Another story for the hypocrisy files

It was just another one of the thousands of self-defense incidents that occur every day. But this one caught my eye.

Iowa Representative Leonard Boswell sprang to action when an armed intruder entered his home recently, attacked his daughter and demanded money from the family.

A Vietnam veteran, Congressman Boswell risked his own life to engage the intruder. And while Boswell, 77, was unable to overcome the burglar, the ensuing struggle allowed time for his grandson to retrieve a shotgun from another room.

Seeing that his firepower was grossly outmatched, the intruder fled the home and is still on the loose.

While this type of story occurs frequently in our country, the Boswell incident is interesting for several reasons. For starters, one should realize that the aforementioned shotgun was easily available in the home of an anti-gun member of the Ruling Class.

Consider Boswell’s record as posted on the website of Gun Owners of America, an organization that rates every congressman on their gun-related votes. According to that list, Rep. Boswell (a Democrat) has not cast a pro-gun vote since 2006 and has a “D-” rating with GOA.

Boswell has even voted for trigger lock legislation within the past five years, although it is highly doubtful that the shotgun retrieved by the grandson — the shotgun found in the Congressman’s home — had a trigger lock attached to it.

In other words, what’s good for you is not necessarily good for me. Can anyone say “hypocrite”?

Boswell comes from a long-line of Ruling Class hypocrites who have told the American people that they don’t need guns, even while they rely on their own guns for protection:

* Who can forget columnist Carl Rowan who said that anyone found with a gun “should go to jail, period,” but then he later used his own (illegal) handgun to shoot a non-violent teenager who was skinny-dipping in his pool;

* Or actress Rosie O’Donnell who also thinks people should go to prison for owning guns, but then hired armed security guards to protect her children — a pricey option which is unavailable for most Americans.

The Boswell self-defense incident is also ironic because anti-gunners frequently ignore cases like this when compiling their statistics. In 1986, junk scientist Arthur Kellerman derived a bogus figure which claimed that a gun in the home was 43 times more likely to kill the homeowner than to help him.

But Kellerman only reached that factoid by explicitly excluding self-defense episodes like the one in Boswell’s home.

Kellerman stated that, “Mortality studies such as ours do not include cases in which burglars or intruders are wounded or frightened away by the use or display of a firearm.”

Really? Why not? Is chasing away a burglar an insignificant result for a homeowner? I wonder if Boswell would agree that his shotgun was insignificant in deterring that criminal attack.

Nevertheless, people still quote the bogus Kellerman “statistic” today as though it was the gospel truth. Contrast his figure with the several studies showing that citizens use guns in self-defense, anywhere from 1.5 million to 2.5 million times a year.

That breaks down to 4,000 to 7,000 times a day. And when you contrast this to the total number of gun-related deaths every year, one finds that guns are used 50 to 80 times more often to save life than to take life.

Of course, most of those defensive uses of a firearm — over 98% of them — occur just as they did in the Boswell home. Simply brandishing the firearm or firing a warning shot is enough to send the bad guys fleeing for their lives.

Thankfully for Boswell, acting like a hypocrite is not a crime. There’s only one punishment that’s really fit for such a member of the Ruling Class. Maybe Boswell’s constituents will figure it out next year.

Source




CA: Armed homeowner foils robbery: "A would-be robber ran afoul of an armed homeowner Monday, sheriff’s officials say. The suspect, 26-year-old Carlos Solorio Gonzales of Yucca Valley, is accused of breaking into a house in the 7500 block of Joshua Lane shortly before 2:12 a.m. Inside, he was confronted by the homeowner, who was carrying a gun, Arden Wiltshire, a spokeswoman for the county Sheriff’s Department, said. At some point, the robber and homeowner began a struggle. “They start wrestling for the gun. The homeowner gains control,” Wiltshire said. “Once the homeowner gains control of the weapon, Gonzales jumps out of the living room window and runs.” A deputy found Gonzales hiding in a field near the house a short time later. The suspect was arrested at 2:59 a.m. without further incident on suspicion of residential robbery. The homeowner was not hurt."


After a defensive gun use, sleep on it: "In Meatloaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light, the hormone-crazed singer’s girlfriend won’t let him score a home run until and unless he promises to love her forever. His initial response: 'Let me sleep on it. Baby baby let me sleep on it. Let me sleep on it ...' When it comes to providing your version of events to the police after a defensive gun use (DGU), same answer. Do NOT submit to a police interview until at least 24 hours later."


MI: 10 years after concealed weapons law, unclear why many in state were gun-shy: "Ten years after Michigan made it much easier for its citizens to get a license to carry a concealed gun, predictions of widespread lawless behavior and bloodshed have failed to materialize. Advocates for concealed carry rights contend they have been vindicated. Violent crime is down, said Steve Dulan, a board member for the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners."

CO: DA clears man in father's shooting death: "The investigator with the Larimer County Coroner's Office acted in self-defense when he fatally shot his father July 5 in Loveland, District Attorney Larry Abrahamson ruled Monday. Patrick Canaga, 51, was shot July 5 in the 900 block of Daphne Drive in southwest Loveland. Police said Matthew Canaga fired the fatal shot. He was placed on paid administrative leave from the coroner's office. According to witness statements, Matthew left work to confront his father after Patrick threatened Matthew's wife, Teresa. At Patrick's house, the two men argued, and Matthew returned to his home and asked Teresa to pack a bag so the family could leave the house. Matthew called his father and warned him not to come over, saying that he had a gun and would defend his family. According to statements, Patrick approached Matthew's home with a gun and tapped the gun on the window of the front door. Matthew told Patrick to leave, but Patrick then broke the window with his gun and Matthew fired the shot that killed his father."


NC: Police rule self-defense in shooting: "One man is dead after being shot with a shotgun at point blank range Monday afternoon in Gaston County. Two neighbors tried to break in to an apartment when the homeowner opened fire. Police say 20-year-old Dequan Thompson shot and killed 27-year-old Isaiah DeVon Walker at Thompson's house. Police say Walker and another man were talking to Thompson's girlfriend on the phone, because she owed Walker money for his car. Thompson told police Walker broke into his back door, holding a tire iron, so he shot him. No one will be charged."


