Proposal: Classify BB Guns as Weapons

(Fall River, Massachusetts)

Despite the protest of a parent group, a School Committee subcommittee will not be making any changes to the district’s policies on student discipline.

The Policy Manual subcommittee met Wednesday night in response to concerns raised by the group Keep Our Kids Safe that the district’s discipline policies were not strong enough.

Concerns were raised after a series of incidents during the course of the school year in which students were found to have brought BB guns to school, including two cases at the Alfred Letourneau Elementary School. Once of the Letourneau situations included the student firing the gun and striking two other students in the hallway.

Group founder Rachel McGarty had sought to increase the minimum suspension from one to five days for students found to be in possession of a weapon. The School Department’s elementary school disciplinary guidelines state that any student found in possession of a weapon is eligible to be suspended from one to nine days or face expulsion. McGarty was also seeking for a policy change that would classify BB guns as weapons.

Subcommittee Chairman Richard Pavao said the reclassification of BB guns was not accepted because state law does not include BB guns as weapons. He said the change to the suspension policy was rejected because the subcommittee felt school principals should have discretion.

OK

TN: One Person Dead After Attempted Robbery:  "Metro police are looking for the person involved in an attempted armed robbery in the Madison area that left one person dead.  Police said the incident happened around nine p.m. Saturday night at the Mission Madison Apartments at 501 Heritage Drive. A man walking to his car was approached by two people who then tried rob him. One of the robbers had a gun but so did the victim who shot and killed one of the robbers. The other would-be robber ran off.  Officials said they hope to release a description of the robber that is still at large soon."


FL: Man Shot Dead After Home Invasion:  "A man was shot and killed after he apparently tried to break into a home, police said.  Miramar Police said they believe a man tried to break into a home along the 6100 block of SW 27th Street in Miramar but was shot and killed by a visitor.  "My cousin came home while I was at McDonalds. A guy came behind him with a gun, told him to get on the ground, put him on the floor telling him he was killing them and everything,” said Keon Mobley, one of two brothers who lives in the duplex.  When Mobley came back, the robber was at the door and told him to get on the ground, too, police said.  The robber was then shot by a family member inside the house and was found dead on the floor, police said.  "I start running, straight down the block, he shot like six times,” Mobley said. “As soon as he got back to the door my cousin shot him like I don’t know how many times but it was gruesome.”


NC: Man killed in body shop shooting:  "Authorities say Glenn Gemale Artis, 32, went to H&H Customs, at 4405 Cumberland Road in Fayetteville, around 11:50 a.m. and began arguing with the owner, Freddie Waymon Hudson, 38.  Debbie Tanna, spokeswoman for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, said Artis and Hudson had an ongoing dispute, but she said she didn't know what sparked it.  "The victim came to the suspect's work today and brandished a handgun. The suspect brandished his handgun and returned fire. There were shots fired," Tanna said.  Artis was wounded, and he was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where he died, she said.  Detectives were interviewing Hudson Friday, but no charges had been filed against him."




No sympathy for robbers who died:  " Someone wanted Fred Morton [Mr Luscious lips above] to die.  At least twice in the fall of 2006, the 17-year-old was a target for bullets in Camden. In the first incident, Morton and a friend, Lavar Dunlap, 27, were shot at after robbing a drug house. Days later, the two were sitting in a car on a Whitman Park street when a vehicle pulled up and a gunman opened fire.  Dunlap died, but Morton — a young man drawn to the fast cash of Camden’s streets — drove away unscathed.  And then it happened. On Nov. 16, just 12 days after Dunlap’s death, city workers found Morton’s body beneath a tree in Van Hook Park along Carl Miller Boulevard. He had been strangled and his throat was slit.  The killing was intentional and likely planned, authorities say. And more than five years later, it’s still unsolved.  The investigation into Morton’s death faced an early hurdle: Many people had a motive to kill Morton, who was involved with guns, drugs and stickups.  Ackerman said adding difficulty to the case is the fact that many people interviewed don’t have a lot of sympathy for a teen who they see as getting the street justice he deserved."

NV:  Man suffers bullet wound when stopping burglary attempt:  "A Las Vegas man used a handgun to prevent his apartment from being robbed, but he suffered a bullet wound to his left hand in the process, according to Metro Police.  Officials said the suspect was breaking into the apartment on Tamarus Street, near East Pebble Road, around 10 a.m. when the owner pulled out his gun. The two wrestled for the gun when the shot was fired, according to officials.  The suspect fled the scene on foot, according to reports, outrunning the police."


Florida judge revokes bond for Trayvon Martin killer:  "A Florida judge on Friday revoked bail for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder in the killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, and ordered him to surrender within 48 hours.  The bail revocation came after prosecutors accused Zimmerman of withholding one of his two valid passports and said his wife did not tell the court about money donated for his legal defense.  Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. granted the prosecution motion to revoke the $150,000 bond Zimmerman put up in April to get out of jail while awaiting trial.  Zimmerman, 28, was given 48 hours to surrender to the Seminole County Sheriff.  Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, told Reuters after the hearing that he would request another bond hearing for Zimmerman after he complies with the order to surrender."


Communist logic:  "A report issued by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China has included U.S. gun ownership among a list of  human rights violations, Law Enforcement Examiner Jim Kouri reported yesterday.  "The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2011" was published last Friday on the PRC’s Consulate General in New York website.  “The United States prioritizes the right to keep and bear arms over the protection of citizens' lives and personal security and exercises lax firearm possession control, causing rampant gun ownership,” the report claims. “The U.S. people hold between 35 percent and 50 percent of the world' s civilian-owned guns, with every 100 people having 90 guns [and] 47 percent of American adults reported that they had a gun.”  The conclusion that gun bans will result in enhanced protection of lives and personal security flies in the face of both the American and Chinese experience."

GA: Man thwarts robbery with his gun:  "Valdis Marion Anthony, 35, had entered his vehicle after making a purchase at Circle K, 2999 Washington Road, when an unknown man opened his passenger door and pointed a gun in his face saying “give up your money.”
Anthony told officers he drew his handgun on the suspect, who then fled.  A witness pointed deputies behind the store after she saw a man with a gun running in that direction.  Deputies discovered Desean Barry Morris, 21, of New Ellenton, S.C., hiding behind a nearby Fred’s store.  Morris was booked into the Richmond County jail on charges of felony criminal attempt and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime."


Texas store clerk shoots armed robber in the back:  "A crook picked the wrong store to rob at the intersection of Greenway Drive and Eldridge Road on Tuesday night.  Eddie and a coworker were inside the Corner Grocery when a gunman stuck a gun to the head of a third worker outside and forced him back into the store. As soon as the gunman saw the register open, Eddie says he came after him.  That’s when the clerks decided to fight back.  "I hold him and then my worker guy, he grabbed the gun and [the suspect]  tried to run," said Eddie. "He shot him in the back."  Eddie still believes they did the right thing.  "If we let him go, he would shot one of us," Eddie said. "We know that."  Neither clerk is expected to be charged."


