US Gun Sales Surge on Black Friday

The surge in sales is being attributed to the retail gun industry finally realizing the value of marketing.

The FBI has confirmed that firearms sales reached a record 129,166 during last week’s Black Friday, based on the number of background checks conducted over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The number represents a 32 percent jump from the previous record of 97,848 weapons sold during Black Friday of 2008.

Frankly, I'd suggest it's more than marketing, possibly apprehension regarding uncertainties in society. Readers can speculate.

In Arizona, families can get photos with Santa – and an AK-47: "For some Arizona kids, photos with Santa come with the usual holiday cheer and some serious firepower. Armed with assault rifles, grenade launchers, and pistols, the jolly old fellow is posing with families and their children at a Scottsdale, Ariz., gun club. Young and old can preserve the moment while gripping the high-powered weapon of their choice. Although the holiday photos are raising eyebrows, they exemplify Arizona’s thriving gun culture. This past April, the Colt Single Action Army revolver became the state’s official firearm. As for the holiday photos, they first made a splash at the Scottsdale Gun Club last year. The cost of a sitting with Santa is $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers, with one print photo and one digital copy included."


Some Brits like guns: "Pippa Middleton has been invited to join the Royal Family’s Christmas gathering at Sandringham. In a highly unusual move, she has been asked to take part in the traditional Boxing Day pheasant shoot – which is normally restricted to members of the Royal Family and their spouses. Pippa, 28, who recently split with banker Alex Loudon, 31, is an expert shot and is apparently keen to join the festivities....‘Pippa’s very keen to go and she’s been on a couple of shooting weekends to make sure she won’t let the side down."


Report: “Fast and Furious” whistleblowers still struggling: "Six months ago, several agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives stood before Congress to testify about the details of a U.S. government program that armed Mexico's largest drug cartel with thousands of assault rifles. The administration denied it at the time and questioned the agents' integrity. The men were nervous and scared. They said they feared for their careers, their reputation and their families."

FL: Store owner displays gun to restrain aggressive customer: "On Sept. 30, Dan and Edith Ferrena, owners of Palm Coast Gold Buyers, had an unhappy encounter with a customer. Joshua Newby, 28, was with his wife, a friend and five children, three of them his. At one point everyone was in the store as Newby was looking at a watch, and the Ferrenas, who had two other customers inside–a small store the size of an average living room–became concerned about the children’s behavior. Edith asked the adults top take the children outside, politely, she says. The request was not taken kindly. When it was all over, Dan found himself in a cop car, on his way to jail, on an aggravated assault charge for having allegedly threatened Newby with a 9mm Walther PPS, allegedly pointing it at him and his children’s direction. Ferrena denied all along that he pointed the gun at Newby or cocked it, though he didn’t deny merely displaying it. On Tuesday, the State Attorney dropped the charge against Ferrena."


OH: Store owner Opens Fire on Intruder: "A frightened owner opened fire on a man who broke into his convenience store on North Monroe Avenue Friday morning. It happened just about 7 a.m. when the owner reported hearing noise when he went to open Nick's Quick Stop Food Mart in northeast Columbus. He says he confronted the suspect, involved in a robbery attempt, and ordered him to "Freeze!" The store owner says the alleged robber responded by throwing something at him and trying to get away. That's when the owner says he fired his gun. The owner shot the intruder several times in his legs, ABC6/Fox28 News has learned. The suspect managed to crawl out of a second-story window. He fell to the ground, where police officers arrested him. The injured man was transported to Grant Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries. Allen reports the man, whose name was not released, is expected to recover and will likely face criminal charges. The owner, however, will not face charges"


TX: Old lady fires at burglars: "Talk about fighting to your last breath. An 81-year-old woman defending her Memorial Village home was brave enough to pull a gun on the bad guys and managed to scare them away. However, the stress took its toll, and the woman lost her life. Two burglars dressed as utility workers convinced the elderly homeowner to let them inside, but it wasn't this gal’s first rodeo. When she started to get suspicious, police say the woman pulled out her gun and shot at the undercover-robbers twice. The schemers escaped. The 81-year-old called 911, but collapsed after help arrived and died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital. The suspects are still on the loose."


TN: Convenience store clerk shoots, kills alleged robber: "Authorities have not charged a convenience market clerk after he fatally shot a convicted carjacker he said tried to rob him Wednesday night. Sm Mazahir Hamadani, 59, was working at the Kwik Tobacco Market at 619 Millwood Drive, when he said 25-year-old William England charged the counter and held scissors to Hamadani’s throat. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, Hamadani said he feared for his life, pulled a pistol that was in his pocket and shot England one time. England died shortly after arriving at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was on probation after receiving an eight-year sentence for carjacking in 2009. Hamadani wasn’t detained after being interviewed by authorities."

KS: Pizza Delivery Driver Fires Shots To Avoid Robbery: "It happened at an apartment in the 6600 block of E. Harry just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. Police said a Dominoes delivery driver arrived at the location to deliver a pizza, but no one answered the door. The driver returned to his car to get a gun, because he said he was concerned for his safety. The driver reported to police a man approached him from behind and tried to rob him, as the driver opened the trunk of his car. The delivery driver said he turned around with a gun in his hand, and pointed it at the suspect. The driver fired two shots, as the suspect ran away. No one was hurt. The driver was interviewed at the scene and released. The suspect is described as a black man in his 20’s, wearing a large blue coat."


FL: Woman held intruder at gunpoint: "A woman who lives alone in a Winter Springs home held an intruder at gunpoint after two men broke into her garage, according to police. According to the homeowner, she said she heard the house alarm beep, so she grabbed her gun and checked the home. She said she found two men inside her garage and one of them ran away with one of her golf clubs. The woman said she told the other man that she would shoot him if he moved. She then called police, who arrived and arrested the man. After a brief search, the other man was also arrested, Winter Springs police said. The homeowner said the two intruders entered through her garage door, which she left slightly open for her cat because it was cold outside."


