David Codrea: Ohio Police Joke about Shooting Open Carry Activists

David does more great work with this article:

A recent Facebook discussion between presumptive Ohio police officers lends a chilling twist to the recent controversial Texas Chipotle open carry story, one that recalls a similar police attitude from a few years back, and one that endangers law enforcement as well as citizens, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine was told today in a letter both mailed by this correspondent and communicated to him online.

“I am writing to express concern that Ohio law enforcement is not receiving proper training regarding the duty of sworn officers to respect and protect the right of the people to openly bear arms in public,” DeWine was told. “Some have exhibited ignorance on occasion, as well as contemptuous attitudes that endanger the public and may create blowback. I am also offering a solution to help ensure the law is observed and that dangerous situations and unwarranted responses will not be initiated by the authorities.”

Those attitudes included laughing about double-tapping the open carriers, a term gun owners recognize as the placing of two shots into a target in quick succession. That recalls a similar comment made years back by a California police detective laughing about shooting open carriers and then getting two weeks off, and further laughing because the legal climate in California denies concealed carry permits to so many.

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DOJ Watches Gun Watch

I am glad to see that someone at the Department  of Justice is watching Gun Watch.   This was in the morning, perhaps before work.   Our mission is to inform people about events that the old media is not much interested in.   I cannot think of a better audience than those at the Department of Justice.

At an hour's worth of viewing, it appears that they were interested.   The location is listed as the District of Columbia, so we can hope that it was someone higher in the bureaucracy than out in the rest  of the country.   

The more people are informed of the facts, the better.  The first page looked at was the article dealing with the proposed New Jersey hunting rifle ban that is on Governor Christie's Desk.    After six page views, the person exited Gun Watch to a link of a story about a woman defending herself with a handgun in Texas.

If the New Jersey bill becomes law, it will face a court challenge.   It is hard to see how banning  the possession of a huge number of the most common rifles in the nation is not a major infringement of the right to keep and bear arms.

Perhaps the DOJ is doing some research into the law and its effects.  Or, perhaps someone at the DOJ simply wants to be informed.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

WI:Update on Open Carrier Mark Hoffman Trial

On 23 July, 2013, Mark J. Hoffman of Somerset, Wisconsin, was arrested for legally openly carrying firearms. The charges were disorderly conduct (DC) and obstructing an officer.   Originally, Mark was told that he was under arrest for "being heavily armed".   Here is the  Gun Watch article.   The County attorney refused to press charges under Wisconsin statues.

Mark Reported to Gun Watch that the charges were indeed dropped.  Then, out of the blue, three weeks later, he was issued two municipal citations from the Somerset Police Department.  Here are Mark's own words:

 UPDATE
The St. Croix County DA did not file charges. Almost 3 weeks later I was issued 2 municipal citations via mail from the Somerset Police Dept. One was for Obstruction and the other for Loitering. They are holding my firearms as "Evindice". Trial date for the citations is April 2.

In regards to the stop. I have a Wisconsin Concealed Carry License. I am not required to voluntarily show it to anyone, including police officers. The Officers DID NOT request to see my CCL. Knowledge of my proximity to school grounds was not established until the days after my arrest. Cheif Doug Briggs is trying to make the arrest all about the school when the arrest was really about me upsetting Chief Briggs by asserting my rights and not "Cooperating". He kept repeating that if I simply gave them a little information they would let me on my way. I refused to give up my 4th amendment rights because I was being threatened with arrest. I recorded the the encounter with an audio recorder. If you want to listen to the audio and make your own conclusions let me know.

The trial has now been held with the result that the Municipal court found Mark guilty of "Loitering" and found no foundation for the obstructing charge.  The finding was posted on April, 8th, 2014.   From the Municipal Court:

Mr. Hoffman is being found guilty of citation #08945716,
specifically, ordinance 11-2-6(c1), as I believe the Village has
clearly met their burden of proof.

