranteed in the Constitution: The right to bear arms and defend ourselves and our loved ones…no matter which state we’re in.
Source
CA: Woman shot and killed persistent intruder (above): "A 66-year-old woman who shot and killed an intruder early Friday morning in south Redding after he tried to break into her home appears to have been justified, prosecutors say. The intruder was identified Friday by the Shasta County coroner's office as Jesse Edward Theis, 37, of Redding. Donna Hopper had first fired warning shots at the man after she was awakened by the sound of him trying to break into her Branstetter Lane bedroom window just before 4 a.m., Shasta County Chief Deputy District Attorney Josh Lowery said. She shot him when he came back and tried to climb inside the window a second time, Lowery said. Theis had been released from the Shasta County jail the morning before the shooting. Theis was on her front lawn when officers arrived. They tried to give him emergency medical care, but he died before being taken to the hospital, Poletski said."
Thanks to the good work of millions of American gun owners and NRA members, Congress is moving closer to restoring one of our fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee considered amendments to the “National Right-to-Carry-Reciprocity Act” (H.R. 822), which would allow any person with a valid, state-issued concealed firearm permit to exercise the right to carry a firearm in any state that permits concealed carry.
Some members of the Committee tried to weaken the bill with anti-gun amendments, and I’m happy to report that every one of them failed. The committee is expected to pass the bill soon, after which it will go before the full House for a vote.
As of today, 49 states have laws in place that permit their citizens to carry a concealed firearm in some form or another. Only Illinois completely denies its residents the right to carry a concealed firearm outside their homes or businesses for self-defense, an injustice for which President Obama fought hard when he was an Illinois state senator.
In 41 of these 49 states, law-abiding citizens can carry a firearm without having to navigate an overly restrictive bureaucratic process.
The problem is that some states allow visiting permit holders from other states to exercise their right to carry, and some states do not. As you can imagine, this presents a nightmare for interstate travel, as many Americans are forced to check their Second Amendment rights, and their fundamental right to self-defense, at the state line.
The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act would solve this problem by simply requiring states that allow concealed carry to recognize each other’s permits. Nothing more.
Predictably, gun-ban organizations like the Brady Campaign and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s deceptively named “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” are doing everything they can to demonize H.R. 822, as are their allies in the anti-gun media.
First, they tried to scare Americans into thinking that H.R. 822 would unleash a new “wild west” atmosphere in the United States. This tactic fell flat because nearly every state in the nation already allows concealed carry and none of these outlandish predictions have materialized. In fact, quite the opposite has occurred.
On average, the 41 states that have the most tolerant right-to-carry laws have 22 percent lower total violent crime rates, 30 percent lower murder rates, 46 percent lower robbery rates and 12 percent lower aggravated assault rates, compared to the rest of the country. This is likely due to the fact that, as a group, citizens with permits to carry a firearm are more law-abiding than the general public.
Having failed at scaring Americans, the gun banners are now falling back on the Tenth Amendment as their main argument against H.R. 822. It’s a poorly conceived argument, as you might expect from groups that spend the majority of their time trying to trample the same “states’ rights” that they now want to hold up as sacrosanct.
The fact is the Tenth Amendment is most certainly sacrosanct – that’s why, in the 1990s, the NRA supported a successful constitutional challenge to provisions of the Brady Act that violated it. But the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act doesn’t violate the Tenth Amendment. Rather, the Act recognizes that the Second Amendment guarantees the fundamental, individual right of every law-abiding citizen to bear arms for safety when traveling.
This is an inalienable right that neither the federal government, nor any state government, may infringe upon. In addition, the 14th Amendment gives Congress the power to protect us from states that infringe on our inalienable, constitutional rights.
By the way, these are the same gun-ban groups that don’t give any consideration to states’ rights when they lobby for sweeping federal gun bans, ammunition bans, and magazine bans.
NRA has made the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act a top priority because it restores a fundamental, inalienable right guaranteed to all law-abiding Americans by the Second Amendment. All Second Amendment advocates, gun owners and pro-gun groups should be campaigning for the passage of this bill.
Also, as a general rule, no one should ever take seriously any lessons on constitutional law from groups whose sole mission is to destroy our most basic civil right guaranteed in the Constitution: The right to bear arms and defend ourselves and our loved ones…no matter which state we’re in.
Source
CA: Woman shot and killed persistent intruder (above): "A 66-year-old woman who shot and killed an intruder early Friday morning in south Redding after he tried to break into her home appears to have been justified, prosecutors say. The intruder was identified Friday by the Shasta County coroner's office as Jesse Edward Theis, 37, of Redding. Donna Hopper had first fired warning shots at the man after she was awakened by the sound of him trying to break into her Branstetter Lane bedroom window just before 4 a.m., Shasta County Chief Deputy District Attorney Josh Lowery said. She shot him when he came back and tried to climb inside the window a second time, Lowery said. Theis had been released from the Shasta County jail the morning before the shooting. Theis was on her front lawn when officers arrived. They tried to give him emergency medical care, but he died before being taken to the hospital, Poletski said."
Monday, October 24, 2011
Off-Duty Officer Fends Off Attack: "Three men who allegedly attempted to rob an off-duty New York police detective, two of whom were injured when the detective fired his service weapon during a scuffle, were charged on Sunday, police said. The detective, whose name was not released, was walking his dog in an empty lot on Beach 27th Street in Far Rockaway at around 7 p.m. Saturday when three men from the street gang GOA—or Gang of Apes—approached him with a toy gun and tried to rob him, police said. A law-enforcement official said the detective identified himself as a police officer and pulled out his gun. The men then tried to wrestle the gun away. During the scuffle the detective fired several shots before the men fled, the official said. Responding officers found Davon Torres, 19, and Tylique Samuels, 15, a few blocks away at Beach 22nd Street and Seagirt Avenue. Mr. Torres had suffered gunshot wounds to the arm, chin and torso, and was transferred to Jamaica Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. Mr. Samuels was not injured. A short while later, David Caraballo, 21, walked into Jamaica Hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot, police said. Police said they determined he was the third person in connection the shooting."
A young Australian sharpshooter: "Alethea Sedgman has a lot riding on her ability to focus. For this champion shooter, training and competing means holding still - apart from pulling the trigger of her 6kg rifle - for sometimes hours on end. "You have to be really focused," said Sedgman, who won Commonwealth Games gold at just 16 last year. "It takes a lot of energy. A lot of people think you're 'just out there shooting', but it does drain you. "If you think the wrong thing (when aiming), you'll make mistakes." Even from 50m, the difference between success and failure is "probably less than a millimetre". Now 17, Sedgman is aiming for a spot at the London Olympics next year." ["Alethea" is Greek for "liberty"]
CA: Open carry activists to tote long guns in public: "Now that a new California law banning the open carry of pistols is loaded for action, the big guns are coming out.Rifles, that is. And shotguns.Gun owners who are upset that the anti-carry state law will go into effect Jan. 1 intend to start packing their biggest heat in open as often and as visibly as they can, beginning with a gathering Saturday in San Leandro"
A young Australian sharpshooter: "Alethea Sedgman has a lot riding on her ability to focus. For this champion shooter, training and competing means holding still - apart from pulling the trigger of her 6kg rifle - for sometimes hours on end. "You have to be really focused," said Sedgman, who won Commonwealth Games gold at just 16 last year. "It takes a lot of energy. A lot of people think you're 'just out there shooting', but it does drain you. "If you think the wrong thing (when aiming), you'll make mistakes." Even from 50m, the difference between success and failure is "probably less than a millimetre". Now 17, Sedgman is aiming for a spot at the London Olympics next year." ["Alethea" is Greek for "liberty"]
CA: Open carry activists to tote long guns in public: "Now that a new California law banning the open carry of pistols is loaded for action, the big guns are coming out.Rifles, that is. And shotguns.Gun owners who are upset that the anti-carry state law will go into effect Jan. 1 intend to start packing their biggest heat in open as often and as visibly as they can, beginning with a gathering Saturday in San Leandro"
Sunday, October 23, 2011
CA: Bully finally gets shot: "The shooting in Monrovia, Calif., appeared to be self-defense after Blair threatened his business partner, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Det. Dan McElderry. But he said the case still is under investigation and will be submitted to the District Attorney's Office for a decision whether to file charges. The violent death was the end of a life visited by violence from an early age. "Sometime in his teenage years he began exhibiting the behavior that followed him through his life," said Brett Blair, a half-brother who said he is "a member of the United Methodist clergy." Brett Blair said he lives in Memphis and Florida, but had cut off relations with his brother about 1975.
British man on trial for shooting black (above) who was breaking into his apartment: "An unarmed burglar was shot in broad daylight by a man whose ground floor flat he had broken in to. Raymond Andes, fired a single round which hit 21-year-old Isaiah Bovell in the head in the garden of his south London home, the Old Bailey heard. Andes, 39, accepts firing the weapon, but denies murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life on the grounds that he acted 'in reasonable self defence trying to scare off someone he believed to be attempting to break-in'. Mr Bovell had gone to Mr Andes flat in Clapham with two others who were waiting outside the front of the property, the court heard on Friday. He was shot shortly before 11.15am on April 14, as he tried to force entry into the property via the ground floor bedroom window. The burglar was pronounced dead at the scene." [It's a jury trial so he could well get off]
British man on trial for shooting black (above) who was breaking into his apartment: "An unarmed burglar was shot in broad daylight by a man whose ground floor flat he had broken in to. Raymond Andes, fired a single round which hit 21-year-old Isaiah Bovell in the head in the garden of his south London home, the Old Bailey heard. Andes, 39, accepts firing the weapon, but denies murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life on the grounds that he acted 'in reasonable self defence trying to scare off someone he believed to be attempting to break-in'. Mr Bovell had gone to Mr Andes flat in Clapham with two others who were waiting outside the front of the property, the court heard on Friday. He was shot shortly before 11.15am on April 14, as he tried to force entry into the property via the ground floor bedroom window. The burglar was pronounced dead at the scene." [It's a jury trial so he could well get off]
Saturday, October 22, 2011
MN: Good Samaritan shoots, kills armed robber: "Police say a middle-aged woman was assaulted and robbed near a south Minneapolis Cub Foods. A witness, with a conceal and carry permit, saw the incident, chased the attacker, and fired off at least one shot killing the suspect. On Friday evening, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the dead man as 23-year-old Darren Evanovich of Minneapolis. Authorities say he died from multiple gunshot wounds. "We do know guns were drawn from both parties," said Sgt. McCarty. "But we are still investigating exactly what happened." Those critical details will determine whether or not the Good Samaritan in this case will be charged. The witness in this case has not been arrested. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be passed on to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office."
CA: Bedroom shooting case ends in acquittal: "A man who shot his ex-girlfriend's nephew in San Rafael was acquitted of assault charges Friday. Edward William Outcalt, 50, claimed self-defense in the shooting, which occurred in July 2010 at his ex-girlfriend's home on Marquard Avenue. Outcalt rented a room in the house, and the woman's 24-year-old nephew lived there as well. During a conflict in the middle of the night, Outcalt shot the nephew in the abdomen with a .22-caliber gun he kept next to his bed. San Rafael police arrived to find Outcalt and the gun in some bushes near the home. The nephew suffered one bullet wound and survived. Defense attorney Jon Rankin said the nephew was a volatile martial arts practitioner who had threatened Outcalt previously and called him a "f——— Chihuahua." On the night of the shooting, when the heavily intoxicated nephew burst into Outcalt's room, Outcalt feared for his life and instinctively went for his gun, Rankin said."
OH: For two years, the police have kept my gun: "At 2 a.m. on April 24, 2010, the alarm to the backyard barn went off. I armed myself and went to check it out. The barn door was wide open and a man was inside looking around with a flashlight. I yelled at him to come to me and he came at me with a tire iron in hand. He was less than 10 feet away when I fired a warning shot. He turned and ran; I fired more shots trying to get him to stop. At no time was I trying to hit him. The police came, took the tire iron that he dropped and also took my gun. It’s been almost two years, and I still cannot get my gun back. No charges were ever filed. I saw a lawyer and was told it would cost me $400 to file papers with the court for return of the gun. The gun was registered and I have a permit to carry. I’m 68, never been in trouble. I fired in self-defense. Why are they keeping my gun?"
