New E-mail Blows Hole In Obama’s “Fast And Furious” Story

Discovery of a January 2011 e-mail exchange between then Acting ATF Director Ken Melson and the Bureau’s chief council Steve Rubenstein has put the kibosh on Obama administration elites’ latest “we didn’t know about it” defense concerning the regime’s involvement in Operation Fast and Furious.

On December 22, 2010, a contributor identifying himself as “1desertrat” posted the following to the “CLEANUP ATF” website:

"Word is that curious George Gillett the Phoenix ASAC stepped on it again. Allegedly he has approved more than 500 AR-15 type rifles from Tucson and Phoenix cases to be “walked” to Mexico. Appears that ATF may be one of the largest suppliers of assault rifles to the Mexican cartels! One of these rifles is rumored to have been linked to the recent killing of a Border Patrol Officer in Nogales, AZ. Can anyone confirm this information?"

Well, Director Melson read this “CLEANUP ATF” post and didn’t appreciate the fact that ATF business had been so willfully shared with the general public. Especially, this business. So, he contacted ATF Chief Council Steve Rubenstein for advice. And the e-mail reply he received from Rubenstein is a beauty. Rubenstein wrote:

"The disclosure of this information has a potential deleterious effect on ATF’s undercover operations. In that regard, suspects may alter their behavior if they know that law enforcement is allowing certain firearms to “walk” into Mexico. In addition, public knowledge of this type of operation potentially places informants and undercover agents in jeopardy. If “1desertrat” is an ATF employee, then he/she is subject to our Orders and Standards of Conduct…."

Rubenstein goes on to quote the ATF Code of Conduct for employees, making it clear to Melson that the individual responsible for the post could be dealt with rather severely if indeed an ATF agent.

And Melson’s response: “Thanks Steve. I’m going to forward this to IA.” That is, Internal Affairs, which had by this time earned the reputation of being little more than a tool for the intimidation of agents who did not adequately adhere to ATF policy, regardless of how corrupt or nefarious.

The question is, where was Ken Melson’s outrage? Where are the endless questions about the “gunwalking” charge? Where is the anger about not having been informed of the operation? It has been Melson’s defense and testimony to congress for the past year that no one told him of Operation Fast and Furious. He didn’t know about guns being “walked” into Mexico. And of course it stands to reason that if he, the ATF Director didn’t know, no one above his pay grade could have known either, letting Eric Holder and Barack Obama off the hook.

But Melson doesn’t act like an innocent dupe who had been kept deliberately in the dark. He seems interested only in what steps can be taken to silence and punish “1desertrat” should his identity as an ATF employee become known.

But dupe or not, treated like an outsider by ATF old-timers or not, kept in the dark about gunwalking to Mexico or not, Ken Melson had been introduced to the Fast and Furious, gunwalking scheme no later than December 2010. His yearlong performance before congressional investigators as “innocent bystander” will no longer fly.

And neither will the fact that he supposedly kept the deliberate, highly illegal smuggling of guns into Mexico quietly to himself, sparing his superiors in the Department of Justice any of the gory details. As an attorney, Ken Melson knew the consequences, both of such a crime and its cover up. One can wager, if only to protect his own hide, he made sure his Department of Justice and executive branch bosses knew it as well.

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Florida senior citizen shoots, kills suspected burglar: "A senior citizen in Florida shot dead a would-be burglar at his home early Thursday morning as the suspect was trying to gain entry into the Daytona Beach home. The 82-year-old homeowner woke up at 6 a.m. after hearing someone at his backdoor, the report said. He armed himself with a .45 automatic and fired a single shot through the door, the report said. The suspected burglar was hit in the abdomen and likely died minutes later. The suspect was described as a white male in a ski mask who was carrying a hammer and screwdriver at the time of the shooting. Police have tentatively identified the suspect as the man wanted for other burglaries in the neighborhood, the report said. “The 82-year-old resident did something that the criminal justice system couldn’t do,” said Mike Chitwood, the chief of Daytona Beach police. “And that’s put this burglar out of business this morning.”


IN: Shooting at burglary suspects justified: "A Johnson County couple were justified when they shot at suspects burglarizing their property last summer, Prosecutor Brad Cooper announced Wednesday. Kevin and Teresa Reckley were acting within their rights when Kevin shot at the suspected burglars at their Trafalgar-area property Aug. 19, Cooper said. One of the suspects, an 18-year-old man, was treated for a gunshot to the abdomen. Two men drove a truck from behind the home; Kevin Reckley pointed his shotgun and ordered them to stop and get out of the vehicle. The suspects got out, but the driver later reached inside the truck, and Reckley fired. Reckley, an optometrist, handed the shotgun to his wife and took a handgun she had been carrying. Suspects in a second truck drove through the driveway directly at Reckley. He fired the .357-caliber handgun, striking the truck several times. The suspects were arrested but have yet to face official charges."

Another American Imprisoned in People’s Republic of New York City

Once again an American has been thrown in prison for exercising his constitutional rights in Mayor for Life Michael Bloomberg’s authoritarian fiefdom of New York City:

Fred Vankirk, 59, of Columbus, was slapped with handcuffs at about 11 a.m. Saturday after cops found two .357 Magnum pistols and a .45 semiautomatic in his room at the Radisson Hotel on Lexington Avenue near East 48th Street, police sources said.

Vankirk has no criminal history. He has a permit in Ohio, and brought the guns for protection, which anyone who has been to New York City will understand.

