Guns Save Lives

By John Stossel

It's all too predictable. A day after a gunman killed six people and wounded 18 others at Northern Illinois University, The New York Times criticized the U.S. Interior Department for preparing to rethink its ban on guns in national parks. The editorial board wants "the 51 senators who like the thought of guns in the parks -- and everywhere else, it seems -- to realize that the innocence of Americans is better protected by carefully controlling guns than it is by arming everyone to the teeth."

As usual, the Times editors seem unaware of how silly their argument is. To them, the choice is between "carefully controlling guns" and "arming everyone to the teeth." But no one favors "arming everyone to the teeth" (whatever that means). Instead, gun advocates favor freedom, choice and self-responsibility. If someone wishes to be prepared to defend himself, he should be free to do so. No one has the right to deprive others of the means of effective self-defense, like a handgun.

As for the first option, "carefully controlling guns," how many shootings at schools or malls will it take before we understand that people who intend to kill are not deterred by gun laws? Last I checked, murder is against the law everywhere. No one intent on murder will be stopped by the prospect of committing a lesser crime like illegal possession of a firearm. The intellectuals and politicians who make pious declarations about controlling guns should explain how their gunless utopia is to be realized.

While they search for -- excuse me -- their magic bullet, innocent people are dying defenseless. That's because laws that make it difficult or impossible to carry a concealed handgun do deter one group of people: law-abiding citizens who might have used a gun to stop crime. Gun laws are laws against self-defense. That's because laws that make it difficult or impossible to carry a concealed handgun do deter one group of people: law-abiding citizens who might have used a gun to stop crime. Gun laws are laws against self-defense.

Criminals have the initiative. They choose the time, place and manner of their crimes, and they tend to make choices that maximize their own, not their victims', success. So criminals don't attack people they know are armed, and anyone thinking of committing mass murder is likely to be attracted to a gun-free zone, such as schools and malls.

Government may promise to protect us from criminals, but it cannot deliver on that promise. This was neatly summed up in book title a few years ago: "Dial 911 and Die." If you are the target of a crime, only one other person besides the criminal is sure to be on the scene: you. There is no good substitute for self-responsibility.

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Georgia: Father kills biker: "Richard Harold "Ricky" Gear is charged with murder for the Feb. 25 shooting death of a motorcyclist who collided with his daughters' car as he followed them near their home in Bogart. Gear, 46, was waiting at the end of his driveway when his daughters arrived, and he shot 21-year-old Bryan Joseph "B.J." Mough as the motorcyclist drove past Gear's home, officials said. Gear told an Oconee County sheriff's deputy he shot Mough in self-defense, that the biker had swerved and tried to hit him, but authorities see events differently. "The physical evidence we recovered from the scene and elsewhere doesn't reflect that Mough was the primary aggressor," Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry said. "There is no evidence he tried to hit Gear, and his motorcycle never went on Gear's property." .. Although Gear is in jail without bail, he might avoid a trial if a magistrate court judge decides there's not enough evidence to support a murder charge. Even if the judge allows the case to continue, Gear stands a fair chance that a jury might acquit him, according to Lawrenceville defense attorney Wayne Burnaine. "It sounds like the biker guy might have been the one who brought all this on," Burnaine said. "He's the one who acted aggressively when he followed the girls." Chelsea Gear told officials that after she made a left turn toward her home, Mough cut through someone's yard at the intersection and ran into the driver's side door of the car she was driving. "It sounds to me like the biker was having a fit," Burnaine said."


TX: Man testifies he shot 2 teens in self-defense: "A 27-year-old man on trial for charges stemming from a double homicide testified on Wednesday that he shot the men in self-defense. Jason Caldwell is charged with one count of delivery of marijuana and two counts of tampering with evidence in the incident. Caldwell pleaded guilty to the drug charge and not guilty to the other counts Monday. Police found Matthew Salas and Stephen Gonzalez, both 19, dead on July 15, 2007, inside a vehicle that was parked and running on Reid Drive behind an Alameda Street shopping center. A grand jury in August declined to indict Caldwell, Ralph Villela and Philip Caldwell on capital murder charges. The two Caldwells are unrelated. On Wednesday, Jason Caldwell testified Salas and Gonzalez tried to rob him of marijuana and that when Gonzalez pulled out a gun, he panicked and started shooting. After the shooting, he disposed of the gun and hid his truck in Philip Caldwell's garage. He denied trying to cover up the crime and later went to police with his attorney, Ken Botary. Prosecutor Doug Mann pointed out Caldwell had experience with guns because he often practiced at a local shooting range. Caldwell emptied the entire magazine of bullets into the two men and didn't miss a shot, Mann said."


I Have a Dream: No More Women Abused, Raped, or Murdered: "I'd like to see a nationwide tsunami of ladies equipped to the teeth with the physical prowess and the firearm capability to kill any and all would-be murderers and rapists should such a creeps ever accost them. I have a dream! A dream where girls walk in utter confidence amongst the masturbatory me-monkeys that surround them. A dream where women have solid assurance that they can and will serve some ham-fisted tool his own scrotum if need be. A dream where instead of reading about a cute college coed left dead and naked out in a vacant lot or bloated and floating in a river, the story reads, "dead jack ass found double-tapped and dead on the curb as his soul wings its way to hell, all because he messed with the wrong mama." A dream where it's normal for girls to know Jui Jitsu and mixed martial arts. A dream where they can shoot golf ball sized groups with their .38 at 15ft."

The Israeli example

Last year, my own Nevada state senator, Republican Bob Beers, proposed a law which would have "allowed" Nevada government-school teachers to carry concealed weapons on school grounds -- if they wished to do so -- after passing an arduous training course.

Needless to say, there was a public outcry, and not the outcry one would have expected if one were under the impression Nevada and America are still freedom-loving states with governments whose powers are limited by the written Constitution. Since we must apparently spell everything out, slowly, what I mean is that the outcry should have been: "What? Teachers need some kind of special 'permission' to carry firearms, in a nation with a Second Amendment guaranteeing the right to keep and bear arms 'shall not be infringed,' and an added 14th Amendment prohibiting local authorities from infringing those federal rights?"

If it had been me, I suspect a legislative decree ordering the immediate arrest of any administrator of any government building who made any effort to prevent otherwise law-abiding adults from walking in bearing pistols or Browning Automatic Rifles would have been more to the point.

Instead, Sen. Beers' modest proposal was met with howls of outrage and quickly laughed out of the building. My favorites were the cogent letters mailed in by local schoolchildren -- am I the only one who suspects a little coaching by the schoolmarms? -- protesting, "No, no! Now the teacher will shoot me for being late with my homework!"

I was reminded of this when a reader wrote in, last week: "Dear Mr. Suprynowicz: Funny, you'd think that with all the press coverage of that terrible shooting at Northern Illinois University, there'd be some mention of the one the previous month." The writer was referring to the two Palestinian terrorists, recently released from an Israeli prison, who on Jan. 25 infiltrated the Mekor Hayim High School Yeshiva in Kfar Etzion, south of Jerusalem. The incident was reported in the Jerusalem Post of Jan. 26:

The day before, the daily paper reported, "Two terrorists ... armed with knives and a pistol, infiltrated the kibbutz -- in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc -- and sneaked into a building used by the high school, run by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz." The kibbutz is surrounded by a fence, but the terrorists had been able to cut a hole through the fence undetected, a paramedic in Hatzallah Judea and Samaria told The Post.

"They entered a classroom where counselors were holding a meeting, and stabbed two of them," the Israeli newspaper reports. Good heavens. And once the counselors were out of the way, how many students were massacred? Oh, I'm sorry. Were you not paying attention? This was in Israel.