CA: Bedroom shooting case ends in acquittal: "A man who shot his ex-girlfriend's nephew in San Rafael was acquitted of assault charges Friday. Edward William Outcalt, 50, claimed self-defense in the shooting, which occurred in July 2010 at his ex-girlfriend's home on Marquard Avenue. Outcalt rented a room in the house, and the woman's 24-year-old nephew lived there as well. During a conflict in the middle of the night, Outcalt shot the nephew in the abdomen with a .22-caliber gun he kept next to his bed. San Rafael police arrived to find Outcalt and the gun in some bushes near the home. The nephew suffered one bullet wound and survived. Defense attorney Jon Rankin said the nephew was a volatile martial arts practitioner who had threatened Outcalt previously and called him a "f——— Chihuahua." On the night of the shooting, when the heavily intoxicated nephew burst into Outcalt's room, Outcalt feared for his life and instinctively went for his gun, Rankin said."
OH: For two years, the police have kept my gun: "At 2 a.m. on April 24, 2010, the alarm to the backyard barn went off. I armed myself and went to check it out. The barn door was wide open and a man was inside looking around with a flashlight. I yelled at him to come to me and he came at me with a tire iron in hand. He was less than 10 feet away when I fired a warning shot. He turned and ran; I fired more shots trying to get him to stop. At no time was I trying to hit him. The police came, took the tire iron that he dropped and also took my gun. It’s been almost two years, and I still cannot get my gun back. No charges were ever filed. I saw a lawyer and was told it would cost me $400 to file papers with the court for return of the gun. The gun was registered and I have a permit to carry. I’m 68, never been in trouble. I fired in self-defense. Why are they keeping my gun?"
Friday, October 21, 2011
CA: Market owner shoots habitual criminals: "The Coroner has released the names of the men who were shot at a southeast market Tuesday night and both men were recently released from prison and had extensive criminal records. Efrem Wandick, 41 and David Lyons, 24 were shot at the Central-Cali Market on East California Avenue. Both men spent time in prison for being in a gang and possessing firearms. Family members who protested against the store Thursday say what happened Tuesday night didn't have to end in violence. "The owner (Samrith Vong) didn't go to jail, he shot them for what? All the family wants to know is, for what? If it was an argument or whatever it wasn't cause for no killing," said Randle. She says Vong could have called 911. The clerks in the store declined interviews, but did the shooter act in self defense? Attorney Kathryn Fox says even if a person is running away, self-defense can be used depending on the situation."
RI: Drug dealer sees of robbers but grabbed by cops: "The victim of a home invasion in Providence went before a judge Thursday. Investigators said 23-year-old Michael Badessa was the intended target Wednesday night when he and three others were held up on the first floor of 270 Knight St. by two armed intruders. Police said Badessa fired a pistol at the intruders and hit one. Thirty-year-old Jose Dearmas collapsed in a neighbor's driveway. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was in serious condition. The other man got away. Although Badessa was a victim, police found large amounts of drugs -- cocaine and 10 pounds of marijuana -- in his second-floor apartment. He was arraigned Thursday on those charges, not for firing a gun at the intruders. He was ordered held without bail."
RI: Drug dealer sees of robbers but grabbed by cops: "The victim of a home invasion in Providence went before a judge Thursday. Investigators said 23-year-old Michael Badessa was the intended target Wednesday night when he and three others were held up on the first floor of 270 Knight St. by two armed intruders. Police said Badessa fired a pistol at the intruders and hit one. Thirty-year-old Jose Dearmas collapsed in a neighbor's driveway. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was in serious condition. The other man got away. Although Badessa was a victim, police found large amounts of drugs -- cocaine and 10 pounds of marijuana -- in his second-floor apartment. He was arraigned Thursday on those charges, not for firing a gun at the intruders. He was ordered held without bail."
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
FL: Clerk at 24 Hour shop shoots, kills would-be robber who grabbed child: "A clerk at a landmark East Naples corner store shot and killed a man Tuesday as he attempted to rob the family-run shop and flee with her 1-year-old daughter. The man, whose name was not released, demanded money from the Elizabeth Easterly, a clerk at Del’s 24 Hour Food Store, and then grabbed a stroller that held Easterly’s baby, said Del Ackerman, the store’s owner and Easterly’s grandfather. Easterly, 22, was alone during a shift change, running the shop with her 1- and 2-year-old daughters there, Ackerman said. Around 3 p.m. a man entered the store, 2802 Thomasson Dr., “acting erratically,” Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jamie Mosbach said. As the man made for the front door with the child, Easterly did just as she had been taught — she drew a gun and aimed for the would-be robber’s knee, Ackerman said. Bleeding, the man was then tackled outside the front door by a store employee who was about to start his shift. The man was transported to NCH Downtown Naples Hospital. He died from his injuries."
OH: Robber flees after shot: "An armed robbery at a Dayton business takes an unexpected turn.. when the store clerk pulls out a gun of his own! It happened the evening of September 27th at the Best Wireless store in the 28-hundred block of Salem Avenue in Dayton... and surveillance cameras captured the whole thing. An armed suspect wearing a bandana over his face walked into the store, his weapon already drawn and pointed at the clerk. The suspect even hops the counter, but that's when the tables turned. The store clerk pulled out his own weapon and fired a warning shot into the ceiling! That's when the suspect quickly turns tail and hightails it out the door. Detective Cayce Cantrell said "The suspect is described as a black male with a short haircut"
CA: Camouflaged woman intruder shot dead: "Dressed in camouflage from head-to-toe, an unidentified woman parked her car about a mile from her former co-worker's Cherokee County home, walked the rest of the way and slipped inside with a gun. It was 6:30 this morning, and the homeowner's wife had just left for work. A struggle ensued between the man and the woman. A shot was fired. A bullet hit the woman in the head, killing her."
Senate votes to end “Fast and Furious” gun program: "The Senate voted Tuesday to effectively block the Justice Department from undertaking gun-smuggling probes like the flawed 'Operation Fast and Furious' aimed at breaking up networks running guns to Mexican drug cartels but that lost track of hundreds of the weapons, some of which were used to commit crimes in Mexico and the United States. The 99-0 vote would block the government from transferring guns to drug cartels unless federal agents 'continuously monitor or control' the weapons."
OH: Robber flees after shot: "An armed robbery at a Dayton business takes an unexpected turn.. when the store clerk pulls out a gun of his own! It happened the evening of September 27th at the Best Wireless store in the 28-hundred block of Salem Avenue in Dayton... and surveillance cameras captured the whole thing. An armed suspect wearing a bandana over his face walked into the store, his weapon already drawn and pointed at the clerk. The suspect even hops the counter, but that's when the tables turned. The store clerk pulled out his own weapon and fired a warning shot into the ceiling! That's when the suspect quickly turns tail and hightails it out the door. Detective Cayce Cantrell said "The suspect is described as a black male with a short haircut"
CA: Camouflaged woman intruder shot dead: "Dressed in camouflage from head-to-toe, an unidentified woman parked her car about a mile from her former co-worker's Cherokee County home, walked the rest of the way and slipped inside with a gun. It was 6:30 this morning, and the homeowner's wife had just left for work. A struggle ensued between the man and the woman. A shot was fired. A bullet hit the woman in the head, killing her."
Senate votes to end “Fast and Furious” gun program: "The Senate voted Tuesday to effectively block the Justice Department from undertaking gun-smuggling probes like the flawed 'Operation Fast and Furious' aimed at breaking up networks running guns to Mexican drug cartels but that lost track of hundreds of the weapons, some of which were used to commit crimes in Mexico and the United States. The 99-0 vote would block the government from transferring guns to drug cartels unless federal agents 'continuously monitor or control' the weapons."
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Anti-gun liars
This year, Wisconsin became the 49th state to recognize the right of its citizens to carry firearms.1 Now, only one state remains in the Dark Ages — that being the state of Illinois.
But as can be imagined, the anti-gun media is predicting that letting citizens carry firearms will result in carnage in the streets, shootouts in bars, and angry parents settling scores on the ball field with their firearms.
And to supposedly prove their point, they cite a bogus report of the Violence Policy Center (VPC), entitled “Concealed Carry Killers.” The faux report says that “since May 2007 at least 300 people — including 11 law enforcement officers — have been killed by private citizens legally allowed to carry handguns in killings not ruled self-defense ….”2
An article at PajamasMedia.com has done a good analysis of the VPC “report,” showing that the anti-gun group:
*Double counts victims to inflate their statistics;
*Counts people who are still alive today, as though they had been murdered by concealed carry permit holders;
*Includes deaths that were caused by rifles, beatings or strangulation — in other words, tabulating deaths that were clearly NOT caused by concealed handguns; and
*In some cases, even counts “murderers” who were later cleared in court as having acted in self-defense.3
According to the Pajamas Media analysis, less than half of the deaths which were attributed to concealed carry holders by the VPC were actually “committed by a permit holder drawing and firing his or her concealed weapon.”4
Less than half?
Yes, less than half of the killings were actually committed by a handgun that was in the possession of a concealed carry permit holder. That was the analysis as of December 21, 2009. Sadly, VPC’s reporting has not gotten any better in the following two years.
VPC still embellishing its figures to demonize gun owners
With the Wisconsin law set to go into effect on November 1, 2011, VPC is excoriating the Badger State for ignoring the “bloody record of police deaths, mass shootings, and attempted political assassination” which have supposedly been perpetrated by concealed carry holders.
There are some in the media who are peddling this hype and using VPC’s bogus statistics to scare the public.5 But what goes unnoticed by a gullible media is that VPC is still inflating the number of “concealed killers,” even while they ignore the fact that the average citizen — yes, even the average cop — is much more likely to commit a crime with a gun than is a gun owner with a concealed carry permit.
More here
Repeal all gun laws: "At the core of suspicion is the concept that regulation or even a gun ban would have helped. No honest gun owner would believe this because they understand deeply how they are the only one they can count on in time of violence. The entire purpose of carrying a gun is --- as we often say -- because a cop is too heavy."
Oregon court overturns campus gun ban: "In a ruling late last month, the Oregon State Court of Appeals overturned a longstanding firearm ban at The University of Oregon. Jeff Maxwell, a U.S. Marine and student, was arrested and suspended from school for having a concealed weapon in a university building and, thus, violating the no-gun policy. The Oregon Firearms Federation filed a lawsuit on his behalf after the incident. There are currently 15 states that allow universities to decide whether concealed weapons should be banned, but this case could potentially change those states' laws regarding guns, as it ruled that universities do not have the "institutional authority" to regulate guns.
"It's a state law decision having to do with who gets to make state rules concerning guns," David Franklin, a professor at DePaul's College of Law, said. "The court held that only the state legislature can do so."
This year, Wisconsin became the 49th state to recognize the right of its citizens to carry firearms.1 Now, only one state remains in the Dark Ages — that being the state of Illinois.
But as can be imagined, the anti-gun media is predicting that letting citizens carry firearms will result in carnage in the streets, shootouts in bars, and angry parents settling scores on the ball field with their firearms.
And to supposedly prove their point, they cite a bogus report of the Violence Policy Center (VPC), entitled “Concealed Carry Killers.” The faux report says that “since May 2007 at least 300 people — including 11 law enforcement officers — have been killed by private citizens legally allowed to carry handguns in killings not ruled self-defense ….”2
An article at PajamasMedia.com has done a good analysis of the VPC “report,” showing that the anti-gun group:
*Double counts victims to inflate their statistics;
*Counts people who are still alive today, as though they had been murdered by concealed carry permit holders;
*Includes deaths that were caused by rifles, beatings or strangulation — in other words, tabulating deaths that were clearly NOT caused by concealed handguns; and
*In some cases, even counts “murderers” who were later cleared in court as having acted in self-defense.3
According to the Pajamas Media analysis, less than half of the deaths which were attributed to concealed carry holders by the VPC were actually “committed by a permit holder drawing and firing his or her concealed weapon.”4
Less than half?
Yes, less than half of the killings were actually committed by a handgun that was in the possession of a concealed carry permit holder. That was the analysis as of December 21, 2009. Sadly, VPC’s reporting has not gotten any better in the following two years.
VPC still embellishing its figures to demonize gun owners
With the Wisconsin law set to go into effect on November 1, 2011, VPC is excoriating the Badger State for ignoring the “bloody record of police deaths, mass shootings, and attempted political assassination” which have supposedly been perpetrated by concealed carry holders.
There are some in the media who are peddling this hype and using VPC’s bogus statistics to scare the public.5 But what goes unnoticed by a gullible media is that VPC is still inflating the number of “concealed killers,” even while they ignore the fact that the average citizen — yes, even the average cop — is much more likely to commit a crime with a gun than is a gun owner with a concealed carry permit.
More here
Repeal all gun laws: "At the core of suspicion is the concept that regulation or even a gun ban would have helped. No honest gun owner would believe this because they understand deeply how they are the only one they can count on in time of violence. The entire purpose of carrying a gun is --- as we often say -- because a cop is too heavy."
