MO: Shotgun threat chases off robber: "Police were searching Monday for a man who broke in to a mobile home and held a 68-year-old man at knife point Sunday morning, said Detective Dave Tiefenbrunn with the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department. The suspect entered the trailer, located in the 1700 block of Veterans Memorial Parkway in Marquette Mobile Village, about 8 a.m. through an unlocked screen door, Tiefenbrunn said. "The suspect held the victim at knife point," Tiefenbrunn said, while he took the man's vehicle keys, a cell phone and prescription medication. "During this time, the victim, in fear for his life, thought he could remove the knife and a struggle ensued," he said. The burglar escaped through the front door and attempted to steal the man's van, but decided to flee on foot when the man yelled to him from behind the trailer that he had a shotgun, he said."


TX: Shot robber found guilty: "Jurors in the case of a man accused of robbing a Lazy Lane home found him guilty Tuesday of a lesser offense. Eric Garcia, 37, was being tried on an aggravated robbery charge, a first-degree felony. Jurors instead found him guilty of aggravated assault. Prosecutor Joe Mike Peña has said Garcia was one of three would-be robbers who was shot by a homeowner on Jan 23. Officers who responded to the scene have said they found Albert Medrano Jr., 34, dead outside the home in the 1500 block of Lazy Lane and Lorenzo Moreno lying paralyzed in the kitchen doorway. Garcia’s blood left a trail leading away from the home. His blood also was on a gun left in a nearby trash can and on a baseball cap found in some bushes, according to testimony. Garcia was arrested in February in San Antonio."


IL: Off-duty officer shoots, kills teen after shooting incident: "An off-duty Chicago police officer in the South Side’s Woodlawn neighborhood shot and killed a high school basketball palyer he saw shooting another person on Friday. … The chain of events began about 3:30 p.m. when another person was shot near 69th Street and King Drive, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. The officer witnessed that shooting and chased Harris to the 6800 block of South Eberhart Avenue. The officer ‘announced his office,’ then opened fire on Harris, striking him, said Chicago Police Officer Michael Fitzpatrick, a police spokesman.A weapon was confiscated at the scene, he said.”


A victory for open carrier: "A federal judge has made a ruling that could change the way that law enforcement treats ‘We the people.’ The judge granted that the plaintiff has liability under the Fourth Amendment and that law enforcement does not have immunity. In my opinion, a major victory for liberty and freedom. The case: St. John v Alamogordo Public Safety, U. S. District Court of New Mexico, No. 08-994 BB/LAM. Mr. St. John went into a movie theater openly carrying a holstered handgun. New Mexico has no law forbidding the open carry of a handgun."

DE: Elderly homeowner cuts one burglary suspect, shoots another: "On Thursday night, the owner arrived at his home located in the 19000 block of Bee Jay Lane. … He walked to the front of his residence and found his front door kicked in. As the homeowner walked back to the side door he observed two men police identified as Paul L. Spencer, 43 and Gregory B. Stewart, 49, both of Lincoln. Spencer and Stewart approached the homeowner at the side door, advised him that they were ‘looking to purchase a dump truck,’ and attempted to make entry into his home. The homeowner told them to leave his property. However, they continued toward him. Spencer managed to enter the threshold and grabbed a landscaping tool and threatened the homeowner. The homeowner retrieved a machete/lopper next to the door and swung it at Spencer and struck him several times on his right forearm and hand. Both suspects continued toward the homeowner, who fired two .25 caliber rounds from a handgun. One of the bullets struck Stewart in his abdomen. Both subjects fled the victim’s residence.”


FL: Residents strike back at intruders: "With handguns and baseball bats, South Florida residents in recent days have been striking back at home invaders, beating and even killing those who violate the sanctity of their homes. Two cases occurred in Palm Beach County. Thursday night, during a struggle, a Wellington homeowner shot and wounded one of two men who broke into his home. On Sept. 5, a group of men in a Lake Worth home turned the tables on a burglar, seizing his baseball bat and using it to break his arm. And early Thursday in Miami, a man who jumped a fence and entered a home’s yard ended up dead after a confrontation with the father and son who lived there. His manner of death has not been released by police, who still are investigating.”


TN: Man shot inside home sues his gated community: "A resident in a gated community in Nashville who was shot in his home has sued his homeowners association and property management. The Four Maples condominium complex in the Donelson area has a gate that requires residents to swipe a pass or remotely unlock it for visitors. But Marquette Weaver said in a lawsuit filed in Davidson County Circuit Court that the gate meant to keep non-residents out was not working in June and had been broken for a month prior. That’s when people broke into his home at 2 a.m. and shot him several times, Weaver said, and he’s seeking $750,000 in damages, saying the home invaders couldn’t have gotten near his Coursey Drive home. Weaver’s attorney, James Harris, said Weaver’s health is now good, and he has no comment beyond the complaint.” [I think he's got a point]


Stimulus winners: Gun industry?: "Many gun-loving Americans are convinved that President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress are bent on ripping rifles from their ‘cold, dead hands,’ as actor Charlton Heston once declared at a National Rifle Association meeting. But from the perspective of police departments — not to mention gunmakers — the Obama administration may go down as one of the most gun-friendly in history. Across America, police departments are using the taxpayer-funded stimulus bill to boost their arsenals with shotguns, handguns, and assault rifles. Among the general public, a record 1 million guns were sold across the United States in August alone, rebuffing expectations that, after 10 months, the post-Obama election gun-buying spree would abate. US gunmaker Smith & Wesson on Wednesday reported a 30 percent rise in sales in the first quarter, leading to unexpected profits and a rising stock price.”

FL: Man shoots home invaders: "A homeowner fought back Sunday, shooting at three suspects who tired to break into his house. Ormond Beach Police say two men and a woman entered Dane Rollins’ home at around 9 a.m. with guns drawn. The 34-year-old was asleep inside his Cypress Creek home when the trio barged in demanding money. Rollins gave them what they came for, but as they fled, the homeowner chased down the suspects with a shot gun and began firing at them in his front yard. "It happened so fast I don’t know what he was saying but he was screaming," said neighbor Ronda Holster. One of the men got in a car and fled while the woman and the other man ran away. All three were caught and are at Halifax Medical Center recuperating from gunshot injuries before they will be booked into the Volusia county Jail on home invasion robbery charges. The suspects have been identified 31-year-old William Bell of Daytona Beach, 38-year-old Christopher Young of New Smyrna Beach and 28-year-old Brandy Lee Harris of Ormond Beach. The homeowner was not hurt."


GA: Off-duty cop shoots suspected armed robber: "An off-duty College Park police officer shot a suspected armed robber early Sunday outside a Motel 6 on Old National Parkway, police said. The suspect, 17-year-old Jeremy Rashad Evans, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. His condition was not immediately available. The officer, whose name was not released, was working a security job shortly before 2 a.m. when he spotted Evans armed with a handgun and heading toward the front of the motel, police said. When the officer ordered Evans to drop the gun, Evans “made a threatening move with the gun towards the officer, at which time the officer shot the suspect,” police said in a press release. Police believe Evans and two or three others had just robbed a woman staying at the motel. Evans' accomplices fled the scene in a Ford vehicle, police said."


76 reasons to have a gun: "In four decades and thousands of transactions with my fellow man I’ve neither initiated nor accepted force as a means to accomplish anything. And yet, I’ve decided to become more skilled in the use of a gun to keep force, violence, crime and tyranny out of my life where they belong. Even with a perfect record of non-violence my intuition tells me I’ve got some gun work to do — to keep it that way. And like car insurance, wearing a seatbelt or taking vitamins the most it will do is keep things the same, because: Investments in self-defense return a maximum of keeping what you already have.”


DC: City pols defend anti-gun law: "The city of Washington, D.C. is mounting an aggressive legal defense of its ban on carrying handguns, calling it ’squarely in the mainstream and eminently reasonable.’ In a 37-page legal brief filed this week, the District of Columbia says that refusing to grant licenses to its residents to carry handguns in public complies with the Second Amendment. The regulations ’serve important goals of public safety, especially here, in the nation’s capital,’ the brief says.”

Canada: Cab driver defeats gunman: "Mr. Slawter, 43, had just stopped his cab but left it in drive while he consulted a map to find the passenger’s destination. The passenger said something that was hard to understand but had a menacing tone that alerted Mr. Slawter to danger. Then he saw the man pulling a gun from inside his jacket. "As he pulled it out I saw it and grabbed it," he said. "I didn’t have time to think." Mr. Slawter, who stands about five-foot-eight and weighs just over 200 pounds, said he was able to pin down the suspect in the car. However, his foot came off the brake during the struggle and the car drove across a lawn and hit a tree, smashing the windshield. The passenger exited the car with Mr. Slawter still grappling with him. "We both went out the door together. I finally got the gun off of him." The passenger tried to get up, but Mr. Slawter told him to stay still. When the passenger tried getting up again, Mr. Slawter hit him. "When he got up, I took a big swing with the gun and smashed him across the head and down he went." The man stayed down and police soon arrived. Mr. Slawter found out later that the gun wasn’t loaded. His alleged attacker, Daniel Redmond Marsman, appeared in Dartmouth provincial court Tuesday afternoon. The 27-year-old faces 12 charges, including using a sawed-off shotgun to commit a robbery, assault and eight other gun-related offences."


