CINCINNATI — One person is in the hospital after a Westwood resident shot a knife-wielding home intruder late Tuesday night, according to Cincinnati police.
It happened around 11 p.m. at an apartment complex on Harrison Avenue.
Police said the a person charged at a resident with a knife, but the resident pulled out a gun and shot that person.
Lines are from 2022, bars are from 2023
Gun sales and National Instant background Check System (NICS) numbers for September of 2023 continue the trend of being the fifth highest for the month. The first full year of NICS records is for 1999. The history of NICS now covers the last 25 years. NICS checks were recorded at 2,104,825 for September of 2023.. Gun sales for September are estimated at 1.09 million. NICS does not track gun sales directly. Multiple gun sales can be done with one background check. 25 states have permit systems which can be used instead of a separate background check. Background checks are done for multiple purposes besides gun sales. The number of background checks done for each gun sale has varied considerably from year to year.
According to estimates by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), September of 2023 is the 50th continuous month on record in which gun sales in NICS exceeded 1 million guns. August and September have been reasonably close in NICS numbers for most of NICS history. August has had slightly more NICS checks than September for the last six years. Only two Octobers in the last 25 years have had NICS checks lower than the previous September.
This correspondent expects October of 2023 numbers to be significantly higher than those for September because of the recent events in Israel. Israel has strict restrictions on the private ownership of firearms. There are only about 150,000 private guns in the country, or about 1.6 for each 100 Israelis. The restrictions are part of the legacy of Israel being founded as a socialist country. 500 dead Israelis is a large number for a small country, with a population of less than ten million people. Many Americans will look at this attack, the number of unarmed Israelis, and come to the conclusion they need weapons of their own, as governments cannot reliably protect their citizens.
The world is in some sort of significant transition period. Historically, it looks a little like the world prior to World War I, or prior to World War II. There is considerable unrest against the existing world order. Inside the United States, the current administration seems intent on destroying the Bill of Rights and the balance of power so as to insure a one party rule by the left for the foreseeable future. Leftists rule many states and cities, and act surprised when their policies produce chaos and uncertainty. Ordinary citizens are appalled at the lack of order. This is part of what has driven gun sales to the new normal of over a million every month.
Ammunition prices appear stable at the moment. It is a good time to stock up if you have the means. Ammunition is a hard asset which maintains value. Inflation is going to hit ammunition prices if it has not done so yet. Quality ammunition, if stored in a cool, dry place, has a shelf life measured in decades.
Guns and ammunition are commodities for uncertainty and difficulty. When people no longer trust the authorities, they desire the ability to protect themselves. The United States has a long tradition of spontaneously organizing local militias to maintain order during periods of local emergency and disorder. The United States has more firearms and ammunition per person than any other country on the planet.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
About 7 p.m. Sunday, the ECSO, Poarch Tribal Police and Atmore Police responded to a shots fired disturbance in the 7400 block of Jack Spring Road near the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation. They arrived to find two males suffering from gunshot wounds after they attempted to rob two other men, Jackson said.
“One of the victims was armed and after being threatened with a weapon, discharged his weapon at both suspects,” the sheriff said.
Both suspects were airlifted to a trauma center. An update on their conditions was not available.
John Lott and Carlisle E. Moody have authored a paper examining the effect of the Lautenberg Amendment prohibition on the possession of firearms by people subject to a domestic violence restraining order. The relevant statute is 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8). From the abstract:
We find that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) has no statistically significant beneficial impact on domestic murder, domestic femicide, domestic gun murder, or domestic gun femicide.
The findings in the paper are robust. The paper is well done and statistically sophisticated, as is expected from authors Lott and Moody. The paper shows there are no policy advantages gained from the federal ban on the possession of firearms by people who are under a domestic violence restraining order. The ban fails to accomplish its stated goal of reducing intimate partner homicides. It fails to reduce even domestic femicides committed with guns. The findings of the research have been submitted to the Supreme Court as part of an Amicus brief for the United States v Rahimi case by the Crime Prevention Research Center.
