Jordan was charged with second-degree and third-degree burglary, as well as second-degree and third-degree criminal mischief.
He is currently being held in the Covington County jail without bond for probation violation.
The investigation is still ongoing.
“The victim protected
himself and his property from a career criminal. The victim was at a
disadvantage physically, but his weapon enabled him to protect himself.
The investigation revealed that Jordan fled the residence because the
homeowner had armed himself. Thank God this had a good ending, and the
victim should be commended on his courage and quick thinking,” Turman
said.
The woman called 911 and the man got a gun and went and spoke to the two men and a woman in his yard, a blotter post said.
The man told police that he fired his weapon after one of the suspects came toward him carrying a handsaw.
When
police arrived, they found a 53-year-old female suspect with a gunshot
wound to her abdomen. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center for
treatment.
Images of announcements of different 2021 National Firearms Surveys
Two different National Firearms Surveys were completed in 2021. One of them was done by Dr. William English of Georgetown University. He published a draft of his study in July of 2021. This correspondent wrote about the results in a previous article. A different 2021 National Firearms Survey was designed by Deborah Azrael and Matthew Miller, as reported in thehill.com, had preliminary results obtained by the Wall Street Journal.
Both surveys are the latest version of previous surveys. The English survey is much larger than the Azrael - Miller survey.
This correspondent received confirmation of the confusion from Dr. English:
As you surmised, there are two different surveys. The one I ran was
separate from and much larger than the one by Azrael and Miller, and it
looks like we focused on some different questions. I believe their team
has done a version of their survey in a few earlier years as well. It
appears that neither of us thought up a more creative name than "2021
National Firearms Survey" to publish our initial results for this year,
which has understandably been a source of confusion.
Neither of the 2021 National Firearms Surveys (NFS) have been released, in their full form, with all data, to the public. From the limited information in the draft released by Dr. English and the coverage of the information obtained by The Wall Street Journal, and published in The Hill, it appears the surveys have somewhat different areas of focus.
The English 2021 NFS has much more information about defensive gun uses than does the Azrael and Miller 2021 NFS. Azrael and Miller have much more information about when people purchased firearms. The English survey starts with over 54,000 contacts. The Azrael survey appears to start with over 19,000.
One finding from the English NFS supports a reported finding from the Azrael & Miller NFS. The English NFS shows 42% of gun owners in the United States are female. The Azrael & Miller NFS shows 3.5 million of 7.5 million new gun owners are women, or 47%. It is a reasonably close agreement.
The 2015 survey done by Asrael, Hepburn, Hemenway, and Miller only showed 27% of gun owners were women, and 73% were men. The 2015 Survey estimated the percent of gun owners in the United States at 22 percent of adults, which is significantly lower than several other surveys. Both the 2015 survey by Azrael and the 2021 survey by English show an average of 5 firearms per firearm owner.
The much larger 2021 NSF by English shows the percentage of adults owning guns in the United States at 32%. Add in those who own firearms and do not respond to surveys about firearms; the number is almost certainly more than one third.
To determine how far apart the two 2021 National Firearms Surveys are on basic numbers, such as how many firearms are in the United States, and how many people own firearms in the USA, we will have to wait for the release of the full surveys.
When released, their survey questions and methods used to conduct the surveys should be available to the public for comparison.
Under the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights, national registration of firearms is illegal in the United States. Several states also make state registration illegal. A small number of states require registration of all firearms, with a few more requiring registration of particular types of firearms. There is no official count of legally owned firearms in the United States.
No charges are expected after a Sumter woman shot and killed a man who entered her home and attacked her early Saturday morning. Sumter police said in a Facebook post that Eugene Rhinehart III, 31, was transported to Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital with a gunshot wound, where he later died. Police say Rhinehart entered the woman’s home on Robney Drive around 4:15 a.m. through an unlocked door, and then began punching a 43-year-old woman inside the house.