The punishment will be as draconian as if it were North Korea or Cuba that he mistook for a place where the US Constitution applies.

He was charged with three counts of second-degree gun possession and [is] being held on $50,000 bond, court papers show. Each count carries a potential sentence of five to 15 years, to be served concurrently if a conviction results.

Other recent victims of NYC’s hyperaggressive war on liberty include former Marine Ryan Jerome, medical student Meredith Graves, and Tea Party Patriots cofounder Mark Meckler. It is doubtful that commonsense prosecutorial discretion will be applied.

Without the Constitution, our disintegration into hard tyranny would be inevitable and probably rapid. The greatest threat to this precious document is not that it will be officially repealed, but that it will be ignored.

The Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees that wherever you go in America, the Second Amendment applies.

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OH: No Indictment For Man Claiming Self Defense: "A man who was shot to death after breaking into a car sparked a grand jury hearing. On October 9, 2011, a Blacklick man confronted 28-year-old Sean Stiffler who was breaking into a neighbors car on Bollengen Road on the city's far east side. 911 caller: "He went into his pocket and drew a gun on me. I thought he had a gun and my life was in danger." A Franklin County grand jury looked at the facts from the shooting and decided Wednesday not to indict the neighbor who shot and killed Stiffler."


NC: Store employee fatally wounds man during robbery attempt: "An attempted armed robbery at Waccamaw Outdoor Supply on Wednesday ended with the alleged robber critically injured from a single gunshot, Police Chief Scott Hyatt said. The suspect died hours later. "A masked suspect came in with a weapon - not a gun, a weapon - and there was an exchange between the employee and the suspect," Hyatt said. "There were employees and customers in the store at the time. It was not a customer who did the shooting." Hyatt would only identify the dead man as a 20-year-old. The man was initially treated at Columbus Regional Healthcare in Whiteville, and later transferred to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington where he died. Hyatt said the employee who shot the suspect pulled a gun from under the counter during a similar robbery attempt a week earlier. "In that case, the suspect got one leg in the door, the employee went for the gun, and the suspect ran," Hyatt said. Hyatt said he does not expect to charge anyone in Wednesday's shooting."

WA: Homeowner shoots, kills suspected burglar: "A suspected burglar was shot dead by a homeowner inside an Everett home Monday. Snohomish County Sheriff's deputies said the burglar broke into a house on the 10500 block of 21st Avenue Southeast at 11:45 a.m., believing no one was home. The suspect was confronted by the homeowner, who was armed, and after a confrontation, deputies said the suspect was shot and killed."


FL: Convenience store owner thwarts robbery: "A convenience store owner thwarted an armed robbery Saturday when he pulled out a gun before a man attempting to rob his store could brandish his own, police said. The incident happened just before noon at Steve's Qwik Mart, 7500 Ulmerton Road. The store's owner, who was not identified, noticed a suspicious person outside his store about 11:45 a.m. The victim of a previous robbery on Dec. 19, 2011, he grabbed a firearm, police said. After pacing outside for a few moments, the man entered the store, lifted his shirt and began to brandish a black firearm, police said. The store owner pulled his own out first and pointed it at the man, who fled without taking anything. Police described the man as black, between 18 and his early 20s."

IN: Man shoots at suspected police impostor: "An 18-year-old Dyer man shot twice at a man who posed as a police officer Thursday night in the 600 block of 177th Street, police said. The Dyer man pulled his car over about 8:30 p.m. when a man driving a dark Chevy Tahoe or GMC Yukon appeared to be making a traffic stop. ... 'The victim realized it was a hoax,' Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller said. He got out of his car with his handgun and shot twice at the supposed officer, who then got in his car, made a U-turn and fled."


CA: Home Robbery Suspect Shot by Homeowner: "A robbery suspect in custody after he was reportedly shot by a person he was robbing. 21-year-old Zaiven Ridley is accused of breaking into a home off Avenue 352 in Kingsburg but the couple who lives there was home at the time with their four kids. Officers say the suspect apparently tried to come in through a window so the father grabbed a gun and shot the suspect in the thigh. The suspect is expected to be okay. The case is still under investigation.

National Guardsman thwarts Chicago transit robbery; 3 teens arrested: "Three teens who attempted to rob a judo instructor with a replica gun at a CTA station got more than they bargained for, police say. It wasn’t the judo teacher who taught them a lesson, authorities say, but an Army National Guardsman armed with a real gun. Simpson was on his way to his day job as a security guard around 6:30 p.m. and was wearing his World Security Agency uniform when the 28-year-old victim approached him and described the three attackers who’d just unsuccessfully tried to snatch his iPhone at gunpoint, Simpson and the victim both said. Within seconds, Simpson had chased down and cuffed two 16-year-old boys to each other, he said. Then he squared off against a 17-year-old who pulled out what “looked like a real .22 pistol,” he said. As Simpson grabbed his own gun, the 17-year-old — identified in court Sunday by prosecutors as Donte Jackson — shouted “please don’t shoot, it’s not real!” Simpson said. The 17-year-old pulled the trigger on the fake gun, revealing a flame, he said. “It was a lighter, but I told him, ‘You shouldn’t have done that, I could have shot you.’”