FL: Cities can’t ban guns in parks, town halls: "Do handguns belong in South Florida’s parks and recreation centers and city halls? They do according to the Florida Legislature. Under a new law that takes effect Oct. 1, all of the state’s cities and counties must repeal local rules limiting gun ownership. Although the state has claimed sole right to regulate firearms since 1987, this year’s new law adds fines for local officials who fail to comply, and gives gun owners a right to sue for damages if they believe their rights have been violated. Though the initial bill suggested a fine of $5 million, the final legislation lowered the amount to $5,000. The result: Local leaders have begun to comply, cancelling laws that kept guns out of parks and community buildings, and taking down signs warning visitors not to bring firearms to such places."


It's not only the BATF that is donating guns to crooks: "More than two dozen assault rifles have been stolen from a Southern California military base, and investigators sought the public's help as they looked to arrest suspects and recover the weapons, federal officials said Friday. Twenty-six AK-74 assault rifles and one Dragunov sniper rifle were stolen from a supply warehouse at Fort Irwin in San Bernardino County on July 15, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says in a statement. Some arrests have been made and one rifle has been recovered, but the agency is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to further arrests, the statement said. Hoffman also could not say why word of the theft did not become public for two weeks, but said his agency decided to issue a news release because of the potential danger the loose weapons posed."

NJ: Plainfield man is shot, killed: "Authorities are investigating the death of a Plainfield man apparently shot several times this morning. Investigators aren't sure what the circumstances were of the midnight incident. The man, 25-year-old Robert Pierre Louis, was pronounced dead at the scene, located on the 800- block of Fourth Street, according to Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow. It appears he was shot by the resident of a home he was outside of, but the person, whose name was not released, has not been charged, Romankow said."


KY: Widow shoots intruder: "A 63-year-old widow shot and killed an intruder who was wearing only boxer shorts when he accosted her in her 16th Street home early Monday, police said. Lt. Tom Collins, Newport’s acting police chief, said the incident was a tragedy for both the woman, Phyllis Maloney, and for the man who was fatally shot, Jordan R. Risheberger, 21, of Florence. Detectives do not expect to file charges against Maloney because the investigation shows she was defending herself in her own home. Risheberger had been attending a party near Maloney’s home, Collins said, and authorities were investigating whether Risheberger may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It will take several weeks before blood-test results will be ready."


TX: Homeowner is acquitted in student's shooting: "After four years and two murder trials, homeowner Ray Lemes was acquitted by a jury Monday night of criminal wrongdoing for gunning down a college student on the asphalt of his cul-de-sac. The parents of Angelo State University student Tracy Glass, who was 19 when he was shot five times in the early morning of Aug. 4, 2007, declined to comment as they left the courthouse an hour later. According to Lemes’ attorneys, he was a terrified homeowner intent on keeping his wife from getting raped after chasing an aggressive intruder out of his house in the middle of the night. Brothers Joe James and Michael Sawyer, attorneys who represented Lemes, suggested that Glass had targeted their client’s household after looking over the fence of his sister’s adjoining house the day before and seeing Lemes’ wife, Katherine Lemes, doing yardwork alone."


Are .50 BMG upper conversions going to be reclassified as firearms?: "For some time, I’ve been hearing rumblings from sources in the firearms industry that your branch is going to classify .50 BMG upper conversions for AR-15 rifles as firearms, a departure from the past practice established by your office of considering them parts. I have since been informed this was confirmed by your office in a telephone conversation with a national firearms publication. Because this could have such profound and far-reaching effects, not only within the firearms industry, but also among private owners who have been in compliance with currently written regulations, I’m seeking to document if this is true." [I gather that the assembly referred to enables a special .50 cal. round to be used in the weapon, usually for long range target shooting]

Another alien universe heard from: Guns "should be illegal for all but properly constituted, trained and controlled agencies of governments."

A tip of the boonie hat and deep genuflection to Snaggle-Tooth Jones for forwarding a link to this opinion by Professor A.C. Grayling entitled: "What would Breivik be without a gun? The global arms trade inevitably leads to the sort of atrocity inflicted on Norway. The killing machine has to be stopped."

In discussion of the atrocity in Norway last week, there is one subject which has been notable by the almost total silence about it: guns. In response to recurring massacres in American high schools and British villages, in response to footage from Africa and Afghanistan showing ragged, untrained young men brandishing automatic small arms, in response to a man coolly murdering dozens of youngsters in an hour-and-a-half, funfair-like shooting spree on a Norwegian island, where is the outrage at the fact that the world is awash with small arms, that people are making money legally and without blemish to their reputations out of the manufacture and sale of instruments purposely designed to kill?

It is said that you can get a Kalashnikov in the Horn of Africa in exchange for three small children. But before the sale of children for weapons, and before the mayhem and death that results from the use of those weapons, there is the arms trade in a wide range of handguns and high-powered automatic rifles. Every one of these instruments is designed and created for the express purpose of killing. The irresponsible argument of the American gun lobby – that it is not guns that kill, but the people who handle them – is the first point to contest: if Anders Behring Breivik had carried only a knife or a wooden club, he would have been severely restricted in the harm he could do. The same would have been true at Hungerford and Dunblane, at Columbine High School and Kent State University; the agonies of Darfur and Helmand would be vastly less; in fact the world would be a different and happier place if guns were few and their possession a matter of strict official control.

KENT STATE? Huh? Think what you will about what happened there, the arms at Kent State were certainly under "strict official control."

The befuddled professor continues:

Our world stands on its head in most things, but in nothing more so than the fact that a crazy person can buy a gun, an extremely dangerous device, in an American or Norwegian shop, but "drugs" are prohibited and policed at vast expense to society. Indeed, the ironies are still greater: because drugs (excluding some of the most dangerous and harmful, such as alcohol and nicotine) are criminalised but the gun trade is not, the gangs who smuggle the drugs shoot each other with the guns, and not infrequently shoot the policemen who chase them also. This is a stark example of the irrationality of our arrangements. Ban guns and put heroin under the same licensing regulations as alcohol – fools will continue to abuse both, harming mainly themselves: the abuse of guns harms others, and too often too many others – and at a stroke billions of dollars and thousands of lives (think Mexico) would be saved.

