CA: Homeowner Shoots Man who Assaulted Him

Detectives said Johnson then armed himself with a 12-gauge shotgun for protection.

The unidentified man then drove his SUV at a high speed up the driveway toward Johnson, his wife and another resident standing near the end of the driveway, detectives said.

The SUV skidded to a stop in a gravel portion of the driveway about 3 feet from where the three were standing, detectives reported. As the driver backed the SUV down the driveway, detectives said, he aimed at Johnson, who in turn fired one round of bird shot, striking the man in his face and neck.
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MD: Off Duty Police Officer Disarms, Shoots, Kills, Suspect

An off-duty Baltimore police officer was awakened Monday morning by an armed burglar inside his city home, wrestled a gun from the man and fatally shot him with it, according to city police.

The officer, who was not hurt, has been placed on administrative leave. The suspect was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Neither was immediately identified.
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Followup NC: no Charges for Connie Wells in Knightdale Shooting

Authorities said Wells was alone inside the office suite when she heard someone banging on the door. She attempted to dial 911, but could not get the call to connect, so she grabbed her revolver.

She then saw Branch moving toward her doorway, and he continued to get closer despite her yelling at him to stop, authorities said.

Wells shot Branch one time, striking him in the neck. Wells has a concealed handgun permit, authorities said.


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Corps of Engineers Drag out Settlement Proceedings on Exercise of Second Amendment Rights

It has been seven months since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to settle the two Second Amendment cases before the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits, respectively. The Ninth Circuit case, Elizabeth Nesbitt, et al v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, et al, was sent to mediation, for settlement on March 3rd.  From the washingtonpost.com:

The 9th Circuit case was ready for oral argument on March 6. But on March 2, the Corps filed a request to remove the oral argument from the calendar and to put the case into mediation. The motion explained: “The Army Corps of Engineers is reconsidering the firearms policy challenged in this case, as well as plaintiffs’ requests for permission to carry firearms on Army Corps property. This reconsideration has the potential to fully resolve plaintiffs’ objections.”

The Eleventh Circuit case, GeorgiaCarry.Org, Inc., et al v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, et al, quickly followed on March 7th.

That indicated a Trump administration willingness to reform the Corps of Engineers regulations to allow for the exercise of Second Amendment rights on land managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The way seemed clear for a quick resolution. A U.S. Government defendant in a Constitutional rights case, does not agree to go to mediation on a whim. Not when they have been vigorously fighting the cases for years. I suspect the Corps is finding ways to drag out the mediation process, hoping that the President Trump administration will go away.  Here is what has happened in the Ninth Circuit mediation. The Eleventh Circuit case is still in mediation as well. From unitedstatescourts.org:

There have been six mediation conferences over the last seven months. Settlements can take time to work out.  I hope the Army Corps of Engineers is acting in good faith.  I have seen too many cases where bureaucrats use process to slow down a policy change they do not agree with.

President Trump has had several successes in reversing the Obama administration's use of executive power to extra-constitutionally implement policy. Reforming the blatant refusal of the Army Corps of Engineers to recognize the Second Amendment should be easier. The Army Corps of Engineers is part of the Army.

President Trump has a lot on his plate. President Trump is also the Commander in Chief. The Army Corps of Engineers Commander, Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite, is a holdover from the Obama administration. He works directly for President Trump.

Requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to respect the exercise of Second Amendment rights is something that President Trump can legitimately require. President Trump and General Semonite both took oaths to protect and defend the Constituion of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

This should be a case of the Trump administration using executive power to protect and defend the Constitution. General Semonite should get on board.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch 

AR15 used to Shoot 416 lb Feral Hog, Semi-Autos Good Hunting Tools

Opponents of an armed population often make the unfounded claim that AR-15 rifles are unsuitable for hunting. Joe Clowers of Texas shows that America's favorite rifle, some variation of the AR-15, can work very well for hunting feral pigs. From theepochtimes.com:

A Texas man shot a 416-pound boar that he found ripping up his backyard and terrorizing the makeshift deer sanctuary he has on his land.

Joe Clowers, of Union Grove, Texas, said he shot the boar with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. He was fed up with the boar preying on his fawns for the last five years.

The semi-automatic rifle has become common on the hunting grounds all over America. It is the modern sporting rifle. It is extremely versatile, used for target shooting and self defense as well as for hunting.

Feral pigs have become a serious problem in Texas. An estimated four million of them do significant damage to crops and wildlife. They are smart, adaptable, and eat anything and everything. The become nocturnal to avoid hunters. Hunters have adapted by using night vision devices.