"Two of the counselors were armed and managed to overpower and kill the terrorists, without giving them a chance to fire their pistol," a Hatzallah spokesman said. They plugged 'em. The wounded teachers? They suffered "non-life-threatening injuries."

A little happier ending then in any of our own recent school attacks. And why? Come on, you can do it. The teachers in Israel are different ... how? For some reason, no reports so far of any of the students of the Mekor Hayim High School Yeshiva in Kfar Etzion being shot by their teachers for failure to turn in their homework. But we'll keep our ears open.

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Kentucky: Burglar shot: "A suspected burglar has been released from the hospital after a homeowner shot him in Harrison County late Sunday night. The sheriff says a man who lives on Old Lair Road came home to find two burglars on his property. The owner shot one of the men, Thomas Terysian, 25, while the other suspect got away. Terysian, who's from Paris, went to the hospital with gunshot wounds to a hand and forearm. He's expected to be all right. Police don't have a name for the second suspect. Police say two other homes on Old Lair Road were broken into Sunday night and burglars tried to break into two more homes. The sheriff says the homeowner won't be charged."


Georgia man tells police he shot woman in self defense: "A southwest Macon man reported shooting a woman who lives nearby in the abdomen on Saturday, after she came at him with a butcher knife, according to a police report. Tyrone Woodard, of Deeb Drive, told police he fired two warning shots into the ground after Candice Hughes, of Leone Drive North, threatened him in his yard Saturday. When she charged him with the knife, Woodard said he shot Hughes in the lower abdomen, the report states. Hughes left, but police found her at her Leone Drive address. She was taken to the Medical Center of Central Georgia, according to the report, but an update on her condition was not available from the hospital Monday. The report indicates that the shooting is under investigation, but Hughes is listed as the suspect and Woodards as the victim."


WV Self Defense Statute Adds Car Invasion: "The West Virginia Legislature has extended civil and criminal immunity to individuals who use proportionate force on an intruder or attacker. The bill passed on the final day of the regular legislative session extends protection for victims beyond their residence or in defending themselves. Previously, the state law provided immunity for property owners who use reasonable or proportionate force upon an intruder. The new amendment adds motor vehicles "or any location where another has the right to be" to the list of protected locations. Individuals entering such spaces for the purpose of engaging in criminal conduct assume the risk for their injury or death from a property owner or their agent resisting the commission of a criminal act."

Burglaries declining but no mention of freed-up gun ownership and use

I have excerpted below an article from NPR which looks at all sorts of explanations for why burglary has been declining. That more permissive gun laws now mean that burglars are more likely to end up DEAD is not mentioned. Improved gun laws have simply made burglary more risky -- so there is less of it. But Left-leaning NPR would never mention the obvious, of course

Burglary is one of the most ordinary of crimes. More than 2 million Americans are victims of burglary every year. But underneath this common occurrence is a strange trend. For most of the past 30 years, burglaries have declined.

During that same time, murders, rapes, assault - and just about every other crime - have peaked and plummeted with three major crime waves. Criminologists have a lot of theories why burglaries are so different. Barry Mathis exemplifies one of them. "I was a salesman. I could sell anything," Mathis says, as he waits to see his probation officer at a city building in Washington, D.C. "Go get me some toilet paper, and I could sell it."

For almost 20 years, Mathis burglarized homes to support a drug habit. He only got caught a few times. Mathis says he stopped breaking into homes because there's just no money in it anymore. "If you're going to do a burglary, you need to have some buyers," Mathis says. "Everybody has everything now." Mathis says there's just too much on the street already. Everyone he knows already has a digital camera, iPod knockoffs and pirated DVDs shipped in from China. "And if it's not new, a lot of people don't even want to fool with it," Mathis says.

Mathis has been clean for more than five years since participating in an offender-release program. The program and the street economy may have turned Mathis' life around, but criminologists say there are other reasons behind the 30-year drop in burglaries - such as the 1 million private police and security guards at work in residential communities.

Many of the residents also did something else: They installed burglar alarms. Nationwide, one in four homes now has one. The alarms and an explosion of other devices, like steel bars, stronger doors and security glass, make it more of a hassle to break into homes, criminologists say. Even locks, the most basic anti-burglary device, have undergone major changes since the 1970s. "Good locks make all the difference," locksmith Rahm Bunnag says. Locks are far more secure than they were 30 years ago, he says. They're far more intricate, he says, holding up two keys.

Of course, police say burglaries have gone down because they police better. There's no way to know whether police are preventing burglaries, but they're certainly not catching many burglars. According to the Justice Department, police solve fewer burglaries than any other crime, around one in every 10. They're more likely to catch a car thief than a burglar.

And that's something one burglar has always appreciated. In 20 years as a burglar, William Long got caught only a few times. But he never enjoyed the work. Long says he didn't care much about alarms or locks or police patrols. He says he was no cat burglar. He just looked for open doors and windows. "If you got someone who really wants to go in something, nothing can stop him, I don't think," he says. His biggest problem? People don't seem to keep cash in their houses anymore. Everybody uses credit cards and bank cards. Only diamonds have any real payoff, he says. But diamonds take too long to find.

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Florida lawn feud shooter goes free: "Lee Macon, the Broward man who shot his neighbor to death during a fierce disagreement over the line that divides their two lawns, walked out of jail a free man Thursday... Said Chuck Morton, homicide division chief with the Broward state attorney's office: ``The grand jury considered every potential charge, from first-degree murder to manslaughter to justifiable self-defense . . . and they decided not to indict.'' According to previous police accounts, Jackson, 51, and Macon had an ongoing feud, in part over the length of Jackson's lawn. Jackson preferred his lawn shaggy, while Macon preferred a close-cropped cut. On the morning of Feb. 7, Collin Fraser, 52, was mowing Macon's yard when he made a swipe that may have veered onto Jackson's property, scalping the high grass. Jackson became enraged, first confronting the lawn man. Macon, sensing trouble, tucked a gun into his waistband and emerged from the home to confront Jackson. With Macon present in the courtroom, witnesses testified that Jackson was largely to blame for the feud, and on the day of his death made several threatening moves toward the accused. According to Della Fera, testimony established that Jackson rushed Macon, and began to punch him and tried to knock him to the ground. Macon pulled the gun from his waistband to scare Jackson away, but Jackson lunged for the weapon. Macon fired a warning shot into the sky, but Jackson continued to grasp for the gun. Finally, Macon fired a shot into Jackson's shoulder, knocking him down, then went inside and called 911."


Arizona: Lion shot: "A rabid mountain lion was shot to death after attacking a 10-year-old boy as he and his family celebrated his birthday in a national forest near Phoenix, officials said. Paul John Schalow of El Mirage, Ariz., suffered minor scratches on his back but wasn't seriously injured during Saturday's attack in a sparsely populated area in the Tonto National Forest, said Randy Babb, a biologist with the Arizona Department of Game and Fish. Paul said he and his cousin were playing in the sand when the mountain lion came up. "It just placed its paw on me, and it bites my head," Paul told KSAZ-TV Monday. "It scratches my back. "I just stayed calm. I like animals but I know this one would probably try to kill me." Paul will have to undergo a series of shots after being exposed to rabies, Babb said. Game officials are also recommending the shots for other people who touched the lion. Babb said the attack occurred while the boy and his family were taking a break from riding all-terrain vehicles. He said while the animal tried to bite Paul's head, it didn't actually do it, only slightly clawing the boy's back. A member of the group shot the lion twice, killing it, Babb said.