Evidently Grayling has not heard of the U.S. government's Gunwalker plot to fuel the Mexican cartels' wars.

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Drawing exactly the wrong inference from the Norwegian massacre: "The only obvious moral is that Norway's relatively strict gun laws should be enforced better. Norwegians need a license to own a gun and must keep them in a safe. Individuals may not buy automatic weapons. Police may inspect a gun-owner's home. Yet plainly, those laws were enforced poorly. The normal reflex, to call for still stricter laws, is less valid here than to take existing law seriously."

MI: Man shot in leg while struggling to get gun away from a robber: "A man told police he was shot while trying to take a gun away from a teen who tried to rob him, according to police reports. The man was walking on Forest Hill Avenue around 10 p.m. Thursday when an 18-year-old male tried to rob him with a handgun, according to the report. The man grabbed the gun away and it went off, shooting him in the right leg. The teen then ran away from the scene. Driven to Hurley Medical Center by his girlfriend, the man was listed in good condition, according to police reports."


AL: Dothan police officer shoots, wounds adult son; said to be in self-defense: "On July 30, 2011 the Dothan Police Department responded to a firearm assault on Third Avenue. Police responded to the residence of a Dothan Police Officer who was involved in the shooting. The investigation into this shooting is in the earliest stage however a preliminary investigation has revealed there was a documented history of domestic violence in the home between the officer and the officers’ adult son. Investigators have learned the involved parties have had limited contact following a documented domestic situation which occurred earlier this month. The shooting which occurred today appears to involve self defense on behalf of the officer involved. The suspect was transported to a local hospital where he is receiving treatment for a moderate injury. Police have not released names of involved parties at this time."

NC: Quick Not guilty verdict: "Buckey Bolden’s first-degree murder trial lasted two weeks and ended Friday afternoon with two words: Not guilty. Bolden spent three and a half years in the Catawba County jail after a January 2008 shootout in the Randolph’s Billiards parking lot in Hickory left Ben Thompson dead, George Hill Jr., paralyzed and in a wheelchair and Elizabeth Brannon suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. During the trial, Bolden and his defense attorney never veered from their version of what happened the night on Jan. 11, 2008: Bolden acted in self-defense when he shot Thompson and Hill, but he never fired at Brannon. [The jury] may have been swayed by Myisha Hoyle’s testimony. She was standing beside Hill’s car with Bolden. She told the jury that she saw Hill flash a silver gun and fire warning shots at Bolden before Bolden pulled his own gun from his waistband and fired back. Hill testified that when Bolden saw Thompson sit up and reach toward the car’s console, Bolden shot and killed him."


TX: Robber run down by victim's car: "Harris County grand jury will decide if a business owner was in the right when he struck a would-be robber with his vehicle. Marcus Baturn, 29, was killed after robbing a 72-year-old man and his brother at gunpoint in the 7300 block of Northline, according to the Houston Police Department. After robbing both men, Baturn fled the scene on foot. The 72-year-old and his son got into their vehicles to track Baturn down. They managed to find Baturn at a parking lot in the 130 block of West Little York Road. Baturn pointed his gun at the victim and fired a single shot, investigators said. The victim drove into Baturn in response. The victim’s son also struck Baturn with his vehicle. Baturn was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim was not injured in the incident."

FL: Protecting his home from intruders: "Four men are accused of holding Jackie Bracey at gunpoint. But Ronald Bracey didn't hesitate to protect his wife. He grabbed his gun, firing eight rounds at the intruders -- hitting one in the shoulder -- and chased them off. Three of the men were caught and arrested."


IL: Guard stops fatal bank robbery: "Earl Coleman was calm as he described in court Thursday a gun battle that unfolded when three masked robbers stormed the Chatham neighborhood bank where he worked as a security guard in May 2007. "As soon as I stepped from behind that partition, they started firing," Coleman said on the witness stand in U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall's courtroom. Coleman, a veteran of more than a decade at the Illinois Service Federal Savings and Loan at 87th Street and King Drive, testified he dropped to the floor as one robber leaped over a teller counter and brandished a .357 Smith & Wesson. With both hands on his weapon, Coleman said, he fired six shots at the robbers before they fled the bank with only a teller drawer containing $6,875. A teller, Tramaine Gibson, 23, was killed, while Coleman and a customer, Dorothy Sanders, a retired teacher, were wounded."

Obama admin intimidating witnesses in ATF gun probe

The Obama administration sought to intimidate witnesses into not testifying to Congress on Tuesday about whether ATF knowingly allowed weapons, including assault rifles, to be “walked” into Mexico, the chairman of a House committee investigating the program said in an interview Monday.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell E. Issa, California Republican, said at least two scheduled witnesses expected to be asked about a controversial weapons investigation known as “Fast and Furious”received warning letters from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to limit their testimony.

Mr. Issa's committee is set to hear testimony from six current or former ATF employees, including agents and attaches assigned to the bureau’s offices in Mexico, about the operation — in which, federal agents say, they were told to stand down and watch as guns flowed from U.S. dealers in Arizona to violent criminals and drug cartels in Mexico.

The six-term lawmaker aired his concerns about the program in a wide-ranging interview with reporters and editors at The Washington Times on Monday.

Among other questions, the agents are likely to be asked about a large volume of guns showing up in Mexico that were traced back to the Fast and Furious program; whether ATF officials in that country expressed concerns about the weapons to agency officials in the U.S., only to be brushed aside; and whether ATF officials in Arizona denied ATF personnel in Mexico access to information about the operation.

Nearly 50 weapons linked to the Fast and Furious program have been recovered to date in Mexico. Committee investigators said Mexican authorities also were denied information about the operation.

Mr. Issa also said he is certain the Fast and Furious operation was known by most top officials at the Justice Department and that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. either knew and misled Congress, or was so out of the loop that he’s guilty of mismanagement.

