Dueling Petitions to Support, Close Gun Shop

In Virginia, one of the Bloomberg disarmist groups is attempting to shut down one of the few gun shops near the nations capitol.

One of the more destructive and sadly, successful, disarmist memes has been the alienation of the gun culture from education and the schools.   In my recollection, it started with the destruction of rifle, shotgun, and pistol teams in the Universities, with many ranges being closed and never reopened as ROTC was chased off of Campus during the Vietnam war and after.

It spread to high schools and grammar schools, and reached a legislative high with the Federal gun free school zones act passed during the first George Bush administration.  That law was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court; but Bill Clinton, with enormous help from the old media, was able to have it passed into law again, with minor changes, in 1996.  It has never been re-challenged in the courts.

The high water mark of the effect of banning guns from the schools was the Sandy Hook mass killing that took place in 2012.   Schools shootings took off after the passage of the 1996 law, the increase most likely caused by a combination of the new gun free zones and the copycat effect promoted by the media.

The purpose of banning guns from the schools has never been safety.  It has always been the long term destruction of the gun culture.   They theory is that if you prevent children from having contact with guns, especially in school, they absorb the idea that guns are bad, and you gradually reduce the number of gun owners, over time, to insignificance.

A clear example of that meme happens when disarmist organizations work to prevent gun stores from opening up near schools.  Children are not allowed to buy guns by law.  But exposing them to the idea of legitimate guns destroys the meme that guns are evil and must be separated from civil society.

That is why the disarmist Bloomberg group, Moms Demand Action, is trying to close down the Nova Firearms Gun shop in McLeanVirgina, which claims to be the closest gun shop to Washington, D. C.

They simply state, without any evidence, that having a gunshop in a community, makes the community less safe.  I have not seen any study, but the evidence clearly points to the opposite.  Having a gun shop in a community is almost certainly correlated with low crime rates.

The group held a small protest to attempt to have the completely legal gun shop closed.  They have taken out a Change.org petition to close the keep Nova Firearms out of McLean that has over 1400 signatures.  There is also a Change.org petition to Support the Gun Shop.  It has over 400 signatures.

It is rare for the disarmists to outnumber second amendment supporters on online petitions such as this. Usually, Second Amendment Supporters outnumber disarmists by 3-10 to 1.

The disarmist attempt to delegitimize guns in the eyes of children does not seem to be working.  The number of guns in the United States is at record levels; the number of new gun owners is rapidly growing among young adults, women, and minorities.

After Sandy Hook, a nation wide movement has been sparked to train and arm teachers to provide real defenses against mass shooting in schools, even though it is a rare phenomena.

The latest number on the petition to defend the Nova Firearms Gun Shop was 484.

Here is the Link to the petition

It often takes a little while for word of a petition or online poll to spread in the new media.  The disarmists are widely supported in the old media.

 Definition of disarmist

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.     Link to Gun Watch

AWR Hawkins: SHANNON WATTS USES SHOOTOUT AMONG ILLEGAL GAMBLERS TO SMEAR NRA

On September 27 an argument among a group of illegal gamblers at a Georgia “event center” escalated into a shootout which wounded ten people aged 16 to 29. The next day gun control proponent Shannon Watts tried to use the altercation to smear the NRA.

The incident occurred in Meriwether County in a former bar that has since been converted into Hill Haven Event Center.

According to Meriwether County Sheriff Chuck Smith, law enforcement personnel were called to the center and arrived to find “that an altercation occurred involving several suspects over illegal gambling that was taking place in the back portion of the building. The verbal altercation escalated with at least several suspects pulling handguns and firing multiple rounds within the confines of the building. These indiscriminate shots resulted in multiple people being struck.”

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TX : Man who Survived Bear attack back in Texas

As the sow approached, Matthews said he was able to keep his composure together long enough to fire a shot at the animal, which struck her in the jaw. Matthews then used the barrel of his rifle and shoved it into the bear’s mouth before the animal knocked him to the ground.

Matthews says the bear bit into his head, and later his arm as he raised it in self-defense. He has bite marks on his back and leg, as well.

In addition, Matthews says the bear picked him up and tossed him during the attack. He recalls trying to protect this throat as the mauling continued.

His brother was able to divert the animal’s attention and shoot it. He then helped Matthews back to a boat the men had used to reach the remote area.

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MN: Court: BB Gun is a 'Firearm'

A BB gun is a firearm, the Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled.

The court made its declaration in the case of a man who was not allowed to possess a firearm because of an earlier felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance.

This is the law that tripped up David Haywood.

Any person who has been convicted of a crime of violence, as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 5, and who ships, transports, possesses, or receives a firearm, commits a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 15 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $30,000, or both.

But the law doesn’t define what a firearm is.

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Rob Morse: Guerrilla Tactics in the Culture War- Part 4

We are in a cultural conflict where freedom is under attack on many fronts.  I chose to talk about self-defense.  This is the final part of a four part series.  Parts one, two and three are here.  Thank you for your comments.

Self-defense is more than a right we reluctantly tolerate.  It is more than a private choice.  In this culture war, people who love liberty should advocate for a better culture rather than watch as they lose their rights one by one.  Self-defense is a virtue we want to actively support across our culture.

What would we do if we really valued self-sufficiency and self-defense?

• The United States is fragmenting into separate cultures. Entrepreneurs in pro-liberty states would open businesses to temporarily rent firearm to qualified visitors from blue states.  That way, the non-residents can go armed when they visit “free America”.
• Movies would tell stories of heroic self-defense. Examples include-
  • Passengers gang-tackling a terrorist on an airplane.. or on a French train.
  • A woman successfully defends herself from a criminal. That night she goes to dinner and is complemented by everyone in the restaurant.
  • A couple defends each other from an armed attack by relying on their church marriage training that taught them how to work as an armed team.
• U-Hunt/ we-clean-and-cook restaurants would spread across the US.
• Insurance companies would offer lower rates to families with firearms and training.
• Couples going out on a date would decide which of them will carry that night.
• One reader suggested to carry openly rather than concealed. “I shouldn’t hide a virtue,” he said.
• Another reader wanted to carry in his hospital.  “They trust me to save patient’s lives.. but disarm me in the parking lot.”

What would local politicians do tomorrow if they really valued self-defense?

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Followup WI: Shooting of Kenneth Whatley Ruled Justified

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office has ruled the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Kenneth Whatley as justifiable self-defense.

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TX: Armed Witness Shoots Carjack Victim in Head

Houston police responded to a shooting call around 11:15 p.m. Saturday at a Valero gas station on Jensen Drive at Reid Street in north Houston. Officials say two men jumped another man in the gas station parking lot and took the victim's Chevrolet pickup truck. Police say a witness then pulled out a gun and began shooting at the suspects, accidentally hitting the carjacking victim in the head.

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Open Carry at the 2015 Gun Rights Policy Conference

I arrived at the 2015 Gun Rights Policy Conference on Friday afternoon, 25 September, at about 1600 (4 p.m.).  I was openly carrying my old Glock 17, as I usually do.  It was an unseasonably warm late September day, with the temperature at 103.   There had been some Internet rumors about the Sheraton Crescent banning open carry; I had not seen anything in my contract with them or any sign on the door.  When I was there a few years ago at the Arizona Citizen Defense League annual meeting, the room had been full of open carriers.

I had an evening meeting with Alan Korwin and assorted notables at the "inner circle" of the JPFO.  Over the course of the evening, I noticed two or three other people openly carrying, and a couple of people complimented me on my willingness to do so.

