Grizzly Bear Charge Stopped with a .410 shotgun in Montana, 2003

 

 

During a crisp early Wednesday morning on October 15, 2003, near Fortine, Montana, James Beeman used a .410 shotgun to shoot and drop a charging grizzly bear at three feet, long before daylight.

James Beeman had been having problems with raccoons in the large chicken coop he had built, about 50 yards from his 3600 square foot home. At about 3:30 a.m., he heard an unusual noise, sort of a mew-mew, but he did not sense anything amiss. At 4:30 a.m., chaos erupted in the chicken coop.

The coop was 36x22 feet, with a floor 4 feet above ground level, to allow the chicken droppings to fall to the ground, for easy cleaning. It housed 250 chickens. A ramp ran up into the coop to allow access.

James was dressed in longjohn underwear. He got up and started to grab a 12 gauge shotgun. Thinking the disturbance was caused by raccoons, and not wanting to damage his chickens or coop more than necessary, he grabbed a .410 bolt action shotgun instead. The shotgun held three rounds of #7.5 bird shot.  James put on footgear and a earflap hat. He had a headlamp on as he walked to the door of the chicken coop.

He was only a few feet away when he saw a bear cub had its head inside the coop. The cub looked at him and took off away from the coop, toward a fenced dead end. A second cub appeared and took off in the same direction. The big bear stuck its head out of the coop. It was only three feed from where James was standing. It had a chicken in its mouth. The bear dropped the chicken and "woofed". James was starting to back up. It had rained a little during the night. The ground showed James backed up seven steps as the bear jumped down and off the ramp, breaking off a corner of a 1" plywood sheet. She came at James from 15 feet. He fired from the hip when the bear was three feet from the muzzle of the .410. The bear dropped at his feet.

James called the authorities. The game warden showed up two hours later. It was still dark.  The bear's eyes glowed red, and James thought it might still be alive. The warden said: "no, the eyes would be glowing green if the bear was alive."

The entrance wound was 2 centimeters or 3/4 of an inch left of the right nostril, centered on the nose.

The warden used a foot long stick to follow the wound track. It penetrated back to where the brain was expected to be. In the necropsy, two #7.5 pellets were found in the brain, killing the bear.  The rest of the shot charge had cleared the way for those two pellets to penetrate the brain.

The necropsy measured the bear at 580 lbs. The big sow had 22 tattoos from being captured previously. Each time she had been captured, she got another tattoo. The sow had come down from Canada and was believed to be 18-20 years old.

James revealed bears are a common problem in the area. No food can be left outside. People who need to protect stock, chickens, or other things bears like to eat, such as honey in beehives, are forced to use electric fences. This correspondent considers electric fences to be a nuisance to deal with. However, they protect against bears better and more cheaply than non-electric barriers.  The fences are turned off in the winter, when bears hibernate.

The bear cubs were captured. As cubs of the year, it did not seem likely they would survive the winter. They were placed in an old den.

When people had stock on the frontier, they protected the stock by hunting down stock killing bears and killing the bears. Bears soon learned to stay away from humans in order to survive.

Not long ago, James had another problem bear visit. It was captured and a DNA sample taken. The DNA showed it was descended from the female cub of the bear James had killed in 2003.

Sows with bad habits pass on the bad habits to their cubs.

As the Myth of Old Groaner, in Alaska grew, the writer who embellished the original tale claimed a .410 was useless against grizzly bears. The case of James Beeman in 2003 shows a .410 is much better than a sharp stick. Even a 2 1/2 inch .410 with a half ounce of shot at 1300 fps, is about the same energy as a .44 magnum.  To penetrate much, the shot has to be delivered in a compact mass. It has spread out too much by five yards. At one yard, it was sufficient.

Several bears have been killed with bird shot at ranges of less than 15 feet. Bigger shot probably works better.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

SC: Anderson Homeowner Shot at Burglary Suspect

The suspect reportedly walked into the house, and when the homeowners spotted them, they ran from the scene.

