Guns save lives: "'Somebody tried to mug me, and I shot him,' said New Yorker Margaret Johnson after a perpetrator ripped off her necklace, choked her and tried to grab her purse, reported the New York media over the weekend. This incident offers a graphic illustration of the need for gun ownership on the part of law-abiding American citizens. It shows up the stupidity of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others like him who oppose a loosening of firearm laws and seek a strengthening of such regulations. Regardless of their intentions, the gun grabbers' campaign against gun ownership on the part of law-abiding citizens and against the firearm industry in effect is an attack on both personal and public safety. Guns save lives. Guns protect the innocent."


WI: Man shoots teen robber: "Police said a storeowner shot and killed one of two teenagers he said was trying to rob his Milwaukee store. Singh and his wife, Devinder Singh live above the store at 31st Street and Glendale Avenue. They said they heard noises around 1:30 a.m. Monday. Police said the 51-year-old took his gun, went downstairs and shot at the two teenagers, ages 17 and 18. The 18-year-old later died. Singh was taken into police custody, but was later released. Monday, his wife defended his actions. 'In this United States, we have the right to live our life, and we are not criminal. We are working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. My husband he drives a semi. He works more than me. So we have the right, and we have the right to kill if someone comes on my property like that,' Devinder Singh said."


NJ: Guns N Rollers airport terror t-shirt alert: "Keen security personnel at Birmingham International Airport ordered a man to turn his t-shirt inside out because it bore a drawing of two crossed guns. Staffordshire design engineer Dave Osbourne was wearing a Guns N Rollers t-shirt. Guns N Rollers are a team in 'an all-female roller derby league located in Portland Oregon,' according to their website. Their logo is a tribute to that of hard rocking, hard drinking, legendarily fractious LA band Guns N Roses. ... As he waited to board the flight to Newark, New Jersey, guards told Osbourne the graphic represented a security risk, and could upset other passengers. ... The 21-year-old said: 'I am all for extra security, but this was just plain stupid.' Bosses at the airport apologised, admitting guards over-reacted."

FL: Seizure law riles Cooper City residents: "Under the city law, once the city declares a state of emergency, officials would be able to regulate fuel and alcohol sales, close any place of public assemblage and prohibit public possession or display of firearms. In addition, they would be able 'to confiscate merchandise, equipment, vehicles or property needed to alleviate any emergency condition.'"



KY: Gun ban at parks challenged: "People may soon be able to carry guns, including concealed weapons, onto the grounds of Scott County's parks and other county-owned property. During Friday's Scott County Fiscal Court meeting, Judge-Executive George Lusby told the court he had received two letters from The Kentucky Coalition to Carry Concealed Inc. claiming signage at the Scott County park prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons is unlawful."


TX: Man with AK-47 helps thwart robbery: "When Arthur Winters saw two armed robbers terrorizing his neighborhood, he did the only thing he could think of: He asked his wife to bring him his AK-47. 'I had to get it to protect my family and the neighbors and all that,' Winters said. It was part of a series of events, including a fistfight, rock-throwing and haphazard gunshots, that hammered the plans of two robbery suspects Saturday afternoon, leaving one shot and the other stuck in the mud."

OH: Pols seek to make parks victim disarmament zones: "Now that a court has upheld Toledo's ban on guns in parks, Columbus should pass a similar law, Mayor Michael B. Coleman said yesterday. The statement came after a news conference in which Coleman showcased 1,000 guns that had been confiscated this year on Columbus' streets. Police picked up the sawed-off shotguns, AK-47s, Tec-9s and other guns at crime scenes and during traffic stops. Coleman wants officers to be able to arrest anyone carrying a gun in a city park and confiscate the weapon. A court ruling released last week by the 6 th District Court of Appeals in Toledo upheld that city's law banning guns in parks."


Murder in a victim disarmament zone: "Marta, its trains, buses, buildings, and even its parking lots have been declared by the Georgia General Assembly to be off limits to firearms under the penalty of a felony prosecution by the State, with the punishment being 1-20 years in prison and a $15,000.00 fine. See O.C.G.A. 16-12-127; 16-12-122(12); and 16-12-123(b). ... This morning, a man died at the hands of a criminal in a zone where the law of this State declares that he had no right to defend himself with a firearm. ... Is it not time to change these laws?"

All that Canadian gun control shows its usefulness: "A cold-faced gunman dressed in a black trenchcoat opened fire in a Montreal college, leaving a trail of blood and injury and sending students fleeing for their lives. Montreal police chief Yvan Delorme said police had shot and killed the single gunman, and 20 people had been injured. "Based on current information, the suspect was killed by the police," he told a news briefing. Montreal General Hospital said 11 people had been admitted with gunshot wounds, and six were in critical condition. Some of the injured were taken to other area hospitals".

British cops seize guns because they MIGHT be illegal: "Hundreds of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were seized from the home of a gun dealer yesterday by police investigating the supply of weapons to London’s black drugs gangs. Detectives from the unit Operation Trident, which investigates “black-on-black” gun crime, said that the guns haul was one of the biggest in the history of Scotland Yard. It will take days to discover whether any of the weapons kept by Michael Shepherd, a 55-year-old collector and licensed dealer, were illegal or were offered for sale to criminals".


MO: Man in critical condition after double shooting: "One man is fighting for his life after being shot in the chest early Wednesday morning in Kansas City, Mo. The other shooter, Mike Jones, was shot in the arm during the shootout that sent him to the hospital as well. He spoke to NBC Action News as he was returning home from the hospital and said he fired his gun in self-defense. 'I guess somebody tried to carjack me and shot through the window and I shot him, that's it,' Jones said. Reports indicate that one man came up from behind a van and went right up to his red Chevy Caprice. Shortly after, multiple shots rang out."

Killings make public fight back: "The stakes have changed this crazy and violent year. After the New Year's Day massacre of the Harvey family, the slaughter of the Tucker/Baskervilles a few days later, the recent abduction of Emily 'Kate' Robertson and Wednesday's shooting death of 60-year-old Holt Smith in the East End, allegedly by two teen robbers, no longer can residents assume that robbers, burglars and rapists are going to let them live. ...That's why our legislators must adjust the state's self- and home-protection laws so criminals violating our dwellings and lives will be the ones at risk. As it is now, if Anne had a gun Friday night and used it, she would have faced prosecution because it could be argued the burglar/robber was trying to get away."


The New York Times on guns: "I have a cartoon posted on my wall. ... I shall attempt to describe it: Two men are seen standing next to and setting up a large video camera. The camera is pointed at a rifle sitting on a stand on a table. One man is saying, 'It's an assault rifle. When it slinks off to kill someone we'll catch it on film.' I see this cartoon daily and I laugh at it all the time .... Clearly there's still some people who honestly believe that these inanimate metal objects are capable of independent thought and action. You can read about some of these people at the New York Times. The editorial is titled, 'The Toll of Small Arms.' Are there people who read these things and actually believe them?"

News from the pro-crime lobby: "But the last straw for American defenders of the God-given right to self-defense may have been the case of Melvin Spaulding, 71, arrested for attempted murder and held without bail in 2003 after he ran to the defense of a 63-year-old friend and neighbor being beaten by thugs in front of his home in St. Petersburg, Fla. -- shooting one of the assailants. In the end, charges were dropped and Mr. Spaulding's firearm was returned to him. But Floridians had had enough. In April 2005, with a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association at his side, Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill making it clear that victims have a right to defend themselves on the street, meeting 'force with force' without fear of being prosecuted."


A woman's right to choose: "A woman has the right to choose. Isn't that what everyone (especially the media) has been screaming for years? Well, I believe that, to an extent. A woman has the right to choose many things. A woman can choose what she wants to wear, what she wants to eat, where she wants to shop, what she wants to carry, and various other things. Yes, you read that correctly, the right to keep and bear arms does not just apply to men. Unfortunately, many women don't see it that way. Many women look at guns as scary weapons, instead of a great means of self-defense. Instead of choosing the right to arm themselves, women take useless self-defense classes. I am a strong believer that self-defense classes often cause more harm than good."


Reduced police numbers drives gun crime up: "Americans were robbed and victimized by gun violence at greater rates last year than the year before, even though overall violent and property crime reached a 32-year low, the Justice Department said Sunday. Experts said these increases buttress reports from the FBI and many mayors and police chiefs that violent crime is beginning to rise after a long decline. Bush administration officials expressed concern but stressed that it was too soon to tell if a new upward trend in violence had begun. Last year, there were two violent gun crimes for every 1,000 individuals, compared with 1.4 in 2004, according to the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. There were 2.6 robberies for every 1,000 persons, compared with 2.1 the year before... Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty listened to complaints about dwindling federal anti-crime aid from several dozen mayors and police chiefs at a public meeting in Washington... Esserman said all but few cities have fewer police officers now than in 2001, with big reductions in New York, Boston and Detroit "because of the loss of federal money."