Brits fall for the useless database nonsense: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is launching the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) to help the fight against gun crime. But what is it and how will it work? Official figures [which are about as good as Stalin's] suggest gun crime has been falling, but firearm killings showed a slight rise in the most recent Home Office statistics and the government has pledged to tackle the problem. "We are determined not to let violent offenders get away with wrecking lives by stopping them committing crimes in the first place... By 2011, we will have reduced serious violent crime, including gun and gang-related violence", Ms Smith has said. To help the battle against gun crime, the Home Office has contributed œ5.5m to set up NABIS. The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) will cover the operating costs, which have been put at around œ2.5m a year. The purpose of the new programme is to provide a national database of materials and equipment used in gun crime. This database will contain information on all firearms, bullets, cartridge cases and forensic evidence recovered from every new relevant offence." [Canada spent a billion on a gun database that achieved nothing]

Another triumph of British gun control: "An 11-year-old boy fired a loaded gun which he and his brother, aged 3, had found in their garden in Smethwick, West Midlands. The police said that the weapon was discharged at an unattended car by the boy, who mistook the firearm for a toy. Nobody was hurt. The boys’ mother said: “He’d fired it once and it jammed and then he fired it again and it went through the car.”


Citizens' group vs. ammunition coding campaign: "The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today is calling on lawmakers in the states of Washington, Arizona, New York, Illinois, Hawaii and several other states to scrutinize legislation that would require ammunition coding, because it mandates a [sole] source monopoly for a Seattle-based company that owns the technology. Based on a story in the new edition of Gun Week, and a look at virtually identical legislation that has been introduced in several states, CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said there are serious questions that need to be addressed about these measures, and the effort to pass them into law."


Anti-gunners disdain self-defense: "Murder is against the law everywhere. No one intent on murder will be stopped by the prospect of committing a lesser crime such as illegal possession of a firearm. The intellectuals and politicians who make pious declarations about controlling guns should explain how their gunless utopia is to be realized. While they search for their magic bullet, defenseless people are dying. That's because laws that make it difficult or impossible to carry a concealed handgun deter one group of people: law-abiding citizens who might have used a gun to stop crime. Gun laws are laws against self-defense."


Media hates guns: "Our First Amendment right to free speech and freedom of the press is perhaps the most powerful tool we have to expose and combat injustice in society. What happens when the media becomes a tool to create and further injustices against its own audience? The big media outlets have declared war on the Second Amendment using sensationalism, biased reporting, and coining anti-gun phrases in order shape the views and opinions of their audience. For example, recent mass shootings on school campuses and in other public places are blasted all over the media with images of blood, police, and trembling witnesses. No mention is made of the fact that such crimes are made possible by the systematic disarmament of people."

NC intruder shot: "A Charlotte man who police say was trying to break into a Shamrock Drive apartment was shot and critically injured by a person who lived there. Rontrey Eric Digsby was at Carolinas Medical Center Saturday in critical/stable condition Saturday, according to police. He is charged with first-degree burglary for trying to break into the apartment on Shamrock Drive, near the Charlotte Museum of History. Police have released the name of the man who pulled the trigger, but the Observer didn't publish his name because he has not been charged with a crime. According to jail records, Digsby's last known address was on Treetop Court in east Charlotte. He has an extensive criminal record dating back to 2003, when he was 17, according to a search of court records."


Colorado: Shots fired, boy scares off burglar: "A boy fired a gun and chased away a burglar who tried to break into a house north of the city this afternoon, deputies said. Ryan Dohoney was home alone when he heard a burglar inside the house, 11909 Vermillion Road, at about 12:30 p.m., Boulder County Sheriff's deputies said. Dohoney fired a shot to scare the burglar off. The burglar fired one shot, ran out the door and ran from the property, deputies said. The burglar was dressed in black and wore a mask, deputies said. Deputies did not say who fired the first shot, though both were fired inside the house. No one was injured. Deputies rushed to the scene after dispatchers received calls about shots being fired. Investigators did not locate the suspect immediately.


.50 cal hatred again -- now on Hawaii: "The House Judiciary Committee heard and deferred indefinitely HB2999, an omnibus bill with 8 restrictive firearms bills rolled into one. After extensive and lop-sided testimony against it, the Committee Members declined to pass any part. Honolulu Police Department (HPD) Chief Boisse Correa and his Legislative Liaison leader, Major Gregory Lefcourt, didn't take no for an answer, and went public with a press conference to try to resurrect their.50 caliber rifle ban contained within the bill. That's all they really wanted. We are surprised that HPD administrators persist in repeating inaccurate information about this type of firearm. Although they have two in inventory, they do not demonstrate practical knowledge of this cartridge. Contrary to HPD's representation, there are ranges within the state where private citizens may fire these guns safely. Private ranges are available. Military ranges on Oahu and Neighbor Islands have affiliate clubs where military, retired, and their guests are permitted. A new public range is planned accommodating this cartridge. There have been zero crimes in the U.S. involving these guns. They were not developed as military weapons as HPD claims, but by civilian target shooters over the last 20 years."


Second Amendment suits U.S. citizens: "The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly states "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." Though U.S. citizens disagree on a number of issues, the American people are united behind this amendment, reinforcing the right of an individual to own a gun. A recent USA Today/Gallup poll found that 73 percent of adults believe the Second Amendment guarantees an "individual right" to own a gun, with only 20 percent believing it supports gun ownership as a right reserved for "state militias."

Tennessee Husband Shoots, Wounds Home Intruder: "A husband took matters into his own hands when his wife and newborn child were held up during a home invasion. The woman said she was able to grab her phone and call her husband after three men kicked in her door late Thursday. The home is located in Glencliff Court in south Nashville. The husband said he rushed home after getting the call from his wife, but was stopped by police and accused of speeding on the way. After explaining to the officer what was happening at his home, the man continued home with the officer following. The man said he parked in the back yard and saw the intruders come running out the back of his house with guns drawn, so he grabbed his gun, and the two sides exchanged shots. “They fired shots at the citizen, and the citizen returned fire at the suspects. One of the suspects is struck and flees on foot,” said Metro police Capt. Randy Hickerson. One intruder who was shot by the man was found later on a nearby street. The other two were able to evade capture, police said. The woman, baby and man were not hurt."


Georgia: Homeowner Refused To Be Robbed: "One Augusta homeowner refused to be robbed. And now he's talking about his encounter with a burglar. At least eight homes, in the Olde Town neighborhood have recently been broken into. A surprise Asmann was not expecting at his Olde Town home Thursday afternoon. Asmann says someone knocked on his door several times, but when he didn't answer, the intruder broke into his house through a window in the back. "I knew what he was there for. Trying to do something looking for something trying to steal something," said Asmann. So, Asmann says he was ready and waiting. "It was quick. Shoot or not shoot. I chose not to shoot. He didn't know that was coming at all. He thought the house was completely empty and he would walk through and get what he wanted," said Asmann. But when the would-be burglar saw Asmann's gun he took off...empty handed. And he didn't get far. "He pretty much cased out the residents. Unfortunately, he didn't do a good job because the owner was home which helped us make an arrest and end his career in Olde town quickly," said Lt. Tony Walden, Richmond County Sheriff's Office. Richmond County deputies arrested a 16-year-old boy. They say he is responsible for at least four break-ins in Olde Town since Valentine's Day."


Gun free zones or killing fields?: "As Northern Illinois University restarts classes this week, one thing is clear: Six minutes proved too long. It took six minutes before the police were able to enter the classroom that horrible Thursday, and in that short time five people were murdered, 16 wounded. Six minutes is actually record-breaking speed for the police arriving at such an attack, but it was simply not fast enough. Still, the police were much faster than at the Virginia Tech attack last year. The previous Thursday, five people were killed in the city council chambers in Kirkwood, Mo. There was even a police officer already there when the attack occurred. But, as happens time after time in these attacks when uniformed police are there, the killers either wait for the police to leave the area or they are the first people killed. In Kirkwood, the police officer was killed immediately when the attack started. People cowered or were reduced to futilely throwing chairs at the killer."


