When the owner of the vehicle saw the man inside her truck — who was attempting to put it in gear — she shot him, hitting him in the arm, police said.
The man ran away and police said they found him down the street at a hotel.
MedStar transported the man to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Asst. Chief Ernest Garcia, four suspects in masks entered the store and started robbing customers at gunpoint.
That's when an armed customer pulled out their weapon and shot at the suspects, Garcia said. Three of the robbery suspects were shot.
One bystander was also hurt, though it was unclear if he was shot by one of the suspects or the customer, HPD said.
According to police, just before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 9, officers responded to the area of 7th and Portland streets for reports of a shooting at a home. Upon arrival, officers located a man suffering a gunshot wound in the third-story bedroom of the house. He did not survive.
Lines are from 2022. Bars are for 2023.
The National Instant background Check System (NICS) gun sales and background checks for March, 2023, are the fourth highest on record since recording of background checks started in 1999. In March of 2023, there were about 1.51 million gun sales and about 3.04 million background checks total. Having about half of background checks done for gun sales falls well within the expected range in recent years. In some instances, gun sales have been less than 40% of total background checks done in a month.
The highest number of gun sales recorded in March was in 2020, with about 2.37 million. Then next highest was in 2021, with about 2.00 million gun sales. The third highest was in 2022, with about 1.62 million guns sold in with NICS. March of 2023 had about 1.51 million gun sales, and March of 2013 had about 1.47 million gun sales. The reader can easily see the trend. Gun sales have reached a "new normal" in the last few years.
The number of background checks done shows a similar pattern. 2020, 2021 and 2022 all had more background checks done than in 2023. The first quarter of 2023 shows a bit over four million guns sold through the NICS system, from previous years, we can estimate about 87% of those are new guns, increasing the private stock of firearms in the United States by 3.50 million. At the end of 2022, the number of privately owned firearms was estimated to be about 490 million in the United States. At the end of the first quarter, the number would now be about 493.5 million firearms. Two more quarters of the same growth will bring the estimate to over 500 million privately owned firearms, which is expected to happen by the end of September, 2023.
President Biden continues his lifelong crusade to impost ever more infringements on the rights protected by the Second Amendment. Biden's term as president looks more and more like a worse edition of President Obama's disastrous second term. Increasing racial divisions seems to be a specialty of both President Obama and President Biden. Disastrous international relations have happened during both President Biden and President Obama's second term. The horror of the "Islamic Spring" occurred with encouragement from President Obama, setting up the disaster of mass Islamic "refugees" in Europe.
The entire Ukraine war seems predicated on the horrible handling of the Afghanistan debacle and the mixed signals sent running up to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
Both of these disasters illustrate to Americans the desirablility of possessing arms for defense of self and community, rights protected by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.
As expected, the number of firearm owners in the United States is increasing. The latest survey of gun owners, by Professor William English, indicates there are about 81.4 million gun owners who were willing to self-identify, as of March of 2021, two years ago. Since that time, about 35 million more firearms have been sold in the United States.
With new gun owners and those who are "shy" about answering surveys, there are likely more than 100 million legal gun owners in the United States, virtually all of whom are legal voters.
Many politicians are wary of offending such a large group of voters, by directly violating their oaths of office.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
An Athens man was shot early Monday after Athens-Clarke police said he burglarized a home and encountered a resident armed with a gun.
The shooting occurred at about 5:50 a.m. on the 1000 block of Tallassee Road in north Athens.
The suspect, James E. Hill, 41, of Broad Street, was treated for an arm wound, then booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail, where he remained Tuesday without bond.
“I’m glad he’s alive and I didn’t have to be the one to take his life,” the 32-year-old resident said Tuesday when contacted.
Chicago police officers who responded to calls of a person shot in the 4700 block of North Talman around 11:45 p.m. found an 18-year-old man with gunshot wounds to his legs. The man initially told officers that someone shot at him from a black car.
About once a week this correspondent visits a local Wal-Mart to monitor ammunition prices. This time, there was a significant change. Wal-Mart rolled back the price of some bulk-packed .22 LR ammunition. The product was Federal Automatch, 40 grain, in a 325 bulk pack. The price was $18.97 or 5.8 cents per cartridge. The price had been $21.16, or 6.5 cents per cartridge. It is about a 10% reduction in the price.