IN: Homeowner shoots teen during robbery: "Police say a Kokomo man who answered his door after midnight found two would-be armed robbers on his porch. But he was armed, too. Police say one teenager is dead and another teen faces surgery after 61-year-old Michael Slonaker shot both suspects. The shooting occurred about 12:30am Wednesday. Police found 16-year-old Nathan Smith shot in the chest at the scene, where he was pronounced dead. His alleged accomplice, 17-year-old Justin Smith, went to the hospital with a wounded knee. He was being taken to Indianapolis for surgery. Slonaker told police he found two white males with a shotgun and a baseball bat waiting when he answered his door. Police say he fired two shots. Police say Slonaker is licensed to carry a firearm, but he doesn't need a permit to have one in his home."


Ailing NYC woman in scooter shoots would-be robber: "The man picked the wrong person to rob -- an ailing Harlem woman on a motorized scooter who pulled out a .357-cal. handgun and shot him in front of stunned passersby in broad daylight Friday, police said. Margaret Johnson, a 57-year-old licensed gun owner, was looking to fire her weapon, but it was supposed to be at a firing range, police said. She left her home with plans to go to the range. Instead, she was confronted from behind by Deron Johnson, no relation, police said. The 45-year-old ex-convict grabbed at the chain around the victim's neck, and snatched it from her, police said. But Margaret Johnson put up quite a struggle, police said, and was able to fire once from her handgun, striking the suspect in the left elbow. The suspect ran off, but was grabbed nearby by police and arrested. He was taken to Harlem Hospital Center in stable condition. Charges were pending. Margaret Johnson was questioned by detectives but will not be charged. "She was defending herself," a police source said. The suspect has nine previous arrests, police said. State records show he served eight years in prison for a drug conviction and was released in February 2003."


Another success for British gun bans: "A [black] teenager who was shot dead as he returned home from a youth club may have been mistaken for somebody else. Jessie James, a softly spoken 15-year-old who regularly helped his local pastor, was described by police as an innocent victim of gun crime who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was the youngest victim of lawlessness in Moss Side, the notorious inner-city suburb of Manchester, since Benji Stanley, 14, was caught in crossfire in 1993 as he queued for a takeaway meal. Jessie was hit by bullets from a semi-automatic pistol as he stopped to speak to a passer-by in Moss Side Community Park early on Saturday morning. He fell from his mountain bike close to a basketball court and died after being hit by three bullets. Two hit his torso and one lodged in his appendix."

GA: Would-be victim scares off carjacker: "Cobb County SWAT officers shot and killed a robbery and carjacking suspect early Tuesday evening, after a four-hour-long standoff with the suspect as he sat in someone's back yard in Smyrna. After the suspect allegedly tried to rob the person at the Publix shopping center, at South Cobb Drive and East-West Connector, police say he tried to carjack a man in a car with two children inside. Police say the man in the car fired at the suspect, forcing him to run off, with police in hot pursuit."


Meaning of Lieberman's defeat to gun owners: "Both Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Ned Lamont who defeated him in the Connecticut Democrat primary are anti-gun. Nevertheless, gun owners should pay attention to the outcome of this race. Indeed, anyone interested in survival should pay attention. From all that anyone can determine, the only issue that separated Lieberman and Lamont is the war against terrorists. Lieberman, although an enemy of personal self defense, was an unabashed supporter of defending America from Muslim crusaders intent on killing every man, woman and child on earth who does not proclaim themselves to be Muslim... The Democrat Left's support of terrorists derives from self-hatred. They are convinced that Americans, and Westerners in general (but also including African Christians who were slaughtered without a peep from the Left), are the source of violence and resentment in the world. Because we have caused the problem, they believe, we deserve to be attacked. This belief is so deep set that the Left believes self defense and retaliation are morally unacceptable.... If Lieberman's defeat is a harbinger of future elections, any Democrat who believes in self defense, be it personal or national, can expect to get the same treatment. And of course, Republicans can expect to get more of the same as long as they support self defense. The issue of our age is self defense. The Democrat Left has drawn a line in the sand in Connecticut. They are against survival.

AZ: Court rules self-defense law retroactive: "Ruling on a legal issue at play in cases across the state, an appellate court ruled Tuesday that a new law on self defense applied retroactively to pending cases in which alleged crimes had already been committed.Overturning a ruling by a Pima County Superior Court judge, a three-judge Tucson panel of the Arizona Court of Appeals said a murder defendant awaiting trial in a 2004 homicide can cite the new law in his trial.The issue is already pending before the state Supreme Court because of an appeal filed in a Maricopa County case. The same issue is also being appealed in a Coconino County case.The new law, which took effect immediately upon Gov. Janet Napolitano's signature on April 24, is more favorable to defendants than a now-replaced statute."


Stop the McCarthy gun grab: "Because of the recent Labor Day holiday, you might have missed an important alert that GOA sent out on August 29. The House Judiciary Committee is getting ready to vote on H.R. 1415 -- a gun grab bill that was introduced by New York anti-gun liberal [sic] Carolyn McCarthy (D). The anti-gun forces are asking their members to call their Representatives in favor of McCarthy's bill, so it's important that your Congressman hears from you. Moreover, GOA is the only gun lobby on Capitol Hill opposing McCarthy's bill -- which is all the more reason that your action is crucial!"

PA: Elderly man fights off armed robber: "An attempted armed robbery recently occurred at the residence of Harry Lewis, 81, of Covington, Pa. At 12:50 a.m. Saturday, an unknown male knocked on Lewis' door and said he needed help, state police said.When Lewis opened the front door, the unknown male pulled a white, knitted scarf over his face and forced his way into the residence, according to state police from Mansfield. The intruder had a claw hammer and threatened to hit Lewis if Lewis did not give him his wallet and money, police said. Lewis tried to hit the robber with a flashlight, and a struggle between the two ensued, police said. Lewis wrestled the robber to the floor and then went to retrieve a gun, police said. While Lewis was retrieving the gun, the robber fled the scene in an unknown direction, police said."


TX: Homeowner shoots, kills burglar: "As most families were sleeping soundly early Labor Day morning, a local homeowner shot and killed a man who smashed through the back door of his home. 'The homeowners, who were asleep, awoke to a living nightmare,' said Seguin Police Department public information officer Aaron Seidenberger. 'A person had broken into their home, and now they were violently struggling to get the suspect to leave.' After breaking into the home at 798 Renee St. at 5:20 a.m., the man made his way down the hallway to the homeowners' bedroom, where the husband and wife awoke. The male homeowner physically struggled with the burglar, who had armed himself with a wooden club-like object he found inside the home, police said. The homeowner retrieved a gun from his bedroom and yelled for the man to leave. When the burglar charged, the homeowner shot the man at least once in the upper torso with a .40 caliber handgun, said Police Chief Luis Collazo. ... He was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Darrell Hunter."

OH: Robed ninnies repeal 2nd Amendment: "The city can ban firearms in city parks despite a state law that allows Ohioans to carry hidden guns, a state appeals court ruled on Friday. The 2-1 ruling from the 6th District Court of Appeals could affect other cities that ban concealed handguns in its parks. The court upheld the city's ban because it said the state law gives private property owners the right to ban handguns thus making the state law not a 'general' law."


UT: man shot in self-defense, prosecutors say : "He called it self-defense and prosecutors agreed with him. Two weeks ago, Ryan McManigal fired at alleged intruders at his home. He went outside in pursuit and fired more shots. Three stray bullets went into the homes of neighbors. 'I did what I had to do man, got to protect your house,' McManigal told ABC4 News. 'They were going to try and kill me.' This week the Salt Lake District Attorney determined that McManigal was justified in protecting himself."

"Pro-gun" groups disagree on background check bill: "A Second Amendment group is warning gun owners that a 'massive gun control bill' is now working its way through Congress -- and is surprisingly close to becoming law. Gun Owners of America also admits that it is the only national pro-gun group to oppose the 'NICS Improvement Act of 2005' (H.R. 1415). Introduced by gun control advocate Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, H.R. 1415 is intended to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which screens would-be gun buyers for mental problems or criminal convictions that would bar them from buying guns. ... GOA argues that the bill will allow for an enormous data dump from the states to the federal government -- 'laying the infrastructure for even more gun control in the future.' ... The National Rifle Association takes a less ominous view of the bill. 'This bill ... would improve availability of criminal history and other records for conducting background checks on firearm buyers,' says an analysis on the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action website."


FL: Eatery workers, suspects trade shots: "Employees and two suspects traded shots about 11:30 p.m. outside the back door of Froggers Grill and Bar Southwest on Conroy-Windermere Road, reports state. Having been robbed a week earlier while taking out the trash, both kitchen workers told police they armed with themselves with .40-caliber and 9 mm pistols before doing the chore Sunday night, reports show. The kitchen workers told police they stepped outside and were confronted by two men armed with a rifle and a pistol who ordered them to drop to their knees. Then one of the suspects fired a shot without striking either man, reports show. The employees opened fire, and the suspects fled by jumping a fence."