Oregon court overturns campus gun ban: "In a ruling late last month, the Oregon State Court of Appeals overturned a longstanding firearm ban at The University of Oregon. Jeff Maxwell, a U.S. Marine and student, was arrested and suspended from school for having a concealed weapon in a university building and, thus, violating the no-gun policy. The Oregon Firearms Federation filed a lawsuit on his behalf after the incident. There are currently 15 states that allow universities to decide whether concealed weapons should be banned, but this case could potentially change those states' laws regarding guns, as it ruled that universities do not have the "institutional authority" to regulate guns.
"It's a state law decision having to do with who gets to make state rules concerning guns," David Franklin, a professor at DePaul's College of Law, said. "The court held that only the state legislature can do so."
Monday, October 17, 2011
More gun control is more nonsense
The rush is on in California — the rush to mass exodus, that is.
Last week, gun legislation signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown signaled the floodgates to open even wider, as sportsmen’s voices were ignored.
Liberalism was on display as California bucked the national trend to loosen gun ownership restrictions by requiring the preservation of records for long guns sold or transferred after Jan. 1, 2014 with the passage of AB 809.
The measure was cheered by Dallas Stout, president of the California Brady Campaign Chapters. He said, “The governor has shown common sense and real courage.”
But, it is this type of intellect that has created a budget deficit as much as $28 billion this year and more than $20 billion annually for the foreseeable future.
The National Shooting Foundation's Senior Vice President and General Counsel Larry Keane said, “The bill will increase costs for the taxpayers and the state’s retailers, most of whom are small mom-and-pop businesses. It will cost the state jobs and tax revenue, all the while doing absolutely nothing to reduce crime.”
Of course, this bill and AB 144 also signed into law, which prohibits carrying in public openly displayed handguns, are cited as viable means to control crime.
Sounds logical to the uninformed, but oh, those pesky facts. The gun-control advocates rely on scare tactics and fear that never materialize. Remember how they were quick to sound the alarm when the landmark Supreme Court cases of Washington D.C. and Chicago struck down restrictive gun bans?
It’s emotion. Nothing else.
District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty had this prediction: “More handguns in the District of Columbia will only lead to more handgun violence.”
Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley predicted disaster. He said that overturning the gun ban was “a very frightening decision” and predicted more deaths along with Wild West-style shootouts and that people “are going to take a gun and they are going to end their lives in a family dispute.”
According to John Lott, author of “More Guns, Less Crime,” in the first six months of 2011, there were 14 percent fewer murders in Chicago, compared to the first six months of last year (when owning handguns was illegal).
It marks the largest drop in Chicago's murder rate since the handgun ban went into effect in 1982. Similarly, in the year after the 2008 Heller decision, the murder rate in Washington, D.C., fell two-and-a-half times faster than in the rest of the country.
Here’s a little prediction of my own: The 2012 election will continue the revolution toward freedoms at the polls that swept this country in 2010 like a new broom.
That’s one fact the liberals won’t be able to dodge. Will they understand? Probably not.
Source
TX: Homeowner shoots, kills teen suspect in home invasion: "A homeowner confronted by two men with guns during an early morning home invasion robbery shot a teenage suspect who collapsed and died in a field next to the home, according to Beaumont Police, who say a second attacker got away. Officers responded to a report of shots fired at 2:10 a.m. Sunday in the 2400 block of Durden in north Beaumont. The 55-year-old homeowner told investigators rwo men with handguns forced their way into his home and demanded money. The man said he struggled with the attackers and was able to get a gun. He fired at the men and struck one in the chest. They ran away toward Roman Alley. While officers were securing the area they found a man dead in a field just east of the 2400 block of Durden. The man had a single gunshot wound to the chest. Detectives were called out to the scene. Investigators have identified the man as Marvin Hall Jr., 18. The other man got away. Investigators haven't filed any charges against the homeowner."
The rush is on in California — the rush to mass exodus, that is.
Last week, gun legislation signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown signaled the floodgates to open even wider, as sportsmen’s voices were ignored.
Liberalism was on display as California bucked the national trend to loosen gun ownership restrictions by requiring the preservation of records for long guns sold or transferred after Jan. 1, 2014 with the passage of AB 809.
The measure was cheered by Dallas Stout, president of the California Brady Campaign Chapters. He said, “The governor has shown common sense and real courage.”
But, it is this type of intellect that has created a budget deficit as much as $28 billion this year and more than $20 billion annually for the foreseeable future.
The National Shooting Foundation's Senior Vice President and General Counsel Larry Keane said, “The bill will increase costs for the taxpayers and the state’s retailers, most of whom are small mom-and-pop businesses. It will cost the state jobs and tax revenue, all the while doing absolutely nothing to reduce crime.”
Of course, this bill and AB 144 also signed into law, which prohibits carrying in public openly displayed handguns, are cited as viable means to control crime.
Sounds logical to the uninformed, but oh, those pesky facts. The gun-control advocates rely on scare tactics and fear that never materialize. Remember how they were quick to sound the alarm when the landmark Supreme Court cases of Washington D.C. and Chicago struck down restrictive gun bans?
It’s emotion. Nothing else.
District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty had this prediction: “More handguns in the District of Columbia will only lead to more handgun violence.”
Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley predicted disaster. He said that overturning the gun ban was “a very frightening decision” and predicted more deaths along with Wild West-style shootouts and that people “are going to take a gun and they are going to end their lives in a family dispute.”
According to John Lott, author of “More Guns, Less Crime,” in the first six months of 2011, there were 14 percent fewer murders in Chicago, compared to the first six months of last year (when owning handguns was illegal).
It marks the largest drop in Chicago's murder rate since the handgun ban went into effect in 1982. Similarly, in the year after the 2008 Heller decision, the murder rate in Washington, D.C., fell two-and-a-half times faster than in the rest of the country.
Here’s a little prediction of my own: The 2012 election will continue the revolution toward freedoms at the polls that swept this country in 2010 like a new broom.
That’s one fact the liberals won’t be able to dodge. Will they understand? Probably not.
Source
TX: Homeowner shoots, kills teen suspect in home invasion: "A homeowner confronted by two men with guns during an early morning home invasion robbery shot a teenage suspect who collapsed and died in a field next to the home, according to Beaumont Police, who say a second attacker got away. Officers responded to a report of shots fired at 2:10 a.m. Sunday in the 2400 block of Durden in north Beaumont. The 55-year-old homeowner told investigators rwo men with handguns forced their way into his home and demanded money. The man said he struggled with the attackers and was able to get a gun. He fired at the men and struck one in the chest. They ran away toward Roman Alley. While officers were securing the area they found a man dead in a field just east of the 2400 block of Durden. The man had a single gunshot wound to the chest. Detectives were called out to the scene. Investigators have identified the man as Marvin Hall Jr., 18. The other man got away. Investigators haven't filed any charges against the homeowner."
Sunday, October 16, 2011
AG: Gun control would have stopped Fast and Furious
In an astonishing admission, Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress that a lack of gun control was to blame for the government selling guns to Mexican drug cartels.
Holder sent a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Charles Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary, regarding recent revelations he was briefed on Operation Fast and Furious much earlier than he told Congress.
Operation Fast and Furious was a plan by government officials to permit illegal aliens to purchase and take weapons across the border. Once the guns crossed the border, agents often lost track of them. The guns have since been found to have been used in several crimes in the U.S., resulting in at least one death, border patrol agent Brian Terry.
In May, Holder appeared before Congress. At that time he was asked specifically when he first heard about Fast and Furious. Holder responded, “I'm not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.”
Recently released documents reveal that Holder received memos referring to the program in July, 2010. A July 5 memo said, “Operation Fast and Furious” involved a “firearms trafficking ring.”
Holder downplayed his Congressional testimony and claimed he misunderstood the question.
After being challenged by Issa for his answer, Holder fired off a letter to Congress claiming that he had never read the memos, and it was the responsibility of his staff to brief him on what they considered important.
Holder then went on to say that the reason the ATF was unable to prevent the weapons from being sold to the cartels was a lack of gun control and registration.
“ATF witnesses testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that the agency’s ability to stem the flow of guns from the United States into Mexico is severely impaired by a lack of effective law enforcement tools.” Holder said, “For example, a number of witnesses indicated that current penalties for illegal straw purchases are inadequate to deter such activity or to include cooperation with law enforcement authorities after a violation is detected. Likewise, the lack of reporting requirements for multiple long gun purchases in a short period of time hindered law enforcement efforts to combat gun trafficking.”
During the operation, gun dealers contacted government officials with concerns over the number of purchases some illegals were making. They were told by ATF officials to let the sales go through.
Luke O’Dell, Director of Operations for the National Association for Gun rights, said Holder’s statement reveals the real reason the DOJ approved of Fast and Furious.
“That is the ultimate purpose of the Fast and Furious program. Obama’s Justice Department is pursuing its own political agenda rather than protect the American people.” O’Dell said, “That agenda is to restrict access and ultimately ban civilian access to all types of firearms. Remember, the administration has said ‘never let a crisis go to waste.’”
Responding to Holder’s letter, Issa fired off a terse response. While many times officials will try to be polite, using terms such as "mislead," Issa said the DOJ lied. ‘The Department of Justice has been lying to Congress ever since the inquiry into Fast and Furious began. On Feb 4, 2011, Assistant Attorney General, Ronald Weich, wrote that ‘ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally and prevent their transport into Mexico. This letter, vetted by both the senior ranks of ATF as well as the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, is a flat-out lie.”
Issa also made it plain that he did not believe Holder’s statement about not knowing about the program. “The facts simply do not support any claim that Fast and Furious did not reach the highest levels of the Justice Department. Actually, Fast and Furious did reach the ultimate authority in the Department - you.”
Issa concluded saying, “Whether you realize it or not, you own Fast and Furious. It is your responsibility.”
Issa’s office told the Gazette that during the course of the investigation, many of the documents released by the Justice Department were heavily redacted, some to the point of being useless.
On Oct. 12, the Gazette received a copy of a subpoena sent to Holder by Issa asking for unredacted documents for Fast and Furious or any Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) firearms trafficking case based in Phoenix, Arizona; to or from fifteen members of the Justice department, including Holder. Holder was also told to produce every single memo he received on any topic over a nearly two-year period.
For the first time, Congress is asking for information that reaches into the White House itself. The subpoena sent by Issa also demands “All communications between and among Department of Justice (DOJ) employees and Executive Office of the President employees, including, but not limited to, Associate Communications Director, Eric Schultz, referring or relating to Operation Fast and Furious or any other firearms trafficking cases.”
Roll Call reported a GOP source familiar with the investigation said there was more to the request than a routine inquiry. The source said, “The question is whether the White House has been instructing the Justice Department on what [documents] to release.”
Fast and Furious has become a sore spot for the administration. A CBS reporter claimed Holder had yelled at her for daring to ask a question about the operation.
Source
CA: Shooter in Killing Claims Self Defense: "The man who shot a house guest to death in his Mayflower Avenue home on Friday told investigators that he acted in self defense, a sheriff's official said. The man, who was not identified because he was not arrested, said that his house guest came into his bedroom in the early morning hours Friday and made threatening statements, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Lt. Michael Rosson said. Rosson declined to elaborate about whether a struggle took place or where the gun was when the deceased man allegedly made the threats. There had been no previous dispute between the men before the allegedly threatening behavior, Rosson said. The man who was killed came out to California from Tennessee in an effort to start a business, Rosson said. He and the shooter were "acquaintances" at some time in that state and are not related, Rosson said."
In an astonishing admission, Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress that a lack of gun control was to blame for the government selling guns to Mexican drug cartels.
Holder sent a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Charles Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary, regarding recent revelations he was briefed on Operation Fast and Furious much earlier than he told Congress.
Operation Fast and Furious was a plan by government officials to permit illegal aliens to purchase and take weapons across the border. Once the guns crossed the border, agents often lost track of them. The guns have since been found to have been used in several crimes in the U.S., resulting in at least one death, border patrol agent Brian Terry.
In May, Holder appeared before Congress. At that time he was asked specifically when he first heard about Fast and Furious. Holder responded, “I'm not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.”
Recently released documents reveal that Holder received memos referring to the program in July, 2010. A July 5 memo said, “Operation Fast and Furious” involved a “firearms trafficking ring.”
Holder downplayed his Congressional testimony and claimed he misunderstood the question.
After being challenged by Issa for his answer, Holder fired off a letter to Congress claiming that he had never read the memos, and it was the responsibility of his staff to brief him on what they considered important.