The homeowners shot at the suspect but did not hit them, according to the sheriff’s office.

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Non-Bianary Clown Arrested for Golden Gun at Sidney Airport - 1 Year Sentence

 

On April 23, 2023, in the airport at Sidney, Australia, a heavily tatooed and pierced non-binary person known as Liliana Goodson, failed to declare a 1911 A1 type pistol in her "hand luggage".  Hand luggage is what Australians call carry on bags.  Liliana has been reported as planning to attend a clown school in Australia.

 

 

 Picture of Liliana

Liliana's preferred pronouns have been "they/them", but she has also been referred to by her Australian lawyer as she/her.  According to news.com.au:

A heavily tattooed American traveller is fighting to be released from jail after she was allegedly busted trying to smuggle a 24-karat gold-plated pistol into Australia in her hand luggage.

Liliana Goodson was arrested on April 23 after Australian Border Force officials claim they found a handgun hidden in her hand luggage when she touched down in Sydney.

An X-ray machine at Sydney Airport allegedly detected the golden gun inside Ms Goodson’s hand luggage after she flew into the country from Los Angeles.

Liliana gave conflicting stories about how the pistol was in her bag. She spent about a week in an Australian jail before being allowed out on bail. This correspondent wonders about security at the Los Angeles Airport. If the pistol was in her carry-on, as indicated, it slipped through security in Los Angeles without being noticed.  This source claims the ammunition in Liliana's luggage was the wrong caliber for the .45 Auto.

According to a submission from her lawyer, Goodson had been paranoid when she packed the gun due in part to self-medication with synthetic cannabis; she had also attempted to ship 50 rounds of ammunition, though not of the correct size.

 

When this correspondent arrived in the Sidney Airport, on several occasions, the professionalism of the Australian Customs officers was obvious and refreshing. The Sidney airport is well designed and lovely, a significant counterpoint to the Los Angeles Airport.  When Customs asked this correspondent about his profession, the answer was "writer". Then he was asked what he wrote about. The answer was "guns". This resulted in another pointed question: Did you bring any with you? The answer was "No. I have read the Australian gun laws.".

With Ms. Goodson, the answer was different. From dailymail.co.uk:

Goodson had searched online whether she was allowed to bring the weapon into Australia, despite telling officers at the time she forgot she had it with her.

When asked at the airport if she was carrying any prohibited items with her Goodson claimed she was not, the court was told.

'What about the gun in your bag?' she was asked by a customs officer.

Goodson replied: 'Oh yeah, I forgot about that.'

Contradictory answers, the claim of using multiple illegal drugs while making transportation decisions, and eventually pleading guilty to illegal importation resulted in a one year sentence on December 9, 2024. Liliana has been reported as 29 when she was sentenced. With good behavior, she is expected to spend four months in actual incarceration.

If Ms Goodson only wanted a weapon to scare people with, she might have brought a cheap, non-firing replica for a hundred dollars, instead of a high dollar real 1911A1.  Non-firing replicas are also illegal to import into Australia, but it  is likey  the authorities would have been content with confiscating the replica, perhaps with fine and a slap on the wrist.

Goodson is reported as saying she had a permit for the firearm in Alabama.  This correspondent has not been able to determine at which airport Ms Goodson entered the sterile area with the carry-on luggage containing the pistol.

 

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

SC: Burglary Suspect Shot by Neighbor who Protected Woman and Child

The homeowner and her child escaped and went to a neighbor’s house for safety.

Maybank then went to the neighbor’s house where he began to attempt to forcibly gain entry to the house.

Maybank, who was holding a burglary tool, was confronted by the homeowner, who was holding a handgun.

The homeowner shot the suspect as he believed he was in fear for himself and the neighbor’s safety.

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PA: Resident fires at Car Theft Suspects Leads to Arrest

Police subsequently received multiple 9-1-1 calls for reports of shots fired in the 2100 block of Mather Way, also in the Lynnewood Gardens complex. Arriving officers determined that a resident of the complex had fired multiple shots at two individuals who were attempting to steal their car.

