Friday, July 31, 2020

McCloskeys' Appear to have Bluffed Crowd with Inopperable Pistol



Image screenshot from ksdk.com, and live auctioneers.com, cropped, rotated and scaled by Dean Weingarten 

The pistol brandished on the McCloskey property in St. Louis appears to have been identified. 

The ongoing saga of the McCloskey couple in St. Louis, and their ability to defend their home against a mob of hundreds of people who invaded their private, gated community, has taken some interesting turns.

It has been reported the radical St. Louis Circuit Attorney, Kim Gardner, has charged the couple with unlawful use of a weapon.  Missouri has such a statute, as written about earlier  on Ammoland.

The charge is controversial. Missouri has a very strong Castle Doctrine law, which gives considerable leeway, especially when people are on their private property.

When the use or threatened use of force is claimed to be justified, as Mark McCloskey has claimed, the state has to burden of proof to show that the McCloskeys' fear for their lives and property was unreasonable. It is a difficult burden to overcome, especially when confronted with an angry mob of hundreds of people.

Another controversey has developed. The police seized a pistol, which was said to be the one handled by Patricia McCloskey during the incident.

In a program on St. Louis Public radio, the claim was made that prosecutors had to prove the weapons used by the McCloskeys were capable of lethal force. From stlpublicradio.org:
In order to issue the charges, prosecutors must prove the guns were capable of lethal force.
In a close up of the weapon seized, it appears to be a Bryco 38, an inexpensive weapon which has been embroiled in considerable controversy

The McCloskeys have said the pistol was incapable of being fired. They say they rendered it inoperable to use it as a prop in a court case. The model of the pistol, and its history, make the claim particularly credible.

Documents showing the pistol was incapable of being fired, when it arrived at the crime lab, have been leaked to the press.

Image provided to 5 On Your Side, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten.

The firearm was reassembled at the crime lab,  so that it could work as designed.  There has been speculation that the experts were told to reassemble the pistol to show that it could be fired.  The charges against the McCloskeys did not include any information the pistol had been inoperative.

 It has been reported, the police did not find any ammunition for the rifle Mark McCloskey possessed at the time of the incident.

Missouri Governor (R) Mike Parson, has said he will pardon the McCloskeys if hit becomes necessary.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has called for the dismissal of the charges against the McCloskeys. From foxnews.com:
“Despite this, Circuit Attorney Gardner filed suit against the McCloskeys, who, according to published reports, were defending their property and safety. As Missouri’s Chief law enforcement officer, I won’t stand by while Missouri law is being ignored,” Schmitt said.

The brief filing says the attorney general “respectfully requests that the Court dismiss this case at the earlier possible opportunity.”
 The fact that crime lab personnel carefully documented the pistol was inoperative when they examined it, and  someone anonymously leaked the document to the press, showing the lab had found the pistol to be inoperative, indicates people did not want to be seen as altering evidence, or as being part of a conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Prosecutors have enormous power, created for them by the Supreme Court in 1983, when they were given absolute immunity from lawsuit.

Perhaps it is time that absolute immunity for prosecutors be re-examined.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch








RCMP reveals Guns used in in Nova Scocia Massacre were from the U.S.

 This is a lengthy article about the Nova Scotia massacre. In the article, it is revealed that three guns were believed to have been smuggled into Canada from the United States.

RCMP have said three guns were obtained in the United States, and the RCMP is working with the Canada Border Services Agency to probe how they arrived in Canada. The other gun was traced to an origin within Canada, but the calibre of the weapons has not been released.

 More Here

Cheap Gun Opportunity Potential in Flint, Michigan



 Image from bid.sslfirearms.com, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

On 21 July, 2020, the Flint, Michigan government announced they would conduct a gun "buy back" sometime in the future. It was not clear when the "buy back" would occur, but the implication is it would be sometime before winter. The term "buy back" is an Orwellian phrase, designed to imply that all guns belong to the state, thus the state is "buying them back". That is false. You cannot buy back something you never owned. From mlive.com:
Flint has just 98 sworn officers but will ramp up efforts to fill 14 vacant positions, targeting city residents for the open jobs, and residents will be offered $100 per handgun or $50 per long gun during a no-questions-asked, buy-back program that will be funded by “philanthropic partners.”

Dates and times of the buy-back program will be announced at a later time, Hart said.
A more correct term is gun "turn in", as the guns are being turned in to the police.  On March 4th, 2020, a bill prohibiting government funding of gun "buy backs" passed the Michigan house. The bill was put forward because research had found gun "buy backs" are not effective in reducing crime. From abc12.com
State Rep. Annette Glenn proposed the legislation because she believes gun buybacks are not effective in removing guns from criminals or preventing crime.

“There is no research to show buyback programs reduce crime," she said. "However, there is research that shows criminals tend to steer clear of these types of programs and that gun owners use these programs to turn in broken and unwanted guns and use the money received to purchase new guns and more ammunition."

Glenn said her bill won't prevent gun owners from turning over their firearms to local police voluntarily. The legislation also wouldn't prevent nonprofit organizations from using private funding on gun buybacks.
In 2017, on 30 april,  the City Council of Flint authorized the guns that had come into the possession of the Flint Police Department be sold at auction. It was estimated that half a million dollars would be raised.  From flintbeat.com:


“If we don’t do what is on the table then the guns go to the (Michigan State Police) and they may not be as diligent as we are…this is a one time only,” said Poplar. “We are not getting into selling guns online each week. There’s an inventory. The city needs money. The crooks are always going to have guns. They are selling them illegally everyday. You can basically go to any 12-year-old child in the city of Flint and they can tell you where to buy a gun. That’s another story within itself. I’m doing it for the one time.”

The resolution passed with a 6 to 3 vote.
The Flint Police Department recently published a list of firearms in their possession.  Legal owners were given the ability to identify their firearms so they could claim them. Claims had to be submitted before 23 July.

There were some nice firearms on the list. Perhaps the Flint PD will offer these firearms to an auction house. The nearly bankrupt city of Flint can benefit from the sale of these valuable items.

SSL firearms, in Byron, Michigan, is running an on site and  online auction of firearms which ends on 28 July, 2020. The auction would be an easy way for the Flint PD to dispose of the excess firearms and obtain operating cash at the same time. The SSL auction house has about 150 lots in the current auction. Byron, Michigan is only 25 miles from Flint.


©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch


Thursday, July 30, 2020

SC: Domestic Defense, Ex Shot, Killed in Lancaster County, Indian Land



Officers said a disturbance ensued and the homeowner fired a handgun at Kroustalis, who was shot and died at the scene.

The woman was taken to a medical facility to be treated for injuries and later released.
More Here

TN: Armed Truck Driver Stops Robbery by Four Assailants



The robbery occurred outside of the business in the back parking lot and involved a truck driver. The truck driver was strong-armed by four white male assailants. During the struggle, the victim retrieved a handgun that he had on him and shot at one of the assailants. Once the victim began shooting, all the assailants dispersed.
More Here

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

80% silencers: How we got Here

Legally available parts which can be machined into an effective silencer

80% silencers are legal in the United States.  In a society built on individual liberty, with checks and balances on government power, it is difficult to effectively ban a simple item. 80% silencers are collections of partly machined parts, sold for other purposes, which can be made into a silencer with a bit of effort by a hobbyist.  They are the analog of 80% receivers for hobbyists to make their own guns.