NM: Attorney says shooter at store  acted in self-defense:   "Santa Fe police didn't charge local artist Mateo Romero in connection with last week's shooting outside a north-side convenience store, his attorney said Thursday, because he was acting in self-defense after a panhandling couple tried to rob him. Romero pulled up next to gas pumps at Allsup's, 305 N. Guadalupe St., to fill up his Chevy Camaro at about 6:20 p.m. He opened the car's trunk, where he had a zippered plastic bank bag containing cash, to get money to pre-pay for his gas.   A homeless woman saw him get the money out and approached him at the back of his car and asked if he could spare some money.  The homeless man, who Santa Fe police Sgt. Andrea Dobyns said has not cooperated with the subsequent investigation, then threatened to rob Romero, according to Cron. Cron described Romero's single gunshot into the ground as a warning shot and said a "fragment" of the bullet ricocheted up and hit a bystander using a nearby pay phone."


NY man shoots father but found not guilty:  "He never denied shooting his father, but Matthew Taranto said he did it in self defense. And Thursday, more than a month-and-a-half after the bench trial wrapped up, Judge Judith A. Rositer found Taranto not guilty of the crime.  The 29-year-old admitted to shooting his father, Sal, in November of 2010 in their Trumansburg basement. But the defense had claimed that Taranto, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and OCD, feared for his life after his father threatened him with a knife and gun."

CA:  Jewelry store robbery suspect dies after being shot:  "Police say a jewelry store owner shot a robbery suspect inside his store and the suspect later died. The attempted robbery happened at the Gold N Treasures jewelry store, located at 2550 San Ramon Valley Boulevard.  It sounds like the robbers were caught off guard and found themselves looking down the barrel of a gun. One thing that they might not have known is that a lot of jewelry store owners have guns of their own.  There were four suspects and witnesses saw at least three of them running across San Ramon Valley Boulevard. One of them collapsed in the middle of the crosswalk, apparently after being shot by the jewelry store owner. Police said he died at the hospital. Now detectives are searching for the three suspects who may have gotten away in a white, four-door, 1990s model sedan."


CA:  Store Owner Arrested After Shooting Shoplifter:  "A Lodi liquor store owner is under arrest, and the alleged shoplifter he shot was treated at the hospital and released.   Officers arrested the store owner, Gurminder “Gary” Parmar, and booked him into jail for assault with a deadly weapon.  Cops were called to Tokay Liquors in Lodi just before 10 p.m. Tuesday by a customer who said a robbery suspect was running away.  While investigating, they learned after the suspect took a 12 pack of bottled beer and was leaving the store.  The suspect was found a short time later three blocks from the store, with a gunshot wound to his shoulder and the beer. He was identified as 21-year-old Christopher Driggers.  A friend of Parmar’s, who also owns several liquor stores in Stockton, said Parmar saw Driggers reach for his back pocket.  "He tried to pull something from the pocket and he got scared he might have some gun in the pocket," said Sukhdit Singh.  "He's an awesome guy, I never had any problems with him, I never even seen him raise his voice to anyone in here," said Kelley who believed Parmar fired in self-defense."


CO:  Bin Laden hunter acquitted in Colorado gun case:  "A Colorado man who went to Pakistan to try to kill Osama bin Laden has been acquitted on a charge of owning a handgun as a convicted felon.  The Greeley Tribune reports a jury spent about an hour deliberating on Wednesday before acquitting Gary Faulkner, who was convicted of attempted theft in 1988.  Faulkner was arrested on the gun charge after firing at three alleged intruders. His attorney argued he fired in self-defense.   Prosecutors say Faulkner didn't have to fire because he had already chased the men out of his home.  Colorado law allows felons to own a gun for self-defense."


OH:  Jury finds gunman acted in self-defense:  "A jury acquitted Dontez Parks, who has a concealed handgun license, on Wednesday finding he acted in self-defense when he shot another man who he believed he was trying to enter his van to harm him and his two children.  In this case, Parks had an ongoing problem with Henry, who was the boyfriend of his former girlfriend, a woman with whom Parks had a child. Testimony revealed the 25-year-old Henry was quick to join discussions between Parks and his ex-girlfriend. Henry, who is a much bigger man with a muscular build, had threatened him in the past, Parks testified.  She argued Henry approached Parks' van that evening, which was pinned between cars in the drive-thru of a gas station. She said he had no way to retreat, which is required, if possible, under the self-defense law.  Parks testified Henry approached the van in a threatening way and tried to rip open the door on the passenger side. Parks said he warned Henry at least twice to get away from him.  Henry then approached the driver's door, which Parks said Henry tried to open. At that point, Parks kicked open the door and fired a shot to stop the threat."

Amarillo By Morning (Smith and Wesson on My Mind)

By criminologist  Mike Adams
 
I never travel without a loaded gun. I usually carry a Smith and Wesson Model 640 in a bucket in the trunk of my car. Sometimes I carry a Glock Model 23 instead. I was really happy I was carrying the former when I arrived at my hotel room in Amarillo last week shortly after midnight. As I was unpacking my trunk, a man came walking across the parking lot from an adjacent hotel. His largely incoherent introduction began something like this:

“Hey, I’m a big scary black man and I need some help. Won’t nobody help me ‘cause I’m a big scary black man. I ain’t gonna hurt ya (pulls out wallet). See? Here’s my ID. I’m a preacher and I got kicked outa my room. I ain’t no beggar. I just need $12 or I’m gonna have to sleep in the parking lot. I’m stayin’ right over there (points to adjacent hotel). Theys a woman and a child that’s gonna have to sleep in a car if don’t get $12.”
I detected a slight stumble as the man was walking toward me talking. It took very little insight to detect that he was no preacher and that the money was not needed to pay off a $12 balance in order to get re-admitted to his hotel room. So I turned back toward my trunk and continued unpacking.

The final part of my unpacking ritual involves securing my firearm, which I always take with me into the hotel room. I always reach into the bucket, take the gun out of the holster, and slip it in my pocket on my left hand side (I ‘m a southpaw). It just so happened that the stumbling “preacher” was approaching from my left hand side and could see my hands clearly as I was unpacking.

Shortly after I secured all of the items from my trunk, the stumbling “preacher” shouted, “Oh, mercy! Can’t a black man get a break?” He threw his hands in the air and then turned around and walked hurriedly towards the adjacent parking lot. I had substantially more than $12 worth of cash on me that evening (actually it was early morning). I made it to the hotel room before I had to pull either the wallet or the gun out of my pocket.

The man who approached me in the parking lot that evening did three things that I consider to be morally reprehensible. Although he did not split a single infinitive, his actions are worthy of condemnation for the following reasons:

1.    He invoked race where it was irrelevant.

2.    He falsely claimed to be a member of a noble profession.

3.    He pretended to be acting on others’ behalf while he was acting in his own selfish interests.

Fortunately, I have been a handgun owner since 1993. I also obtained my concealed weapon permit in 1997. At no time since then have I been robbed or assaulted. Nor have I even had to fire a shot, point a gun, or verbally threaten a person to secure my safety.