“How is it that the No. 2, 3, 4 at Justice all knew about this program, but the No. 1 didn’t?,” Mr. Issa said. “Is it because he said ‘don’t tell me’? Is it because they knew what they were doing is wrong, and they were protecting their boss? Or is it that Eric Holder is just so disconnected … ?

“Whichever it is — he knew and he’s lied to Congress, or he didn’t know, and he’s so detached that he wasn’t doing his job — that really probably is for the administration to make a decision on, sooner not later,” Mr. Issa said.

Those scheduled to testify are William McMahon, ATF deputy assistant director for field operations in Phoenix and Mexico; William Newell, former ATF special agent in charge at the Phoenix field division; Carlos Canino, ATF acting attache to Mexico; Darren Gil, former ATF attache to Mexico; Jose Wall, ATF senior agent in Tijuana, Mexico; and Lorren Leadmon, ATF intelligence operations specialist.

But after receiving subpoenas, at least two of the agents got letters from ATF Associate Chief Counsel Barry S. Orlow warning them to keep certain areas off-limits, including those still under investigation. Neither of the targeted agents was identified.

Mr. Issa said at least one witness wanted to back out of testifying to his committee after receiving the letter, but the chairman declined that request. Instead he fired a letter back to William J. Hoover, deputy director of ATF, saying the “timing and content of this letter strongly suggest that ATF is obstructing and interfering with the congressional investigation.”

ATF, in a statement, said letters sent to agents subpoenaed to testify before Congress are “essentially the same as the standard document provided to ATF witnesses subpoenaed to testify in court.” It said the witnesses are “encouraged to answer fully and candidly all questions concerning matters within his personal knowledge,” but provide “guidance” about revealing statutorily prohibited information.

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NY: Store owner brings a gun to a Taser fight: "The owner of the Collectors Emporium on George Urban Boulevard got the shock of his life this morning, literally! Two black males and a light skinned female burst into the store around 10:45a Tuesday morning and shot the owner in the chest with a Taser gun. Unfortunately for the shooter, only one of the Tasers prongs penetrated the owners chest. As the partially working Taser stunned the store owner, he reached for his pistol--sending the three would-be robbers fleeing."


UT: Man threatens attacking dogs with gun: "The gunman actually had to be treated by a doctor after the dogs knocked him to the ground and bit his leg and face, said Cottonwood Heights police detective Ryan Shosped. "The guy was attacked by the dogs and feared for his own safety," he said. "He was walking past the dog owner and the dogs jumped on his back and knocked him down," he said. The man had a bruise on his knee consistent with being knocked over. Shopshed said the bite on his leg was also "significant" and part of his finger tip was bitten off. The man, in his late 60s to early 70s, was an Army veteran and had a concealed weapons permit. He pulled out a handgun and told the dog owner to get his dogs off him or he would shoot them, Shopshed said. He later told police it was the first time he had ever pulled his concealed weapon out. The case with the gun will now be reviewed by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office. But Shopshed said it has all the appearances of a case of self-defense. "Ultimately, the guy was legally carrying a gun and he was in fear for his safety," he said.


Florida robbers surprised by gunfire: "Deputies say Fidel Marrero-Rodriguez, Pedro Herrera, Yadier Gonzalez-Rodriguez, and at least one other person wore police hats as they forced a homeowner into her house by gunpoint. The Miami men were instead faced with the barrel of her husband's gun. His quick trigger finger left one of the men with a bullet wound to his shoulder. The suspect is still in the hospital. All three men are being charged with impersonating a police officer and robbery with a firearm. They are being held on $550,000 bond."

Norway's gun laws directly to blame for high death toll on Island

To own a gun in Norway, one must document a use for the gun. By far, the most common grounds for civilian ownership are hunting and sports shooting, in that order. Other needs can include special guard duties or self defence, but the first is rare unless the person shows identification confirming that he or she is a trained guard or member of a law-enforcement agency and the second (self defense) is practically never accepted as a reason for gun ownership.

In contrast there is no permit required to purchase a shotgun, rifle or hand gun in Florida. There is no registration or licencing of hand guns either. There is, however, a permit required to carry a concealed hand gun in the state of Florida. On the other hand, it is unlawful for any convicted felon to have in his or her possession any firearm or to carry a concealed weapon unless his civil rights have been restored. It is also unlawful for the following persons to own, possess or use any firearm - drug addicts, alcoholics, mental incompetents, and vagrants.

The contrast here could NOT be more clear. Florida regulates its gun usage in the most practical fashion imaginable. They allow the "good guys" to carry and protect themselves and their families while prohibiting the likely "bad guys" from gun usage. Norway on the other hand assumes that EVERYONE is a "bad guy".

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CA: Casino employee whips out gun, shoots boy in robbery defense: "A 13-year-old boy who police say tried to rob a casino employee in Gilroy on Tuesday instead ended up with a bullet in his hand and charges that could land him in juvenile hall. An employee of the Garlic City Club at Monterey Road and Hornlein Court in downtown Gilroy was sitting in his car at 2:25 a.m. when three people -- including two armed with handguns -- approached him and demanded money, police said. But then the casino employee whipped out a loaded firearm of his own from inside the vehicle and fired at the robbers, striking at least one of them, police said. The man in the car escaped unscathed as people in the area heard the shots and called 911. A Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy aiding the manhunt found on nearby Forest Street a 13-year-old Gilroy boy who had been shot in the hand. He was taken to St. Louise Hospital and released. Gilroy detectives interviewed the boy and determined he was one of the suspected robbers. They arrested him on attempted robbery charges and released him to his mother. The casino employee was not arrested.


SC: Big black robber shot and killed by much smaller female clerk: "Deputies say a man is dead after the motel clerk he tried to sexually assault and rob early Monday morning fought back and killed him. Investigators say 43-year-old Vincent Carson of Orangeburg entered a Days Inn motel at 133 sometime before 6:00 a.m. As the female clerk went into the breakfast room to prepare breakfast, she found Carson waiting inside. The victim said Carson held a knife to her throat and said, "This is a robbery." Investigators said when her attacker slipped the knife into his pants pocket to begin tying her up with plastic ties, the woman pulled a handgun from under her shirt, turned, and fired into the man's chest at point blank range. Deputies say the victim was about 100 pounds lighter than Carson and stood at least a foot shorter than him. When deputies got to the scene, they found the suspect unresponsive on the floor. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said Carson died from a single gunshot to the chest."