How did we come to the situation where people are not allowed to purchase a simple safety device over the counter, which they can easily make at home? In addition, they are not allowed to make it at home, without jumping through the same silly bureaucratic hoops, at significant expense?

Silencers are most useful as a safety device designed to prevent damage to the ears.  They make shooting more pleasant and avoid noise pollution, as the inventor of the silencer, Hiram Percy Maxim, envisioned. Maxim invented the silencer in 1908, 112 years ago.  Henry Maxim, from Range 365.com:
“The Maxim Silencer was developed to meet my personal desire to enjoy target practice without creating a disturbance. I have always loved to shoot, but I never thoroughly enjoyed it when I knew that the noise was annoying other people. It occurred to me one day that there was no need for the noise. Why not do away with it and SHOOT QUIETLY.”
Ad from Cody Museum, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

Silencers were completely legal, and available through the mail, for over 20 years. President Teddy Roosevelt used them and approved of them.The U.S. Army ordered about 9,100 Maxim model 1915 silencers during WWI. After the war, most were sold, with the rifles they were on, as surplus, through the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

There were enough constraints on government power in the 1930's, that the FDR administration did not wish to risk a Constitutional challenge to an outright ban on pistols, sawed off shotguns, and machine guns. Instead, they imposed a draconian tax, equivalent to $3,800 in 2020.  $200 in 1934 was worth at least $3,800 in 2020 dollars.  In 1934, unskilled labor was paid a dollar a day.

Silencers were included in the 1934 National Firearms Act, as an afterthought. The only reason given was conjecture by a single Congressman. The NRA was able to have handguns stripped from the legislation. Short barreled shotguns, rifles, and silencers were sacrificed as a consolation prize to the Progressives. The legislation was typical of the FDR administration: heavy handed, poorly conceived, and draconian in concept. Crimes committed with silencers have always been extremely rare.

No one believed the federal government had the power to prevent an individual from building his own silencer.

Commercially made silencers were driven from the market. No one was willing to pay $200 for a $5 accessory. The law was obviously unconstitutional. Using the tax power to infringe on Second Amendment rights was a blatant manipulation of the intent of the Constitution. Few people had silencers. Most were unaware of the new law. In the middle of the Depression, people were struggling to have enough to eat and a place to live. 

The Progressives were in power. They see the Constitution as an impediment to be worked around. They consider honor and oaths as ways to manipulate lesser beings, not anything they are bound by.

In the early years, most people who made silencers ignored the law. The federal law only applied to silencers that moved across state lines. Home made silencers were not affected. 

President Franklin Roosevelt's appointments to the federal courts created a revolution in the judiciary. He appointed dogmatic Progressives. In 1942, with the Wickard v. Filburn decision, a Progressive Supreme Court revolutionized Constitutional law.  With the Wickard decision, The National Firearms Act had the potential to be applied to silencers that did not cross state lines.

The original law did not ban silencer parts; it banned silencers with a draconian tax.

As interest in silencers grew after WWII, kits to make effective, durable, and efficient silencers were made available to the public. There were ads in Shotgun News. Many were sold. Mass manufacture has economies of scale. It is cheaper to make accurate and efficient silencers in mass production.

It was illegal to assemble the silencer without the $200 tax, which in 1986 was worth about $500, today.  Criminal misuse of silencers continued to be a non-problem, except in the imagination of Progressives.

In 1986, Congress changed the law to make silencers even more illegal than they already were.  The 1986 laws were passed on the ridiculous premise there were no legitimate purposes for silencers, as noted by Stephen P.  Halbrook in his seminal research on the criminalization of silencers. No examples of actual criminal misuse of silencers were documented.

Not one member of Congress noted the obvious safety and health benefits of silencers when the 1986 law was passed. The Leftists in support of the law operated on the premise the government is to decide what you need and do not need, exactly opposite of the foundational theory of Constitutional government.

The 1986 law expanded the definitions of silencers in the existing law:

- First, a collection of parts which can be assembled into a working silencer became a silencer. However, there had to be the intent to create a silencer, or a large percentage of people in the United States would be guilty. Pillows can be working silencers. Almost any relatively sturdy container that can be attached to a firearm can be made into a silencer. Most oil filters make good silencers.

- Second, any part intended only for use in a silencer, became the same as a silencer, in the law. Again, intent is critical.

An adapter which allows you to attach legal devices to your firearm is legal; an oil filter is legal; owning both is legal; put them together, fire a bullet through them, and you are in possession of an illegal silencer.  The powder residue inside the former filter will be damning evidence.

Kits to build silencers disappeared from the market.

As the United States urbanized and grew, so did interest in silencers. Monetary inflation ate away at the draconian tax that limited legal silencers to the wealthy.

The process to pay the tax was absurdly bureaucratic and burdensome.

The tax is not the only thing draconian about federal silencer law;  penalties are up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. If the silencer is used in a crime, the penalties can jump to 30 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, far more than is normally given for rapes and most homicides.

Those are significant incentives to pay the tax and get the tax stamp.

$200 is an insane tax to pay for a $40 safety device, but many find it worth the price, to save ears from damage and to prevent noise pollution.

$200 is cheap insurance compared to going to prison for twenty seven months, which is the minimum federal sentence guideline for possession of a silencer, without paying the tax.

$200 is less than three day's income at minimum wage, compared to 200 days in 1934. 

Second Amendment activists pushed for and passed laws requiring a local Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) to sign off on the required form for obtaining a tax stamp for to make or purchase any NFA item, including silencers.

In the face of legal challenges on the Constitutionality of requiring a local government official to sign off on a federally required tax, BATFE dropped the requirement for local (CLEO) approval.

As more people went through the legal hoops to purchase silencers, the BATFE responded to the pressure by making some reforms in the process, making it  easier to purchase or make a silencer legally.

The legal ownership of silencers expanded rapidly.

More and more people started buying commercial silencers. The costs of a commercial silencer was generally more than that of the tax stamp. A durable, effective, and usable silencer can be made for a few dollars. There is a potential market of a hundred million people who would likely purchase inexpensive silencers if they were available.

It is difficult to mass market an item that bears such an enormous regulatory burden.

Effective, durable silencers can be made relatively cheaply and easily, especially for subsonic cartridges. Maxim's early designs were overly complicated. Effective silencers can be much simpler.

Where insane over-regulation of silencers is absent, such as in New Zealand, commercial silencers can be purchased over the counter for $39 (USD). Their use in crime in New Zealand, as in the United States, is rare.

Making your own silencer is easy. It is even easier if much of the machining is already done.

 Steven Howard is a weapons expert and criminal defense attorney. He told me that if you buy one of these perfectly legitimate, "80%" kits, turn in the paperwork, and get approval from the ATF, you can make a silencer that works as well as a $1,000 dollar commercial model, at a fraction of the cost.

Tens of thousands of people a year are doing so.

In May of 2019, there were 1,750,433 silencers registered with the BATF in the United States. That is up from 1,370,023 reported in April of 2017.

The pressures driving record sales in firearms are likely driving record sales and manufacturing in silencers.

As of July, 2020,  there are likely more than two million registered silencers in the United States.

In the next installment, I will explore some of the advantages, difficulties, and traps connected with 80% silencers.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch
















MT: Armed Butte Woman Holds Armed Intruder for Police



She held the man at gunpoint until police arrived and arrested Michael Berberick of Billings, who was found with a pistol and brass knuckles.
More Here

TX: Another Attempt at Mass Murder Stopped by Armed Defenders




He then opened fire into the sports bar.