UT: House permits open carry of loaded guns except on campus: "The House passed a bill Monday allowing a person with a valid concealed weapons permit to openly carry a loaded gun in some public places. The measure, HB473, was amended, however, to forbid a person from openly carrying a loaded gun on school campuses. Legislators declined to support a second amendment requiring a concealed weapon to be concealed in all places, saying it was an affront on the Second Amendment."

OK: Tulsa teen shot during alleged robbery attempt : "A 15-year-old boy was in serious condition Tuesday night after being shot while allegedly trying to rob a restaurant, and a man was shot in the face earlier Tuesday in what a detective said could have been a parking-lot robbery attempt. After the teenager was shot about 8:20 p.m. at Ralph's Fish & Burger, 1801 N. Lewis Ave., a second would-be robber fled, police said. The restaurant's owner told police that he had shot someone who was trying to rob him, Sgt. Virgil Litterell said. The youth reportedly had a gunshot wound to the lower back. EMSA spokeswoman Tina Wells said he was taken to St. John Medical Center. The restaurant had just closed and an employee had stepped out the front door when two armed juveniles confronted him, Litterell said. While one pushed the employee to the ground, the other entered the restaurant, he said. When the owner saw the armed youth enter, he drew a gun and fired twice, hitting the teen once, "before he could be fired upon," Litterell said. The other youth ran west across Lewis, dropping his gun in the street, Litterell said. Police used a helicopter and dogs in their search for the teen who fled. He was described as black, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a slender build and dark clothes.


Pennsylvania homeowner shoots at 2 intruders: "New Cumberland police are investigating a break-in at a home in the 200 block of Geary Avenue during which the homeowner struggled with a pair of intruders and fired two shots at them as they fled. Police said neither intruder was hit. The homeowner, who was not identified, suffered a minor cut to his stomach during the scuffle and was examined at the scene by ambulance personnel. Police said the homeowner was asleep around 12:24 a.m. Wednesday when he was awakened by a commotion downstairs.. A scuffle broke out in the kitchen, and the homeowner fired two shots from a handgun as the intruders were running out a back door, police said. Both burglars were described as being about 6 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds. Police said one was white and one was black. Nothing was reported missing. Police said a woman's handbag was found dumped on the floor and kitchen counters and drawers had been opened. The intruders forced open a back door, police said."


Firearms database won't work, study says: "Collecting ballistic 'fingerprints' from millions of new firearms in the United States would create a database too unreliable to be useful in solving gun crimes, a team of scientists said Wednesday. In a 300-page report from the National Research Council, the scientists advised against a proposal that some lawmakers recommended in the aftermath of the 2002 sniper shootings in Washington and its outskirts."


Indiana Council Says No To Ban Of Weapons: "MICHIGAN CITY - The City Council killed an ordinance Tuesday night aimed at prohibiting citizens from carrying weapons into city buildings, despite an eloquent attempt by one councilman to persuade council members to jump to his side. "I'm not fooling myself. Opposition is strong to this," 2nd-Ward Counc-ilman Marc Espar said. "There are arguments that it will deny the citizens their 2nd-amendment rights and would make buildings less safe. "I'm not an advocate of any of those arguments." Espar wrote the ordinance - which failed 7-2, with only him and 5th-Ward Councilman Willie Milsap voting in favor - more than a month ago with Milsap's support. The two feel by letting the community know weapons are illegal inside city buildings, people with evil intentions will think twice about bringing a gun inside. Seven of the nine council members, however, disagreed."

Tennessee: Feisty cook Defends Self Against Would-Be Burglars: "A convenience store employee shot into the parking lot to prevent two men from breaking into the business. It happened around 4 a.m. Wednesday at the Almaville Market. It is off Interstate 24 in an unincorporated area of Rutherford County known as the Almaville community. The incident was recorded by the store's surveillance system. After the men smashed a large rock through a window, a cook picked up a gun and started shooting. The men thought no one was inside the business. "I was scared, but I think anger took over," said Donna Blanks. Blanks is a cook and arrives early to prepare meals for customers. She said she started to shout and shoot. "I scared them like they scared me. No quite as much. They got gone," she said. No one was hurt. Sheriff's deputies told the woman she acted within her rights to shoot at the suspects as long as she was inside the store."


Arkansas shooting ruled self defense: "The killing of a Beebe man in Searcy has been ruled self defense by local prosecutors. Jose Martinez, 24, kicked in the locked back door and illegally entered the home of Kevin M. Reed at 1300 West Arch St. in Searcy, according to a press release. The incident happened at 2:26 p.m. Jan. 8. According to Reed, Martinez threatened him with bodily harm, prosecutors say, and Reed fired eight shots at Martinez, killing him. “The Searcy Police Department investigation confirms that the door to the home was dead bolted and forcibly kicked in,” the press release stated, and “paint from the door was found on the bottom of Mr. Martinez' shoe.” The shooting was within the provisions of Arkansas law, and no criminal charges will be filed, prosecutors said. As officers entered the residence, they discovered Martinez dead of an apparent gunshot wound. The body was sent to the state crime lab for autopsy."


'Castle Doctrine' Law Appropriate: "A bill approved by the Legislature and sent to Gov. Joe Manchin last week would merely codify what we think most West Virginians already view as a solid principle. It is the "Castle Doctrine," as the bill has come to be known - the belief that a person's home is his or her "castle" and that there's nothing wrong with defending it. At least 20 other states already have "Castle Doctrine" laws that shield their residents who, while in their homes - or anywhere else they have a legal right to be - use "reasonable and proportionate force" in defense of themselves, loved ones or even property. The "civil liberties" crowd often protests such statutes, claiming that, in effect, criminals have rights, too. Well, yes they do - but those rights should not extend to intimidating law-abiding people who may fear that if they respond to a threat with force, they will find themselves arrested and/or subjected to civil lawsuits. Too many times in the past, precisely that has happened to those who had the courage to resist thugs with enough force to stop them. The bill sent to Manchin would protect Mountain State residents from both criminal charges and civil liability in many such situations."


National parks gun ban may be eased: "The country's never-ending debate over guns is heating up again. This time it's fueled by news the Interior Department may relax a 25-year ban on loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges, leaving the issue for states to decide. In a decision the National Rifle Association has applauded, the department announced it will issue a new set of rules by April 30. 'Under this proposal, federal parks and wildlife refuges will mirror the state firearm laws for state parks,' said Chris Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist. 'This is an important step in the right direction.'"

North Carolina: Habitual black criminal shot dead: "A Charlotte family is grieving after they say their loved one was shot to death by a man he was trying to rob. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police responded to an armed robbery call at the Cricket cell phone store at the Catawba Village shopping center on Mount Holly – Huntersville Road Saturday night. There, they found a man shot. Medic declared that man dead on the scene, and the only other person in the store was the store’s manager, who wasn’t hurt. Family members identified the dead man as 54-year-old James Henry Brewer. ... Givens told WCNC Sunday that she knows what her son went into the store to do. “The police told my grandson he had a mask and a gun when he went in there,” said Givens. She knows it’s not the first time he’s had trouble with the law. A North Carolina Department of Corrections website shows James Henry Brewer has a record back to a kidnapping conviction in 1974, when he was 19."


Indiana baldy shot by guard: "A man suspected of shoplifting hair-growth formula from a drug store was shot and wounded by a truck stop security guard following a high-speed chase in northwest Indiana. Police say 36-year-old Michael A. Holmes of Markham, Ill., faces several charges when he is released from the hospital. Police say Holmes had a woman and three children in his car Monday night as he led police on a chase at speeds of up to 100 mph from Chesterton to Gary. Holmes fled on foot after crashing the car. A security guard at the Dunes Truck Stop says he shot Holmes in the abdomen when Holmes reached for his gun."