The findings are what this correspondent has long suspected. John Lott, Carlisle Moody and the Crime Prevention Research Center have done the nation a significant service with this sophisticated analysis of 38 years of dense homicide data from the FBI Supplemental Homicide Reports (SHR). The data is available from 1976 - 2020. Bolstering and confirming the basic evidence from the SHR are detailed data on state level domestic violence law and restraining orders.
A look at the data on intimate partner homicide shows a clear and convincing pattern in the SHR data. From 1976 to 1996, the intimate partner homicide rate drops dramatically, as shown in this graph from a Bureau of Justice Statistics Factbook published in March of 1998.
The chart shows raw numbers. According to the source, female victims decreased by 1% per year, and male victims decreased by 5% per year. Because of population increase, the rate of intimate partner homicides declined even more. From 1976 to 1996, the population increased by 24%. If the raw numbers of homicides had remained the same, the rate would have fallen by 24%. A cdc.gov paper shows intimate partner homicide rates which cover most of the period:
The Lautenberg Amendment, which created the ban on possession of firearms by people who are under a domestic violence restraining order, became effective on September 30, 1996. A curious thing happened. The number of intimate partner homicides, which had been falling for two decades, leveled off at about 1300 victims (with a known relationship) per year. The total number depends on how the unknown relationship number is treated, which shows a tendency to increase from about 38% in 1997 to 48% in 2019. Those numbers are from this correspondent's notes while examining SHR data. The notes are not a rigorous study. This is an unexpected result, as the rate of total homicides dropped from 7.4 in 1996 to 4.5 in 2014.
It is difficult to know if the ban on possession of firearms by those under a restraining order increased intimate partner homicides, decreased intimate partner homicides, or had no effect on intimate partner homicides, without a sophisticated statistical examination of the data. The sophisticated examination of the data, including analysis of numerous other variables affecting homicide rates, is supplied by the research done by Lott and Moody.
The Lott and Moody paper shows no statistically significant effect on intimate partner homicides. There has been a significant effect on the lives and fortunes of tens of thousands of people who have been the victimized by the law. About 50,000 people are listed as prohibited possessors because of domestic violence restraining orders in the NICS active records index at any one time. Because domestic violence restraining orders are supposed to be temporary, it is reasonable to believe over 40,000 people are victimized by the law each year. The detrimental effects are not small. Many people who depend on access to firearms for their career have had their careers destroyed. Restraining orders are commonly used as a weapon in divorce proceedings to unjustly gain advantage in custody battles or property awards. Severe economic and emotional hardships are common. How many people who have been victimized by the law become victims of crime because they have been disarmed, is unknown.
The damage to the fabric of the nation is significant. Enforcing a controversial law which large percentages of the population see as unconstitutional on its face, for decades, does great harm to respect for the rule of law.
Banning the ownership of firearms for a mere domestic violence restraining order has been, both practically and constitutionally, a monumental failure.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
According to Martin, two suspects entered the home, and the homeowner fired shots at them.
No injuries have been reported, and no arrests have been made as of Monday, October 9.
Image of grizzly bear by Troy Nemitz, used with permission.
Early reports are two dedicated hikers and campers, Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, his wife, and their dog, have been killed by a grizzly bear in a remote part of Banff National Park in Canada. At least one empty can of bear spray was found at the scene. From Calgary Herald.com:
From what he was told by Parks Canada officials, it appears the attack began when the couple were in their tent, where they would have typically been poring over e-readers with Tris by their side, Colin said.
“Their tent was crushed and their e-readers were open, they were both discovered in their stocking feet,” he said.
It also appeared one of both of them might have left their tent and fought the bear to the end, he added.
“One can of bear spray had been fully discharged but this bear was not to be deterred,” Colin said.
“It’s possible one was on the outside trying to fend off the bear while the other was in the tent sending the message.”
He was also told the response team encountered the same grizzly believed to be responsible for the deadly attack, and were forced to shoot it.
“In their words, the bear was intent on killing them.”
Another source, outsideonline.com reports two empty cans of bear spray were at the scene:
Colin Inglis told the CBC that the couple had messaged him throughout the trip via a Garmin inReach. On the evening of the attack, he received a message saying the two were setting up camp. But later that evening, Colin Inglis received an SOS message from the two. “The message said ‘Bear attack bad,’” he told the CBC.