Israeli opens fire on Palestinians: "An Israeli has shot and wounded two Palestinians in East Jerusalem, where Tel Aviv continues to expand its settlement activity despite international opposition. The 20-year-old man produced a pistol on Friday and shot a 13-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man from Silwan, a mostly Palestinian neighborhood. The shooter later told the police that he had been attacked by a group of six Palestinians who pelted him with stones and that he opened fire in self defense, Haaretz reported. Police said the two victims, who were injured in the legs, were taken to the nearby Makassed hospital for treatment. The incident sparked outrage among Palestinians who protested the shooting by throwing stones at police and some Israeli homes in Silwan."

TX: Off-duty agent Shot in Botched Robbery Attempt: "Houston police responded to a robbery in progress on Friday afternoon at the Hilton Garden Inn at the 3200 block of Sage Road in southwest Houston. TABC agent Michael Sehon was working an off-duty security job for a jewelry salesman when the two men stopped at the hotel to run an errand. While the jeweler went inside the hotel, Sehon stayed inside the car when he was approached by two masked men. "They broke out the window and placed a gun to the TABC agent’s head," said Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva. The 40-year-old agent was shot in the left leg above the knee. He was taken to Memorial Hermann hospital but was released several hours later. Police say the agent did shoot at least one of the suspects. The pistol packing pair drove away from the hotel in a maroon sedan, but officers believe that they may have switched cars at the apartment complex across the street where blood now stains the pavement. Police think they might already have one of the suspects in custody. A man with two gunshot wounds to the back was left at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital soon after the shooting took place. Police are questioning the man. His condition is not known."


AZ: Man held in gun death outside bar on east side: "A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting outside an east-side bar, police said Tuesday. John Majalca was involved with others in an assault Friday night of a 24-year-old man outside the bar, according to a news release from the Tucson Police Department. During the assault, the victim pulled out a firearm and shot one of his assailants, police said. Majalca is facing charges of aggravated assault with serious injury or dangerous instrument, attempted aggravated robbery, attempted armed robbery and first-degree murder. He is facing the murder charge under the state's felony-murder rule. Arizona law allows those involved in the commission of a felony that results in the death of another person to be held responsible for the death. The fight left Shawn Conrad, 27, dead of gunshot wounds... Conrad and the other men assaulted the 24-year-old, Lopez said. One of the men had a weapon, Lopez said, but she would not say what type. The 24-year-old pulled out a handgun and shot Conrad, Lopez said."


D.C. Appeals Court Upholds Mandatory Gun Licensing: "An appeals court in Washington, D.C. has upheld the city's extremely restrictive law requiring residents to obtain licenses to carry handguns outside of their homes. The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year in the high-profile D.C. v. Heller Second Amendment case did not invalidate the District of Columbia's licensing requirements, and even appears to have endorsed them, the appeals court ruled. The case arose out of a criminal prosecution of a fellow named Manuel Brown, who was charged with crimes including carrying a pistol without a license. On appeal, Brown claimed the ordinance violated his Second Amendment rights. (The relevant law says: "No person shall carry within the District of Columbia either openly or concealed on or about their person, a pistol, without a license issued pursuant to District of Columbia law, or any deadly or dangerous weapon capable of being so concealed.") Still, it's worth noting that the Second Amendment Foundation filed a federal lawsuit against the District a few weeks earlier on a very similar question: the constitutionality, post-Heller, of the city's licensing scheme. Alan Gura, the Alexandria, Va. attorney who filed the civil suit, told me on Wednesday evening that he doesn't think the recent appeals court decision will make much of a difference. "We're not challenging the requirement for a license," Gura said. But, he added, "there has to be the ability for people to quality for a license."


Michigan legislator's proposal would allow concealed guns on college campuses: "Someone walks into your classroom with a gun and threatens to open fire. Your best defense is to try to escape the room or take out your cell phone and call for help, but under a proposed change to Michigan legislation, you may have another option. Sparked by the shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007, Michigan Sen. Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, has proposed a change to Michigan law to allow permit holders to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Currently, the open carry of weapons is permitted anywhere, so long as the owner has a license to own the gun. Concealed carry is prohibited in churches, sports arenas, taverns, hospitals, casinos, day cares and college campuses including dorms and classrooms, according to the Michigan State Police. Richardville would like to amend the law to remove the clause prohibiting the carry of concealed weapons on college campuses, saying it would make campuses safer if students were prepared to defend themselves. Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas, who leads the Presidents Council, said, "All 15 presidents and chancellors of Michigan's public universities favor the current law that bans firearms and weapons on campus."

TN: Teen robber shot: "A 60-year-old man who lives in Antioch, which is actually in south Nashville, arrived home about 9:30 p.m. Saturday night and, as he talked to a friend in his car, two younger men approached the automobile where they sat. One, who is 17, had a handgun in his hand while another, age 19, stood nearby with a shotgun. There is no doubt they intended to rob the driver of the car, but the 60-year-old immediately drew his own 38-caliber handgun and shot his 17-year-old assailant in a clear act of self-defense. The younger teenager was shot in the chest, but ran in terror. The older would-be robber, who we have since learned was Kevin Negron, grabbed the wounded kid and they roared away in Negron’s car, going to a nearby convenience store to request assistance after saying they had just been the victims of a crime. But the 60-year-old shooter had already called police and, with a witness present, told the officers what had really happened. He showed the police his valid “handgun carry permit,” which has since been credited for saving the older man’s life, and while he expressed remorse for shooting anyone, it was offset by the fact he wasn’t shot himself. It turns out the 19-year-old who was holding the shotgun was already on parole for an April felony where he evaded arrest. His history also includes theft and domestic assault charges. Further, he admitted his role in the botched robbery minutes after the 17-year-old was said to be in satisfactory condition and awaiting charges, which will be filed in Davidson County Juvenile Court."


Smith & Wesson making a packet: "Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 157-year old company in the global business of safety, security, protection and sport, today announced financial results for the first fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2009. Net sales for the first fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2009 were $102.2 million, which was $23.8 million, or 30.3%, higher than net sales of $78.5 million for the first fiscal quarter last year. Gross profit of $35.6 million, or 34.8% of sales, for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 increased by 43.4% compared with gross profit of $24.8 million, or 31.7% of sales, for the first quarter last year. Net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 was $12.6 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, compared with $2.3 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2009. Smith & Wesson President and CEO, Michael F. Golden, said, "Ongoing consumer demand for handguns and tactical rifles fueled our strong growth and allowed us to deliver record financial results in the first quarter. Higher production levels in our Springfield factory allowed us to capture additional revenue in the quarter, and a focus on controlling costs helped translate that revenue into profitability."


Afghanistan: Gun prices soar: "The reliable measure of stability in many countries is the value of the currency or the price of equities, bread or fuel … but not in Afghanistan: here the key indicator that nearly every Afghan keeps tabs on is the price of a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle. And the bad news is that the market is bullish. The stepped-up Taliban offensive and mounting discord over the outcome of last month’s election have seen the price of a Chinese-made AK smuggled in from Pakistan rise to $400 from $150 in just three months. ‘People are arming themselves,’ a Western official in Kabul noted with alarm.”


Open carry 101: "Many people around the world are interested in learning more about the growing open carry movement in the United States, particularly when and where they can open carry too! … Key points everyone should know about open carry, i.e., the practice of carrying holstered unconcealed functional handguns (functionality includes being loaded): * 42 states permit open carry in public * 26 states require no license to open carry * Only 7 states ban open carry in public * California allows open carry in many or most parts of rural areas, but figuring out precisely where it is banned (i.e., that guns must be unloaded) is so difficult that as a practical matter, open carry is not a realistic option.”