VA: Police ID suspect killed at Roger's Sports Pub: "Police say Raymond Davis, 22, of Norfolk, and two other men tried to rob Rogers Sport's Pub in Chesapeake Friday Night. Witnesses told WAVY.com one of the patrons in the bar shot and killed Davis during the attempted robbery. It's the same story detectives told his grandmother Sheila Davis. "The man went outside and came back in with his gun and shot him down," said Davis. "It's like shooting a dog down. He is a human being." Davis says her grandson got mixed up with the wrong crowd. While she doesn't condone his behavior, she wants the public to respect her family in this time of grief. "I'm not trying to sweet-coat nothing," said Davis. "He went in there to rob the place, but eventually he got killed is the result of it." Witnesses say Davis and two other men entered the bar armed, wearing masks, and demanding money. Police won't say if the person who shot Davis could possibly face charges. They are still looking for the two other suspects who fled" [Another report here]


AL: Intruder shot: "He says a male suspect rang his doorbell and didn't expect anyone to be at home. "I proceeded to my doorbell. Once I got to the door I didn't see anybody. During that time, I looked over through the kitchen area, to my right, and I seen somebody trying to pry my window open. At the time, I seen two suspects with something in their hands trying to pry my window open. I yelled at them and as I yelled at them, they didn't seem to hear me. I proceeded back down the hall. I got my weapon and came back up and they still was prying and that's when I shot," Holloway said. Holloway said the 17-year-old he shot in the back had a gun. He says after the first burglary attempt two years ago he bought a gun to protect his home and family. Police say the suspect who was shot was taken to Baptist South. He suffered non-life threatening injuries. The second robber fled and is not in custody nor has he been identified.

NC: Man not to be charged in shooting of 80-year-old: "The man accused of shooting an 80-year-old man is no longer facing criminal charges. According to paperwork from the clerk’s office, prosecutors determined the shooting was a case of self-defense. But Edward Lail argues against the prosecutors’ findings. The 80-year-old Korean War Veteran said a man he did not know came into his home and started asking him about a woman. “I come back and he was in the kitchen, and I said, ‘I told you to leave my house. I don’t know you.’ He come out here. I followed him out here and I seen the car and I said, ‘Get out of my driveway,’” Lail said. Lail said he fired a warning shot in the air. Second later, the man returned fire, hitting the 80-year-old in the side. Deputies charged Christopher Hedrick with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. According to the dismissal papers, prosecutors said Lail initiated the use of deadly force by firing the gun twice, including one shot that went over Hedrick’s head. Prosecutors said Hedrick was justified in returning fire because he life was threatened."


OH: Indictment on murder charge rejected: "A Toledo man arrested for the Oct. 23 shooting death of an acquaintance during a memorial vigil will not face murder charges, according to a decision by the Lucas County grand jury. The grand jury declined on Friday to indict Martrece Dobson on two alternate counts of murder for the death of Justin Smith. The grand jury did indict Mr. Dobson, 24, on one count of carrying a concealed weapon. If convicted on the charge, he faces up to 18 months in prison. Jeff Lingo, chief of the criminal division for the prosecutor’s office, noted that testimony given to the grand jury is not public information. Instead he referred to the Toledo police investigation of the October shooting that revealed that Smith was pointing a gun at different people prior to being shot. “Police reports and witness statements would have revealed that the decedent pulled a gun and was brandishing it in a threatening manner at other people and was subsequently shot,” he said. Toledo police Detective Liz Kantura said that although she could not say what information the grand jury contemplated, “it is fair to conclude they considered self defense.”


NY: Clerk with gun foils robbery: "Police say a clerk at a convenience store in Syracuse was able to stop a robbery by pulling a gun on a man who had slashed him with a knife. The confrontation happened at about 12:40 p.m. Friday. Police tell the Post-Standard, of Syracuse, that a man entered the shop wearing a ski mask and began swinging a knife. The worker's arms were bloodied, but he was able to grab a rifle from behind the counter and hold the robber at gunpoint until help arrived. The 21-year-old clerk was treated at a hospital. The 31-year-old man captured by the clerk was charged with attempted robbery and assault."


Serviceman thwarts Chicago transit robbery: "A military serviceman nabbed three robbers at a CTA Red Line station on the Near North Side this evening after the suspects snatched someone else’s iPhone, according to Chicago police. The serviceman, who was waiting for a train at North/Clybourn station about 6:30 p.m., works as a security guard, and was on his way to his job when the robbery victim flagged him down on the platform, police said. When the serviceman chased the suspects up the stairs, one of them pulled out a replica gun, police said. This prompted the security guard to draw his gun, which the officer said he was allowed to carry, and the suspects then surrendered. The three were detained by the serviceman until Chicago police officers arrived to the scene, police said. The iPhone has since been returned to the robbery victim."

PA: Charges dropped in road rage incident: "Prosecutors on Friday withdrew charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment filed after a road rage incident that ended in gunfire in Ligonier Township. In October, Patrick James Pirl, 39, of Ligonier began tailgating Charles P. Gallo, 63, also of Ligonier, on Route 30, according to a police affidavit. Gallo told police that Pirl eventually followed him onto Route 381, where Pirl pulled in front of him, turned around and started heading directly at Gallo's vehicle. Gallo said he pulled out his Glock semi-automatic pistol and fired twice at Pirl, with one bullet grazing his shoulder, police said. The felony charges filed against Pirl were withdrawn because Gallo did not come to Pirl's preliminary hearing on Friday morning to testify before District Judge Denise Snyder-Thiel. Gallo spoke with 911 operators three times during the incident, according to court papers. Charges of attempted homicide were withdrawn against Gallo in December because Pirl refused to testify."