TX: Tale of 2 robberies: "A would-be robber was critically wounded and an apartment resident died during two separate home robberies. The first happened at an apartment complex in the 4500 block of Cedar Springs. According to reports, three suspects forced their way inside a unit at the Tecali Apartments. Officials said the resident jumped out of the window of his upstairs apartment and died at the scene. ... About two hours later and 20 minutes away in the 9400 block of Royal Lane, another man forced his way into an apartment. This would-be robber was met with an armed tenant. The alleged suspect was shot multiple times and transported to Baylor Hospital in extremely critical condition."


Don't be a victim: "My second motto for living is 'Don't be a victim.' I adopted it in the early nineties when a mob of anti-gunners was pushing to disarm peaceful, law-abiding U.S. citizens. I'd heard about the experiences of people who had been disarmed in other countries. After their guns were turned in, they became instant cash machines for hoodlums. Burgling, robbing, and mugging went from being very risky stints (as in risking one's life for each attempt) to highly profitable enterprises (as in raking in cash with no resistance). So I figured if anti-gunners had their way, predators would automatically assign me the rank of 'victim.'"

Customizing guns for home defense: "While it's easy these days to buy a gun that's designed specifically for home defense, it can be just as simple to turn a long gun or handgun that you inherited or bought for another purpose into a terrific home-defense tool. Customizing the gun doesn't have to be expensive or difficult, and in some cases the modifications don't even have to be permanent, allowing you to return the gun quickly to its original condition for its original purpose."



VA: Gun dealer facing suit stands firm: "Dennis Alverson said he has received offers from New York City to settle a lawsuit the city brought against his Old Dominion Gun & Tackle shop in Danville. No deal. ... In Danville, Alverson bristles at the suggestion that he is a rogue dealer and notes he is in compliance with all state and federal regulations. 'If we were doing anything wrong, we would not be in business because [the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] would shut us down,' he said. Alverson said his clients know he has done nothing wrong and the suit has not affected his business."

Limit gun violence by empowering responsible citizens

As Seattleites emerge from their state of shock over the July 28 shooting spree at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, there no doubt will be discussions on how to prevent a repeat of this kind of monstrous evil, whether perpetrated as a form of decentralized terrorism inspired by anti-Semitism, or as an act of a deranged individual. Predictably, there will be cries to restrict the instruments of Naveed Afzal Haq's actions — firearms — as a means to control violence of this sort in the future. Coming on the heels of another shooting spree in March of this year on Capitol Hill, there will be much political temptation to be seen to be "doing something."

And legislating more restrictions on the right to keep and bear firearms is often viewed as an emotionally satisfying and politically convenient way to meet that psychological need to do something — anything — in the aftermath of a tragedy like this. But that inclination is misguided on two points, one based on principle and the other on practicality. First, as a matter of principle, a free, open society like ours does not, and ought not, preemptively restrict freedom of the general population out of fear that a small criminal minority would misuse that freedom.

Just as the fact that a few pedophiles use the Internet to trade child porn should not move the society to restrict access to the Internet for the public at large, neither should the right of the vast majority of responsible, law-abiding citizens to own and carry guns be sacrificed in the false hope that criminals would then be constrained.

Second, as a matter of practicality, such a restriction on guns does nothing to curb violence. Even if legal firearm ownership were completely banned today, no serious person would argue that we could eradicate the availability of firearms on the black market. Those who intend to harm others will still be able to get guns — illegally. Those who are unable to do so, but still harbor criminal intents, will use other means to inflict harm. In England, for example, a man went on a slashing spree with a sword at a church in 1999; and early this year, a recent University of North Carolina graduate, a native of Iran, plowed into a crowd with a sport utility vehicle "to avenge Muslim deaths."

Guns, knives and any other conceivable arms are obviously banned in our prison system, but despite the most strenuous control measures, people are still assaulted and murdered at prisons, often with improvised weapons. It is a fact of life that there will always be those few, for whatever reasons, who seek to inflict physical harm upon others even in the most benign of utopias.

Then what are we to do as a society? What we ought to do is precisely the opposite — to encourage a responsible, armed citizenry. Of course, I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not encourage vigilantism. I am not suggesting that people arm themselves and go looking for trouble. You leave that to the professionals who get paid to take the risk.

Nor am I suggesting that an armed citizen could have entirely prevented the Jewish Federation attack. But an armed citizen defending his school, church, synagogue or home could mitigate the extent of the casualty level should such a calamity strike again (as happened in Pearl, Miss., in 1997, when an assistant principal interrupted a school shooting by retrieving his gun from his car — ironically it was illegal for him to bring a gun to school — and holding the suspect at bay until the police arrived).

Despite what some politicians and groups say, there is no magic solution for curbing murderous violence. We cannot ban mechanical objects and expect twisted human beings to cleanse evil from their souls suddenly. Furthermore, in a free, open society like ours, where we all live with some degree of mutual trust and a social contract to not do harm to each other, there is no reliable way of preemptively stopping someone intent on harming others. The only thing we can do is to try to limit the damage by continuing to empower the majority of law-biding, decent individuals with the freedom to defend themselves.

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KS: Man found not guilty in shooting "A Butler County jury has returned a not guilty verdict in a case involving a shooting last year in El Dorado. Bart M. Thomison, 21, had been charged with murder in the second degree or, in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter. That was in connection with the shooting death of Joshua Freed, 19, at about 11 p.m. on the night of Aug. 18 of last year. The shooting occurred as the result of a confrontration between Thomison and Freed in a driveway at a residence in the 1200 block of Douglas Road."

NY: Bloomberg stalls on releasing evidence: "More than three months after Mayor Bloomberg's announcement that he had sent private investigators into five states to catch gun dealers making illegal sales, he is refusing to turn over the evidence they've gathered to the federal agency that investigates illegal guns. Analysts said the impasse may have slowed the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in its investigation of and possible action against gun dealers that broke the law."


MS: Police probe shooting; "Two men with gunshot wounds were discovered in a pickup in a south Jackson neighborhood Monday afternoon shortly after two neighboring business owners reported shooting at armed, masked men who had attempted to enter one of the businesses. ... Shortly after 3 p.m., workers at the Fairhill Drive address saw the men in front of the house, and police were called. About 15 minutes earlier, an attempted robbery was reported at J Town Auto Sales, 1500 U.S. 80 West. The owner reported firing at least two to three shots, Vance said. The men then ran west down U.S. 80 and passed Standard Shift Transmission next door. One of the men ran toward the owner, who also fired shots at them, Vance said. An employee at the transmission shop who didn't want to be identified said the business owner fired at one of the men after he pointed a gun at him."

What gun grabbers do when they can't grab guns: "They sue the gun owners. Here's a summary of what's going on. The City of New York hires a bunch of private investigators to go into gun stores in pairs to buy guns. While in the store one investigator does all the talking -- asking questions about the gun, etc. -- while the other one fills out the paperwork for the required background check. The gun shop owner then runs the background check and sells a weapon to the man who filled out the paperwork, not the man who was asking all the questions."


Canadians finally face reality: "Canada announced it will arm its border guards following a number of border incidents in which guards abandoned their posts when they felt threatened by reports of armed fugitives headed their way. Canada has unarmed guards along its 6,435km border with the US, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that the guards will now be armed, as their US counterparts are. "There have been numerous examples of officers leaving their posts because they simply weren't equipped to deal with the kind of threat that was anticipated to come over the border," Harper said at a border crossing in Surrey, British Columbia. The union that represents the guards said between 400 and 600 officers have refused work over the past 18 months because of the dangers encountered with criminals approaching the border. The government plans to arm and train its 4,500 border agents over the next 10 years. Harper said some will be armed from September next year and about 150 will receive weapons by the end of March 2008."

Do gun owners really want to stop attacks?: "On July 14, 2006, I did a column on the Richard Celata raid conducted by the FBI, Canadian BATF and the U.S. BATFE .... At the end of that column, I once again urged all gun owners to get the Dr. Edwin Vieira CD and begin the process of educating their state legislators as to the true meaning of the Second Amendment and the absolute necessity of reconstituting the organized militias of the Several States. If this critical mission were successful, there would be no more Angel Shamayas or Richard Celatas. ... Here's the latest on Richard's situation and I wonder if gun owners who only want someone else to fight for their Second Amendment rights even give a damn: Due to the stress of the raid and all the legal burdens, this past week Richard's wife miscarried and their baby died. They named her Grace Evangeline. There are no words to describe how I felt when I read Richard's mail letting me know how heart broken they were. After the feeling of utter sorrow, then came the rage. This increasingly draconian government is running amok because the feminized men of this country protect it with their fear, laziness or territorial imperatives for fund raising or membership drives."