CT: Camera Captures Clerk Shooting Suspect: "Two masked men walked into Babe's Market at 604 Ferry Street around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday. One man pulled out a gun and tried to rob a customer and then the Clerk, according to police. The clerk, Karar Jawad, pulled out his own pistol and fired at the alleged robber. Jawad has a permit to carry a gun, police said. The two suspects ran from the store after Jawad fired his weapon. A short time later, a man identified by police as Harry Anderson, 18, of New Haven, walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound. Detectives determined Anderson was the suspect in the Babe's Market robbery, according to police. Anderson was placed under arrest, and kept in police guard at the hospital as he recovers from his gunshot wound. He was charged with first-degree robbery, reckless endangerment and carrying a pistol without a permit."


SC: Shooting is apparent self-defense: "Columbia police are investigating whether a man shot to death outside an apartment complex was killed in self-defense. Investigators said 26-year-old Timothy Sligh Jr. was shot more than once in the chest Tuesday night. Police say Sligh came to the apartments to commit a crime and pointed his gun at another man, who grabbed his own gun and shot Sligh. Authorities haven't released the identity of the other man and say the investigation into the shooting continues."

CO: Home invader shot: "The incident happened the day after Thanksgiving on Indiana Street in Orchard Mesa. According to Mesa County Sheriff Office, two men were in the home when Jesus Ray Sanchez Jr. tried to force his way into their home. Colorado's "Make my Day" law gives citizens the right to use deadly force against an intruder without any criminal consequences. The Coroners Office says the manner of death was homicide but notes that the use of the word homicide does not imply criminal responsibility on the gunman's part but simply refers to the definition of the word."


SF Weekly journalist wants to save us from assault weapons… from Halo, the video game: "I don’t know SF Weekly writer Joe Eskenazi. What I do know is that he is so ignorant in his pathological hatred of firearms that he’s willing to call on a ban of guns that exist only in pixel form. No, I’m not kidding… He wants to ban the fictional guns from Halo. It’s a shame, really. I was really looking forward to picking up that BR55 battle rifle as soon as it comes out in 2525."

AZ: Man chases down assailants, kills one: "The incident began at approximately 6:40 a.m. on Saturday, when Jaime Somoza Jaimes, 36, was surprised by the pistol-carrying men as he returned home in the Residencial Greco neighborhood. The muggers reportedly threatened Somoza with their guns and hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground. They continued hitting him until his son arrived and fought with one of assailants. At that point, the PEI said, the men ran off with Somoza's wallet and an unspecified amount of money, firing three shots as they fled. Somoza got up, found a .25-caliber firearm and got into his SUV to chase down the perpetrators. When he caught up with them, he reportedly shot 36-year-old Eduardo Rodolfo Crispin Sesma of Nogales, Sonora once in the thorax as he was pulling out a .45-caliber pistol. His accomplice escaped." The PEI said Somoza, his son and brother were questioned but not immediately charged."


AL: Man shot during robbery attempt: "An arrest warrant has been issued for a man shot early Tuesday morning attempting to rob someone in Callaway. Elijah Reddice, 30, of Panama City, checked into a Houston County, Ala., hospital Tuesday noon with a gunshot wound. He told Houston County Sheriff’s deputies that he was shot in a fight with a man he had tried to rob. The victim, 28-year-old John Fagan, told investigators with the BCSO a man approached him around 2 a.m. and tried to hit him with a gun, which caused the gun to fire. Fagan said he fought with the man and the gun fired again and suspect fell to the ground before running away through a neighboring yard. Fagan recovered a gun, a .357-caliber revolver, which had two spent shell casings and a live round when he turned it over to investigators. Reddice will be charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Additional charges are expected."


VA: Murder charge dismissed: "Second-degree murder and other charges against a Martinsville man were dismissed Monday after a judge found that the 21-year-old acted within the law when he shot another man to death in a Henry County mobile home. Rodney “Rod” Lamar Hairston of North Fork Road was charged in connection with the Oct. 18 death of Jermey Lynn Preston, also 21. Preston was shot inside a home at 345 Kent Drive, which is off Mountain Road just outside the city limits. After a preliminary hearing in Henry County General District Court, Judge Morgan Armstrong said he would not be doing his duty if he let the charges advance. “My conclusion is that no jury or judge could draw but one conclusion,” Armstrong said, adding that the conclusion is that Hairston shot Preston “in defense of another.” Arsha Crawford, testified that she and Hairston were playing cards with another friend at her home on Kent Drive the night of Oct. 18 when Preston and Curtis “Duke” Pritchett showed up uninvited. Crawford said she and Preston had a history of altercations."


NC: “Castle Doctrine” revised: "The new law defines a person’s home as any property with a roof where the person lives and also includes 'curtilage,' which is the area immediately around a home. ... It says a home or workplace can be temporary or permanent and specifically says either one can be a tent. Under the new law, the lawful occupant of a home, motor vehicle or workplace isn’t required to retreat prior to using deadly force."

Wisconsin Republicans protect women

The Chicago Tribune reviewed Wisconsin’s concealed gun permit law, which became law this summer after years of opposition by the Democratic Party. Finally, the state elected Republican majorities in each house of the legislature and a Republican governor, Scott Walker. The biggest beneficiaries of the new law that allows carrying a concealed handgun may be women.

The Chicago Tribune reported: “Roger Wendling, owner of Monsoor’s Sport Shop in La Crosse, estimates he’s seen a 25 percent to 30 percent increase in handgun sales this month. Some of the more popular models have been .38-caliber Sig Sauers and Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolvers, both small, snub-nosed weapons that are easy to hide. About 70 percent of the concealed carry clientele have been women, he said. They’ve leaned toward revolvers with laser sights and handbags with special compartments for hidden weapons, he said. Jim Clark, manager of Central Wisconsin Firearms in Wausau, estimated his handgun sales have increased at least 20 percent over the last month, with customers going with small models such .38-calibers and 9-millimeters.”