“He was carrying with him a lunch bag,” Castañeda Jr said. “I believe
he used to put money in the lunch bag of what was done that day, how
much he accumulated of sales.”
Castañeda Jr. says his father fired back but the robber managed to escape quickly with a person waiting in a white sedan.
Prior to heading into surgery, the 36-year-old man told investigators
the other man had approached him and shot him in the leg. The man, who
police say is a CCW permit holder, fired shots in return, fatally
wounding the man.
Police recovered two handguns at the scene. The investigation is
ongoing, but there have been no charges filed at this time. Police have
not yet identified the suspect.
Rittenhouse hearing in Kenosha, Wisconsin, September 17, 2021
On August 25, 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse was at the scene of the Kenosha riots. In the next few hours, he scrubbed grafitti, offered first aid, was threatened, was attacked, and shot three people in claimed self defense. The situation has been covered in depth at AmmoLand. A good summation of the actions that night are here. Kyle was charged by local prosecutors in spite of voluminous video evidence of his legitimate self defense claims. Eventually supporters raised two million dollars for bond in Wisconsin.
On Friday, September 17, 2021, there was an evidentiary hearing in Kenosha, about what will be allowed as evidence in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. Jury selection is scheduled to start on November 1, 2021. The hearing may be seen on YouTube. The video is two hours and 36 minutes long.
The hearing was held by the Honorable Judge Bruce E. Schroeder. The view seen is from the bench. Seated at the table on the left of the screen are the prosecutors. DA Thomas Binger is in the blue suit, wearing glasses. On the right of the screen is the defense table. Defense attorney Mark Richards is on the aisle side of the table in the black or very dark blue suit; defense attorney Corey Chiriafsi is in the grey suit in the center of the table; defendant Kyle Rittenhouse is on the far side from Richards in a blue suit.
Judge Schroeder is considering several motions for evidence to be admissible at trial by prosecutors and defense. Both sides have presented their arguments to the Judge, in writing, before this hearing.
On video, both sides give a preview of what their case will look like at trial. Several facts are mentioned which this correspondent has not seen in previous coverage.
DA Binger attempts to show Kyle Rittenhouse as a "teen-age vigilante" with a pre-disposition to shoot people. Binger claims Rittenhouse is from outside the community, and came looking for trouble. Binger claims Rittenhouse was "armed with an illegal weapon."
Defense attorney Mark Richards counters with statements Kyle had a job in Kenosha as a lifeguard, and Kyle's father lives in Kenosha. Richards says he has not found any evidence, after an intense search, that Rittenhouse had any interest in or knowledge of militias or any racist organizations. Richards:
"All three of these people shot were chasing Kyle Rittenhouse. All of them. That is not debatable."
The prosecution wants to include a fight between Kyle's sister and another girl, which happened 2 months before the Kenosha riots, where Kyle stepped in on the side of his sister. The defense says:
"The probative value of this is substantially outweighed by its prejudicial value."
Judge Schroeder:
"No connection to these two events at all."
Judge Schroeder denies the prosecution is the use of the event in court.
The next motion is about evidence of an event after Kyle is released on bond.
Rittenhouse goes to a bar to celebrate. At the bar are members of the Proud Boys in Wisconsin. This is four months after the events of August 25. The prosecution attempts to claim this association has some bearing on the state of mind of Kyle Rittenhouse, four months earlier. The prosecution claims the Proud Boys is a far right, racist, violent organization, based on a newspaper article. Judge Schroeder makes extensive comments about the situation. Here are some:
"I don't think it is for the court, except in most appropriate
circumstances, to be making determinations, and certainly not on the
basis of an article in a newspaper in Seattle, about what an
organization is."