NC: Robbers shot at poker game: "Two men who police believe were trying to rob people at a high-stakes poker game in Raleigh late Monday were shot during a struggle, and one died, police said Tuesday. Officers responding to a reported robbery at 4809 Sweetbriar Drive, off East Millbrook Road, shortly after 11 p.m. found Brandon Dwain Shelton, 28, dead inside the house, and Brian Matthew Onley, 23, lying on the lawn with a gunshot wound in the arm. Witnesses told investigators that two men burst into the home wearing masks and carrying guns in an attempt to rob several poker players. A struggle ensued, and the two intruders were shot, police said. "Both of them had hoods on and ski masks on," a man who called 911 told a dispatcher. "(One) was shot with his own gun."

Ind.: Witness claims man shot to death in self defense: "Greenwood Police and the people who knew Hans Lanham said he was a career criminal burglar and thief who would resist law enforcement. was paranoid on drugs, and would fight. It was a battle with another man Sunday night that cost Lanham his life. Lanham arrived unannounced at the Cedarbrook Apartments on West Smith Valley Road and attacked a man over a previous dispute a witness told Fox 59 News. Lanham was armed with a pair of beer bottles and threatened to stab the man when a friend stepped in. "He grabbed him and threw him to the ground and was on top of him. He was told several times to leave. One shot was fired and I think it hit him in the stomach." Police say the resident who fired the shot is cooperating with investigators and was not arrested."


NRA Sues D.C. Over Guns in Public Housing: "Current District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) rules forbid law-abiding residents from owning a firearm for any lawful purpose. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is supporting and financing a lawsuit to challenge this policy. The case is Scott v. District of Columbia Housing Authority. DCHA residents, just like all Americans, have a fundamental, individual right to keep firearms in their homes for self-defense. This right, affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in its landmark Heller and McDonald decisions, is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Denying anyone a basic right based on their zip code or tax bracket is unacceptable."

WV: Oldster chases off robbers: "Frazier says the three men walked back by his house with guns they'd stolen from his son's house, saw that he'd freed himself, and started firing, leaving a total of 9 bullet holes on Frazier's walls. "When they started shooting into my house, that's when I started firing back," he said. Frazier says when he started shooting, the men ran back to their truck and took off. He then got another gun and made sure they got the point. "I ran out on the porch with an 11-hundred automatic and emptied it as they drove across the creek down here," he said. "I did my best to kill everyone of them." He says he hit the truck at least once on the rear-side window. He scared off the crooks and saved his own life"


Even Imaginary Guns Save Lives: "The situation could have gone either way: I could end up beaten or dead, or we could all go our separate ways. All I could think to do was to get to my backpack and find my phone. As I fumbled for the phone, I heard one of them say, “Does he have a gun?” So I kept my hand in my backpack, allowing them to wonder whether I was reaching for a gun. Then a couple of them started to run away, and the others soon followed. I got back on my bike and pedaled as fast as I could out of there. I’ve thought a lot about the turning point of the situation — the fact that one of them thought that I might have a gun. None of them said, “There’s a law against antigay hate crimes!” That wasn’t the deterrent. It was the possibility that I might have had a gun that saved my life Friday night."

Shootout in Delaware Parking Lot: "Police in Smyrna are searching for five suspects after an armed robbery ended with a shootout in the parking lot of the Fairways Inn Saturday morning. Delaware State Police say the male victim was walking to his car carrying the night's proceeds from the business when a male suspect fired a shot at him. Police say the victim dropped the money while pulling his own gun and ran for cover behind several parked cars in the lot. They said the victim began shooting back at the male suspect. It was then, police say, that five other male suspects, all with hoods covering their heads, also began shooting at the victim. As this was occurring the first suspect picked up the money that the victim had dropped. All five suspects then fled on foot and were last seen running northbound on Rt. 13. No one was injured in the gunfire"


Colleges should not be 'defense-free' zones: "The issue of concealed carry on campus centers on the conflict between those who believe that firearms have no place in academic areas and those who believe that individuals who have the ability to defend themselves everywhere else should have the same ability on university campuses. The University of Virginia, like most public universities, maintains an open campus, meaning members of the public can come and go as they please. However, current university policy states that no person other than a law enforcement officer may possess or store a firearm or other weapon on campus. At first glance, this may appear to be a sensible policy, unless one examines its enforceability. On an open campus, there are no security checkpoints controlling who enters and exits — and no means of preventing weapons from entering the campus. Therefore, under such a policy, the only people who would be prevented from possessing weapons are those with no intention of committing crimes in the first place."

The Empire Strikes Back

Oliver North

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. -- "Will your Boykin hunt?" asked the young man, admiring the little red spaniel at my side. "Casey" wagged her tail and sat, patiently waiting for me to check out of the local farmers market with a basket of fresh peaches, corn and tomatoes.

"She's not yet a year old, but she already works well into the wind, can kick up a bird and if I shoot right and retrieves to hand," I replied with no small amount of hubris. The conversation abruptly shifted to international politics -- but not in the direction I expected. "What are you going to do with her once 'The Empire' bans your shotguns?" he asked.

For a moment, I was lost. "The Empire?" "Yeah," he said, "the U.N. -- the global imperial government in New York. 'The Empire' wants to control who can buy or keep a shotgun."

I'm used to strangers approaching me on topics such as hunting, the war, our troops serving in harm's way, the national debt, taxes and the endless list of presidential candidates. But it's unusual for an interlocutor to shift instantly from hunting to the United Nations. So I asked, "Why do you think that could happen while we still have a Second Amendment in our Constitution? The American people wouldn't stand for it."

"Do you really think 'We the People' are paying attention to what the U.N. is doing while we're distracted with everything else that's going on?"