So women in Wisconsin feel they need protection — a protection the Democratic Party fought against for year.

Illinois is the only state left in the concealed carry permit battle. Democrats run the state. My advice to the women of Illinois: Move to Milwaukee, where women can protect themselves.

Source




PA: Man Shot After Trying to Rob Pizza Delivery Man: "An alleged would-be robber is in the hospital after police say a pizza delivery man turned the tables against him. Investigators say the delivery man came to deliver pizza Monday night at a vacant home on the 700 block of Price Street in Germantown. When he arrived, police say a man approached him from a nearby alley and demanded $100 from the delivery man at gunpoint. Investigators say a struggle then ensued resulting in the would-be robber being shot in the neck and buttocks as the pizza spilled to the ground next to them. Police initially reported that the delivery man wrestled the gun out of the would-be robber's hands and shot him with it. They now say however that it's unknown whether it was in fact the delivery man who shot the suspect or if the gun accidentally went off. The suspect was taken to Einstein Hospital where he is currently in critical condition. The delivery man did not suffer any serious injuries."


AZ: Mom kills backyard intruder: "The woman told police that about three hours earlier, around noon, she saw two men enter her backyard. According to police, the woman said she became frightened and called her husband. "Her husband said, 'Hey, get your gun,'" Holmes said. "So she goes, retrieves her weapon, she goes out and these folks are gone." Then, hours later, the woman saw two men again. "One of them, who now is the victim, actually had a gun in his hand," Holmes said. "He saw her, he raised his gun toward her and at that point, she shot him." The other man ran to a white car and fled. The 35-year-old woman and her daughter were not harmed."


TN: Gun rights groups to challenge limitations: "Gun rights advocates in Tennessee are embracing an Arizona law that does away with a requirement that handgun owners get a permit before carrying their weapons in public -- part of a more aggressive push to loosen state gun laws next year. After being shut out last spring, gun rights supporters are planning to step up pressure on the Republican-led legislature to ease at least some of the state’s rules on carrying a handgun before they leave to campaign for re-election next year"

NC: A store clerk shoots an armed robber twice... and his boss still says he's too SOFT: "Mark Headstrong had never fired a gun before. But, when a robber pointed a pistol at him, the Wilmington, North Carolina, convenience store clerk acted fast and shot his assailant twice. Surveillance video captures the moment Mr Headstrong pulled out his weapon and fired, dropping 30-year-old Joseph Ryan Anderson to the floor with bullet wounds to his leg and his finger. But Mr Headstrong's boss, store owner Musa Agil said his employee should have shot the robber dead: 'He should have killed him and this guy was soft on him.' 'He was trying to give him a second chance. Thugs like those should not ever be given a chance, because if that man shot Mark, he's not going to look at him and give him a chance. That's why Mark made a terrible mistake by letting him go,' Mr Agil told WWAY news in Wilmington."


TN: Officials consider duo shot in self-defense: "Authorities are investigating whether a Columbia man may have shot his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend out of self-defense, Maury County Sheriff’s Lt. Andy Jackson said. Deputies apprehended Laquantez Gilbert soon after the 10 p.m. Wednesday shootings of Masheaka Cathey and Dwayne Locke at Cathey’s 131 Napier Drive residence. Cathey had two bullet wounds while Locke had been shot seven times at close range, officials said. Gilbert was taken into custody at his nearby home on Ashwood Road where he surrendered a handgun. He was questioned by detectives for several hours, but they released him Thursday morning without filing criminal charges. “It appears at this time that the gentleman may have been defending himself,” Jackson said Friday. According to a Sheriff’s Department report, an argument developed between Gilbert and Locke after Gilbert came to the Napier Drive residence. Locke asked him to leave. “It was a domestic-type incident, and it just got out of hand,” Jackson said. “There were threats made.”


DE: Bandit shot after trying to rob man near New Castle: "Police were called about 6:30 p.m. to the first block of Parma Avenue and found a 20-year-old man lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his lower body. He was treated and released at Christiana Hospital, Weglarz said. Minutes after that shooting, Wilmington Police stopped a car for traffic violations at the entrance of Wilmington Hospital and found Dixon in the passenger seat with a gunshot wound to his stomach. He was transferred to Christiana Hospital in stable condition, police said. The 20-year-old old victim was approached by Dixon at Briarcliff Drive and Parma Avenue, police said. The victim ran when Dixon, who was armed, demanded his property, Weglarz said. Dixon shot him as he ran away but was hit when the man fired back, police said. Stolen property and the gun Dixon used were found in the car he was riding in, police said. Weglarz said the 20-year-year-old attempted robbery victim will not be charged."


TX: Homeowner Shoots Home Invasion Suspect: "Police say a Dallas man prevented a brazen home invasion robbery this morning. He fired off shots at some would-be robbers, hitting one of them. Fox 4's Peter Daut spoke with the homeowner and has more. Mendoza said he and his family were sleeping in the back bedroom around 10 o'clock Sunday morning, when they heard a knock at the door. As Mendoza headed towards the door, he said the knocking turned to banging and then kicking. He immediately knew he needed to protect his family. "I got scared and ran for the gun," he said. "One of two men entered, and I fired at his shoulder. I also fired two more shots, just to frighten them away." Police soon arrived and took the wounded man into custody. The other suspect took off running."

TN: Man shoots, kills would be home invader: "A North Memphis man is recovering after turning a gun on an attempted robbery suspect who knocked on his door shortly before 5:00 a.m. Saturday. Maggett, who is fighting throat cancer, said chemotherapy and radiation did not leave him too weak to fight off the would be robber. He said the suspect knocked on the door, pushed him over a chair and tried to choke him to death. Maggett then turned the gun on the suspect, shooting and killing him inside. "I guess the good Lord gave me strength to get him up off me so I got away from him," said Maggett. Maggett returned to his home from the hospital Saturday morning. Memphis police said no charges have been filed in this case."