Colin Inglis said rescuers found two empty canisters of bear spray in the couple’s campsite.
Both sources cite Colin Inglis, identified as Doug Inglis' nephew, for the information. The scenario, where two people have two cans of bear spray, and a dog with them, makes the potential to use the spray during an attack highly plausible. The couple's tragic deaths increase the number of cases where bear spray was used during a bear attack, and people were killed, to eight incidents where nine people were killed. Seven previous incidents were detailed in an AmmoLand article. Canadian National Parks bans people from carrying firearms inside its borders. The couple did not have the legal option to carry a firearm for protection. United States National Parks had a similar policy until 2008. Handguns have been shown to be 98% effective in stopping bear attacks. A figure of "98%" has been widely disseminated for bear spray, but the calculations involved are completely different. It is extremely difficult for people to obtain permission to carry handguns for defense in the Canadian wilderness. A few permits are issued for people who are required to work in wild areas.
Bear spray has been available since 1986. Eight incidents have been documented where bear spray was sprayed and nine people were killed by bears. Modern cartridge handguns have been available since about 1873. One person has been documented as killed in one incident where a handgun was fired in defense against bears.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Around 4:15 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a home invasion at 106 Forest Circle in Aberdeen. Upon arriving, deputies learned that Collins had been shot and subsequently died from her injuries.
Sheriff’s investigators determined that an exchange of gunfire happened within the residence between the home invaders and the occupants.
A 17-year-old, believed to be one of the perpetrators, was also shot during the incident, according to the sheriff’s office. He was transported to Moore Regional Hospital by private vehicle where he later died from his injuries.
The Florida Attorney General, Ashley Moody, has issued an opinion clarifying that the Florida legal definition of a "short-barreled rifle" does not include a pistol to which a stablizing brace has been attached, even if the stabilizing brace is used as a stock. From myfloridalegal.com:
Unless and until judicially or legislatively clarified, I conclude that the definition of "short-barreled rifle," which the Legislature enacted in 1969, does not include a handgun, such as a pistol, to which a person attaches a stabilizing brace, because the use of a such an optional accessory does not change the fundamental characteristics of the handgun.
The Florida statute banning the possession of short-barreled rifles was passed in 1969, shortly after the Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed by Congress at the urging of President Lyndon Johnson. From Florida Statutes 790.001(16)
(16) “Short-barreled rifle” means a rifle having one or more barrels less than 16 inches in length and any weapon made from a rifle (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches.
The short-barreled rifles were added to the federal National Firearms Act in 1934 as an afterthought by the actions of an addled, drunk, or Machiavellian Minnesota Congressman, Harold Knutson. Knutson was a man of dubious sexual proclivities who used his position on the Ways and Means Committee to have the Roosevelt Administration add short-barreled rifles to the items which required a $200 tax and to be registered withe the Federal government. The Roosevelt administration never considered short-barreled rifles to be a significant criminal problem. They were focused on handguns.
In 1961, 27 years later, that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), then a part of the Department of the Treasury, officially defined shoulder-stocked pistols as short-barreled rifles. The defined the most common shoulder-stocked pistols, Mausers and Lugers, into the curio and relic category (effectively removing them from the definition of short-barreled rifles) in 1981.
Shoulder stocks had been available for pistols as long as there have been pistols. Many people found that adding a shoulder-stock to a pistol aided in its accuracy. Such was implied by the use of a shoulder stocked pistol by the character Colonel Mortimer in the Western movie "For a Few Dollars More".
Banning an entire class of firearms which are in common use is not allowed by the Second Amendment, as held in the Heller decision and clarified in the Bruen decision in 2022. Short barreled rifles were common and advertised prior to 1934. Several hundred thousand have been registered under the onerous regulations and tax requirements of the National Firearm Act. Pistols with shoulder stocks should never have been added to the NFA.
Congressman have been educated beyond what they were in 1934 and 1968. Those who want to disarm the American people resort to silly argument about how adding a shoulder stock to a pistol makes it "more powerful". They also claim it is still as concealeable as a pistol. Adding a shoulder stock makes a pistol less concealable.