WI: Pawn shop owner shoots one of two armed, masked men: "A Kenosha store owner fought back when two armed robbers walked into his shop Wednesday, shooting one of the men. According to Kenosha police, the would-be robbers entered the Jewelry Exchange pawn shop, 2400 52nd St., at about 12:30 p.m., one of them pointing a handgun. Sgt. Hugh Rafferty, spokesman for the department, said both men partially concealed their faces and had “pulled up their upper garments to hide their faces” when they walked into the store. They then confronted the owner. Police said the 55-year-old store owner pulled out a handgun of his own from underneath a desk and shot one time at one of the men. After the shooting, the empty-handed robbers ran from the store into a parking area behind the shop, then cut through an alley to the next block where the injured man collapsed in the 2400 block of 51st Street. A pair of gloves and a trail of blood in the alley led police to the injured robber. According Rafferty, they found the man lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest and a large pool of blood on the grass. A .44 Magnum revolver was also found on the ground next to him. Rafferty said the man was conscious but not able to communicate with police. Police have not named the man who was shot but described him as a 29-year-old black male who is on parole"


Alabama: Teen burglary suspect killed: "On Tuesday morning, 14-year-old Ta’veon Tashawn Mason should have been at his desk at Austin High School, but he and two friends skipped school. Police said the ninth-grader died in a Southwest Decatur backyard from a single gunshot wound. A press release said a resident shot him inside the house during a burglary at about 10:30 a.m. Noel Mclean at 1432 Fifth Ave. S.W. said he shot Mason. He said he was awakened by the intruders and he shot out of fear. Lt. Jonathan Green, public information officer, said Mason was one of three teen boys suspected in the break-in. Police said the trio broke a window at the back of the house and entered. “The homeowner was asleep inside and was awakened by the intruders,” said Sgt. Rick Archer, supervisor of the Violent Crimes Unit. “He retrieved a handgun and confronted them.” Archer said the man fired one shot, striking Mason, and the two other teens fled the house. Outside the home, a white sheet covered Mason’s body as it lay in the grass near the window where police said the break-in occurred. Officer David Shutt caught a 16-year-old male soon after the shooting, and detectives found the third teen, 14, at his home later Tuesday afternoon, Archer said. The 14 and 16-year-olds are Austin High School students, but the 16-year-old is in the alternative school program, sources told The Daily. Police charged both teens with second-degree burglary, booked them into Decatur City Jail and later transferred them to the Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Tuscumbia. They will soon face a detention hearing, Archer said. Detectives questioned the homeowner about the shooting, but Archer said police did not file any charges in connection with Mason’s death."


NM: Federal judge rules police cannot detain people for open carry: "On September 8, 2009, United States District Judge Bruce D. Black of the United States District Court for New Mexico entered summary judgment in a civil case for damages against Alamogordo, NM police officers. The Judge’s straight shootin’ message to police: Leave open carriers alone unless you have ‘reason to believe that a crime [is] afoot.’ The facts of the case are pretty simple. Matthew St. John entered an Alamogordo movie theater as a paying customer and sat down to enjoy the movie. He was openly carrying a holstered handgun … In response to a call from theater manager Robert Zigmond, the police entered the movie theater, physically seized Mr. St. John from his seat, took him outside, disarmed him, searched him.”


MO: Uncertainties draw more people to firearms training: “Alan and Linda Laird can almost predict the answers. The certified firearms instructors ask students why they decided to take training in the proper use of a gun. Invariably, most responses range from fear of being a crime victim to concern about government limitations on gun rights. The Lairds have felt the same anxieties. That’s why they offer a monthly class that explores the logistical, legal and moral aspects of gun ownership, which is rising rapidly across the nation. ‘We know the world is growing more dangerous everyday,’ said Alan Laird. ‘I’m very encouraged to see the number of people who are sharing this interest. I believe it’s the right thing to do.’”

Missouri: Intruder Shot through door: "Police said an intruder was shot during an attempted break-in at a Northland apartment complex early Monday morning. Officers were called to the Wild Oaks complex at Highway 152 and Flintlock Road shortly before 3 a.m. Police said a man was trying to break into an apartment when the woman inside grabbed her gun and fired at the intruder through the door. The man pulled out his own gun and fired back. The intruder was hit twice and was taken to a hospital. He is expected to recover. The woman was not injured."


Florida homeowner shoots invader: "An Orange County homeowner says he shot a man in self defense late Monday night. The man told deputies he came home just before 11:00pm Monday night and found another man in his home on Faculty Drive. He says the man hit him in the head with a pipe and stabbed him. The homeowner then got his gun and shot the man. Both were taken to the hospital, but their conditions have not been released. Deputies tell Eyewitness News the two men knew each other."


Gun owners’ next victory in DC: "The Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller, declared that Washington’s 32-year ban on all functional firearms violated the Second Amendment. Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion, however, applied only to possession of guns in the home. The court did not address, and was not asked to address, firearms carried outside the home. That’s the issue posed in a new lawsuit against the District by Tom Palmer (disclosure: my colleague at the Cato Institute) and four other plaintiffs — represented by Alan Gura, the lawyer who successfully argued Heller before the court. After Heller, the District relaxed its ban on residents seeking ‘to register a pistol for use in self-defense within that person’s home.’ But D.C. law still states that ‘[n]o person shall carry within the District of Columbia either openly or concealed on or about their person, a pistol, without a license.’ Currently, the city affords no process by which to issue such a license.”


Black football star praised for disarming girl on school bus: "Kaleb Eulls is used to hearing cheers for his heroics on the football field, but the Yazoo County, Miss., high school senior's quick thinking Tuesday morning on a school bus has earned him a different kind of acclaim. Eulls, 18, tackled and disarmed a 14-year-old girl who had pulled a .380 semiautomatic handgun from her bag and was threatening students and demanding the driver pull over, County Sheriff Tommy Vaughn said. Vaughn said the girl, who is being held in the county youth detention center, said she was the victim of bullies. She has been charged with possession of a firearm on school property and 22 counts each of attempted aggravated assault and kidnapping. Eulls, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound quarterback and defensive end for Yazoo County High School, said he was asleep when the girl boarded the bus. When she pulled out the gun, one of Eulls' three younger sisters — Kimberly Clark, 16; Ashley Dortch, 14; and Bobbie Dortch, 12, who were among the 23 people on the bus — shook him awake, he said. "I kept my distance for a second, she kind of glanced away or blinked and I got to her," he said. "I just basically thought about all the lives that were in danger. It all happened in about five minutes. I'm thankful that it turned out the way it did."

NC shooting was self defense: "Police do not expect to charge a 65-year-old Faucette Mill Road homeowner who shot an intruder in his living room Aug. 28. "At this point we believe he was acting in self defense," Lt. Davis Trimmer of the Hillsborough Police Department said Tuesday. Christopher Jerome Williams, 19, of 626 Wildaro Court in Hillsborough, was shot in the chest around 11:34 p.m. He was doing well after surgery, Trimmer said. Police charged Williams and Audricus Southerland, 18, of 316 Lakeshore Drive in Hillsborough, with first-degree burglary. They were found at a relative's home, less than a mile away. Police are not releasing the name of the homeowner. He told police he heard his door being forced open. He got a pistol and found three people standing in his living room, he told police. He fired one shot, hitting Williams. After the shooting, he saw four men running from his residence."


Israel: Community service for weapons charge against farmer: “The State Prosecutor’s Office has made a plea bargain with Shai Dromi, the Negev farmer aquitted of murder after shooting and killing a Bedouin thief who broke into his home one night in January 2007. In several prior incidents, several of Dromi’s dogs had been killed, and his horse and tractor had been stolen by Bedouin thieves. According to the deal struck Sunday between the state and Dromi’s attorneys, the farmer will serve five months of community service for carrying firearms without a license.”


The outsourced American: "I’m sure that most of you have seen the advertisement for Brinks … An attractive young mom … A menacing prowler … kicks the door in. The alarm sounds … and her fear is calmed … the police are on the way. I always shake my head when I see these commercials. … Response from law enforcement, in the best of times, will be several minutes. However, depending on conditions, can take considerably longer, even hours in some locations in the country. When did we start out-sourcing our safety and defense to others? Americans have always been an independent lot; throughout history, we have always been willing to take action in our own defense.”


Britain: Gun licenses could go on medical records: "A coroner has called for changes to the licencing of shotgun and firearms after it emerged a man who killed himself, his wife and 15-year-old daughter had mentioned suicidal thoughts to his GP. Christopher Foster killed his wife and daughter last August bank holiday before setting fire to their home at Maesbrook, near Oswestry, and killing himself. An inquest into the deaths revealed Mr Foster had been suffering from depression and had mentioned suicidal thoughts to his GP. John Ellery, the coroner handling the case, has recommended closer links between the medical profession and police in issuing gun licences. The British Medical Association (BMA) has since announced it is about to update its ethical guidance on firearms and it is in discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) over ways that doctors can be made aware of patients who own firearms.The new guidance could result in medical records informing doctors that their patients either held a firearms or shotgun certificate, or had applied for one.”

GA: Attempted robber shot by pawn shop employee: "An 18-year-old man wearing a mask and carrying a sawed-off shotgun entered a south Fulton County pawn store Saturday. But an employee at the store grabbed a gun and fired first, according to police. Terrence Colton was hit twice and was taken to Grady Hospital. He faces an armed robbery charge, according Cpl. Kay Lester with Fulton police. Colton could face additional charges. Colton was in stable condition following surgery, Lester said. Another man may have been acting as a look-out during the attempted robbery at the AA Pawn Shop on Old National Highway, Lester said. The second man fled from the scene and has not been identified. The pawn shop employee has not been identified. “He was within the law,” Lester said."


NC: Cab Driver Shoots Man During Attempted Robbery: "Police said a man pulled out a gun and tried to rob a cab driver just before 10 p.m. Sunday. That’s when police said the driver fought back, shooting the suspect. Officers said the man had just picked up a person at an apartment complex near the intersection of South Tryon Street and John Price Road. Police said shortly after that, the man pulled out a gun and tried to rob the driver. That’s when they said the driver pulled out his own gun and shot the man. MEDIC pronounced the man dead at the scene. Officers recovered two handguns from inside the cab. Eyewitness News confirmed the car belongs to Professional Cabs of Charlotte. The cab driver was taken to police headquarters to be interviewed. Police said it’s too early to tell if charges will be filed. Police have not released the identity of the driver or the man killed."