One of the suspects, a juvenile, was apprehended following a foot chase and found to be in possession of a stolen handgun which was illegally modified to fire fully automatic. The juvenile also had multiple warrants out of Philadelphia for drugs and weapons offenses and was found to have removed their court-ordered ankle monitor.

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Black Bear Charge and Stop, Rifle and Pistol in Montana, 1989

Alan Yates bear rugs, rifles, and handguns. S&W 65 by rear leg of bear rug on right.

The incident happened in November of 1989, near Bozeman, Montana. This correspondent interviewed Alan Yates this year. Alan says this and a few other incidents bear charges are burned into his memory. Alan was kind enough to write about what happened. Alan's account has been lightly edited for space and clarity. This is Alan's story:

I was hunting whitetail in the early morning. I had my sort-of-trusty 303 Enfield over my shoulder. As I slipped slowly and quietly along, with the wind in my favor, trying to make no noise in the dew-dampened tall grass, a sound caught my ear ... "woof, woof, woof".  What happened next occurred in about four seconds.

I spun towards the sound as my rifle came smoothly to my shoulder. The bear rounded a bush and charged into sight. I immediately saw a problem ... the bear was much lower to the ground than my 6'5" frame, and it's head was bouncing/rolling with the charge.  I had no solid target. Without thinking, I dropped to one knee in the tall grass and began to time the bears head roll - to slip a bullet under its chin. Twice I almost pulled the trigger. I was running out of time and room. I decided it would have to be the last jump the bear made. Steadying myself, all thought left my mind, and the world slowed down. I watched the bear make the 2nd-to-last jump and waited .... the bear stopped dead still - staring straight at me, head slightly lowered, huffing. The bears eyes darted around and re-focused on me.

This began the standoff at three yards. The bear was staring intently at me. The tall grass was between us. My finger was on the trigger, my sights on its lower jaw. I had a problem: I had read about bullets "bouncing off of" a bears skull, and I couldn't see the rest of the bear because of the tall grass. 

It dawned  on me - the agitated and angry bear wasn't sure I was the target of its charge - probably because I had dropped to one knee mid-charge. Both of us were peering over the grass at each other. I knew the bear would eventually turn its head to one side or the other. I focused my rifle sights directly at the base of the throat and waited. And waited. My muscles cramped. My eyes watered. I didn't dare blink, so I slowly squinted my eyes. I relaxed one muscle while holding my position with another, rotating muscles to relieve the pain. Adrenaline kicked in. And still I waited ... How long? two minutes? Five? I don't know. I never moved. To me it was life and death - the bear was one jump away.

Suddenly the bear snapped it's head to my right. I fired instantly. In terror I jacked another round into the rifle. The bear had disappeared - gone! I stood slowly on shaking legs, rifle up and ready. Looking at the ground where the bear had stood, I saw something black. I took a tentative step forward and saw the bear had collapsed straight downward in its tracks, exactly as it had stood. I took 2 more steps and was standing beside the large bear. My rifle had slid from my fingers without me realizing it. Suddenly my legs gave out. With great effort, as I began to fall, I swung one leg around over the bear and landed squarely on its back in a sitting position as if I was riding a horse. I was in a near catatonic state of body and brain shutdown.

I wish this was the end of the story - it isn't. This IS a completely true story. 

As I sat there staring stupidly down at the large bear between my legs, the world began to move around me. It took a moment for me to realize, the bear was beginning to stand up! Under me! My brain went into the most terrifying scramble of my life. I glanced desperately down for my rifle - gone. "Pistol" my mind screamed. I yanked for the 357 magnum on my hip. And yanked, and yanked ... I yanked repeatedly in desperation - the bear was almost to a full standing position - with me seated firmly in the saddle. Suddenly I realized that this was all about to go really wrong for me. I stopped my mind - forcing myself to tear my eyes from  the bear, who was swinging its head slowly side-to-side, and looked down at my holster. The strap holding my gun was still locked solidly in place. My left hand shot across and yanked the strap loose. My right hand ripped the gun out of the holster and jammed the muzzle between my legs into the bears spine between its shoulder blades. I squeezed the trigger in a death grip. The gun roared ... and the bear slammed back into the ground. The pistol slipped from my fingers. The bear never moved again.