Shoulder stocked pistols have historically been hindered by the same short sight radius which exists for regular pistols. The advent of micro red-dot optical sights has increased the practical accuracy of a shoulder stocked pistol to virtually the same as a pistol caliber carbine.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
CHICAGO - A man and woman shot each other inside a home in Gresham following a fight Sunday morning.
Police say a 33-year-old man was in an argument with a 52-year-old woman, who he knew, when he pulled a handgun.
The two were inside a residence in the 1700 block of West 86th Street at about 1:50 p.m. when the incident occurred.
Police say the fight became physical and the woman was shot in the stomach. She then wrestled the runaway from the man and shot him in the chest and back.
Both the victim and the offender were transported to Christ Medical Center in critical condition.
In the 9400 block of S. Lafayette, on Oct. 7, 2023, at approx. 1:38 p.m., two male victims, 15 and 16, approached an unknown male and initiated a physical altercation with the unknown male. The unknown male then produced a handgun and fired shots. There are no offenders in custody, area detectives are investigating.
Male victim, 15 – struck in the leg and was transported to LCM Hospital initially reported in good condition.
Male victim, 16 – struck in the hand and was transported to LCM Hospital initially reported in good condition.
A male victim, 28 was in a dispute with an unknown male offender in the alley when both subjects produced handguns and exchanged gunfire. The offender fled the scene and it is unknown at this time if he sustained injuries. The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the right leg and arm and was transported to Mt Sinai hospital in good condition. The victim was very uncooperative and refused to answer questions about the incident. Officers did recover his weapon and there is no one in custody. Area Five detectives continue to investigate the incident.
"Five suspects, who were described as wearing hooded sweatshirts, used hammers to smash the jewelry showcases," said the statement. "An employee of the store responded by using a firearm to shoot towards the suspects."
After the employee opened fire, police say that the
suspects were seen fleeing southbound on Sepulveda Blvd. in vehicles
that were waiting outside of the store.
According to police, a carjacker had stolen a vehicle and had to ditch it a few feet away because he couldn’t drive the standard transmission.
Police said while the man ran to another suspect’s vehicle, the victim pulled out a gun and started shooting at them. That’s when, police say, the suspect in the passenger seat was grazed in the head by a bullet that went through the headrest of the car.
Officials learned a man, identified as 30-year-old Ricky Gomez, had forced his way into a home in the area and the man living at the home shot him. Gomez died from his injuries at a hospital.
The investigation is ongoing.
Image by Troy Nemitz, with permission.
The number of Florida bears have skyrocketed. The bear population was estimated at 300 - 500 in 1974. Black bear hunting was banned in Florida in 1994, when the population was estimated at 1280 to 1290. In 1998, the population was estimated at 1500. According to the tampabay.com, there were 2,000 to 2,500 bears in 2006.
In a 2015 bear hunt, a meager 304 bears were harvested. In 2016, the population was estimated at 4,350 bears. No study has been done to estimate the bear population since then. Bears are very adaptable. There remains considerable habitat for bears to populate in Florida, in competition with humans. The number of bears today is likely much higher than in 2016. If there is sufficient food and habitat available, bears will increase their population at a 10-20% per year. From a 2016 article published in the news-journalonline.com:
An estimated 4,350 adult black bears live across the state, an increase of 60 percent since the last statewide estimate in 2002, said Thomas Eason, director of habitat and species conservation for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That's a return from an estimated population of 300 to 500 bears in the 1970s and about a third of the number estimated to live in the state when European settlers arrived.
“They’re one of our greatest success stories from a conservation perspective in Florida,” Eason said. Bears are "abundant," he said, their "populations are strong and robust and growing."
The new estimate is the total before the agency’s controversial bear hunt last fall, which killed at least 304 bears, he said. But, it also does not include an estimated 2,000 bear cubs born in Florida this spring. With a cub survival rate of 40 to 60 percent, he estimated about 1,000 of those cubs could survive the year.
In Michigan, the bear population continues to increase with a 15% harvest rate. If we assume a conservative growth rate of 10%, there would be more than 8,500 bears in Florida at the end of 2023. If we assume a 15% growth rate, there would be 11,500 bears in Florida at the end of 2023. It is very close to the number of bears thought to exist in pre-Columbian Florida. Estimates of pre-Columbian bear populations are highly speculative.