"It is an unfortunate fact that this
case has become a surrogate for a lot of emotional reaction that has
nothing to do or little to do or nothing to do with the issues of the
case, but if then the accused is ensconced, which can send him to prison
for life, and he encounters some people who embrace him and start to,
can we take pictures with you and somehow make him feel better about
himself; and he reacts by smiling with them and taking some pictures;
for me to let that in as evidence, of a motive that existed, four months
earlier? Can't see it. Absolutely not. I would expect to be reversed if
I did that."
"I am not interested in these accusations about
group responsibility, unless it is directly connected that the defendant
is active in the criminal enterprises of the organization."
"Pope
Benedict was a member of the NAZI youth, because he had to be. This
type of evidence is very dangerous. You make some points that might be
legitimate. I certainly will keep the door open, if you can show that
there was any connection between the defendant on the day in question
and this organization."
Judge Schroeder's use of "on the day in question" refers to the events of August 25, 2020.
The defense wishes to enter evidence the first man shot by Kyle, Joseph Rosenbaum, was a convicted felon. Mark Richards claims Rosenbaum had a motive to steal the rifle Kyle Rittenhouse was carrying because he could not obtain one legally. The defense mentions Rosenbaum was heard saying (in evidence revealed by discovery from the prosecution) "I just got out of jail, and I am not afraid to go back."
Judge Schroeder found this of interest. DA Binger denied the statement is decipherable.
Judge Schroeder refused to allow the evidence of Rosenbaum being a convicted felon to be entered at the trial.
The prosecution did not endear itself to Judge Schroeder over the issue of a list of witnesses, which the defense is entitled to, as a matter of law.
The prosecution provided a potential witness list of 175 witnesses to the defense. The defense complained it was too many witnesses, citing precedent. The Judge agreed. The prosecution narrowed the list to 27 possible witnesses. The prosecution did not provide the addresses of the witnesses. The prosecution does not want to make a public filing in court, to avoid witness intimidation.
Judge Schroeder asks defense attorney Mark Richards if he was satisfied. Richards says he could deal with 27 witnesses, but he says, the prosecution had not provided the addresses. Then defense attorney Richards states:
I was told by Mr. Binger, they are in discovery, find them.
Judge Schroeder to DA Binger: Is that true?
DA Binger:
I
emailed Mr. Richards yesterday. I gave him a narrowed down list, I said
the addresses that we would be providing to him would require us to go
through the same 400 plus pages of police report...
Judge Schroeder: (interrupting) What does the statute say?
DA Binger:
The statute does requires us to provide addresses in a written filing with the court.
Judge: (Interrupting) Well, I can expect that will be done by Monday at five.
DA Binger: Would you like us to file with the court?
Judge Schroeder:
I understand your desire to keep this from being filed. If the defense
objects, we can discuss about it. No, you can do what you did, but you
need to send to him the addresses.
By five o'clock, Monday.
The prosecution wants the defense to provide lists of people who had donated to Kyles defense fund. Judge Schroeder says he does not have
the authority to order a third party to provide a list to the defense to give to the prosecution.
The motion was denied.
There was some discussion of expert witnesses, which was deferred to later.
The prosecution wished to have admitted, as evidence, video of Kyle Rittenhouse, two weeks before the riots in Kenosha, commenting on watching people loot a CVS in Chicago. Defense Attorney Corey Chirafisi, reiterates Rittenhouse took no action, it was merely words, and should not be admitted.
At about 1:47 on the hearing video, DA Binger makes a startling revelation. He says Rittenhouse does take an action at the CVS looting. Rittenhouse calls 911. From DA Binger:
"There is an actual action he takes at the CVS incident, and that is, he does call 911, using his personal cell phone."
At about 1:50 in the hearing video, Judge Schroeder, after the prosecution finishes, says: "I think I heard now, for the first time, that he called 911."
That neither the Judge or the defense team knew this before is amazing. All prosecution evidence should have been made available to the defense team long ago.
Judge Schroeder says, in differentiating the two incidents, about Kenosha, "you could call 911 all you wanted, there was no law and order. "
DA Binger continues his attempts to justify including the CVS incident as evidence at the trial. Then DA Binger makes revealing comments about the rifle Rittenhouse was carrying.