Wyoming Senate passes "castle doctrine" bill after debate: "The Wyoming State Senate today (Monday) gave preliminary approval to a bill that would specify people wouldn't have to retreat before using deadly force to repeal a criminal attack. The bill also would specify that a person who uses deadly force against an intruder who enters their home could not be found liable for civil damages. The Senate passed the so-called "castle doctrine" bill on its first reading by a vote of 20-9. But some senators who voted in favor of moving it along in the process say it needs to be amended when it comes up again tomorrow (Tuesday). Supporters of the bill say Wyoming needs to spell out that citizens have the right to self-defense. They say the principle goes back to the English common-law saying that "a man's home is his castle."


Arizona Weighs Bill to Allow Guns on Campuses: "Horrified by recent campus shootings, a state lawmaker here has come up with a proposal in keeping with the Taurus .22-caliber pistol tucked in her purse: Get more guns on campus. The lawmaker, State Senator Karen S. Johnson, has sponsored a bill, which the Senate Judiciary Committee approved last week, that would allow people with a concealed weapons permit - limited to those 21 and older here - to carry their firearms at public colleges and universities. Concealed weapons are generally not permitted at most public establishments, including colleges. Ms. Johnson, a Republican from Mesa, said she believed that the recent carnage at Northern Illinois University could have been prevented or limited if an armed student or professor had intercepted the gunman. The police, she said, respond too slowly to such incidents and, besides, who better than the people staring down the barrel to take action?"

Georgia: Thug shot dead in store: "By 7:30 Monday evening it was business as usual at the Family Store in northwestern Atlanta. The store smelled freshly clean. The owners had removed the blood from the floor. Two hours earlier, according to witnesses, two men had come into the convenience store at 2535 Center St. and started beating a customer. The customer then produced a gun, said Manuel Fernandez, who was working the counter. Seconds later, a 26-year-old man lay dead on the floor. "It was two on one," the 20-year-old Fernandez said. "One was holding him, and the other was beating him in the face. That's when he got his arm free and pulled out the gun and shot." "I think it was over money." Outside, 14-year-old Vincent Cameron, who had been playing basketball at the store hoop, was apparently struck by a ricochet bullet. Relieved relatives said Vincent, who was being treated at a hospital, was going to be OK."


Tennessee teenager slain in home-invasion shootout: "Authorities this morning said a 16-year-old Knoxville boy was killed during a weekend home break-in that prompted a gun battle inside the residence. Jamodd Mack died in the 2:24 a.m. Saturday break-in at 1304 Iredell Ave., said Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk. Mack and another person allegedly forced their way into the home through a back door, DeBusk said. Inside the home, Mack, who was armed with a handgun, was fired upon by a man who was visiting the woman who lives in the house, DeBusk. After the gun battle between the two people armed with handguns, Mack died in the house of multiple bullet wounds, DeBusk said. No one else in the home was injured during the gunfight, he said. The second male fled and has not been identified, DeBusk said. No charges have been filed in connection with the slaying."


Every shooter crazy 'bout a "gun-free" zone: "Guns were far easier to obtain in this country before 1968 -- you could buy them through the mail. But there were hardly any such mass-shooting rampages. On the other hand, chart the frequency of these mass shootings against the widespread introduction of such hallucinogenic drugs as Prozac, Ritalin and Luvox among the inmates of the tax-funded youth concentration camps -- the kinds of drugs that Kip Kinkel had been on, the kind that got Columbine killer Eric Harris blocked from enlistment in the Marines. Let me know what you find. Meantime, there's a second-best solution -- the one that 'allowed' congregation member and former police officer Jeanne Assam to cut short an intended rampage by disgruntled former student Matthew Murray, carrying two handguns, an assault rifle and more than 1,000 rounds of ammo, at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs just two months ago. Until they get around to properly re-labeling the depravity-inducing drugs which have been prescribed to nearly all these mass shooters ('This stuff may make you kill people,') Gov. Blagojevich could tell the Illinois Legislature and sundry county authorities it's way past time to restore the Second and 14th amendment right to self-defense in Illinois by repealing every one of their overlapping 'gun control' laws, ending that state's status as a de jure 'gun-free zone.'"


A sure fire argument on the Second Amendment: "That is the all-important context in which the Bill of Rights was created. The Anti-Federalists, men filled to varying degrees with fear, mistrust, and loathing of the new federal government, insisted on a bill of rights as additional shackles imposed on that new government. Knowing that alone, knowing that the famous Bill came into existence only to please those most apprehensive of the new government, definitively ends any confusion or debate surrounding the meaning of the Second Amendment. There is simply no way on Earth the Anti-Federalists would have surrendered to the new and mistrusted government the right to own any gun they wanted at any time they wanted in any number they wanted."

Pennsylvania taxi driver shoots passenger during attempted robbery: "Police say a Pittsburgh cab driver fatally shot a passenger who allegedly tried to rob him. Authorities say the shooting occurred Saturday night in the city's Hill District after the passenger had been picked up downtown. During the robbery attempt, the Yellow Cab driver pulled out a gun and a struggle ensued over the weapon. Police say the passenger was shot and killed during the struggle and the cab driver suffered an injury to his arm. The driver was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. Police did not release the name of the driver or the passenger. The driver was licensed to carry a gun."


Alabama Homeowner Kills Home Invader: "Authorities say a homeowner who apparently was targeted in a home invasion Sunday night exchanged gunfire with a suspect who was killed. Randy Christian, a Jefferson County sheriff's spokesman, said the shooting death of 23-year-old Eric Moore of Birmingham appeared to be justified. Moore died a short time later at a Birmingham hospital. Christian said the investigation determined Moore was the masked gunman who kicked in the door of a residence in Forestdale and fired shots at the occupant. The homeowner was not hit. Christian said the homeowner broke up a fight Saturday night at the Platinum Club in Birmingham that Moore had been involved in. He said Moore had inquired about the homeowner's address before the home was invaded."


Who'da thunk? Guns best crime deterrent after all: "When sexual assaults started rising in Orlando, Fla., in 1986, police officers noticed women were arming themselves, so they launched a firearms safety course for them. Over the next 12 months, sexual assaults plummeted by 88 percent, burglaries fell by 25 percent and not one of the 2,500 women who took the course fired a gun in a confrontation. And that, says a new brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court by police officers and prosecutors in a controversial gun-ban dispute, is why gun ownership is important and should be available to individuals in the United States. The arguments come in an amicus brief submitted by the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, whose spokesman, Ted Deeds, told WND there now are 92 different law enforcement voices speaking together to the Supreme Court in the Heller case."


Guns for Christians: "Some Christians I know have seriously questioned why I would wear a gun or train with it, insisting that I should trust God to take care of me instead. As sincere Christians, we must trust God for everything. But does trusting God mean we sit back and do nothing, expecting the food, clothes and shelter to appear by magic? Or do we work with our hands as St. Paul did, providing for ourselves so that we may not be a burden to anyone else? Jesus was our example."

CA: Boy, 13, shot man in self-defense: "A Visalia woman whose common-law husband was shot and killed Wednesday was moving out of the couple's south Visalia home when the incident occurred, neighbors and police said. Witnesses said Joe Ray Martinez, 38, tried to stop the woman from doing so and got into an altercation with another man. "That's when [Martinez] drew a gun and threatened to shoot everyone, including kids," said Terry Anderson, a neighbor in the quiet cul-de-sac on South Thomas Street near Paradise Avenue. One of the "kids" at the home was a 13-year-old boy. The boy emerged from the home and shot Martinez in "a clear case of self-defense," Visalia Police Department Sgt. Ernie Villa said. "There will be no arrests," Villa said. Martinez had a long history of violent behavior, with felony convictions in 2000 and 2001 for assault with a nonfirearm deadly weapon, according to court records."