CA: “Open carry” advocates wear guns to mall: “A group of people asserting the right to carry guns stood in the courtyard of an Escondido mall yesterday, sipping iced tea and coffee with their handguns holstered on their hips. The eight sported white T-shirts that read, ‘Unloaded Open Carry … by a Law Abiding Citizen Is Legal Anywhere.’ The gathering was organized by Escondido Open Carry, founded by Escondidans Gerald Reaster, 69, and Donna Woods, 77, in response to the growing movement nationwide to openly carry firearms. Many of the patrons and employees at the Signature Pavilion on West Valley Parkway ignored them, but some wanted to know what it was all about.”


Get a Gun in DC — Do you feel lucky?: "It took $833.69, a total of 15 hours 50 minutes, four trips to the Metropolitan Police Department, two background checks, a set of fingerprints, a five-hour class and a 20-question multiple-choice exam. Oh, and the votes of five Supreme Court justices. They’re the ones who really made it possible for me, as a District resident, to own a handgun, a constitutional right as heavily debated and rigorously parsed as the freedoms of speech and religion. … Reluctantly, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s administration set up a process through which about 550 residents — now including yours truly — have acquired a handgun. But as my four trips to the police department attest, D.C. officials haven’t made it easy.”

La: Killings Were Self-Defense, Police Say: "Two brothers who were shot and stabbed to death in a Carondelet Street apartment late Sunday night were killed in apparent self-defense, New Orleans police said. Carlos Calderon, 39, and Luis Calderon, 26, were found dead around 11:15 p.m. Sunday in an apartment at 1132 Carondelet Street. Two other men, a 38-year-old and a 31-year-old, were found in the apartment with multiple stab wounds. The Calderon brothers lived in the same building and had been involved in an argument with the two survivors earlier Sunday, police said. Later that night, the brothers -- armed with knives -- forced their way into the other men's apartment, police said. The roommates also armed themselves with knives and a handgun, and they managed to defend themselves by stabbing and shooting the men, police said. Homicide detectives and representatives from the District Attorney's Office met Monday and determined that the men's actions were justified."


MO: Shoplifter shot: "Did an Independence man go too far in shooting a suspected shoplifter? The store manager of a Sun Fresh grocery store in Independence was trying to stop a suspected female shoplifter when a bystander intervened and shot her. You won't hear Bill Miller apologizing. The 37-year-old is on crutches because of a broken foot, but he still sprang to action when he saw the store manager at Sun Fresh chase a female shoplifter into the parking lot. "The customer service girl coming out screaming, 'Help, help, my manager's on the hood,'" Miller said. Armed with a 9 millimeter and a conceal carry permit, Miller left his crutches behind and hopped on one foot toward the suspected shoplifter's car. "I had it pointed downward on her, I told her stop, she looked at me smiled, turned the wheel at me, acted like she was going to run me over," MIller said. "I fired one round, I thought she was going to kill me and the manager." Miller hit the suspect in the arm and fired another round at her tire. "He was legal to carry it, he was protecting somebody's life or livelihood and he did the right thing," customer Leslie Reid said. Miller said that police said they would not charge him and that what he did was justifiable. Police and prosecutors haven't confirmed that to FOX 4, but Miller hasn't been charged so far. The shoplifter has, though. Loucinda Carroll, 41, faces one count of robbery. Police said she was stealing meat."




FL: Man killed in Springfield bar was threatening patrons with nailer: "The man fatally shot by a Springfield bartender this morning was threatening people inside with a nailer that closely resembled a firearm, police said this afternoon. Police said John L. Lee, 20, [above] walked into the Shantytown Pub shortly before 12:30 a.m. wearing black clothing and waving what appeared to be a firearm at a bartender and patrons. The unidentified bartender, who police also said was the manager, thought the bar was being robbed, pulled out a handgun and shot Lee repeatedly. Lee, of the 1400 block of Cleveland Street, was taken to Shands Jacksonville hospital and pronounced dead. Investigators later determined Lee was carrying a .22-caliber shot tool/nail driver "which clearly resembles a firearm," a Sheriff's Office news release said. Neither the bartender nor a handful of patrons at the bar at 22 W. Sixth St. were injured. No charges have been filed against the bartender, who has been identified by a co-worker and patrons as Tex. Ian Ranne, co-owner of the bar, declined to comment. Court records show that Lee pleaded guilty to dealing in stolen property last month and was sentenced to 12 months of probation. He also was convicted of trespassing earlier this year and received nine months of probation in a domestic battery case in 2008."


More British insanity: "A couple who bought guns to protect themselves from thugs in Bulgaria were last night facing criminal charges back home in the UK. … pensioners Alan and Sylvia Cantwell could be jailed for at least five years if convicted, the manadatory minimum term for possessing an illegal firearm in the UK. ‘The shock threat emerged after the terrified pair contacted Tayside Police to hand in three self-defence weapons, which fire gas pellets, not bullets’ …. The couple had fled Bulgaria after a particularly violent attack in their new home in the countryside near Pleven. The gang battered and robbed them in their new home then returned to try to kill them.”

Oregon: Oldster shoots intruder: "Authorities say a Chiloquin man shot and wounded a neighbor who tried to enter his house. Sheriff Tim Evinger of Klamath County says 24-year-old Calvin Lee Brown used a pair of 18-inch wooden handles to break Monte Rompal's bedroom window, prompting the 77-year-old man to fire a shot. Evinger says deputies later found Brown at a nearby house - asleep and drunk with a bullet wound to his left upper arm. Chiloquin Ambulance took Brown to Sky Lakes Medical Center, where he was in stable condition Thursday. Evinger says Brown will likely be charged with attempted burglary and criminal mischief. District Attorney Ed Caleb says it's unlikely Rompal will face charges.


Florida: Aggressive drunk shot dead "Charles Podany wanted to protect his neighborhood from speeders. On Feb. 29, 2008, he bicycled through Thonotosassa's Bay Hills Circle community and asked a fast-driving man in a pickup truck to slow down. The encounter turned deadly after the driver's drunken friend began beating Podany, 49. As Casey Landes, 24, landed on top of Podany and readied his fist to strike again, Podany shot him in the head with a .40-caliber Glock. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Foster agreed Tuesday to toss out Podany's manslaughter charge after his attorneys argued Podany fired in self-defense under Florida's "stand-your-ground" law and deserved immunity from prosecution. The law allows people to meet force with force when they feel threatened. Defense attorney Stephen Romine said Podany's case met the stand-your-ground test: Podany wasn't engaged in unlawful activity; he had a right to be there; and if he hadn't acted, he may have been seriously injured or killed. Foster heard testimony on the defense motion two weeks ago, including from Evin Aguayo, the pickup driver and Landes' best friend. Aguayo, 21, told investigators that Landes was the aggressor in the confrontation and that Podany never hit back. "It wasn't even a fight, it was one-sided," Aguayo said. Podany is 5 feet 8 and weighs 180 pounds. Landes was 6 feet 1 and weighed 192 pounds. "He's outsized, outmuscled," Romine said. "It's not going to be a fair fight in any capacity and the guy is just relentless trying to beat him." Aguayo told deputies his friend thought it was "cool to beat up an old man."


Texas: 2 teens killed trying to break into home: "A man shot and killed two teenagers and wounded another when they tried breaking into his home early Friday, police said. A fourth teenager was arrested and is expected to be charged with aggravated robbery. Three of the four male teenagers who tried breaking into the home were armed, one with a handgun and two with pellet guns that looked like more powerful weapons, San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams said. One of the three college-aged people who lived in the rental home opened fire on the teens with a .40-caliber Glock pistol, killing two 16-year-olds and wounding another suspect. A 17-year-old suspect fled the scene but was captured and arrested after returning to the scene to check on his friends, police said. He's expected to be charged with aggravated robbery, Williams said. The wounded suspect was taken to Brackenridge Hospital in Austin with non-life threatening injuries, Williams said. Officials say the wounded suspect is also expected to be charged. Police did not identify the suspects or those who lived in the home. None of the residents were injured. One was a Texas State University student. Williams said the shooter appeared to be acting in self-defense and "there doesn't appear to be a crime" related to the shooting. The suspects are from Luling, about 20 miles southeast of San Marcos, Williams said. It does not appear they know those living at the home, he said."


Gun-toting rabbis in New York are going on synagogue defence courses: "The self-defence classes are run by the International Security Coalition of Clergy, a group set up by Gary Moscowitz, a Queens rabbi and former police officer. Practising with toy pistols, fellow rabbis and other worshippers are taught basic techniques such as bringing down an assailant by the neck or using a table as cover from gunfire. More advanced combat moves include performing a running somersault while drawing a gun. Mr Moscowitz, who also passes on his knowledge as a karate black belt, admitted few people took him seriously until police exposed an alleged plot by Muslim converts to blow two synagogues in the Bronx. He said he had since been inundated with calls and had set up a 100-hour synagogue self defence course as a result. "Jews are not like Christians. If I turn my cheek, I'm coming around to make a kick." Stuart Rosenberg, who provides martial arts training for the group, said: "Our idea is you can't be spiritual if you're dead. You have to be able to fight back to live another day." Mr Moscowitz stressed that the important Jewish festivals of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are approaching, adding that the FBI regularly issued synagogues with terror alerts. The rabbi has called for a New York state law that would allow at least five people at a house of worship to carry a gun if they have been trained."