Most days this correspondent will look at ammunition prices online. They are not quite as good an indicator, because shipping costs have to be included. Virtually everyone online now charges state sales tax, so that no longer makes much of a difference. Online prices were even lower, with the lowest costs for the cheapest ammunition at exactly 5 cents per cartridge for Armscor .22 LR 36 grain hollowpoint, bolt action only. From the indicated supplier, shipping costs were included in the price. A purchaser had to buy a full 5,000 round case to obtain the 5 cent per round price.
Screenshot from an Ammoseek search.
In my experience, the Federal Automatch is a bit more reliable ammunition than the Armscor 36 grain. Other people's experience may vary.
Since the ammunition bubble starting in 2012, Ammunition prices have gone up and down in response to overwhelming, then muted, demand. The demand seems linked to political threats to impose significant infringements on rights protected by the Second Amendment.
The ammunition companies have increased .22 Long Rifle production by about 40% since 2012, from about 5 billion rounds of .22 LR per year to 7 Billion rounds per year at present. Both Aguila Ammunition and Vista Outdoors (Federal and CCI) have increased production substantially.
Much specialty .22 ammunition is still difficult to obtain, but shelves are being stocked with more and more ammunition. The Federal Automatch bulk packs have been available at the local Wal-Mart, as far as this correspondent has been able to determine, continuously, for over a year.
How low will .22 prices go? It is impossible to know, especially with rampant monetary inflation confounding the picture. In constant dollars, 5.8 cents per round in 2023 is equivalent to 3.77 cents in 2005. The lowest constant dollar prices for .22 LR ammunition occurred from 1993 to 2006, at about 7 cents per round for suggested retail prices of Remington Hi-Velocity LR ammunition in 2023 dollars.
The Federal Automatch ammunition appears to be a pretty good deal.
If looking to stock up on .22 ammunition, watch for sales, and purchase what you wish when the price is down. The time to buy is when most people are not buying. Another source of excellent deals are estate sales. It does not matter if the ammunition is new in never opened boxes. Guns stores will almost never take ammunition in for sale that has been in customers hands, off store. Perhaps they are worried about liability. This author has purchased ammunition from estates, and at gun "buy backs" and had excellent luck with it. Of course, it is up to the buyer to be wary of what they are purchasing.
A purchaser does not have to worry about purchasing .22 reloads, as the number of people who reload .22 rimfire is extremely small. But for centerfire cartridges, caution is suggested. When this correspondent has purchased reloaded ammunition, he had personal knowledge of the person doing the reloading, and had confidence in their methods.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
CARROLL CO., Miss. (WLBT) - A woman shot a man multiple times after being attacked in Carroll County.
Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker says the incident happened down the street from Katy’s Place in the Coila area of the county at 1:36 a.m. on April 2.
According to a press release, witnesses told deputies that there was an altercation between Lamarcus Woodson, 31, and Michelle Eileen Hearn at Katy’s Place. The press release says that Hearn and Willie Ezell, a friend, left the club to remove themselves from the altercation.
Sheriff Walker says Woodson followed them to a house down the street from the club even though he was told to stay away from the property. Hearn, Ezell, and other witnesses told deputies that Woodson grabbed Hearn, and a struggle followed.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele has decided not to bring charges against the individual that took part in a deadly shooting that happened in March at the grave of a man who was killed by gun violence ten years prior.
In a statement released on Friday, Steele said that an investigation into the shooting that occurred on March 18 at Whitemarsh Memorial Park in Ambler, found that Daniel Hawkins, 29, of Philadelphia, was shot and killed in self-defense.
“There is no doubt about who shot and killed Hawkins, so the legal issue to be analyzed is whether this was a justifiable killing," Steele said in a statement.
The owner of Smoke Casa, Ouday Muslet, says his store was just about to close when an armed man came inside and wrestled his employee to the ground.
The employee, who also had a gun in his waistband, shot the man in the leg. Muslet said the man responded by pointing a gun at the clerk's head.
"He had no time to do anything, he was literally attacked at the front door," Muslet said.
The unknown man reportedly managed to take the employee's gun and ran outside, pointing both weapons at him.
Muslet then claimed that the clerk grabbed another gun they had on hand at the store and shot the man outside.
MANCHESTER, NH - The autopsy of the fatal shooting in Manchester Tuesday night has been completed by the Office of the New Hampshire Medical Examiner.
Rodney Yancey, 43 of Manchester died on Union Street Tuesday after being shot. The victim died of gunshot wounds to the chest.