About 10 mins later, my buddy came along. He spotted me sitting, and walked towards me. "I heard two shots. Did you get something?" He said. I couldn't talk. I simply raised one hand slowly and pointed down between my legs. He walked over and his eyes went wide! He stood patiently by me. He picked up my pistol and slid it back into my holster. He found my rifle and placed it gently in my hands. (My rifle was one yard away, but I couldn't see it).

After about 30 mins I was able to stand slowly and shakily. I told him the story. The tracks confirmed everything - he could see where the bear had charged, from over 100 yards away, and where I'd walked. He drove his car thru the farmers field right up to me, and we loaded the bear and drove home. The bear turned out to be a large sow. I had a beautiful rug made.

My 1st (rifle) bullet hit the tip of the bears right collarbone, turned 90 degrees upward, and exploded into the spine, shattering two neck vertebrae - apparently without breaking the spinal column. My 2nd bullet (158 gr hornady XTP/FP) from my 357, broke the spine, traveled straight down, breaking the sternum, and lodged in the skin by the ground. I still have that pistol bullet today. These 357 mag cartridges were my handloads. They were loaded extremely "hot". (editor - Do not exceed recommended max loads when you reload ammunition) How the bear was able to stand up after the first shot is beyond me. I have no idea why the bear charged me. No evidence of cubs was found. She didn't have my wind. I just don't know.

This incident will be included in the database as combination defense. Both rifle and pistol were used. The pistol used was a Smith & Wesson model 65, with a four inch barrel. Alan had other experiences with charging bears which will be covered as time permits.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

TX: Houston Woman Shoots Man, Claims Self Defense

HPD patrol officers responded to a shooting at the above address and found an unresponsive man with a gunshot wound.  Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced the male deceased.  Officers detained a female at the scene who identified herself as the shooter.

The female told investigators the male attacked her and, after a brief confrontation and struggle, the male was shot.

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FL: Lake Wales Homeowner Shoots Intruder

A stranger was inside of his home.

Lake Wales police identified the man as 34-year-old Cameron McGuire.

They said he entered the home through the kitchen window.

“I double-checked,” Coles recalled. “I seen him first, then I was just like no way.”

“I got back into bed and I was like, ‘hold on,'” he said. “‘Did I really just see what I just saw?'”.

So Coles said he grabbed his gun and confronted McGuire.

“I didn’t really want to shoot the man, but he kind of came forward as I was standing down here with him at gunpoint,” he said. “So I shot him, and I told him don’t move again or it’s going to be again.”

 

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NICS November 2024: 6th most Gun Sales and 5th most Checks for month

The trend line of 2024 as the fifth most gun sales and National Instant background Check System (NICS) is holding for the year. In November of 2024, the month had the sixth highest gun sales for November. It was close. November of 2022 had .28% higher numbers.  The NICS background checks were the fifth most for the month. November 2020 holds the record for gun sales in the month, with about 3.6 million sold in November of 2020. 

With about 1.48 million gun sales, as recorded by NICS and our estimation process, November of 2024 continues the trend of 64 consecutive months of more than 1 million firearms sales as commented on by the National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF). 

The estimate of gun sales through November of 2024 is a bit over 13 million. December is traditionally the highest month for gun sales, with memories of recent hunting seasons and Christmas contributing. 

The highest number of gun sales during the history of NICS in December occurred in 2015, with nearly 2.2 million guns sold. With Donald Trump safely elected in November of 2016, December gun sales dropped to about 1.8 million. This correspondent expects a drop in gun sales in 2024, to a bit less than what was recorded in 2022, to about 1.6 million sales. This would be less than the 1.8 million in 2016, making the December 2024 sales the sixth highest during the life of NICS, form December of 1998. If such occurs gun sales for 2024 will be the sixth highest in the 27 Decembers recorded in NICS. 