Now is the time to kill the McCarthy gun grab: "Gun Owners of America has alerted you on a couple of occasions to a massive gun control bill that is currently working its way through Congress. H.R. 1415, introduced by New York anti-gun liberal Carolyn McCarthy (D), authorizes nearly $1 billion to the states to vastly expand upon the unconstitutional gun laws already on the books. (McCarthy, whose husband was killed by a lunatic who attacked dozens of unarmed commuters on a Long Island train, ran for Congress on a campaign to ban guns.) McCarthy and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) first introduced this bill in 2002 after a tragic shooting at a Long Island Catholic church. ... What is surprising, however, is how close this bill is to becoming law under congressional leadership that claims to be pro-gun."

First guns, then swords, then .....? "Swords will be banned from sale in Scotland in a new effort to tackle the country's "booze and blades" culture. Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, will announce the move today. However, it is understood that exceptions will be made for weapons required for religious, cultural or sporting purposes. Retailers yesterday claimed the move was an over-reaction, as swords constitute just 1 per cent of knife crime. Ms Jamieson, who has the backing of the police, will also launch a range of measures to restrict the sale of non-domestic knives, including hunting knives, bowie knives and machetes. Almost 30 people are admitted to hospitals in Scotland every week with wounds from bladed instruments. Earlier this month, a Glasgow man was jailed for killing a woman with a sword. In a recent amnesty, more than 12,500 lethal blades, machetes and swords were handed over to police.... Gordon Nicolson, of Nicolson Highlandwear, expressed concern for the future of Scotland's sword manufacturers, who sell the items to collectors around the world. "It is part of our history and part of our culture and we have to be able to use it," he said. "In certain circumstances, it is required to give authenticity to our heritage and to throw that away in a blanket ban seems nonsensical." ... Campaigners argue that a ban is an unwarranted infringement of the rights of swordspersons, including collectors, martial artists, sports fencers, Highland dancers and historical re-enactors."



Australian gun bans at work -- gun crime doubles: "Crime across the state is either stable or declining, according to the latest crime statistics, but there remain significant pockets of problems. In the 17 categories measured by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, none registered a significant increased over the last two years, while three dropped: break and enter, car theft and stealing from a dwelling... There are still some problems. In inner Sydney, robberies with a firearm increased by 111 per cent over the last two years, robberies without a firearm went up 44 per cent in Canterbury-Bankstown, shoplifting in the Eastern Suburbs went up by 26 per cent, and fraud went up by a quarter in Blacktown."

Realistic females in Colorado: "Stop! I have a gun. Leave my house," shouted the 11-year-old girl. And with the words barely out of her mouth, Noel Smith opened fire. Any intruder would be dead on his back, but this was just practice. Noel, along with seven other women, was practicing her marksmanship at a session of Girls and Their Guns, a summer-long program that teaches women how to shoot and about gun safety. On the crisp Saturday morning at the Minturn firing range, shots echoed across the valley leaving the smell of gunpowder lingering in the air. Noel cocked her head, squinted her eyes, placed one leg in front of the other and squeezed the trigger. Five women lined up next to her in variations of the same stance. "I've always wanted to know what guns were like and how they were used," said Noel, who's been shooting for nearly two years and learned of the program from her karate teacher, Mathew Bayley, who teaches the gun class. "When I heard he was doing this, I really wanted to try it. ... I've been stuck to it ever since."


CA: Sheriff's deputies cleared in tasing death: "The Monterey County District Attorney's Office has completed its review of the death of Jaime Coronel, 27, from an officer-involved tasing in Castroville on Jan. 24. The office concluded that none of the deputies involved committed a crime, acting reasonably in self-defense and in defense of others. The office also determined that deputies used only the amount of force reasonably necessary to arrest or detain Coronel, to prevent his escape or to overcome resistance. The report details about 35 minutes of deputies' efforts to safely subdue Coronel atop a rooftop in Castroville the night of Jan. 24. A coroner's report determined Coronel died of acute methamphetamine and cocaine intoxication, with contributing conditions of Taser application and struggle with police. The coroner ruled the death "of accidental causes and origin."


Mad Iowa woman gets let off lightly: "Rachel Huggins,18, says she shot the man who sexually abused her. Monday she admitted to buying a shotgun, driving to Peter Sciarrotta's house, and shooting him the chest. Huggins faced up 75 years jail time for the shooting. But she will likely serve only a few. Monday, under a plea bargain, Huggins received two 5-year sentences that will run consecutively at the correctional facility near Oakdale. The sentence carries no maximum minimum, meaning she could be paroled at any time. Huggins told the court that she was a victim herself. In 2004, she accused sciarrotta of sexually abusing her. On the day of the shooting, Huggins was not taking her medication for her bipolar disorder. But she told the judge she knows what she did was wrong. Sciarrotta was investigated but never charged with sexual abuse. He was not at Monday's sentencing. A family member told Channel 13, that Sciarotta has recovered from the shooting and just returned to work at the Newton Correctional facility last week".

South Africa: Man shoots, kills burglar: "A home owner shot dead a burglar in his house at Sundra near Delmas, Mpumalanga police said on Tuesday. Inspector Thabiso Ncongwane said two men broke into Nicholas Botha's house on Monday morning. Botha was woken up by noise and found the pair trying to steal from him. "Botha, 38 , fired two shots with his 3.57 rifle and (hit) one of the suspects in his chest." The man died at the scene. Ncongwane said the other suspect managed to escape but that fingerprints left at the scene would help police to find him. "Botha was not arrested as it was self-defence, but the prosecutor will make the final decision on the matter," he said."


OH: Rape victim gets practical: "Twenty-three years ago three men broke into Cathy Lindsey's Middletown home, tied her up and raped her. Now she's steeling her nerves and preparing herself for two of those men to be released from prison. She still has nightmares and rarely leaves her house alone. Lindsey says she's ready but also scared for her safety because one of the men, Richard Reed, Jr., plans to return to her community after he's released Monday. Some counselors recommend joining support groups and filing restraining orders. Lindsey filed the orders and is preparing to take things into her own hands if need be. She's learning self defense and her husband has taught her how to shoot".

Gun Control: Rebuttal to James Alan Fox : "Guns are not the root cause of our violent society. In fact, the U.S. non-gun homicide rate (3.6 non-gun homicides per 100,000 residents) is double the overall homicide rate in virtually all our kindred nations, including Great Britain, Canada and Australia.' He notes that 'firearms do make violent attacks far more lethal.' And this is also true: Firearms make self-defense more lethal and more costly to the predator. A previous paper noted the accelerated drop in the rate of rape in right-to-carry states 1995-2004. Further corroboration comes from the fact that while the U.S. rate of rape dropped 13% between 1995 and 2004, two countries saw just the opposite trend since enacting their gun bans."


CT: Mayor withdraws gun ordinance: "Montville Mayor Joseph Jaskiewicz is withdrawing a proposed ordinance regulating target shooting. About 175 people attended a town council meeting last week in opposition to Jaskiewicz's proposal, which has gained the attention of the National Rifle Association. Jaskiewicz proposed the ordinance after it was discovered the state regulates hunting, but not target shooting. It also came shortly after John Dufrat, chief warden of the Milo Light Nature Preserve, became concerned about a neighbor's increased shooting near the preserve. In withdrawing the ordinance, Jaskiewicz said 'this ordinance was drafted with the intent of assuring the public's safety with respect to target shooting, certainly never to take anyone's rights away.'"

GA: Self-defense law may aid accused shooter: "A former Gainesville businessman could fend off aggravated assault charges with the help of a self-defense bill signed into law earlier this year, the man's attorney said. Troy Millikan, who represents 47-year-old Anderson Bobo Briscoe, said his client's actions on Mother's Day 2005 are now protected by a statute known as the 'Stand Your Ground' bill, which was signed into law in April. Hall County authorities arrested Briscoe on May 8, 2005, after they say he shot Raymond F. Richardson, 65, of Gainesville following a domestic dispute on River Road Circle. Richardson was shot twice in the chest with a 9 mm, but survived. Briscoe later turned himself in and was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a gun during the commission of a felony. Briscoe, former owner of Briscoe's Boot Country, was indicted late last year before Gov. Sonny Perdue signed the 'Stand Your Ground' bill. But Millikan, who has filed a motion in Superior Court, said he will argue that Briscoe is 'immune' from prosecution because of the statute."


Self defense a matter of dignity: "Why shouldn't criminals live in fear instead of the good guys? Many cities in the Bay Area have astronomical murder rates. Why should a law-abiding citizen have to be unprotected? Why should I have to wear a Timex instead of a Rolex because the county sheriff or the state will not allow citizens the dignity of self protection?"

Sneak attack on gun owners: "They're at it again. Gun-control advocates and their friends in state government are once again trying to nibble away at your right to own firearms. But you've got to hand it to them, as they're quite crafty. This latest proposal, which is merely a retread of Gov. Ed Rendell's 2002 campaign proposal to restrict firearm ownership, would limit handgun purchases to one per month. It all sounds relatively mild. After all, who would want to purchase more than one handgun per month?"