At about 1:59, Binger talks about the rifle. To this correspondent, Binger seems to be making the case for the defense. It is difficult to see this as a prosecution argument.
DA Binger:
"He was running around with a assault
rifle type weapon, a very threatening, aggressive weapon. One that
deters people, it is designed to deter people. It is designed to
threaten others; to let them know, don't mess with me, look what I've
got. Other people that night are carrying around semi-automatic
pistols, Glocks, which you can conceal and hide. Other people can't see
it. It is not designed to tell people to go away. It is not designed to
tell people to leave me alone. You carry around an assault rifle like
this you are sending that message to other people. That is what the
defendant was doing."
The defense picks up the revelation that Kyle called 911 at the CVS incident.
At about 2:02 Defense attorney Chirafisi:
"I was unaware that Mr. Rittenhouse had actually called the authorities on the August 10th date."
Binger continues to try to convince Judge Schroeder the CVS video should be included as evidence.
At about 2:06 in the video, DA Binger states the FBI made an infrared video from an orbiting plane which shows Rittenhouse running after Mr. Rosenbaum. Binger says the defense was made aware of the video on 3 May, but he does not believe defense attorney Richards has seen it.
Binger claims there was a confrontation between Rittenhouse and Rosebaum, He claims Rittenhouse was chasing Rosenbaum. The defense has not seen this FBI infrared video.
Judge Schroeder says the events are too dissimilar for the CVS
incident to be included as evidence, but he will not make a final
decision at this time, pending seeing the video evidence, which he has not viewed.
The Prosecution then makes a claim about a defense motion to dismiss the charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a minor. The defense is probably calling the attention of the judge to the structure of Wisconsin statute 948.60, with regard to possession of rifles and shotguns by minors.
To this correspondent, DA Binger appears to misstate the statutory law.
Judge Schroeder agrees to send the brief by the prosecution, about the firearms possession issue from the Dominick Black case, to the Rittenhouse defense team, which has not seen it before.
Judge Schroeder says he will take the issue of legal possession of the firearm under advisement. He has not considered it in either the Rittenhouse or Black cases, as of September 17th, 2021.
Judge Schroeder has required DA Binger to read or refer to statutes at least twice at other points in this case.
Many have wondered if Dominick Black would be charged with the straw purchase of the rifle, under federal law.
Earlier, DA Binger noted Kyle Rittenhouse's access to the rifle was limited. It was stored in Wisconsin. Rittenhouse had only shot the rifle one time prior to August 25, 2020.
This makes federal prosecution of Dominick Black for a straw purchase of the rifle unlikely, as the rifle was never permanently transferred to Kyle Rittenhouse. It is permissible to loan a rifle for a limited time and purpose, without transferring it through a federally licensed dealer.
Both the prosecution and defense agreed they would be ready for a November 1 start of trial.
There is an issue about the use of questionnaires for jury selection.
The judge states he did not like to use questionnaires during jury selection. Judge Schroeder said no questions will be allowed about gun ownership, gun possession, or
membership in a particular organization.
He said: "This is not a political trial, it is not going to be a political trial."
Both the defense and prosecutors want to use questionnaires for jury selection.
Because both prosecution and defense
attorneys want questionnaires, the Judge Schroeder said he will take the use of questionnaires under advisement.
Judge Schroeder makes comments on media coverage of the Rittenhouse case:
"There has been some grossly irresponsible misreporting on a few occasions about what happened in this case."
"The case should not be tried in the media."
If you are following the case closely, it is worth taking the time to watch the entire two hour and 36 minute hearing.
Coverage by other national media was extremely limited. There is much detail in the video. It would require tens of thousands of words to completely cover it in a written article.