USA: Gun News

In Chicago, a proposed ordinance will mandate five days in jail for any person caught with an unauthorized gun. Second offenses would result in 15 days mandatory jail time, third offense gets 30 days. The proposal goes to the city council next week.

In Missouri, a bystander pulls out his concealed-carry 9 mm and plugs a woman who threatened two lives. It all started with the alleged theft of a bag of meat and progressed to a victimized woman holding on to the hood of a car for her dear life.

A gun buyback is planned for Nassau County NY on September 12. Unlicensed handguns in working condition can be traded for $200 each with no questions asked. Odd that it's called a buyback since it implies that the guns were originally owned by the government.

In New York City, with some of the toughest gun control in the nation, Mayor Bloomberg has proposed making it also illegal to carry a gun while drunk.

In the sportsmen's paradise, the Louisiana legislature has granted a tax holiday this weekend for customers purchasing firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies. State and local sales taxes will be waived. It's time to stock up.

In Tennessee, a new state law allows guns in public parks but it's not a clear-cut authorization. Local and county ordinances are tied into the new requirements which have confused many people. State legislators may have to revisit the issue for clarification.

Texas: Robbery suspect shot and killed in Houston card room: "A suspected robber was killed and another man was injured in a gun battle after three masked gunmen ambushed a card game in southwest Houston on Thursday, police said. Around 2 a.m., witnesses said the masked men waited for someone to leave the game, which was held inside an unmarked office park unit behind a shopping center. The gunmen burst in through the open door and began robbing patrons, one of whom pulled his own pistol, said Sgt. Juan M. De La Cruz, a Houston homicide detective. A gunfight ensued. One suspect was killed and one of the patrons suffered a non-life threatening wound and was taken to a nearby hospital. Police, who found multiple 9-millimeter shell casings at the scene, say the other two suspects fled. Police recovered card tables, cards and cash, and one of the patrons said everyone at the game knew each other. Police said they didn't immediately know who rents the space, which like many in the complex has no signage. De La Cruz said the gambling matter would be turned over to the vice squad, but it wasn't clear whether the game was illegal. In Texas, there's nothing wrong with money changing hands in poker and other games as long as someone isn't taking a cut. Identities of those involved were not immediately released, and no arrests were made.


Arizona: Armed homeowner holds youth suspected of burglary try: "A Chandler homeowner, armed with a gun, took one of two juveniles into custody after they broke into his home. The homeowner's 13-year-old son was the only person at the house, in the 800 block of West Elgin Street, when two juveniles knocked on his front door on Monday. The boy did not open the front door. The juveniles forced their way through the back door, police said. The boy ran to a neighbor's home, and his neighbors called police. The boy's father got home before authorities arrived, grabbed his gun and took one of the juveniles into custody. Police apprehended the second juvenile when he jumped from the second story and attempted to flee from the home. Both juveniles, who are Chandler residents, were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, police said. Their names and pictures are being withheld by police."


Tennessee: Clerk Shoots Would-Be Robber: "No charges have been filed yet in a deadly Wednesday morning shooting in Northeast Memphis. Witnesses said a store clerk had to protect himself from a would-be robber, who was armed with a taser. Tonight, the man police say was trying to rob the store is dead. Before crime scene tape and squad cars covered Lana's parking lot Wednesday morning, a strange looking man caught Gary Belcher's attention. "He had the most coldest look on his face," Belcher said. Belcher said he was picking-up trash when a man passed him and walked inside Lana's Market on Macon Road. Then, he said, he heard two gun shots. He ran into the store where he saw his friend, the store clerk, standing behind the counter. "He had a gun in his hand and he was saying, 'help me Gary, help me.' I couldn't see the guy. At about that time, I [saw] a hand come up behind the counter, he was behind the counter and trying to grab for the gun," Belcher recalled. Belcher said the would-be robber used a taser on the clerk before he was shot, "He tasered [him] all over his head and his back nowl" Memphis Police said the robber later died at the hospital."


Utah: Homeowner shoots suspected prowler in foot: "A Hyrum man shot a suspected would-be burglar near his home early Saturday morning. The 42-year-old homeowner shot a 20-year-old man once in the foot about 2:30 a.m., said Cache County sheriff's Lt. Chad Jensen. Deputies responding to a prowler call found the 42-year-old standing in a back doorway, holding the 20-year-old at gunpoint next to a tree on the 500 block of Eagle Ridge Drive. The man said he'd fired one shot, but neighbors reported hearing several. The suspected prowler, who "appeared to be very intoxicated," was taken to Logan Regional Hospital, treated for his injury and released to deputies. The incident is under investigation."

MO: Alleged Meat Thief Shot

(Independence, Missouri) Last Saturday, the manager of Sunfresh Grocery allegedly saw a woman, Loucinda M. Carroll, 41, steal a bag of meat.

The manager followed the suspect to her car and started writing down the license plate number. The suspect started the car and drove toward the manager, striking her. The manager fell onto the car’s hood and held on as the suspect accelerated through the parking lot toward an exit onto Sterling Avenue.

Hearing screams for help and seeing the manager clinging to the car’s hood, the bystander blocked the exit with his vehicle. He approached the suspect and told her to get out of her car.

The woman tried to drive around his vehicle. The bystander, who told police he feared for his life and the life of the manager, pulled out a 9mm handgun and yelled again for her to stop. He then fired through the driver’s side window, striking the suspect in the left shoulder and neck.

The woman continued onto Sterling and then traveled north about 250 feet to East 23rd Street, turning west, with the manager still on the car’s hood. About 200 feet later, the car slowed and the manager jumped off the car unharmed.

Carroll ended up at her son’s home in the 1000 block of Stone Arch Drive in Independence. He called for an ambulance. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, police said Wednesday.

The bystander has a valid concealed weapon permit from Utah and won't face charges under Missouri law.

Heh. You can't make this stuff up.

Washington: Fatal shooting at campsite was self-defense: "An Olympia man who was killed Saturday near his campsite at Wynoochee Lake was apparently shot by another camper in self-defense, the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Department said Monday. The deceased man was identified as Westin Wolff, 25, of Olympia, said Rick Scott, Grays Harbor undersheriff. But Scott did not release the name of the alleged shooter. “It appears at this juncture that the shooting itself was a legitimate act of self-defense,” Scott said. Police said the shooting occurred after an argument about 1:30 a.m. Saturday near the shore of Wynoochee Lake, which is in Olympic National Forest northeast of Aberdeen. The conflict involved two different groups of campers, police said. Wolff was one of a party of three young men, and the other party was a family, Scott said. He declined to release any of the circumstances that led to the shooting, saying the investigation is ongoing. He said he hoped to complete the investigation this week, and then the case will be turned over to the Grays Harbor County prosecutor."


California: Authorities say shooting of three was self-defense: "Authorities say a man who shot and killed two men and wounded another in a Sacramento apartment early Monday was acting in self-defense. Sacramento County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran says authorities declined to arrest the 26-year-old man after witnesses reported that the three men confronted the man outside his apartment, then broke in and continued the attack after he had retreated inside. Investigators say during the attack, the man retrieved a handgun and shot all three attackers. Two of the attackers died at the scene. The third, a 23-year-old, was taken to a hospital. He is expected to survive. Curran says the district attorney's office will make a final decision on whether to file charges against the resident of the apartment."


Texas: Business owner shoots at intruder: "A man sleeping at his business in the 6700 block of Weber Road fired several shots at a man who busted the front door glass about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said. Police later found a maroon Chevrolet Suburban backed up to the shop’s door with a large flat screen TV on the ground, police said in a news release. Police suspect the man attempted to re-enter the store to get another TV when the owner shot at him, the release said. A witness heard the shots and a man shout that he was shot. About an hour later, a 33-year-old man walked into Bay Area Hospital emergency room with a gunshot wound on his hand, Capt. Todd Green said. He was placed under police guard pending possible burglary charges, Green said. The owner’s weapon was taken by police for evidence processing."


Nevada: Armed homeowner fends off possible home invasion: "A Gardnerville woman fended off someone who was trying to break into her house early Thursday morning. According to the Sheriff's Office, the Pin Oak Drive resident was awakened by her dog, who was barking insistently inside her home at 3:20 a.m. The woman said she looked out of the windows, and when she didn't see anything, she armed herself and let the dog out into the backyard. She said a man approached her quickly in her backyard, but then she pointed her handgun at him and shoved him backward before retreating into her home. She locked the door and called 911. When she returned to the back door, the man began knocking on her rear window. She yelled that she'd called the Sheriff's Office, and the man ran to the far side of the yard and jumped over the fence. The man was described as being 6 feet, 2 inches tall, thin with blonde hair. She estimated he was in his late teens or early 20s, wearing black earrings, a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark shorts with yellow writing down the side. When deputies arrived on the scene, they searched the neighborhood, but did not find the man. They did find a window screen had been removed from the home's rear window and a fingerprint on the glass."