It is Arizona, open carry is not uncommon, and there were no signs to tell anyone otherwise.  The hotel staff was courteous and helpful.  Numerous staff passed near me.  I can say that I do not recall so much as a curious glance or inquiry from the staff about my open carry.

The next morning was the main event, and with people lining up at the registration table, there were open carriers everywhere.

It was simply Arizonan's living their daily life, a spontaneous act of normalcy.

An SAF staffer told me that some emails had been sent asking people not to open carry, so as not to offend the hotel; but I never read one, and neither, apparently did many other people.

Here was a fellow with a 1911 type.

This attendee favored a bit smaller pistol.

The extended beavertail safety on this rig makes it distinctive.

Blue Jeans and a 1911 were a popular combination.

This attractive couple carried a fancy 1911.  She said it was her pistol, but he was carrying it.  He wanted to carry something a bit fancier than his everyday carry.   It was obvious from talking to them, that they both carried on a regular basis.

A good time was had by all.

A source told me that the normalization reminded him of what he had seen with the gay pride movement in the 70's and 80's.  At some point, open carry ceases to be controversial, and exercise of the Second Amendment returns to its proper place in American society.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.     Link to Gun Watch

Gun control in Britain

Farmers can have shotguns but that's about it


The victim

Panicked shoppers dived to the ground after a man was shot dead on a busy London street earlier this afternoon.

The Met Police arrested a man in his 20s near the scene of the shooting on suspicion of murder and placed him in custody at an east London police station.

Eyewitnesses saw assailants chasing the victim down Chatsworth Road before they shot him shortly before 1.15pm.

He briefly ran into a butchers for help before collapsing into a railing, where armed police and medical workers found him lying in a pool of his own blood, reports claim.

It is believed that a gang of three men approached the victim who was shot several times. He died at the scene.

A traumatised witness told the Independent how the victim ran for his life before he was gunned down outside the Regal Pharmacy.

He said the man left behind a trail of blood as he stumbled into the butchers shop.

Another witness told the Mirror how passersby ran for safety in a chemist when the heard gunshots which sounded like 'firecrackers'.

He said: 'There was a man running away outside the shop and then all of a sudden about three other people came running into the shop looking terrified.

'They told us there had been a shooting. I could not believe it as it did not sound like the gunshots you hear in the movies. I then saw one guy with his hood up walking past the shop very quickly'

A shopkeeper who works at nearby beauty salon Belli Fuori said: 'They [locals] think it's gang-related. I'm not from the area but they say there's a lot of it.'

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3250129/Man-shot-dead-busy-east-London-street-panicked-shoppers-run-lives.html

Followup NM: Road Rage Shooting was Self Defense

Police determined that Perez acted in self-defense before they had the opportunity to interview Johnson due to the extent of his injuries, said officer Tanner Tixier, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department. But they didn’t change their minds after interviewing Johnson three times while he was in the hospital.

Tixier said after talking with Perez, Johnson, Johnson’s girlfriend and another witness, police believe the shooting was consistent with a self-defense situation. However, the case will still be reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office.

(snip)

Johnson was arrested when he was released from the hospital Saturday. Two days after he was admitted to the hospital, doctors reported to police that they found a heat-sealed bag containing a large amount of what later turned out to be cocaine hidden in his groin area.

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Use the Police to Support the Second Amendment

Police that support the Second Amendment give disarmists nightmares.  In theory, all police should support the Second Amendment.  They all take an office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.   The oath has been ignored by many for decades.  That is changing.

20 years ago, Sheriff Richard Mack of Graham County, Arizona had the fortitude to challenge the constitutionality of the Brady act.  He won.  It set an important precedent.  Sheriff Mack then founded the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, an organization of Sheriffs and police officers that follow their oaths of office.  Their website states that they have "Enlisted 500 sheriffs to stand with CSPOA in defense of the Second Amendment. "  There are about 3,080 Sheriffs in the United States.

This year,  Sheriff Daryl Wheeler of Bonner County, Idaho
rallied to support the Second Amendment rights of one of his constituents:

On August 6, residents and Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler lined up outside the Priest River, Idaho, home of veteran John Arnold to prevent the Veterans Administration (VA) from taking away his guns.

The same month, Police Chief Jeffrey Horvath of Lewes, Delaware, refuses to enforce an unconstitutional law:

From the police department’s side, Chief Jeffrey Horvath said the idea of enforcing something he sees as unconstitutional is untenable.
“The Delaware constitution says you have the right to keep and bear arms. That’s exactly how it’s worded,” Chief Horvath said.

In May of 2013 Sheriff Timothy B. Howard  of New York said that the SAFE act is Unconstitutional, and he will not enforce it.:

“I’m more than reluctant,” he said of the new law Thursday. “I won’t enforce it.”

Howard, one of four sheriffs who joined in filing the brief this week, said he considers the law unconstitutional and a waste of valuable resources, and believes it will ultimately be overturned by the courts.

Sheriff Howard was reelected.

Liberty County Sheriff Nick Finch of Florida refused to charge a law abiding citizen with carrying a gun in his pocket.  A state prosecutor charged him with crimes, but a jury vindicated him.

“Nick Finch, the Florida sheriff arrested in June after he defended the Second Amendment, has been declared ‘not guilty’ of the charges brought against him by the State of Florida, according to [former Graham County, Arizona, Sheriff] Richard Mack.

Where police support the Second Amendment, it is secure.  Politically, when police leaders decide that armed citizens are allies instead of enemies, we have won.  When State Police testified for Constitutional Carry, even with a Democrat majority, Constitutional Carry won.

Most police officers are supportive of an armed citizenry.   Because of long experience dealing with criminals, they know how effective personal arms can be.  Most have had positive experiences with armed defenders and recommend that people buy guns and train with them.  They know the old media lies about armed defense because they experience it daily.  They take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.   Police in the United States do not live in protected, "green zone" enclaves.  They have non-police friends, family and associates.  Many are already strong Second Amendment supporters.  Police and Sheriff Departments are a rich source of natural allies.

Most police officers have been sympathetic to armed citizens, but it was the success of the concealed carry movement that persuaded police chiefs like James Craig of Detroit to tout the benefits of armed self defense.   Once Chief Craig was on board, the whole tone of the City of Detroit about armed citizens changed.  Armed self defense is celebrated in the City.   Sheriff David Clarke won reelection as a Second Amendment Supporter against a Bloomberg funded campaign in Milwaukee.

Federal and State governments rely on local police to enforce gun laws.  When police refuse to enforce unconstitutional laws, tyrants in government are stymied.  Consider recent events in Colorado, Washington State, and New York for examples.

Sheriffs can be elected directly.  Mayors and City Councils can be pushed to hire Police Chiefs that take their oath seriously.   Governors can be pushed to appoint State Police leaders with the correct attitude.   Officers with bad attitudes should be identified and disciplined.   Activism by 2A advocates has resulted in numerous legal settlements and positive training changes for police departments across the country.

In the worst case, police patriots will be crucial intelligence assets in restoring  the Constitution against a tyrannical government.  The time to develop those assets is now.   When the government cannot trust police to follow unconstitutional orders, tyranny becomes harder.  Recruit police to the side of the Constitution.  It kills gun control.

 Definition of disarmist

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.     Link to Gun Watch

Restrictive gun laws do little to reduce gun carrying

The medical journal article below found only a 9% reduction in gun carrying in response to restrictive laws

State Gun Law Environment and Youth Gun Carrying in the United States

Ziming Xuan & David Hemenway

ABSTRACT

Importance  Gun violence and injuries pose a substantial threat to children and youth in the United States. Existing evidence points to the need for interventions and policies for keeping guns out of the hands of children and youth.