Mass. resident held purse-snatching suspect at gunpoint: Mr. Correia, 45, was tucking his 7-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter into bed. His wife went downstairs to see who was at the door and found a young man standing outside asking for help. Before opening the door, she summoned her husband. "Before I went downstairs, I tucked my .45 into the back of my pants," Mr. Correia said. Mr. Correia permitted the fugitive to use the house phone while providing him with hot tea, dry clothes and hot water to soak his chilled feet. "He made some calls, but he couldn't get anyone to come and get him," Mr. Correia said. "He wanted to call a cab, but he had no money, so I said I would pay." By then, however, Mr. Correia had grown suspicious of his visitor because his story kept changing as it went along, he said. "It just didn't add up, so I called 911 and asked them if they were looking for anyone." Based on the description provided by the police, Mr. Correia realized that his guest was a wanted man. "When it dawned on him that I was talking to the police, he jumped out of his chair. That's when I pulled my gun. I told him to sit back down, that the police were on their way, and he did." Minutes later, eight cruisers and about a dozen police officers arrived on the scene."


IL: New gun law under scrutiny: "Illinois lawmakers moved swiftly after last year's massacre at Virginia Tech to make it harder for anyone with a history of mental illness to buy guns, fortifying what were already some of the nation's toughest weapons laws. ... John Boch, like many other gun-rights activists in Illinois, said the answer is for the state to loosen its gun laws, not tighten them, so that students could have been able to shoot back during the NIU attack. Illinois is one of only two states with an outright ban on carrying concealed weapons. Wisconsin is the other. 'This guy at NIU committed murder, for god's sake,' Boch said. 'What are a few more gun laws going to do to protect human life? There are a lot of laws he violated in killing those kids, but one more law won't make a difference to guys like that.'"


Daley dancing in students' blood to push anti-gun agenda: "Almost as if on cue, anti-gun Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has danced in the blood of slain Northern Illinois University students to push his gun control agenda, yet none of the things on his wish list would have prevented the tragedy at DeKalb, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. 'Mayor Daley has virtually the same agenda he's been pandering for years,' said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb."

Alabama: 3 bullets in butt needed to chase off crazy invader: "A six-foot fence, three dogs, 385 pounds worth of teenage boys and three gunshot wounds to the buttocks didn't stop one alleged burglar from bursting into two other homes before police detained him Thursday night. Horton allegedly jumped a 6-foot chain-link fence at 2702 Ninth Ave. and dodged Brenda Glover's pit bull puppy, Rottweiler and German shepherd before forcing open her front door at about 11:15 p.m. Glover said she went to bed early, but her two sons, 17-year-old David and 18-year-old Jerry, were up playing video games and heard the dogs bark seconds before the burglar crashed into their home. Glover woke up and heard the man fighting with her sons, who managed to wrestle the man into a headlock. She grabbed an umbrella before entering the scuffle. "I told him to leave, and he said, 'No I'm coming in the house,'" she said. "He still kept coming, and I told him, 'I'm going to go get my gun if you don't leave.'" The three tried to push the man back out the front door, but he wouldn't budge, Glover said. When the burglar didn't heed her warning, Glover retrieved her .38-caliber pistol and gave him a final chance to leave before firing a shot into his backside. The first shot didn't register with the man, so Glover fired two more shots before he finally turned and ran back out the door."


Maryland: Armed Man Fatally Shot by Security Guard: "A private security guard shot and killed a 26-year-old man at an apartment complex near Glassmanor Elementary School in Oxon Hill yesterday morning, Prince George's County police said. About 9 a.m., the guard approached two men in the 1000 block of Marcy Avenue, said Cpl. Arvel Lewis, a police spokesman. One of the men produced a handgun, and the guard opened fire, striking him, Lewis said. The other man fled the complex on foot. The wounded man, later identified as Dominique Emanuel McFadden, of the 800 block of Marcy Avenue, died at a hospital. Police found a gun in his possession, Lewis said. Lewis said police are looking for the other man, described as black, 18 to 20 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and a baseball cap. Lewis said it was unclear what caused the confrontation or whether the two men shot at the security guard. Lewis said that it appears that the security guard's action was justifiable but that an investigation of the shooting had to be completed. "It appears that he was doing his job, which is to check on people within the apartment complex," Lewis said. McFadden "pulled a gun on the guard. . . . You've got to defend yourself, definitely."


Turnpike toll takers' guns collected: "Gun-toting toll collectors have been stripped of their sidearms by Mass Pike brass after secretly carrying them for decades without formal training, the Herald has learned. "I didn't want to have a wild west show out there," said Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Executive Director Alan LeBovidge, who ordered the practice stopped. "I could find nothing to show that the employees had state police training that would make them qualified to carry guns." But union officials said they are going to fight to allow the toll collectors to keep their weapons, even though a Pike review found the guns were not being properly maintained, with firing pins misaligned and other problems."


Campaign growing for allowing guns on campus: "Since the tragic string of college campus shootings across the country, students have organized a national campaign to allow handguns in classrooms. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, an Internet-based organization, is claiming to have over 15,000 members nationwide. The group has already staged "empty-holster" protests in several states, and 14 Ohio campuses have established their own chapters. Stephen J. Feltoon, a University of Miami graduate and psychology major, is the Midwest regional director of the student group. "The group started about two days after the Virginia Tech shootings," said Feltoon. "We were just trying to gather like-minded individuals and it just blossomed into the national campaign." Feltoon said that although any activism is up to each individual campus leader, his organization encourages hanging up fliers, taking new shooters to the range and writing op-eds for local campuses or newspapers. Nationally, Feltoon said, they are planning a second empty-holster protest for April 21, where students with concealed carry permits are encouraged to wear empty gun holsters to class. "We've already begun to generate interest," said Feltoon. "Our first protest was a real success."

Arizona Homeowner Kills Intruder: "A deadly shootout between burglars and a homeowner took place Thursday night just after nine on Tucson's east side, near I-10 and Wilmot Road. Police say three men busted into a home in a quiet new neighborhood. They then shot the homeowner in the arm; the homeowner returned fire and hit one of the burglars, who later died at a hospital. According to Tucson police, when they arrived the 29 year-old home owner and his two year old daughter had taken refuge in a bathroom. The home owner suffered minor injuries, and the little girl was not hurt. Police are looking for two suspects, but have not released a description. Investigators said they do not know what the relationship is between the home owner and the suspects."


Guns-on-campus bill advances in AZ Senate: "Legislation that would allow people to carry guns on Arizona community-college or public-university campuses advanced Monday, 11 days after a gunman killed five people and himself in an Illinois university lecture hall. Members of the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee passed the legislation along a party-line 4-3 vote. Democratic senators Ken Cheuvront, Albert Hale and Richard Miranda voted no. Senate Bill 1214, which would allow concealed-weapons permit holders to carry a gun at community colleges and Arizona's three public universities, next heads to the Senate Rules Committee. Gun owners must be 21 or older to obtain a permit. Sen. Karen Johnson, the bill's lead sponsor, originally introduced legislation that would allow guns at all schools, including elementary, middle and high schools. But facing pressure from some Republican colleagues, the senator was forced to narrow the bill's scope to apply only to higher-education institutions"


Gun buyback misfires: "On Feb. 9, Oakland police, led by state Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, offered to buy handguns and assault weapons for $250 each, 'no questions asked, no ID required.' The 'One Less Gun' buyback program attracted so many eager sellers that the money quickly ran out. But instead of closing up shop, the police handed out IOUs good for a future buyback. The Oakland police are now stuck with a bill for $170,000.The buyback has been criticized as a poorly organized fiasco, but even the critics say it was 'the right idea' and 'a step in the right direction.' On the contrary, the buyback was a bad idea from the beginning. Gun buybacks have been tried before, in cities from Seattle to Washington, D.C., and they simply don't work."