AZ: Suspect wounded during attempted robbery at Phoenix pawn shop: "A late Sunday morning shooting at a Phoenix pawn shop left one suspect critically wounded as police seek a second suspect who fled in a stolen vehicle, Phoenix Police Sgt. Andy Hill said. Police were called to the business about 11 a.m. after two masked men armed with handguns entered the store, police said. On their way into the business, one suspect pointed a gun to the neck of a 15 year old employee seated near the front door. Inside the store were two adult employees, a male and female behind the counter, and a customer, Hill said. When one suspect pointed the gun at the 15 year old, the pawn shop manager pulled his own handgun and fired several rounds at the suspects, police said. It appears the men intended to rob the shop, Hill said. One suspect, 21, was hit in the head, while the other fled in the customer's 1996 custom green Suburban with an Arizona license plate of AFC5540, police said. The suspect who was shot was listed in extremely critical condition at a local hospital. No other injuries were reported."


OH: Homeowner kills one robber: "Bradley Fugate said he had just opened the front and back doors to let some cool air into his Huffman Avenue home Monday, Aug. 31, when two men came in the back door and put guns to his head. “I didn’t know who they were, and they kept asking 'Where’s the money?’ ” Fugate said. “My brother, we kept trying to talk in circles to keep them calm. The black guy, he kept laughing.” That man, Danny L. Brown, 30, pushed Fugate’s niece down onto a bed while rummaging through a safe in the bedroom, Fugate said. “That was enough for me and it allowed me to get my gun from where I keep it in the bed and I raised up and fired,” Fugate said. “We got into the kitchen and he turned around and raised his gun up at me. That’s when I shot him in the head. It was a fatal shot.” Fugate said he fired two shots at the other robber, Shawn Jones, 40, who was able to get away in a cream-yellow Cadillac... Bradley Fugate is not facing any criminal charges at this time, police said."


NC: Homeowner shoots burglar: “A Hillsborough homeowner took matters into his own hands when would-be burglars entered his home. It happened last Friday around 11:30 p.m. at a home on Faucette Mill Road. The homeowner told police he heard someone forcing his door open so he got his gun and found three people standing in his living room. Police said he fired one shot and hit 19-year-old Christopher Williams in the chest.”


MI: Second Amendment March making a bang: “The Second Amendment March, which advocates for protection of the right to bear arms, will hold a Town Hall Style Meeting from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26 at James Clements Airport in Bay City. The meeting will focus on what is happening in Michigan and nation-wide with gun rights and laws … The march is set to take place on April 19, 2010 in Washington, D.C. The Michigan march will be held April 13, 2010 in Lansing.”

TN: 60-Year-Old Shoots Teen Robber: "Police said a 60-year-old man shot a teenager who tried to rob his home Saturday night. Metro police said the break-in happened on Lindy Murff Court in south Nashville. The 60-year-old resident shot one of the two robbers in the chest. Later, the two robbers showed up at the Shell station on Haywood Lane in Antioch, asking for help, police said. The wounded man claimed he had been robbed and shot during the robbery. Paramedics rushed the wounded man to the hospital, and he is expected to survive. The other man has been arrested. Police have not released their names."


MS: Burglar fatally shot while entering closed business: “Jackson police say an armed burglar was shot and killed Sunday while trying to break into a closed business.Shortly before five J.P.D. officers responded to Gipson Discount Foods on1434 Highway 80 West near Terry Road. There, they found a man dead from a gunshot wound to the chest at the rear of the grocery store. J.P.D. Assistant Chief Lee Vance says the unidentified man was breaking in when an employee who lives in the building heard the noises. According to investigators, the thief was armed with a large caliber hand gun and a knife. The employee opened fire with a shotgun.”


CO: City looks into selling guns: "This conservative city is taking an unusual step to try to stem its fiscal woes: It's entering the gun business. The Colorado Springs City Council is expected in coming weeks to approve the final details of a program that would allow the Police Department to sell confiscated firearms to federally licensed gun dealers. Police have stopped melting down the hundreds of guns they collect from crime scenes, drug houses and civilians who don't need them anymore. The sales are projected to bring in about $10,000 a year, only a slight dent for a town that faced a deficit of one-quarter of its $200 million annual budget this year. But every bit helps, said Vice Mayor Larry Small, who proposed the gun sales. "Every penny counts," Small said. Colorado Springs is home to the Army's Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. People here are comfortable around firearms. Yet, the idea of law enforcement as gun sellers has raised some eyebrows. The Police Department objected, only to be overruled by the council, which in February voted 8-1 to direct the department to draw up the program it will consider soon."


Open carry challenge: "Saturday, August 22, I headed out for a busy day. First was a gun show in a nearby town. Instead of the old senior center where it is usually held, it was in an elementary school. Many hundreds of guns on the 70 or so tables, but I was required to be disarmed by federal law. I left. I had no desire to cause problems for that town or their gun club. Nobody objected to my sidearm, or even seemed to notice as I got gas and a cup of coffee at a local convenience store. Then I headed for WalMart in Gillette, WY, where I’ve carried many times without problems. Not so this time.”

Online Gun Sales in Canada

Likened to an eBay for guns, an online gun auction website launches tomorrow in Canada. Gun collector Dennis Hingsberg conceived of GunAddicts.com to serve an estimated 1.6 million Canadians involved in hunting and recreational shooting.

According to the Canadian Firearm Program's numbers for 2009, nearly a million Canadians have a possession and acquisition licence (PAL), which is needed to sell or receive a firearm.

And those people have more than 7.3 million registered firearms.

Any exchanges on GunAddicts will follow federal gun rules, Hingsberg said.

The buyer sends his PAL number to the seller, who verifies with the RCMP that the licence is valid. If there are no problems, the seller ships the firearm.

If someone tries to circumvent the laws – say, buy or sell a gun without a PAL – the site has "full right to disclose personal information to the necessary authorities," Hings- berg said. But firearm sellers say they're doubtful the site would be co-opted for illegal sales.

"I've never come across someone using a bogus PAL to get a firearm," said John Hipwell, co-owner of Manitoba-based gun seller Wolverine Supplies.

The launching of GunAddicts includes a promotional giveaway of a Czech-made semi-automatic CZ-858 tactical rifle (similar to the banned in Canada AK-47).

Of course, anti-gun people are having cows.

CO: Auto lot owner warned he'd kill any burglars: "A business owner cleared by a grand jury in the fatal shooting of a burglar at his Colorado Springs auto shop last April had warned police after an earlier burglary that he was prepared to kill to protect his property. Jovan Milanovic, 30, called police on Easter to report a burglary at Southwest Auto Sales on Platte Place and told an officer that he was “pissed off” enough about a spate of break-ins that he would shoot any thieves who returned, according to a police report released Thursday. A week later, after lying in wait inside the business, the mechanic fatally shot 20-year-old Robert Johnson Fox after Fox and an accomplice scaled a fence and climbed into the auto lot. Fox’s friend, who escaped uninjured, told police that the shooter and another man ran toward the pair, one of them shouting, “I’m going to (expletive) kill you!” Fox, of Colorado Springs, had a knife strapped to his ankle and others in his pockets, but Milanovic did not report seeing the weapons and said Fox did not approach him or the two other men. Police did not release the report to the public until after a grand jury convened by 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May ruled last week there was insufficient evidence to indict Milanovic, who was never arrested."


La: Post-storm killing ruled self-defense: "In the only reported homicide in Jefferson Parish during Hurricane Katrina's immediate aftermath, a Harahan man was acquitted Friday night of second-degree murder for shooting a man outside a River Ridge home. A Jefferson Parish jury, which heard three days of testimony about drunken men with firearms in the chaotic post-Katrina days, deliberated about three hours before finding that Patrick Barker, 42, acted in self-defense when he shot Dennis Devooght Jr. four times on Sept. 8, 2005. Two of the jurors believed Barker was guilty of the charge. Barker never denied shooting Devooght, 34, as they stood outside a home in the 8600 block of Melrose Place. But he insisted he fired his 9mm semiautomatic pistol only in response to threats Devooght made with his pistol. Barker was tried on a charge of second-degree murder and faced a mandatory life sentence in prison. The shooting happened at the foot of Anthony Shephard's driveway after an evening in which Shephard and Devooght drank a bottle of whiskey, according to testimony. All the men were armed. Barker told detectives: "I pointed my gun at him and said, 'Slowly put the handgun on back of the truck.' He got this mean look and his hand went straight for it (his pistol). And I shot him."


NC: Court restores felon’s gun rights: "The North Carolina Supreme Court says a 2004 law that bars convicted felons from having a gun, even within their own home or business, is unconstitutional. The state’s high court ruled Friday in the case of Barney Britt of Wake County that the General Assembly went too far five years ago when it toughened restrictions on felons owning guns as part of a broad anti-domestic-violence bill. Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson said in a dissenting opinion the decision could encourage challenges against state bans on felons and the insane owning guns. Britt was convicted of felony drug possession in 1979. He completed his sentence in 1982, and his right to own a gun was restored five years later.”