TX: Armed customer defends restaurant against robbers: "An attempted aggravated robbery at a local Denny's restaurant ended in a shootout Saturday when an armed customer pulled a gun on the suspects. It happened at the Denny's in the 11900 block of East Freeway at Federal Rd. A witness told us one or two suspects entered the restaurant, brandishing guns and demanding money. A tow truck driver in the restaurant also happened to have a gun. According to the witness, the tow truck driver pulled his gun on the suspects and a shootout ensued. No one was injured. The suspect or suspects fled, but they left without any money."


NJ Governor Christie Shows his Anti-Gun-Owner Hand: "In a move that did not surprise New Jersey gun owners, Governor Chris Christie made it clear that he is no friend of the “right to keep and Bear Arms” (RKBA) in New Jersey. As revealed in an email from a spokesman for the governor, Christie has not changed his position since his 2009 campaign when he told The Record: “I believe that each state should have the right to make firearms laws as they see fit. I don’t believe it’s right for the federal government to get into the middle of this and decide firearms laws for the people of the state of New Jersey.” This in spite of the fact that the state’s entire NJ Republican delegation in the House voted for a bill that would grant National Reciprocity to any U.S. citizen who has a legitimate license to carry a discreet handgun in their home state for self-defense"

Man jailed twice for 'offenses,' but cleared, released each time

A civil rights organization that argued for the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling that the Second Amendment grants individuals the right to have weapons has filed a lawsuit against the state of California over a "vague" gun ban under which a man twice was jailed and cleared.

The Second Amendment Foundation says it took the action in federal court to challenge the constitutionality of the state's ban on what it calls "assault weapons."

The statute's definition of weapons, however, is so "vague and ambiguous," the group contends, that one man was arrested on two different occasions for violations but ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

"It's an insult to be arrested once for violating a law that is so vague and ambiguous that law enforcement officers cannot tell the difference between what is and what is not a legal firearm under this statute," said Alan Gottlieb, executive vice president of SAF, "but to be arrested and jailed twice for the same offense is an outrage."

Read Wayne LaPierre's detailed explanations on "SAFE: How to Protect Yourself, Your Family and your Home"

Brendan Richards' dilemma, he said, "is a textbook example of why the California statute should be nullified."

Named as defendants in the filing are California Attorney General Kamala Harris, the state Justice Department, the Sonoma County sheriff's office and Deputy Greg Myers.

The Second Amendment Foundation is being joined in the challenge in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by the CalGuns Foundation as well as Richards, a discharged Marine and Iraq War veteran.

Richards was arrested and jailed in May 2010 and again in August 2011. Both times, charges eventually were dismissed when it was found that there was no violation of the law because the firearms in his possession were not "assault weapons" as the state defines those instruments.

Richards lost nonrefundable bail fees both times and suffered other damages, the SAF claim states. "He lost work due to his incarcerations. In both cases, the same Senior Criminalist John Yount issued reports that the firearms in Richards' possession were not assault weapons under California law," the foundation said.

"Mr. Richards now has a reasonable fear that his exercise of his fundamental Second Amendment rights will result in more wrongful arrests," the organization said.

"This nonsense has to stop," Gottlieb stated, "and the only way to ensure that is to show California's assault weapon statutes and regulations are unconstitutionally vague and ambiguous. Brendan Richards is not the only citizen faced with this kind of harassment under color of law."

The Second Amendment Foundation is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, the foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

In the precedent-setting Otis McDonald case challenging Chicago's gun restrictions, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Second Amendment right to bear arms applies to individuals.

"The right to keep and bear arms must be regarded as a [substantial] guarantee, not a prohibition that could be ignored so long as the states legislated in an evenhanded manner," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion.

The decision followed the 2008 Heller case in the District of Columbia that declared the Second Amendment to be an individual right. That case, however, pertained only to D.C. The McDonald case established the precedent nationwide.

The foundation already has brought to court a number of other cases over local restrictions that it believes are precluded by the Supreme Court's rulings:

In New York, the organization has asked for a summary judgment that would strike New York City's $340 triennial fee for just owning a handgun. The legal brief explains that under U.S. Supreme Court rulings "the right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense is a part of the 'core' of the Second Amendment's protections." The case, brought by SAF, the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association and individuals including an electrical contractor, a paramedic, CPA and woodworker, argues, "The city's $340 fee is inherently prohibitive and serves the impermissible purpose of discouraging the exercise of constitutional rights. While the city can charge a nominal fee to defray costs, the $340 fee is not nominal, and has never been calculated to defray costs."

The organization has sued New Jersey and officials and judges over procedures that allowed them to refuse firearms permits for a kidnap victim, a man who carries large amounts of cash for his business and a civilian FBI employee who fears attacks from radical Islamists. The permissions were denied on the grounds people had not shown a "justifiable need." "Law-abiding New Jersey citizens have been arbitrarily deprived of their ability to defend themselves and their families for years under the state's horribly crafted laws," said a SAF spokesman. "The law grants uncontrolled discretion to police chiefs and other public officials to deny license applications even in cases where the applicant has shown a clear and present danger exists."

The SAF filed a case on behalf of an honorably discharged veteran from the Vietnam War and names as defendants Attorney General Eric Holder and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of Jefferson Wayne Schrader. The question is whether the state of Maryland can deprive an individual of the right to possess a weapon over a misdemeanor. Schrader had been convicted of misdemeanor assault relating to a fight involving a man who previously had assaulted him in Annapolis. But he was denied the opportunity to receive a shotgun as a gift or to purchase a handgun for personal protection.