Objectives  (1) To examine the association between state gun law environment and youth gun carrying in the United States, and (2) to determine whether adult gun ownership mediates this association.

Design, Setting, and Participants  This was a repeated cross-sectional observational study design with 3 years of data on youth gun carrying from US states. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey comprises data of representative samples of students in grades 9 to 12 from biennial years of 2007, 2009, and 2011. We hypothesized that states with more restrictive gun laws have lower rates of youth gun carrying, and this association is mediated by adult gun ownership.

Exposures  State gun law environment as measured by state gun law score.

Main Outcomes and Measures  Youth gun carrying was defined as having carried a gun on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey.

Results  In the fully adjusted model, a 10-point increase in the state gun law score, which represented a more restrictive gun law environment, was associated with a 9% decrease in the odds of youth gun carrying (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.91 [95% CI, 0.86-0.96]). Adult gun ownership mediated the association between state gun law score and youth gun carrying (AOR, 0.94 [ 95% CI, 0.86-1.01], with 29% attenuation of the regression coefficient from −0.09 to −0.07 based on bootstrap resampling).

Conclusions and Relevance  More restrictive overall gun control policies are associated with a reduced likelihood of youth gun carrying. These findings are relevant to gun policy debates about the critical importance of strengthening overall gun law environment to prevent youth gun carrying.

http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2443242

OH: Ex Boyfriend Breaks in, Attacks Couple, is Shot, Dies

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Police are investigating after an alleged intruder was shot to death during a violent home invasion in Cleveland late Wednesday night.

According to police reports, police were called to reports of a man kicking in a door at a residence in the 10300 block of Elk Avenue around 10:15 p.m. When they arrived, they found a man lying at the top of a stairway, dead with a gunshot wound to the chest.
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OK: Armed person Shoots Robber

Witnesses told police the incident happened in the restaurant's parking lot and originally involved three people. The injured man is alleged to have tried to rob one person and the third person shot him in the jaw. Cellphone video of the aftermath of the incident posted online showed two people retreating into the restaurant and locking the door, followed by the injured man attempting to get inside.
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Followup FL: .45 beat "Assault Rifle" in Second Invasion Attempt

Lowe then came out of the car and approached the door with an AK-47 rifle, the victim told police. Flores shut the door and shouted to his family inside the house to call 911.

Before deputies arrived, the men fled in the Monte Carlo.

Two weeks later, Simms and Wilson were burglarizing the home when Flores returned shortly after 8:30 p.m. One of the burglars raised an assault rifle when Flores told them to stop. Flores then fired four shots with his Springfield .45-caliber handgun, killing Simms and hitting Wilson in the face.

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Followup MO: Seven Wayne Ball found Not Guilty in Shooting of Daughter's Fiancee

A Springfield man who shot and killed his daughter’s fiance during an altercation in Humansville acted in self-defense, according to a Polk County jury.

Steven Wayne Ball was found not guilty of murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child — a charge that had been included because one of Ball’s teenage grandsons was standing nearby at the time of the shooting.

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ID: Off Duty Officer involved in Gunfight IDed

While that man was on the phone with police, his parents called a neighbor – McCann, who responded before other officers arrived. McCann, a first-shift officer, went to the home and found a silver four-door car backed up to the home with a man in the driver’s seat, the sheriff’s department said. McCann said he identified himself as a police officer and shined his flashlight at the man and ordered him to show him his hands. Instead, McCann said the man pointed a gun at him and began firing.
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TX: Off Duty Officer Shoots Intruder

According to the Port Arthur Police Department, at approximately 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Officer Ahmall Bodden was at his home in the 900 block of W. Gulfway Drive with his family when he heard glass breaking at the front of his home.

Officer Bodden went to investigate and found a man on the front porch with a hammer trying to get into his home. The man then reportedly confronted Officer Bodden and the suspect was shot once in the hip/pelvic area.
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OH: Property Owner Shoots Aggressive Dog

According to Chief Dog Warden Andrew Snyder, there were reportedly two dogs loose from an adjacent property at the time. Snyder said he was told that one of the dogs attacked the man on his property, and he subsequently shot and killed the dog.


Details as to the breed of the dog, whether the man sustained any injuries and whether he had the gun on him at the time were not immediately available.

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NC: Knife used in Self Defens

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Police said no charges will be filed after a man broke into a Winston-Salem apartment and died after being stabbed multiple times.

Michael Joyner, 32, of Winston-Salem, died after police said he forced his way into an apartment at 4260-F29 Brownsboro Road shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday.

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OR: 72-Year-Old Gets Free, Gets Gun, Drives off Invader

GOLD BEACH, OR (KPTV) -
A 72-year-old man who was tied up in a home invasion robbery by two women managed to get free, grab his gun and send one of the suspects running from his home, according to deputies.

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Followup TX: Man Accused by Muslim Organization Found not Guilty

Robert Craig Klimek, 43, of Houston, had been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Ziad Abu Naim, 42, was shot in the head during a confrontation on June 26.

Klimek's attorney, Craig Seldin, said after the shooting that Klimek was acting in self-defense.

On Wednesday, a grand jury agreed and declined to indict Klimek, effectively dropping all of the charges against him.


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MO: No Charges in Fatal Shooting, Investigation Continues

ST. LOUIS COUNTY • A man fatally shot inside a West County home Tuesday night had barged into the home after threatening his ex-girlfriend and another man, police say.ST. LOUIS COUNTY • A man fatally shot inside a West County home Tuesday night had barged into the home after threatening his ex-girlfriend and another man, police say.
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FL: Self Defense likely in Shooting

A Little Torch Key man tried breaking into a Big Pine Key house Tuesday night but was shot dead by the homeowner.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reports that Andrew Grzych, 29, died on the porch of the Oleander Boulevard home he was breaking into around 11 p.m. He was shot by the homeowner, Patrick Wunsch, 31, who was armed with a semi-automatic Glock pistol, said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deputy Becky Herrin.
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NJ: No Charges for Resident Who Shot Break-in Suspect

She said it was determined that Brian Delvecchio was "clearly attempting to gain unlawful forced entry" into the Lawrence Township home where he was found shot in March. The 52-year-old Millville man died from a single shot to the chest.

The prosecutor would not say who shot Delvecchio or disclose what led to the shooting. But she did note that state law allows residents to use deadly force in some instances.
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KY: Sister Says She is Sorry for Brother's Crime

Hamm called 911 and held him at gunpoint until police showed up at his home along Blue Hall Road in Olive Hill.

"I wanted to shoot him really bad," Hamm said. "I really wanted to shoot him."

Hamm says he's known the suspect, Larry Lee Thompson, since he was born, and that he has a reputation for this sort of thing.

The suspect's sister, Loretta Boggs, lives up the road. She was devastated her brother forced her neighbor to this extreme.

"It hurts me deeply," Boggs said. "It hurts the whole family. We love him, but what can we do?"

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MI: Permit Holder Stops Carjacking

DETROIT (WJBK) - Police are investigating after a customer fired at a suspect attempting to carjack him at a Detroit gas station. It happened at the BP gas station on Outer Drive between Harper Avenue and Interstate-94 Tuesday morning.