Holder then went on to say that the reason the ATF was unable to prevent the weapons from being sold to the cartels was a lack of gun control and registration.
“ATF witnesses testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that the agency’s ability to stem the flow of guns from the United States into Mexico is severely impaired by a lack of effective law enforcement tools.” Holder said, “For example, a number of witnesses indicated that current penalties for illegal straw purchases are inadequate to deter such activity or to include cooperation with law enforcement authorities after a violation is detected. Likewise, the lack of reporting requirements for multiple long gun purchases in a short period of time hindered law enforcement efforts to combat gun trafficking.”
During the operation, gun dealers contacted government officials with concerns over the number of purchases some illegals were making. They were told by ATF officials to let the sales go through.
Luke O’Dell, Director of Operations for the National Association for Gun rights, said Holder’s statement reveals the real reason the DOJ approved of Fast and Furious.
“That is the ultimate purpose of the Fast and Furious program. Obama’s Justice Department is pursuing its own political agenda rather than protect the American people.” O’Dell said, “That agenda is to restrict access and ultimately ban civilian access to all types of firearms. Remember, the administration has said ‘never let a crisis go to waste.’”
Responding to Holder’s letter, Issa fired off a terse response. While many times officials will try to be polite, using terms such as "mislead," Issa said the DOJ lied. ‘The Department of Justice has been lying to Congress ever since the inquiry into Fast and Furious began. On Feb 4, 2011, Assistant Attorney General, Ronald Weich, wrote that ‘ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally and prevent their transport into Mexico. This letter, vetted by both the senior ranks of ATF as well as the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, is a flat-out lie.”
Issa also made it plain that he did not believe Holder’s statement about not knowing about the program. “The facts simply do not support any claim that Fast and Furious did not reach the highest levels of the Justice Department. Actually, Fast and Furious did reach the ultimate authority in the Department - you.”
Issa concluded saying, “Whether you realize it or not, you own Fast and Furious. It is your responsibility.”
Issa’s office told the Gazette that during the course of the investigation, many of the documents released by the Justice Department were heavily redacted, some to the point of being useless.
On Oct. 12, the Gazette received a copy of a subpoena sent to Holder by Issa asking for unredacted documents for Fast and Furious or any Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) firearms trafficking case based in Phoenix, Arizona; to or from fifteen members of the Justice department, including Holder. Holder was also told to produce every single memo he received on any topic over a nearly two-year period.
For the first time, Congress is asking for information that reaches into the White House itself. The subpoena sent by Issa also demands “All communications between and among Department of Justice (DOJ) employees and Executive Office of the President employees, including, but not limited to, Associate Communications Director, Eric Schultz, referring or relating to Operation Fast and Furious or any other firearms trafficking cases.”
Roll Call reported a GOP source familiar with the investigation said there was more to the request than a routine inquiry. The source said, “The question is whether the White House has been instructing the Justice Department on what [documents] to release.”
Fast and Furious has become a sore spot for the administration. A CBS reporter claimed Holder had yelled at her for daring to ask a question about the operation.
Source
CA: Shooter in Killing Claims Self Defense: "The man who shot a house guest to death in his Mayflower Avenue home on Friday told investigators that he acted in self defense, a sheriff's official said. The man, who was not identified because he was not arrested, said that his house guest came into his bedroom in the early morning hours Friday and made threatening statements, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Lt. Michael Rosson said. Rosson declined to elaborate about whether a struggle took place or where the gun was when the deceased man allegedly made the threats. There had been no previous dispute between the men before the allegedly threatening behavior, Rosson said. The man who was killed came out to California from Tennessee in an effort to start a business, Rosson said. He and the shooter were "acquaintances" at some time in that state and are not related, Rosson said."
Saturday, October 15, 2011
"Fast and Furious" Grenades Case
CBS News has been reporting on the scandalous "Fast and Furious" operation which now encompasses grenades.
A U.S. citizen named Jean Baptiste Kingery, 40, has been accused of smuggling parts for 2,000 grenades into Mexico for the drug cartels.
Expect more to come out on the "Fast and Furious" grenades case.
CBS News has been reporting on the scandalous "Fast and Furious" operation which now encompasses grenades. A U.S. citizen named Jean Baptiste Kingery, 40, has been accused of smuggling parts for 2,000 grenades into Mexico for the drug cartels.
Law enforcement sources say Kingery could have been prosecuted in the U.S. twice for violating export control laws, but that, each time, prosecutors in Arizona refused to make a case.Mexican authorities finally raided Kingery's house and grenade factory in August. He's been charged with arms trafficking.
Grenades are weapons-of-choice for the cartels. An attack on Aug. 25 in a Monterrey, Mexico casino killed 53 people.
Sources tell CBS News that, in January 2010, ATF had Kingery under surveillance after he bought about 50 grenade bodies and headed to Mexico. But they say prosecutors wouldn't agree to make a case. So, as ATF agents looked on, Kingery and the grenade parts crossed the border -- and simply disappeared.
Six months later, Kingery allegedly got caught leaving the U.S. for Mexico with 114 disassembled grenades in a tire. One ATF agent told investigators he literally begged prosecutors to keep Kingery in custody this time, fearing he was supplying narco-terrorists, but was again ordered to let Kingery go.
Expect more to come out on the "Fast and Furious" grenades case.
Chicago householder Wrestles Gun From Home Intruders, Shooting One: "A city worker was able to fight off two men who broke into his South Side home Thursday, wrestling a gun away from one of them and shooting a suspect as they tried robbing him. Police say Perry Pearce, a Chicago Water Department employee, was leaving his house for work around 6:45 a.m. when two armed men approached him, having apparently snuck in through a hole in Pearce's fence, NBC Chicago reports. Police say that the men eventually forced Pearce inside and demanded to be taken to his safe, according to WGN Radio. When one of the men tried to open the safe, a struggle ensued, and Pearce fired a shot, hitting one of the two men in the abdomen, at which point they both fled. Police found the man who had been shot collapsed a few blocks away, and he was taken to the hospital, the Sun-Times reports."
AZ: : Victim fights back, shoots robbers: "A Phoenix man who was robbed by two men Thursday night fought back and shot the suspects, police said. Phoenix police said the victim met with the two men to purchase gold about 9 p.m. in the area of 6900 South Glen. The men tried robbing the victim. However, he pulled a gun and shot both of the suspects. One of the men suffered life-threatening injuries and the other suspect was not seriously hurt. According to police, the victim fled after the shooting and then called police. Police have not released the suspects’ names. They face aggravated assault and armed robbery charges."
UNF fights lawsuit over student gun rights: "A student's right to keep a gun in her car while on campus and the University of North Florida's right to deny her have clashed in a lawsuit filed against the school and its president by the student and a gun-rights organization. Alexandria Lainez wants to carry her gun in her car to and from school for self-defense, but the school prohibits firearms on campus. The suit filed last week in Duval County court by Lainez and Florida Carry Inc. says that is a violation of a recently updated Florida law. Effective Oct. 1, the state can penalize government entities or officials that make gun-possession regulations at their respective institutions. Such regulations can only be made through laws enacted by the Legislature, according to the statute cited in the suit."
AZ: : Victim fights back, shoots robbers: "A Phoenix man who was robbed by two men Thursday night fought back and shot the suspects, police said. Phoenix police said the victim met with the two men to purchase gold about 9 p.m. in the area of 6900 South Glen. The men tried robbing the victim. However, he pulled a gun and shot both of the suspects. One of the men suffered life-threatening injuries and the other suspect was not seriously hurt. According to police, the victim fled after the shooting and then called police. Police have not released the suspects’ names. They face aggravated assault and armed robbery charges."
UNF fights lawsuit over student gun rights: "A student's right to keep a gun in her car while on campus and the University of North Florida's right to deny her have clashed in a lawsuit filed against the school and its president by the student and a gun-rights organization. Alexandria Lainez wants to carry her gun in her car to and from school for self-defense, but the school prohibits firearms on campus. The suit filed last week in Duval County court by Lainez and Florida Carry Inc. says that is a violation of a recently updated Florida law. Effective Oct. 1, the state can penalize government entities or officials that make gun-possession regulations at their respective institutions. Such regulations can only be made through laws enacted by the Legislature, according to the statute cited in the suit."
Friday, October 14, 2011
IN: Murder charges dropped under plea agreement: "A Jeffersonville man who fatally shot his alleged attacker will plead guilty to obstruction of justice, but murder charges will be dropped, according to his attorney. Bradley A. Shackleford, 35, is charged with murder for shooting 45-year-old Mark Merreighn in his apartment in the 1800 block of Village Green Boulevard on March 19. Shackleford has claimed from the beginning of the case that he acted in self-defense. Shackleford’s attorney, Bradley Jacobs, said on Thursday that his client had agreed to accept the prosecutor’s offer of class D felony obstruction of justice for hiding his gun. He will be sentenced to three years of probation, and with credit for time served, will be on probation less than two years. Jacobs filed a motion in April to dismiss the murder charge claiming Merreighn “viciously attacked” Shackleford, sitting on his chest and hitting him with his own cane. He believed Merreighn went to the apartment to rob Shackleford, who is disabled with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, of his pain medication."
OR: Burglary suspect picks the wrong home for break-in attempt: "Columbia County Sheriff's Deputies are searching for a suspect after a Warren, Oregon homeowner opened fire when he was awakened by an intruder trying to get into his house. ... The intruder fled the scene and no suspect information has been released."
Issa subpoenas Holder in Fast and Furious affair: "Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a subpoena Wednesday to Attorney General Eric Holder as part of his investigation into the gun trafficking operation known as 'Fast and Furious.' ... The new subpoena follows a week of back and forth between congressional investigators and Justice Department officials of 'who knew what, when.'"
Fun and gun: "Marksmanship is an age-old sport that teaches a number of virtues while providing an invaluable practical skill. Yet we are constantly inundated by negative news, events and people involving guns these days, so I thought it would be nice to hear about some people using the free market to offer other people who like to shoot or want to learn to shoot a safe, fun place to go. This wonderful place is called the Rocky Creek Ranch."
OR: Burglary suspect picks the wrong home for break-in attempt: "Columbia County Sheriff's Deputies are searching for a suspect after a Warren, Oregon homeowner opened fire when he was awakened by an intruder trying to get into his house. ... The intruder fled the scene and no suspect information has been released."
Issa subpoenas Holder in Fast and Furious affair: "Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a subpoena Wednesday to Attorney General Eric Holder as part of his investigation into the gun trafficking operation known as 'Fast and Furious.' ... The new subpoena follows a week of back and forth between congressional investigators and Justice Department officials of 'who knew what, when.'"
Fun and gun: "Marksmanship is an age-old sport that teaches a number of virtues while providing an invaluable practical skill. Yet we are constantly inundated by negative news, events and people involving guns these days, so I thought it would be nice to hear about some people using the free market to offer other people who like to shoot or want to learn to shoot a safe, fun place to go. This wonderful place is called the Rocky Creek Ranch."
Thursday, October 13, 2011
IL: Man who killed son acted in self-defense: "A Matteson man who shot and killed his son Sunday night did so in self-defense after the two fought, police said Wednesday. The father, 59, who suffered injuries from a metal bat in the incident, was released from custody Wednesday without any charges against him, police said. When police arrived on the scene Sunday night at about 9 p.m., the father met them in the front yard of the home he and his son rented in the 3700 block of 216th Street, and told them he shot his son, Timothy Lithgow Jr., 26. Matteson Deputy Police Chief Ken Arvin said there was a “physical altercation” between the father and son over money and it escalated. According to records, the son was charged in 2007 with two counts of battery, criminal trespass and criminal damage to property by Orland Park police, and charged with battery in 2009 by Tinley Park police. Both the metal bat and the father’s .40-caliber gun were found at the scene."
W.Va.: Man shoots after being hit on head: "Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Plants said Wednesday that the evidence in Charlie Booker's case indicates that he shot and killed Joseph E. Miller and Billy Dodd in self-defense after the two men, carrying deadly weapons, confronted him in front of his wife and son. "He had a reasonable belief that his life was in danger," Plants said during a news conference. "Based on that, there's not a crime." On Aug. 6, Booker, 41, shot Miller twice in his side and Dodd twice in the chest and four times in the back after one of the men struck him on the head with a metal baton outside of a home on Vine Street. Booker, who sustained a four-inch gash on his forehead from the baton, has maintained since his arrest that he shot the men in self-defense. A third man, Rock Linkenhoker, was also involved in the altercation, but was not wounded. Along with the metal riot stick, prosecutors say that another of the men was holding a knife, and the third a claw hammer."