It filed a claim against Maryland for a man who alleges the state is violating the Second Amendment by refusing to renew his handgun permit. Raymond Woollard originally was issued a carry permit after a man broke into his home during a family event in 2002. Woollard's permit was renewed in 2005 after the defendant in the case was released from prison. But state officials now have refused to renew the permit, even though the intruder now lives some three miles from Woollard.

It sued Westchester County, N.Y., because officials there were requiring that residents have a "good cause" to ask for a handgun permit. The federal lawsuit alleges the requirement conflicts with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment establishes a personal right to "keep and bear arms." Individual plaintiffs in the case are Alan Kachalsky and Christina Nikolov, both Westchester County residents whose permit applications were denied.

The earliest case to result from the McDonald decision challenged a practice in North Carolina of banning guns during "emergencies." The case claimed state statutes forbidding the carrying of firearms or ammunition when officials declare "states of emergency" are unconstitutional. Further, the plaintiffs said a state law allowing the government to prohibit the sale, purchase and possession of firearms and ammunition is unconstitutional. WND reported when residents of King, N.C., were startled by the banishment of firearms during a "declared snow emergency."
The high court's 5-4 ruling in the first Chicago case was forecast to bring on such challenges.

It flipped "the burden onto the government and legislatures to show why they need to restrict what the court has already said is an individual right," John Velleco, director of federal affairs for Gun Owners of America, told WND after the decision.

There is other action on the state level regarding gun rights. Already, eight states have adopted laws that exempt guns made, sold and kept inside the states from any federal gun regulations.

A court case already is being heard over the effort in Montana – the first state to take the step of ordering federal regulators to stay out of the state business of regulating its citizenry's weapons.

In Wyoming, lawmakers even adopted a $2,000 penalty for federal agents trying to enforce federal regulations against an exempted weapon.

Source

PA: Dog alerts couple to intruder: "The wife told Channel 4 Action News reporter Ashlie Hardway that she had gone to the living room couch because she couldn't sleep, and sometime during the night, she heard an unusual-sounding bark from her dog and saw a man trying to break in. She said she called to her husband, who came downstairs with a gun and fired a warning shot first. Then, she said, he fired another shot that hit the man, who police identified as Elijah J. Malanosky, 30, of Cokeburg. State police in Belle Vernon are handling the case and will consult with the district attorney before deciding if any charges will be filed."


SC: Attempt to rob shoppers: "Myrtle Beach Police Captain Kevin Heins said, three people were assaulted after shopping at the Seaboard Street Walmart. It happened just after 1 a.m. in a parking lot across the street from the big box store in the 700 block of Oak Forest Lane. Captain Hines said two men approached the group. Hines believes one of the men pulled out a gun in the attempted armed robbery. Moments later, a man was hit in the head and a shot was fired, striking a woman in the leg, Hines said. Captain Hines also stated that he's not sure if the shooting was on purpose or if it was accidental. Myrtle Beach first responders rushed the gunshot victim to a local hospital. There's no word on her condition. In the meantime, police are searching for the armed suspects. They ran off after the second woman in the group showed her gun."


Colo: Invader shot: "Trinidad police say a homeowner was awaken Saturday around 2 a.m. by the sound of a knock at the front door and the door being forced open. The homeowner said he believed there were three to four men who had forced their way into the home. The homeowner grabbed his handgun and confronted the intruder, police said. The intruder ran out, yelling “He has a gun!” As the intruder was fleeing, the homeowner fired his weapon through the bedroom door and wall toward the fleeing men. After he believed all the men had fled the home, the victim went to his living room and saw blood. He then looked outside his home and saw a man lying face down on the front lawn. Police identified that man as 24-year-old Rory Davis Rodriguez. He had been fatally shot in the head.

NY: Home invader shot: "A Johnson City homeowner allegedly shot an intruder this weekend after the man tried to break down his front door. It happened at about 4:30 Sunday morning on Virginia Ave in the Village. JC Police say the burglar did manage to get inside and that's when the owner shot him. Police say the intruder was hit in the arm and is expected to recover. Names are not being released at this time. No charges have yet been filed. Police say the investigation is continuing.'


WA: 10-year-old shoots mom's attacker in face with BB rifle: "About 7 a.m., Paul R. Newman, 45, came home drunk to a room he was renting in the 2800 block of Valencia Street. Newman flew into a rage when he found his room was messy, Young said. Newman then kicked in the door to the victim's bedroom and began choking her. Her son was awakened by the commotion and tried to stop the assault by shouting at the attacker, Young said. When that didn't work, the boy smacked Newman with a wooden board, Young said. Newman ran outside to chase the boy, thinking he had left the house. The mother, 46, managed to lock the door, but Newman tried to get back in through an open window, Young said. He grabbed the mother by the arm as she was trying to shut it and refused to let go. The son then returned with a pump-action BB rifle. When Newman saw the rifle he threatened to kill the boy and the mother, Young said, so the boy shot him in the face as many as four times.The boy and his mother escaped and ran to a neighbor's home to call police, Young said. Newman was arrested"


Australia: Imprisoned for self-defense shooting: "Friedman was ambushed by both Matthews and Doherty in the restaurant's car park, who started punching him through the window. Friedman reached for the 1911 Steyr pistol in the car and fired one shot. The bullet travelled through the tricep muscle of Matthew's left arm and then hit Doherty in the chest and exited his lower back. Doherty died as a result. Matthews survived the shooting, but died last year of a drug overdose. Justice Dick noted that Friedman had been under immediate attack when he fired the shot but concluded his reaction did not amount to self-defence. She sentenced Friedman to eight years in prison, to be eligible for parole after serving two years and three months."