A man in his 40s was putting air in his tire when he was approached by another man who jumped in the victim's car and tried to drive off. The victim shot into the car at the suspect, causing him to crash the car into a pole blocking the gas pump.
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AZ: Wounded Intruder not expected to survive

The homeowner, who is in his 60s, was alone when he heard the sound of glass breaking and saw the suspect enter the home through a window, police said. The owned warned the intruder he was armed and retrieved a handgun. When he went back to the window, the suspect was still trying to break in.

"The homeowner reported perceiving a threat and fired at the subject, striking him," police said in a statement.
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OK: No Charges Against Giddens in Self Defense Case

“Charges are not going to be pursued by my office against Mr. Giddens for the shooting,” District Attorney Kevin Buchanan said in a letter on the matter of the case against 23-year-old Dustin Lee Giddens.

There had been a question almost immediately following Giddens’ arrest that the investigation was revealing a self-defense situation, as Giddens initial appearance in the case was pushed back on two occasions. Buchanan said at the time that the delays were the result of the continuing investigation in the case. -

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MI: Permit Holder Shoots Bank Robber

The robbery unfolded in the late afternoon at the Citizens Bank near 9 Mile and Van Dyke. The 43-year-old assailant entered the bank with a gun and had procured “a large amount” of cash from the bank when, on the way out, he appears to have threatened a 63-year-old customer with his gun, according to Fouts.

That customer turned out to be carrying a concealed firearm for which he had a permit, the mayor said. The customer managed to pull out his own weapon and shoot the suspect three times: once in each arm and once in a leg.

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Followup PA: No Charges for Teacher who Shot Bank Robber

No charges will be pressed against a Harry S. Truman High School teacher who shot an alleged bank robber who was fleeing the scene of the crime in July, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday.

George Forgeng, also a Hatboro councilman, was cleared of all charges after shooting Kevin Philip Johnson Way after robbing the TD Bank on York Road, the DA said.

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IN: 76-Year-Old Shoots Suspect Holding Wife at Gunpoint

A 76-year-old man shot a robbery suspect in the head critically injuring him inside his Eastside home early Monday evening.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to the 700 block of N. Bosart Avenue around 4:45 p.m. on a report of a person shot. When officers arrived at the location, they found a man, later identified as 27-year-old Anthony Talley, suffering from several gunshot wounds, including one to the head.
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OK: Homeowner cut, but Fires at Attackers

The two men allegedly ended up cutting the man with a knife, twice in the forearm.

Before they left the scene, the victim reached for a weapon.

The homeowner was able to fire one shot before the men exited the garage.

Police aren’t sure if the suspects were hit and are searching for any suspects connected to this attempted armed robbery.

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Is 'Youth Gun Carrying' a Public Health Threat?

I strongly suspect that "Youth Gun Carrying" correlates to lower homicide rates.  That is probably why the study did not include that comparison.

Does it surprise you to learn that teenagers in Wyoming, New Mexico, and Virginia are more likely to report having carried a gun in the last month than teenagers in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York? Does it worry you? Ziming Xuan and David Hemenway, the authors of a study published yesterday by JAMA Pediatrics, think it should, and CNN seems to agree. What's not clear is why.

Xuan and Hemenway looked at responses to the following question in the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey: "During the past 30 days, on how many days did you carry a gun?" Notably, the survey does not ask why respondents carried a gun. Maybe they went hunting or target shooting. Maybe they are on a high school riflery team. Maybe they used a gun to defend themselves, to scare off a burglar, or to rob a bank.

Xuan and Hemenway simply assume that carrying a gun is bad, and they proceed to link that frightening phenomenon to the strictness of each state's firearm regulations, based on three years of survey data from 38 states. Not surprisingly, the states with strict gun laws, which also tend to be the states with the lowest rates of gun ownership, are the ones where high school students are least likely to report having carried a gun at least once during the previous month. Or as Xuan and Hemenway put it:

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Rob Morse: Guerrilla Tactics in the Culture War- Part 3

First I want to thank you for your comments on this series. As I said in part 1 and part 2, we are in a cultural conflict where freedom is under attack on many fronts. I chose to talk about self-defense. Unfortunately, most conservative politicians are pacifists in this culture war.

If you don’t believe me, here is an example from last month where San Francisco imposed regulations designed to close the city’s last gun shop, the last gun store for a city of 800 thousand people! Believe me, the citizens of San Francisco are not all anti-gun liberals. In Southern California, Los Angeles gangs threatened to kill hundreds of people. The Los Angeles City Council responded by further disarming law abiding civilians. I gave you the links because I couldn’t believe it myself.

What could we do? In this culture war, people who love liberty should advocate for a better culture rather than sit passively as they lose their liberties one at a time. Self-defense is more than a right we tolerate. Self-defense is a virtue and we should actively support it.

What would we do if we really valued self-sufficiency and self-defense?

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Old Gunleather and Ammo Still works

My brother recounted this interesting incident with gear that had been hanging in a closet for 30 years:

Back in the late 70's Revolvers and leather duty gear was the norm. When I took my first LEO job it was with a rural department with 6 road deputies.

I brought Bianchi leather duty gear, which I wore until I left that department and moved onward and upwards to a 500 man state LE agency.

The state agency supplied all the necessary gear that they thought an officer needed. I went from revolver to a semi auto.

In the last few months I have been moving from a house I lived in for 34 plus years to another.

I was packing one of closets up when I found my old duty belt.   In the speed holder pouches were 3 Safariland comp two speed loaders. I carried HKS before that, the HKS are good tough and reliable loaders.  I found them to be a bit slower than the comp twos.

During my first police recruit school where I took top shot, one of the older instructors took exception to my use of speed loaders, saying it was cheating.

He didn't want to give me credit for the perfect 300 of 300 score.

The leather and ammo had been hanging around for around 30 years.

The leather looked really good and still functions as it should.

The nickel plated 357 magnum handloads are 125 grain jacketed hollow points that I shot and carried with the small Department.   They were a little tarnished but other wise looked just fine.

Back in those days, there was less concern about liability, and one carried what one wanted.

I buckled on the old leather after letting it out a couple of notches.   I am not a 150lb 20-something any more.

I dropped my stainless security six into its old holster and walked out the door to my range 100 feet away.

I drew the revolver, grabbed a speed loader, and proceeded to shoot all 18 rounds into the target. My speed loader skills have diminished some after decades of carrying an auto. I don't do 1 second reloads any more.

The leather, ammo, speed loaders and revolver all functioned as they should.

The group on the paper was shot with 30 year old ammo, double action.

Some of the best values in gear can be found on the used market.   Do not ignore it just because it is older.  It can be an excellent value for those on a tight budget.

Duane Weingarten  (pdsolutions@hotmail.com) has retired and now teaches advanced self defense and shooting skills by appointment.  Facilities include a 600 yard private range and over a mile of private trails for vehicle and "jungle lane" scenarios.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.     Link to Gun Watch

PA: Taxi Driver Misses Robbery Suspect

A Lancaster taxi driver shot once but missed a man who robbed him at gunpoint Sunday afternoon in the 1100 block of Elizabeth Avenue, Manheim Township police said.

(snip)

The driver complied, police said, but as the robber was getting out of the taxi, the driver opened fire with his own gun.

More Here

MS: Break-in Suspect Shot

JACKSON, MS – One person has been shot after trying to break into a home.

According to Officer Green with the Jackson Police Department, the incident happened at a residence on 4924 Westhaven Drive.
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OH: Suspect Shot, Killeed in Home Invasion

REYNOLDSBURG (Mike McCarthy) -- Reynoldsburg Police are still looking for a man who ran away from the scene of a deadly shooting. An intruder was killed and another man was injured in a shootout at a Reynoldsburg home late Sunday night, police said.