The fine will be set at $195.90 and is payable within sixty
days. If more time is needed or there is a request for a payment
plan, please contact the Clerk of Court.

The citation #08945717 will be dismissed for lack of foundation.
If either party disagrees with this decision they can appeal the
decision by contacting the Clerk, please be sure to follow the
timeline if appealing.

Mark has appealed the loitering conviction of the Municipal  Court. 

 ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

Common Hunting Rifles to be Banned by New Jersey Law

 

The gun ban that has gone to Governor Christie for signature has been described as a "gun magazine restriction",  but it bans numerous common sport and hunting rifles.   The ban has no exemption for rifles with fixed magazines, including most common .22 rimfire rifles that are used for sport and small game hunting, and almost never used in crime.

 Assembly Bill 2006 bans rifles that meet this definition:

(4)   A semi-automatic rifle with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding [15] 10 rounds.

The bracket and underline show the existing and proposed law.  There are no exemptions for grandfathering.   Anyone who possesses such rifles after the ban is put into effect will be immediately guilty of a felony.  This has already happened at least once, when an owner of a .22 Marlin that he won at a police raffle was convicted for owning the firearm.

The model owned was either the one pictured below or a very similar Marlin.  It is an "Assault Weapon" under current New Jersey law, as it has a magazine capacity of 17:

Marlin Model 60 with 17 shot magazine:

After the ban, Marlin modified the design to reduce the Magazine capacity to 15, so that the rifles could be sold throughout the nation, without having to cater to specific state laws.    Now New Jersey is pushing to tighten the restrictions even further, outlawing  the current Marlin model 60, which has a 15 round capacity and is arguably the most popular .22 rifle in the world.

Marlin Model 60 with 15 shot magazine:

Nearly all .22 rifles that have fixed tubular magazines have a capacity of more than 10 rounds.   The Remington 552 has a capacity of 15-22 rounds.

Remington  552, 15-22 shot magazine:

Currently produced Browning Semi-Auto .22 rifles may slip under the ban that  is on Governor Christie's desk.  Browning says that the magazine capacity is exactly 10.   Because of the variation of .22 ammunition, it is likely that the rile would hold 11 rounds of some .22 ammunition.  Older versions of the rifle advertised a magazine capacity of 11 in .22 Long Rifle, and 16 in .22 Short.



Browning Semi-Auto .22 rifle:

.22 rimfire semi-auto rifles with tubular magazines are some of the most popular sporting firearms of all time.   Changing magazine capacity of one of these rifles is not simple, because the magazine is fixed, not easily removable.  The New Jersey ban would make all of them in the state instant contraband.  Here is a list of common sporting rifles banned by the law:


Browning  Semi-Auto .22
Colt Colteer and variants
Franchi Centennial .22
Marlin model 60 and variants
Norinco ATD .22 (Browning Clone)
Remington 6A and variants
Remington Nylon 66, clones, and variants
Remington 552
Remington 550
Remington 241
Savage model 87A and variants
Winchester model 74
Winchester 190, 290 and variants

This is not an  exhaustive list.  .22 semi-auto rifles with tubular magazines are one of the most common configurations of sporting rifles ever made.  Tens of millions of them have been made, most specifically for hunting, pest control, target shooting and practice.  Over 11 million have been manufactured of the Marlin Model 60 and variants alone.  It is hard to think of a rifle that is more completely designed for "sporting purposes".  To my knowledge, they are one of the few firearms designs that was not intended as a potential military design.  

It seems that New Jersey legislators have not heard that "No one wants to ban your hunting rifle."