One of the victims was reportedly shot in the arm, another suffered non-life threatening injuries, while the other victim who was shot was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

Police said the shooter went to the back of the sports bar, where he was "confronted by armed partrons," and they exchanged gunfire.

The shooter fled before police arrived, and remains at-large.
More Here

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

As NYC Crime Rates Skyrocket, de Blasio and Shea target "Gun Violence"


 Image a screenshot of Youtube video FDRV, 30 May, 2020, cropped by Dean Weingarten

In response to a skyrocketing violent crime rate in New York City, Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Shea have proposed a package of responses. One of those is to institute more gun "buy backs".  Here is some background leading up to this proposal.

In 2020, New York City has instituted controversial reforms in their criminal justice system. One of the changes is the elimination of cash bail for most "non-violent" criminal offenses.  The law also released information on witnesses before trial. Most Democrat politicians were for the law, which was touted as a way to treat poor people more equitably.

Disorder and illegitimate violence in the city has significantly increased with the riots/protests and a mixed response by Mayor de Blasio. The Mayor and others have blamed the "catch and release" bail system.

Bail is supposed to guarantee the defendant will show up for court appearances. In much of the country, it is used as punishment by process, where politically incorrect defendants sometimes sit in jail for months or even years at a time. From politico.com:
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD reported a major spike in crime for the second straight month and doubled down on blaming the jump on bail reform — even as public defenders charged police may be manipulating the stats to push their agenda.

Major crime jumped by 22.5 percent in February compared with the same month last year, police said. For this year so far, crime is up 21 percent over 2019.
Mayor de Blasio has lost the confidence of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), although he increased the  NYPD budget from 5 billion to 6 billion dollars, while hiring 1,300 more police since 2015.

The peak numbers for NYPD were in 2000, at about 40,000 police. Most of the money goes to salaries. The $6 billion figure does not include benefits.  In 1990, at the height of the crime wave, there were about 33,000 police in the NYPD. Today there are about 36,000.  About 5,000 of those are school officers, who are generally unarmed.

The crime spike has more to do with how the police believe they are supported, and how they are characterized in the far left New York media, than exactly how many they are. From the leader of the Sergeants Benevolent Association on Facebook:
All of my criticism of Mayor de Blasio is well-deserved and will not cease until he abandons the policies that are placing all members of the SBA and the NYPD at greater risk of injury and death while making it more difficult for us to do our jobs. I am confident that my comments enjoy broad support among the SBA membership and members of the NYPD overall – you have repeatedly told me so – and I will not be intimidated by the coercive tactics employed by City Hall. I assure you a “retaliatory targeted investigation” by the Department will be met with quick legal action by the SBA.
Mayor de Blasio was elected by the far left in New York City. He is kowtowing to them.  He has switched from supporting the police to calling for a cut of 1 billion dollars to their budget.  Crime in NYC is, unsurprisingly, on the increase.

One of the units disbanded in response to the far left Black Lives Matter riots/protests has been the Anti-Crime Unit. Police Commissioner Shea announced the unit would be disbanded for about a year. The unit consisted of undercover officers in unmarked cars patrolling and actively looking for suspects to search for weapons. From cbslocal.com:
Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch said in a statement Monday, “Anti-Crime’s mission was to protect New Yorkers by proactively preventing crime, especially gun violence. Shooting and murders are both climbing steadily upward, but our city leaders have clearly decided that proactive policing isn’t a priority anymore. They chose this strategy. They will have to reckon with the consequences.”
Police will now be required to collect racial and demographic data on all low-level offenses.

What seems to be happening in NYC is a replay of the Ferguson Effect. As police become reluctant to risk careers and lives in no-win situations, crime numbers skyrocket.

Mayor de Blasio is caught between what his perceived base, the far left, demands, and what will has been shown to work to reduce violent crime in NYC. The far left agitators will not accept previous solutions. The actual numbers of agitators/protestors are small. They are a few thousands out of eight million people in New York City.

The far left media magnify the importance of those numbers far beyond any reasonable measure. The inability of the police to deal effectively with them, because of the Mayor, leverages their illusory power.

Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea have reacted to the crises, created primarily by the attack on the credibility of the police, with a package of responses said to target "gun violence". From nyc.gov:
Shift patrol resources to areas with high shootings:
The NYPD will increase foot patrols to proactively deter crime and enhance deployments in high violence areas to increase deterrence and closer engagement with the community.

Enhance shooting investigations
:
The NYPD will shift detective and investigative resources toward areas that have experienced increases in shooting incidents.

Reorganize the Community Affairs Bureau:
Under newly appointed Chief of Community Affairs Maddrey, Community Affairs Officers will be deployed proactively to areas that have seen increased violence, focusing on areas with the highest need.

Organize gun buy-back events:
The NYPD will be organizing additional gun buy back events in communities with recent upticks in gun violence.

Work with Community Partners:
The NYPD will increase coordination with Cure Violence to better focus resources and hold multi-agency commander council meetings in communities with recent upticks in violent crime.

Omnipresence:
Officers from the Critical Response Group and Strategic Response Group will be deployed across the city. Many of the locations where they are typically assigned remain closed and do not necessitate the same level of resources.
The most blatantly ineffective of these actions is the gun "buy-back". No one believes they actually reduce crime. The academic studies show they have no measurable effect on crime. The only purpose of gun "buy-backs" seems to be propaganda, to demonize guns and send the message: Guns Bad. Turn them in to the Police.

Both "gun violence" and gun "buy backs" are Orwellian terms designed to mislead. Guns don't commit violence. Violence is neutral, like gravity. You cannot "buy back" a gun you never owned in the first place.

As Second Amendment supporters have organized and pushed back against the propaganda, the number of gun "buy-backs" has dwindled. They are now a rare occurrence, seldom happening outside the few states where private sales of guns are banned.

In most states, when a "buy back" is organized, private purchasers show up to buy the best guns from willing sellers. Instead of having the guns being destroyed, they are placed with responsible owners. This destroys the propaganda message of "Guns Bad. Turn them in to Police".

What is needed to restore order in the city is improved confidence in the police, not to demonize them for imagined "systemic racism".

The purpose of the agenda driven BLM riots appears to be to demonize the police, make them less effective, to increase disorder in the cities, at least in cities controlled by leftist mayors.

Another change that prevents the police from being effective have been signed into law by Mayor de Blasio. From dailymail.com:
NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan, who was injured in an attack on cops on the Brooklyn Bridge this week, has also taken issue with the law banning pressure on an individual's chest or back.

'Anyone who has ever arrested anybody who has fought and struggled knows that there is a good chance that your knee may end up on someone's back,' Monahan said earlier this month, according to NY1. 'It's a big issue to our cops.'

Monahan called the new law 'insane' and predicted that crime would continue to rise if police were barred from using force on suspects who resist arrest.
The head of New York State Police union has called for the withdrawal of New York State Troopers from New York City because of the new law.

There are always elements of truth in propaganda. New York City tramples on Second Amendment rights far more than most of the rest of the country. NYC police are not known to be the most concerned with respecting the Constitution. About 37% of the residents of New York City were born outside the United States, agravating the problem. There is always room for reform. Reform is not what BLM is about.