W.Va.: Man shoots after being hit on head: "Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Plants said Wednesday that the evidence in Charlie Booker's case indicates that he shot and killed Joseph E. Miller and Billy Dodd in self-defense after the two men, carrying deadly weapons, confronted him in front of his wife and son. "He had a reasonable belief that his life was in danger," Plants said during a news conference. "Based on that, there's not a crime." On Aug. 6, Booker, 41, shot Miller twice in his side and Dodd twice in the chest and four times in the back after one of the men struck him on the head with a metal baton outside of a home on Vine Street. Booker, who sustained a four-inch gash on his forehead from the baton, has maintained since his arrest that he shot the men in self-defense. A third man, Rock Linkenhoker, was also involved in the altercation, but was not wounded. Along with the metal riot stick, prosecutors say that another of the men was holding a knife, and the third a claw hammer."
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Issa to Holder: “You Own Fast and Furious”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder responding to his letter of October 7. The text of Chairman Issa's letter to Attorney General Holder is below:
Dear Attorney General Holder:
From the beginning of the congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, the Department of Justice has offered a roving set of ever-changing explanations to justify its involvement in this reckless and deadly program. These defenses have been aimed at undermining the investigation. From the start, the Department insisted that no wrongdoing had occurred and asked Senator Grassley and me to defer our oversight responsibilities over its concerns about our purported interference with its ongoing criminal investigations. Additionally, the Department steadfastly insisted that gunwalking did not occur.
Once documentary and testimonial evidence strongly contradicted these claims, the Department attempted to limit the fallout from Fast and Furious to the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). When that effort also proved unsuccessful, the Department next argued that Fast and Furious resided only within ATF itself, before eventually also assigning blame to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona. All of these efforts were designed to circle the wagons around DOJ and its political appointees.
To that end, just last month, you claimed that Fast and Furious did not reach the upper levels of the Justice Department. Documents discovered through the course of the investigation, however, have proved each and every one of these claims advanced by the Department to be untrue. It appears your latest defense has reached a new low. Incredibly, in your letter from Friday you now claim that you were unaware of Fast and Furious because your staff failed to inform you of information contained in memos that were specifically addressed to you. At best, this indicates negligence and incompetence in your duties as Attorney General. At worst, it places your credibility into serious doubt.
Following the Committee's issuance of a subpoena over six months ago, I strongly believed that the Department would fully cooperate with Congress and support this investigation with all the means at its disposal. The American people deserve no less. Unfortunately, the Department's cooperation to date has been minimal. Hundreds of pages of documents that have been produced to my Committee are duplicative, and hundreds more contain substantial redactions, rendering them virtually worthless. The Department has actively engaged in retaliation against multiple whistleblowers, and has, on numerous occasions, attempted to disseminate false and misleading information to the press in an attempt to discredit this investigation.
Your letter dated October 7 is deeply disappointing. Instead of pledging all necessary resources to assist the congressional investigation in discovering the truth behind the fundamentally flawed Operation Fast and Furious, your letter instead did little but obfuscate, shift blame, berate, and attempt to change the topic away from the Department's responsibility in the creation, implementation, and authorization of this reckless program. You claim that, after months of silence, you "must now address these issues" over Fast and Furious because of the harmful discourse of the past few days. Yet, the only major development of these past few days has been the release of multiple documents showing that you and your senior staff had been briefed, on numerous occasions, about Fast and Furious.
More here
Kansas man found not guilty after shooting stepson: "John Marty Gunderson leaned forward broke a relieved smile and wiped his eyes as Judge Mike Keeley read the jury’s decision of “Not Guilty,” Gunderson was charged with aggravated assault in the July 6 shooting of his stepson Boyd William Parcell, 47, St. John. His defense attorney Sam S. Kepfield, Hutchinson, contended that Gunderson shot Parcell in self-defense. The jury of 12 spent very little time in deliberation returning with the not guilty verdict in about 30 minutes. The defense showed that Parcell had a 25-yr-long history of drinking to excess and becoming hostile and argumentative. “He would get awful mean sometimes,” Gunderson said. “Especially if he had been mixing his drinks like he was that day."
Disney Channel Edits Out Gun From 1938 Mickey Mouse Cartoon: "Almost every morning the Disney Channel runs shortened versions of their “golden oldies” between some of their modern day cartoons as a way to fill time until the next scheduled show begins. One morning recently my kids were watching the Disney Channel when they featured an old Mickey Mouse classic called ‘Mickey’s Parrot‘ which was originally released back on September 09, 1938. In this episode, a parrot belonging to an escaped killer wanders into Mickey’s basement. Mickey hears it talking and thinks that the parrot is the killer who is on the loose who he just heard about on the radio. Mickey then goes and grabs his double barreled shotgun off of the wall and prepares to defend himself. Well, wouldn’t you know it… in the version they presented on the Disney Channel the other day, they had digitally removed the shotgun and replaced it with a broom. Yes, Mickey grabbed a broom off of the gun rack, shouldered it, and prepared to defend himself with his handy, dandy tactical… broom."
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder responding to his letter of October 7. The text of Chairman Issa's letter to Attorney General Holder is below:
Dear Attorney General Holder:
From the beginning of the congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, the Department of Justice has offered a roving set of ever-changing explanations to justify its involvement in this reckless and deadly program. These defenses have been aimed at undermining the investigation. From the start, the Department insisted that no wrongdoing had occurred and asked Senator Grassley and me to defer our oversight responsibilities over its concerns about our purported interference with its ongoing criminal investigations. Additionally, the Department steadfastly insisted that gunwalking did not occur.
Once documentary and testimonial evidence strongly contradicted these claims, the Department attempted to limit the fallout from Fast and Furious to the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). When that effort also proved unsuccessful, the Department next argued that Fast and Furious resided only within ATF itself, before eventually also assigning blame to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona. All of these efforts were designed to circle the wagons around DOJ and its political appointees.
To that end, just last month, you claimed that Fast and Furious did not reach the upper levels of the Justice Department. Documents discovered through the course of the investigation, however, have proved each and every one of these claims advanced by the Department to be untrue. It appears your latest defense has reached a new low. Incredibly, in your letter from Friday you now claim that you were unaware of Fast and Furious because your staff failed to inform you of information contained in memos that were specifically addressed to you. At best, this indicates negligence and incompetence in your duties as Attorney General. At worst, it places your credibility into serious doubt.
Following the Committee's issuance of a subpoena over six months ago, I strongly believed that the Department would fully cooperate with Congress and support this investigation with all the means at its disposal. The American people deserve no less. Unfortunately, the Department's cooperation to date has been minimal. Hundreds of pages of documents that have been produced to my Committee are duplicative, and hundreds more contain substantial redactions, rendering them virtually worthless. The Department has actively engaged in retaliation against multiple whistleblowers, and has, on numerous occasions, attempted to disseminate false and misleading information to the press in an attempt to discredit this investigation.
Your letter dated October 7 is deeply disappointing. Instead of pledging all necessary resources to assist the congressional investigation in discovering the truth behind the fundamentally flawed Operation Fast and Furious, your letter instead did little but obfuscate, shift blame, berate, and attempt to change the topic away from the Department's responsibility in the creation, implementation, and authorization of this reckless program. You claim that, after months of silence, you "must now address these issues" over Fast and Furious because of the harmful discourse of the past few days. Yet, the only major development of these past few days has been the release of multiple documents showing that you and your senior staff had been briefed, on numerous occasions, about Fast and Furious.
More here
Kansas man found not guilty after shooting stepson: "John Marty Gunderson leaned forward broke a relieved smile and wiped his eyes as Judge Mike Keeley read the jury’s decision of “Not Guilty,” Gunderson was charged with aggravated assault in the July 6 shooting of his stepson Boyd William Parcell, 47, St. John. His defense attorney Sam S. Kepfield, Hutchinson, contended that Gunderson shot Parcell in self-defense. The jury of 12 spent very little time in deliberation returning with the not guilty verdict in about 30 minutes. The defense showed that Parcell had a 25-yr-long history of drinking to excess and becoming hostile and argumentative. “He would get awful mean sometimes,” Gunderson said. “Especially if he had been mixing his drinks like he was that day."
Disney Channel Edits Out Gun From 1938 Mickey Mouse Cartoon: "Almost every morning the Disney Channel runs shortened versions of their “golden oldies” between some of their modern day cartoons as a way to fill time until the next scheduled show begins. One morning recently my kids were watching the Disney Channel when they featured an old Mickey Mouse classic called ‘Mickey’s Parrot‘ which was originally released back on September 09, 1938. In this episode, a parrot belonging to an escaped killer wanders into Mickey’s basement. Mickey hears it talking and thinks that the parrot is the killer who is on the loose who he just heard about on the radio. Mickey then goes and grabs his double barreled shotgun off of the wall and prepares to defend himself. Well, wouldn’t you know it… in the version they presented on the Disney Channel the other day, they had digitally removed the shotgun and replaced it with a broom. Yes, Mickey grabbed a broom off of the gun rack, shouldered it, and prepared to defend himself with his handy, dandy tactical… broom."
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
FL: Man who fatally shot stepson fired in self-defense: "A 73-year-old man who fatally shot his stepson in his home last week was acting in self-defense, Largo police said Monday. Robert Edward Gardner will not be charged for shooting 48-year-old Jeffrey Mark Matthews, police said. "He was protecting himself," said police spokesman Lt. Mike Loux. Matthews arrived at the mobile home that Gardner and his wife share in the Paradise Island mobile home park at 1001 Starkey Road around 3:30 p.m. Friday, officials said. Gardner said Monday he didn't know Matthews well and had met him only a couple of times. He said he and his wife, Barbara, had been "arguing for a few days" when Matthews showed up and threatened to beat him up. Gardner said he retreated to his bedroom. "I went in there and got my gun and stood in the doorway," he said. "I was going to tell him to get the hell out. Before I could say anything, he came charging down the hallway."
WV: Ex-boyfriend shot during home invasion: "A break-up and a restraining order weren't enough to keep one man away from his ex-girlfriend, but a gun shot wound may just be enough to keep him from breaking into her house again. ... Deputies say Bragg's ex boyfriend, Paul Conrad forced his way in, got into a fight with her new boyfriend, Robert Cain and then Cain shot Conrad in the arm."
CA: Gov. Brown ignores 2nd Amendment: "Gov. Jerry Brown has outlawed the open carrying of unloaded handguns in California, signing a bill late Sunday night that makes the practice that had been popular with some gun rights advocates a misdemeanor in the state. ... Violations of the law will carry a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in county jail."
Issa: Fast and Furious subpoenas may be issued soon: "House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa said Sunday that he could issue subpoenas to the Justice Department this week in connection to a now-discredited federal gunrunning operation. ... The operation involved agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowing illegal [sic] sales of guns believed to be destined for Mexican drug cartels to "walk" from Phoenix, Arizona, gun stores into Mexico."
WV: Ex-boyfriend shot during home invasion: "A break-up and a restraining order weren't enough to keep one man away from his ex-girlfriend, but a gun shot wound may just be enough to keep him from breaking into her house again. ... Deputies say Bragg's ex boyfriend, Paul Conrad forced his way in, got into a fight with her new boyfriend, Robert Cain and then Cain shot Conrad in the arm."
CA: Gov. Brown ignores 2nd Amendment: "Gov. Jerry Brown has outlawed the open carrying of unloaded handguns in California, signing a bill late Sunday night that makes the practice that had been popular with some gun rights advocates a misdemeanor in the state. ... Violations of the law will carry a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in county jail."
Issa: Fast and Furious subpoenas may be issued soon: "House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa said Sunday that he could issue subpoenas to the Justice Department this week in connection to a now-discredited federal gunrunning operation. ... The operation involved agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowing illegal [sic] sales of guns believed to be destined for Mexican drug cartels to "walk" from Phoenix, Arizona, gun stores into Mexico."
Monday, October 10, 2011
Off-Duty Chicago Cop shoots robbers: "A robbery attempt at a Rockford pizzeria where a deputy police officer was off-duty led to a shootout that killed a 16-year-old suspect and wounded three others. One of the men pulled out a handgun and pointed it towards the officer, who was able to wrestle control of the weapon from the suspect after a struggle. A second struggle ensued over a gun in the store employee's possession, prompting a fourth suspect, who had been standing outside the restaurant, to get involved, at which point the officer fired shots at all four suspects, according to WIFR."