©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

 
Update: An amendment was added to AB 2006 before the law went to Governor Cristie.  The ban on .22 semi-autos with tubular magazines was removed from the bill.  Here is the amendment:

(4) A semi-automatic rifle with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding [15] 10 rounds. 1“Assault firearm” shall not include a semi-automatic rifle 2[with] which has2 an attached tubular device 2[designed to accept 15 rounds,] and 2which is2 capable of operating only with .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.1

and

  y.    "Large capacity ammunition magazine" means a box, drum, tube or other container which is capable of holding more than [15] 10 rounds of ammunition to be fed continuously and directly therefrom into a semi-automatic firearm. ¹The term shall not include an attached tubular device ²[designed to accept 15 rounds, and] which is² capable of ²[operating only with] holding only² .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.¹

The amended bill does not change the .22 rifles that are already banned by the previous definition.   Those include many Marlin model 60 versions, .22 short versions of the Browning semi-auto, Remington 552 rifles, Remington 550 rifles, and any other .22 rimfire with a tubular magazine that holds more than 15 rounds of .22 ammunition.

JPFO: When Governments Fail

John Locke wrote that people, by their very nature, are free and equal – that they voluntarily transfer some of their rights via a social contract to a government – mostly to protect them from violence, so that they may enjoy their freedoms and their lives. Locke postulated that governments exist by the consent of the people in order to protect the rights of the people, and therefore, governments that fail to do so can be resisted and replaced with new governments.
This natural logic is what prompted the people in the Mexican state of Michoacan to stand up and take up arms against a drug cartel Los Caballeros Templarios – the Knights Templar – in a nation that does not respect the people's right to keep and bear arms...

...with a government that forces people to depend on its armed "authorities" to protect their property, loved ones and lives.

In Mexico, it is illegal for citizens to bear most firearms, but the Knights Templar wreaked such havoc in Michoacan, that self-defense groups arose and adamantly declared their right to protect themselves and their communities against equally armed criminal groups.

More Here

Yes, the NRA Is a Civil Rights Organization

The short version: Josh Horwitz articulates the CSGV's official position on civil rights, in which you are guaranteed the right to an unspecified level of emotional comfort and feelings of safety, but you are not guaranteed the right to keep and bear arms, because the former is a real civil right and the latter is not.

At the recent National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis, talk of “freedom” and “liberty” was in the air. But does the organization really embrace the entire set of freedoms that we cherish as Americans?

That's actually a provocative, compelling question, for people actually interested in the organization's future. I heard a lot of discussion of the same basic idea from a lot of NRA members at the NRA Annual Meetings in Indianapolis, where this op-ed was published in the Indy Star. The thing about the NRA that Mr. Horwitz can't get is that no matter how convenient it would be for him if the NRA could be boiled down to "Wayne LaPierre, Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent keep each others' book deals afloat," that's never going to tell the whole story of an organization with millions of members. As trite as it sounds, I am the NRA. And yes, I embrace American freedom. Yes, that means I care about Amendments 1-10, and also the rest of the Constitution. And yet, I sense that we're about to disagree vehemently. Perhaps we should define our terms.\

 

More Here

Lessons to be learned from Mexican citizens' fight

On Feb. 2, I wrote about the brave Mexican citizens (called vigilantes by the press) who were fighting to remove the Knights Templar drug cartel in the Michoacán area. They did this with illegal guns (media labeled assault weapons). Yahoo News recently noted that these Mexican Patriots succeeded in largely expelling the Knights Templar cartel when state and local authorities couldn't. They did this in six to eight months, something the Mexican government has not been able nor willing to do for years.

The Mexican state first reaction was to attempt to take away these citizen-held guns, after failing that, are now attempting to register them under the guise of going town by town to organize and recruit so-called rural defense forces. Not all patriotic drug fighting groups are cooperating, suggesting registration is just an attempt to ID

More here

WI: Private Buyers at Milwaukee Gun Turn In (Buy Back) do Well

A group of private purchasers at the Milwaukee gun turn in (buy back)

As the event in Milwaukee was about to begin, private gun purchasers began to show up.    I counted 10 near the beginning of  the event, but the numbers increased.  The private purchasers spread out along the streets as the lines of vehicles backed up.  There were about 15 to 20 of them at the height of the action.