This correspondent's prediction is 2024 will have had 14.6 million guns recorded as sold by NICS. Not all of those guns are additions to the national private stock of firearms. Many of them are guns which have been owned previously. Using a combination of FBI NICS data and the commercial numbers which used to be reported by the ATF, about 13% of gun sales recorded by NICS are for guns which were already part of the private stock of American gun owners. 

When President Trump won his first election in 2017, gun sales as recorded by NICS dropped for the next three years, with record sales during the campaign year of 2020. It seems likely the pattern will repeat itself. Patriots have purchased a lot of guns in anticipation of potential domestic and international problems since President Obama started the trend to fundamentally transform the United States in 2008. With potential stability looking possible in 2025, under a reinvigorated Trump second term, the fear of domestic and international instability is likely to recede. If President Trump is able to achieve his promises for peace in the Ukrainian-Russian war, and an extension of his tremendous achievements with the Abraham accords in the Middle East, pressure for more gun sales will drop. President Trump is one of the master negotiators of the age, so it can happen. 

While gun sales to people on the left could rise, the numbers are likely to be smaller than the drop in gun sales to Trump supporters and independents. Very few on the far left are gun enthusiasts, although they exist.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

 

 

IL: Chicago, Domestic Defense Gunfight, Woman Wounded

The woman and a 26-year-old man were inside a home in the 6200 block of South King Drive a little after 5 a.m. when a known male offender forcibly entered and a verbal altercation ensured.

The offender then produced a gun and fired at the victims. The 26-year-old man, who has a valid FOID card and concealed carry license, returned fire, police said.

During the exchange of gunfire, the woman was hit in her right thigh. No other injuries were reported.

 

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NC: Neighbor Shoots Neighbor, Alledges Break-in Attempt

“Further investigation determined the neighbor who lives at a separate address on Santa Gertrudis Drive had shot the victim in what the neighbor described as an attempted breaking and entering to his residence,” the sheriff’s office said in a release. “Preliminary evidence indicated the shooting location to be the home of the neighbor alleging the attempted breaking and entering.”

The man who was shot was taken to WakeMed with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the sheriff’s office said detectives are working with the district attorney’s office to determine whether charges will be filed.

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AZ: Phoenix Homeowner Shoots, Wounds 1 Suspect in Gunfight with Home Invaders

Officers believe that multiple armed suspects entered a home in the area around 1:15 a.m.

One of the occupants of the home was armed and fired his weapon at the suspects when at least one of them was shot.

The person who was shot was identified as 19-year-old Michael Valles.

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FL: Germantown Jewelry Store Staff Fire Shots to Stop Robbery

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. (WMC) - A car crashed into a Germantown jewelry store on Monday afternoon in a robbery attempt.

Police were called to the store at Bob Richards Jewelers at 1696 S Germantown Road around 1 p.m.

Police say people in two different vehicles targeted the business.

Staff members fired shots inside the business in an attempt to thwart the robbery.

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NFA Amnesty: A tool for the Trump Administration

President Trump has a tool to push for the passage of legislation, such as the hearing protection act. The executive branch, specifically the Secretary of the Treasury, can unilaterally declare an amnesty for people to register NFA items with the ATF. The Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968, under enormous pressure from President Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1968. At the same time, the Congress passed a statute authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to declare amnesties to allow people to register items covered by the act.

There are limitations. A single amnesty cannot last for longer than 90 days.  The Secretary of the Treasury must announce the amnesty in the Federal Register before the amnesty takes effect. From PUBLIC LAW 90-619-OCT. 22, 1968, found on page 1236 of United States Statutes at Large Volume 82.djvu/1278:

(d) The Secretary of the Treasury, after publication in the Federal Register of his intention to do so, is authorized to establish such periods of amnesty, not to exceed ninety days in the case of any single period, and immunity from liability during any such period, as the Secretary determines will contribute to the purposes of this title. TITLE III — AMENDMENTS TO TITLE VII O F THE OMNIB U S C R I M E CONTROL A N D S A F E S T R E E T S ACT O F 1968

The law does not appear to have been altered or repealed since 1968. The first amnesty was for only 30 days. No other amnesty has been put in place, which this author knows of, since that time.