Some pushback is happening. There have been counter-protestors, mostly ignored by the Leftist media. From silve.com July 11-12:
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- A crowd of hundreds of mostly white pro-police supporters -- led by elected officials, all Republicans -- marched from Miller Field to the 122 Precinct Saturday to show their support for the NYPD on the heels of nationwide anti-racism and police accountability protests.

“They refer to them as the police and then they have other derogatory terms, these are men and women, these are husbands, wives, fathers, sons, these are brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, who do this job to be a public servant,” said “Carmen,” who leads the pro-cop group, Blue Ribbons, and helped organize Saturday’s march.
 Two black Christian activists bravely protested the far left Black Lives Matter "revolution". They publicly painted over BLM lettering in the streets of NYC. They say the police who arrested them "treated them like royalty".  They loudly proclaimed "Refund the Police" "Take Back Your Country". From the gateway pundit:
“While they were detained, Bevelyn and Edmee were treated like royalty! This was the BEST experience they have ever had with any police department,” the statement on Beatty’s Facebook page continued. “During their time with the NYPD, the Lord moved mightily. The police expressed their HIGH APPRECIATION for what Bevelyn and Edmee stood up for today. They expressed their concerns and fears for their city. They are in fear for the sake of NYC and voiced that they need MORE people like them to help and stand up for what is RIGHT! They even asked for PRAYER!!”
Gofundme has shut down their page.

The vast majority of people do not want a revolution. They respect and appreciate the police.  The question is, can the far left media keep the momentum against the police going long enough to affect the elections in November? Can they reverse the reforms pushed by President Trump? Can they stop the appointment of judges who are willing to enforce the Constitution as written?

 The current power elites are terrified of President Donald Trump. The elites, BLM, and Antifa, all believe they are using the other. The power elites have much more practice at manipulation, but cultural revolutions often end up destroying the elites that enabled them.

We live in interesting times.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

Monday, July 27, 2020

NM: Son of Albuquerque Shop Owner Shoots two who Attacked him


The owner said he told the man that he could help him but that he needed to have a mask on and the man became “extremely irate.” The owner told deputies the man crashed into his son’s vehicle and tried to run him over before driving off.

As deputies searched the area for the vehicle, they received a call from the auto shop owner saying the vehicle had returned and his son had shot someone. Deputies went back to the auto shop and found two men on the ground; both had been shot, and one of them didn’t have a pulse.
More Here

Sunday, July 26, 2020

WI: Sawyer County Adopts 2A Resolution



In a 9 to 6 vote, the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors on Thursday, July 16, approved a non-binding resolution to “reaffirm” a “commitment to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and the right to bear arms under the Wisconsin Constitution.”

More Here

Saturday, July 25, 2020

CA: Black Felon Shoots Man in Self Defense, Is Freed



On 2 July, at about 9:40 a.m., Mark Anthony Nelson Jr. shot an apparent armed robber as he exited the Patriot gas station where Nelson worked as a clerk. It would seem to be a clear justified shooting. 

Nelson did lied to police, probably because he is a convicted felon. He was convicted in 2011 of shooting a woman who rammed his vehicle

He denied shooting the robbery suspect, Jeffrey Allen Kirwan. He denied having a firearm that was found hidden in the store. The firearm had been reported stolen. Nelson had a bullet in his pocket. 

He was arrested on 2 July. From kymkemp.com:
Nelson Jr. was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of murder (PC 187(a)), possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)) and convicted felon in possession of a firearm (PC 29800(a)). He is being held without bail pending arraignment.
The community started speaking out in defense of Nelson. He had a great reputation. An attorney agreed to represent Nelson pro-bono. On 7 July, 2020, Nelson gave a different statement to investigators. He is reported to have admitted shooting and killing Kirwan, but said it was self defense.

His second statement was consistent with the physical evidence and witness statements. From nothcoastjournal.com:
Mark Anthony Nelson Jr. — a 39-year-old gas station clerk from Eureka — has had quite a week.

A man came to rob the gas station where he worked.

He shot and killed that man, prompting his arrest on suspicion of murder, possessing stolen property and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was booked into Humboldt County Correctional facility without bail, and quarantined there for five days.

Then yesterday, in a stunning reversal, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s decided no charges would be filed in the case. Nelson walked free, and joined his partner Cynthia Shelton and their 14-year-old daughter for a quiet night at home.

Some claimed that "systemic racism" exists such that a white man wouldn't have gone to jail, in the comments at kymkemp.com:
I have to ask the question. If this man was white (like me) would he be arrested?
Other commenters contest the conjecture, saying that many white men are arrested in similar circumstances.

The discussion about the case shows the ability of the far left to control the narrative is failing in the face of facts and people's experience.

One comment claims there are numerous studies that show how poor people and black people are treated differently than other people in the criminal justice system.

They do not address the problem of systemic bias in academia in favor of leftist narratives.


A reasonable question, given the facts of the case, and the current climate:

Would a white man in the same circumstances been treated as well as Mark Anthony Young?

Convicted felons still have the right to self-defense. A clear, easily followed mechanism should be in place so that they can legitimately regain there Second Amendment rights, as protected by the Constitution.

Mark Anthony Young has gained the trust of the local community.

Perhaps prosecutors are starting to reconsider the common procedure of charging felons with illegal possession of firearms, even when they have been involved in justified self defense shootings.

It should, at least, be a mitigating factor.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch








LA: Armed Victim Stops Robber Armed with Knife



A man facing armed robbers on Magazine Street pulled a gun and forced them to flee, New Orleans police say.

The men met around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday in the 3200 block of Magazine Street. Police say at least one of the suspects pulled a knife "during transaction of purchase."
More Here

Friday, July 24, 2020

Another Armed Samaritan stops Active Shooter In Indiana



Image from Google Maps, text, and yellow lines, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

At about 1:15 p.m. on 14 July, at the Brownsburg Cemetary in Brownsburg, Indiana, two men were working  A 20 year old black man, attacked them, in something out of a horror movie.  Joshua Christopher Hays drove to the cemetery, parked, approached the two men, and started shooting.

The two victims separated and ran. Hayes pursed 36-year-old Seth Robertson, catching him at 56th and Grant streets, and executing him with several shots to the chest.

Hays then pursued the second victim, who was able to physically engage Hays. The second victim was wounded. A bullet from Hays gun hit a nearby car stopped at the traffic light (presumably at 56th and Grant street) and wounded a third victim with shrapnel. The third victim was armed. From wishtv.com:
Police say 22-year-old Joshua Christopher Hayes launched an unprovoked attack against two men working in Brownsburg Cemetery Tuesday around 1:15 p.m. Hayes first chased 36-year-old Seth Robertson to a nearby intersection before he fatally shot Robertson.

Hayes then chased after the second man and shot a third man who was stopped at a traffic light nearby. The third man was legally armed and fatally shot Hayes.

“This tragic event could have been much more disastrous. So, victim three not only saved victim two’s life, but he saved potentially the lives of many others,” said BPD Capt. Jennifer Barrett. “Victim three did exactly what anybody would have wanted him to do at that scene that day.”
The life-saving gunfire was dramatic. Hays had the second victim down and was pointing his gun at the victim's head when Hays was struck by the bullet from the third victim, the armed Samaritan, who had witnessed the struggle between Hays and the second victim.

Hays is reported to have turned his attention to the third victim, who fired additional shots to stop the attack.  From yournews.com:
The unidentified licensed shooter’s lawyer Guy Relford explained, “The scenario was fairly clear to him in that the one person was chasing the other and the other was saying, ‘no, no, no, no please don’t shoot me, please don’t shoot me.’ And my client, under incredibly stressful circumstances, took aim, took his shot [and] hit the gunman.”