The pigs are a big problem in Australia as well. While Australia has banned the possession of semi-automatic rifles for the vast majority of its population, it makes an exception for farmers that have a problem with feral pigs. This Australian farmer waited two years to obtain a special permit for the semi-automatic SKS that accepted 30 round magazines. It worked very well on feral pigs.

In the video below, two Australian pig hunters use semi-automatic rifles to stop the charge of a large crocodile. It shows the versatility of the semi-auto in self defense. The video is well worth watching for only 69 seconds. Put yourself in one of the hunters' boots. Think about operating a manually reloaded gun in those circumstances.

Link to video

Semi-automatic rifles are very well suited to hunting. They are rarely used in crime. FBI statistics show that more people are murdered with blunt instruments than with all rifles, not just semi-automatics. In 2015, 252 people were murdered with all types of rifles, while 437 were murdered with blunt objects.

When people tell you that semi-automatic rifles are not suited for hunting, they do not know what they are talking about. Joe Clowers experience, and the experience of the Australian hunters in the video show just how wrong they are.

Consider how much more suitable semi-automatics are for disabled people, older people, people with arthritis or limited mobility.

Semi-automatics have been used for hunting in America for over a hundred years. The most common rifles purchased in America are semi-automatics, the most popular rifle is some version of the AR15. In spite of those who want a disarmed public, Americans will not be allowing their government to limit their rights to own semi-automatic rifles.

Even the gun-phobic Australian government acknowledges the advantages of semi-automatic rifles for hunting feral pigs.

 ©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch 

IN: Gunfight, Armed Victim and Truck Thief Trade Shots

Police say the victim noticed a thief get into his truck and start to drive away. The victim ran outside and fired several shots at his own truck.

Police believe the suspect returned fire. The shooting shattered the truck’s back windshield and side window, but the suspect still managed to speed away.
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Hannity Knew of Russian Extortion, Bribery: Deep State Floundering

On Sean Hannity's radio program, today, 24 October, 2017, I heard Hannity say he knew of the details of the bribery and extortion associated with the Uranium One scandal a year and a half ago. He kept the secret because he had sworn to do so.

It was well before President Trump was elected. It was after  Donald Trump declared his candidacy. It suggests Donald Trump knew of this before his election.

Update to link to reference:

 From Sean Hannity Show, 24 October, 2017, on Youtube, 16:20 - 17:02:

I have known, for over a year, and have not told you, because I was sworn to secrecy, that there was an informant that had infiltrated this whole case.

I have known about the bribery, and the kickbacks, and the extortion, and the money laundering. and I have known that the FBI knew in 2009 and 2010 that this network was created, infiltration had taken place, and the infiltration was that Vladimir Putin wanted to get into the U.S. Uranium market because as a superpower, that is where he gets his power from.

This implies that President Trump has been three 3-D chess moves ahead of his opponents from the start.

Where would Hannity and Trump obtain such devastating information? Why was it important to keep it secret until now?

It is plausible this was the work of patriots in the intelligence agencies. People who could see the corruption on the inside, but could not see a way to stop it from the inside.

The Republican revolution in the states showed them the possibility of a President who took his oath of office seriously. A president with the fortitude and genius to root out the rot in the deep state.  That President is Donald Trump. A President who would appoint judges who believed the Constitution was the law of the land, not an impediment to a "progressive" future. A President who would push back against subversion of American sovereignty to globalism. It would mean everything for supporters of the Second Amendment.

It does not mean the Trump Presidency was a certainty, or that decisive victory against the deep state was a sure bet.

Poker is a better analogy than chess. Trump had a couple of aces in the hole. He had to keep his opponents in the dark about them, until the play would be decisive. A decisive play could win an enormous political pot to secure the future for the Republic and Constitutional government. 

Hillary Clinton's pushing of the "Russian Collusion" ploy after the election was a gift from heaven. The opposition kept doubling down on every round of bets, while President Trump had two aces in the hole and another pair of aces in his hand.

When was the optimum time to rake in the pot? It would have to be long enough before the mid-terms to give President Trump a decisive majority in 2018. It would include sweeping out establishment, deep state RINOs. That play is happening in slow motion.

More than two weeks before the election of President Trump, I wrote "2056: Looking Backward from a Trump Future".  From the essay:

The balance was tipped by a patriotic and eclectic group of police and federal law enforcement officers, centered in the FBI and the NYPD.  In the following years, thousands of agents and officers claimed to have been involved.  We may never know the numbers for certain.  It appears that less than a hundred were the core group. They understood that the Clinton crime machine and its tentacles had already compromised many in the top levels of government. They had witnessed how the compromised DOJ had been politicized and used to cover-up high level corruption. 