WA: State to pay attorney's fees in nightclub gun case: "An appellate court has ruled that the state must pay the attorney's fees of a Longview man acquitted last year of four counts of assault after he pointed a gun at bouncers and staff outside a downtown Longview nightclub. A Cowlitz County jury ruled last year that Barnd-Spjut was acting in self defense when he pointed his gun at staff outside the now-defunct Kesler's Bar and Grill. The bouncers had just forced him down a hallway and pushed him into an alley. Under state law, people acquitted by self defense are entitled to recoup trial-related expenses, including attorney's fees and lost wages, from the state. Now-retired Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Jim Warme overturned the jury's verdict ordering the state to pay Crandall's fees. Warme ruled that Barnd Spjut was not protecting himself when he waved the gun and was therefore not entitled to recoup attorney's fees. The appeals court ruled late last month that Warme "lacked the authority" to overturn the jury's verdict because the prosecutor didn't object to the fees during the trial."

TX: Grand jury refuses to indict in self-defense shooting: "A Live Oak County grand jury declined to indict a man related to a fatal shooting of a father and son in April near Lake Corpus Christi. Rick Hadley, 56, and William Everett Hadley, 30, of Corpus Christi were found dead April 22 by authorities in the 100 block of Lakepark Circle in south Live Oak County. Live Oak County Sheriff Larry R. Busby said the man and his son were shot with a handgun about 9:30 p.m. after they confronted and assaulted a 58-year-old man in his front yard. "He fired two warning shots in the ground, still telling them to leave and get out of there," Busby said. He said the men started to leave, but William Hadley decided to go back. The 58-year-old told Busby that he then shot William Hadley in the head as he stood on his front yard. "The father then yelled, 'You killed my son so I'm going to kill you,' and went after him," Busby said. The 58-year-old yelled at him to stop, and when he didn't, he shot him in the head, he said."


KY: Man shot during home invasion is identified: "The coroner's office has identified the man who was shot in the head following a struggle with a homeowner. Police say he was trying to steal items from the woman's home. 25-year-old Christopher Sanford died of that wound Monday. A woman who lives at the house on Blue Ash Drive returned home with her twin boys around 11 a.m. Sunday to find an intruder pointing a shotgun at her. The man said his wife, a Navy veteran and former military officer, lunged at the male suspect, struggling with him and the gun throughout the home before ending up in the front yard where the gun went off striking the suspect in the head, the man and authorities confirmed. Kentucky's Castle Doctrine allows citizens to defend themselves when they feel threatened in their home or car."


LA: Man shoots alleged burglar on property: "A Springfield man says he pulled a gun on an alleged burglar to protect his property, and his life, Tuesday morning. When the 71-year-old man got there, he knew something was wrong. He saw 18-year-old Aaron Church bolt out of the house, but he thought there was a second man inside. “Now it’s two on one, and he’s got something in his hand, so I let one go and down he went,” Casey says. “Turned out, it wasn’t a gun or anything, but I didn’t have time to think about what he was holding.” The bullet hit Church in the left arm. He was the only person involved in the attempted robbery. “I wanted to come home to my family,” Casey explains. “I don’t to be laying in the back of that house trailer with him driving away.”


Omaha can't enforce part of handgun ordinance: "A judge has barred Omaha from enforcing its ordinance that bars noncitizens who are legally in the United States from possessing handguns. U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon on Monday issued a preliminary injunction that orders Omaha not to enforce the ordinance until he can rule on a lawsuit. A Mexican national and two gun-rights organizations sued the city in September. Armando Pliego Gonzalez, the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association and the Second Amendment Foundation filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court. Gonzalez was given permanent resident alien status in 2008. While Gonzalez can legally own a handgun under Nebraska law, the city ordinance bars him from owning a handgun in his home for self-defense."

OH: Store clerk shoots, kills robbery suspect: "When Lamar Allen and another man entered a North Toledo carryout Monday and allegedly threatened a clerk with firearms and allegedly began emptying the register of cash, the clerk was ready for them. Allen, 25, whose last known address is 1029 Bronson Ave., was killed by the clerk about 9:45 a.m. at the Express Carryout, 1920 Mulberry St., in an exchange of gunfire. Shot more than once, he collapsed by the counter. The man with him fled. The clerk, whose name was not released, was uninjured but shaken, Toledo police said. Police did not say who shot first, citing an ongoing investigation. They are treating the incident as self-defense, Toledo police Sgt. Joe Heffernan said. They have questioned the clerk, and he is not in custody, he added."


CA: Smoke shop owner shoots, kills robbery suspect: "The owner of a South Robertson smoke shop shot and killed a suspect and injured another during an armed robbery. The incident happened shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday on the 1400 block of South La Cienega Boulevard near Alcott Street at Smoke 'N' Gifts. Authorities said two men tried to rob the store, armed with a gun. The store owner had his own gun and fired at the intruders. The owner told police that he feared for his life. According to police, both men were taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where one of them died. The other man was listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. The owner was taken away by police after the shooting and questioned. He was later released and has not been arrested. He didn't appear to suffer any injuries."


SC: In Bluffton tow truck slaying, a new test of the Castle Doctrine: "The case of Preston Oates, charged with manslaughter in the Bluffton shooting of a man over a booted truck, continues to work its way to trial but a curious legal challenge has emerged. In a nutshell, attorneys for Oates argue that the 'Castle Doctrine,' that oft allows for a permissible killing in defense of one's home, also should extend to Oates' action to shoot and kill Carlos Olivera to defend his property, the truck."

Did guns "walk" from Texas too?

Otilio Osorio was just 22 in October 2010 when he purchased a Romanian-made Draco AK-47 pistol in Joshua, just outside Fort Worth.

There was nothing remarkable about the sale until the gun, with its serial number obliterated, was identified as one of three weapons used to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata on a Mexico highway four months later.

Documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle show that at different points in 2010, two Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms divisions - Dallas and Phoenix - had evidence implicating Osorio well before drug gangsters gunned down Zapata and his partner Victor Avila, who survived.