On October 2, 2021, at approximately 8:44PM, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department responded to a shooting at a residence in the 200 block of Morton Avenue. Upon arrival, officers located a 30-year-old female and a 31-year-old male, both of whom had been shot. The initial investigation indicates that John Townley, 31, arrived at the Morton Avenue address that was occupied by Laura Townley, 30, and Zachary Anderson, 32, of Dunwoody, GA. Shortly after Mr. Townley arrived at the residence, there was an altercation between Mr. Townley and Mr. Anderson involving a hatchet. At some point during the altercation, Anderson fired several shots from his firearm. As a result, Ms. Townley and Mr. Townley were struck. Both were transported to a local hospital. John Townley died as a result of his injuries. Laura Townley sustained serious injuries and is expected to survive.
John Townley was wielding the hatchet. Laura had been John's wife, but was estranged and/or divorced. The relationship between Laura and Mr. Anderson is uncertain.
On September 16, 2021, the Government of New York State hosted a gun turn in event in New Rochelle, New York. Monetary rewards were offered for guns turned in. These events are typically labeled with the Orwellian phrase "buyback", but the government cannot "buyback" items it never owned. From lohud.com:
Guns can be turned in for money in New Rochelle Friday with no questions asked.
The state Attorney General's Office, New Rochelle police and Westchester County District Attorney's Office are teaming up on the gun buyback program, with assault rifles fetching $250, handguns $150, rifles and shotguns $75, and non-working and antique guns $25.
The event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bethesda Baptist Church, 71 Lincoln Ave., New Rochelle.
Payment will be made in the form of prepaid debit cards. Each person who turns in an operable handgun or assault rifle will also receive a free iPad.
From the image, there appears to be 22 pistols (7 revolvers, 15 semi-autos), 26 ordinary long guns, including 2 collectible military bolt action rifles, and two HK91 or similar clones, perhaps made from kits. The picture may have been taken before the event was finished.
There have been numerous academic studies showing these events do not decrease crime or suicides. The most rigorous and largest study showed a slight increase in crime committed with guns in the two months after these events. From a previous article:
Moreover,
during the first two months following the gun buyback, we find that a
GBP is associated with an increase in incidents of firearm-related
crime. The 7.7 percent increase in gun crime we detect in column (4) is
relatively modest, suggesting at most, two additional gun crimes.24
The press release by Attorney General Leticia James' office shows numerous false assumptions. From the New York Government press release:
“Every gun that was brought in today will make our communities safer,” said Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah.
“Allowing people to safely remove unwanted guns from their homes can
help reduce many of the risks associated with having a firearm,
including suicide, domestic violence, and unintentional deaths of
children. It will also help prevent these guns from falling into the
wrong hands and making our streets less safe. We thank New York Attorney
General James, the County Executive, and the New Rochelle Police
Department for partnering with us on this essential public safety
initiative.”
Removing unwanted guns from peoples homes is not "taking guns off the street". The only barriers requiring the state to "allow people to safely remove unwanted guns" are those imposed by the government. In most states it is very safe and simple to advertise the gun for sale, sell it to a gun dealer; or take it to a gun show for sale.
The assumption that more guns equal more danger has repeatedly been shown to be false. In many cases, more guns equal less danger.
The major purpose of these events appears to be propaganda. The message is:
Guns are bad. Turn them in to the police.
The next event appears to be scheduled for Rome, New York, with the same incentives. The event will be held on September 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The announcement of an upcoming gun turn-in for the Rome emphasizes these events are "amnesty" events. From spectrumlocalnews.com:
Guns must be unloaded and placed in a plastic bag, paper bag, or box.
This is an amnesty program, meaning no questions will be asked of
anybody dropping off a gun.
While this is an amnesty program, licensed dealers and law enforcement officers are not eligible. As "no questions will be asked", how are they to be excluded?
Licensed gun dealers and active or retired law enforcement officers are not eligible to participate in this program.