The manner of death is classified as a homicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, homicide is defined as the killing of one person by another.
The investigation is active and ongoing and includes whether the person who shot Mr. Yancey acted in self-defense.
Because of the time and constraints required by travel, posting on Gun Watch will not be as regular as it usually is.
Dean Weingarten
BRENTWOOD -- An apparent attempted vehicle burglary in Brentwood
early Sunday morning turned into a shootout between the victim and the
suspects.
Brentwood police said in a statement that around 4
a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a report of a shooting in front of a
residence on the 2700 block of Serene Court.
Police said
the victim discovered suspects in the driveway attempting to break into
the victim's vehicle. The vehicle's owner confronted the suspects, after
which one of them fired a shot at the victim.
On March 29, 2023, the North Carolina legislature voted to override the veto of Democrat North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. In the Senate, as expected, the vote was 30 to 19, with 30 Republicans voting to override the veto of the Jim Crow era pistol permit law, 19 Democrats voting against the bill, and one Democrat not voting with an excused absence.
In the House, there are 71 Republicans and 49 Democrats. 3/5 of the vote is required to override a veto. If all members voted, 72 votes would be required. In this case, three Democrats were excused from voting, so only 71 votes were required for the veto override. All Republicans were present. All 71 Republicans voted to override Governor Cooper's veto.
The requirement to obtain a permit to purchase or transfer a pistol was passed in 1919, during a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States. Democrat Woodrow Wilson, an avid racist, was elected president of the United States with significant Klan support. President Woodrow Wilson segregated the federal civil service, which had been integrated before his election.
In addition to removing the Jim Crow era requirement for a sheriff to issue a permit to purchase a pistol, SB 41 removes the ban on carrying a concealed handgun in a place of worship which is also educational property. It authorizes concealed carry for certain law enforcement facility employees. It creates a statewide safe firearms storage educational initiative.
SB 41 aligns state law on handguns with the existing law on long guns, rifles and shotguns. Purchasing a rifle or shotgun from a private party in North Carolina does not require any special permit. Purchasing a long gun from a federal dealer in North Carolina requires the same process as in most of the rest of the United States. A National Instant background Check System check, run by the FBI, is required for most purchases.
When a NICS check has already been done to obtain a carry permit, firearms may be purchased without a federal dealer conducting another NICS check. 25 states currently have permit systems which the ATF consider adequate to be used for firearms purchases without conducting another NICS check. The North Carolina Concealed Handgun permits qualify for purchases through federally licensed firearms dealers without another NICS check.
Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC) deserves considerable credit for this reform of firearms law in North Carolina. Paul Valone, President of GRNC predicted the North Carolina legislature would be able to find the votes necessary to override Governor (D) Cooper's veto.
The North Carolina vote is a continuation of removal of Jim Crow era restrictions designed to prevent black people from exercising their right to keep and bear arms, guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Significant progress has occurred in the former Confederate States.
Arkansas passed Constitutional Carry in 2013. Missouri and Mississippi passed Constitutional Carry in 2016, Kentucky passed Constitutional Carry in 2019. Texas and Tennessee passed Constitutional carry in 2021. Alabama and Georgia passed Constitutional Carry in 2022. South Carolina and Florida are considering Constitutional Carry in 2023.
The South has become a bastion of limited government and upholding the Constitution against the Progressive administrative state.
Governor (D) Roy Cooper of North Carolina is not up for re-election until 2024. He was elected in the presidential election year of 2020. It may be one of the reasons he was willing to veto SB41 this year.
Lt. Governor Mark Robinson was elected as a Second Amendment superstar. He is expected to announce he will be running for Governor of North Carolina in 2024.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (KAKE) - Police in Florida say a man who assaulted his ex-girlfriend was fatally shot by the woman's father.
The incident happened on March 17 at an apartment complex in Gainesville. According to police, a woman's ex-boyfriend physically assaulted her at her apartment and then fled the scene.
WEAR reports the woman's father arrived at the apartment a short time later, and the ex-boyfriend returned about 30 minutes later.
"The father, who was armed with a handgun, fired one shot at the suspect which struck him in the chest," Gainesville police said.
City of Yuma Police Vehicle
This correspondent normally appears on the Russ Clark Show, a local radio show with a national audience, once a week, in studio. One morning, after finishing the drive-time radio show, I walked out to my vehicle, ready to take on the rest of the day. As I approached the my vehicle, I saw a Yuma City Police vehicle approaching in the parking lot of the radio station.