But no one put it all together until agents in Dallas arrested Osorio in February, 13 days after Zapata's death and four months after Osorio purchased the deadly Draco.

Now the case of Osorio, as well as his ex-Marine brother Ranferi Osorio, and their next-door neighbor in the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Kelvin Leon Morrison, is exhibit A in an effort by congressional Republicans to uncover a Texas version of the flawed tactics used in the Phoenix-based Operation Fast and Furious.

More here




Wobbly self-defense law in Vermont: "When Patricia Billings fired a handgun at an intruder reportedly breaking through her bedroom window in Rutland Town last week, the legal ramifications were probably the furthest thing from her mind. In Billings’ case, police say the 49-year-old fired three rounds from a handgun at a man trying to enter her home on Tuesday. The intruder fled the property on Quarterline Road leaving behind no evidence that any of the bullets found the mark. As police continue to search for the home invader, state police Lt. Charles Cacciatore said the Rutland County State’s Attorney’s office has indicated that no charges should be brought against Billings for her actions during the incident. Billings could not be reached for comment. But Cacciatore said it is possible that police may be called on to investigate the attempted use of deadly force if the intruder — once found and arrested — files a complaint."

IN: Robbers pick tough target: "Police say a trio of armed robbers picked the wrong target, former South Bend Police officer John Collins. Collins, A-K-A "Big John," is a recently-retired 27-year veteran of the force. Big John was on his way home on Woodbine Avenue when police say three suspects tried to rob him with a sawed off shotgun. John told investigators he shot one of those suspects. Police say Collins had a gun in his coat, he fired two shots. The suspect,18-year old Presley Brown was struck by two bullets, in the foot and arm. Two of the three men showed up at Memorial Hospital and were later arrested."


W.Va.: Picketers turn out for right to carry arms "About a dozen gun enthusiasts picketed Friday afternoon in front of Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, but their real target was Berkeley County Prosecutor Pamela Games-Neely. Friday's picketers, all of whom wore guns, openly and concealed, belong to the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, a legislative lobbying group. They contend that the Second Amendment and West Virginia law gives them the right to carry guns on college and university campuses. The issue stemmed from the October arrest of Joshua Lee Beck, 26, a Blue Ridge Community and Technical College student and former Martinsburg correctional officer, who allegedly repeatedly violated the school's rules limiting the possession of firearms on campus. A sign on the school's main entrance reads: "No firearms or weapons allowed on this property." West Virginia law bans guns from elementary, secondary and vocational technical schools, but it's vague on banning them at colleges and universities"

IN: Suspect shot during armed robbery attempt: "A suspect in an attempted armed robbery of a convenience store in Jeffersonville was in critical condition Thursday morning at University Hospital in Louisville. Clark County Prosecutor Steve Stewart said police have told him a clerk in the Q Mart Convenience Store on Allison Lane near Middle Road shot a man in or right below the neck after the man allegedly pointed a gun at the clerk in a robbery attempt about 4 a.m. Thursday morning. Both the shooting victim and the clerk apparently had handguns, Stewart said. Another suspect fled and police were still looking for him Thursday, Stewart said. Stewart said the man shot during the attempted robbery wasn’t expected to survive. Based on what he has been told at this point, Stewart said, he believes charges won’t be filed against the clerk in what appears to be a case of self-defense"


TN: Attempted early morning robbery fended off with gunfire: "A Chattanooga Public Works employee turned the tables on a pair of suspects, who attempted to rob him Thursday morning. Calvin McGhee told police he was leaving a home on Drummond Drive, when the two armed men approached him. That's when the victim says he pulled out his own gun and fired. Police believe at least one suspect was hit, and say McGhee will not face charges. For years, Chattanooga Public Works employee Calvin McGhee has left for work just after sunrise. There was never a problem until Thursday morning. The two suspects who walked up to Calvin with guns drawn, took off running after he fired a couple rounds. Officers believe one of the suspects was hit. Police say a man who fit the suspects description was dropped off at a local hospital with a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the stomach."


AZ: Charges dropped against Scottsdale road rage suspect: "Criminal charges have been dropped against the prime suspect in a Scottsdale road rage case. However, authorities told CBS-5 News that Valley attorney David Appleton, 59, could still be charged with second degree murder at a later date. Appleton's attorney Richard Gierloff said that this is a clear sign prosecutors don't have a strong enough case and his client is telling the truth about acting in self-defense. Appleton told investigators that Pearson followed him into a parking lot, approached his car, then started choking him. That's when Appleton said he grabbed his gun and opened fire in self-defense. Chris Gooch has known Pearson for 12 years. He described his friend as a peaceful, mild mannered kind of guy, not someone who would attack a driver in an act of road rage."

No posts today due to cable service failure

Holder's Fast and Furious Coming Undone

November 15 proved another pivotal day in the gunwalking scandal known as Fast and Furious.

*Tim Stellar of the Arizona Daily Star reported "The case against the alleged killers of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry has disappeared from federal court records, apparently sealed by a federal judge." Stellar states after a May indictment against Manuel Osorio-Arellanos, charged with second-degree murder but not believed to be the shooter, records went missing and "nobody's talking."

Asked about the case, Debra Hartman, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego, which is prosecuting the case, said via email: "Yes, our office is handling the case and can't comment further."

*A group of House Republicans called a Capitol Hill press conference demanding Attorney General Eric Holder's immediate resignation. Representative Blake Farenthold (R-TX) challenged Holder to "tell us what you knew, tell us who else knew, do the right thing and take responsibility for the actions you authorized." Congressman Raul Labrador (R-ID) insisted Holder needs to go, "As our nation's top enforcer of the principles of law and justice, Mr. Holder has now lost credibility and should step down immediately."