Gun rights group argues for right to bring guns to worship: "The question before a three-judge panel for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta Thursday is whether Georgia’s prohibition on firearms in places of worship conflicts with the promise of religious freedom in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. GeorgiaCarry.org, which brought the initial lawsuit, believes religious institutions, not Georgia law, should dictate if firearms are allowed inside, and they point to accounts of shootings in churches as examples of why guns are needed even while worshiping. GeorgiaCarry.org’s argument about the First Amendment is a novel approach to challenging a gun law. Only Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and North Dakota specifically prohibit firearms in churches, synagogues and mosques, according to court filings."
Gun rights group argues for right to bring guns to worship: "The question before a three-judge panel for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta Thursday is whether Georgia’s prohibition on firearms in places of worship conflicts with the promise of religious freedom in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. GeorgiaCarry.org, which brought the initial lawsuit, believes religious institutions, not Georgia law, should dictate if firearms are allowed inside, and they point to accounts of shootings in churches as examples of why guns are needed even while worshiping. GeorgiaCarry.org’s argument about the First Amendment is a novel approach to challenging a gun law. Only Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and North Dakota specifically prohibit firearms in churches, synagogues and mosques, according to court filings."
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Chicago handgun ban success story: 20 shot last night, 3 fatally
What's that old saying? "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns"? Well, liberals: it's called a truism because it's, eh, true.
Say, how's that Chicago handgun ban working out for you, schmucks?
Curiously, cities where law-abiding citizens can freely carry concealed weapons appear to be experiencing considerably less gun violence.
Which is just more evidence that liberalism is the philosophy of the stupid.
Source
CA: Shots fired to chase off trucks: "Jeffrey Chapman, 20, and Guy Olsen, 50, were both arrested Friday for assault with a deadly weapon after each allegedly ramed their cousin with the trucks they were driving. Shots were fired by the victim in self defense -- prompting 911 calls in the area -- but no one was injured. As the victim drove to the house, he saw a truck behind him being driven by his cousin, Chapman, the sergeant reported. The suspect was driving very fast and, “without making an attempt to stop, slammed his truck into the rear of the victim's vehicle at approximately 40 miles per hour,” the sergeant reported. The victim saw a second truck, driven by Olsen, also his cousin, approaching “at a high rate of speed aiming directly for his vehicle,” the sergeant reported. Olsen’s truck also slammed into the victim’s vehicle. Fearing for his life, the victim fired three rounds then sped off in an attempt to get away, the sergeant reported. The victim made it back to his house, where he was able to call 911."
TX: Clerk Shoots robber in Fuel Station: "Two people were wounded, including a clerk, during a shootout at a southeast Houston fuel station. Police say two people ran into the Valero station on Martin Luther King Boulevard near Bellfort Avenue and tried to rob the store with two clerks on duty. One of the two suspects started firing gunshots upon entering the store building. One clerk was shot in the leg while police say the other clerk found a gun and shot one of the robbery suspects twice. The suspects fled from the store to a house nearby. The wounded suspect was taken to a hospital while police are searching for the other suspect."
MT: Armed pharmacist foils Lolo robbery attempt: "An 80-year-old Montana pharmacist and Army veteran foiled a robbery attempt by pulling "a big, black pistol" on a masked man demanding prescription painkillers. Missoula County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Johnson said the robber screamed and ran out the door of a Lolo pharmacy toward U.S. Highway 93 on Thursday afternoon. The suspect was seeking oxycodone. He did not display a weapon."
What's that old saying? "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns"? Well, liberals: it's called a truism because it's, eh, true.
Say, how's that Chicago handgun ban working out for you, schmucks?
At least three people were killed and at least 17 others wounded, including nine teenagers, in shootings across the city late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
- Two sisters were shot in the head...
- A man was shot in his chest and possibly stabbed...
- A 29-year-old man was shot and killed across from the Lake View High School...
- A boy and a girl, both aged 17, were shot at about 2:15 a.m...
- A 25-year-old man was shot in his back at 71st and Halsted Avenue Street at about 2:15 a.m...
- A 56-year-old man was shot in the 4100 block of West Adams Street...
- A 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were shot in the 13200 block of South Langley Avenue...
- A 17-year-old boy was shot in the back...
- At about 12:30 a.m., a 22-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were shot in the 2600 block of South Ridgeway Avenue...
- A 41-year-old man was shot in his forearm, buttocks and suffered a graze wound to his head...
- A 24-year-old man was shot in the 8400 block of South Carpenter Street...
- A 17-year-old boy was shot in his neck while sitting in a car at a stop light...
- A 37-year-old man was shot in his groin in the 800 block of North Noble Street at about 10 p.m....
- Two other boys, age 16 and 17, were shot as they left a restaurant...
- A 15-year-old was accidentally shot in the 7900 block of South Christiana Avenue ...
Curiously, cities where law-abiding citizens can freely carry concealed weapons appear to be experiencing considerably less gun violence.
Which is just more evidence that liberalism is the philosophy of the stupid.
Source
CA: Shots fired to chase off trucks: "Jeffrey Chapman, 20, and Guy Olsen, 50, were both arrested Friday for assault with a deadly weapon after each allegedly ramed their cousin with the trucks they were driving. Shots were fired by the victim in self defense -- prompting 911 calls in the area -- but no one was injured. As the victim drove to the house, he saw a truck behind him being driven by his cousin, Chapman, the sergeant reported. The suspect was driving very fast and, “without making an attempt to stop, slammed his truck into the rear of the victim's vehicle at approximately 40 miles per hour,” the sergeant reported. The victim saw a second truck, driven by Olsen, also his cousin, approaching “at a high rate of speed aiming directly for his vehicle,” the sergeant reported. Olsen’s truck also slammed into the victim’s vehicle. Fearing for his life, the victim fired three rounds then sped off in an attempt to get away, the sergeant reported. The victim made it back to his house, where he was able to call 911."
TX: Clerk Shoots robber in Fuel Station: "Two people were wounded, including a clerk, during a shootout at a southeast Houston fuel station. Police say two people ran into the Valero station on Martin Luther King Boulevard near Bellfort Avenue and tried to rob the store with two clerks on duty. One of the two suspects started firing gunshots upon entering the store building. One clerk was shot in the leg while police say the other clerk found a gun and shot one of the robbery suspects twice. The suspects fled from the store to a house nearby. The wounded suspect was taken to a hospital while police are searching for the other suspect."
MT: Armed pharmacist foils Lolo robbery attempt: "An 80-year-old Montana pharmacist and Army veteran foiled a robbery attempt by pulling "a big, black pistol" on a masked man demanding prescription painkillers. Missoula County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Johnson said the robber screamed and ran out the door of a Lolo pharmacy toward U.S. Highway 93 on Thursday afternoon. The suspect was seeking oxycodone. He did not display a weapon."
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Eric Holder tries to change the subject
Under fire for a botched operation to track guns smuggled to Mexican drug cartels, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Friday his critics seek to score political points, but will not try to stem the flow of weapons across the border.
He lashed back at Republican criticism in the Congress over when and what he knew about the operation in which as many as 2,000 guns were sold to suspected gun traffickers. The guns were not properly tracked and ended up at crime scenes in the United States and Mexico.
In a scathing five-page letter sent to lawmakers, Holder said many in Congress adamantly oppose efforts to reform U.S. gun laws that would make the United States and Mexico safer, while at the same time criticizing the operation.
"It seems clear that some in Congress are more interested in using this regrettable incident to score political points than in addressing the underlying problem," Holder wrote.
"Too many in Congress are opposed to any discussion of fixing loopholes in our laws that facilitate the staggering flow of guns each year across our border to the south."
The letter came a day after President Barack Obama, who appointed Holder, told a White House news conference that he fully supported Holder and has "complete confidence" in him.
The operation has become a headache for the Obama administration and complicated diplomatic ties with Mexico. Known as "Fast and Furious," it ran from late 2009 through 2010.
The chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, Darrell Issa, and the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, have been the leading critics.
They have cited memos they said showed Holder was given details about the operation in 2010 and questioned whether Holder lied when he said in May 2011 that he only recently became aware of the operation.
Holder in the letter replied that his testimony was truthful and accurate and said he has no recollection of the operation's misguided tactics until the public controversy.
Once he learned of the flawed operation, Holder said, he took several steps, including referring it to the Justice Department's inspector general for investigation.
"If Attorney General Holder had said these things five months ago when Congress asked him about Operation Fast and Furious, it might have been more believable," said Frederick Hill, a spokesman for the House Oversight Committee.
"At this point, however, it's hard to take at face value a defense that is factually questionable, entirely self-serving, and a still incomplete account of what senior Justice Department officials knew about gun walking," he said.
Two weapons from the operation were found at the scene where a U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in a shootout with illegal immigrants.
One Republican House member has said that law enforcement and government employees could be considered "accessories to murder." Holder denounced the statement. "Such irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms," Holder wrote. [Why?]
Source
Jury accepts battered-wife defense, acquits N.Y. woman of murder: "Was Barbara Sheehan a battered wife who shot her husband, a retired police sergeant, in self-defense, or was she a calculating killer determined to collect on his life insurance? After three days of deliberations, a jury Thursday chose the former. Sheehan, 50, was convicted of a weapons charge for her use of a gun in the 2008 slaying and could face three to 15 years in prison when she's sentenced in November. But family members, friends and supporters who packed the courtroom in the New York borough of Queens erupted in cheers and wept in relief when the acquittal on the murder charge was announced. It came a day after jurors had declared themselves deadlocked, only to be sent back to the deliberating room by the judge."
Appeals court upholds DC semi-automatic rifle ban: "A ban on semi-automatic rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines in the capital city got a boost on Tuesday from a U.S. appeals court that upheld the prohibition as constitutional, a setback for gun rights activists. The ruling upheld a lower court decision that found the ban and regulations by the city of Washington did not violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment that permits individuals to possess firearms. The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of the city's ban, which is one of the toughest in the United States and also includes a prohibition on semi-automatic pistols and shotguns." [Back to revolvers?]
Under fire for a botched operation to track guns smuggled to Mexican drug cartels, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Friday his critics seek to score political points, but will not try to stem the flow of weapons across the border.
He lashed back at Republican criticism in the Congress over when and what he knew about the operation in which as many as 2,000 guns were sold to suspected gun traffickers. The guns were not properly tracked and ended up at crime scenes in the United States and Mexico.
In a scathing five-page letter sent to lawmakers, Holder said many in Congress adamantly oppose efforts to reform U.S. gun laws that would make the United States and Mexico safer, while at the same time criticizing the operation.
"It seems clear that some in Congress are more interested in using this regrettable incident to score political points than in addressing the underlying problem," Holder wrote.
"Too many in Congress are opposed to any discussion of fixing loopholes in our laws that facilitate the staggering flow of guns each year across our border to the south."
The letter came a day after President Barack Obama, who appointed Holder, told a White House news conference that he fully supported Holder and has "complete confidence" in him.
The operation has become a headache for the Obama administration and complicated diplomatic ties with Mexico. Known as "Fast and Furious," it ran from late 2009 through 2010.
The chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, Darrell Issa, and the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, have been the leading critics.
They have cited memos they said showed Holder was given details about the operation in 2010 and questioned whether Holder lied when he said in May 2011 that he only recently became aware of the operation.
Holder in the letter replied that his testimony was truthful and accurate and said he has no recollection of the operation's misguided tactics until the public controversy.
Once he learned of the flawed operation, Holder said, he took several steps, including referring it to the Justice Department's inspector general for investigation.
"If Attorney General Holder had said these things five months ago when Congress asked him about Operation Fast and Furious, it might have been more believable," said Frederick Hill, a spokesman for the House Oversight Committee.
"At this point, however, it's hard to take at face value a defense that is factually questionable, entirely self-serving, and a still incomplete account of what senior Justice Department officials knew about gun walking," he said.
Two weapons from the operation were found at the scene where a U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in a shootout with illegal immigrants.
One Republican House member has said that law enforcement and government employees could be considered "accessories to murder." Holder denounced the statement. "Such irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms," Holder wrote. [Why?]
Source
Jury accepts battered-wife defense, acquits N.Y. woman of murder: "Was Barbara Sheehan a battered wife who shot her husband, a retired police sergeant, in self-defense, or was she a calculating killer determined to collect on his life insurance? After three days of deliberations, a jury Thursday chose the former. Sheehan, 50, was convicted of a weapons charge for her use of a gun in the 2008 slaying and could face three to 15 years in prison when she's sentenced in November. But family members, friends and supporters who packed the courtroom in the New York borough of Queens erupted in cheers and wept in relief when the acquittal on the murder charge was announced. It came a day after jurors had declared themselves deadlocked, only to be sent back to the deliberating room by the judge."