I opened my vehicle door and reached inside, for a camera, as I thought pictures of such a police car might be useful for future articles. As I was half-in the vehicle, I notice the police car pull up in front of me, with the window rolled down. The officer said: Are you Mr. Weingarten? I said I was.
They said: I was listening to you on the radio. I could not call in because I am on duty. I would really like for you to bring up the Hughes Amendment on the radio show.
The Hughes Amendment was passed under dubious circumstances as part of the passage of the Firearms Owners Protection Act in 1986. Second Amendment supporters, particularly in the NRA, had been working for years to reform the more odious overreach of the 1968 Gun Control Act. The leadership in the Congress, controlled by Democrats, was opposed, even though a majority of the Congress was willing to vote in the reforms.
The NRA was able to invoke a seldom used rule, a discharge petition. If a majority of House members would sign a petition to bring the reform bill to a vote, the leadership could be overruled.
Police who know of the Hughes Amendment are deep into the gun culture.
The Hughes Amendment has been interpreted to forbid sales of full-auto firearms to ordinary citizens, if the firearms did not have a tax stamp prior to 1986, with some relatively minor and expensive exceptions (such as a license to manufacture).
I told the officer I was aware of the Hughes Amendment. I had listened to the original, crucial and seeming underhanded vote in the House; and I would probably discuss it on the radio at some time. It appears the vote was done legally, if done with a dubious voice vote.
Here is a video of the debate and the Amendment:
The officer assured me many officers were strong proponents of the Second Amendment and hated seeing infringements such as the Hughes Amendment.
Several police officers have communicated similar comments. They are a minority of officers, but they are not irrelevant.
Some officers have complained of being used as political props during debates about Second Amendment issues, for example, being ordered to attend City Council meetings as a show of support when restrictive gun measures are being debated.
They are usually required, by their jobs, not to voice political opinions while on duty. Their politically appointed bosses, as police chiefs, are not so restricted. Police chief voices, nearly universally, reflect the political preferences of the politicians who hired them or appointed them.
This is why it is much more common to see Sheriffs support the Second Amendment than police chiefs. Sheriffs are elected directly by the people. They are more accountable.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
According to the Grand Forks Police Department, Cross was laying on the floor after 24-year-old Javon Lowery of Grand Forks shot him once in the chest during a brief argument.
Police say Lowery actually fired multiple shots, but the rest missed. According to police, Lowery shot at Cross after he pulled out what Lowery thought was a sawed-off shotgun during the argument. It turned out it was only a pellet gun.
Lowery was the one who called 911.
Those who want a disarmed population have been working hard to make the term "shooter" a pejorative. Shooting is a sport. Murder is a crime. Shooting is often in defense of self and others. There were two shooters at the Greenwood Park Mall on the afternoon of July 17, 2022. One was there to commit mass murder. The other was there to enjoy himself. He was armed to defend his rights and to protect himself and others. Both fired shots.
Elisjsha D. Dicken prevailed and stopped the carnage. He started firing at the mass murderer from 40 yards away. He was effective and saved many lives. He was the good Greenwood Park Mall shooter. The Mayor of Greenwood Indiana expressed what many others have acknowledged: From the Mayor of Greenwood:
The shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall-July 17 was a day that will be impossible for many of us to forget. We grieve for the lives lost that night. We pray for those who still struggle with memories from the tragedy. It was unexpected and uncharacteristic for our community. Our first responders along with a brave young man who happened to be at the mall prevented that tragedy from being worse. There are no words to describe my gratitude.
The reason Elisjsha's last name is spelled Diken below is not obvious. The first name is spelled correctly. For whatever reason, Elisjsha's last name had been consistently spelled Dicken in previous coverage. The image of Elisjsha Dicken's lifetime License to Carry Handgun put out by the Greenwood Police in July, 2022 shows the spelling as Dicken. Even with the unfortunate misspelling, it is positive to see a community recognize the courage, awareness, skill, and moral clarity displayed by Eisjsha under intense pressure.