The Secretary of the Treasury is granted almost unlimited discretion with this law. The Secretary may place limitations on amnesties. They may apply to certain items or classes of items. An amnesty can waive requirements for taxes or other provisions of current law, such as the requirement for fingerprints. The Secretary can establish immunity from liability.

Do you wish to wish to allow people to purchase and register silencers/suppressors with out the $200 tax and the burdensome paperwork? The Secretary of the Treasury can do so for 90 days at a time. There does not appear to be any other limit on how many amnesties can be announced and put into effect.

When the GCA 1968 was passed, people in the firearms community believed amnesties would be a regular feature of the administration of the act. The Congress had given the Secretary of the Treasury almost unlimited authority to do so.

No amnesty has been announced for 56 years. It is long past time to do so. The Trump administration could use amnesties as a lever to push the Congress into approving firearms reform legislation. If the Congress will not approve the reform legislation, the Trump administration will declare an amnesty, crafted to produce the desired result.  Amnesties could be for all NFA items, or one. They could include taxes or not.

Analysis:

This correspondent thinks the most productive approach would be to go after the most idiotic and counter productive of items included in the NFA first. Remove silencers/suppressors first. The effective economic ban on their use by the public has been a massive governmental health disaster costing tens of millions of people significant hearing loss. Then go after short barreled rifles. Even the Roosevelt administration did not consider them to be a problem in 1933. It was only the stupid, drunk, or Machiavellian representative from Minnesota who insisted they be included in the legislation. Pistols have been firmly established as protected under the Second Amendment. To claim putting a stock on a pistol, to make it more accurate and harder to conceal, increases criminal use, is absurd. Repeal the ban on the acquisition of machine guns put into effect in 1986. There never was any legitimate reason for the ban. People with legally registered machine guns were probably the most law abiding group in the country.

All of the above are likely to happen with court challenges. Some of the challenges, such as for silencers/suppressors are already in play. Using the potential of court challenges is another lever the Trump administration could use to incentivize Congress to pass reform legislation.

It would be best to repeal the 1968 GCA and the 1934 NFA in their entirety. This correspondent thinks the political will to do so does not yet exist.

This correspondent is not a lawyer. Other people may interpret the NFA Amnesty law differently. The author's opinion on the law should not be relied on for legal advice.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

FL: Lee County Confrontation with Carjacking Suspect, Suspect Shot, Killed

LCSO says a homeowner used their right to protect themselves on their property which led to a death.

Deputies say at 3:30AM on Saturday a man was shot laying in front of a Lehigh home upon their arrival. The homeowner was in their car preparing to leave for work when they were startled buy a carjacker. They both got into a fight when that homeowner shot them, LCSO says, in self defense.

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House Staff member for Rep. Morrell, D-NY, Arrested for Possession of Ammo, Magazines

 

Cannon House Office Building.

On Thursday morning, the 28 of November, Thanksgiving day, Capitol police found eleven rounds  of ammunition and four magazines in a bag which Michael Hopkins had put through screening at the Cannon House Office Building. Hopkins is a staff member of Rep. Joe Morelle, D-NY.  From WFIN.com:

“At approximately 8:45 a.m., a House staffer entered the Cannon House Office Building and put his bag through screening. USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen,” Capitol Police told Fox News in a statement. 

“After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition. The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag,” the statement continued.

Capitol Police say Michael Hopkins, 38, is now facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition, including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine.

Hopkins became the director of communications for representative Morelle in October of 2024, according to Hopkin's Linkedin account. Hopkins passed the bar in New York State. Hopkin's shows he has been a contributing writer to The Hill for seven years and five months. Michael Hopkins no longer works for Rep. Joe Morelle, according to Morelle's chief of staff. From Rollcall magazine:

Hopkins is no longer employed in Morelle’s office “effective immediately,” according to a Monday afternoon statement from Chief of Staff Jo Stiles.