The ones that I talked to repeatedly said that they did not  have a problem with the event, and that by  purchasing the more valuable guns, they helped stretch the event dollars.   More than once, I saw private purchasers tell people bringing guns to the event that they could obtain  more money than the gun was worth at the event,  so they were better off turning  it in.

One participant at the event said that  they knew the guns that they turned in were not worth as much as what they could obtain at the event, and that was why they turned those guns in.   They said that they had other guns at home.

One private purchaser obtained this Taurus model 85 for $100.  It was in like new condition.  Used ones often sell for $300.

Several  private purchasers indicated that they had passed background checks and could legally purchase firearms.

There was a significant police presence at the event.   The police were friendly and everyone had a good time.   The private purchasers said that only one officer was a bit abrasive, but he was not there for the entire event.  Even Mayor Barrett, who has called for restrictive gun laws, said that the private buyers had a right to be there:

"Its America, I support their right to be here."

Several firearms were examined and purchased within 30 feet of these officers

The private purchasers used the presence of the police to assure the sellers that the action was legal.  I overheard more than one private purchaser say words to the effect: "This is perfectly legal.   The police have no problem with this.  See they are right here."

I only noticed one person that was mildly disruptive.   One man yelled at people:

"Do the right thing!  Don't sell to these guys!"

An older woman who was talking to a private buyer, while standing in line to turn in an inherited pistol, showed some spunk and chastised him,  saying:

You don't know me!  

Later on, when the individual was shouting on a street corner, a police officer talked to him and he became less boisterous.

Most private purchasers bought several guns.  They said that they liked guns and that they intended to keep them or give them to family members.  One said that he had purchased a pistol for his wife.

The purchaser said that he paid $60 for the Marlin made .22 rifle  on top, and $100 for the SKS.   He bought at least five guns at the event.

Another purchaser obtained this Mossberg 500 shotgun with an extra barrel and case for $75.    That is what I paid for one 40 years ago, used, without the extra barrel or case.   This one had a little superficial rust, but it was a good deal.  It usually sells for about $200 to $250.

I believe this Winchester model 1200 was purchased for $75.

Hi-Point  pistols go for about $150, but they have a lifetime warranty.  A private purchaser picked up this one at the event.
 
I estimate that about 50 firearms were purchased privately.  There were 353 firearms turned in at the event, so private buyers purchased about one seventh of the number turned in.

If the organizers of the event would coordinate with the private purchasers, more people could obtain market value for their possessions, and the event organizers would be able to stretch their limited resources to get more guns from people who do not  want them in their homes.   If people are ignorant of  the guns they own, they probably do not know the gun laws, and may be unwilling to take them to a gun dealer or pawn shop.   They may not consider it worth their while to take a gun to Cabela's.    Cooperation between private purchasers and the "buy back" organizers could be a win-win situation.

It would dispel the notion that the event is primarily used as political theater to push the theme that "guns are bad" and that they should be turned in to police.

 Academics have found that these events have no measurable effect on crime.  The people who turn in the guns are not criminals, and the guns turned in are not the ones commonly used in crime.

Rumors floated about.   I heard that a Thompson was turned in, but no one knew if it were an original or a later reproduction.  I never saw it, and it was never mentioned in the news, so it likely did not exist.   People said several .357 magnum revolvers were turned in, but I did not see them.

Private purchasers were wary of the old media.  A couple had read articles of mine on the Internet, and they opened up to me. 

The people at the event were friendly and welcoming.  Everybody had a good time.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

Update:  Jeremy, who was there, reminded me that one of the friendly officers who came out and chatted with them said that a full auto Sten submachine gun had been turned in.  I have not been able to  verify that, except that I did see one officer removing what appeared to be a very long magazine (like a Sten's) from something, at a distance.

Washington Times: Congress to rein in Obama’s targeting of gun retailers

Republican lawmakers accused the Obama administration Monday of overreach in its stringent scrutiny of industries it considers “high risk,” saying legislation may be needed to rein in a regulation regime that has targeted gun retailers, who complain that federal action is limiting their access to banks and squeezing them out of business.