It was a reasonable question -- and I concluded: "No, most people probably aren't engaged on this issue. But some of us are, and there are more than 80 million U.S. gun owners. I'm on the board of the National Rifle Association, and we're paying attention."

"Good," the young man replied with a smile, "because I helped elect you. I'm a life member of the NRA."

After paying for our produce, we spoke for a few more minutes in the parking lot. I again assured him that the NRA and organizations such as Freedom Alliance are doing their best to preserve Americans' individual liberties and protect U.S. sovereignty and security -- even though it often appears to be an uphill fight. I then went home to dig into what the globalists at the U.N. are preparing for us. As usual, it isn't good.

For five years now, various committees of the United Nations purport to have been drafting "an internationally acceptable Arms Trade Treaty" that "will make the world safer." If the U.N.'s "Open-Ended Working Group on an ATT" completes its "work" on time, the treaty will be voted on next year. The Obama administration is on record supporting the measure, claiming, "The United States is committed to actively pursuing a strong and robust treaty that contains the highest possible, legally binding standards for the international transfer of conventional weapons."

Earlier this month, Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA, went to the big blue building in New York to tell the America haters of the "Working Group," in unequivocal terms, why the current draft of the treaty is unacceptable: "The right to keep and bear arms in defense of self, family and country is ultimately self-evident and is part of the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. Reduced to its core, it is about fundamental individual freedom, human worth and self-destiny." He noted that among the many flaws of the ATT, "a manufacturer of civilian shotguns would have to comply with the same regulatory process as a manufacturer of military attack helicopters."

Freedom Alliance President Tom Kilgannon, who wrote the book on how the U.N. usurps U.S. sovereignty, "Diplomatic Divorce," says we shouldn't be surprised at the international forum's end run on the U.S. Constitution. "The U.N. is a global-leftist organization that uses multilateral treaties like the ATT to enforce their will upon all humankind. It's the ultimate power play. To them, the U.S. Constitution and the sovereign rights of American citizens are irrelevant. If they have their way, they will create a vast new international bureaucracy to document, regulate, track, supervise, inspect and maintain surveillance over every firearm ever made. Such a regime ought to be completely unacceptable to every American."

LaPierre and Kilgannon make clear that including civilian firearms in the ATT is unacceptable to the NRA and Freedom Alliance. Whether that will be sufficient to convince the Obama administration remains to be seen. But there is some good news in all of this.

As we parted ways at the local farmers market, my inquisitor stuck out his hand and said: "You served in the Marines. I was in the Army. We both took an oath to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States.' I hope that still matters." When he got into his truck, I noticed his license plate: Massachusetts. Home of Paul Revere, John Adams, John Hancock. When an empire struck at Americans in 1775, they knew what to do. Let's hope we still do.

SOURCE




OH: Robbery suspects' plan backfires when shot by victim: "Police arrested two men Friday morning after they attempted to rob a scrap yard on Quincy Avenue. Two pair tried to rob Advanced Iron & Metal in the 7000 block of Quincy Avenue about 11 a.m. They fired guns several times at an employee, grazing his stomach. The injured man returned fire, hitting one suspect twice in the leg, according to a news release for the Cleveland Police Department. The men fled on foot. Police arrested the injured suspect at the corner of Quincy and East 69th Street. He was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. The second suspect was arrested near the scrap yard."

AZ: Employee and boss take on robbers: "Peyron, 21, is charged with murder in the death of his friend Noah Lopez, 18. He was charged under a law that makes someone culpable for murder if another dies during the commission of certain felonies, even if he did not kill the person. Montes told jurors he believes it was Stith who forced him at gunpoint into M&M Customs, 3040 N. Stone Ave. The Peyron brothers and Lopez forced his boss, Anthony Mendoza, inside, too, Montes said. As they got near the office door, Montes said he pushed Mendoza inside the office, knowing Mendoza had a shotgun there. As they yelled, Montes said Mendoza opened the door and fired one round from the shotgun. One of the men, later identified as Lopez, fled out the back door, and Montes said he grabbed his 9 mm handgun from a toolbox and took off after him. When he got outside, Lopez turned around and fired two shots at him, missing him both times, Montes said. He fired twice at Lopez. Deputy Pima County Attorney Mark Diebolt told jurors Lopez was found nearby, dead from a 9 mm gunshot wound."


La.: Armed clerk turns tables on would-be robbers: "The surveillance video shows two men bursting in, both armed. But the clerk behind the counter wasn't the only employee in the store. "Another worker, he was in the back of the store, he came out. When they hear him coming out they run to him," said store co-owner Amin Salah. Salah continued, explaining that the employee in the back of the store diverted attention away long enough to give Amin's little brother Fayez the moment he needed behind the counter to reach down and grab their 9-millimeter handgun. Fayez, known by customers by his nickname of 'Foo Foo' can be seen firing several rounds while still on his knees behind the counter. From their entry to exit those armed robbers were only in the store 12-seconds and were not hit by the unexpected gunfire that sent them scrambling out"


U.N. Arms Trade treaty: "It is apparent that small arms and ammunition will be included in the ATT final draft that will be hammered out at the month-long negotiating conference in July 2012. Small arms and ammunition have been the focus of much of the discussions by the delegates. While this was expected from many less developed states, the vehement and strident comments suggesting the scope of the proposed ATT be broadened by Australia, Sweden, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Ireland and Norway were somewhat surprising."

KY: Man Shoots Intruder In Self-Defense: "A Knott County man shoots his wife's brother and says he did it to defend his home and family. Paul Maggard says Caudill, his wife's brother, was upset over a family issue and came to his home threatening to burn it down. So he fired several warning shots, but that didn't deter Caudill. When Caudill continued to come after him, Maggard fired again, this time hitting him. "I thought I hit him in the arm or leg, he just turned around and said 'oh,' and took off and got in the car and left," said Maggard. According to police, Caudill was hit in the abdomen. When they found him down the road from the scene, he was taken to Hazard ARH for treatment. "He just lucky he's living," said Maggard. State Police are investigating, but say it appears Maggard was within his rights when he shot Caudill."