AZ: Guns on college and university campuses could soon be a reality: "Arizona Sen. Ronald Gould plans to reintroduce a gun bill next week that would force public colleges and universities to allow students with gun permits to carry firearms on campus. Gould (R- District 3) introduced a similar bill last legislative session which Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed. "The new bill only pertains to concealed carry permit holders," Gould said. Gould feels allowing students to carry weapons will decrease crime on campus. "To disallow guns on campus, what that really does is create a self defense free zone. So people with evil intents, they know there's no weapons there," Gould said. Gould has contacted the Arizona Board of Regents about his bill and while board members appreciate his intent, they are against guns on campus."

NC: Man killed in apparent home-invasion robbery attempt: "A man trying to force his way into a Maxton mobile home in an apparent home-invasion robbery attempt was shot dead during a struggle, according to the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. Derrick Ray Chavis, 27, of Contour Lane in Maxton, was killed in the shooting at a home on Nina Drive shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday, Maj. Howard Branch said. Authorities said that 20-year-old Jesse Fulmer, also of Nina Drive, was at the home of his girlfriend, 21-year-old Cheryl Maynor, when a vehicle pulled into the driveway. Fulmer knew one of the men, 41-year-old Bobby Wallace, of Maxton, and let him in, Branch said. But then Chavis forced his way inside with a gun, he said. Fulmer, who was armed with a long gun, began struggling with Chavis along with another resident of the home, 51-year-old David Earl Brewer, he said. Chavis was shot in the struggle and died at the scene. No other injuries were reported."


IN: Police say Fatal Shooting Was Self Defense: "A fatal shooting that left a Bloomington man dead was an act of self-defense, police said. Officers were called to a home at 4900 S. Rogers Street just after midnight Wednesday. Scott Melton, 29, was found shot to death inside the home. Several people who were in the home at the time told police that Melton and Casey Ratts, 20, had gotten into a fight. Melton pulled a gun, but Ratts wrestled the gun away from him, witnesses said. Melton then got a knife and charged at Ratts, who then shot Melton, police said. Ratts was questioned and released. The Monroe County prosecutor will determine if any charges will be filed in the case."




Free Americans buy 10,800,000+ guns in 2011: "Recent statistics released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) report that for nineteen straight months, and that includes all of 2011, American men & women bought over 10,800,000 plus firearms. ... Law abiding Americans now easily qualify as the most heavily armed population in the world."


The rifleman’s burden: "So far I have conveyed that the rifleman is someone who we hope is never needed, is not well understood by the masses, and who has a skill that seems out of date and out of place in modern society unless the worst happens, and the thin veneer of stability is worn away. Let’s examine the rifleman as he was conceived in our country to better understand him in his proper context."

Another Innocent Tourist Imprisoned by NYC Anti-Gun Zealots

Last time it was a medical student; now it’s a former Marine:

Ryan Jerome was enjoying his first trip to New York City on business when the former Marine Corps gunner walked up to a security officer at the Empire State Building and asked where he should check his gun.

That was when Jerome’s nightmare began. The security officer called police and Jerome spent the next two days in jail.

The 28-year-old with no criminal history now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three and a half years in prison. If convicted, his sentence could be as high as fifteen years.

Jerome has a valid concealed carry permit in Indiana and visited New York believing that it was legal to bring his firearm. He was traveling with $15,000 worth of jewelry that he planned to sell.

The online gun-law information Jerome read was inaccurate, however, and his late September arrest initiated what may become a protracted criminal saga.

Another life has been destroyed by the mistaken assumption that New York City is still part of America, subject to the restraints on government tyranny guaranteed in the Constitution.

In a similar case, Tea Party Patriots cofounder Mark Meckler was arrested for attempting to check in a Glock locked in a box while traveling through LaGuardia:

Meckler, 49, declared the weapon, as required, authorities said. He’s licensed to carry the gun in Grass Valley, Calif., where he lives, but that license isn’t valid in New York, which has strict rules on carrying concealed weapons, they said.

“He didn’t have a correct understanding of the law,” said Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which polices the area’s main airports. “Though he has a permit to carry in California, that did not cover him in the state of New York.”

Meckler spent the day in jail and was arraigned in Queens … on a felony weapons possession charge.

Since Mayor for Life Michael Bloomberg’s fiefdom is no longer part of America in any meaningful sense, the State Department should issue a warning that travelers to this forbidding authoritarian dystopia are subject to inappropriate imprisonment based on unconstitutional local laws.

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NC: 14 year old at home with shotgun stops burglar dead: "A 14-year-old Henderson boy calmly described in a 911 call how he shot an intruder in a home invasion last week. "I just shot the man. He came around the corner. I shot him. He broke the whole glass out (of the back door)," the teen told the 911 dispatcher. Authorities said Anthony Henderson Jr. 19, broke into the home at 586 S. Lynnbank Road on Thursday while the teen and his 17-year-old sister were home. The boy told the dispatcher that Henderson pointed a handgun at him, but Vance County Sheriff Peter White said deputies found no weapon on Henderson. Henderson stumbled outside after being shot and was found dead on the lawn. Deputies have charged Andrew Terry, 23, of 113 N. Woods Drive, with felony breaking and entering, conspiracy to commit breaking and entering and injury to real property in the case. They also are searching for two other men – Seneca Henderson, 20, of 907 S. Beckford Drive, No. 134, and Jatwaun Davis, 21, of 199 Belle Russell Road... No charges are expected against the teen for firing on Henderson."