My experiences as a handgun owner have been no aberration. States passing concealed carry laws have seen significant decreases in predatory crime. Academic studies have also demonstrated that these decreases are statistically significant even after controlling for variables that might otherwise explain the reductions in crime.

To date, there have been 16 refereed studies that have concluded that violent crime goes down as a result of concealed carry laws. About 10 refereed studies have shown the results of concealed carry laws to be inconclusive with regard to violent crime. No refereed studies – I repeat, zero refereed studies – have shown that allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons increases the rate of violent crime.

Sadly, most of these refereed studies have been conducted by economists interested in cost/benefit analysis on matters of public policy. I used the word “sadly” because the question of the effects of gun laws on crime is a matter that falls squarely within the discipline of criminology, which is a branch of the larger discipline of sociology. Yet criminologists and sociologists generally shy away from the issue. Their inactions are worthy of condemnation for the following reasons:

1.    They invoke race where it is irrelevant. Too many “social scientists” ignore citizens’ legitimate concerns over their safety and well-being. Those who would like to carry a gun lawfully are often dismissed as having an irrational fear of people or color.

2.    They falsely claim to be members of a noble profession. In addition to avoiding doing research on gun ownership, most “social scientists” are not familiar with the results of studies on the topic. To ignore science and hold oneself out as a scientist is simply wrong.

3.    They pretend to be acting on others’ behalf while acting in their own selfish interests. Sociologists are opposed to rape. But they are overwhelmingly opposed to concealed carry laws that reduce rape. Clearly, they have decided that they are more interested in preventing an assault on their worldview than in preventing assaults on innocent women.

Put simply, the time has come for these “social scientists” to stop acting like bums and become productive members of society. It may be true that they have families to feed and nowhere else to go. But we can’t keep giving them handouts forever.

Source

[I can think of one reason why sociologists normally avoid research on the effect of gun ownership.  In 1974, Gordon Tullock did a survey of early statistical research into the effect of punishment (particularly the death sentence) on deterring crime. He noted that economists started out from the assumption that deterrence would work and sociologists started out confident that it would not work.  Both groups did statistical research to test their assumptions.  Sadly for the sociologists, their research showed that they were wrong.  They obviously don't want to repeat that "mistake"]




Killing Americans: Guns and Cars

Lying with statistics

On Friday, a link to an article on Alternet appeared in my e-mail (from a friend): Since Colorado was listed as one of the ten states where “guns killed” more people than “cars killed” (actually, motor vehicles, including trucks and buses and motorcycles), and since I do a lot of work in Colorado, I decided to see if this was indeed true (I have a naturally suspicious mind). So I did a quick search on the topic.

Here is information from that 2010 article:

The number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Colorado roads last year dropped to what is likely the lowest level in 30 years, authorities said.

"It's difficult to call it 'good news' when so many people still died last year on Colorado roadways, but the progress the state has made in saving lives is truly encouraging," Gov. Bill Ritter said in a statement.

In 2009, 464 people were killed in traffic crashes in Colorado, a 15 percent drop from 2008, when 548 people died on state roadways, said Heather Halpape, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

That same report states that there were 579 deaths in Colorado in 2009 which were “Injury by Firearm” and lower than the VPC’s 583 claim. You have to go to another CDPHE web page to see a breakout.

For 2009, there were 7 unintentional firearm deaths, 105 firearm homicides, 6 firearm deaths from “undetermined intent,” 8 that were “legal intervention” and 453 that were suicide by firearm.

This information shows (1) the VPC is not careful about their data being accurate (the 464 versus 553 versus 565 number AND the 579 versus 583 number. (2) The VPC comparison is an apples and oranges one. First off, although we know people DO commit suicide by automobile, and DO commit vehicular homicide, it is reasonable to assume that the vast majority of motor vehicle fatalities are “unintended” – that is, accidents.

On the other hand, the vast majority (566 of 579) firearms deaths can be assumed to be INTENTIONAL (yes, some homicides and suicides are accidental, but it is not a large number). Comparing unintentional (or undetermined) causes of death in Colorado in 2009, firearms were “responsible” for a mere 13; motor vehicles for 553.

Obviously, Mr. Whaley is far from the only newspaper or media type who edits a press release and publishes it under his byline, when it seemingly supports his position on firearms, liberty, and self defense. And if VPC has one state's data wrong, I think it reasonable to assume that they might have more than one - and we all know how statistics lie. But they have a big voice: page after page of search results have this lying piece of trash featured.

But we can overcome it, in part, with truth.

Source





WV:  Police ID Dead Robbery Suspect:  "West Virginia State Police on Tuesday identified Kevin Lee Walnoha as the man who was shot and killed by a store employee while attempting to rob the Elm Grove Pharmacy on Friday.  Walnoha, 37, of Wellsburg jumped over the pharmacy counter, brandished a handgun and demanded pills from a pharmacy worker about 5 p.m. Friday, police said. He then reportedly pointed the gun at a second employee who appeared from a back office. The first employee had access to a gun and shot Walnoha during the incident. Walnoha died at the scene."


Suspect shot in downtown LA jewelry robberies:  "A suspected robber was shot by an off-duty reserve sheriff's deputy while two other robbers escaped Tuesday during a brazen daytime attempt to hold up two jewelers at the same time in downtown Los Angeles, according to police.  At about 2:30 p.m., the three suspected robbers split up to rob two neighboring stores in the city's jewelry district.  When a single robber pulled a gun in a jewelry store on the 600 block of Broadway, the off-duty deputy shot him in the leg, said Borihanh.  The suspect was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition, said Borihanh.  While robbing the neighboring store, the two other robbers heard the gunfire and ran out to escape in a dark colored sedan. Police were continuing to search for them Tuesday evening."

SC: Man stopped robbery attempt in Myrtle Beach, surprised suspects with his gun:  "A 46-year-old man told Myrtle Beach police he surprised two would-be robbers with his gun and forced the suspect to drop his gun, according to authorities.  Officers learned the 46-year-old man was inside his room with the door open when he saw some men enter the property and come up the stairs, according to the report. The victim told police he put his handgun in his pocket because “it didn’t look right.”  The victim said when he turned around two men, armed with a gun, were standing in his room pointing the gun at him demanding marijuana, according to the report. The victim told the men he didn’t have any drugs and then pointed his gun at them. The victim made the suspect put his gun down and then made them leave the room without taking anything, according to the report."