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, Missouri Republican and vice chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, noted that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has directed banks to apply extra scrutiny to “high risk” businesses — such as gun sellers, pornography shops and drug paraphernalia stores — that use payment processors such as PayPal for credit card transactions.

More Here

NV: Would-be robber shot at donut shop

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
A would-be robber ran off from a donut shop with a bullet wound after the business' owner pulled out his own gun, police said.

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FL: Woman Stops Home Invasion, Wounds Invader

Deputies said 38-year-old Anthony Capuano disguised with a mask and armed with a gun knocked on the door and demanded entry into the residence.

(snip)
 
Deputies said Christophell then ran to her bedroom and grabbed her boyfriend, 21-year-old Steven Brown's, handgun. She fired multiple rounds at the suspect and he fled from the residence.

(snip)

He was transported to an area hospital with a gunshot wound and is currently listed in critical condition. Deputies said Capuano is a known gang member.
  

More Here

FL: Store Owner Trades Shots, Drives off Robbers

ORLANDO, Fla. -
Orange County deputies said they are looking for two men who barged into a store and fired shots Thursday night before the store owner returned fire.

(Snip)

 Deputies said one of the robbers pistol-whipped someone inside and fired at least one shot before the owner pulled out a weapon of his own and returned fire.

More Here

David Codrea: Vigilantes’ with ‘illegal guns’ do to Boko Haram what government cannot

Good article by David Codrea

“Residents of three villages in northeastern Nigeria took security into their own hands this week, repelling attacks by Boko Haram insurgents and killing more than 200 of them, residents and officials said,” CNN reported last Thursday. “When news of the attack filtered out, people trooped out from nearby villages carrying arms.”

Where did they get the arms from? As documented in this correspondent’s recent Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership report, not only is there no “legal” right to private gun ownership, but "civilians are not allowed to possess machine-guns, military rifles and handguns … private possession of semi-automatic assault weapons [and] private possession of handguns (pistols and revolvers) is prohibited."

Add to that licensing, background checks and registration for what they are allowed to own, a prohibition on concealed carry and stiff criminal penalties for gun law violations, and Nigeria is one of those places where the "law-abiding" are at extreme disadvantage.



More Here at Gun Rights Examiner

Progressivestoday: Moms Demand Action Spitting Incident a Hoax

 Good work on the part of progressivestoday.  Another lie from a citizen disarmament group.  I am not surprised, but it is good to expose these.

Dana Loesch pointed to this story today at Mother Jones about a spitting incident in the Indianapolis Airport that reportedly occurred on April 25, 2014.

Check this story from a website that that I personally consider to be the Internet version of bathroom scrawl in a dive bar unisex bathroom. The difference is that I think bathroom scrawlists vet their graffiti.

As Longdon sat waiting for her flight, a screen in the concourse showed footage of the press conference. A tall, thin man standing nearby stared at Longdon, then back at the screen. Then he walked up to Longdon and spat in her face. No one else blinked.

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TX: Armed Homeowner Drives off Intruder

The homeowner says he saw the dark shadow of a person inside his home around 6a.m. inside his home in 

the 400 block of Gulf Street.

The homeowner fired a shot and the intruder reportedly ran off.

More Here 

The homeowner says he saw the dark shadow of a person inside his home around 6a.m. inside his home in the 400 block of Gulf Street. The homeowner fired a shot and the intruder reportedly ran off.

Read More at: http://www.news4sanantonio.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/homeowner-shoots-at-early-morning-intruder-11823.shtml

David Codrea: Nigerian people caught in perfect storm of tyranny and terrorism

David Codrea has done an excellent job with this article on the Nigerian situation.  It is well worth the read:

As U.S. drones scour Nigerian skies searching for hundreds of Christian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists and perennial war hawk John McCain makes belligerent noises about risking American blood and treasure to rescue them, three major impediments to keeping innocents safe from evil in the first place have emerged, and all of them, unsurprisingly, originate with government.