“The gunman stood up and was looking around and still had the gun in his hand, appeared to clearly intend to continue the attack at which point my client fired another two or three shots and the gunman went down,” he continued.
Hays was black and the known victims are/were white. The police say they have no evidence the attack was racially motivated. From wyrz.org:
Currently, police do not believe that the attack was racially motivated. Hayes, who is black, opened fire on the two victims who are white.

Brownsburg Police Department Captain Jennifer Pyatt-Barrett said, “At this point in time in the investigation, we have no reason to believe this was a racially-motivated crime. We’re leaning more towards evidence suggesting there was mental illness on behalf of Mr. Hayes.”
This is another instance of an active murderer being stopped by an armed Samaritan.  The Indystar quotes the armed Samaritan's attorney:
"So there's no question he saved at least one innocent life and perhaps multiple," Relford said. "Because police said he had a drum-style magazine in his handgun that still had a couple of dozen rounds in it.
"So who knows how much mayhem could have resulted if my client hadn’t been the brave hero and good Samaritan that he was."

It does not appear to have gathered national attention. Why isn't it as much news as when a police officer shoots a person who was resisting arrest?

That is a rhetorical question. It isn't national news because it does not fit the anti-Second Amendment narrative of guns being useless for defense of self and others.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch






CO: Pueblo Home Invasion Stopped with Gunfire

The two residents told officers that a white car pulled up and parked in front of the home. Three men exited the vehicle and entered the home through the front door. A physical altercation followed and one of the residents fired a handgun at the intruders. The three intruders quickly left and the residents said they believe that two of the three suspects were hit by the gunfire.

More Here

Thursday, July 23, 2020

The Charge agianst St. Louis Couople for Defending their Home

Screen shot from Fox story, cropped by Dean Weingarten

Kim Gardner, the radical St. Louis prosecutor, has asked for and obtained a warrant to seize the rifle and pistol used to defend a St. Louis couple's home, where hundreds of protesters trespassed and screamed at them on Sunday, 28 June, 2020.


Link to video

It appears the charge used by far-left St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, to confiscate McClosky's firearms, is Missouri statute 571.030, Unlawful use of weapons. Bold added for emphasis: 

*571.030. Unlawful use of weapons — exceptions — penalties. — 1. A person commits the offense of unlawful use of weapons, except as otherwise provided by sections 571.101 to 571.121, if he or she knowingly: 

  (1) Carries concealed upon or about his or her person a knife, a firearm, a blackjack or any other weapon readily capable of lethal use into any area where firearms are restricted under section 571.107; or
  (2) Sets a spring gun; or
  (3) Discharges or shoots a firearm into a dwelling house, a railroad train, boat, aircraft, or motor vehicle as defined in section 302.010, or any building or structure used for the assembling of people; or
  (4) Exhibits, in the presence of one or more persons, any weapon readily capable of lethal use in an angry or threatening manner; or



There are exceptions. Number 5 seems to apply. 
  5. Subdivisions (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), and (10) of subsection 1 of this section shall not apply to persons who are engaged in a lawful act of defense pursuant to section 563.031.
Section 563.031 specifically allows the use of deadly force, not just showing a weapon, against people who have entered private property unlawfully.  In order to be justified, the person using the force must reasonably believe  such force to be necessary to defend themselves or a third person from the unlawful use of force.
  (3) Such force is used against a person who unlawfully enters, remains after unlawfully entering, or attempts to unlawfully enter private property that is owned or leased by an individual, or is occupied by an individual who has been given specific authority by the property owner to occupy the property, claiming a justification of using protective force under this section.
There is no question the rioters unlawfully entered private property, which makes this charge very unlikely to stick.

The only serious question would be if the McCloskeys could be shown to be "unreasonable" in their fear of the angry mob who had entered their private property unlawfully, and by their account, threatened them, their dog, and their home with violence.

The left is pushing that narrative.  At a left-wing site, the fact that the angry crowd entered unlawfully, and were reported to be shouting threats at the McCloskeys, is ignored, and the crowd is portrayed as "peaceful protestors" "walking by" the McCloskeys' house.  From lawandcrime.com:

Here is some of the video. The crowd does not sound "peaceful".  300 or 400 loud "protestors" certainly constitute disparity of force.


Link to video

The video, obviously taken and posted by those on the side of the BLM activists, shows the need  to record incidents on media the defenders control.

Video from the McCloskeys perspective would be powerful evidence in court.

Prosecutors have absolute immunity, granted to them by the Supreme Court in the 1970's and 80's. Kim Gardner has little to fear. She can take the McCloskey's guns and claim the mob was peaceful, without fear of lawsuit.

The McCloskeys are likely to prevail in court. But Kim Gardner can inflict considerable punishment by process.

The situation shows the importance of strong Castle Doctrine laws. Without the clear Missouri Castle Doctrine law, the McClosky's would be in serious danger of going to prison, merely for defending themselves.

All it takes is a political prosecutor who is on the side of the mob.


©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

















LA: Man Threatens Clerk wtih Machete; Armed Customer Stops Threat



A man who entered a Metairie convenience store armed with a machete and threatened an employee fled after he was confronted by a customer who was armed with a gun, according to authorities.

The blade-wielding suspect was later identified as Robert Merritt, 37, of Metairie. He was taken into custody after returning to the store while deputies were still investigating, a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office arrest report said.
More Here

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Head of "Moms Demand Action" : "Police Violence is Gun Violence"



Moms Demand Action has joined the anti-police witch-hunt. 

I have long written that armed citizens and police are natural allies. It is because both of them have strong incentives in enforce order and prevent crime and violence. Two years ago, I wrote:
An armed people and local police are natural allies. When locally controlled police and a population who trust them work together, crime rates plummet to very low levels.

Officers on the street have generally had a positive attitude toward armed citizens. 
I did not expect the Bloomberg funded group, Moms Demand Action, to come out strongly against police.  I should have, as the orientation of the group was always on the far left.  David Horowitz said it this way. On the left, the issue is never the issue. The issue is always about getting and keeping power.

We should anticipate that a far left group like "Moms Demand Action" would support other far left groups like BLM or Antifa.

Emma Hinchliffe, the writer at Forbes, frames the issue this way. From fortune.com:
There was already a strong connection between the movement against police violence and the movement against gun violence; some “Mothers of the Movement” like Rep. Lucy McBath have devoted their efforts to the broader gun violence prevention movement. How has the recent movement for racial justice affected the movement against gun violence?
Moms Demand Action founder, Shannon Watts, answers:
Police violence is gun violence and that’s why our movement must be responsive as well. We’re partnering with leaders and organizations who are experts against policing. We’re committed to working with them to address white supremacy and racism at its roots. We are seeing an appetite among lawmakers to push through anti-police brutality legislation.
Orwellian word usage is how the Left gets and keeps power. "Gun violence" is an Orwellian term used to conflate all uses of guns in defense, police work, and especially suicide, with murder and violent crimes committed with guns.

The new Orwellian phrase is "Police violence". Police, by definition, cannot maintain order without the use of violence. Violence is necessary and good when it is used to defend either individual persons or society as a whole.

The Left redefines words and creates them to destroy their opponent and justify violence against them.  Conservatives, by their nature, prefer fixed meanings to words. Without agreed upon meanings, no debate is possible.