Experts Weigh in After Four Witnesses in Trayvon Martin Case Change Story:  "Several key witnesses in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin by Neighborhood Watch captain George Zimmerman have changed their original stories since first being interviewed by law enforcement, according to news reports about recently released evidence in the case. Some analysts cited in the media speculated that three of those revised accounts might hurt the shooter’s claims of self-defense as the second-degree murder prosecution goes through the Florida court system.  Experts in the field, however, have noted that later recollections — which could be impacted by external factors such as publicity, for example — are thought to be less reliable than earlier memories. And the addition of post-event information into the memory reconstruction process, normally unbeknownst to the person, is one reason why psychologists believe that eyewitness testimony can often be unreliable."  [In ANY criminal trial, a changed story is normally regarded as unreliable evidence]

TX: Woman fatally shoots a cousin who broke into her house:  "A woman fatally shot her cousin who was allegedly breaking into her north Houston home.  The incident happened about 12:30 a.m. at the 5900 block of Reid. A woman started shooting in the dark after two burglary suspects sneaked inside her house, the television station reports. The men had first turned off the home’s electricity, trying to lure residents out of the house.  According to investigators, the woman grabbed her gun and started shooting in the dark.  She hit one of the men and then turned on the lights and saw her cousin, bleeding on the floor.  Investigators told KTRK that the woman’s cousin was attempting to steal from her. He was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he died, the station reported. The second suspect has not been caught."


GA: Victim shoots back but injured:  "At least one person was injured in an explosion of gunfire in northwest Atlanta on Monday, according to police.  Police said they suspect it was an attempted robbery attempt on the 1900 block of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.  Witnesses say they ran for cover as more than 25 shots were fired.   "A group of guys was on the side of the building. I heard some commotion going on. I ran outside and that's when the shooting started," said Nate Cake.  Officials said the shooting victim's friends rushed him to Atlanta Medical Center after he was hit.  The victim is expected to recover."

    Dershowitz Doubles Down on Trayvon Martin Case

As part of a recent AIM Report, I wrote briefly about the release of documents last week in the George Zimmerman case. Zimmerman has been charged with second degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin. But more has come out since then, and attorney Alan Dershowitz has stepped up his criticism of the special prosecutor in Florida who brought the charges.

    Dershowitz said that the special prosecutor, Angela Corey, "was aware when she submitted an affidavit that it did not contain the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. She deliberately withheld evidence that supported Zimmerman's claim of self-defense." As I argued in an earlier AIM Report, the media and certain politicians have played leading roles in fanning the flames, and this story has a long way to go.

After that went to press, Dershowitz went even further in an interview on Fox News Channel's "Huckabee," with former Gov. Mike Huckabee, in which he accused Angela Corey of being "aware of most of the evidence in general outline" and said she made "a deliberate, willful, unethical, unprofessional, and illegal decision to withhold that evidence.from the courts and from the affidavit that she filed in support of an overblown second-degree murder prosecution."

He said Ms. Corey should be investigated for submitting an affidavit that she knew to be a half-truth, which he equated to a lie. And, he said, she sees her job to do justice for Trayvon, and to avoid riots, not to see justice for Zimmerman. He added that she has raised expectations for a conviction, but that no reasonable jury will convict on second-degree murder charges based on the evidence. He said that if there are riots because Zimmerman isn't found guilty or because the charges were dropped, she will be responsible.

Dershowitz also said that the prosecutor "made up" the notion that Zimmerman had "profiled" Martin because he was black, though there was no evidence to support that.

In an expanded version of the Dershowitz-penned article cited above, he also had some tough words for The New York Times. He accused the Times of "generally biased" reporting against Zimmerman, suggesting that "if the police had done their job properly the evidence would point to Zimmerman's guilt." He also blasted them for using "uncorroborated gossip," in citing a woman who had called an investigator with an opinion that Zimmerman "has racist ideologies," though she refused to identify herself.

"I think the New York Times should ask itself whether it would have published the contents of a phone call from an unidentified person that made similar inflammatory charges against Trayvon Martin," Dershowitz wrote. "I believe that the publication of such unsourced gossip-which would be totally inadmissible in any trial-violates the New York Times' own policies. It has some explaining to do."

Now, it turns out, according to the Orlando Sentinel, that four of the witnesses cited in the documents changed their initial story of what happened, and in at least three of those four cases, the changed version was damaging to George Zimmerman's case.

The release of the documents in support of the second-degree murder charge against George Zimmerman, along with evidence of changed memories, have only complicated and exacerbated an already racially charged prosecution.

Source

Bank of America is anti-gun -- vote with your feet

If you're a gun-owner, Bank of America would prefer you move your business to another bank. Immediately.
  
Papa B writes, "If you are not familiar with McMillan manufacturing, they are a large manufacturer of firearms stocks and components located in Phoenix, Arizona."

    McMillan Fiberglass Stocks, McMillan Firearms Manufacturing, McMillan Group International have been collectively banking with Bank of America for 12 years.

    Today Mr. Ray Fox, Senior Vice President, Market Manager, Business Banking, Global Commercial Banking (Bank of America) came to my office. He scheduled the meeting as an “account analysis” meeting in order to evaluate the two lines of credit we have with them... He spent five minutes talking about how McMillan has changed in the last five years and have become more of a firearms manufacturer than a supplier of accessories.

    At this point I interrupted him and asked "Can I possibly save you some time so that you don’t waste your breath? What you are going to tell me is that because we are in the firearms manufacturing business you no longer want my business."

    "That is correct", he says.

    I replied, "That is okay, we will move our accounts as soon as possible. We can find a Second Amendment-friendly bank that will be glad to have our business. You won’t mind if I tell the NRA, SCI and everyone one I know that BofA is not firearms industry friendly?"

    "You have to do what you must," he said.

    "So you are telling me this is a politically motivated decision, is that right?"

    Mr. Fox confirmed that it was. At which point I told him that the meeting was over and there was nothing left for him to say.

    I think it is important for all Americans who believe in and support our Second amendment rights to keep and bear arms should know when a business does not support these rights. What you do with that knowledge is up to you.

    When I don’t agree with a business’ political position I can not in good conscience support them. We will soon no longer be accepting Bank of America credit cards as payment for our products.

Source




Republicans Backing Off Holder Contempt Charges

Republicans in Congress better wake up and start freezing some of their own targets against the left if they hope to see a GOP victory in November. The level of corruption, from murdered federal agents to looting taxpayer monies got green companies like Solyndra to the war on religion should be enough to have our elected representatives up in arms.

Yet, there are still legislators who remain squeamish in the face of our constitutional republic's impending demise.  Sarah Palin got it right on Monday while on Fox News' "Hannity."

"This phony, hypocritical, one-sided call for a cease-fire by the left and their lapdogs in the media. These leftists politicians saying 'that's going to be off the table, that's going to be off the table...And then for the Republican operatives who are high-paid consultants to candidates agreeing to take things off the table - that's no battle plan for victory on our side - on the common-sense constitutionalist side. It's ridiculous."

These Republican operatives, Palin maintained, "seem to have the fighting instinct of Mr. Snuffleupagus[.]"

Think Palin is off the mark?  An AP reporter at The Hill is now reporting certain Republican congressmen on Issa's House Oversight committee are "wary of going forward" in citing Attorney General Eric Holder with contempt for his part in Fast and Furious.