What could they do?  The Fast and Furious scandal showed how little whistle blowers were protected, and how effectively the establishment media was able to spin, deflect, and spike any revelations of misconduct. There had been no punishment for the politicization of the IRS. The lack of punishment showed the essential impotency of the Republican House and Senate. 

Donald Trump became these law officers' last chance to save the Republic. The American Republic was set up to facilitate the bloodless transfer of power. The officers could not act while President Obama was in office.  Their careers would have been destroyed to no effect. If they waited until Hillary was elected, their situation would have been worse.  If any other Republican were elected, the unwritten rules of the American Aristocracy would prevent them from doing anything effective. The Republican would simply be another face of a corrupt establishment. 

Trump offered a revolutionary chance. There was a narrow window of opportunity to stop the Clinton campaign. Expose the Clinton corruption, allow truth to elect an outsider, and the corruption could be rooted out under a Trump administration that had promised to "Drain the Swamp" in Washington, D.C.

 The vision of the future from the essay is looking more likely than ever. Bob Corker is not running for re-election. Jeff Flake just announced that he will not run for re-election.  Senator McCain has severe health problems. He is unlikely to survive to the 2018 election.

The establishment media has spent the last 10 months obsessively discrediting itself in front of the nation. President Trump is repeatedly beating them.

What other aces has President Trump been dealt, now that he is in charge of the casino?

Donald Trump is presiding over a revolution as compelling and potent as the Franklin Roosevelt revolution that moved the United States far from limited government and adherence to the Constitution. It is just beginning. It is early.

The light appearing on the horizon is looking more and more like sunrise, and less and less like an oncoming train.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

AZ: Senator Jeff Flake Will Not Seek Re-election

Senator Jeff Flake

Wow... Just heard it on Hannity. Flake decides not to run? Looks like Kelly Ward has an excellent chance to win the Senate seat. Kelly is a bona-fide Second Amendment supporter. Flake... well has turned out to be flakey...

From azcentral.com:

Condemning the nastiness of Republican politics in the era of President Donald Trump, Sen. Jeff Flake on Tuesday announced he will serve out the remainder of his term but will not seek re-election in 2018.

The bombshell, which Flake, R-Ariz., intended to detail Tuesday afternoon on the Senate floor, will further roil Republican hopes of keeping the party's 52-seat Senate majority in the midterm elections of Trump's first term, when the president's party historically loses seats in Congress.

It also likely will upend the race for Flake's seat.

So what made Flake decide to throw in the towel. His seat may not have been perfectly safe, but he had a decent chance. Of course, he would have had to spend millions.  He now can keep the money and use it for other campaign causes.

But that is a huge step down from being an actual Senator!

Flake is fairly young. He is only 54 years old. He can likely smell a lot of roses in his remaining years. Maybe he will become a lobbyist.

Did someone dig up some skeletons in Flake's closet?

We may never know.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

MI: Ambush Gunfight, Permit Holder Kills 1 of 2 Attackers

Police said two men walked out of a field and began shooting at the men in the cars. A man in the first car, who is a CPL holder, shot and killed one of the shooters, police said.

Police said that if the man had not returned fire, they believe all of the people in the two cars may have been killed.
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TX: Gunfight, Homeowner Killed, Intruder Wounded

The woman looked out the window and saw an unknown vehicle in the driveway so she woke up Robinson who armed himself, police said.

According to Perales' arrest warrant affidavit, Robinson grabbed his 9mm Glock and immediately saw Perales upon opening his bedroom door.

Robinson yelled "Get out of my house," the warrants states. Shots were fired, and Robinson was hit once in the torso, police said.
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FL: Unidentified Man with Bat, Shot, Killed by Homeowner

All initial indicators are leading investigators to believe this was an incident in which the homeowners’ use of force was for the protection of their life and property.

At this time, the deceased adult male has not been identified. This case remains an active, open investigation.
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LA: Victim's Son Shoots Robbery Suspect

After robbing a woman of her purse at gunpoint, one of two armed-robbery suspects was shot to the right leg and left foot by the victim's son in the Dillard area last week, according to New Orleans Police.

Jeremy Davis, 20, was taken to a local hospital for treatment before he was booked into the Orleans Justice Center jail in the armed robbery, police said.
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MS: Stepfather Defends Wife, Self, with .45

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson said deputies were called to a Highway 6 residence south of Plantersville around 4:45 p.m. where a male came home and confronted his mother and stepfather.


"He had a baseball bat in his hand and assaulted both of them," Johnson said. "At one point, the stepfather was able to get a .45-caliber handgun and shoot the suspect. He was carried to the North Mississippi Medical Center in bad condition."
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NC: Armed Homeowner Fights off Armed Robber

Police responded at about 6:18 a.m. after an intruder broke into a home on Purifoy Street armed with a handgun and demanded money.