First, if one ignores the admonitions of the Founders and subscribes to the foreign entanglements school of diplomacy, there's the matter of the Leahy amendment, ostensibly established to ensure foreign security force recipients "have not committed gross human rights abuses."

That's strike one against the Nigerian government.

 The second swing and a miss was reported by Amnesty International, which charges that the government failed to act on advance warnings to stop the armed raid on the boarding school where the girls were taken from — a school, incidentally, run by the state.

The third strike is one that was predictable, and will be wholly unsurprising to JPFO members and supporters. President Goodluck Jonathan's government embraces "gun control," both as a signatory to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, and also as a matter of national policy.

More Here at JPFO

GA: Restaurant Changes Mind, Welcomes Gun Carriers

In a scenario that has recurred all over the nation, a restaurant in Georgia briefly put up a "NO GUNS" sign, became educated, and took it down.  This is the usual course of events that has occurred as antiquated gun laws have been reformed.   Georgia recently passed  a bill that reformed one of the last laws in the nation that forbid armed citizens from eating in restaurants that also serve alcohol.  Louisiana passed a similar reform shortly after, becoming the 50th state in the nation to have this freedom.   From wrdw.com in Augusta, Georgia:

"I come up and see a sign on your door that says you don't allow weapons, I'm going to honor your sign, but then I'm also not going to come into your establishment," that's how Jennifer Seymour feels about a no gun rule that was recently reversed by T-Bonz steakhouse.

Jennifer sent an email to the restaurant, who then reconsidered their position:

The restaurant's Facebook page says the sign was meant for irresponsible gun owners, but then realized a sign wouldn't really stop careless carriers.

I watched this same scenario play out in Arizona, and  then across the nation.  As people stop to think about firearms and real situations, they stop reacting emotionally to the bombastic hypotheticals put forward by those pushing for more restrictions on armed citizens.  Then logic kicks in and they do the responsible thing.   The signs come down.


 ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

Wired:3D Gun Evolution

There are three interesting videos with the article.  I doubt that Yoshitomo Imura's Zig-Zag revolver would fire real bullets.  It appears that the "barrels" are blocked from doing so, just as ordinary blank guns are.   I find the video of the Skorpian put together with printed lower receiver to be particularly interesting.


A burgeoning subculture of 3-D printed gun enthusiasts dreams of the day when a lethal firearm can be downloaded or copied by anyone, anywhere, as easily as a pirated episode of Game of Thrones. But the 27-year-old Japanese man arrested last week for allegedly owning illegal 3-D printed firearms did more than simply download and print other enthusiasts’ designs. He appears to have created some of his own.

Among the half-dozen plastic guns seized from Yoshitomo Imura’s home in Kawasaki was a revolver designed to fire six .38-caliber bullets–five more than the Liberator printed pistol that inspired Imura’s experiments. He called it the ZigZag, after its ratcheted barrel modeled on the German Mauser Zig-Zag. In a video he posted online six months ago, Imura assembles the handgun from plastic 3-D printed pieces, a few metal pins, screws and rubber bands, then test fires it with blanks.

“Freedom of armaments to all people!!” he writes in the video’s description. “A gun makes power equal!!”

More here

Guns Turned in At Milwaukee Event (buy back)

Long Guns Turned in at Milwaukee "Buy Back" on 17 May, 2014

 I arrived at the turn in event a little after 9 am on the 17th.   The Milwaukee Police Department had already done the set up for the event, and a crowd was listening to speeches.   I counted about 10 officers at the start, with perhaps as many as 15 total.  Several were directing traffic and controlling the area.  It appeared that data were being entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to check to see if any  of the firearms were listed as stolen property.   I have not heard any mention that any of the firearms were listed as stolen.  The event was not really a "buy back" because the people buying the guns never owned them before.