Mike Vanderboegh of Sipseystreet has issued Speaker John Boehner a challenge to disprove the AP story as a disinformation campaign by the Obama administration. One of Vanderboegh's inside sources flatly states the GOP congressmen are scared of Holder's race card, but not afraid of a firestorm of criticism from the conservative blogosphere if the measure fails to get enough votes.

Politico is reporting committee Republicans have moved the deadline for Holder to turn over missing documents from Memorial Day to mid-June. Sounds like Vanderboegh's source is dead on.

Source





Indian women turn to firearms against threat of violence

Guns are increasingly popular with well-off Indian women who feel that they should be able to defend themselves against crime

Indian women explain why they are buying guns for protection, in response to rising rates of sexual harassment and robbery. Link to this video
When Dr Harveen Kaur Sidhu travels from her home in an upmarket neighbourhood of the north-western Indian city of Chandigarh, she always slips her lightweight .22 revolver in her bag. The gun is a new purchase – Sidhu got her licence only a year ago – but now the 33-year-old dentist won’t travel without it.

“I don’t have faith in the police to protect me. There are so many attacks on women these days. It’s everybody’s right to defend themselves. I think all women who are vulnerable should be carrying guns,” Sidhu said. She is not alone. A growing number of well-off, educated Indian women are turning to firearms for protection.

The trend is part of a broader growth of gun culture in the land once known for the non-violent principles of Mahatma Gandhi.

There are estimated to be 40m guns in India, the second highest number in the world after the US. Licences are hard to obtain and most are illegal weapons, many manufactured in backstreet workshops. Ownership levels per capita remain low – three guns for every 100 people in India – but there is strong anecdotal evidence that middle-class interest in firearms is rising fast.

One sign is the emergence of groups such as the National Association for Gun Rights India, founded in 2009, which lobbies for fewer restrictions on ownership of firearms. “We are not trigger-happy people. We are looking at [using firearms] as a last resort. We see [guns] as a force equaliser,” said Rakshit Sharma, the group’s secretary general.

His group, he said, receives “many inquiries from women who want to know how to obtain a gun and stay within the law”. The trend is strongest in regions where a tradition for firearms is well-established, such as Punjab in the north-west, due to local wealth, a strong martial history and a brutal insurgency that ended only 20 years ago.

The local taste for conspicuous consumption has also boosted sales. “Business is very, very good. Better than it’s ever been,” said Satish Kumar, a gunseller in Chandigarh, the Punjab state capital. “People buy weapons, 10% for security and 90% for status. People will happily spend 80,000 rupees (£9,600) on a foreign-made handgun.”

Kumar said only one in 50 purchases were made by women but the number was rising. Data obtained earlier this year under India’s new Right to Information law revealed that nearly 31,300 arms licences have been issued to women in the Punjab and 31,026 of them have actually purchased arms.

One recent enthusiast is Anita Dhiman Dass, who lives in Ludhiana, a prosperous centre of trade and farming 80 miles west of Chandigarh. Dass, 46, got her first gun three years ago, has three weapons on her licence and says a Ruger .22 pistol is her favourite. “It’s so light. I put it in my bag when I go shopping, to the mall, to the market or wherever. It is very necessary. There is so much robbery these days. They just snatch chains and bangles,” she said.

Like Sidhu, Dass said carrying a gun made her feel secure. Her husband, Ishwar, runs a car dealership in the town. His collection of 11 weapons includes hunting rifles and vintage shotguns. Dass said a four-year-old grandson was now “very fond of guns” and the family’s new puppy has been named “Sniper”.

Source

Note

I am off to hospital again later today  -- for what I hope will be the last time for a while.

How much if anything I will be able to blog for a few days is uncertain.

AL:  Robber shot by  barber shop owner:  "Police in Enterprise are looking for a Dothan man in connection with the robbery of a barber shop, which ended with the barber shop owner shooting the robbery suspect in the thigh.   According to information from Enterprise police, the incident happened around 7 p.m. Monday at Creative Hair Masters located at 2950 Rucker Boulevard. The barber shop owner told police that two men came into the shop and asked for haircuts. One of the men pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and demanded money and jewelry from the owner, who grabbed his own gun and fired at least one round at the robber, who was struck in the left thigh.  Police are now looking for Caleb Allen Pogue, 22, of 800 Oppert Road in Dothan, who police believe was the robber. He is a black male, 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 230 pounds."


NC:  : Store Clerk Kills Armed Robbery Suspects:  "Gates County officials are continuing their investigation Wednesday after a deadly shooting at a store.  The shooting was reported Tuesday, according to our affiliate in Norfolk Virginia.  Two suspects went into a Gate's County store and allegedly held up the store's owner. At some point during the reported robbery, the owner fired a gun shooting both suspects.  One suspect ran to a nearby vehicle where he died. The other suspect was found dead on a local road."


Va.: Aggressive beggar  Shot, Killed in Stafford:  "The man who had asked for money again walked up to the driver’s side of the car, but this time attacked the male occupant of the car through the driver’s window with a knife, said Stafford Sheriff Charles Jett.  While attempting to fight off the attacker, the man reached into his glove compartment and pulled out a gun which he used to shoot the attacker, said Jett. After shooting, the attacker fell to the ground.   Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene to the find the gunman with injuries that did not appear to be life threatening, said Jett. The gunman immediately surrendered his gun and cooperated fully with the investigation, he added.   Investigators found a knife consistent with the one used in the attack lying near the victim’s body, which was lying next to the gunman’s car when deputies arrived, Jett added.  Christopher Rigby, 29, was named as the shooting victim."

NC:  Store owner kills robbery suspects:  "Two suspects have been shot and killed after an attempted robbery at a store in Gates County, according to officials. Webb said two men wearing bandanas on their faces and armed with guns tried to rob the store’s owner, who is in his 60s. The suspects reportedly kicked, punched and beat the owner.  When the owner fell to the ground, he was able to grab a gun and shot blindly over his shoulder, hitting one suspect, Webb said. When the owner got up, he shot the second suspect.  Webb told WAVY.com the suspects shot back at the owner, but he was not struck.  The suspects fled out of the store. One collapsed just outside the door while the other fled into a wooded area, where he also collapsed.  Both died at the scene.  According to Webb, the store’s owner was taken to Albemarle Hospital where he was treated and released."


FL:  Bystander with gun stops  bank robbery:  "It took 62-year-old Ruben Torres a New York minute to become a Palm Bay hero.   That was the amount of time it took Thursday for the off-duty security guard to spot a suspected bank robber in the lobby of the Space Coast Credit Union, retrieve his gun, and hold the bandit until patrol officers arrived.  Police credit Torres -- who has a concealed-weapons permit -- with thwarting the bank robbery at the credit union at 152 Malabar Road.  The suspect, Floyd Francis, 23, of Palm Bay, was charged with robbery."