Texas Burglary Suspect Shot Dead: "A recent rash of burglaries in the east Oak Cliff area of Dallas may be over after a suspect was shot dead on Wednesday morning. The incident started Tuesday night, when someone threw a brick through the window of a home, located in the 2200 block of Scotland Drive in the east Oak Cliff area of Dallas. The home belongs to an elderly father by the name of Otis Fagan Sr. According to Fagan Sr., he's been burglarized six times in the last six months. His son, Otis Fagan Jr., had come over on Tuesday to help board up the window. He drove past the house again several times Tuesday night to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. While driving past the house at about 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, Fagan Jr. noticed a beam of light coming from the backyard. He stopped to check things out and discovered a man inside the backyard tool shed. Fagan Jr. confronted 43-year-old Gerald Foley, the suspected burglar, with a gun. Police say Foley had $2,000 worth of Fagan's property. According to police, the suspect then attacked Fagan Jr., who fired off possibly four bullets. After the encounter, the suspect fled the scene down an alleyway and fell dead into Bakari Thomas' yard, a neighbor on Locust Street. Both generations of Fagans were taken to police headquarters on Wednesday for questioning. Police have said that this appears to be a legal shooting."


Pennsylvania woman scares off intruder: "A burglar fled a West Hazleton home when a resident got a pistol and took a shot at the man Tuesday evening, borough police said. The incident happened at an East Broad Street home just before 7 p.m., according to the victim, Terri Gavinski. She and her husband, Dave Gavinski, who was at work when the home invasion occurred, talked about her frightening experience Tuesday night. Terri Gavinski she was relaxing watching TV, when she heard a noise and saw the figure of a man standing at the edge of the hallway leading into her living room. She said to the man, "Please don't hurt me." He responsed by referring to her in a derogatory manner. She said the man's head was completely covered with a forest green bandana and it partially covered his face. He also wore dark gloves, possibly black and dark pants, she said. Terri Gavinski estimated he was roughly 6 feet tall and a bit more muscular. The intruder apparently gained entrance through the side door of their home in the 200 block of East Broad Street. The victim said that while the intruder went through their stuff, she went into another bedroom where she spotted a loaded gun her husband had on the gun cabinet. As he was about to go out the side entrance where he came in, she said she took the gun out of her housecoat, raised it and fired a round. The intruder, she said, dropped the bag of coins and ran out."


Unarmed is dangerous: "Some students (and professors) naively suggest that we simply eliminate all illegal gun sales. But if we could do that, why not go all the way and eliminate crime altogether? Some liberals seem to forget that crime is already illegal. On the other hand: If we let trained students carry their licensed weapons on campus, as they're allowed to in the rest of the city, we'd at least have a chance of defending ourselves and our friends."

20 dead this month in Illinois spree killings, but the state's gun-grabbers will never get it: "How long does this have to happen? How many of my home state brethren have to die? When will people like Chicago Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich realize they are leaving their citizens at the whim of thugs and the deranged? The sad truth is they will never get it - they will never learn that their draconian gun policies don't work. Chicago leads the nation in murders nearly every year, yet Mayor Daley doesn't get that criminals know Chicagoans are disarmed. The same is true for colleges where students are easy victims, left to die in masse without the ability to defend their life. The ivory tower is instead becoming akin to the Town of London, where people go to die in tragic and often gruesome ways. Ever wonder why mass shootings don't take place at rallies in favor of the NRA? Ever wonder why people don't go on spree killings with a gun in Israel? It's because the common thugs and mentally deranged people know where to find defenseless victims. You would think the outcome of the recent church shootings in Colorado would make the point more clearly. But the anti-gunners don't get it now and never will."


Vulnerable schools need protection: "Thirty-nine students attend my American literature seminar this semester. Our classroom is the first one you see on the left, as you enter the unlocked humanities building. If a psychotic gunman were searching for a tight cluster of multiple bodies -- an easy target for seeking revenge, casting out demons, achieving immortality or whatever else his perverse purpose happens to be -- he would find my classroom door wide open. He could assume a position straddling the threshold and blocking the exit, so that he could fire at the trapped students at will, reload his weapon and fire once again. We would be sitting ducks in yet another American schoolhouse tragedy. But if I were packing a loaded automatic pistol in a shoulder holster beneath my jacket, we might have half a chance. I am no Rambo. I am a middle-age English professor with no military background. But as an outdoorsman, I have a passing acquaintance with the use of firearms, experience which could be refined to a skill of safety and competence, with adequate training."


Open carry in Utah? "If a bill proposed by Utah lawmakers passes, U students with concealed weapons permits won't have to cover up their guns when they go to class. Current U policy requires weapons carriers to keep their guns concealed, a position administrators argue is backed up by state law. House Bill 473 would amend the firearm code to ensure that permit holders are allowed to visibly carry firearms statewide, including the campuses of state universities and public schools. A committee of representatives in the Utah State Legislature unanimously passed the bill Monday. The measure will now move to the full House. U administrators are opposing the bill because they say allowing students and others to visibly display their firearms on campus would intimidate students, especially in light of recent "horrific shootings" on college campuses. "We're concerned about the feeling that could create on campus," said Kim Wirthlin, the U's vice president for government relations. "We believe that having students...carry their weapons in the open is not good policy." Wirthlin said allowing open carry on campus could cause the U to lose some of its faculty members. Gun-rights activists, including the Second Amendment Students of Utah, complain that the U's policy prohibiting open carry violates state law.

California: Cheapskate room-mate shot dead: "William Lenox, 31, hadn't paid rent in a few months and was in a rage when he kicked in the door to his Bay Point residence Feb. 19 and threatened his roommate, prosecutor Harold Jewett said today. The argument ended when Lenox's roommate Andrew Mahler, 33, fatally shot Lenox in the abdomen inside their residence at 44 Pensacola St. in the unincorporated community of Bay Point. Mahler was arrested for murder, but Jewett, supervising attorney with the Contra Costa County District Attorney's office, declined to file charges Friday saying that Mahler shot Lenox in self-defense. On the day of the killing, Mahler, who had apparently locked out Lenox, had been in the kitchen eating spaghetti when Lenox, a 6-foot 3-inch-tall, 250-pound man with a history of violence and methamphetamine use, broke through the door and started punching holes in the walls. The dispute over Lenox's failure to pay rent had been ongoing and a couple weeks earlier, Lenox had "kicked Mahler's ass," a witness told investigators, Jewett said, a fact that made Mahler believe Lenox planned to follow through on his current threats. Mahler, who was also a large man, retreated to his bedroom, Jewett said, but Lenox kept coming at him. He punched a hole through Mahler's bedroom door and continued to threaten him. Mahler grabbed a gun, which he owned legally, and fired a warning shot into the floor, Jewett said, but Lenox kept coming at him. Mahler fired one shot into Lenox's abdomen, dropped the gun on his bed and went to their neighbor's house to ask them to call 911, since Mahler and Lenox did not have a telephone, Jewett said."


California: Motorcycle Shop Owner Shoots At Intruder: "Police are still looking for a burglar who may have been shot by a business owner in central Bakersfield Tuesday morning. The Bakersfield Police Department said an alarm tipped off the owner at about 4:30 a.m. at a motorcycle repair shop on Chester Lane. Police said when he arrived, he noticed someone inside the garage. They said the man then charged at the owner, who managed to get off several rounds from a pistol. It's unknown if the man was hit. The man escaped."