Joshua Collins, 18, was pronounced dead at Grant Medical Center, Lt. Ron Wright said.

Collins was shot when he and another man broke into a home located at 8353 Priestly Drive shortly before 10:00 p.m., police said. An armed relative of a resident confronted the pair and exchanged gunfire, Wright said.

Another man shot is still recovering but police have not updated us on how he is doing. No charges have been filed.


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D.C. Gun Owners Win A Major Victory In Federal Appeals Court

A Federal appeals court struck down a D.C. law banning the registration of more than one handgun a month. However, the same court upheld other gun restrictions in the nation’s capital.

The court found that the District of Columbia failed to make the argument limiting gun registrations limited the opportunity for suicide and promoted public safety. U.S. Circuit Judge Douglas Ginsburg wrote according to Bloomberg, “Taken to its logical conclusion, that reasoning would justify a total ban on firearms in the home.”

The court also overturned a restriction limiting the registration of guns to those who passed a test on city’s firearms laws.

However, the court upheld some of the District’s other restrictions. It upheld a requirement to register long arms. The court also upheld a requirement that those registering firearms must come be fingerprinted and photographed in person. Finally, the court upheld a requirement that those who register firearms must complete a firearms safety course. It held that those requirements did enhance public safety in the district.

The lawsuit is being brought by Dick Heller who won a Supreme Case 7 years ago that dramatically expanded gun rights across the nation. That case overturned a near ban on firearms that was enacted by the district.

There is no word yet if Heller and his legal term will appeal the parts of the ruling they lost on. However, Heller’s team has praised the portions they won as “substantially reduce the burden on firearms owners in the district without adversely affecting public safety.” The district’s attorneys have also declined to comment whether or not they will appeal parts of the ruling.

 http://americanactionnews.com/articles/d-c-gun-owners-win-a-major-victory-in-federal-appeals-court

Civil War Veteran Lived at least 48 years after Shot Between the Eyes

Taken from the Daily News Joliet Ill. Wed. June 14, 1911
Thanks to the help of Beverly L. Craig Fossil Ridge Library, Braidwood Ill.
JACOB MILLER, A WAR SCARRED HERO

Braidwood Veteran Carried Bullet in Head For Many Years After War

FELL PIECE BY PIECE

Story of Vicissitudes of the Veteran, Left on the field of Battle as Dead
Reviewed From His own Biography Receives $40 Month Pension

       Braidwood is sending to the state G.A.R. encampment today one of the most remarkable hero survivors of the Civil War. His name is Jacob Miller and since Sept. 19, 1863, he has lived with an open bullet wound in his forehead. For a number of years the bullet remained in his head but piece by piece it fell out till now. It is thought none of it remains in the wound. During the time it was in the head it at times would produce a stupor, which sometimes would last two weeks, it being usually when he caught cold and produced more of a pressure on the brain. At other times delirium would seize him and he would imagine himself again on picket duty and would tramp back and forth on his beat, a stick on his shoulder for a musket, a pitiful object of the sacrifice for freedom. As these pieces of lead gradually loosened and fell out he regained his usual health and is now at the age of 78 years, one of the most, if not the most, remarkable survivor of the Civil war.

       The harrowing experience undergone by Mr. Miller is so vividly felt by him even at this late day that it is seldom he can be persuaded to talk of it.

       But it is my privilege to record from his own hand writing written for his family the story of his miraculous escape from death at that memorable time under his signature.

       Jacob Miller, formerly a private in company K 9th Indiana Vol. Inf. Was wounded in the head near Brock Field at the battle of Chickamagua, Georgia on the morning of Sept. 19, 1863. I was left for dead when my company when my company fell back from that position. When I came to my senses some time after I found I was in the rear of the confederate line. So not to become a prisoner I made up my mind to make an effort to get around their line and back on my own side. I got up with the help of my gun as a staff, then went back some distance, then started parallel with the line of battle. I suppose I was so covered with blood that those that I met, did not notice that I was a Yank, ( at least our Major, my former captain did not recognize me when I met him after passing to our own side).

       At last I got to the end of the confederate line and went to our own side while a brigade of confederates came up to their line behind me. There were none of the Union forces found on that part of the field when I passed along. I struck an old by-road and followed it the best I could, as by this time my head was swelled so bad it shut my eyes and I could see to get along only by raising the lid of my right eye and look ahead then go on till I ran afoul of something, then would look again and so on till I came to the Lafayette Pike near the Kelly house and started towards the field Hospital at the springs. I at length got so badly exhausted I had to lie down by the side of the road. At last some bearers came along and put me on their stretcher and carried me to the hospital and laid me on the ground in a tent. A hospital nurse came and put a wet bandage over my wound and around my head and gave me a canteen of water. I don’t know what time of day they examined my wound and decided to put me on the operating table till after dark some time. The surgeons examined my wound and decided it was best not to operate on me and give me more pain as they said I couldn’t live very long, so the nurse took me back into the tent. I slept some during the night . The next morning (Sunday), the doctors came around to make a list of the wounded and of their company and regiments and said to send all the wounded to Chattanooga that the ambulances would carry and told me I was wounded too bad to be moved, and if the army fell back those that were left there could afterwards be exchanged.

       As stated before I made up my mind as long as I could drag one foot after another I would not allow myself to be taken prisoner. I got a nurse to fill my canteen with water so I could make an effort in getting near safety as possible. I got out of the tent without being noticed and got behind some wagons that stood near the road till I was safely away (having to open my eye with my finger to take my bearings on the road) I went away from the boom of cannon and the rattle of musketry. I worked my way along the road as best I could. At one time I got off to the side of the road and bumped my head against a low hanging limb. The shock toppled me over, I got up and took my bearings again and went on as long as I could drag a foot then lay down beside the road, to see if I could not rest so I could move. I hadn’t lain long till the ambulance train began to pass, the drivers as they passed me asked me if I was still alive, then passing on. At last one of the drivers asked if I was alive and said he would take me in, as one of his men had died back awes, and he had taken him out. Then it was all a blank to me, (Monday the 21st I came to myself and found I was in a long building in Chattanooga Tenn., lying with hundreds of other wounded on the floor almost as thick as hogs in a stock car. Some were talking , some were groaning. I raised myself to a sitting position got my canteen and wet my head. While doing it I heard a couple of soldiers who were from my company. They could not believe it was me as they said I was left for dead on the field at the left of Brock Cabin. They came over to where I was and we visited together till then came an order for all the wounded that could walk to start across the river on a pontoon bridge to a hospital, to be treated ready to be taken to Nashville. I told the boys if they could lead me, I could walk that distance. I started but owing to our army retreating the night before, and was then in and around the city wagon trains. Troops and artillery were crossing the river on the single pontoon bridge. We could not get across until almost sundown. When we arrived across and up on the bank we luckily ran across our company teamster, who we stopped with that night He got us something to eat After we ate some (the first I had tasted before daylight Saturday morning the 19th), we lay down on a pile of blankets, each fixed under the wagon and rested pretty well as the teamsters stayed awake till nearly morning to keep our wounds moist with cool water from a nearby spring.