The Administration Committee has oversight over House operations and Capitol security, including jurisdiction over legislative branch support agencies like the Capitol Police.

This correspondent has not found any information about what caliber of ammunition was found in the bag, or what firearm the magazines might have fit.

Analysis: It is not uncommon for people who are shooters to forget about a few rounds of ammunition or some accessories when taking a bag through a security checkpoint. It appears the charges against Mr. Hopkins are District of Columbia statutes. The offenses listed "unlawful possession of ammunition" and "possession of a high capacity magazine" are likely unconstitutional. The magazine prohibition is being challenged in several federal court cases. It is difficult to know how this offense will affect Mr. Hopkins future career. If Mr. Hopkins worked for a pro--Second amendment legislator, he might not have been relieved of his position.

Legislatures are acknowledged as "sensitive places" by the Supreme Court. Administrative offices may or may not be considered "sensitive places" They are not actually part of the legislature. Places which are guarded by armed security are plausible candidates for "sensitive places".  Attempting to take ammunition into a "sensitive place" might be a more appropriate charge. Congressmen, as I recall, are not required to go through security checkpoints at the Capitol.  This correspondent suspects Michael Hopkins will not have difficulty finding meaningful employment, but perhaps not as a staffer to politicians.

Unfortunately for Mr. Hopkins, his employer is a strong supporter of numerous infringements on the right to keep and bear arms. Rep. Joe Morelle supports an "assault weapon" ban, universal background checks, banning the sale of standard capacity magazines,  mandatory liability insurance for firearms owners, mandatory three day waiting periods for firearm purchases and many others.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

WA: Theif Steals Jeep near Nine Mile Falls. Owner Follows and Shoots Theif

The shooter spoke with investigators and was not charged while the vehicle theft suspect was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

The incident started when deputies responded to a reported Jeep theft at about 8:40 p.m. from a residence near Charles and Dover roads, deputies said. Investigators believe the owner of the stolen Jeep armed himself and chased the fleeing suspect in a separate vehicle.

Gunshots were reported minutes later in the area of Four Mound Road and Landt Farms Lane, according to the sheriff’s office. The Jeep owner reported he shot at the theft suspect, who abandoned the Jeep in a ditch near that intersection, according to the release. The Jeep owner found blood in the Jeep after the suspect fled on foot.

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GA: Dekalb County Man Shot, Killed, after Threatening another Person

A man was shot to death in DeKalb County’s Redan area early Thursday morning after threatening another person during an argument, according to police.

DeKalb officers got the call at around 5 a.m. When they arrived at the scene, in the 5800 block of Hallwood Court, they found the man, identified as Brandon Banks, 37, with an apparent gunshot wound. He was already dead.

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IL: Chicago Attempted Car Theft, Gunfight, Bystander Wounded

Police said a suspect was trying to break into a vehicle when a 40-year-old man who is a concealed carry license holder confronted the suspect.

The break-in suspect fled on foot and another suspect got out of a nearby car and fired at the 40-year-old man, who returned fire, police said.

The first suspect returned to the vehicle and fled the scene, police said.

A 23-year-oid man who was nearby the scene at the time was wounded in the thigh and transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition, police said.

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TX: Kileen Resident, Car Theft Suspect Gunfight, Suspect Shot, Wounded

The resident followed the stolen vehicle in a Tahoe. When the driver in the stolen vehicle pulled into a cul-de-sac on Eula Bea Court, the vehicle’s owner stopped and left his vehicle and approached.

At that point, “one individual got out of the stolen vehicle and began to discharge a firearm towards him,” according to KPD.

The car owner returned fire, injuring the suspect, police said.

Officers were dispatched at approximately 12:30 a.m. Wednesday to the 4000 block of Eula Bea Court in reference to a gunshot victim.

The suspect was transported to a local hospital.

 

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