There appears to be at least one WWII or earlier Mauser at the top left of the picture, and some decent hunting rifles and shotguns in the mix.  One semi-auto AK clone was turned in, and it was rumored that a Thompson came in, as well as several decent .357 magnums.  I never saw them.

Police cleared the controlled area of those who were not involved in the organization of the event before it started.   This is the first turn in event that I have seen start on time.   They refused to take in firearms early.    It was well organized, and the flow of vehicles and people on foot proceeded fairly smoothly.   There was a crush at first, with traffic backed up around the block and even down side streets early on. 

I talked to one couple before the event started.   They were turning in a rifle and shotgun that had been inherited.   Ralph T said that this was "the  most responsible way to dispose of a firearm."    This is a common theme at gun turn in events.   Many of the firearms that were turned in had been inherited, and the people who owned them had no interest in them.

The event had a higher percentage of handguns than is common, but the organizers were paying $100 for handguns and only $50 for rifles and shotguns.  Any working shotgun or rifle is worth at least $100 on the market, so it is not surprising that more handguns were turned in at this event.  The numbers reported were:

234 handguns

115 long guns

4  "assault weapons"

$200 was offered for "assault weapons".  The only information that I was told about what would be counted as an "assault weapon" was that the definition would be that in Wisconsin law.  There does not appear to be any definition of "assault weapon" in Wisconsin law.

That comes to 353 firearms total, or $29,950.  $53,000 had been donated for the event, so about $23,000 was left over.  Mayor Barrett indicated that it might be used for another event later in the year.

I met some of the organizers of the event, and they were kind enough to pose for a photograph.

From left to right: Reverend Louis E. Sibley III, Dr. F.L. Crouther, Reverend John McVicker, Mr. Marty Forman, and Reverend Butler

I particularly want to thank Reverend Butler for his help in obtaining some pictures at the event.   All of the clergy were friendly and helpful, but that has generally been my experience with clergy.

Marty Forman runs a recycling center.  His family has been in Milwaukee for at least three generations.  He said that "people were encouraged to take more valuable guns to Cabela's or Gander Mountain", and that they only wanted unwanted, broken, and inexpensive guns. 

I did not see any ads to that effect, or any mention in the media articles that I read, but it seems like a reasonable message to put out.    Perhaps they could make a way for private buyers to look at the guns before they reach the police  Then the buyers could make offers for the more valuable firearms.

There were a significant number of private purchasers at the event.   Here is a typical sign.

The police were generally friendly to the private purchasers.   I only heard complaints about one police officer, and he was not there for the entire event.  Mayor Barrett even said, after calling for background checks on all private sales, that it was not currently the law, and speaking of private purchasers:

"Its America, I support their right to be here."

Of course, if you must obtain government permission for a private sale, it is no longer private.   Requiring background checks, of the form proposed by those who push for more restrictive gun laws, would not allow private people to buy at events like this.   A background check amendment that would insure the privacy of private sellers and buyers was defeated in the Senate by those pushing for more restrictive gun laws.

Private purchasers are common at these events except in the few states where private purchases are not currently allowed by state law.

The private purchasers that I talked to said that they were not opposed to the event, but that by purchasing the more valuable firearms, they helped to stretch the turn in dollars for old and inexpensive guns.  I saw private purchasers recommend that people  with inexpensive and non-functional guns continue to the turn in, because they would obtain more than the guns were worth at the event.

While academics have found that these events do not have a measurable impact on crime, they provide a way for people to get rid of unwanted firearms.  Cooperation between the organizers of the event and the private purchasers could be a win-win for all concerned.

There will be another article about the private purchasers and the firearms that they obtained.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

MI: Homeowner Wounded, Kills Intruder

Police say the homeowner saw the man attempting to break into his home at Oakwood and Central streets in Inkster. When he confronted him, the apparent would-be robber shot him in the leg.

However, the homeowner returned fire. He shot the man, killing him.

More Here