Now Moms Demand Action are "against policing"? It appears so.

We are seeing the results of reduced or no policing in Seattle, Washington, at the CHAZ/CHOP debacle; in Minneapolis, Baltimore, Chicago, Portland as well.

You get horrific property destruction, violence, and skyrocketing murder rates when you pull back police from heavy crime areas.

You don't need as many police in areas where residents have a high trust factor, and police themselves. Those are areas where police and armed citizens work together.

Armed citizens create police and sheriffs to be the backup, so a single couple or homeowner does not have to face the mob by themselves. The ordinary homeowner does not have to do the critical investigative work police do. They do not have to take time from their productive lives to track down criminals and arrest them. It is the productivity of specialization of training in action.

Mob action is now supported by the media, as lefists see they are losing the power to direct the vote.

I do not expect Moms Demand Action to gain followers with this anti-police rhetoric. But they have sent a message. They are against both self defense, and the police.  That is called mob rule.


©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch






CA: Man who was Shot may be Connected to Home Break In



A man was found shot in Pasadena late Monday following what he told police was a robbery, but investigators were looking into the possibility the shooting was connected to an incident in which a resident shot a home intruder in the neighboring city of San Gabriel a short time earlier, authorities said.
More Here

TX: Woman Shoots Man who Entered her Apartment Nude



PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A man is expected to survive his injuries after Port Arthur Police say he was shot when he entered a woman's apartment without permission and completely nude Monday afternoon.

More Here

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

MS: Resident Shoots, Kills Intruder who Broke into Home



According to the Biloxi Police Department, they received a 911 call at 1:10 a.m. from a Biloxi resident who shot an intruder at their home located on Old Bay Road. When police arrived, they found the alleged trespasser in the backyard of the house with a gunshot wound, later identified as a 15-year-old.

The investigation is initial thus far. But at the moment, investigators say the deceased did break into the Biloxi residence and the homeowner shot the intruder during a confrontation.

More Here

NC: Man Shoots, Wounds, 1 of 3 Home Invaders



The man told investigators a woman knocked on his door and when he answered a man tried to force his way inside.

The homeowner shot the male intruder in the arm and the suspects escaped in a car.

Three suspects, identified as Natasha Kerberg, Carmalita Pike and Kenneth Lawrence were later arrested.
More Here

Monday, July 20, 2020

CT: Rabid Bobcat Attacks Dog, then Runs into House



Bettini said he and the other troopers were in the basement with flashlights when he caught the reflection of the bobcat’s eye after shining his beam onto it. “I was fortunate enough to see the reflection of its eye before the other troopers got too close to it,” he said. “I happened to shine my light to a corner and it was on a shelving unit. And the (other troopers) were walking toward that direction and I told them to stop and back up.”

He said troopers then secured the basement and waited for DEEP officers to arrive.When the officers went back into the basement to again approach the cat, Bettini said it had changed location and was clinging to the side of a punching bag hanging in the basement, where it was then killed with a .22 rifle. Its body was removed to test for rabies, which came back positive the next day.
More Here

AL: Man Shoots two Pit Bulls Attacking his Cats

Upon arrival, officers spoke to the victim and he stated that there were two pit bulls in his backyard attacking his cats. The victim also said he shot both dogs, killing one of them. County Animal Control responded and took control of the animals.

More Here

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Michigan Deputy Shoots Suspect who Attacked with Knife and Screwdriver (video)



At about 6:47 a.m., a suspect identified as Sean Ernest Ruis was in a confrontation inside a Dimondale Quality Dairy store. Ruis was refused service for not wearing a mask.  He allegedly stabbed a 77 year old man while they were inside the store.  Then Ruis drove off.

At 7:13, a deputy with the Eaton County Sheriff's Office pulled Ruis over. The veteran female officer had 22 years of experience.

Ruis got out of the vehicle and moved toward the officer with weapons in his hands.


Link to video on instagram


The officer attempted to increase distance, but Ruis acclerated toward her, and she fired shots to stop the attack.  The officer continues to fire at Ruis as she attempts to increase the distance, and he attempts to make contact. Ruis uses a toe to heel advance technique, which is taught in some disciplines to close the distance quickly, without appearing to do so.

It was a very close thing. It appears Ruis and the officer made breif contact as she was firing at him.


 Screenshot from police body camera. Text and arrows, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

From the video, it appears Ruis has a screwdriver with about an 8 inch blade in his left hand and a knife or scissors with about a 4 inch blade in his right hand.

It seems likely contact between the officers gun and Ruis' hand caused a failure to feed in the deputy's sidearm.  The sidearm looks like a Glock 19. 

The impact of the bullets had an effect.

The officer cleared the malfunction and continued firing.

This is a classic example of the necessity of training in the Tueller Drill. Assailants with contact weapons can close the distance very rapidly. Even after being shot multiple times, attackers can have sufficient energy and will to close and make a deadly attack.

If, instead of a screwdriver in his left hand, the attacker had an edged weapon, the officer very likely would have been cut, and possibly lost control of the pistol.

Skilled knife users know to go after the weapon hand. It is the primary target to disable.

But bullets beat blades, if the gun weilder has the skill and time to use them. In this case the deputy made the right defensive moves. It was barely enough.

Ruis appears to have had some training, or to have studied knife techniques. Still, displaying a contact weapon and then attacking an opponent armed with a firearm,  smacks of desperation or, possibly suicide by deputy.

 This tragic situation could have been avoided if the suspect had been able to control himself a bit better. It is unknown if intoxicants were involved.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch





FL: Domestic Defense? Shotgun Fired inside Garage as men Struggle for Control



A fight between two men inside a garage at a local house led to a shotgun going off and an arrest for home invasion.


Citrus County Sheriff’s Office authorities on July 15, 2020, arrested 30-year-old Justin Lee Sanchez, of Wesley Chapel, on a charge of burglary with battery, following their investigation into the Pasco County resident’s alleged altercation with a Homosassa homeowner.
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TX: Domestic Defense, Woman Shoots Ex who Assaulted her



SAN ANTONIO – Neighbors in a North Side community said they are relieved that a woman is safe after San Antonio police said she was forced to shoot and kill her abusive ex-boyfriend.

Investigators said the woman had a protective order against Robert Wayne Lyssy, 67, amid a history of calls for threats, when he showed up unannounced Tuesday and tried to assault her at a home on Shadow Cliff.
More Here

TX: 73-Year-Old Shoots two Suspects who Rushed him



When he went to check it out he found two men, identified as Zarraga and Rodriguez, removing parts from a vehicle he owned.

The man confronted the suspects at gunpoint and told them to show their hands. The suspects then reportedly rushed the man who shot them both.

Zarraga was treated at a hospital and has now been charged with aggravated robbery.

Rodriguez was airlifted to a Lubbock hospital where he is listed in critical condition.
More Here

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Detroit Police Release Video of Justified Shooting which lead to Protests



Link to video

On 10 July, 2020, at about 12:30 p.m., in Detroit, there was another police shooting. A young black man, Hakeem Littleton, 20, was shot and killed by Detroit police. Agitators quickly organized  a protest, and gathered, claiming the shooting was not justified and Hakeem was unarmed.

The police were making an arrest in conjunction with a homicide which took place on 5 July. Hakeem Littleton was a bystander, who tried to prevent the arrest.



Screenshot from Detroit Police Body Camera, cropped, scaled, arrow and text added by Dean Weingarten.