OH: Property owner charged in teen's shooting: "A man who told police he was annoyed by trespassers at his house considered spooky by local teens was charged Wednesday with shooting and critically wounding a teenager whom authorities say might have been looking for a scare. The 17-year-old girl and her friends got out of their parked car about 10 p.m. Tuesday near the home by Walnut Grove Cemetery and heard what they thought were firecrackers, Worthington Police Chief Mike Mauger said. They got back in the car, went around the block and heard more of what turned out to be gunshots, Mauger said. Allen S. Davis, 40, was charged with five counts of felonious assault. 'He admitted to never calling the police (about trespassers), but it just had been occurring and he got frustrated and he was upset saying someone trespassed on his property and he was protecting his property,' police Lt. Doug Francis said."

FL: Intruder shooting justified: "Law enforcement officers and attorneys say the local woman who fatally shot an intruder at her Navy Point home would have been protected by state law even before the 'Stand Your Ground' law. Rhonda Eubanks, 57, a Baptist Hospital nurse, was alone Sunday night at her home on Gilliland Road when she shot Vincent Demond Wesley, 29, of Pensacola, in the head with a .38-caliber handgun, Escambia County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Ward said Tuesday.It was the second time Wesley charged toward Eubanks."


One life Britain's gun bans did not save: "A boy of 12 has died after being shot in the eye with an air rifle while playing in a bedroom with his two best friends. Mitchel Picken, who excelled at several sports, was injured at lunchtime last Thursday and died in hospital two days later. His two friends, both aged 12, were arrested and held in custody for six hours. They were released on bail pending further inquiries. They were said to be utterly distraught. The dead boy’s parents said last night that they could not begin to describe their grief. It is thought that the three boys were “messing around” in a bedroom at one of their homes in Stoke-on-Trent, when the shot was fired. No adults were at home at the time." [Ban everything!]

OH: Charges dropped after officer shot by relative: "Charges were dropped Wednesday against a New Franklin man who fatally shot his brother-in-law, an off-duty Akron police officer, during an argument. A Summit County grand jury declined to indict Jacob Carlson, 32, who was charged with murder after shooting Michael Beitko, of Akron, on July 26. Carlson claimed self-defense. Beitko and his wife, Suzanne, were visiting Carlson and his family at Carlson's New Franklin home when Beitko began arguing with his wife, officials said. Carlson's wife, Jenny -- Beitko's sister -- called police at 9:29 p.m., saying her brother was drunk and fighting with his wife. Beitko's four children were present, too. The fight escalated and Carlson, wearing a neck brace because of a swimming injury, shot Beitko."


OH: Anti-gunners' CCW predictions were lies: "Thanks to a remark by Robert Cornwell, executive director of the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association, it is now clear that the gloom-and-doom predictions about licensed concealed carry in Ohio were all lies, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said today. Cornwell was quoted by the Associated Press noting, 'Those with the concealed carry licenses have been good, law-abiding citizens. The worst-case scenarios that were put out there about the gunfight at the OK Corral didn't come to fruition.'"

MS: Clerk shoots robber: "A man was shot Monday night while attempting to rob a liquor store on Bailey Avenue in Jackson, police Cmdr. Lee Vance said.About 9:20 p.m., a woman working at the store reported to police that a man wearing a handkerchief over his face tried to rob B's Package Store at 1804 Bailey Ave., Vance said. She said that she fired two shots, hitting the man at least one time in the stomach area."


SC: Homeowner shoots, kills intruder: "An apparent home invasion ended in gunfire, and one of the accused burglars shot dead. The Richland County Sheriff's Department says two men forced their way into a home on Ferrell Rd., off Two Notch Road near Fontaine, and began shooting. The homeowner returned fire, shooting and killing one of the suspects. The other suspect fled."


National carry must be signed: "It's time for Congress to do the right thing and take action on the right to carry for those who have concealed carry licenses. Last year, Congress passed a law, and it was signed by President Bush, to allow police officer and retired police officers to carry all over the United States. Now they need to do this for holders of concealed carry permits. Right now, if you are issued a license to drive a car in one state. it is good in another state. The concealed carry permit should be the same."

FL: Woman fatally shoots intruder: "A scared woman -- Pam Hagan: 'Very upset. My sister is not able to come out of the house. She's traumatized by Saturday night's shooting.' Hagan's sister, a woman in her 50's, fatally shot 29 year old Vincent Wesley, after Escambia County Sheriff's deputies say Wesley tried to enter her Pensacola home twice that night. According to reports, Wesley climbed the woman's fence, approached the house, and began shaking her door. When she showed him a gun, he ran off, but he wasn't done. According to deputies, Wesley then ran out to the street, tried to carjack someone, and came back to the woman's home when the carjacking was unsuccessful. Hagan: 'At that time, my sister is trying to close the door. When she came out to close the door, her house door closed and locked behind her and there she was, face to face, with a man coming at her. He never said a word to her. She fired once. It didn't stop him. She fired a second time and he went down."


TN: Assailant shot dead by victim: "A Rocky Mount man was shot and killed this weekend after allegedly attacking a Whitakers man in his own house, and authorities on Monday cleared the shooter of any wrongdoing. Authorities said Leroy Thorpe acted in self-defense when he shot 27-year-old Tavaras T. Pittman of Western Avenue once in the chest with a shotgun. Two other Whitakers men were charged with beating Thorpe and another man with a baseball bat before the 59-year-old Thorpe fired the fatal shot at the trio, Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said."


UK: What you do when gun bans don't help: "A crackdown on the sale of swords has been launched as part of a campaign to tackle knife crime and violence. Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson announced laws to ban swords unless sold for legitimate reasons. Shops selling swords will need a licence, as will businesses dealing with non-domestic knives and other bladed weapons such as machetes. The measures are the latest steps from the Scottish Executive to curb the problem of knife crime."

CA: Would-Be Robber Critically Injured: "An attempted robbery of a Sherman Oaks pharmacy went awry Friday, after a store employee shot the suspect several times, police said. The robbery attempt was made at Maxsons United Drugs, 14070 Ventura Blvd., at 5:25 p.m., Los Angeles police Officer Jason Lee said. The robber was was shot several times in the chest by the store's owner, Lee said. It's not immediately clear whether the robber was shot with his own gun or a different weapon. "It's not clear how the employee got hold of the handgun, but he fired several rounds, striking the suspect in the chest," Lee said. "The suspect ran out and got into a waiting getaway car -- a black VW Golf -- and a few minutes later was dropped off at a hospital." The suspect is in critical condition, and its not known if he will survive his wounds. The second suspect, who drove the getaway car, turned himself into the LAPD's West Valley Station at 11:10 p.m., Sgt. Don Muniz said. "The suspect that... attempted this robbery tonight is in very critical condition," LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore said. "Whether he'll survive these injuries is not yet known. The would-be robber was wearing body armor, Lee said. "It's very concerning because they're anticipating being shot... and acting in the face of that"


New Orleans: Judge says RKBA suit can proceed: "The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today won a key battle in an on-going lawsuit against the City of New Orleans, when a federal judge rejected the city's motion to dismiss the case. SAF took New Orleans to court last year to stop illegal confiscation of firearms from private citizens in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Defendants in the case are the city, Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley. SAF was joined in the historic lawsuit by the National Rifle Association."

TX: Bar Owner Shoots, Kills Would-Be Robber: "A bar owner fatally wounded a would-be robber who was armed with a BB gun early Friday. Bexar County sheriff's deputies said that a 21-year-old man walked into the Old Soldiers Club in the 6200 block of Binz-Englemen Road told at 1 a.m. armed with what appeared to look like a .45 caliber handgun. The weapon, though, actually turned out to be a BB gun. When the man tried to rob the bar, the bar owner fired a single gunshot wound to the man's chest, killing him at the scene, deputies said. The man has not been identified. The bar owner is not expected to face charges since his actions were considered to be self-defense"


Would-Be Robber with Screwdriver Trumped by Customer with Gun: "Indianapolis police say a man who attempted to rob a fast-food restaurant while armed with a screwdriver was foiled by a customer with a gun. Forty-year-old William McMiller Junior is being held on an initial charge of robbery at the Marion County Jail. Police say he threatened to shoot a cashier at a Kentucky Fried Chicken on the city's west side Thursday afternoon. But when McMiller began to climb over the counter, a customer approached him and pulled out a Taurus nine-millimeter handgun. The customer, Paul Sherlock, held McMiller until police arrived. They found that McMiller was armed only with a long screwdriver. Police say Sherlock has a valid gun permit."

CT: Montville split over gun law: "A battle is brewing about the mayor's proposed ordinance aimed at regulating target shooting. Proponents say they are concerned about residents' safety. Some of the ordinance's opponents say it prohibits all shooting in town and takes away their self-defense rights. The Town Council is expected to decide Monday night whether to move the proposed ordinance, which has gained the attention of the National Rifle Association, forward to a public hearing. The ordinance was proposed after it was discovered the state regulates hunting, but not target shooting."