CA: IHOP shooter found not guilty on all counts: "Sutter County jurors on Wednesday found a Fresno man not guilty on all counts in the March shooting of Obadiah Samuel Mitchell at the Yuba City IHOP restaurant. Jessie Hipolito Pena, 44, was charged with attempting to murder Mitchell after confronting him inside the restaurant for using profanity. Pena said he saw a metal object in Mitchell's hand, telling police at first he thought it was a gun. Later, he said it might have been a knife or an antenna. He fired once, hitting Mitchell in the chest."


Oklahoma City man cleared in shooting of burglary suspects: "An Oklahoma City man who shot two teenage burglary suspects last week has been cleared of wrongdoing. Michael O. Gulley, 54, shot the two suspects July 13 after they pried aside burglar bars at his home, kicked in the front door and started to enter, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said. Gulley was inside his house at 201 NW 87. Both suspects, Anthony Ricks, 17, and Kristen Franklin, 15, survived and have been arrested. “Mr. Gilley was lawfully justified in the use of deadly force,” Prater wrote on a form after meeting with police Tuesday."


The (gun) law of unintended consequences: "I live in the South, where the Summer heat is the stuff of which legends are made. ... Now of course, nobody dies of heatstroke on purpose. But if you are sans cool air and afraid for your life and property to open a couple of windows or a door, (remember, the heat makes people do crazy things, and things get pretty crazy in the ‘hood, heat or not), you may have just signed your own death warrant. Damned if you do/damned if you don’t is no way to live. But for thousands of low-income citizens, that’s the choice they get to make, because gun laws won’t allow them to arm themselves to protect their own lives and property."

IA: Congressman, grandson fight off armed intruder: "An eight-term congressman from Iowa helped fight off an armed man who invaded his farm house in Decatur County and attacked his daughter .... after hearing his daughter's screams, the congressman 'entered the walkway of their house and immediately went for the guy's gun and was wrestling with him' .... While the two scuffled, Boswell's grandson Mitchell grabbed a loaded .12-gauge shotgun from a nearby room and confronted the intruder, who then fled into the surrounding field and reportedly was still on the run."


WA: Man not charged for death in Park shootings: "The man responsible for a death in a Lake Sammamish State Park shootout last July acted in self-defense and is shielded from prosecution under state law. King County prosecutors and investigators said a then-21-year-old Renton man gunned down Justin Cunningham, 30, amid the July 17, 2010, shootout. Investigators also determined that Cunningham shot and killed Yang Keovongphet, 33, before the Renton man killed Cunningham. Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, said investigators relied on forensic evidence from firearms used in the gun battle and bystanders’ interviews to re-create the chaotic moments in the park at about 9 p.m. on a Saturday, just after sunset. Investigators determined Cunningham pulled a gun as a disagreement between groups picnicking in the park escalated into a fistfight. Then, gunshots ruined the calm night. “When you’re getting shot at, or your friends or your group people are getting shot at, then you shoot back, it’s in self defense,” Goodhew said.


Cloudy self-defense rights in Canada: "As it now stands the private individual when taking action against what appears to be a threat to them or to their property stands a good chance of being charged with one or more crimes under the criminal code. Clearly there is a need to have this section of the criminal code revised. To do that, there is now an effort in Ottawa to reintroduce Bill C60, the Citizen's Arrest and Self Defense Act. The intent of this act is to ensure protection from prosecution for homeowners and those acting in self defence. It's long overdue. Until this or some other legislation that clarifies all this is put into law, as a firearm owner the question one is faced with is that when prowlers are detected on one's property, does one pick up a firearm before investigating?

Multiple wins for gun rights in Congress

The NRA-ILA is reporting on recent wins for gun rights in the U.S. Congress.

First was a House of Representatives Appropriations Committee amendment to the 2012 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill to block an attempt by the Obama Justice Department to require firearms dealers in southern border states to report any person who purchased more than one semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This would have enabled the BATFE to create the first phase of a national gun registration database.

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), sponsor of the amendment, noted: “For more than a decade, efforts to track rifle purchases and create a national gun registry have failed to gain support in Congress, so the ATF is working to implement these regulations using rules written by unelected bureaucrats.”

In addition to the infringement on Second Amendment rights, the affected firearms dealers worried about the increased workload and potential unintentional technical violations that could result in large fines or loss of their Federal Firearms License.

The Appropriations Committee also passed another amendment to kill a BATFE plan to prohibit the import of shotguns with "dangerous" features such as adjustable stocks and extended magazine tubes, features that are favored by sportsman and improve suitability for home defense.

Another win was the defeat of yet another attempt to deny gun ownership based soley on the FBI's "terrorist watch list." Not only has that list been proven arbitrary and too often mistaken, the U.S. Constitution does not allow any civil rights to be denied by bureaucratic order with no due process of law.

Also defeated was another attempt to overturn the Tiahrt Amendment, which is universally hated by gun control groups for prohibiting them access to the BATFE firearms trace database to be misused to further their gun control agenda.

Next, Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) teamed up with two other representatives to get an amendment passed to counter an Army Corps of Engineers regulation to ban firearms posession on 11 million acres of land and water managed by the Corp which would deny self defense rights to thousands of sportsman.

The NRA-ILA warned that these committee victories are not the final word on the matter as the anti-gun Obama administration will get the opportunity to try to prevail in the full House and recommends contacting your U.S. representatives to ensure freedom is protected.

Source




ATF chief: Response to gun-tracking inquiry a “disaster”: "he acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the Justice Department has been withholding key information from congressional officials and that the department sought to protect its political appointees from criticism over a failed anti-gun trafficking operation that allowed hundreds of weapons to be smuggled to Mexico."