SAF and Calguns sue Oakland and San Francisco police:  "The Second Amendment Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against the police departments in San Francisco and Oakland, California for refusing to return firearms to people who had been charged with crimes, but subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing. SAF is joined in the lawsuit by the Calguns Foundation and two private citizens. The case is known as Churchill, et al. v. Harris, et al."

Congress Not Standing Ground on 2nd Amendment

Are gun voters being taken for granted? Republicans control the House and self-styled pro-gun Democrats abound in the Senate. So why has neither chamber addressed any of the major gun rights issues awaiting resolution?

Numerous bills to restore and preserve Second Amendment rights to Americans have been filed, yet not one has been slated for a vote this year. John Velleco of Gun Owners of America (GOA) tells Townhall, “Every election year, the members of Congress come to pro-gun voters asking to be re-elected, yet we don’t have any pro-gun votes scheduled to come to the House and Senate floor.”

Among the bills ready for action is S. 2205, the Second Amendment Sovereignty Act, introduced last week by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). This bill would bar the Administration from signing onto the Arms Trade Treaty. Moran worries that this treaty allowing international bodies to regulate civilian firearms could wind up letting those institutions “restrict the lawful private ownership of firearms in our country.” The Senate should consider this important idea as part of its broader look at the risks the Treaty poses.

Then there’s H.Res. 490, an expression of no confidence in Attorney General Eric Holder, introduced last December by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.). Though not technically a gun bill, this resolution has important Second Amendment implications. It states that one reason for no confidence is the fact that Holder has thwarted efforts to investigate gunrunning by the Department of Justice.

“Operation Fast and Furious allowed thousands of weapons of various types to be illegally sold and or transferred from the United States to violent drug cartels and known criminals in Mexico and elsewhere,” H.Res. 490 notes. Many conservatives (the resolution has 111 cosponsors) worry that the Justice Department was running guns to help advance anti-gun initiatives in the U.S.

GOA’s Velleco, for example, is concerned that Operation Fast and Furious was part of a larger Justice Department effort to impose gun control through government action other than legislation. He cites a Justice Department demand letter to the border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas that “requires gun dealers to report multiple sales of long guns to an individual within a five day period.” There is no legislative requirement to this effect.

Although some have expressed federalism concerns, Rep. Paul Braun (R-Ga.) has introduced H.R. 2900, the Secure Access to Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act, to provide reciprocity in regard to the manner in which nonresidents of a State may carry certain concealed firearms. In the Senate, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has introduced S. 2213, the Respecting States' Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. Activity on these measures thus far? Zilch.

Gun rights advocates did get a little something to cheer about late last week. The House approved an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that exempts military personnel from Washington, D.C.’s gun ban. But that is just a small step. Both chambers have yet to bring up legislation repealing our capitol city’s unconstitutional gun ban.

Meanwhile, gun issues that got some legislative action last year remain in legislative limbo this session. H.R. 822, legislation to allow state-issued conceal carry gun permits in most states, passed the House 272-154 last November. It crossed to the Senate, where it has lain ignored by the Senate Judiciary Committee ever since.

Our Founding Fathers recognized the natural right of people to protect themselves. After all, they had to take up arms to win their own freedom. So they made darn sure that the bill of rights guaranteed that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have provided clarity on the nature and extent of this right. In D.C. v Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), the Court affirmed that the Second Amendment is an individual right. In McDonald v Chicago, 51 U.S. 3025 (2010), the Court applied the Second Amendment to the states. These two rulings should have empowered and inspired lawmakers to push for more freedom—not to pretend as though they don’t deserve the time of day.

Source






The Zimmerman case disintegrates

Beating people up because they looked at you funny is wrong

The release of evidence in George Zimmerman’s murder trial quickly made a mockery of his second-degree murder charges, and threw a further layer of shame upon media and political opportunists who misrepresented a tragic, but fairly straightforward, case of lethal force employed in self-defense.

It is remarkable to take stock of this evidence and realize that it supports every single aspect of Zimmerman’s statement to the police.  His injuries are consistent with his account of physical assault by Trayvon Martin.  Martin’s gunshot wound occurred at the very short range described by Zimmerman, demolishing fantasies about a racist mall-cop wannabe stalking and murdering an innocent black kid for no reason.

The Smoking Gun highlighted this bit of eyewitness testimony – released to the public by the Sanford police only a few days ago, but known to the prosecution when Zimmerman was charged – tendered to the police only 90 minutes after the shooting occurred, by a resident of Zimmerman’s community who heard the altercation and decided to investigate:

The man recalled seeing “a black male, wearing a dark colored ‘hoodie’ on top of a white or Hispanic male who was yelling for help.” The black male, he added, “was mounted on the white or Hispanic male and throwing punches ‘MMA (mixed martial arts) style.'”

The witness--who was in his living room and about 30 feet away from the confrontation-- said he called out to the two men that he was dialing 911. “He then heard a ‘pop,’” police reported, and saw the black male “laid out on the grass.”

Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit relates the discovery of video from Trayvon Martin’s YouTube account, removed at some point during the last month, that shows he was actually involved in some sort of underground “fight club.”

Also fatal to the prosecution’s case is the discovery that Martin had THC in his system – he had apparently been smoking pot that night.  As related by the local CBS News affiliate:

According to the autopsy report made public record by the Office of the Medial Examiner, the blood from Martin’s chest contained 1.5 ng/ML of THC, a drug commonly found in marijuana. There was about 7.3ng/mL of THC carboxy, the by-product of the body’s metabolism of THC.

Depending on the amount of THC consumed and the frequency in which it is consumed, THC carboxy can stay in a person’s system from somewhere between two weeks to a month, according to WBTV. THC itself can stay in the body for as long as four hours.

This is important because the charging document clearly, and without evidence, accuses Zimmerman of racially “profiling” Martin.  On the other hand, Zimmerman told the 911 dispatcher that Martin caught his eye because “this guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something… it’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.”  Only then did the dispatcher specifically ask about Martin’s race, and request a description of his clothing.

Despite the prosecution’s awareness of the autopsy reports and eyewitness testimony, they included none of it in their affidavit against Zimmerman.  Criminal lawyer and Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, who has been beside himself ever since the Zimmerman charges were filed, writes in the New York Daily News that it’s time to drop the charges, but doubts State Attorney Angela Corey “will do the right thing,” because “until now, her actions have been anything but ethical, lawful, and professional.”

As Dershowitz points out, the evidence released in this case means Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law isn’t even a factor in Zimmerman’s defense.  Much political hay has been made out of this law, but if Zimmerman was on the ground getting beaten to a pulp, withdrawal from the encounter was physically impossible for him.  “A defendant, under Florida law, loses his ‘stand your ground’ defense if he provoked the encounter,” observes Dershowitz, “but he retains traditional self-defense if he reasonably believed his life was in danger and his only recourse was to employ deadly force.”

For that matter, as Dershowitz notes, there is not one shred of evidence to support the prosecutor’s contention that Zimmerman provoked the encounter.  Neighborhood Watch patrols are not illegal.  There is no evidence that Zimmerman shouted any “fighting words” at Martin.