Control-Freak News: "It's been a busy week for the Control Freaks, and if history is any indicator, it will get very much worse before it gets better! My own comments -- if any, are in italics preceding each of the stories. Gun Control Items: So far as I am concerned, anyone who says that the right to self-defence doesn't exist, should be refused any and all manner of assistance when in dire straights [sic]. If one doesn't belief in self-preservation (self-defence is the first nature), then any assistance at all would be a violation of that person's right to die, however miserably -- regardless of whatever remonstration otherwise."

Philippines: Crime spurs push for gun ownership: "Philippine lawyer Johnmuel Mendoza vividly recalls the day his gun saved his life. He was sitting in his pick-up truck in a Manila suburb when a deranged man appeared out of nowhere and started attacking his car with a metal pipe. 'As he was about to smash my windshield I took out my gun and told him to stop,' Mendoza recalls. At the sight of the gun the man came to his senses, dropped the pipe and fled. Today, Mendoza uses the lessons of that incident as president of PROGUN, perhaps the only organization in Asia fighting for the right of private citizens to own guns."


NY: Man jailed for self-defense: "When Matthew L. McDonald tried to rob Stuart D. Miles at gunpoint, Miles responded by shooting and killing McDonald with a .38-caliber revolver. Now Miles is in trouble for illegally possessing the gun he used in self-defense. Miles, 25, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the May 1 slaying of McDonald, 18, on Jefferson Avenue.If convicted, Miles could be imprisoned up to 15 years. Monroe County Court Judge Patricia D. Marks ordered him held without bail in County Jail."

OR: Wife won't be tried in husband's death: "A 50-year-old Milwaukie woman who said she killed her husband during an argument over a child he'd fathered with another woman will not be prosecuted. A spokesman for the Clackamas County district attorney's office said Wednesday that after a seven-month investigation by police and prosecutors his office believes Rose Perez killed Juan Gabriel Perez Solis, 36, in self-defense as he was beating her with a stick. ... Authorities learned Juan Perez was dead after a hysterical Rose Perez ran to a neighbor's house about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 to say she'd shot her husband with a rifle .... Juan Perez wasfound dead from a bullet wound to the chest in the couple's kitchen. He was holding a wooden dowel or stick in his hand, and Rose Perez's hair was intertwined in his fingers as though he'd pulled it from her head, Horner said.Rose Perez told investigators that she and her husband had been arguing because he told her he was going to move out of their home and into the home of their daughter-in-law, who was pregnant with Juan Perez's child. Horner said the couple's argument was considered as a possible motive for murder, but investigators also saw that Rose Perez had been badly beaten."


Guns and children: "Jane E. Brody's column claiming that people should store their guns locked and unloaded is dangerous advice and will lead to more deaths ('Is Your Child a Split Second from Disaster?'). Her discussion focuses on accidental gun deaths in the home, but 85 percent of the fatality number she misleadingly points to involve homicides. Surely a concern, but locking up guns in law-abiding homes is unrelated to stopping drug gangs from murdering one another. Despite her claim, adult males with criminal records and histories of alcoholism or drugs are the ones firing the guns that accidentally kill most young children. Gun locks won't stop adult criminals from firing their own guns, but they will prevent law-abiding citizens from defending themselves."

CALIFORNIA ENDORSES REVOLVERS

And old semiautomatics

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton added their support Wednesday to a bill requiring gun manufacturers to build handguns that would stamp bullet casings with serial numbers — an innovation intended to speed investigations by making it easier to link bullets to the weapons that fired them. The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood), would only affect the manufacture of new semiautomatic handguns, but Bratton and others said it would aid officers in investigating gun violence. Speaking to reporters at a City Hall news conference, Villaraigosa added his "support for this strong public safety measure."

Proponents say the etching technology would imprint each gun's serial number on bullet casings when the firing pin of the weapon struck the cartridge. They argue that such microscopic imprinting could not be easily tampered with because other identifying marks would reveal what gun fired the bullet. By cross-checking bullet casings with existing state databases on gun purchases, authorities say they could quickly figure out what gun had fired the bullets recovered from a crime scene.

Opponents complain that the bill would do little to deter criminals, and even Bratton acknowledged that only a small percentage of Los Angeles gun crime is caused by criminals using properly registered weapons.

Holding up a bullet before the mayoral press corps, Bratton said the technology nevertheless could help investigators quickly determine who owned a gun and where it was sold, among other things. "This is common sense," Bratton said. "Can we not start to have some common sense on this issue?"

In addition to skepticism about the bill's impact, some critics charge that the etching on the firing pins of guns would quickly degrade, rendering the technology ineffective. Moreover, some maintain that the markings could be inadvertently erased by gun owners cleaning and caring for their weapons. "If you fix your gun, you face a felony," according to the National Rifle Assn.'s Members' Council position paper opposing the bill.

Koretz complained that opponents have distorted the bill and "mounted a massive campaign to defeat it." As introduced, the legislation (AB 352) would affect only new semiautomatic handguns. Asked why it did not cover other handguns, neither Villaraigosa nor Koretz could answer, and Bratton said he had asked the same question. A staff member interjected that authors had elected to focus on semiautomatics because they eject shells while revolvers do not. As a result, shootings with semiautomatics more often result in shells left behind for police to investigate.

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WA: Shot suspect may face charges: ""Longview police have requested that Kelly Charles Foster Smith, who is recovering from a gunshot wound, receive a court summons on a charge of second-degree burglary once he is released from the hospital. Smith, 44, of Castle Rock, was shot near the left shoulder and the bullet exited through the front of the sternum, police said .... Police said that property owner Frank Perry Amadon, 61, called 911 early Monday morning to report he shot a suspected burglar in his warehouse in the 1300 block of Beech Street. Amadon lives in the building, police said. Police said they found Smith yelling and moaning, lying in a pool of blood at the base of a large metal sheet. Police noted an opening had been made in the wall. Wire was placed near the opening and stacked outside the opening, and die grinders and other equipment were nearby, police said."

TX: Suspect wounded in robbery attempt: "A man trying to rob a store was shot and wounded by the store clerk in southeast Dallas on Monday night, police said. The shooting took place about 9 p.m. at Mr. C's Food Mart in the 3700 block of Simpson Stuart Road. A man walked into the store, grabbed a box of candy bars and demanded money, police said. The clerk pulled a gun and chased him out of the store, firing and hitting him. The man collapsed on the sidewalk across the street."


The sanity of self-defense: "I have been called numerous things in the many years I have spent embroiled in various causes; but, until a couple of years ago I had never been called a gun wacko. Oddly enough I was labeled as such because of something I wrote that advocated individuals taking responsibility for their own defense. Because I encourage people to educate themselves in the area of self-defense, to avoid finding themselves at the mercy of criminals and over-zealous bureaucrats, I was labeled a gun nut. So, that is how it is these days? If you encourage people to defend themselves, you are some sort of mentally-challenged individual best suited for a private, padded room? My how times have changed."

KY: Pistol scares off gunmen: "Kentucky State Police want to find two men who tried to force their way into an Allen County home early Tuesday morning. The alleged home invasion happened around 3 a.m. at Gordon Absher's house at 3440 Old Bowling Green Road in Scottsville. Absher says someone rang the doorbell, and when he looked outside he saw two men with their faces covered holding shotguns. Absher opened his door, pointed a pistol at one of the suspects and then grabbed the suspect's gun. Absher says the two men ran down the driveway to their truck, leaving the shotgun and other evidence behind. Police are looking for two white men in their early 20s, traveling in a small dark-colored pickup truck." [Wow! For once they were able to mention the race of the offenders!]


Detroit: Gun "buy back" may help killers: "A gun 'buy back' staged this week by the Detroit, Mich. Police was so successful that it ran out of money, and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) is concerned that it may have allowed some criminals to successfully get rid of their murder weapons. 'All of the guns taken in by this project will be melted down, no questions asked,' noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan M. Gottlieb. 'That's just swell. Detroit homicides are up 17 percent so far this year, and this program just might be letting some killer destroy the evidence that could put him or her behind bars. Brilliant, just brilliant!'"

Woulda, coulda' easy after the fact: "We've become painfully aware lately of just how fragile life is, and how quickly an existence can change. Shreveport has experienced some sad moments as lives have been lost and families changed when things go wrong. ... In another instance, an elderly businessman defended himself against a young man who had broken into the business under the cover of darkness. ... District Attorney Paul Carmouche decided not to pursue charges, declaring it a justifiable homicide. But that wasn't the end of it. ... LSU-Shreveport criminal justice professor Bernadette Palombo basically said the DA called it wrong and the elderly man should face charges. ... Let me get this straight. A 74-year-old should have wrestled down a 19-year-old?"



KS: Concealed carry law makes gun sales soar: "Kansans are lining up to buy guns and learn how to shoot them. 'Usually summers in the gun business are deader than a doornail, but we're having a record year,' said Jeff Howlett, owner of Kansas Firearms Specialties in Tonganoxie. Much of the increased interest in guns is because people are arming themselves to take advantage of the new Kansas concealed carry gun law, Howlett said. 'We're selling a lot of pistols,' he said."