Virgina Tech shooting 2009: Another reason for Right to Carry while hunting: "“The 2009 tragic shooting of two Virgina Tech students visiting a campground in the nearby Jefferson National Forest legitimizes the belief that the ruling handed down last January for ‘right to carry’ within National forests should have been a given. The rule allows Right-To-Carry permit holders to carry concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuge areas in states that recognize their permits. In the past, the Bureau of Land management and Forest Service lands allowed the carrying of firearms, while lands managed by the Department of Interior did not. In recent years, the right to carry has risen from 10 states to 40 states which is an all-time high.”

CO: No charges in "Make My Day" killing at apartment complex: "The man who shot and killed an 18-year-old last month at the Greentree Apartments was acting in self-defense under Colorado’s “Make My Day” law and will not face charges, the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday. Eric Blancas was shot in the chest July 26 by 35-year-old Joseph Fleming, a resident of the apartments on North Carefree Circle. A group of people “with potential gang involvement” were arguing outside the apartments when Fleming grabbed his shotgun for protection, the District Attorney’s Office stated. Attempting to let a friend inside, Fleming “was rushed by several members of the group,” beaten and stabbed. Blancas was in the group that rushed into Fleming’s apartment and were attempting to take Fleming’s gun. “Concerned that they would kill him or his family with the shotgun, he tried to discharge all of the cartridges into the floor,” the DA’s office said in a release. In the struggle, one of the shots struck Blancas, killing him. Fleming was hospitalized. “In reviewing the facts surrounding the shooting, the District Attorney’s Office determines that pursuant to Colorado law, Joseph Fleming, 35, was justified in his use of deadly physical force to defend himself and his family and to defend against an intruder."


Canada (BC): Stolen shotgun used to blast abusive ex-boyfriend: "A gun stolen during a break-and-enter last August in Coldstream was used by a Kelowna woman to shoot an abusive ex-boyfriend, Kelowna provincial court heard this morning. Christine Connelly turned in herself and the sawed-off shotgun to police after the Oct. 7, 2008 shooting, which she claimed was an act of self-defence. The victim, who showed up at Kelowna General Hospital with a leg wound early that day, was unco-operative with police so Connelly was not charged directly with the shooting. She was, however, charged with three related weapons offences, and was sentenced on one of them this morning. Court heard that in the early morning of hours of Oct. 7, Connelly was scared when a man with whom she had a previous violent relationship showed up at her house and took off with some of her belongings. He re-appeared at the door and began kicking at it. Fearing for her life, Connelly fired a single blast through the door, hitting the man in the upper left leg. Staff at Kelowna General Hospital called police when he showed up there later, although he was unco-operative. Later that day, however, Connelly, who’s in her mid-20s, phoned police to disclose what happened. She told the investigating officer she found the gun in a box in an alley. “She was involved in a pattern of severe abuse from this individual and she was afraid for her life,” explained defence counsel Blaine Weststrate. He noted that Connelly was acting as a “responsible citizen” when she turned herself in, and “Crown wouldn’t have a case if she didn’t call police.”


Police Run Roughshod Over Lawful Handgun Owner: "No good deed goes unpunished — that’s a lesson George Boggs of Fayetteville, North Carolina, learned earlier this month when he voluntarily turned his handgun over to the local police for safe-keeping while he went into the hospital following an automobile wreck. When Mr. Boggs (who maintains a valid concealed-carry permit for the handgun) later attempted to retrieve his firearm, the police said, sorry, we’ve sent it out for ballistics testing and can’t give it back to you yet. Apparently the police in North Carolina believe themselves empowered to retain a law-abiding citizen’s firearm, and test it to see if it matches any firearms or ammunition on which the police have records that were used in crimes, regardless of whether they have any suspicion whatsoever that the firearm is illegal or has ever been used in the commission of a crime. And, the police do this even if the person has voluntarily and temporarily left a firearm with the police for safe keeping. In this case also, the owner of the handgun did not want the firearm fired because it had never been fired since he purchased it new, and he believed its value would be diminished. Tough luck, according to the law enforcement authorities"


LA: Gun dealers prepare for “Second Amendment Tax Holiday”: “The Second Amendment is one thing a gunsmith never forgets. Now the state’s Legislature is creating Louisiana’s first ‘Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday.’ The holiday is scheduled to run from 12:01 AM on Friday, September 4th through 12 midnight, Sunday, September 6th. During this three-day period all fire arms, ammunition, and hunting supplies will be exempt from the state sales tax. Hunting supplies include archery items, hunting apparel, and miscellaneous hunting equipment.”

Alabama man acquitted of murder charges in shooting death during dispute over $20: "After five hours of deliberations today, a Mobile jury found a 27-year-old accused of shooting a another man in a scuffle over $20 not guilty of murder. Christopher Cunningham, 27, went on trial earlier this week over the March 2008 shooting death of Daniel McGee, 25, outside an apartment complex near the intersection of Florida and Emogene streets in midtown. The defendant said he shot McGee in self-defense after the latter threatened to kill him and struck him with a pistol as Cunningham sat in a car. Defense attorney Jeff Deen said McGee's death was tragic, but his client had a right to defend himself when he believed his life was in danger. Cunningham testified before that when he shot McGee, McGee's gun fell inside Cunningham's car and he picked that up and emptied it into McGee. Deen pointed out that Cunningham had never been in trouble with the law, in contrast to McGee, who had an arrest and conviction record that included robbery, assault, illegal possession of a gun and drug-related cases."


CA: Sheriff considers allowing armed self-defense: "“California has long been a gun control breeding ground. It has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, and though has a process for obtaining a license to carry a concealed handgun, it is a ‘may issue’ permitting process meaning California sheriffs can issue licenses but only if they want to. Most don’t. That may be changing for on sheriff as budget cuts have forced him to realize that some people really are on their own and need to be able to protect themselves.”


CA: Escondido man wants people to take unloaded guns to weekly rallies: “A retired Navy petty officer in Escondido is organizing weekly rallies for next month during which people are encouraged to bring unloaded guns to highlight the right to openly carry the firearms. Gerald Reaster, 69, said he is asserting his Second Amendment rights and the freedom to carry unloaded firearms openly without a license, as allowed by state law. A permit is needed, however, to carry a concealed weapon. ‘I am a disabled vet, a member of the American Legion, a good patriot. The older I am, the more I see the need for self-defense,’ Rester said. He plans to gather a group of like-minded people to show up at the rallies with their unloaded guns.”


Political parties and your right to bear arms: "“Let’s play a little game called Name That Party …. Choose the political party to which the following people belong: 1) The original sponsor/author of the bill that repealed Alaska’s license to carry requirements: Dem or Rep? 2) In response to the repeal of Alaska’s licensing requirement, what is the political party of the person who said the following: ‘I am a strong gun advocate and very concerned that every time someone misuses a gun, particularly a handgun, we lose in the court of public opinion:’ Dem or Rep? 3) What is the political affiliation of the group [which] wrote the following in their DC v. Heller Amicus Brief: ‘the individual right guaranteed by the Second Amendment is subject to reasonable restrictions and important exceptions:’ Dem or Rep?”

TX: Business owner shoots burglar: "A local businesses owner prevented himself from becoming a victim of burglary. Police say just after midnight Wednesday, the business owner of this t.v. repair shop fired his gun at a suspected burglar. He told police he happened to be sleeping at the business, when he heard glass break and someone come through the front door. The business owner also happened to have a gun and shot the 33-year old intruder, who got away. Then, around 1 a.m, the gunshot victim walked into the Bay Area Hospital Emergency Room. The suspect is under guard at the hospital until he is well enough to be booked into the City Detention Center.”


ND: Homeowner fires at intruder: "There is no suspect in the burglary attempt that occurred August 18, in Eagle Run at 1139 38 1/2 Ave. W., where the homeowner, Jason Fonder, fired a single shot at an intruder discovered in his residence. Also home at the time were his wife, and two-year old daughter. There were no injuries and nothing was taken.”


IL: Shootings rampant despite gun ban: “You cannot legally buy a handgun in Chicago, yet the city is the nation’s most murderous city. You can own one, but only if you’ve owned it since before 1982, and it’s registered every year with the Chicago Police Department. Gun-control advocates and gun-rights advocates don’t — or can’t — agree on how a city with a handgun ban can lead the nation in murders. To proponents of owning guns, it means the ban doesn’t work. ‘Laws are only for law-abiding citizens anyway,’ said John Riggio, owner of Chuck’s Gun Shop and Pistol Range in Riverdale. ‘Criminals, by definition, don’t follow the law.’ But to proponents of regulating guns, it means the ban isn’t big enough.”


Gun groups to sue over Montana-made and retained firearms: "The Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) have formed a strategic alliance to litigate the principles of the Montana Firearms Freedom Act (MFFA), passed by the 2009 Montana Legislature and signed into law by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. The MFFA declares that any firearms made and retained in Montana are not subject to any federal authority, resisting Congress’s dramatically expanded use of the interstate commerce clause to justify Washington’s regulation of virtually all of the private economy.”