It is not surprising the numbers are low. Nearly any working long gun is worth more than $75 on the free market. Nearly any working handgun is worth more than $150. Only a few guns labeled as "assault rifles" will have a market value of less than $250.
The program takes advantage of people ignorant of guns and their value, by giving them less than what the guns are worth, in order to make government propaganda.
Some savvy gun owners will use the program to unload barely functional arms for cash.
Police are investigating after a man attempted to carjack another
man, but the would-be robber was shot Saturday afternoon in a potential
act of self-defense, according to the Pomona Police Department.
According to police, the incident took place in the 500 block of East
Franklin Avenue at about 12:32 p.m., when a man with a handgun
confronted another man and attempted to carjack him.
The man who initiated the robbery, however, was the one who was shot.
It was shortly before 10 p.m. Monday when Houston police say Al
Vernon Brown, 47, walked into a convenience store in Houston's Sunnyside
neighborhood.
"Our initial investigation our suspect entered
the store with two firearms, started yelling and screaming at the
patrons and store employee," said Lt. Christopher Bruce, Houston PD.
The man ordered the door locked and five customers and three
employees to the ground, threatening to shoot anyone who left. Police
say several people outside saw what was happening, and that's when
Whitelow entered with a pistol of his own, demanding Brown release the
hostages.
"That resulted in the victim being shot," said Lt. Bruce.
"He
still didn’t deserve that, though," said Phylicia Wright, Whitelow's
aunt. "He shouldn’t been trying to go save nobody else."
The 18th time thieves tried to steal meat mogul Evan Wexler’s exotic
sports cars, he ran naked from his bed with a loaded semi-automatic
rifle to fire warning shots from his porch.
The gunfire worked and the thief fled.
But Wexler, 56, has bared his frustration with police he claimed were more concerned with his vigilantism than catching the callous car bandits who have targeted
his Ferrari, Lamborghini and Hummer collection for the past two years.
Deputies received reports of an assault and shots fired in the 700-block
of Caves Highway just after midnight. Upon arrival, the deputies found
31-year-old Justin Thurman being held at gunpoint by several neighbors.
On September 23, 2021, the Firearms Policy Coalition filed a lawsuit challenging a ban on the sale and possession of precursor materials used by individuals to make their own firearms. The ban flies in the face of long standing precedents. Individuals have been legally and practically able to make their own firearms ever since the Republic was founded. From firearmspolicy.org:
“The right of individuals to
self-manufacture arms for self-defense and other lawful purposes is part
and parcel of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms and an
important front in the battle to secure fundamental rights against
abusive government regulations, like San Diego’s unconstitutional ban,”
said Adam Kraut, FPC’s Senior Director of Legal Operations. “FPC will
continue to aggressively work to defend the People’s rights and property
in this case and dozens of others throughout the United States.”
The United States chose not to follow the path of Japan, where the warlord/rulers, after using firearms to unify Japan under one government, made the individual manufacture of firearms without a license illegal, then consolidated all firearms manufacture to one city; then banned firearms manufacture and all ownership by private individuals. In most governments around the world, the private manufacture by unlicensed individuals is forbidden.
Most other governments in the world have strict controls on what can be said or written and published. Such controls are becoming more common in formeerly free countries such as Australia, England, and Canada.
34. In the First Amendment context, free speech rights include the ability to build one’s own printing and communications devices, print one’s own fliers, and utilize largely unregulated channels of speech in the exercise of the rights secured. In that context, it is well established and readily accepted that the government cannot lawfully narrow the channels for exercising the right to freely speak through government-approved gatekeepers who create or provide limited channels of speech and limited means of distribution for a beholden populace.
35. Likewise, in the Second Amendment context, the government cannot lawfully narrow the channels for exercising the right to keep and bear arms by limiting one’s access to the instruments essential to self-manufacturing in the exercise of that right, by forcing people to exercise it solely through the acquisition of firearms from limited, government-approved manufacturers of firearms and firearm predecessor materials.