NC: Store clerk fires 1 shot, scares off robbers: "A store clerk fired a gun once at some would-be robbers and sent them running. Police said they went to Andy's Pantry at 1301 Grove St. at 7:23 Wednesday on an attempted robbery call. The store clerk told police that two men entered the store with bandanas covering their faces. One of the men pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded money. The clerk then pulled out a handgun and shot one round. Police said they did not know if anyone was struck. A full description of the suspects was not available."


NC: Intruder Killed by Homeowner: "Authorities are investigating the death of a man whom a homeowner shot during an alleged home invasion. Investigators said four [black] men entered the residence armed with a weapon while the occupant was home. Police said the homeowner heard the men enter the residence, armed himself and fired, shooting one of them. Police said all four men fled the scene and drove to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where the wounded suspect died. They identified the dead man as Buchkechio Geddie, 16, of 3200 Winesap Road in Hope Mills. The three arrested were Michael Fripp, 22, of 5051 Woodspring Road, Fayetteville; Torrian Knowles, 18, of 506 Pinewood Drive, Hope Mills, and Kwuamae Keaton, 17, of 6536 Foxberry Road, Fayetteville. Police said the homeowner's name is being withheld to protect his safety"

OK: Young mother shoots and kills intruder: "An 18 year old Blanchard woman says she was forced to shoot and kill a man who was breaking into her home Saturday afternoon. Sarah Dawn McKinley was home alone with her three month old son at the time. She says she heard a knock on her door and looked through the peephole to see two men, one of whom she'd met a couple times before. "I saw that it was the same man. He had been here Thursday night and I had a bad feeling then," said McKinley. McKinley says she moved her couch in front of the door, grabbed her son and her shotgun, called 911 and went in a back room. She says for an agonizing 21 minutes, she listened to the men try to break in. "He was from door to door trying to bust in, just going from door to door," said McKinley. "I waited till he got in the door. They said I couldn't shoot him until he was inside the house. So I waited until he got in the door and then I shot him."


VA: Clerk shoots robber: "A masked man walked into an Oceanfront 7-Eleven early Tuesday morning, flashed a gun and demanded money, according to a police news release. The clerk, who was working with his son, responded by walking to the register and pulling out his own gun. When the would-be robber made an aggressive gesture, the clerk fired, striking the man, who fled from the store at 3908 Atlantic Ave., according to the release.About a half-hour later, around 1:30 a.m., a man suffering from a gunshot wound reported to a local emergency room, and officers linked him to the attempted robbery, police said. Police charged Blake Christian Richardson, 18, of the 1100 block of Bay Colony Drive, with attempted armed robbery, abduction, wearing a mask in public and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony."


OH: 84-year-old man kills demented intruder: "An 84-year-old man shot and killed an elderly intruder at his home in the 2700 block of Hilda Avenue Tuesday morning, police said. Officers discovered the body after they were summoned to the residence about 10 a.m. when the homeowner called 911, said Officer Kristy Collins, spokeswoman for Hamilton police. Ed T. Stevens, 75, of Hamilton was found dead in the home’s basement. Police said Stevens forced his way into the house past Charles V. Foster. Once inside, Stevens assaulted Foster. who then shot Stevens to stop the assault, police said. Stevens’ family told police that Stevens has a history of suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. Sgt. Michael Waldeck said there some of Stevens’ relatives lived on the street and the family thought Stevens might have gotten confused and went to the wrong house. Police said no charges have been filed"


FL: Armed robbery at Jewelry store ends with clerk shooting back: "The Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office says three masked men came into the Osvilda Jewelry store in Belle Glade at 116 SW Avenue B and robbed the store. One robber held the clerk at gunpoint and attempted to shoot, but the gun didn't fire, deputies said. That's when investigators say the clerk grabbed a gun and started shooting back at the robbers. The masked men were able to escape in a stolen getaway van, which was later recovered by deputies a few blocks away on 100 Block NW Avenue C. Nobody inside the jewelry store sustained any injuries and it is not clear at this time what was stolen."

PA: A viable alternative to a gun? "Somerset County District Attorney Jerry Spangler will not charge a man who fatally shot another man with a bow and arrow, saying today that changes in the state's Castle Doctrine factored into his decision. Mr. Spangler said the unidentified 38-year-old Center City man who confessed to shooting Tony L. Bittinger on Oct. 10 claimed he did so in self-defense. Mr. Bittinger was found shot through the chest with an arrow near the front steps to the man's house. Trooper Joseph Drzal said Mr. Bittinger, who had been romantically involved with the man's wife, made several threatening phone calls to the man before driving up to his home to confront him. There, he threatened the man with a heavy wooden club. The man told him to leave repeatedly. When Mr. Bittinger attempted to come up the stairs, the man shot him in the chest with an arrow. He died before first responders arrived." [Might be useful in NYC]


Loony British gun control: "A taxi driver shot dead three women on New Year’s Day after being allowed to keep six guns – even though he had previously threatened to kill himself. Michael Atherton, 42, was licensed to own the small arsenal despite being investigated three years earlier when officers were tipped off about his mood swings. On Sunday night, he opened fire at will, killing partner Susan McGoldrick and two of her female relatives before turning the gun on himself. Atherton, who is believed to have been recently suffering from depression, also wounded stepdaughter Laura McGoldrick, 19, in the late-night rampage inside the family home. She witnessed the bloodbath and survived only by escaping through a first-floor window and jumping to safety. The bloodsoaked teenager then raised the alarm. Relatives were yesterday devastated by the ‘senseless’ murders and questions were being asked about why Atherton was still a lawful holder of the guns."