MI: Driver recounts firing at robbery suspects: "Almost striking two masked men as they darted away from a N. West Avenue gas station, Daniel Szymanski turned left and stopped to pinpoint their direction of travel. Before his son, a back-seat passenger, could call 911, one of the men stuck what appeared to be a shotgun in the passenger window just inches from the face of Szymanski's wife. "I wanted to kill him immediately," said Szymanski, a corrections officer at the Jackson County Jail who legally carries a gun and pointed it at the masked man, believed by police to be accused armed robber Devon Glenn, 18. The man dropped back and Szymanski, 55, got out of the car. As the suspect ran away, he pointed the shotgun — a deceivingly real-looking fake — at Szymanski and Szymanski fired, sending the masked man quickly fleeing over a fence. Glenn and two others — Georval Pennington, 18, and Kyle Ybarra, 16 — were later arrested on armed robbery charges. They were arraigned Aug. 4 and their cases are pending. Pennington's preliminary examination was scheduled for today. Ybarra is accused of driving Glenn and Pennington to the gas station at 1612 N. West Ave., according to a Jackson police report obtained this week. Glenn, armed with the Airsoft gun, and Pennington went into Buddy's Mini Mart while Ybarra waited in a vehicle nearby, according to the police report. Neither Glenn nor Pennington got back into the vehicle after Szymanski fired his gun. Jackson County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mark Blumer said Szymanski acted appropriately by shooting at the man."


Gun registration not supported by history: “As for those on ‘our side’ who feel a compelling need to volunteer that the Heller decision combined with Militia Act intent now makes mandatory gun registration ‘legal,’ remember that the Constitution is the ’supreme law of the land.’ They and those who would exploit their ‘reluctant’ admissions would do well to remember that some of us know you don’t need to wear black robes and speak all the ritual judicial incantations to understand the intent behind our right to keep and bear arms — and our commitment to preserving and restoring it.”


Can’t suspend civil rights: "Seattle’s officially lame-duck Mayor Greg Nickels and the District of Columbia’s delegate-for-life Eleanor Holmes-Norton have something in common that has already gotten one in a lot of trouble and the other may be asking for some. Both seem to believe that constitutional rights can be suspended. Nickels lost the gun owner vote in Seattle and has now lost his job, coming in third in the primary election last week, because he’s spent the last 14 months waging a quiet war on gun rights and Washington State’s model preemption statute. He had threatened to ban all firearms … from city property by executive order. Advised that he lacked the authority, he promised to do it, anyway."


The media gets it wrong, again, on guns: "In Portsmouth, New Hampshire recently, a man carried a handgun a few blocks away from the site where President Obama was scheduled to hold a town hall a couple of hours later. Was it a danger or not? The man carrying the gun, William Kostric, even had permission to have the gun on private church property while he was protesting Obama’s appearance. … Obviously no one wants to see a president even remotely threatened and people need to be sensitive to such things. But worrying over a law-abiding citizen legally carrying a gun several blocks and a couple of hours away from an indoor event that the president will attend is overdoing it. … Yet, the most amazing thing about the news coverage was how much the media missed. Far from being a hothead, Kostric and a friend had been roughed up by a union member. … Kostric and his friend notified the police of the incident, but the police officer shrugged and went away. Kostric’s gun did however defuse the volatile situation with the union member — once the union member saw Kostric’s gun in its holster he backed up and moved away.”

MI: Teen tries to rob Detroiter, ends up shot by victim: “A 17-year-old would-be armed robber had the tables turned on him this morning when his intended victim pulled out his own gun and shot the teen, police said. Now, instead of the money he allegedly sought to steal, the teen will get a lengthy hospital stay — and, if he recovers and is convicted, a lengthy prison sentence. … ‘The 17-year-old came up behind a 32-year-old man behind the apartment building and tried to rob him at gunpoint,’ Roach said. ‘But the 32-year-old had a CCW (a license to carry a concealed weapon), and had his own sidearm with him. He pulled his weapon and they exchanged gunfire.’ When the shooting was over, the 32-year-old had only suffered a minor injury to the head, while the alleged bandit was seriously wounded.”


Ark. shooting suspect claims self defense: "The man arrested after the shooting death of a Cabot man near Mayflower is claiming self defense. Authorities arrested 43-year-old Audie Taylor in the Saturday morning shooting of 37-year-old Sean Michael Engle outside a camper near Mayflower. Faulkner County Sheriff's Maj. Andy Shock says Taylor told police he was at the camper when Engle came to the door with a club-like weapon and threatened him. Engle was shot below the ribs with a .22 caliber pistol. Taylor is in custody on $10,000 bond on a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. No charges have been filed in Engle's death."


Now a gun ban dreamland, is crime in Britain out of control? “Great Britain has long been held as the shining example of what can be accomplished via gun control. Handgun ownership is all but unheard of and rifles and shotguns are tightly controlled and citizens require a ‘good reason’ to be issued a permit to own one. Historically, self-defense has not been considered a good enough reason.Now, the Daily Mail reports that while law abiding citizens have been nearly universally disarmed, the criminals have not and flaunt their power. According to the Mail, ‘the level of violent crime in Britain has risen by 70 per cent. Gun crime is up by more than half and there are more than 100 serious knife crimes each day, with fatal stabbings having reached the highest level on record.’”


SCOTUS: Second Amendment cases up early: “The Supreme Court will consider two new cases on the scope of individuals’ Second Amendment right to have guns at its first Conference for the new Term, on Sept. 29 … Both petitions challenge a Seventh Circuit Court ruling that the Amendment does not restrict gun control laws adopted by state, county or city government, but applies only to federal laws. The cases are National Rifle Association v. Chicago (08-1497) and McDonald v. Chicago (08-1521). The so-called ‘incorporation’ issue is the most significant sequel issue raised in the wake of the Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, recognizing for the first time a personal right to have a gun for self-defense, at least in one’s home.”

TN: Man charged despite apparent self-defense: "When a prominent black businessman shot and killed a reputed outlaw in an East Knoxville parking lot Saturday, it was a clear case of "self defense" triggered by years of threats, a defense attorney hired to represent the accused said today. Reginald Stacy Sudderth, 43, of Louisville, was killed just after 7 p.m. in a parking lot at 2515 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., according to the Knoxville Police Department. Sudderth stood trial in 2006 for his alleged role in a bloody series of events in Blount County surrounding the death of an 18-year-old man but was ultimately acquitted. His killer, 41-year-old Troy D. Whiteside of Knoxville, has been charged with second-degree murder and is free on a $750,000 bond. According to Isaacs, Sudderth approached Whiteside while Whiteside was at a clothing store Saturday evening on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and threatened him. Sudderth was kicked out of the store but apparently waited outside in the parking lot for Whiteside to leave. "Mr. Sudderth was escorted out of the business where he encountered Mr. Whiteside," Isaacs said. "After Whiteside exited the building, Mr. Sudderth exited his vehicle, approached Mr. Whiteside, and threatened Mr. Whiteside." Sudderth "appeared to be reaching for a weapon" when Whiteside shot him, Isaacs said. Immediately after the shooting, Whiteside left the scene and flagged down a KPD officer, Isaacs said. He then "cooperated fully with law enforcement investigators" and gave a statement, he said. Whiteside, a Republican who has been active in financially supporting various political candidates, owns or has owned a number of business in the Knoxville area."


TX: Guard who shot 15-year-old robbery suspect says he had no choice: "The Dollar Store owner hired Paige after the store was robbed at gunpoint four times by the same group of teens. Police say one of the teens tried again on Tuesday, but this time he didn’t get away. “I told him to drop his pistol and he turned his pistol toward me and I fired a shot,” said Paige. Surveillance video shows the suspect walking into the store, pointing his gun at the clerk and demanding money. Paige says he sprung into action when he heard the clerk screaming. That’s when I came around the corner with my 12-gauge shotgun,” said Paige. Paige said that he asked the 15-year-old suspect to drop his gun and lay on the floor. “He kept reaching for his gun. I told him, 'Don’t reach for the gun or I’m going to shoot you.' He reached for his gun and I shot him again on his shoulder and still no reaction,” said Paige. The teenage suspect has two bullet wounds, but he's expected to be OK. No one else was hurt."


Plaxico Burress: Two years for fumbling a Glock: "If this is true, there is no such thing as a ‘Constitution.’ That once august document known as The Supreme Law of the Land has no more legal heft than an old dog-eared Daffy Duck comic book. Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg in a nightclub last November and, because of New York City’s anti-self defense laws, shot himself in the foot as well. For committing the act of harming no one, except himself, Mr. Burress gets two years in the state slammer.”


The liberal fear of guns: "“Liberal columnist David Sirota is scared, and he believes that the First Amendment is intended to eliminate his fear. In a column entitled ‘Freedom from Fear — and the Second Amendment,’ Sirota argues that because some people get scared when they see guns and think that the gun owner is going to shoot them if they say the wrong thing, the Second Amendment is a threat to the First Amendment. The purpose of the Constitution was to call into existence the federal government and, at the same time, to protect us from that government through the grant of very limited powers to the government.”