*Eric Holder's old friend Kevin Ohlson who worked as his chief of staff under President Clinton in 1997 and from January 2009 to January, 2011 was nominated by President Barack Obama in September to a key post on the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

In anticipation of Thursday's confirmation hearing, John McCain the ranking Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent Ohlsen a November 10 questionnaire regarding his involvement in Fast and Furious.

Media reports have indicated that internal Department of Justice emails showed that Attorney General Holder was provided with information about the Operation as early as July, 2010. As Attorney General Holder's Chief of Staff and Counselor, when did you personally learn of the existence of the Operation and what was the extent of your knowledge in December, 2010? Do you believe your transfer in January,2011 was in any way related to the Operation of the slaying of Agent Brian Terry? If so, why?

Fox News reported on Tuesday Ohlsen denies any knowledge of or involvement in Operation Fast and Furious.

During my tenure as chief of staff and counselor to the attorney general, I took no actions in regard to, had no knowledge of, provided no advice about, and had no involvement in Operation Fast and Furious.

*The Daily Caller's Matthew Boyle reported the Department of Justice strategically withheld documents relating to earlier inquiries from Congressman Darrell Issa's office about Bush era programs like Operation Wide Receiver. The DOJ waited and released the information to hand-picked news outlets the night before Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Breuer neatly lumped together Operation Fast and Furious with Operation Wide Receiver in a PR ploy.

Emails between senior Justice Department officials and investigators in the office of Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley show that congressional staffers leading the investigation into Operation Fast and Furious requested information about Operation Wide Receiver -- a Bush administration program - and other similar cases, more than a full month before the DOJ leaked information to selected media outlets on October 31.

That Halloween document dump from the DOJ seemed calculated to depict Grassley's investigation as partisan in nature.

Holder is scheduled to testify again in front of Issa's House Judiciary Committee on December 8. Meanwhile, Brian Terry's parents have hired attorneys and are considering filing a wrongful death suit against the U.S. government. The Fast and Furious scandal is not going away. Clearly, the 'see no evil hear no evil' strategy coming from top government officials will only work for so long.

Source





FL: No charges will be filed in Naples fatal shooting: "The case involved Elizabeth Easterly, a clerk at Del’s 24-Hour Food Store on Thomasson Drive. Easterly told investigators she was working alone and had her two small children present the afternoon of Oct. 18 when Daniel Ramont Hernandez, 32, entered the store and began acting erratically. She said she grabbed a gun from underneath the counter and shot him once in the leg and then ran outside and yelled to the crossing guard that she needed help. Easterly then ran back inside the store to protect her children and saw Hernandez grabbing her infant daughter who was in a stroller. Hernandez ran outside the store and was detained by witnesses until deputies and paramedics arrived. He was taken to Naples Community Hospital where he later died."


MN: Man shoots burglar, gets charged? "A Sherburne County grand jury issued an indictment Nov. 3, charging Matthew William Morse with assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree, possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, and possession of a pistol after a crime of violence conviction. Morse, 34, claims he fired his gun in self-defense. The grand jury also issued an indictment charging Michael Travis Bergquist with two counts of burglary in the first degree, felony assault in the fifth degree, and trespass. Bergquist is the man who was shot."


House Overwhelmingly Passes National Right-to-Carry Gun Bill: "The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an important self-defense measure that would enable millions of Right-to-Carry permit holders across the country to carry concealed firearms while traveling outside their home states. H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, passed by a majority bipartisan vote of 272 to 154. All amendments aimed to weaken or damage the integrity of this bill were defeated. This bill does not affect existing state laws. State laws governing where concealed firearms may be carried would apply within each state’s borders. H.R. 822 does not create a federal licensing system or impose federal standards on state permits; rather, it requires the states to recognize each others' carry permits, just as they recognize drivers' licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards."

MI: Victims business partner broke up robbery with gun: "Police in Kalamazoo have arrested a man after he robbed a former classmate at gunpoint. The robbery happened around 8:30 Tuesday night in the 500 block of east Kalamazoo ave in the city of Kalamazoo. The robbery was broken up when the victim's business partner got a long gun and came to help the victim. The suspect fled the scene on foot and was able to make it away with some of the victims property, which included the victims car keys. When police got on scene the victim was able to tell them that he recognized the robber as a man he had attended high school with. Police used that information to track down the suspect"


CA: Suspect Shot, Killed in Botched Home-Invasion Robbery: "Two brothers, aged 23 and 24-years-old, were inside their home in the 800 block of W. 8th Street about 3:50 a.m. when two men forced their way inside, brandished guns and demanded money. The brothers fought back and struggled with the attempted robbers for control of the guns. During the commotion, shots were fired. Both robbery suspects and one of the brothers were struck by bullets, police officials said. One of the suspects, a 34-year-old San Bernardino man, sustained wounds to his upper body. He died at the hospital. The San Bernardino County Coroner's Office will release the man's name after his family has been notified about his death. The other suspect, Milton Rivera, 50, of San Bernardino, suffered wounds to his torso and leg and is expected to survive. The brother who was shot in the struggle sustained a non-life-threatening wound to the leg, officials said."


UK: two years to get a shotgun permit: "I had moved to London so handed in my certificate application at the local police station in Hampstead. The policeman that dealt with me was very polite but from his reaction it was pretty apparent that requests to keep a shotgun in NW London were few and far between. The first question he asked was “what is the intended use of the gun?” There were plenty of answers I could have given that would have stopped the process right there and then, but I refrained. The Spanish Inquisition began, and it took forever. The final piece of the process happened on a Saturday evening. We were sat watching TV and there was a knock on the door, not expecting anybody, we were a little surprised to be confronted by a policeman. He was visiting to inspect our flat to ensure that I would be able to keep a gun in a safe and secure manner should I be deemed worthy of a shotgun certificate. Remarkably I was issued a certificate but in the couple of years it took to be approved I had practically stopped shooting"