In Smith and Wesson We Trust (and It Looks Like Santa Does Too): "It seems that a lot of adults now go to bed on Christmas Eve dreaming of what Santa might bring them as well: especially when the number one thing on their list is a Walther .380 or a Glock model 27 or a Springfield XD subcompact 9mm, all of which are splendid guns for concealed carry permit holders. As a matter of fact, judging from sales receipts and FBI reports regarding sales for December 2011, it seems that Santa delivered at least 1.5 million firearms for Christmas. Not only is this news in light of the fact that it required the FBI to do a record setting number of background checks in a month – 1.5 million in December alone – but also because it continues to highlight what has been a growing trend among people of all walks of life: namely, folks are less and less trustful of government’s ability to keep them safe."

SC: Robbery suspect shot by barbershop owner: "Richland County deputies say the owner of a barbershop shot a man who tried to rob his business. Investigators said two men planned a robbery when they entered All the Way Cuts and Styles in the northeast suburbs of Columbia around 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The owner of the barbershop was able to get a gun and shoot one of the suspects, while the other ran away. He was arrested a short time later. Deputies say 22-year-old Ronald Capers [above] is charged with seven counts of armed robbery and two counts of attempted murder. He remains in the Richland County jail without bond. Authorities say the man who was shot in the chest remains in the hospital and has not been identified."


Gun sales continue record climb in Ohio: "Firearm background checks performed by the FBI have increased during the past year, a sign that gun sales have increased significantly. From Jan. 1, 2011, to Nov. 30, 2011, the latest information available, more than 406,000 firearm background checks were conducted in Ohio, up from 393,000 in 2010 and 292,000 10 years ago, according to information gathered by the Middletown Journal from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, an FBI agency. These background checks, mandated by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, are used to instantly determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible to buy firearms or explosives from a licensed dealer. Local gun dealers are reaping the benefits of increased sales."

A candidate a gun-owner could love

Michele Bachmann might be struggling in the polls now but she could well beat all her fellow GOP presidential candidates in another competition.

The Minnesota Representative, 55, packs a punch when she goes hunting and revealed her favourite gun is a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle. She is going pheasant hunting with Iowa Rep Steve King on Friday and claims she learned about gun safety before she was even a teenager.

'Hey, I'm a pretty good shot,’ she told WHO-AM. ‘I learned how to hunt here in Iowa from my Dad - I went through gun safety when I was 12.’ ‘My favourite gun is an AR-15, because you can be so accurate with it. And I scored the best in my class - of any of the men too - in that class.

‘It's a rifle. I love that gun. I love it. It's a great gun.’ Mrs Bachmann refused however to be drawn by WHO-AM on the size of her magazine.

The AR-15 is the civilian version of the U.S. military’s M16 automatic or semi-automatic rifle, which was used during the Vietnam War.

The gun can be configured in many sizes to suit the individual with accessories including silencers, grenade launchers or telescopic sights.

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New York Lawmakers Reportedly Ask for Mercy for Tourist Arrested With Gun at 9/11 Memorial: "Meredith Graves, 39, had a .32-caliber Kel-Tec handgun in her purse when she went to the National September 11 Memorial, seen here, on Dec. 22 and tried to check it with a cop after she saw a sign reading “No Guns.” New York lawmakers are reportedly asking the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to show mercy to a Tennessee tourist who was arrested for bringing a gun to the 9/11 Memorial. City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., D-Queens, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, personally asked Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office not to push for the 3 1/2-year minimum sentence for Meredith Graves, 39, the New York Post reports. “By prosecuting this woman and seeking 3 1/2 years of jail, we are shooting our own [gun-control] efforts in the foot and giving the rest of the country ammunition,” Vallone said."

TX: Man Shot During Attempted Robbery: "A man is recovering in a hospital from a gunshot wound he received during an alleged attempted robbery at an auto salvage yard Thursday night. El Paso Police Department officials told ABC-7 they believe the man was one of several trying to rob a man who works at the A&M Salvage Yard in the 9700 block of Alameda. Police said an employee was within the security gate of the yard when he said he was approached by several men who then tried to rob him about 8:30 p.m. Thursday. The employee pulled out a gun and fired one shot, hitting one of the men. Police did not elaborate on the man's wounds, but said they are not life-threatening. The others fled, prompting police to launch a search. Police spokesman Detective Mike Baranyay said the employee told them he shot the weapon in self-defense. "If you feel threatened, you have a right to defend yourself," Baranyay said. "And obviously, if there's multiple subjects on one individual, that allows you to use a little more force to defend yourself."


Legal costs as a weapon against the anti-gunners: "A federal judge has ordered the City of Washington D.C. to pay more than $1 million in attorney’s fees to the attorneys who fought the Heller case. The Heller case was, of course, the case which overturned the city’s three-decade old gun ban. D.C. changed their laws when the Supreme Court told them to, but Dick Heller has since sued the city again because the laws they passed were so restrictive as to be a defacto ban. I’m not going to argue the idiocy of gun bans here. I’m simply going to note that judgements like this might actually be more effective than supreme court decisions in liberalizing gun laws. Cities are generally notoriously broke. They’re also generally lawyer-averse. What we have here is something which might actually break the dam in some of the major cities which still do their best to restrict self-defense."

Fancy Thinking NYC Is Part of America! It Isn't

Does this mean the terrorists have won? No; but it means the moonbats are winning:

Meredith Graves, 39, is facing at least three years in prison for thinking New York’s gun laws are anything like those in the Bible Belt.