       Tuesday morning the 22nd we awoke to the crackling of the camp fire that a comrade built to get us a cup of coffee and a bite to eat of hard tack and fat meat. While eating, an orderly rode up and asked if we were wounded. If so we were to go back along the road to get our wounds dressed, so we bid the teamsters good-bye and went to get our wounds attended to. We had to wait till near noon before we were attended to. That was the first time I had my wound washed and dressed by a surgeon. After we were fixed up we drew a few crackers, some sugar coffee, salt and a cake of soap and were ordered to get into an army wagon with four army mules, ( God Bless the army mule, the soldiers friend.) We got in and started to go over Raccoon or Sand Mountain to Bridgeport, Ala. To take the train to Nashville, Tenn. After riding in the wagon awhile I found the jolting hurt my head so badly I could not stand it so had to get out. My comrades got out with me and we went on foot. I was told it was 60 miles that route to Bridgport, at least it took us four days to get there. Wednesday morning when I woke up I found I could open my right eye and see to get around. We arrived at Bridgeport the fourth day out from Chattanooga at noon, just as a train of box cars were ready to pull out. I got in a car and lay down. I had gained my point so far--and how. As the soldiers term it with lots of sand, but the sand had run out with me for the time being.

       The next thing I remember I was stripped and in a bath tub of warm water in a hospital at Nashville. I do not know what date it was; in fact I didn’t pay much attention to the dates from the Friday at noon when I got in the box car at Bridgeport to start to Nashville.

       After, some length of time I was transferred to Louisville , Ky. From there to New Albany, Ind.. In all the hospitals I was in I begged the surgeons to operate on my head but they all refused.

       I suffered for nine months then I got a furlough home to Logansport and got Drs. Fitch and Colman to operate on my wound. They took out the musket ball. After the operation a few days, I returned to the hospital at Madison and stayed there till the expiration of my enlistment, Sept. 17, 1864. Seventeen years after I was wounded a buck shot dropped out of my wound and thirty one years after two pieces of lead came out.

       Some ask how it is I can describe so minutely my getting wounded and getting off the battle field after so many years. My answer is I have an everyday reminder of it in my wound and constant pain in the head, never free of it while not asleep. The whole scene is imprinted on my brain as with a steel engraving.

       I haven’t written this to complain of any one being in fault for my misfortune and suffering all these years, the government is good to me and gives me $40.00 per month pension.

Submitted by Edgar Miller

Source

Rob Morse: Guerrilla Tactics in the Culture War- Part 2

Thank you for your comments on the first part of this series. In part 1 I said we are in a cultural conflict where freedom is under attack on many fronts. I chose to talk about self-defense. Self-defense should be more than a right we reluctantly tolerate. Self-defense is actually a virtue we should support. In this culture war, people who love liberty should advocate for a better culture rather than sit passively as they lose their liberties. What would we do if we really valued self-defense?

• In part 1 I said that gun shops and firing ranges should have voter registration forms on their counters.  Those same shops should offer an instant discount if you’re registered to vote.  (Wouldn’t you vote if it meant a one percent discount?)
• A private school would boast about how many of its teachers have carry permits.
• If self-defense were a virtue, then a private school would establish proficiency in self-defense as a required element in the school curriculum.  If we’re going to value human life then we need to teach you to defend yours.
• If self-defense were a virtue, then schools would hold pep rallies for their wrestling, judo, MMA, knife fighting and combat handgun teams.
• If self-defense were a virtue, then only the society for creative anachronism would continue to hold events shooting at stationary targets.

More Here

FL: Permit Holder Shoots Aggressive Dog

NAPLES, Fla.- A dog is dead after a man says he shot the animal in self-defense.

The man killed the dog Wednesday night around 9 p.m. on 95th Avenue North in Naples Park. He called 911 and told deputies on scene the dog was going to attack him and his dog, so he shot it.
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TN: Neighbor Stops Theft, Holds Suspect at Gunpoint

This is the scene that unfolded on Netherlands Drive this week, when a resident noticed a strange pickup truck back into his neighbor's driveway, police said, then appear to try and steal a utility trailer.

"..he quickly drove his own pickup truck to the scene and blocked the thieves’ escape path," police said in a statement." The neighbor detained one of the suspects at gunpoint while two others, a man and a woman fled. When the guy who fled turned around and started to come back with his hands around his waist, the neighbor fired a warning shot in the air, causing that man to turn around and resume running."

Hermitage Precinct officers arrived shortly and found Marty Ray Harris, 40, of Fairview, being held at gunpoint by the neighbor.
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Followup IL: Woman who Shot Burglary Suspect did not have FOID

The owner of the home, Alonha Mack, has been arrested in connection to the shooting.

Rockford Police say Mack is a convicted felon and does not possess a valid FOID card. She fired off at least one shot at the victim, who the Winnebago County Coroner identified as 13 year old Gaillen Baker. Mack is now facing Unlawful Use of A Weapon charge and is being held in the Winnebago County Jail on $100,000 bond.

Police say the investigation is still on going
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TX: Woman Shoots Husband

She retreated to a bedroom and locked the door. While Mrs. Batson was attempting to barricade this door, Mr. Batson kicked it open forcing his way into the bedroom. Mrs. Batson retrieved a handgun from underneath the mattress of the bed. She fired a warning shot from this handgun into the wall of the bedroom over Mr. Batson’s head. Mr. Batson continued towards Mrs. Batson as she retreated into the corner of the bedroom. When Mrs. Batson was no longer able to withdraw herself from Mr. Batson, she shot him once in the stomach and called 911.”
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FL: Dog Owner Misses Shots at Pack of Dogs in his Back Yard

A Miami-Dade Police Department public service aide shot at a group of dogs that gained access to his yard and attacked his dog, according to Miami-Dade Police.

Police said the gun is registered under the PSA's name. According to police, six German Shepherd dogs gained access to the PSA's backyard, located on Southwest 157th Street in Miami-Dade. Police said the group of dogs attacked the homeowner's American Bulldog.
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NH Disarmist admits most "Gun Deaths" Intentional

 
Young hunter with semi-automatic shotgun and game birds.

A disarmist, writing in New Hampshire, stated the obvious in a letter to the editor about the difference between deaths that are associated with motor vehicles and those that are associated with guns.  It is an important point, one that is usually obscured and minimized by those who want to remove guns from peoples hands.   Anthony McManus writes in fosters.com:

And the difference is greater than just numbers. Millions of people, on a daily basis, drive thousands of miles in cars, trucks, buses, vans, motorcycles. Except in a very small number of cases deaths are caused by "accidents"— drivers falling asleep, poor road conditions, driver inattention, weather conditions, vehicle malfunction and, unfortunately, drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs. When a death occurs it is almost always unintended.

Gun deaths, on the other hand, are almost always a deliberate act — homicide against targeted (and usually known) individuals, or suicide.

That is mostly correct.  Because killings committed with guns are intentional, they are subject to all of the limitations that exist when trying to alter intentional human behavior.

The vast majority, about two thirds, of killings committed with guns are suicides.  Legislating whether a magazine holds 15 or 30 rounds will make absolutely no difference to suicides.  Whether a gun is a single shot or semi-automatic will make no difference.

The evidence indicates that completely removing guns will not make a difference, because suicides who use guns are not trying to seek help.  They are trying to die, and numerous substitution methods are available, as the Japanese, Belgians, Hungarians, and Koreans, who have virtually no guns, and suicide rates about twice that of the United States, demonstrate all too sadly.

I do not believe that Americans will be any less capable of finding substitute methods than the populations in those other countries.  Everyone has a simple means to find easy, painless, alternate methods of suicide on the Internet.

With that bit of honesty committed, Anthony McManus then puts forward this whopper of a false talking point.  Like many good lies, it has a smidgen of truth in it, and a number of false assumptions.