States consider gun-access laws: "Some companies in several states could be barred from telling their employees to keep their guns at home if lawmakers prevail in a battle that pits gun rights advocates against private businesses. At least six states - Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi and Oklahoma - have passed laws that bar some employers from forbidding workers to leave guns locked in their cars in company lots but don't give workers the right to carry firearms into the actual workplace. Now, several more states are considering such laws. Supporters say licensed gun owners should have access to their weapons in case they need them for self-defense on the trek to and from home. If employers can ban guns from workers' cars, "it would be a wrecking ball to the Second Amendment," which governs the right to bear arms, says Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA)."

Concealed weapons bill passes in Virginia: "The House of Delegates on Thursday passed a bill to allow people with a concealed weapons permit to bring a hidden handgun into a restaurant if they do not drink. The measure sponsored by Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, R-Mount Solon, won House approval on a 62-36 vote and now goes to the desk of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. Delegates in both parties said they expect Kaine to veto it. A spokesman for the governor said he would have to review the bill's details before deciding whether to sign it. Gun-rights advocates have sought the bill for years. It passed the Senate by a 24-15 vote last week, so neither chamber passed the measure by a veto-proof two-thirds margin. Virginia has nearly 150,000 residents who hold concealed-carry permits, said Del. C. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, who spoke for the bill and said those who hold concealed-weapons permits "are among the most law-abiding citizens in Virginia."


UNL Bans Toy Guns After Classroom Scare: "A long University of Nebraska-Lincoln tradition came to an abrupt end this week after a student brought a Nerf gun into a classroom. University officials said on Thursday that the game "assassin" has been banned on campus, along with all toy guns. In the game, players use a Nerf gun to hunt down another player. When it spilled into a classroom on Wednesday, people got nervous. "All of a sudden, I saw five or six officers rush into the room," said student Arthur Scott. Scott was the in class at Oldfather Hall when, he said, a student had the toy gun on his desk. Another student became concerned and text messaged a friend, who called police. "They said put the gun down. They started yelling then," Scott said. UNL police said they had to treat the situation like it was a real weapon because some guns are now painted to look like toys. Fliers were put up in residence halls announcing the ban. Vice Chancellor Juan Franco said they're not overreacting. "If you had asked me that 10 years ago, I would have said yes, but under the current circumstances, with everybody very sensitive to what's been happening on campuses, I think we need to be safe," Franco said. The game had become an annual event at Neighardt Hall. The honors students housed there say it was a fun way to get to know other students".


We need students, teachers better-armed: "Another tragic, senseless shooting, this time at Northern Illinois University, has again brought the gun issue to the forefront. However, have you ever thoughtfully considered just how we got to where we are regarding the ownership of firearms? Our nation was founded and evolved as a uniquely free society during the same time that modern firearms were invented and became readily available due to the Industrial Revolution. Combine those two events with our founding fathers' genuine fear of tyrannical government along with a need for protection on a dangerous frontier and you have the answer -- a modern society with an estimated 250 million guns. These recent shooting tragedies have renewed an irresponsible call by some to further restrict or repeal the Second Amendment. However, vicious criminals are freed every day because of "technical violations" by authorities of the Fourth Amendment (prohibiting illegal searches), Fifth (self-incrimination) and Sixth (right to an attorney). As a result, thousands of citizens are later murdered, raped or assaulted. We as a nation hold those three amendments so sacred that we are willing to pay that price. The Second Amendment should be no less sacred".

Indiana homeowner shot a man in alleged self-defense: "Metro Police say a homeowner shot a man in self-defense outside his eastside home Saturday morning. But it's not the man's first time using a gun..... Metro Police were called by a homeowner, Richard Burns, who said he had just shot a man behind his Brookville Road home. "Apparently he heard a noise outside, went outside to see what was going on, and related to the detectives that this individual came at him with a knife, and which time he fired a shot," IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson said. Burns told detectives the man he shot was coming out of his car, perhaps trying to steal it. The victim was hit in the chest and taken to Wishard Hospital in serious condition. While doctors work to save the victim's life, detectives work to figure out a complex case. Police will determine if this shooting was indeed self-defense. What they'll also look at is the fact that Mr. Burns has been involved in two other shootings, this year alone.... Metro Police tell 24-Houre News 8 that Richard Burns does have a valid gun permit. As for the victim, he didn't have any identification on him, so police haven't identified him, but they do say his injuries are not considered life threatening."


GA: Reward offered: "There is a $1,000 reward offered for the capture of a burglary suspect in Columbia County. That reward is being offered by the West Lake Homeowners Association. Investigators say the thief was confronted by a homeowner. When the thief pulled a gun, the homeowner shot at him. The thief then ran off. Investigators say the suspect's gun was stolen from another car in the subdivision."


There is a great video of a recent Knob creek machinegun shoot in Kentucky here

Florida Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder: "A 17-year-old [black] suspect was shot and killed in Altamonte Springs early Saturday morning after deputies said he ran from them and into a nearby home. According to the Seminole County Sheriff's Department, the incident began when Ryan Realford approached a uniformed deputy in an unmarked car. Police said he appeared to be selling drugs. When he saw the officer's uniform, he ran down the street. According to the sheriff's office, Realford ran to a house on the 600 block of Lake Mobile Drive. The homeowner said Realford removed a locked screen door and was trying to enter his house through a sliding glass door. The homeowner said he asked Realford to leave. When he would not, the homeowner told deputies he shot him. According to deputies, the investigation continues and the homeowner likely won't be charged."


North Carolina guards chase off robbers: "About 8:55 p.m. Tuesday, an Inter-Pol guard spotted two men scaling a fence at a business with a history of break-ins, Guarascio said. He declined to name the business, citing confidentiality. But an official with county dispatch said Inter-Pol officers said they were at a business in the 300 block of Chesterfield Road. Guarascio said that address is near his client's business, but isn't where the incident occurred. Inter-Pol's armed guards, who don't have arrest powers, chased the suspects into the woods, Guarascio said. When the guards cornered the suspects, one turned and charged at them with what appeared to be a shotgun. After shouting multiple orders, a security guard fired three shots. The incident was over shortly after 9 p.m., but Inter-Pol continued to canvass the area until 11:30 p.m. Inter-Pol officers returned Wednesday morning but found no blood trails, and no one had checked into New Hanover County hospitals with a gunshot wound, Guarascio said."


Virgnia Guard Fatally Shoots Man After Scuffle at Restaurant: "A Fairfax County man, involved in a brawl outside a Springfield area restaurant, was shot to death early yesterday by a security guard who told police he was acting in self-defense. The incident started inside Cafe Milano, in a shopping center just off Backlick Road, shortly before 1 a.m. Police said that a fight started in the bar area of the restaurant, and that a uniformed private security guard hired by the restaurant escorted one of the fighters outside. When the 23-year-old guard and the man stepped outside, the guard told police, he was jumped by three or four other men, at least one of whom wielded a knife. Fairfax Officer Don Gotthardt said the man holding the knife was Yordy Adaud Salguero Urmeneta, 27, of the Springfield area, and that he had advanced toward the guard, whose name was not released. The guard said that he feared for his life and fired one shot, striking Salguero Urmeneta in the stomach, Gotthardt said. Salguero Urmeneta fell, and the other men picked him up, placed him in a white van and fled. Officers found the van parked outside of Salguero Urmeneta's house on Cather Road, with the wounded man and two others inside, Gotthardt said. Salguero Urmeneta was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he died at 5 a.m., police said. The two men with Salguero Urmeneta when he was found were interviewed and released, and Gotthardt said they were considered suspects. The security guard, who police said was legally carrying the gun, was not charged"