Graves, a fourth-year medical student, showed up at the [9/11] memorial on Dec. 22 to pay her respects during a trip north for a job interview.

She didn’t realize that the loaded .32-caliber pistol in her purse would be a problem until she saw a sign at the site that read, “No guns allowed,” sources said.

“She remembered she had the gun on her,” a source said. She walked up to a security guard and said, “I have this gun. Where can I check it?”

Instead of checking her gun, authorities dragged her off to a cage in chains like a criminal.

Graves, who has a full legal carry permit in Tennessee, was locked up on a weapons-possession charge and held on $2,000 bond that she posted yesterday. … The Manhattan DA’s Office is pursuing a conviction on felony gun possession — carrying a minimum sentence of 3 1/2 years.

Mayor Bloomberg, with the help of the five district attorneys, has crusaded against the flow of illegal guns, especially from the [hated by Northeastern liberal authoritarians] South.

Explains the victim’s mother-in-law, who lives in New Jersey,

“Everyone down there carries, and she just forgot. She was being honest, and this is the treatment they give innocent people.”

Still worse is the treatment they given the Constitution, which being federal is supposed to apply even in moonbat bastions like New York.

Source




FL: No charges in fatal shooting that took place after attempted motorcycle theft: "A 19-year-old with a criminal history is dead after police say he was shot while trying to steal a motorcycle. The man who pulled the trigger won't be charged by sheriff's deputies. It all started at 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning when police say the owner of the motorcycle heard them, grabbed his rifle, and opened fire. Benjy Young, 19, was killed. Police say Young was one of three men trying to load the man's motorcycle onto a pickup truck they had just stolen. Police say the homeowner acted in self-defense. "They turned to him and pointed something at him in a gesture, like a firearm," said Sheriff's Deputy Eric Davis. Ironically, Suskauer says the people who could pay for Young's death are his own accomplices. Because Young died in what police say was the commission of a separate felony - stealing a motorcycle and a truck - the two accomplices could face murder charges."




GA: Wendy's manager shoots robber dead: "A Wendy’s manager turned his gun on robbers early Thursday morning and shot a man dead, Savannah-Chatham police say. Robert Cody Dasher, 22, was held up at 12:55 a.m. at the Wilmington Island Wendy’s, located on U.S. 80 near Johnny Mercer Boulevard. Dasher was closing the restaurant when the robbery happened, according to a police report. His employee left the door open after taking out the trash. Two men, their faces covered and wearing black, accosted Dasher inside the restaurant, putting a gun to his head, forcing him into an office and robbing him. The robbers made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, running east toward Johnny Mercer Boulevard. Police say Dasher went for his handgun, shooting William Martin Clark [above], 27, in the head in Blue Fin Circle, a commercial drive that runs off U.S. 80 to the Wendy’s. Dasher told police Clark pointed a pistol at him just before he shot him. Clark, who lived in the 800 block of Wexler Street, had two five-dollar bills and a silver revolver in his left hand when he was found dead in the street, police say. A black T-shirt was covering his face."


AZ: Shootout leaves two wounded, three arrested: "Three suspects, including a Page teen, were arrested following an afternoon shootout Dec. 20 at Chapman’s Trailer Park. Two others were wounded. They were treated and released from Page Hospital. The gun battle was the result of an alleged armed robbery at the Lake Powell Mobile Home Village. Joshua Patton, 24, of Phoenix, Michael Calderon, 21, of Phoenix, and Austin Joe, 17, of Page were charged with aggravated robbery, armed robbery and theft, according to Page police."

NV: One dead after attempted pawn shop robbery: "One man is dead after an attempted robbery at a Cash America SuperPawn in the Centennial Hills area on Wednesday morning. Sources say that a man entered the store, near North Durango Drive and Elkhorn Road, with a gun at about 9:30 a.m. One employee fired a gun in a confrontation with the would-be robber. Police were called to the scene, where they discovered a black adult male dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities have not released the identity of the employee or the suspect who was shot. Police are continuing to investigate the shooting."


OH: Robber shot in Craigslist robbery: "Police say one suspect arrived at the victim’s house around 6 p.m. and wanted to see if the X-box worked. He then called a friend to bring in the money. Within minutes, police say, two other men armed with guns stormed into the home and robbed the victim of $85. The victim also pulled out a gun and began firing as the suspects fled in a white 2001 Buick Regal. Around 7 p.m. Barberton Police were called to Summa Barberton Citizens Hospital to check out a male who had walked into the emergency room with a gunshot wound to his elbow. Officers found a 2001 white Buick Regal parked at the hospital. Shawn A. Davis, 20, of Seward Avenue, in Akron and Jeremy Culver, 18, of Chamberlain Road, in Fairlawn, have been charged with aggravated robbery related to the Triplett Boulevard robbery.


NY Times Hit Piece Targets NC Gun Owners: "Following an extensive interview between GRNC president Paul Valone and New York Times reporter Mike Luo, the Times is now trying to depict North Carolina’s population of concealed handgun permit-holders as rife with felons. To support his claims, Luo relies on flawed methodology, misuse of anecdotal data, and selectively ignored facts he learned during the interview. The current piece is at least the third time Luo has written biased and misleading articles on gun ownership. Although Luo claims to have done data-matching between criminal databases and permit-holders, he admitted confirming only a dozen matches with the NC State Bureau of Investigation. Data matching between large databases is subject to high rates of “false positives” depending on the number and type of parameters matched."