It is likely this complaint will go to Judge Roger T. Benitez, of the District Court in the Southern District of California. Judge Benitez is the author of other decisions about the scope of the Second Amendment. Judge Benitez is a careful scholar with excellent logic and writing skills.
If he is assigned the case, we should know relatively soon. The lawsuit calls for an immediate injunction against the enforcement of the San Diego Ordinance no. 0-2022-7.
A ban on the possession of objects which can be made into firearms receivers or frames is a very broad ban indeed. It logically would include a great many metal pipes; perhaps blocks of metal or plastic. It is part of the rabbit hole of gun control. You cannot effectively control guns in an industrial society, unless you control the information about how to make guns, and the tools needed to make them.
The idea that "untraceable" and "unregistered" firearms are a unique threat to society is false. Most guns in the United States are untraceable and unregistered. If even a million of them are made in a given year, it is a small number compared to the hundreds of millions already in existence in the United States.
The firearms made are of the types in common use for self defense and
other legal purposes. The ordinance is not narrowly tailored to have
minimum impact on ordinary citizens, nor is the "harm" from the private
manufacture of guns shown to be more dangerous than the ordinary
manufacture of firearms.
The Second Amendment, necessarily takes some policy decisions "off the table". This is one of them.
If the lawsuit goes to Judge Benitez, I expect it to be found unconstitutional. There is no longstanding law that forbids law abiding citizens to own, make, or sell partly finished firearms frames or receivers.
Once at the scene, deputies located an adult male suffering from a
gunshot wound to the head. Paramedics transported the man to Broward
Health Medical Center where he died from his injuries. The female
subject was also transported to a nearby hospital for medical
evaluation.
The preliminary investigation revealed that some sort of altercation
occurred, and a shot was fired. The investigation also revealed the
male subject had a history of domestic violence. Homicide detectives are
investigating this incident and will be presenting the case to the
Broward County State Attorney’s Office for review.
Miramar police spokeswoman Tania Rues said, “Preliminary information
we received was that the deceased person approached the person at a
stoplight and started banging on the window and the door frame and tried
to open the car door and that is when the driver pulled out his weapon
and fired a round.”
Rues said the driver and a witness called 911.
The driver was detained initially for questioning. So far no charges
have been filed. Rues said it appears the two men did not know each
other and that this was a random act.
There have been a spate of bear - people conflicts in Idaho from July through September. Three of them happened near Island Park, which is in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). A sow with at least one cub mauled a hiker on July 10, 2021. From ksl.com:
Although the bear that Whitney estimated between 350 and 400 pounds
began to swing its claws and bite him, he lay in the fetal position and
covered his head and neck. The bear's cub stayed a short distance away
from the attack.
"All I could hear is the growling and I honestly
thought, 'What a way to go, and this might have been it,'" Whitney said.
"I said a quick little prayer hoping things would de-escalate, and next
thing I knew, the bear took off."
On July 31, a bike rider was very happy he was faster than the grizzly chasing him. This bear was also a sow. The Idaho Fish & Game believes the bear had cubs. From ksl.com:
ISLAND PARK, Idaho — A mountain biker avoided injury after being
chased by a grizzly bear near Island Park in northeastern Idaho Friday
morning.
The U.S. Forest Service for Caribou-Targhee National Forest posted on Facebook
and said a female grizzly bear was sighted in the Stamp Meadows Road
area. The bear chased the biker but did not catch or hurt him.
Then, on 23 September, a sow grizzly, reportedly with cubs, in the area, was shot and killed when it attacked archery hunters near Island Park. The hunters deployed both bear spray and a pistol. The incident is still under investigation, but it appears the bear was shot at very close range. It is elk archery season in Island Park, Idaho. From idaho.gov:
On
Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, Idaho Fish and Game received a report of a
sow grizzly bear that charged two elk hunters in the Stamp Meadows area
near Island Park. As the bear charged, one of the hunters deployed bear
spray while the other discharged a firearm at close range, mortally
wounding the bear. Neither hunter appeared to be injured during the
encounter.