Dershowitz also mentions a suspicion I’ve harbored since the weird, circus-like press conference at which Corey announced the charges: they’re a political instrument designed to buy time for everyone to cool down, leading to a long trial that dismantles some of the hysteria built up around the Trayvon Martin case.  If true, the strategy is understandable… but utterly outrageous.  The United States does not do “show trials.”  The justice system is not a safety valve for releasing unhealthy levels of political tension.  Individual citizens are not pawns to be shoved around in media games by gun-control advocates, race hustlers, or opportunistic politicians.  The purpose of law enforcement is to protect the public, not appease certain segments of it.

State attorney Angela Corey responded by saying, “What the general public has to remember, and the media has to remember, is that there is a lot we cannot release by law.”  Zimmerman’s lawyer also cautiously conceded that more evidence may be in prosecutorial hands, as yet unreleased to either him or the public.

That doesn’t change the virtually indisputable fact that Corey deliberately suppressed evidence helpful to Zimmerman when her affidavit was written.  At best, that’s very sloppy work.  ABC News discusses the sort of cards Corey might be holding:

One key to the case is which of the two men instigated the clash that left Martin dead. The prosecution says Zimmerman initiated the altercation when he "profiled" Martin that night, and then got out of his car to follow him. In the newly released documents, lead homicide officer on the case, Chris Serino of the Sanford Police Department, called the shooting "avoidable" had Zimmerman remained in his vehicle.

What has yet to be seen are two main pieces of evidence: Zimmerman's statement on the night of the incident, and his reenactment of the events of that night, which could prove vital when and if the case is heard in court.

It’s difficult to see how any of that might convince a jury to hand down a “guilty” verdict to Murder Two charges.  How does that “stay in your car” principle work?  Do you have to stay in your car when you see anyone acting suspiciously in your neighborhood, or do the age, sex, and racial background of the subject matter?  Does everyone have to stay in their cars, or only members of certain age, sex, and racial groups?

Or is it simpler for the law to assert that beating someone into the ground and administering an MMA-style thrashing is wrong, even if they looked at you funny?

Source

NC: Woman homeowner shoots suspected burglar: "Cumberland County authorities have arrested two men in connection with a home break-in over the weekend in which the homeowner scared them off after shooting one of them in the chest. The woman told sheriff's deputies that she was taking a nap in her home on Grape Arbor Drive, east of Fayetteville, Saturday afternoon when she heard glass breaking. She grabbed the shotgun, police said, went into the kitchen and saw the hand of a man attempting to unlock a window. She fired a shot when yelling didn't scare them away. The two teens then fled the scene, and the woman called 911 to report the crime, according to investigators. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office later charged Dashawn William Smith, 18, of the 200 block of Ellington Road in Fayetteville, after he was admitted to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center to be treated for a gunshot wound to the chest. Investigators said that they do not plan to file any charges against the homeowner."


FL: Victim shoots back but killed: "The victim, who was 16 to 20 years old, died where he stood, police spokesman Allan Ortman said. About 5:30 p.m., the man was standing next to a bicycle in a vacant lot at 32nd Street and Eastview, when two men pulled up in a small black sports car, Ortman said. "They exchanged gunfire together," Ortman said. "That's what witnesses indicated." He said police found a gun on the dead man and were checking to see if it had been fired, and were examining the eight casings found on the ground."

Zimmerman murder case looks like long shot

Unless Angela Corey has something she's not telling us, her second-degree-murder case against George Zimmerman is looking more and more like a long shot.  The special prosecutor assigned to investigate the death of Trayvon Martin released hundreds of pages of evidence last week.

But any expectation of a bombshell to explain her reason for filing a murder charge — which comes with a much higher burden of proof than a manslaughter charge — was short-lived.

The documents failed to answer the case's biggest questions: Who started the fight between Zimmerman and Trayvon? And whose voice was heard screaming for help on a 911 call?

None of the witnesses saw the entire confrontation between the two, or who threw the first punch.

The evidence does, however, support Zimmerman's claim that he was assaulted by Trayvon — whether Zimmerman started it or not.

Photos of Zimmerman's bloodied head and swollen nose show he was injured.  On the other hand, Trayvon's autopsy report showed no sign of bruising or other injuries that would indicate he was punched by the Neighborhood Watch leader.

That only further serves to bolster Zimmerman's claim that Trayvon went after him and that he shot Trayvon in self-defense.

It can't be good for Corey when her discovery documents appear to strengthen the defendant's case more than her own.

The best piece of evidence for the prosecutor is something we already knew but was explicitly stated in a Sanford police report: Trayvon's death was "ultimately avoidable" if Zimmerman had stayed in his vehicle and waited for law enforcement to arrive.

Police, who recommended Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter, also affirmed, "There is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity at the time of the encounter."

But getting out of your vehicle isn't a crime. Neither is following someone on foot.

More here






Breyer Push For More Protection Illustrates Elite Double Standard

 An early May robbery at the Washington, D.C. home of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer was the second time the jurist has been victimized since February, The Washington Post reported Thursday. While no one was home in this latest incident, the earlier one involved the jurist and his wife being confronted by a machete-wielding home invader at their Caribbean vacation house.

“The robbery comes a month after Congress allocated nearly $1 million to hire 12 new Supreme Court police officers, according to The Hill,” Fox News related in a follow-up report. “Breyer had been among the group pushing for that greater protection after U.S. District Judge John Roll was among six people killed in a gunman’s rampage at a Tucson shopping mall last year…”

That Breyer demands armed police protection provided at taxpayer expense illustrates no small amount of elitist hypocrisy considering his dissent in the landmark District of Columbia v. Heller case, in which the Supreme Court majority held the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals in federal enclaves to possess a firearm in the home for traditionally lawful purposes, including self-defense.

“We must decide whether a District of Columbia law that prohibits the possession of handguns in the home violates the Second Amendment,” Breyer wrote in an opinion shared by Justices Souter and Ginsberg. “The majority, relying upon its view that the Second Amendment seeks to protect a right of personal self-defense, holds that this law violates that Amendment. In my view, it does not.”

Breyer dissented again in the Chicago v. McDonald case. Joined by Justice Sotomayor and again by Justice Ginsburg, Breyer rejected the application of the Second Amendment to the individual states.

More here

IN: Drunken man breaks in apartment, residents hold him at gunpoint:  "Carlos Rodriquez thought he was home, he later told police, but the apartment door wouldn’t open. So he kicked it in.  He was greeted by a woman with a gun, and he obeyed her order to lie on the ground until police arrived.  The 28-year-old woman and her 31-year-old husband, who live in an apartment with the same number as Rodriguez’s but in a different building in the same block, the 5900 block of Old Porter Road, told police they woke at about 3:30 a.m. Monday to banging on the door.  When the door crashed open, they left their bedroom to see an unknown man walking toward their living room TV. Rodriguez, whose blood-alcohol level was 0.21 percent, was arrested for felony residential entry and criminal mischief."