Although the number of fatalities are sizeable and regrettable, motor vehicles are not designed to kill people. Guns are. There may be a legitimate use for rifles and shotguns in hunting but there is no other purpose for handguns, automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and assault rifles except to threaten and/or shoot other human beings.

First, the bit of truth.  Handguns, automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and "assault rifles", are very useful for threatening and/or shooting human beings.  It is a major use.

The false assumption is that threatening and shooting human beings is always evil.  Threatening and shooting human beings is often required and necessary.

A father who uses an AK 47 clone to threaten and shoot home invaders is using the rifle in an appropriate and useful fashion.  The store owner who uses a handgun to prevent armed robbery, uses the handgun in an appropriate and useful way.   The Doctor who uses a handgun to stop a mass killing by shooting the assailant, is using the handgun in a way approved of in moral and legal codes.

The assumption that these are the only design uses for handguns, semi-automatic and automatic firearms is simply false.

Firearms are designed to send projectiles down range at substantial velocities, propelled by the action of burning gunpowder.  It is why they are called  "firearms" instead of squirt guns.   But a great many handguns, semi-automatic, and automatic firearms are designed and used for purposes other than threatening or shooting people.    "Assault rifles" fit into the previous categories, and in the U.S. are very seldom used to murder people.

The smallest category of the above, in the United States, are automatic firearms.  Because of error ridden government records, we can only approximate the numbers of legal automatic firearms in the United States.  It is about 183,000.  Those firearms increased in numbers from a little before 1900 up until 1986, when the number was frozen by law.   In the entire 80 year history since federal records have been kept, there may have been three murders committed with a legal automatic firearm (other than those in government hands).  One of those was by a police officer.    The vast majority of these firearms are used for target shooting, to be displayed to admiring and curious visitors, as investments for collectors, and a objects of art.

Enormous numbers of semi-automatic firearms, whether pistols or long guns, are primarily designed for hunting, target shooting, and training. 

Literally millions of semi-automatic rifles are made and sold every year.  Yet, as a category, they are the next least used in murder (after automatic weapons).   The total number of murders committed with rifles in the United States was 285 in 2013.  The number of those that are semi-automatic is some fraction of the 285.  The FBI does not break down the rifles by action type, but semi-automatic has been the favorite action type for at least two decades.  I would not be surprised to learn that semi-automatic rifles are between one and two thirds of the American stock of rifles.

There are about 120 million rifles in the United States, so one person is murdered for about every 400,000 rifles, in a given year.

The vast majority of them are never used to threaten or shoot a human being, though large numbers are used for target shooting, hunting and pest eradication.

There are many millions of semi-automatic shotguns as well, almost all designed and used for hunting and target shooting.   308 people were murdered with shotguns in 2013.  The number murdered with them is about half as many as are murdered with personal weapons (hands and feet), which was 687 in 2013.  There are about 120 million shotguns in the United States.

Most threatening and killing done with firearms is done with handguns.  But even in the case of handguns, many are designed for target shooting and hunting, and far more of them are used for those purposes than for threatening and shooting people.  Many of them are used for defensive purposes against animals, a use not mentioned by Anthony McManus.  5,782 people were murdered with handguns in 2013.  There are about 120 million handguns in the United States.

The idea that "there is no other purpose for handguns, automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and assault rifles except to threaten and/or shoot other human beings." is simply false.

Definition of disarmist

 ©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.     Link to Gun Watch

Followup WY: Mapp Found Not Guilty of Murder in Abeyta Shooting

Mapp and Abeyta began arguing after Mapp returned to the house from buying alcohol with Abeyta’s girlfriend, witnesses said. Abeyta accused the two of having an affair and reportedly threatened to kill Mapp.

Mapp retrieved a .38-caliber revolver from his car and pointed it at Abeyta while urging him to “stop,” Johnson said. She claimed Abeyta lunged for the gun and Mapp pulled the trigger.
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NC: Resident Shoots, Kills Burglary Suspect

When officers arrived at the scene, they found 18-year-old Antonio Lamont Elliott Jr. with multiple gunshot wounds.

According to police, Elliott was shot and killed by a resident during the burglary.

(snip)

Last month, a security guard was seriously injured when investigators said the guard possibly interrupted a burglary in progress at an apartment.

He's still recovering from multiple gunshots.

More Here

MO: Jury finds Lonnie Lee Liley Justified in Death of Brother

A coroner's jury on Monday found Lonnie Lee Liley acted in self-defense in his brother's Jan. 23, 2014, shooting death.

Liley is accused of killing 50-year-old Jessie Liley.

The jury took 15 minutes to reach its decision after meeting part of the morning and afternoon.
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Followup LA: Shooting Deathin Gunfight Likely Justified

The Sept. 9 shooting death of 35-year-old Gerald "Tootie" Arnold is expected to be ruled a justifiable homicide, officials said Wednesday, because New Orleans police investigators have determined he was the aggressor who ignited the French Quarter gunfight that claimed his life.

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FL: Burglary Suspect Flees Police, Apprehended by Armed Homeowner

When deputies arrived, they saw the suspects run from the home and drive off in a car. They pursued the suspects through the Shadow Brooke Mobile Home Park. The suspects got out of their car and ran from deputies.


Nelson ran into a home in the 3700 block of 70th Street E, but he was held at gunpoint by homeowner Jonathan Friedman until deputies arrived.


Deputies said the woman who called 911 identified Nelson as one of the burglars.
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Followup IA: Mother Upset that Son was Killed in Self Defense

Turner and her other members of her family will meet with police to review paperwork in her son’s death and hear from police why charges in the case aren’t being filed.

(snip)

Police said Mason Turner wrestled with one of the brothers after pulling out a semi-automatic pistol and making threatening statements to the brother. The other brother went inside the house to retrieve another gun and returned outside to find Turner on top of his brother with a gun pointed at him. The brother, fearing Turner would fire the gun, ran over and shot Turner in the head. He was dead by the time officers arrived.


More Here

TX: Homeowner Shoots at , Possibly Wounds Tire Thieves

Dallas police said a homeowner fired several shots at two people who were trying to steal the tires off his truck Wednesday morning, possibly hitting one.


More Here

WA: State Fair Bans Guns; State Fair Workers Robbed at Gun Point

Washington State Fair is one of the few locations in the State that bans the legal carry of firearms.  That policy is directly stated in the rules for the fair.   From thefair.com:

The following items will not be allowed at the Washington State Fair,

• Weapons of any kind, including knives and all firearms

The effect of creating a weapons free zone was not lost on a group of criminals.  They used the fact that fair workers were known to be disarmed to their advantage.  Three different armed robberies of State Fair workers were committed in less than 20 minutes, on the 15th of September, Sunday night, shortly after the Fair closed.  From komonews.com:

But Strom had just finished a 10-hour shift selling items at the fair and had been paid $100 in cash.

"But then he pulled out a gun and he asked me for it all, and so I gave him $100 and just walked away before he asked me for my phone or anything," Strom said.

Strom said the robber was only 5'8" tall. Strom stand 6'6" tall. Strom said the man's gun made up for the size difference.

"I guess you feel pretty big when you have a gun," he said.

Just 8 minutes later and a mile away on the complete other side of the fair grounds, two more pairs of State Fair workers were robbed at gunpoint. Police believe they were targeted by the same group of robbers.

Police presence at and around the fair has been increased in response to the armed robberies committed by four young black men in a white Buick or Oldsmobile.