One of the protest organizers admitted it did not matter to her that Hakeem fired at police first. From mlive.com:
“They killed a man today,” Scorpio said, " I don’t give a f**what happened, they shouldn’t have killed a man today...

“We are fighting for a system where the police shouldn’t have been there to begin with, the police shouldn’t be putting people in positions where they feel like they have to protect their lives because they see a badge.”
In the video, the action happens very rapidly. Hakeem reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a Beretta .25 auto. He fires two shots at an officer's head, but misses from a few feet away. Another six shots were fired very quickly, four from and officer, and two more from Hakeem. The last two may have been fired when Hakeem was on the ground. 

Chief Craig was quick to release the body camera video, only a few hours after the incident happened.

The clearest view of the incident in the video clips is that of the officer who fired the shots which struck and killed Hakeem Littleton. You see, form the officers viewpoint, the initial shots. You see him obtain a flash sight picture with a two handed hold, and fire, very quickly. 

The Detroit police are following the model of the San Diego police, who successfully released video of a shooting that occurred on June 28, 2020, in downtown San Diego.

The important thing seems to be to get the information out before the false narrative has a chance to be embedded in the media and culture.

The opposite happened in the George Floyd case. In Minneapolis, the Mayor and Police Chief have fought to keep the body camera video from the public. The attorneys for the police have been fighting to have it released. A transcript was released on 7 July.

Combat the lies with facts quickly enough, with evidence, and the false narratives used by those who want to destroy the United States, can be combated effectively.

We are entering an age where there will be video of nearly everything that happens. The old era of being able to lie about what happened is rapidly going away.

Video clips can be misleading, of course. Knowing how to make videos and place them on the Internet, is becoming as important a skill in preserving liberty as knowing how to load and shoot firearms.



©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch








IL: Landlord Shoots Tenant in Dispute, Shooting Considered Justified

The shooting stemmed from an argument over $20,000 Bernotas owed the 76-year-old for back rent, the sheriff’s office said. The man said Bernotas threatened him after he was served with a five-day eviction notice.

More Here

VT: Armed Parent Holds Intruder for Police



Police were notified of a home invasion reported on Bushey Hill Road at around 10:35 p.m.

The caller reported that a man, later identified as Conrad Labor, of Coventry, entered their home and locked himself in their bathroom.

One of the parents gathered the family in an upstairs room while the other, armed with a firearm, detained Labor in the bathroom until police arrived.
More Here

WA: Armed Victim fires Warning Shot, is nearly Disarmed


The victim told Hill not to leave until the police arrived, Murphy wrote, but Hill tried to talk his way out of being caught and started to walk toward the victim with his arms stretched out.

The victim told Hill he would defend himself if Hill continued to approach, Murphy reported, but Hill continued, and the victim fired a warning shot.

Instead of stopping, Hill attacked the victim, Murphy wrote, and attempted to wrestle the gun from the victim’s hand. During the struggle, the victim said he could feel Hill trying to turn the gun into the victim’s body and feared Hill was going to shoot him.

As police arrived, Hill ran off with the victim and a neighbor, who also had been alerted to the vehicle prowl, in pursuit, Murphy reported.

Read more here: https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/crime/article244222397.html#storylink=cpy


Read more here: https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/crime/article244222397.html#storylink=cpy

More Here

Friday, July 17, 2020

IN: Armed Samaritan Stops Active Shooter at Brownsburg Cemetary



Next, Hayes encountered a motorist — referred to in the news release as Victim 3 — who was stopped at a traffic light in the eastbound lane of 56th Street. A gunshot from Hayes struck Victim 3, who witnessed Hayes attempting to shoot Victim 2.

“Victim 3 was armed with a firearm that they are legally licensed to carry and intervened on the behalf of Victim 2 and numerous other civilians in the immediate area that were rendering aid to Victim 1 and/or stopped in traffic,” the news release said. “Victim 3 fired his firearm at Hayes as Hayes was pointing his firearm at Victim 2’s head. Hayes died on the scene.”

Victims 2 and 3 were treated for injuries at the scene and cooperated with police.
More Here

Thursday, July 16, 2020

OH: Man Shoots Pit Bull that Attacked Girlfriend



Once on scene, officers found that a 31-year-old woman was being transported by EMS to University Hospitals in serious condition and saw the dog lying lifeless in the street, according to police.

The woman’s boyfriend told police that he had shot and killed the dog after we witnessed it attack his girlfriend, police said.
More Here

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

WA: Domestic Defense? Man who Stabbed Three Shot and Killed by Armed Victim



BELLEVUE, Wash. — Two men died at an apartment building in suburban Seattle after a male relative of the host stabbed her and two other people and one of the stabbing victims shot him, police said Sunday.

The 41-year-old stabbing suspect from Burien and a 21-year-old man from Renton, whom he allegedly stabbed, died, after some kind of disturbance between the 41-year-old and the party's 22-year-old host, police chief Steve Mylett said.
More Here

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

MO: Gunfight, Armed Victim Shoots, Kills Armed Robbery Suspect



ST. LOUIS — A man was shot and killed after exchanging gunfire with a person he was trying to rob Sunday night.


The shooting happened at about 9:49 p.m. on the 800 block of Cole Street, near the border of Downtown and the Columbus Square neighborhood.
More Here

IN: Domestic Defense? Woman Shoots, Kills Man Attempting Break-in



Investigators say a man was attempting to break into a residence before being shot and killed by a woman who lived inside.

Police were also called to the same home earlier in the day, where a woman was stabbed and taken to the hospital.

The woman who shot the man stayed at the scene and is fully cooperating with police.
More Here

PA: Armed Samaritan Shot Suspect in Double Murder


Court papers say Campbell and Bowersox were on a date at Buffalo Wild Wings when witnesses saw them embrance underneath an umbrella in the parking lot; this before Fernders drove into the lot and began shooting at the victims. Then as Fernanders was returning to his truck, papers say 49-year-old Troy Sprenkle of Sunbury came out of the restaurant and fired three or four shots at the suspect.

Snyder County DA Mike Piecuch tells us Fernanders cannot be arraigned for the murder charges because he’s in serious condition from his gunshot wounds.
More Here

Monday, July 13, 2020

Follow up IL: Domestic Defense, Shooting Death of Willie C. Evans was Justified



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — Police said the fatal shooting that took place on 11th Street earlier this week happened in self-defense.

Springfield Police said the man killed, 29-year-old Willie C. Evans, suffered a fatal gunshot wound by 26-year-old Martin A. Brown as Evans tried to forcibly enter a residence in the 1400 block of North 11th Street. This happened at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7.

Witnesses told authorities that when Evans arrived at the residence, he repeatedly banged on the door and threatened violence. Witnesses also said Evans went to a bedroom window and forced an air conditioning unit through it to gain entry to the residence.
More Here

Sunday, July 12, 2020

VA: Tenant Survives Gunfight at Doorway, Intruder Killed



Officers were called to the 12000 block of Starboard Drive at 11:36 p.m. for a report of a man causing a disturbance in a breezeway area.

A tenant of the building opened his apartment door and encountered the man, later identified as Daniel Matheson, 29, of Reston, standing in his doorway, police said in a news release.