Letter from the Office of the Mayor Mark W. Myers:
July 17th started off to be another beautiful day in Greenwood. Unfortunately, it became one of the darkest days in our history. A lone gunman entered the Food Court in the Greenwood Park Mall. As he emerged from the restroom he began firing a rifle, killing 3 people.Hearing shots ring out, Elisjsha Diken immediately identified the shooter, took cover behind a pillar, drew his weapon and fired at the shooter from 40 yards away. He was able to eliminate the threat. While doing this Elisjsha also was waving innocent civilians to safety. There were countless number of innocent lives saved that day due to his quick and selfless thinking. The City of Greenwood and the residents here owe a great debt of gratitude to Elisjsha. Because of his heroic actions the City of Greenwood proudly honors Elisjsha Diken as the 2022 Citizen of the Year.
Opinion:
A nation needs it heroes. They need to be recognized. They need to be celebrated. For a number of reasons, many of those in leadership positions in the United States of America have denigrated American heroes, and elevated to artificial positions of leadership those who claim to be victims in society, even as those "victims" are granted privileges and treated better than nearly anywhere else in the world.
It is refreshing to see Eli D. Dickens celebrated for saving lives, for showing an example of courage and skill during danger and intense pressure. Young men have risen to defend themselves and others throughout human existence. Their skill and courage have always been celebrated in those societies who survive.
America has always, through its Judeo/Christian ethical base, celebrated truth and the worth of human lives. Not all societies have done so.
Many societies have celebrated lies, murder, and human sacrifice. They have not been as successful as a society based on truth. There appear many in the United States who want to change the culture to one based on lies, murder, and human sacrifice. Celebrating the heroism of Eli Dicken is a small but significant step away from a future which celebrates lies and murder.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
According to the Chicago Police Department, a 30-40-year-old man entered an auto parts store in the 9100 block of South Stony Island Avenue around 2:30 p.m., pulled out a gun, and demanded money from the cash register.
Police said the store manager, who is a valid FOID holder, pulled out a gun and fired shots, hitting the 30-40-year-old man, who was then taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
The incident report was uncovered with a Freedom of information Act (FOIA) request by AmmoLand. Individual names have been redacted. The report was translated into English, so it has been edited for readability, and fictitious names have been substituted. From the FOIA account, incident 162:
The bear was observed around 12-13 hours by Joan and Jill at the first cabin on Vestpynten after the camping place. The next cabin is Ralph. They saw the bear on the shore, walking towards Ralph's cabin. The dogs (8) Ralph had with him had warned him about the bear and he started taking them inside. To the witnesses on the other cabin it looked like the bear was smelling the dogs and getting interested. Ralp said he had 3 dogs left outside when the bear arrived at the cabin. The witnesses only saw 1. Ralph tells that the bear had a dark spot on the belly, maybe from oil spill and that it was very aggressive. He went to get a special weapon, "rubber-bullet-gun". At about 1m distance he fired one shot at the bear. He think it hit the bear in the side. Joan couldn't see the weapon properly, but she thought it was a pistol because he was holding it with one hand. She could not see it if the bear reacted after the first shot, but she said that he fired one more shot and that the bear then jumped and ran away towards the sea. Ralph himself claims he only fired one shot. Jill also thought she saw Ralph fire 2 shots but she wasn't certain. She was certain that he didn't use a rifle/ shotgun sized weapon, but a smaller type of weapon.
The rubber-bullet-gun was never shown to the police, and at the next interview, Ralph had destroyed it.
The rubber-bullet-gun was purchased in Canada 20 years before. The same goes for the ammunition. The day of the incident was the first time Ralph used the gun, and it was the last of the ammo. 20 year old rubber bullets can get hard as rock and since it was fired at very close range it might have made serious injuries to the bear. Ralph also had a .357 revolver. Ralph claimed it was inside the cabin when he shot at the bear.
The bear was searched for with a helicopter over a large area, but was never found. The bear might have swam over Isfjorden, over to Revneset/ Hiorthamn or towards Bjørndalen, or, and most probably, was so badly injured that it died/ drowned while swimming…
It is left to the readers to consider if Ralph used a .357 magnum revolver or a rubber bullet gun single shot type pistol. Either way, it was a handgun/pistol and will be classified as "unknown" in the data.
It proved effective, as the bear was driven off.
Opinion:
Polar bear conflicts seem to be primarily predatory. Because people/dogs are not commonly found in the natural habitat of polar bears, the bears usually approach with some caution. Bears which indiscriminately attack potentially dangerous prey do not last long. Black bear attacks are also usually predatory. Both polar bears and black bears seem more likely to be driven off without a fight, compared to grizzly/brown bears.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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