Tax dollars for gun smugglers?: "Well, the other shoe has dropped. We’ve known for several months that the Obama Administration was turning a blind eye to — and even encouraged — suspected gun smugglers who were purchasing firearms from gun stores in the southwest. But now we know the rest of the story: Your tax money was probably being used to buy many of those guns that were later sent to Mexico"

NV: Homeowner shoots intruders: "He says it started when a man and woman showed up at his door asking for his roommate. David told them they could wait inside. When David wasn't looking, he says they snuck in two more men. "While the male distracted me, by asking me to get him a cup of water, the female let the other two in," he describes. That's when the group of four allegedly pulled out guns, and started beating-up David. David says he pretended he got knocked out, so the intruders left him in the kitchen, and started going through the apartment. Little did they know, David keeps a gun in the kitchen. "I was lucky enough where they stopped paying attention to me long enough where I could grab my gun," he says. "I came up and I fired at the one that was standing with a gun." The intruder who was hit by the bullet, managed to run out of the apartment with two of the others. But one armed man was still inside, and coming toward David. So David says he fired again, killing that last intruder."


NRA's Wayne LaPierre Addresses U.N. "Anti-Gun Elitists": "I just (7/15) delivered a message to those anti-gun elitists at the United Nations, who are meeting to discuss ways to craft an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that could go after your Right to Keep and Bear Arms. I want you to see for yourself the message that was delivered on behalf of America's gun owners.... "This present effort for an Arms Trade Treaty, or ATT, is now in its fifth year. We have closely monitored this process with increasing concern. We've watched, and read ... listened and monitored. Now, we must speak out. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms in defense of self, family and country is ultimately self-evident and is part of the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. Reduced to its core, it is about fundamental individual freedom, human worth, and self-destiny. We reject the notion that American gun owners must accept any lesser amount of freedom in order to be accepted among the international community...."

La.: Bullet casing exonerates man: "Within days, prosecutors are expected to drop murder charges against Gerald Needham, the man arrested in April's triple-murder at Norris Appliance Center in Bossier City. That development is thanks in large part to a bullet casing found in a robbery at Emerson's convenience store in Haughton that matched the casings from the murder scene. More than a month later, deputies arrested 32-year old Robert Clark in the hold-up. Since then, KSLA News 12 has confirmed that the gun used in the armed robbery was also used in the Bossier triple murder. It had been stolen from a car outside of Deja-vu strip club, where Clark worked. Authorities had already arrested 39-year old Gerald Needham, and charged him with three counts of first-degree murder. He was locked-up when the Emerson's hold-up took place. Bossier District Attorney Schuyler Marvin now confirms that Clark is a person of interest in the murders. He plans says he plans to drop the murder charges against Needham him early next week because there is too much reasonable doubt to continue."


TX: Car thieves stopped: "San Antonio police are looking for some carjacking suspects who took a man's car early Wednesday morning. The victim and a friend found the thieves and had a gun battle rolling down a west-side street, police said. At least two men took the victim's Cadillac, police said. He reportedly got a friend in a pickup truck to follow his stolen car. Investigators said the result was an exchange of gunfire. The suspects were firing with a .9mm handgun. The alleged victim had a 12-gauge shotgun. Police said the shootout ended in the 2200 block of Horal. The stolen car crashed near Rainbow Baptist Church. The victim and his friend stopped at Horal and Marbach." Police said the victim and his friend are not expected to face criminal charges because state law allows the use of deadly force during these kids of crimes."


TN: Man shoots stepson in self-defense: "A New Tazewell man shot his stepson in self-defense last week according to police reports. Sgt. Brindle reported that it was discovered through the course of the investigation that Edens had been arguing with his mother, at which time he began physically assaulting her. Mr. Bell was in his bedroom when the assault began and could hear his wife screaming. The report further states that Mr. Bell got into his wheelchair to go and see what was happening and entered the living room where he observed his wife being assaulted by Edens. Mr. Bell yelled for him to stop and at that point, Edens came toward him and struck him across the face and Mr. Bell attempted to push him away but the defendant came at him again and continued assaulting him. Mr. Bell pulled a .38 caliber revolver from under the seat of his wheelchair and fired a shot striking the defendant in the forearm.

GA: Attempt to rob didn't reckon with off-duty officer: "Authorities say it was a failed robbery involving an off duty Atlantic County Corrections Officer that resulted in the shooting there just before 9:00 Thursday night. 25 year-old Sean Czerwinski was accompanying a family member, who had put headphones up for sale on craigslist, when he was asked to meet in Pleasantville to make a potential sale. "At some point, according to the facts we have now, at least one of the males who came walking down West Jersey Avenue (the men who were interested in buying the item) in discussing the sale, produced a handgun, pointed it at the fellow attempting to sell the headphones and demanded money," said Atlantic County Prosecutor, Ted Housel. Authorities say moments later, Czerwinski, a two-year veteran at the Atlantic County Jail, opened the door, and fired, killing 20 year-old Richard Roe of Atlantic City"


IL: Fatal shooting was self-defense, judge rules: "A Cook County judge ruled today that a South Side man acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a man who accosted him and his daughters at a bus stop on Super Bowl Sunday last year. Elliot Mayfield, 53, looked back at his family in triumph and then dabbed at his eyes with a tissue after Judge Maura Slattery Boyle acquitted him of first- and second-degree murder in the Feb. 7, 2010, slaying of Samuel Fullilove, 33. According to testimony in the bench trial, Fullilove had been celebrating the Super Bowl victory by the New Orleans Saints and was extremely intoxicated when he approached Mayfield and his two daughters -- 15 and 11 -- and their young friend as they waited for a bus at 6114 S. King Dr. After Fullilove became aggressive, Mayfield showed him the gun and said, “I’ll use it.” Fullilove walked away but came back moments later and was captured on a city surveillance camera swinging his fists at Mayfield. Mayfield did not face weapons charges."


PA: Homeowner shoots at intruders: "The homeowner told officers that he was in bed sleeping when he was awakened around 3:40 a.m. by a noise outside his home. 'He noticed there was some activity outside the residence with several flashlights, and moments later, a male opened the door that had previously been damaged in the first burglary,' Mascellino said. The man told police he got a handgun and fired two shots at the man, who yelled toward at least one other person and then ran into some nearby woods."


MT: Gun activist takes aim at US regulatory power: "With a homemade .22-caliber rifle he calls the Montana Buckaroo, Gary Marbut dreams of taking down the federal regulatory state. He's not planning to fire his gun. Instead, he wants to sell it, free from federal laws requiring him to record transactions, pay license fees and open his business to government inspectors."