Self-Defense Upgrade to Wisconsin as Castle Doctrine Passes: "Until Dec. 7, Wisconsin was one of just 22 states without some form of “castle doctrine” or “Make-My-Day” law. But passage of Assembly Bill 69 on that date changes everything by improving legal protections for home owners who use deadly force in self-defense. “A person has a right to defend themselves and their family in their dwelling,” said Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), a lead sponsor of the legislation as reported on jsonline.com. “The fundamental issue is about protecting life, not property.” The bill passed the State Senate 26-7 on November 3, and was sent to Governor Walker for final passage into law on Dec. 7."

PA: Pistol Packin' Mama Kills Man Trying to Rob Her Son: "A Philadelphia man was shot dead Tuesday night after he made the mistake of trying to rob a man who had a pistol packin’ mama nearby, police say. A 23-year-old man was in the stairwell of his East Oak Lane apartment building with his girlfriend at about 9 p.m. when a 19-year-old man walked up to them, pistol-whipped the man and shot him in the leg while trying to rob him, according to police. The victim’s 46-year-old mother heard the commotion from her upstairs apartment, grabbed her legally registered gun, went into the stairwell and shot the suspect, police say. The 19-year-old robbery suspect died at the scene with one gunshot wound to the chest, according to authorities. The 46-year-old mother has not been arrested, but she is being interviewed, police say."


KY: Robbers chased off by gun-toting neighbor: "Around 11:30 Tuesday morning Steve Dennison's 16-year-old daughter was asleep in her bed, home alone, when two robbers busted through the back door. Dennison and his wife would normally be home during this holiday week but both were out running errands. Their quick thinking teen ran into her parents’ bathroom, locked the door, called 911 and called her parents. Within minutes police were on their way and a nearby family member ran to the house to help. "He walked up to the backdoor on the deck and he had a glock and he was standing at the door and he yelled I'm gonna shoot ya I got a gun, " Dennison said. The robbers then took off through the front door. They left behind a mess in the master bedroom and stole small electronics and jewelry. Dennison feels fortunate that’s all they got away with. He knows how lucky his daughter is that she was not hurt."


AL: Man shot by own father: "Officers on the scene said they were told that the victim apparently made threats toward other family members and was going to arm himself with a gun. It was at that point when officers say another family member took the threat seriously and retrieved his own firearm to defend himself. According to family friends, the victim was shot and killed by his own father. Investigators say the victim was shot with what appears to be a large caliber weapon. The Chief said statements taken from all those on the scene, as well as from collected evidence, make it "entirely possible" that it was self-defense. No arrests have been made, and Chief Johnson says findings will be turned over to the Elmore County Grand Jury for consideration to determine if a crime was committed."

IN: Kroger employee shoots, kills would-be robber: "According to Metro police, an employee at a northwest side Kroger grocery store shot a would-be robber in the face, Monday evening. The man died a few hours later. Witnesses told police a man in his 20's walked into the store and placed a hard object into the back of a female employee. The suspect then forced the victim to the office area where another employee shot him in the face. The suspect was taken to Wishard Hospital in serious condition, but later died. His identity has not been released pending notification of family. Homicide detectives, working along with the Marion County Prosecutor’s office, advise that an arrest isn't expected in this case."


IL: Disgruntled wife holds off husband with gun: "Wilmette police confiscated a handgun and steroids from a home after a woman allegedly threatened her husband over an alleged affair. The woman was not charged for threatening her husband with the weapon, because her husband declined to sign a criminal complaint and police determined she used the gun in self defense. The man was not charged with possession of the steroids, according to a police report. Officer arrived at the home in the 2500 block of Old Glenview Road at 5:26 p.m. Dec. 20 and recovered the .25-caliber pistol from a toiletry bag in the home’s second floor. The woman told police she and her husband had argued after she confronted him in Chicago earlier in the day with another woman. He denied an affair, but his wife told him to stay at a relative’s home in Northbrook. He used a brick to break a window and unlocked a rear door but was confronted by his wife, who was holding the pistol. He left, and called police 40 minutes later"

OH: Christmas thieves shot by homeowner: "An eastside homeowner shot two teens after they attempted to rob his E. 114th Street home Sunday afternoon. At 12:09 p.m., police responded to a call for a robbery with suspects still on the scene. Upon arrival, police found two suspects outside of the home, both with gunshot wounds to their legs. The preliminary investigation shows that, after hearing the alarm going off in his home, the homeowner grabbed his gun and walked through his house. That's when he found the two teens attempting to steal property from his house. The homeowner fired off multiple rounds, hitting both suspects. The two suspects were then caught outside of the home. Police later found out that two additional suspects acted as lookouts. They left the scene after hearing the gunfire."


OR: Couple wakes up to man beating them with tiki torch: "An Aloha couple woke up Christmas morning to a man hitting them with a tiki torch. It happened at a home on 209th Street. According to Ray, a man believed to be on drugs broke into the back door of the home while the couple was asleep, grabbed a bamboo tiki torch and took it into the bedroom where he beat the couple with it. The husband, who has not been identified, grabbed a handgun in self-defense and a bullet discharged during a struggle. No one was hurt, Ray said. The bullet went into a wall. Deputies arrived at the home and took the suspect, who has not been identified, into custody. They took the man to a hospital for a mental evaluation and planned to book him into the Washington County Jail."

Merry Christmas!


A well-equipped family at Christmas