Appeals court upholds DC semi-automatic rifle ban: "A ban on semi-automatic rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines in the capital city got a boost on Tuesday from a U.S. appeals court that upheld the prohibition as constitutional, a setback for gun rights activists. The ruling upheld a lower court decision that found the ban and regulations by the city of Washington did not violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment that permits individuals to possess firearms. The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of the city's ban, which is one of the toughest in the United States and also includes a prohibition on semi-automatic pistols and shotguns." [Back to revolvers?]
Friday, October 07, 2011
Fast and Furious II: Follow-up to what we know so far: "Digging deeper into the Fast and Furious cover-up reveals initial blame at the US Department of State, direction from the Department of Justice, and a finish at the mercy of a Congressional review. ... Exporting guns from the US is indeed a violation of the Arms Export Control Act, so red flags were raised by 'whistleblowers' when ATF agents were expected to circumvent Federal law."
Furiously unraveling — gun scandal still growing: "The joke goes that anything named 'Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' ought to be a convenience store instead of an arm of the federal government, but what's going on in Washington these days with the embattled agency is no laughing matter. Hardly a week passes now without some revelation about the Obama administration's complicity in what may yet turn out to be one of the worst and most lethal scandals in American history: Operation Fast and Furious."
Florida university sued Over Parking Lot Gun Ban: "Florida Carry, Inc. has today filed a lawsuit against the University of North Florida (UNF), seeking a permanent injunction from enforcing its unlawful ban on firearms and weapons and a court order to repeal their unlawful regulations, remove all preempted signs. Florida Carry filed this case on behalf of Florida Gun Owners and our members. One such member, Alexandria Lainez, is a single mother who has received extensive training in firearms and self-defense to be prepared to protect herself and her young child should that horrible need arise. Alexandria is a full time student at UNF and worries that she has to choose between her family’s safety and her education on a daily basis while attending college."
WI: No guns for University of Wisconsin professors: "A new law takes effect in Wisconsin on November 1 that allows people with concealed weapons permits to bring their guns onto university campuses in the state. But that privilege will not extend to professors and other school officials. The Badger Herald reports that the University of Wisconsin Faculty Senate voted Monday night to ban concealed weapons by all school employees, except for police officers"
Furiously unraveling — gun scandal still growing: "The joke goes that anything named 'Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' ought to be a convenience store instead of an arm of the federal government, but what's going on in Washington these days with the embattled agency is no laughing matter. Hardly a week passes now without some revelation about the Obama administration's complicity in what may yet turn out to be one of the worst and most lethal scandals in American history: Operation Fast and Furious."
Florida university sued Over Parking Lot Gun Ban: "Florida Carry, Inc. has today filed a lawsuit against the University of North Florida (UNF), seeking a permanent injunction from enforcing its unlawful ban on firearms and weapons and a court order to repeal their unlawful regulations, remove all preempted signs. Florida Carry filed this case on behalf of Florida Gun Owners and our members. One such member, Alexandria Lainez, is a single mother who has received extensive training in firearms and self-defense to be prepared to protect herself and her young child should that horrible need arise. Alexandria is a full time student at UNF and worries that she has to choose between her family’s safety and her education on a daily basis while attending college."
WI: No guns for University of Wisconsin professors: "A new law takes effect in Wisconsin on November 1 that allows people with concealed weapons permits to bring their guns onto university campuses in the state. But that privilege will not extend to professors and other school officials. The Badger Herald reports that the University of Wisconsin Faculty Senate voted Monday night to ban concealed weapons by all school employees, except for police officers"
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Stakes raised in “Fast and Furious” probe, Holder targeted: "Congressional Republicans want to get to the bottom of who is responsible for Operation Fast and Furious .... Claiming [Attorney General Eric] Holder may have 'misled' Congress about his knowledge of the gun-interdiction operation, Rep. Lamar Smith (R) of Texas on Tuesday asked President Obama to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether the attorney general told the truth in testimony to Congress earlier this year."
Hundreds of thousands disarmed by ATF ruling: "Gun Owners of America is not going to wade into the marijuana debate, but the fact that such a large group of people are losing their constitutional rights without even seeing the inside of a courtroom leaves a lot of people scratching their heads. After all, this is the same Justice Department that, in 2009, basically advised federal prosecutors to turn a blind eye to medical marijuana use."
Gun group sues Omaha over gun registration ordinance: "The Second Amendment Foundation today filed suit in federal district court in Nebraska against the City of Omaha, challenging the city’s prohibition against anyone who is not a United States citizen from registering a handgun. SAF’s lawsuit, on behalf of Armando Pliego Gonzalez, a resident alien living in the city, is joined by the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association."
Granny get your gun: "So how many times does the simple act of pulling a gun from its hiding place prevent a crime, discourage an attack or, in this case, help capture a fleeing felon? It's hard to tell, because this is the type of gun-related incident that may appear as a local news item but rarely ends up in any statistical database. That makes it easy to quote scary gun violence numbers for people opposed to a polite society ..."
Hundreds of thousands disarmed by ATF ruling: "Gun Owners of America is not going to wade into the marijuana debate, but the fact that such a large group of people are losing their constitutional rights without even seeing the inside of a courtroom leaves a lot of people scratching their heads. After all, this is the same Justice Department that, in 2009, basically advised federal prosecutors to turn a blind eye to medical marijuana use."
Gun group sues Omaha over gun registration ordinance: "The Second Amendment Foundation today filed suit in federal district court in Nebraska against the City of Omaha, challenging the city’s prohibition against anyone who is not a United States citizen from registering a handgun. SAF’s lawsuit, on behalf of Armando Pliego Gonzalez, a resident alien living in the city, is joined by the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association."
Granny get your gun: "So how many times does the simple act of pulling a gun from its hiding place prevent a crime, discourage an attack or, in this case, help capture a fleeing felon? It's hard to tell, because this is the type of gun-related incident that may appear as a local news item but rarely ends up in any statistical database. That makes it easy to quote scary gun violence numbers for people opposed to a polite society ..."
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
CA: Suspected robber killed in shooting: "A man trying to rob a business was shot and killed by the owner Tuesday morning in San Bernardino, authorities said. Police received a call about 9:30 a.m. regarding a disturbance between two people at Jerry's Barber Shop, 1248 W. 5th Street. When officers were heading to the scene, they were told that a man was lying on the ground in front of some businesses, said police Lt. Paul Williams. Officers said the man, who was possibly homeless, had walked into the barber shop, demanded money from the owner and pulled out a large knife. The owner, fearing for his life, shot the would-be robber with a handgun he kept for store protection, Williams said."
CA: Man threatens family with screwdriver, is shot: "A 23-year-old man shot to death inside a home Saturday was arguing with the family of a woman carrying his unborn child when he threatened them with a screwdriver, according to a source close to the investigation. ... The shooting is being treated as an act of self-defense and no arrests have been made."
Chicago’s Violent Crime Rates Plummet After SCOTUS Removes Handgun Ban: "Murder and violent crime rates were supposed to soar after the Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s and Washington, D.C.’s gun control laws. Politicians predicted disaster. “More handguns in the District of Columbia will only lead to more handgun violence,” Washington’s Mayor Adrian Fenty warned the day the court made its decision. Chicago’s Mayor Daley predicted that we would “go back to the Old West, you have a gun and I have a gun and we’ll settle it in the streets.” The New York Times even editorialized last month about the Supreme Court’s “unwise” decision that there is a right for people “to keep guns in the home.” But Armageddon never happened. Newly released data for Chicago shows that, as in D.C., murder and gun crime rates didn’t rise after the bans were eliminated; they plummeted. They have fallen much more than the national crime rate, but the national media has been completely silent."
US appeals court rules in favor of DC gun limits: "A federal appeals court panel Tuesday upheld the District’s authority to impose a system of handgun registration and rejected a challenge to the city’s ban on semiautomatic assault rifles and large-capacity ammunition clips. The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District leaves in place the gun-ownership regulations passed by the D.C. Council after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2008 ended the city’s decades-old handgun ban."
CA: Man threatens family with screwdriver, is shot: "A 23-year-old man shot to death inside a home Saturday was arguing with the family of a woman carrying his unborn child when he threatened them with a screwdriver, according to a source close to the investigation. ... The shooting is being treated as an act of self-defense and no arrests have been made."
Chicago’s Violent Crime Rates Plummet After SCOTUS Removes Handgun Ban: "Murder and violent crime rates were supposed to soar after the Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s and Washington, D.C.’s gun control laws. Politicians predicted disaster. “More handguns in the District of Columbia will only lead to more handgun violence,” Washington’s Mayor Adrian Fenty warned the day the court made its decision. Chicago’s Mayor Daley predicted that we would “go back to the Old West, you have a gun and I have a gun and we’ll settle it in the streets.” The New York Times even editorialized last month about the Supreme Court’s “unwise” decision that there is a right for people “to keep guns in the home.” But Armageddon never happened. Newly released data for Chicago shows that, as in D.C., murder and gun crime rates didn’t rise after the bans were eliminated; they plummeted. They have fallen much more than the national crime rate, but the national media has been completely silent."
US appeals court rules in favor of DC gun limits: "A federal appeals court panel Tuesday upheld the District’s authority to impose a system of handgun registration and rejected a challenge to the city’s ban on semiautomatic assault rifles and large-capacity ammunition clips. The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District leaves in place the gun-ownership regulations passed by the D.C. Council after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2008 ended the city’s decades-old handgun ban."
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Supreme Court refuses potentially landmark gun-control case
A Maryland man appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the state's gun-control laws are too restrictive. The case was seen as a potentially pivotal examination of Second Amendment rights, but the Supreme Court refused it.
The US Supreme Court on Monday turned down the appeal of a Maryland man who said the state’s restrictive gun-permit law violated his constitutional right to carry a firearm in public for self defense.
The case, Williams v. Maryland, was being closely followed because it might have set the stage for another potential landmark Second Amendment decision by the high court.
The justices did not explain why they rejected the appeal, but the action does not end the possibility of a gun-rights case reaching the court this term. The Supreme Court is awaiting briefs in at least one other gun case, and several other Second Amendment cases are working their way to the Supreme Court.
Source
AL: Suicidal man shot: "Tuscaloosa homicide investigators say the man killed in an altercation with his two roommates earlier today wanted to die, and provoked his roommates to shoot him by attacking them first. Investigators responded to a home on Fosters Ferry Road a little after 8 a.m. Monday, where a 54-year-old man had asked his two roommates to end his life. When they refused, he started attacking them with a wrench, said Captain Loyd Baker with the Tuscaloosa Police Department. One of the roommates, a 58-year-old man who was hooked up to an oxygen tank, shot the 54-year-old with a handgun as the man attacked him with a wrench. When his roommate continued to attack him, the 58-year-old used a shotgun to kill him. A 68-year-old roommate was also injured in the wrench attack and is being treated at DCH Hospital for head wounds. He is expected to survive. Relatives of the accused shooter said he was acting in self defense. So far, no charges have been filed against the shooter."
VA robber shot: "Police have arrested a male involved with a shooting in Harrisonburg over the weekend. The Harrisonburg Police Department arrested O'Rondae Jones, 19, of Manassas, Va. Jones has been charged with two counts of brandishing a firearm. Police report that around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Jones brandished a gun toward a male victim in the 1400 block of Devon Lane. He was accompanied by George Escobar, 19, of Falls Church. The victim shot Jones in the upper leg. Jones was taken to Rockingham Memorial Hospital and later transferred to the University of Virginia Medical Center. He has since been released. Police say the investigation reveals the shooting was made in self-defense and the victim will not face charges. Jones is currently being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail."
A Victory for Oregon Universities’ Students, Staff and Faculty: "In what promises to be a continuing debate on the rights of law-abiding citizens, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled this week that banning firearms on the grounds of Oregon’s public universities exceeded the scope of the university system’s authority, thereby opening up the state’s campuses to individuals who hold valid concealed handgun licenses. Long viewed by gun rights activists as a violation of the state firearms preemption law, the restriction of license holders from exercising their right to self-defense while on campus served as a slap to law-abiding gun owners."
A Maryland man appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the state's gun-control laws are too restrictive. The case was seen as a potentially pivotal examination of Second Amendment rights, but the Supreme Court refused it.
The US Supreme Court on Monday turned down the appeal of a Maryland man who said the state’s restrictive gun-permit law violated his constitutional right to carry a firearm in public for self defense.
The case, Williams v. Maryland, was being closely followed because it might have set the stage for another potential landmark Second Amendment decision by the high court.