The tenant reported that Matheson began to raise a firearm in his direction. The tenant, who was also armed, fired one round striking Matheson in his upper body, police said.
More Here

WY: Man Shoots Dog Harassing his Livestock; Owner Complains, no Collar or Tags on Dog


The dog had no identifying tags on its collar when he opened fire, he said, and it wasn’t until after calling another neighbor that he discovered the dog belonged to Michael Parkins, a neighbor whom he’d met but has had limited contact with.

“I was concerned at the time because it was harassing one of my goats,” Lone said in an interview. “If it was 15 minutes earlier, it could have been attacking my kids. I did what I felt was appropriate under the conditions and in accordance with Wyoming statute.”

“I don’t make a habit of shooting animals if I don’t have to,” he added later. “I’m a dog lover myself. I did what I did because I believed my family and my property were in danger.”
More Here

FL: Violent Criminals Target Gun Enthusiast; he Shoots all Three



WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — An armed homeowner shot three men with guns who broke into his home, killing two of them and wounding the third.

It happened early Friday morning in Wesley Chapel. Deputies were dispatched at 12:43 a.m.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said the man was home alone, playing video games, when he heard glass shatter toward the back of his house.

More Here

Saturday, July 11, 2020

NICS Background Checks and Gun Sales Continue to Break Records in June, 2020



June of 2020 has continued the run of record setting numbers of background checks and gun sales for this presidential election year.

The National Instant background Check System (NICS) recorded the highest ever number of checks in a month in June of 2020. The total number was 3,931,607. The number is misleading because the number of checks done for permits and permit rechecks has outpaced the checks done for gun sales.

Most of the checks done, in most months, are done for permits and permit rechecks.

June of 2020 has reversed that trend by a little. Only 1.77 million of the checks were done for permits and permit rechecks. More than 2.1 million checks were done for gun sales.

The formula used to estimate gun sales from NICS checks, as provided by the FBI, is checks for handguns + checks for long guns + checks for other + 2.5 x checks for multiple guns on the same form.

The category of "other" consists of sales where the firearm is not classified as either a handgun, rifle, or shotgun. Most of those are probably for lower receivers. A lower receiver could be made into either a pistol or a rifle or a shotgun.  A growing number might be for pistol gripped "firearms" that shoot shotgun shells, and are over 26 inches in length, but do not have a shoulder stock. They are classified only as "firearms".

Such estimates cannot, by their nature, be precise to a few digits. They are a good estimate of the number of guns sold for that period of time.

2.13 million guns sold in one month is an extraordinary number of sales for June. It is a record for the month. Every month in 2020 has been a record, so far. May, June, and July are traditionally slow months for firearms sales. Not in 2020!

According to the monthly estimates, over 10 million firearms have been sold in the first half of 2020.  According to my records, it is more than the total number of firearms sold in every year until 2011!

Many people have decided owning a firearm is a worthwhile insurance policy.

This is not surprising given the current Media campaign to present far-left politicians in Leftist cities, coordinating with Marxist agitators from Black Lives Matters and Antifa, burning down buildings and toppling statutes in their jurisdiction, as a national existential threat.

The threat of a "cultural revolution" lead by the Marxist Black Lives Matter, is real, because it is backed by nearly the entire Media. People are being fired for merely saying "All Lives Matter". 

An uncertain future, mixed with leftist politicians demanding infringements on the exercise of Second Amendment rights, means more gun owners, and more Second Amendment supporters.

If the current trend continues, as seems likely, more than 20 million guns will be sold in 2020. According to NSSF estimates, 40% of those sales are to new gun owners. Eight million new gun owners can have a very significant effect in national elections.

An armed person has a different attitude than an unarmed person.Nicolo Machiavelli is perhaps the most famous writer to note this, in a political context. From The Prince:
Because there is nothing proportionate between the armed and the unarmed; and it is not reasonable that he who is armed should yield obedience willingly to him who is unarmed, or that the unarmed man should be secure among armed servants. Because, there being in the one disdain and in the other suspicion, it is not possible for them to work well together.
The arming of America continues. 


©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch







IL: Gunfight, Permit Holder Defends Self and Driver, both Wounded



Two people are in fair condition after gunshots were exchanged between an armed attacker and a concealed carry holder in the River North neighborhood overnight, according to Chicago police.

Citing preliminary information, CPD said a 22-year-old man was driving a 21-year-old woman eastbound in the 100 block of West Superior when two white sedans boxed them in around 2:55 a.m. Friday. An armed man got out of one of the sedans and began shooting at the victims’ car, striking the woman in her leg and arm, police said.

A 23-year-old man was then shot in the leg when the woman’s driver — a concealed carry holder — returned fire, according to police.

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NC: Armed Woman Shoots Man Outside her Residence


STATESVILLE, N.C. — Statesville Police are investigating after a man was shot and killed at the 900 Block of Adams Street on Monday.

According to Statesville Police, officers were called to a shooting at 6:40 a.m. regarding an alleged trespasser. Police say upon arriving on the scene, the body of 54-year-old Statesville resident, Alexis Christopher Barber was located near the driveway.
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Friday, July 10, 2020

Police Shoot Turning Suspect, as He Points Revolver at Officer (video)




A bit before 6 p.m., in downtown San Diego, California, two police officers noticed a man in a red track suit. He was wanted in connection with a recent robbery.  He had a distinctive face tattoo, which is how the officers identified him so quickly.

Link to video.

In the ensuing confrontation, the suspect flees from the police, and is shot.

Protestors claim he was shot without justification.  The next day, a hundred protestors gather. They threatened to "burn down the system".

The San Diego police act quickly. They released video of the shooting from four sources, including two police body cameras.

The video shows the suspect drawing a revolver and pointing it at police just moments before police open fire.


Image a screen shot from release by San Diego Police, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

The well done release by the San Diego Police took control of the narrative.

It is worth watching and studying. It shows how easy it is to justifiably shoot someone in the back in defense of self and others.

Many have said shooting someone in the back is never justified. That is false. Real world defensive shootings are seldom static.

They are fast, dynamic, and changing quickly. Adversaries are often moving, twisting, and turning.

It takes a fraction of a second from the time a decision is made to shoot, to the gun actually firing. In that time the position of a moving adversary can change quite a bit. Just because a person's back is momentarily turned toward you, does not stop them from being a deadly threat.

Ubiquitous security cameras and recording devices are making it harder and harder to characterize events in a simple, deceptive narrative.

Video can be used to create a false narrative. It is done most often by groups or individuals with an agenda. In the George Floyd case, major networks cut the video before it showed a police officer saying, when asked why they did not put Floyd in the car, that they had been trying to do that for several minutes.

Floyd resisted so vigorously, three officers could not secure him in the car.

A similar situation occurred in Los Angeles before the Rodney King riots. All the officers actions were justified, and in accordance with policy, but the major media cut the video to make it appear damning to police.

In this case, with four cameras, different angles, and the still shots released, the story is clear. It stopped another budding, anti-police narrative cold.

In Minneapolis, the City Government has still not released the body camera video.

The revolver shown in the possession of the suspect appears to be a Uberti replica of the cartridge conversion of 1851 Navy Colt cap and ball revolver.  The replicas are chambered in .38 special.



 Image from San Diego PD, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

The replicas have a reputation as a reliable and accurate revolver.

Note the revolver was tucked in the waistband, in a bandana. It was not in a holster. Criminals almost never use holsters, because a holster ties them to a gun, and is not easily disposed of.

Video evidence is becoming ever more important. The ability to record an event is becoming as important to a defender after the event, as having the ability to defend yourself, during the event.


©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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