The amount of calories available to bears in present day Florida is likely higher than it was in pre-Columbian time. Agriculture was more primitive then, with far less cultivated land. Modern agriculture produces many more bear-friendly calories per acre than did primeval forests and swamps. Human made fertilizers make each acre much more productive than they used to be. Many more calories are brought to the land from the sea today than was possible with stone age fishing equipment. With man removed as the top predator, bears have very few natural enemies, with most predation of young bears done by older male bears.
How many bears are there in Florida? We do not know. Another study is due this year, in 2023. Bear attacks and bear encroachment onto human habitat continues. There were 37 bear-human conflicts where the bear made physical contact with a person from 2006 to 2022, according to Florda Fish and Wildlife Commission table. Given estimates of the bear population (according to FWC), that would be one physical contact conflict for every 1600 bears per year. There are probably many more conflicts were bears destroy property and/or are driven off without contact with humans.
To maintain a bear population of 4000, about 400 to 800 bears need to be harvested each year. To maintain a bear population of 8,000, abut 800 to 1,600 bears need to be harvested each year. If humans refuse to limit the bear population, it is unknown what level it may reach. Before the maximum is reached, the increasing number of bear attacks will change the public attitude, and regular bear hunts will be used to maintain a level bear population.
A few days ago, Florida state representative Jason Shoaf filed HB 87, a bill to allow the taking of a bear or bears if the person believes such force is necessary to protect himself, herself, or their private property. The person taking the bear would not be allowed to keep the bear hide or meat, or to bait the bear. The bill is unlikely to pass.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Northeast officers are at a shooting scene 1200 Jensen. Adult male is expected to survive. Initial reports are the male burglary suspect was shot by a security officer after trying to spray paint a security K9 and assault the security officer.
Around 6:40 p.m., two suspects, both men, met with two other men at a residence on the 11000 block of Loch Lomond Road, east of the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway and south of Katella Avenue, for a suspected drug deal, said Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Woodroof. The suspected sellers then attempted to rob the two men at the residence at gunpoint.
The two men, also armed, exchanged gunfire outside the residence, ending when the suspected dealers were both shot and injured, Woodroof said.
On October 1, 2023, at about 3:45 a.m., Dallas Police responded to a shooting call at 11000 block of Harry Hines Blvd.
The preliminary investigation determined a uniformed, commissioned security guard, 26-year-old David Thomas, was escorting a 32-year-old Marqurius Lambert from the property when Lambert went to his car and put a firearm into his waistband.
Lambert then pulled out the firearm and he and Thomas started to fight over the weapon.
During the struggle, Thomas fired his weapon, hitting the suspect.
Lambert tried to leave the scene in his car, but crashed, then ran from the scene.
Around 4:45 am, Lambert went to a local hospital for a gunshot wound to the arm. Lambert was treated, then arrested and charged with Assault on a Security Guard.
He was taken to the Dallas County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing.
While en route, police learned someone was struck by the gunfire and there was a carjacking.
The car that was taken, a 2010 silver Chevy Malibu, was found unoccupied a short time later at Poplar Street and Eggleston Circle in the borough.
It was not yet clear who was hit by gunfire, though the police radio traffic indicated the owner of the vehicle shot at the carjacker.
One suspect was identified as a Black male, 5-8 to 5-10, with shoulder-length dreds.
Garcia initially called 911 to report that he shot an intruder at his home, located at 407 Wesmeco Dr., S.E. Garcia told responding officers that he was in his bedroom watching TV when he discovered a woman was in his home. He said the woman had cut his screen door to make entry into his home. Garcia told officers that he retrieved his firearm and pulled the female subject to the front room of the house. Garcia stated that he told the female, “If you move then I am going to shoot you.”
Garcia said he went to the kitchen to retrieve his phone to call 911, and the woman stood up and attempted to run out of the door saying, “I’m not gonna let you call the cops on me.” Garcia said he then grabbed the woman by the back of her shirt and the gun went off. Garcia further clarified that he grabbed the woman and she yanked him out the door and the gun went off.
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