The homeowner gave the intruder the money he had on him and a fight began, during which the homeowner got ahold of the handgun and shot at the intruder, police said.
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Followup MI: Domestic Defense, Man Justified in Shooting Girl's Ex

A 26-year-old Ypsilanti man acted in self-defense when he fired a shot that wounded another man's leg and grazed his scrotum during a domestic dispute inside a Canton mobile home, authorities have confirmed.

The shooter was at a Canton woman's home when her ex-boyfriend walked in and began to attack him, prompting him to fire a shot from a handgun, according to police reports.
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IN: Grandfather Opens Fire on Masked Intruders

Surveillance video shows one of them using an ax to break down the door of a barn. A second suspect later appears.

Elliot says when he saw the robbers getting close to another home where his grandson was staying, he grabbed his gun and opened fire.

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New Jersey Caves on Stun Guns: No More Ban

New Jersey is close to dismantling its total ban on stun guns for people who are not government agents. The ban was put in place in 1985.  Stun guns or Tasers, are commonly available to New Jersey Police officers. 138 law enforcement agencies in New Jersey have the devices. From nj1015.com

A total of 138 law enforcement agencies in New Jersey currently have stun guns, or Tasers, on hand, an office spokesman said Wednesday.

The ban was challenged with the Supreme Court unanimous decision in the Caetano case in Massachusetts. On 21 March of 2016, the Supreme Court issued a remarkable and, apparently to the Court, non-controversial decision.  In the Caetano PER CURIAM decision (pdf), the Court held that:

The Court has held that “the Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms, even those that were not in existence at the time of the founding,” District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U. S. 570, 582 (2008), and that this “Second Amendment right is fully applicable to the States,” McDonald v.Chicago, 561 U. S. 742, 750 (2010).

The decision, which was unanimous, has far reaching implications beyond mere stun guns.  Stun gun bans have already started falling like dominoes. From northjersey.com:

The New Jersey Second Amendment Society, which alongside a state resident sued Attorney General Christopher Porrino on grounds that New Jersey’s ban was unconstitutional, wanted it that way, said Alexander Roubian, the group’s president.

“We were adamant about fighting to make sure there was no permits or permission from the government attached to this,” Roubian said, citing the 2015 murder of a South Jersey woman who was waiting for a firearms permit as reasoning. “We feel this is very important in regard to allowing people to protect themselves.”

The dismantling of New Jersey’s stun gun ban comes six months after Porrino’s office signed a consent order acknowledging that the law violated the Second Amendment. But while gun groups cheer, New Jersey’s law enforcement community is ambivalent about the dismantling of the state’s 32-year law.

We do not know when stun guns will be allowed to be sold in New Jersey. It should be soon. The public comment for the new rules ends today, 22 October, 2017.

At least one online site is claiming that its products are now legal to be sold in New Jersey. From defenseproducts101.com:

TASER guns are now legal for citizen use in the state of New Jersey. New Jersey's attorney general has formally agreed to lift the state's ban on stun guns as part of a legal settlement with a group of gun rights advocates. Click here to read more.

It appears the online retailer may be a bit premature. The rules for sale havn't been released to the public, yet.

But New Jersey, with a strong push from the Second Amendment, the Supreme Court, and the New Jersey Second Amendment Society, is about to get a little more freedom.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

SC: Armed Neighbor Shoots, Kills 1 of 2 Armed Robbery Suspects

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. —

A neighbor who witnessed a man being robbed at gunpoint grabbed a gun and fired a shot, killing one of the suspects, according to Greenville County Sheriff's Office investigators.

The shooting happened Oct. 12 on Gethsemane Drive.

Investigators said Shane William Standard, 25, Tracie Lewis Mayfield, 32, and Jeffrey Eugene Bradley, 31, went to a home, held a man at gunpoint inside the home and demanded money.

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MN: Permit Holder Arrested on Assault Charges

18-year-old shot in leg, said to be fleeing at the time.

A man who told police he has a permit to carry, later identified as 43-year-old Kevin Martin, was walking with another woman in the area when a group of two men and a 17-year-old possibly surrounded the pair, according to police.

"It just kind of happened all of a sudden," said Courtney Bivens, who saw the entire incident unfold. "There was a little scuffle, so that caught my attention, and when I looked up I saw a guy pull out a weapon."
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MN: Gun Beats Knife; 56-Year-Old Clerk Stops Robbery

A 56-year-old clerk told police that the suspect, armed with a knife, had approached him and demanded money.

The suspect swiped two packs of cigarettes before backing the clerk into a corner and demanding he open the register.

The clerk then drew his own handgun and the suspect fled on foot. Police said the clerk had a concealed carry permit for the weapon.


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