Zimmerman Medical Report Shows Broken Nose, Lacerations After Trayvon Martin Shooting:  "A medical report compiled by the family physician of accused Trayvon Martin murderer George Zimmerman and obtained exclusively by ABC News found that Zimmerman was diagnosed with a "closed fracture" of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Martin during an alleged altercation.  Zimmerman faces a second degree murder charge for the Feb. 26 shooting that left the unarmed 17-year-old high school junior dead. Zimmerman has claimed self defense in what he described as a life and death struggle that Martin initiated by accosting him, punching him in the face, then repeatedly bashing his head into the pavement."

MO: Robber killed:  "Wednesday's shooting death of a man at a house on Labadie Avenue was justified because he was breaking into the home at the time, police said Thursday.  The dead man was identified Thursday as Jerome Burse, 38. Police say Burse, who had a gun, and a second man armed with a knife broke into a home in the 4700 block of Labadie Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. They took money and jewelry from people at the home.  Shots were fired inside the house, police said. One of the adults in the home was a 23-year-old man, who chased the intruders outside and fired shots at them. Burse collapsed on Marcus Avenue about a half block from the house.  Burse was taken to a local hospital, where he died."


OR: Drug dealer shoots robbers:  "Darrin George Dubouch was convicted of second-­degree robbery and first-­degree burglary, following a brief “stipulated facts” trial in Lane County Circuit Court. Dubouch, 39, was arrested Feb. 2 after he and another man — Springfield resident Shawn Connelly — forced their way into a Stoney Ridge Road home in the hills above East 30th Avenue with plans to steal drugs and money from Tyler Norman, a 27-year-old heroin dealer who lived at the home with his mother, stepfather and several younger siblings.  Norman, who was home alone at the time and said the robbers were armed when they came to his front door, surprised the intruders when he grabbed his own .40-caliber handgun from underneath a pillow and shot Connelly through the throat and upper torso, prosecutors said. Connelly, 44, died at the scene."


Medical Report Shows Martin Attacked Zimmerman:  "More evidence has emerged that proves George Zimmerman, the Hispanic Democrat who shot black teeanger Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida on February 26, fired in self defense as he claimed.  On Tuesday, ABC News released the medical report that details Zimmerman’s injuries. It is thoroughly consistent with Zimmerman’s claim that Martin savagely attacked him, forcing Zimmerman to pull his gun and shoot Martin.  Now, it appears, the prosecution’s case has fallen apart.  According to ABC, the report confirms what Zimmerman has said from the minute police collared him after he shot young Martin, a 6-foot-three 150-pound football player: that Martin struck first, knocking Zimmerman to the ground and trying to kill him."


Trayvon Martin 'had drugs in system':  "TRAYVON Martin, the Florida teen shot and killed by former neighbourhood watchman George Zimmerman in February, had the drug THC in his system at the time of his death, it was reported today.   The report came shortly after prosecutors announced they would be releasing hundreds of documents in the case to the public today.  Mr Zimmerman pleaded not guilty in April to second-degree murder in the February 26 shooting death of Martin.  The former neighbourhood watchman told police he shot Martin in self-defence after the unarmed African-American teen attacked him.

WA: Shooting of invader  called self-defense:  "Doug Snarski knew someone was going to die when he realized his girlfriend's ex was inside their home early Sunday. The intruder, Sean Parsons, was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, a belt stocked with ammunition and yelling about how no one would be getting out of the house alive. Parsons had arrived at the Newman Lake home about 12:30 a.m. - just hours after he'd been served with a restraining order that prohibited him from going within two miles of the house.  In what law enforcement officials are describing as an apparent act of self-defense, Snarski, 55, shot Parsons to death after Parsons, 43, fired the shotgun and handgun up the stairs where his ex-girlfriend and Snarski were hiding.  Dispatchers at Spokane County's 911 center heard the confrontation, including the fatal shots, because Snarski dialed 911 after he grabbed a handgun from his nightstand when he realized Parsons was inside the home."


AZ: Shooter acted in self-defense:  "Yuma police have confirmed the deaths of 27-year-old Jason Snelling and 26-year-old Glenn Curry following the Friday night shooting. Police have identified the shooter as 23-year-old Daniel Dillman. Officers say it appears Dillman shot the two men in self-defense, and he has been released from police custody."


Gun hysteria:  "A Detroit groundskeeper, who turned in a loaded handgun he found hidden in weeds while working, was fired by the Wayne County Department of Public Services.   John Chevilott, who is just two years shy of retirement, found the loaded snub-nosed revolver on May 3 when he and his crew were mowing a lawn in Wayne County. Chevilott secured the gun, waiting for police to drive by so he could hand it over to them.  But, according to the station, the Detroit police never did pass by, so Chevilott finished his work that day, drove the gun home and later that same evening turned it into his local police department.  He says the cops ran the gun and discovered the weapon had been stolen from St. Clair Shores in 2005.  "They said I did the right thing getting it off the street," Chevilott told MyFoxDetroit.com.  However, Chevilott's superiors at the Wayne County Department of Public Services had a much different opinion.  According to a Wayne County spokeswoman and the rules, employees aren't allowed to possess a weapon on work property.  Chevilott says he didn't bring a weapon to work. He found it on the job."


NC: Government lets emergency powers ruling stand:  "North Carolina’s failure to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that struck down the state’s emergency power to ban firearms and ammunition outside the home during a declared emergency adds one more Second Amendment victory to the court record being established by the Second Amendment Foundation."

Texas Jewelry Store Owner Engages in Shoot-Out With Robber:  "On May 9, an attempted robbery turned violent when a man posing as a customer tried to rob Randy’s Fine Jewelers in Beaumont, Texas.  The suspect, identified as Joshua Nowland, 35, revealed a gun and ordered a customer and employee to lie on the floor. Nowland then allegedly fired a bullet at the store’s owner, hitting his upper leg. The store’s owner retrieved his own handgun, striking Nowland several times in his upper body. The store’s owner held Nowland at gunpoint outside the store until police officers arrived at the scene.  The owner suffered a wound in his leg but remains in good condition. Nowland, however, had to receive surgery to remove a bullet in his abdominal cavity. After surgery, he will remain in the custody of Beaumont police."


Some good news out of NJ:  "A blind gun collector can keep his gun permit and will have the weapons previously seized from his house by police returned to him, following a judge’s order handed down Friday in Superior Court in Morristown.      Steven Hopler, 49, of Rockaway Township won the latest battle in an ongoing war over his Second Amendment rights. The Morris County Prosecutor’s office had asked Judge Thomas Manahan to revoke Hopler’s firearms ID card and seize all guns in his possession, arguing Hopler abused alcohol and posed a danger to others by being a gun owner.   Hopler’s attorney, Gregg Trautmann, said, “First it was, ‘He can’t own guns because he’s blind.’ Now they tried, ‘you’re a habitual drunkard and we think it’s improper because you’re a habitual drunkard.’”