If the sow and cubs were the same in all three incidents, the sow and her cub(s) will not be a threat to people in the Island Park area any longer.
Black bears were contributing to the problem in other parts of the state. On September 9, 2021, a black bear sow with cubs was killed, illegally, near Priest Lake in the northern panhandle. The bear had been a problem bear for weeks. The Idaho Fish & Game had attempted to live trap it, but were unsuccessful. A few days earlier it had wounded one pet and killed another. Priest Lake has an abundance of both grizzly and black bears. From Idaho.gov:
Initially,
Fish and Game staff provided local residents with assistance and
suggestions for bear awareness and securing trash and attractants to try
and reduce potential for human and bear conflicts.
In
late-Aug. the sow quarreled with two dogs at separate residences in the
area as she was defending her young. The incidents resulted in the
death of one dog and multiple stitches for the other.
From
Sep. 1 to Sep. 8, Fish and Game staff attempted to trap the bears in
the area. In situations like this, the hope is the bears can be trapped
and relocated unharmed. The trapping attempts were unsuccessful, and
reports of the bears in the area continued.
Between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Sep. 8, rifle shots near the dumpsters in Hills Resort were heard by residents in the area.
On
Sep. 9, Fish and Game staff located the dead sow. She had been shot
several times and her body was left to waste. The cubs were not in the
area and have not been seen since the time of the incident. If they are
located, they will likely have to be put down as they will likely not
survive the winter months on their own.
In Boise, on the Southwest part of Idaho, two bears were killed by Idaho Fish & Game on September 18 and 24. From idaho.gov:
Read more here: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article254504012.html#storylink=cpy
Fish and Game officials attempted to chemically immobilize the
bear. Before the immobilization drug could fully take effect, the bear
fell out of the tree and ran downhill toward Hill Road. Officers from
Fish and Game and the Boise Police Department dispatched the bear before
it could move further into more densely populated residential areas.
This is the second incident involving a bear in Boise in the
past week that has resulted in the bear being euthanized. On Sept. 18, Fish and Game officers euthanized a black bear in a southeast Boise industrial park compound
between South Federal Way and I-84. The black bear was a subadult male
that had been captured and moved from a north-end Boise residential
neighborhood 4 months earlier.
The September 9 incident at Priest Lake had to be on the mind of the local Fish and Game officials. When private citizens become frustrated at the inaction of government agencies, government agents may be incentivized to be more vigilant. Even dedicated animal lovers become irritated when their pets are killed in town, by animals encroaching on their territory.
“Neighbors had videos of him parking in front of the residence and
looking through windows, ultimately breaking through the door and
pulling a weapon out,” said Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings.
Prosecutor Cummings says the suspect could also be heard on video asking for money and pretending to be law enforcement.
“There was audio, and you could hear what he was saying inside. He
said, ‘It’s the police.’ He was claiming to be police officer, but he
had a mask on,” said Cummings.
After retreating upstairs, police claim the homeowner shot the suspect then ran to a neighbor’s house, and police were called.
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” -- Thomas Jefferson
Syndicated columnist Charley Reese (1937-2013): "Gun control by definition affects only honest people. When a politician tells you he wants to forbid you from owning a firearm or force you to get a license, he is telling you he doesn’t trust you. That’s an insult. ... Gun control is not about guns or crime. It is about an elite that fears and despises the common people."
The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles -- Jeff Cooper (1920-2006)
Note for non-American readers: Crime reports from America which describe an offender just as a "teen" or "teenager" almost invariably mean a BLACK teenager.
We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.
Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)
First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean
It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.
The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
How much do you know about Trayvon Martin? It's all here (Backups here and here)
“An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” -- Robert A. Heinlein
After all the serious stuff here, maybe we need a funny picture of a cantankerous cat
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