Disarmed people who get paid in cash are very attractive targets for armed robbers.  The reporter at q13fox.com wrote that the victims did the right thing:

In each case the victims did the right thing and handed over their belongings.

I agree with him.  Outnumbered two or four to one, disarmed while the robbers are armed, it is the better part of valor to hand over a hundred dollars.

In  this case, the robbers did not injure or kill their victims.   They could easily have done so.  No one can be certain that compliance will result in a lack of injury, but in this instance, it worked.

According to the research done by Gary Kleck, armed resistance with a gun is less likely to result in injury to the victim than compliance, but unarmed resistance is more likely to result in the victim being injured.  In Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America, the standard reference for criminological study on gun control, Table 4.4, resistance with a gun resulted in 17.4 percent injured.  No self protection (compliance) resulted in 24.7 percent being injured.  Physical resistance without a weapon resulted in 50.8 percent being injured.

That seems simple common sense, from millennia of experience of people using weapons.  Weapons make people more effective at violence.  Violence is sometimes necessary to defend oneself or others.

Anyone who pulls a gun on you and demands your valuables has to be considered a deadly threat.

Being disarmed puts you at a disadvantage that is hard to overcome.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.  Link to Gun Watch

OR: Judge Follows Law, orders Rifle Returned to Owner

In Oregon, a teen-aged young man stole his brothers rifle, ammunition, magazines, and a bag to carry them in from his brothers locked pelican case.  He also stole his father's .25 pistol from his father's locked cabinet.  The young man then committed murder with the stolen rifle, followed by suicide.  No prosecution is planned in the case, because the perpetrator is dead.

The brother has asked that his rather expensive stolen property be returned (the rifle and accessories are valued at over $2,000.)  The city administration refused to return the rifle, citing a vague "evidence" requirement.  From oregonlive.com:

Court documents show that Lucas Padgett is asking the following items be returned:

• 1 Daniel Defense armament DDM4 carbine rifle (a variation on the well-known AR-15)
• 8 30-round Magpul magazines
• Several hundred rounds of ammunition
• 1 "plate carrier" bulletproof vest
• 1 U.S. Army-issued laundry bag  

The case finally went to court, a major expense that may exceed the value of the rifle.  Lucas Pagett appears to be taking a principled position that the rifle is his property; that he has not committed any crime; and that the government has no right to keep his property without any due process.  From the dailymail.co.uk:

In the papers he says the items are 'no longer needed for evidentiary purposes' by police, and that he has 'never been charged with any offense connected' with the weapon.

The judge in the case, Michael Greenlick, has ordered the city to return the rifle and accessories to the owner.  He gives them 45 days to file an appeal.  The judge should be applauded for resisting the emotional demands by disarmists and the media to destroy the valuable property. 

To do so would be a return to the superstition of the Middle Ages, where it was held that inanimate objects could be judged responsible for illegal acts.  This was known as deodand law.  But even Medieval deodand law did not call for the destruction of the instrument, but rather its confiscation by the state to be used for godly purposes.  From etymonline.com:

In English law, "a personal chattel which, having been the immediate cause of the death of a person, was forfeited to the Crown to be applied to pious uses." Abolished 1846.

The modern proponents of the deodand theory do not want confiscated firearms sold, and the proceeds used to better society.  Rather, they want them destroyed as political theater demonstrating the firearms themselves are "evil" and destruction of them is a pious act in the Church of Progressive Causes.   In this case, the judge followed the rule of law, rather than the rule of political correctness, though he notes the latter:  From oregonlive.com:

"The thought of the weapons that ... were used to commit that horrific crime going back into the community is objectionable, in sort of a general moral outrage sense. For sure, I get that," the judge said. "But unless there is a law prohibiting it, then the law as I read it requires that the property be returned."

There are a number of comments on that article that call for the destruction of the rifle for purely emotional reasons.   From the comments: 

@MadBum Nothing wrong with that rifle that can't be fixed with an acetylene torch.

@Max Quinn @World B.  I would guess the gun is probably the most rational thinking member of this family

ian 2 days ago

If a weapon is used in a homicide, it should be destroyed. Period.

These are purely emotional responses, contrary to what is ordinarily done with other legal property involved in deaths.  As a society, we do not require that vehicles involved in fatal traffic accidents be destroyed as an offering to the gods of political correctness.   We do not require that private houses where a murder has occurred by bull dozed to appease the Church of Progressivism, though it is a logical next step to require that gun owners homes be destroyed if a gun they had stolen was used in a murder.

Property is an extension of a persons life.  People expend their time and energy to legally acquire property.   Property is required in order to live.  Property is required in order to exercise and take advantage of the protections of the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth, Sixth, Seventh,  Eighth, and by extension, Tenth amendments to the Constitution.

Without property rights, the other rights are rendered moot.

Judge Michael Greenlick did the right thing in this case.  It would have been even better if he had chastised those who called for the abrogation of the rule of law in order to push an emotional, political agenda.

 Definition of disarmist

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.  Link to Gun Watch

Donald Trump's Policy on The Second Amendment

Donald Trump has put his Second Amendment position on his web page for the 2016 election cycle.  The positions put forward are not new or bizarre.  They follow the Donald pattern of political positions that are enormously popular, but which have been declared "non-viable" by political correctness and the Washington Cartel.   Donald Trump, once again, ignores the political taboos created by the ruling elite to prevent the electorate from enacting changes that the electorate desires, but the elite fears.   Here is a summation of the Donald's Second Amendment positions.  You can go to Trump's site, donaldtrump.com, and read them yourself.

1.  Declaration that the Second Amendment is a fundamental right that existed before the Constitution, and is protected by the Constitution, not created by it.  This is the Founders position, based on natural law.

2.  Change the focus of fighting violent crime from restricting law abiding citizens to enforcing the law prohibiting violent felons from possessing firearms.  Trump explicitly references Project Exile, which reduced the murder rate in Richmond by 60%.  

3.  Empower law abiding gun owners to fight crime, by putting the law on their side.

4.  Fix the mental health system to help prevent mass shootings.

5.  Oppose "assault weapon" and magazine bans, and all bans on firearms.

6.  Fix the existing background check system to make it instant, accurate, and fair.  Do not expand the existing system.

7.   National reciprocity for concealed carry permits. 

8.  Eliminate the Gun Free Zones at military bases and recruiting centers by allowing the military to be armed and to defend themselves.

Donald Trump has not held elected office, but he has hit on a winning strategy.  Refuse to follow the restrictive, politically correct rules about what is allowed, and what is not allowed in political discourse.  His Second Amendment position follows the same pattern as his immigration position.

Take the popular position that the vast majority of the American electorate wants, in spite of the opposition of the ruling elite.  State it in common sense language, then fight for it.

National reciprocity is a prime example of this approach.  National reciprocity for concealed carry of firearms has passed majority votes in both houses of Congress, at different times.  With all 50 states D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico having concealed carry permits, this is a popular position.  It only needs presidential support to pass and become law.  Donald Trump is the first presidential candidate to make it part of his platform.

Donald Trump is putting into practice what the American governmental system was designed to do.  That is, determine what the people want, subject to Constitutional constraints;  formulate it into a practical policy, and pass it into law.

For a hundred years, the political elite have followed a different paradigm, called "manufacturing consent".   Under that paradigm, the political elite determine what they want to do, manufacture consent among the population through propaganda in the mass media, and pass their desired program into law.  With the falling power of the elite to control access to information, the system of "manufacturing consent" is failing, and the original system of consent of the governed, is gaining ground.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.  Link to Gun Watch