MA: Bullets scare off intruder: "Police are looking for a man who broke into an Everett Street home Saturday and then fled when the homeowner's son opened fire on him. The gunfire broke out at 5 Everett St. at about 9:15 a.m. Saturday when the homeowner's 30-year-old son came by to check on the house while his parents were away, Deputy Police Chief Scott Bushway said yesterday. Police haven't released the name of the homeowner or his son and no one answered the doorbell at the three-story Everett Street home yesterday afternoon. But when the homeowner's son walked into the house Saturday, he spotted an unidentified man inside, police said. When the intruder grabbed a knife out of the kitchen, the son pulled out his own firearm and shot at the burglar twice, said Bushway. Instead of hitting the intruder, the bullets lodged in the wall and floor of the house. But the gunfire was enough to scare away the man, who ran out of the house, Bushway said. Police are investigating the break-in and looking for the intruder, but Bushway would not release a description of the man yesterday. No charges have been filed against the son of the Everett Street homeowner, who does have a permit to carry a firearm, Bushway said."


N.C.: Homeowner Kills, Wounds Burglary Suspects: "A homeowner killed one suspect and wounded another during an apparent break-in early Wednesday, police said. Residents of 3301 Dearborn Drive told police that two men kicked in their front door at about 1:40 a.m. and entered the house. At least one of the men was carrying a gun, they told police. A man, a woman and a 15-month-old boy were in the home when the incident occurred, police said. One of the adults shot and killed one suspect and wounded the second, police said. The first suspect, who hasn't been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second suspect fled from the house. A short time later, a 19-year-old man showed up at the Duke University Hospital emergency room for treatment of a gunshot wound to his arm. Rashaad Cox, of Newcastle Road in Durham, was charged with first-degree burglary and robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the attempted burglary, police said".

OH: Man shot by thief in his home: "An Elyria man was shot Tuesday night after firing at an intruder in what was the second burglary attempt in his home in less than a year, police said yesterday. Phillip Benko, owner of Benko's Driving Range, exchanged gunfire with a burglar inside the home he shares with his 85-year-old mother and was shot in the stomach, according to a report. ... Benko, 56, told police he was sleeping on a couch in his living room when he heard a voice say, 'Where's the money at?' 'I reached over and grabbed my gun and cocked the trigger and told the guy to get out,' Benko told police. 'I fired one shot at the bastard. I don't know if I hit him or not.'''


FL: Homeowner fires on two burglars: "Two burglary suspects got an unexpected surprise when a Charlotte County homeowner opened fire on them. According to the Sheriff's Office, Eric Theen and a friend armed themselves yesterday with shotguns when two men pounded on a door and tried to crawl in through a window. Deputies say the suspects fled in a car, but had to return when they reached a dead end. Theen said the car swerved and grazed him, so he fired into the passenger door. A shotgun pellet grazed one man's back and went through the other's shirt. A short time later, the two suspects -- William Schork and Jacob Jenkins -- called authorities to report two men screaming and firing a shotgun at them. ... Deputies charged Schork and Jenkins with burglary. The men said they went to the house to see a friend, not to burglarize it."

Gun ban spurs knife attacks: "The number of crimes involving knives on the streets of England and Wales has risen dramatically in the past year, with huge increases in their use during robberies, mugging and violent attacks on strangers. Attacks in which a knife was used during a mugging rose by 73 per cent while there was a 55 per cent increase in random attacks with knives on strangers. A report accompanying the figures from the British Crime Survey accuses John Reid, the Home Secretary, of presiding over an incoherent strategy to tackle the problem and of resorting to knee-jerk legislative responses. “Government and the police lack a coherent, evidence-based, reasoned strategy for dealing with knife carrying and knife-related offences,” the report from the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King’s College London said. “There is insufficient evidence that a knife amnesty or increasing sentence length for carrying knives will decrease the level of knife use and carrying.” The surge in knife crime on the streets comes after a decade of decline."



15 States Expand Right to Shoot in Self-Defense: "Supporters call them "stand your ground" laws. Opponents call them "shoot first" laws. Thanks to this sort of law, a prostitute in Port Richey, Fla., who killed her 72-year-old client with his own gun rather than flee was not charged last month. Similarly, the police in Clearwater, Fla., did not arrest a man who shot a neighbor in early June after a shouting match over putting out garbage, though the authorities say they are still reviewing the evidence. The first of the new laws took effect in Florida in October, and cases under it are now reaching prosecutors and juries there. The other laws, mostly in Southern and Midwestern states, were enacted this year, according to the National Rifle Association, which has enthusiastically promoted them.... The Florida law, which served as a model for the others, gives people the right to use deadly force against intruders entering their homes. They no longer need to prove that they feared for their safety, only that the person they killed had intruded unlawfully and forcefully. The law also extends this principle to vehicles. In addition, the law does away with an earlier requirement that a person attacked in a public place must retreat if possible. Now, that same person, in the law's words, "has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force." The law also forbids the arrest, detention or prosecution of the people covered by the law, and it prohibits civil suits against them."

TX: Clerk fatally shoots masked gunman: "A clerk fatally shot a masked gunman in an exchange of gunfire at an east Dallas convenience store late Tuesday, police said. ... 'Apparently, this man came into the store wearing a mask,' Crowther said. 'The store clerks realized immediately that they were about to be robbed, so they took cover behind the counters.' The man said, 'Don't run,' and fired a shot at one of the clerks. The clerk got his own gun, Crowther said, and fired back at Davis, fatally wounding him."


Illinois college student pushes for right to carry: "Ask Shaun Kranish how many guns he owns and he is unlikely to give you an answer. The 21-year-old Rockford man views that as a personal question. It's probably a safe bet Kranish owns more than the one that was confiscated by police in May. He was carrying it in a holster strapped to his right thigh as he shopped with his girlfriend at the mall. Founding a Web-based organization called ICarry.org, a lawsuit he filed against Rock Valley College, and getting arrested twice in 10 months has catapulted Kranish into a somewhat prominent spotlight among Second Amendment activists in Illinois. Although guarded and private in many ways, Kranish is developing a habit of calling attention to himself and his cause. 'We don't get our rights from the government,' Kranish said. 'We are endowed with them when we are created as human beings. The Bill of Rights is there to protect them and prevent the government from infringing or denying those rights ... our right is to not only keep, or own, but to bear, which is to carry arms.'"

Nothing unclear about Second Amendment: "Mike Freeman could not have been more wrong when he stated the Second Amendment was 'murky' on gun rights. He also stated that, 'Nobody today really knows what Madison and the First Congress intended with this amendment.' When the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written, the authors had just finished fighting a horrible war against an oppressive government. They wanted to make sure that would never happen again. They also believed that the individual had the right to protect person and property."


CA: ATF steals firearms from gun dealer: "Special Agent in Charge John A. Torres, Los Angeles Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), today announced the execution of a seizure warrant for all firearms from the Dodge City gun dealership in Santa Barbara and served the dealer with a Notice of Revocation of his federal firearms license. Torres said Real in Santa Barbara, 'has consistently and repeatedly violated the Gun Control Act and its implementing regulations by failing to account for the acquisition and disposition of hundreds of firearms in violation of federal law and the transferring of firearms in violation of California State law.'"


LA: Business owner justified in shooting: "Shreveport business owner was justified in shooting and killing a burglar he caught in his business last month, Caddo District Attorney Paul Carmouche said Wednesday. The district attorney's office reviewed the shooting and determined no charges should be filed against 74-year-old Dudley Hay. Hay went to his business in the middle of the night after a burglar alarm alerted him to trouble at the tax-service and gun-cleaning and repair shop located next door to his house on Rightway Avenue. Hay got a gun and went to investigate on his own and found a man hiding in a bathtub, Carmouche said. Hay said 19-year-old Eric Bryant of Shreveport stood up and confronted him, so he fired one shot."

TX: Barber shoots robber: "What seemed like a normal morning at an East Texas barber shop, ended with gunfire. Just before 10'clock today, police say a man entered Ervin's Barber Shop on Old Noonday Road and asked for a haircut. He then pulled out a gun, demanded money from the barber and threatened to kill him.Demetrius Ervin has worked out of his barber shop for almost seven years. He says he always keeps a gun in a drawer at the shop, but before today, he's never had to use it."


CO: Teacher feels sorry for intruder he shot: "An Aurora High School teacher who shot and killed a burglar inside his home said he feels sorry for the man he shot and wishes more could've been done to help him. Lawrence Kintz said he was terrified when he woke up on the morning of July 18 to the sounds of something crashing in his living room. James Edward Cannon, 54, got in the house at 17th and Fulton by pushing an air conditioning unit out of a window. Kintz confronted the Cannon with a shotgun and told him to put his hands up and get down on the ground. At first, Cannon complied by lying on his stomach, but Kintz said as he tried to call 911, Cannon tried to get up on his knees. Kintz told him 'Freeze. I will shoot you if you don't stop.' Cannon continued anyway and with only 5 or 6 feet separating them, Kintz said he feared for his life and fired a single shot killing him. On Friday, District Attorney Don Quick said the shooting was justifiable under Colorado's 'Make My Day' law."