The justices did not explain why they rejected the appeal, but the action does not end the possibility of a gun-rights case reaching the court this term. The Supreme Court is awaiting briefs in at least one other gun case, and several other Second Amendment cases are working their way to the Supreme Court.
Source
AL: Suicidal man shot: "Tuscaloosa homicide investigators say the man killed in an altercation with his two roommates earlier today wanted to die, and provoked his roommates to shoot him by attacking them first. Investigators responded to a home on Fosters Ferry Road a little after 8 a.m. Monday, where a 54-year-old man had asked his two roommates to end his life. When they refused, he started attacking them with a wrench, said Captain Loyd Baker with the Tuscaloosa Police Department. One of the roommates, a 58-year-old man who was hooked up to an oxygen tank, shot the 54-year-old with a handgun as the man attacked him with a wrench. When his roommate continued to attack him, the 58-year-old used a shotgun to kill him. A 68-year-old roommate was also injured in the wrench attack and is being treated at DCH Hospital for head wounds. He is expected to survive. Relatives of the accused shooter said he was acting in self defense. So far, no charges have been filed against the shooter."
VA robber shot: "Police have arrested a male involved with a shooting in Harrisonburg over the weekend. The Harrisonburg Police Department arrested O'Rondae Jones, 19, of Manassas, Va. Jones has been charged with two counts of brandishing a firearm. Police report that around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Jones brandished a gun toward a male victim in the 1400 block of Devon Lane. He was accompanied by George Escobar, 19, of Falls Church. The victim shot Jones in the upper leg. Jones was taken to Rockingham Memorial Hospital and later transferred to the University of Virginia Medical Center. He has since been released. Police say the investigation reveals the shooting was made in self-defense and the victim will not face charges. Jones is currently being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail."
A Victory for Oregon Universities’ Students, Staff and Faculty: "In what promises to be a continuing debate on the rights of law-abiding citizens, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled this week that banning firearms on the grounds of Oregon’s public universities exceeded the scope of the university system’s authority, thereby opening up the state’s campuses to individuals who hold valid concealed handgun licenses. Long viewed by gun rights activists as a violation of the state firearms preemption law, the restriction of license holders from exercising their right to self-defense while on campus served as a slap to law-abiding gun owners."
Monday, October 03, 2011
ND: 82-year-old holds intruder at gunpoint: "An 82-year-old Jamestown man held an intruder at gunpoint before turning him over to authorities. ... the man's wife was awakened by a loud noise about 4 a. m. Wednesday and saw someone in the house. Her husband grabbed a handgun and held the intruder at bay until officers arrived."
Media silence deafening re important gun news: "Murder and violent crime rates were supposed to soar after the Supreme Court struck down gun control laws in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Politicians predicted disaster. ... The New York Times even editorialized this month about the Supreme Court's 'unwise' decision that there is a right for people 'to keep guns in the home.' But Armageddon never happened."
Media silence deafening re important gun news: "Murder and violent crime rates were supposed to soar after the Supreme Court struck down gun control laws in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Politicians predicted disaster. ... The New York Times even editorialized this month about the Supreme Court's 'unwise' decision that there is a right for people 'to keep guns in the home.' But Armageddon never happened."
Sunday, October 02, 2011
DOJ Considering Elimination of ATF?
Multiple sources, including sources from ATF, DOJ and Congressional offices have said there is a white paper circulating within the Department of Justice, outlining the essential elimination of ATF. According to sources, the paper outlines the firing of at least 450 ATF agents in an effort to conduct damage control as Operation Fast and Furious gets uglier and as election day 2012 gets closer. ATF agents wouldn’t be reassigned to other positions, just simply let go. Current duties of ATF, including the enforcement of explosives and gun laws, would be transferred to other agencies, possibly the FBI and the DEA. According to a congressional source, there have been rumblings about the elimination of ATF for quite sometime, but the move would require major political capital to actually happen.
“It’s a serious white paper being circulated, how far they’d get with it I don’t know,” a confidential source said.
After a town hall meeting about Operation Fast and Furious in Tucson, Ariz. on Monday, ATF Whistleblower Vince Cefalu, who has been key in exposing details about Operation Fast and Furious, confirmed the elimination of ATF has been circulating as a serious idea for sometime now and that a white paper outlining the plan does exist.
Sounds great right? Eliminating ATF? But there is more to this story. Remember, low level ATF field agents, like ATF whistleblower John Dodson, were uncomfortable conducting Operation Fast and Furious from the beginning, but were told by high level officials within ATF that if they had a problem with the operation, they could find a job elsewhere.
“Allowing loads of weapons that we knew to be destined for criminals, this was the plan. It was so mandated,” ATF Whistleblower John Dodson said in testimony on Capitol Hill on June 15, 2011.
In fact, not only were the ATF agents forced to carry out the operation, they were told to go against what they had been taught in training.
“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,” Special Agent Peter Forcelli said in testimony on Capitol hill on June 15, 2011.
“I recall my first days at the ATF academy, where it was drilled into us as new agents that under no circumstances would any firearms, in any investigation, leave the control of ATF. Instructors stressed that even if a weapon was lost “by accident,” the agent was still subject to termination,” former ATF Attaché to Mexico Darren D. Gil said in testimony on June 15, 2011.
ATF field agents weren’t the problem with Operation Fast and Furious, high ranking officials within ATF and the Department of Justice were and still are. DOJ would eliminate ATF only to take the heat off of the Obama Administration. By eliminating the bureau, it makes it seem like DOJ is taking Operation Fast and Furious so seriously, they decided to “clear out the corruption, clean house,” however, it would only be a distraction away from the people at the top of the investigation. In fact, evidence shows the DOJ has been stonewalling the Oversight Committee investigation into the operation to protect Obama political appointees.
“It was very frustrating to all of us, and it appears thoroughly to us that the Department is really trying to figure out a way to push the information away from their political appointees at the Department,” former ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson, who has since been moved to a position within DOJ, said of his frustration with the Justice Department’s response to the investigation in transcribed closed door testimony with the Oversight Committee in July 2011.
When I called the Department of Justice last week (five times) to request the white paper and receive a comment surrounding the idea of eliminating ATF, I received the following response: “Everyone is away from their desk right now.”
Up to this point, the Department of Justice has denied all allegations or involvement in Operation Fast and Furious, yet journalists and the House Oversight Committee have proved allegation after allegation to be true. For example, during a Congressional hearing in July, former ATF Special Agent in Charge William Newell, who has since been promoted to a position within the Justice Department, denied that his agency was trafficking guns to Mexico, despite overwhelming evidence and testimony from other ATF agents proving otherwise.
“At no time in our strategy was it to allow guns to be taken to Mexico,” Newell said on July 26, 2011, adding that at no time did his agency allow guns to walk.
We’ve heard this was a low level, “rogue” operation, turns out high level officials in the Justice Department, DEA, FBI, DHS, and even members of the White House national security team knew about Operation Fast and Furious.
Last week, ATF offered 400 agents buy outs to avoid budget cuts and is expecting 250-275 agents to take the offer through Voluntary Early Retirement. These buyouts come at a convenient time for the Justice Department, which can eliminate ATF, then say it’s because of budget cuts, when really, it’s to cover their tracks.
Source
Wisconsin State Assembly Takes Up Self-Defense Bill: "A bill headed to the floor of the state Assembly would allow a person who kills or injures someone who breaks into their home, business or car, to claim self-defense. The bill strengthens what is known as the Castle doctrine and it has strong backing from the National Rifle Association and state law enforcement agencies. Before it was approved by the Assembly Judiciary Committee this week there was some debate about the definition of someone's castle or dwelling, as the bill defines it. Democratic state Rep. Tony Staskunas wanted to know what the boundaries of a dwelling are when someone claims they're defending it, "Does that extend to the municipal sidewalk in from of my house? I think the description of dwelling would include my front lawn because that's part of my lot but what about the municipal sidewalk?" The answer is that it depends on how the courts end up interpreting the word dwelling"
Multiple sources, including sources from ATF, DOJ and Congressional offices have said there is a white paper circulating within the Department of Justice, outlining the essential elimination of ATF. According to sources, the paper outlines the firing of at least 450 ATF agents in an effort to conduct damage control as Operation Fast and Furious gets uglier and as election day 2012 gets closer. ATF agents wouldn’t be reassigned to other positions, just simply let go. Current duties of ATF, including the enforcement of explosives and gun laws, would be transferred to other agencies, possibly the FBI and the DEA. According to a congressional source, there have been rumblings about the elimination of ATF for quite sometime, but the move would require major political capital to actually happen.
“It’s a serious white paper being circulated, how far they’d get with it I don’t know,” a confidential source said.
After a town hall meeting about Operation Fast and Furious in Tucson, Ariz. on Monday, ATF Whistleblower Vince Cefalu, who has been key in exposing details about Operation Fast and Furious, confirmed the elimination of ATF has been circulating as a serious idea for sometime now and that a white paper outlining the plan does exist.
Sounds great right? Eliminating ATF? But there is more to this story. Remember, low level ATF field agents, like ATF whistleblower John Dodson, were uncomfortable conducting Operation Fast and Furious from the beginning, but were told by high level officials within ATF that if they had a problem with the operation, they could find a job elsewhere.
“Allowing loads of weapons that we knew to be destined for criminals, this was the plan. It was so mandated,” ATF Whistleblower John Dodson said in testimony on Capitol Hill on June 15, 2011.
In fact, not only were the ATF agents forced to carry out the operation, they were told to go against what they had been taught in training.
“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,” Special Agent Peter Forcelli said in testimony on Capitol hill on June 15, 2011.
“I recall my first days at the ATF academy, where it was drilled into us as new agents that under no circumstances would any firearms, in any investigation, leave the control of ATF. Instructors stressed that even if a weapon was lost “by accident,” the agent was still subject to termination,” former ATF Attaché to Mexico Darren D. Gil said in testimony on June 15, 2011.
ATF field agents weren’t the problem with Operation Fast and Furious, high ranking officials within ATF and the Department of Justice were and still are. DOJ would eliminate ATF only to take the heat off of the Obama Administration. By eliminating the bureau, it makes it seem like DOJ is taking Operation Fast and Furious so seriously, they decided to “clear out the corruption, clean house,” however, it would only be a distraction away from the people at the top of the investigation. In fact, evidence shows the DOJ has been stonewalling the Oversight Committee investigation into the operation to protect Obama political appointees.
“It was very frustrating to all of us, and it appears thoroughly to us that the Department is really trying to figure out a way to push the information away from their political appointees at the Department,” former ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson, who has since been moved to a position within DOJ, said of his frustration with the Justice Department’s response to the investigation in transcribed closed door testimony with the Oversight Committee in July 2011.
When I called the Department of Justice last week (five times) to request the white paper and receive a comment surrounding the idea of eliminating ATF, I received the following response: “Everyone is away from their desk right now.”
Up to this point, the Department of Justice has denied all allegations or involvement in Operation Fast and Furious, yet journalists and the House Oversight Committee have proved allegation after allegation to be true. For example, during a Congressional hearing in July, former ATF Special Agent in Charge William Newell, who has since been promoted to a position within the Justice Department, denied that his agency was trafficking guns to Mexico, despite overwhelming evidence and testimony from other ATF agents proving otherwise.
“At no time in our strategy was it to allow guns to be taken to Mexico,” Newell said on July 26, 2011, adding that at no time did his agency allow guns to walk.
We’ve heard this was a low level, “rogue” operation, turns out high level officials in the Justice Department, DEA, FBI, DHS, and even members of the White House national security team knew about Operation Fast and Furious.
Last week, ATF offered 400 agents buy outs to avoid budget cuts and is expecting 250-275 agents to take the offer through Voluntary Early Retirement. These buyouts come at a convenient time for the Justice Department, which can eliminate ATF, then say it’s because of budget cuts, when really, it’s to cover their tracks.
Source
Wisconsin State Assembly Takes Up Self-Defense Bill: "A bill headed to the floor of the state Assembly would allow a person who kills or injures someone who breaks into their home, business or car, to claim self-defense. The bill strengthens what is known as the Castle doctrine and it has strong backing from the National Rifle Association and state law enforcement agencies. Before it was approved by the Assembly Judiciary Committee this week there was some debate about the definition of someone's castle or dwelling, as the bill defines it. Democratic state Rep. Tony Staskunas wanted to know what the boundaries of a dwelling are when someone claims they're defending it, "Does that extend to the municipal sidewalk in from of my house? I think the description of dwelling would include my front lawn because that's part of my lot but what about the municipal sidewalk?" The answer is that it depends on how the courts end up interpreting the word dwelling"