TN: Man dies in family fight: "A family argument that apparently simmered most of the day ended with one man dead Thursday night. Monroe County Sheriff's Detective Mike Morgan said Steve Wilson, 47, Old Tellico Highway, Madisonville, shot and killed Doyle Graham, 35, when Graham came to Wilson's house just before 10:30 p.m. to continue the argument. 'We're not really sure what got all this started,' Morgan said, 'but according to witnesses and Wilson's statement, Graham came to the house with a .38 handgun and was going to shoot Wilson, but the gun malfunctioned and wouldn't fire.' Wilson told Morgan that Graham didn't lower his gun, so Wilson, fearing for his life, returned fire with a .22 pistol, striking Graham in the chest and killing him. 'Everybody in the house was related,' Morgan said. 'The two men were brothers-in-law. I guess you could say it was a family fight gone horribly wrong.'"


GA: Home invaders pick the wrong guy: "An Atlanta teen has been arrested in Thursday morning's botched home invasion robbery in which another suspect was killed by an off-duty DeKalb County police officer. Sidney F. Clark, 18, was charged Thursday night with armed robbery, DeKalb police spokesman Herschel Grangent said. Police said four men forced open the front door of the officer's apartment in the Lake Louise complex on Evans Road in the Northlake area shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday. The officer and his young son were asleep, and when the officer awoke, he saw one of the intruders, 18-year-old Deon Antonio Studiemyer, pointing a gun at him, Grangent said. The officer, whose name has not been released, fired his own gun at Studiemyer, killing him."

CO: Charge tossed in Funky Buddha case: "After watching surveillance tapes from the Funky Buddha restaurant, a Denver judge orders the co-owner to stand trial for first-degree assault. A Denver businessman who said he shot a burglar in self-defense inside his restaurant won a crucial victory Monday when a judge threw out an attempted-murder charge against him. County Judge Aleene Ortiz-White said that Dwayne Stepp, 44, who broke into the Funky Buddha bar at 3:11 a.m. on Jan. 3, repeatedly advanced toward co-owner Christakes Christou. The judge, who twice watched surveillance-camera tapes of the encounter, said Stepp and Christou were in close contact during the confrontation. Although armed with a pistol, Christou, 60, did not fire, she said. Instead, Ortiz-White said, Christou pushed Stepp back twice. Only on the third occasion, when Stepp again was right in his face, did Christou shoot, wounding Stepp in the abdomen. The judge, however, did order Christou to stand trial for first-degree assault, leaving it up to a jury to decide whether Christou intended to 'cause serious bodily injury' to Stepp by shooting him."


PA: Man claims self-defense in shooting: "A Third Avenue man who shot another man in the leg Friday night using a rifle said he did it to protect himself and his family from two men, one of whom was armed, who burst in through the open side door together. 'I did what I had to do,' said the 39-year-old resident of 419 Third Ave., who said he shot the first man who came in by using .30-30 rifle shortly after 11 p.m. ... Asked what reason two men had for bursting into his residence, the man said a few minutes before his wife was outside with their 4-year-old daughter walking the dog. His wife, who also did not want to be identified, said a man came up to her and pointed a gun at her. He said, ''I'm going to kill your ... dog,'' she said. The woman said she didn't know the assailant. She said she then saw another man, whom she believed to be her neighbor, grab the gun and wrestle it away from him. Just then, a second gunman fired several gunshots."


Australia: The jury refused to convict guard who shot fleeing robber "More than two years after shooting dead a man who had beaten and robbed her, Sydney security guard Karen Brown today walked away from court a free woman. A NSW Supreme Court jury took almost three hours to acquit Ms Brown, 42, of both the murder, and the alternative charge of manslaughter, of William Aquilina in a stolen car outside the Moorebank Hotel on the morning of July 26, 2004. Mr Aquilina, 26, had seconds earlier repeatedly beaten Brown with a knuckle-duster and dragged her along the ground, before stealing a backpack containing about $43,000 in takings from the hotel and a nearby restaurant".

Indian doctors turn to guns in self-defence: "Faced with increasing threats from kidnappers, doctors in Agra will undergo training of a different kind learning the use of firearms for self-defence. The doctors will spend more time at the shooting range than in their clinics when a programme drawn up by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) is implemented early next month. After a spate of abductions by criminal gangs, the doctors have been holding emergency sessions for the past week and meeting politicians and district authorities to work out a foolproof security arrangement. Over 60 doctors have applied for licences for firearms. They will start practising at the firing range near Dayalbagh, developed at the initiative of Municipal Commissioner Shyam Singh Yadav. The doctors this week met Yadav, who is also the coach of the Indian shooting team, and requested him to allow them to use the shooting range.... In the past two years, at least a dozen doctors have either received threats or have been abducted."


Stupid Maryland kids could have got themselves killed: "Montgomery County police charged two Bethesda teenagers with first-degree assault, alleging that they pointed toy guns at a 29-year-old female driver who had honked her horn to alert the boys' father that he had a green light. Police said the 13- and 16-year-old teenagers pointed the fake weapons -- an "Uzi-type" gun and a handgun -- July 27 near Westlake Drive and Tuckerman Lane in Bethesda. Police spotted their car near the boys' home, in the 12100 block of Bentridge Place. The boys' father told police that he knew the toy guns were in the vehicle but that he wasn't aware that his sons had pointed them at the Rockville woman, police said. The boys were released to the custody of their father and were not identified because they were charged as juveniles."


A good week in the House: "On Tuesday, GOA-supported legislation passed the House of Representatives by a whopping 322-99 vote. The bill -- introduced by Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) -- is similar to the Vitter amendment which passed the Senate earlier this month. GOA has kept its members abreast of Jindal's important bill (HR 5013), as it would legislatively block federal agents from confiscating firearms during an emergency. Jindal's language would even give aggrieved gun owners a cause of action in federal court to recover their firearms and would recompense victorious plaintiffs for their attorney's fees."

VA: Man forced to shoot son: "A Henrico County man shot his son in the leg inside their home yesterday after the son demanded money and forced his way inside the father's bedroom, police said. ... The son 'started banging on a locked bedroom door,' said Henrico police spokesman Sgt. Doug Parker. During that time he was demanding money, police said, and eventually broke in the door. Parker said the father retrieved a weapon and shot his son in the leg. The son, whose name was not released, was arrested on outstanding grand-larceny warrants unrelated to yesterday's disturbance, Parker said. The father has not been charged in the shooting."


When I was Tom Sawyer -- by Fred Reed: "Back before the beginning of time, in the late Fifties when the sun lowered over small-town Alabama like a steaming towel, and it was so humid a tadpole could just about fly, we kids of eleven didn't have many store-bought toys. We didn't need'em, neither. On slow barefoot afternoons with nothing to do, we did things anyhow, most of'em the which you couldn't do now. Some, probably, we shouldn't have done. ... To begin with, we all had BB guns. It was a rule. You couldn't be a kid without one. Well, a girl could, and Alabama had some mighty fine girls, but we were four years away from figuring it out. Me and Jimmy Jack 'Callister and Don Berzette and . all of us, had BB guns and lived as small hunter-gatherers. Today BB guns would be illegal and send mothers screeching and hiding under sofas and calling for federal help. Alabama knew about federal help, and didn't want any."

KY: Man accused of murder cleared: "A Floyd County man accused of murder is cleared after a grand jury did not hand down an indictment. Police say former Luv Homes Manager Mike Kirk shot and killed a man at the dealership in March of last year. Kirk claimed the man, Ronald Dillon, was breaking into the business. Kirk said Dillon told him he had a gun, but police didn't find a gun on Dillon after the shooting. The grand jury report says they think Kirk shot Dillon out of self-defense because he believed his life was in danger.


SC: Store owner fires gun for her safety: "Another dangerous encounter for the owners of a Hardeeville package store resulted in a gunshot Friday. It’s the second time in just over a month they had to fire. On June 19th, Greene’s Package Shop worker Herb Tolar was robbed at gunpoint and then fired at the man as he ran away. Back then, Tolar told WSAV, “I thought he was going to kill me. So I was going to kill him. I pursued him outside and I shot to kill. If I see him again, I will blow him away.” And now, the same store, which is on Highway 17 in Hardeeville was the site of another shooting. This time, it was the wife who fired. “They knew I meant business,” Florence Tolar said, as she remembered the Friday morning encounter. Her size and sweet demeanor don’t keep her from standing her ground. “I kept my position just in case those boys came out. I had every opportunity to shoot them,” she said. She chose to fire her gun at the floor as she was confronted by four young men who were fleeing from police Friday. It’s a choice she says could have easily turned fatal. "I had to make the decision,” she said. “And I'll tell you- if those boys would have been a little bit taller, a little bit bigger, I would have shot them. And I would have killed them.""