Dershowitz Doubles Down on Trayvon Martin Case

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source

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

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

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

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

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

    "That is correct", he says.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source




Republicans Backing Off Holder Contempt Charges

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source





Indian women turn to firearms against threat of violence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source

Note

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

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

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


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


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

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


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


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

Congress Not Standing Ground on 2nd Amendment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source






The Zimmerman case disintegrates

Beating people up because they looked at you funny is wrong

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source

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


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

Zimmerman murder case looks like long shot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More here






Breyer Push For More Protection Illustrates Elite Double Standard

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

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

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

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

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

More here

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


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

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


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


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


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

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


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


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


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

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


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

Note

I am in hospital again so I may not be able to blog here for a few days

NC:  Shooting death 'justified':  "The witness said Darling was acting aggressive and ran to 111 Fieldcrest when residents turned on the porch light. The Marine resident’s wife opened the front door to find Darling standing there naked and talking about a lighter and a cigarette.  Lee said the Marine resident’s wife was very concerned for her two toddler children who were asleep in their bedrooms.  Darling charged at her and the Marine resident’s wife shut and locked the door. The residents called 911.  Darling began yelling for the Marine resident to let him in the house.   Darling was ramming the front door with his shoulder. The Marine resident told Darling to leave, and that he had a gun.  Darling then punched the screen out of the window by the front door and then quickly thereafter jumped, diving head first through the screened portion of the window into the living room.”  The Marine resident used a 1911 .45-caliber handgun to shoot Darling three times in the back as Darling dove through the window, Lee said."


NC:  Clerk says customer shooting was in self-defense:  "A Durham store clerk who shot a customer in the leg last week said Friday that he was only protecting himself after the customer threatened to kill him.  Alaael Ahmed El-Hamalawi, 52, said the man, whom police identified as John Reid Jr., walked into the University Market on West Chapel Hill Street, on April 30, yelling that he had a knife and was going to kill El-Hamalawi.  El-Hamalawi said Reid also struck him on the hand and broke a window with an electric drill that he had been swinging.  "If I (had not) ducked, he would have killed me that day," El-Hamalawi said.  He said he tried to push Reid out of the store, and then he got a gun, warned him and then shot him in the leg.  Police arrested both men – El-Hamalawi on charges of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and discharging a firearm in the city limits and Reid, 55, on charges of communicating threats and injury to property.  El-Hamalawi is out of jail on a $75,000 bond."

AL: Argument escalates into gun fight:  "Two men alleged to have been involved in a gunfight Friday in Anniston sustained non-life threatening injuries as a result, according to police.  Anniston police Sgt. Josh Doggrell said two men fired shots at each other around noon Friday in an empty lot near the 2600 hundred block of Noble Street.  “They appeared to be acquaintances, and they got into an argument,” Doggrell said. “That escalated into a fist fight, and the fist fight escalated into a gunfight.”  One man was shot three times and transported to Regional Medical Center, Doggrell said, but was discharged later that day. The other man sustained minor injuries from the fist fight.  No arrests have been made.  “The one that didn’t suffer gunshot wounds claimed self-defense,” Doggrell said. “From statements made that seems to be consistent.”


GA: Ex cop stops   armed robbery:  "He had a black and white cap on and a yellow bandana over his mouth and over his nose. You couldn't even see his eyes -- he was that covered up," Martin said.  "He says, 'Give me your money.' I told him I didn't have no money, then he pops his gun and says, 'B****, I said I want your money,' and I said, 'I already told you I don't have no money.' I mean, I thought it was a joke," Martin said.  Luckily for Martin, an unofficial security guard and retired cop was nearby and knew it was no joke.  "Then Lennard pulled his gun out and started shooting and then he ran out the door and he fell," Martin said.  Every night Lennard McBride volunteers to work security at the convenience store behind his home.   "I had just walked in and was standing there and he come in waving a gun around and told us it was a holdup and he wanted all the money," McBride said.  Martin refused to hand over cash, giving McBride the half a second he needed.  "When he turned away from looking at me and looked at the clerk, I eased my pistol out and started popping caps," McBride said."

Pa.: Victim shoots back but badly hurt:  "The victim was walking out of the McDonald's restaurant on Forbes Avenue with friends at about 2:40 a.m. when he was confronted by Jason Woodall, who wanted to steal a bracelet that the man was wearing, police said.   The victim pulled out a legally registered and licensed handgun and exchanged shots with Woodall, taking one gunshot to the chest, police said.  City police said Woodall ran to Oakland Avenue, where a University of Pittsburgh police officer arrested him and took his gun.  Police said Woodall, 18, of McKees Rocks, was treated at a hospital, then taken to the Allegheny County Jail on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, carrying a gun without a license and receiving stolen property.  The victim was taken to UPMC Presbyterian for surgery and was last reported to be in critical condition."


TX: Motel guest fatally shoots intruder: "A man was killed as he broke into a room at a northwest Houston extended-stay motel Thursday night.  Houston police said a motel guest was inside a first-floor room at the Studio 6 Extended Stay on the Northwest Freeway and Rothway Street when he heard glass break about 7:20 p.m.  Detectives said a man broke a window and then broke down the door to the room.  Herness said the motel guest whose room was broken into warned the man.  "This guy is like a pit bull, fighting and mad," Herness said. "(The motel guest) was hiding behind their bed saying, 'Don't come in here, sir. I have a gun.' Thank God they had a gun. No telling what he would have done.  The motel guest and a woman inside the room were not hurt."


TX: Jeweler exchanges gunfire with robber:  "According to witnesses, the suspected robber entered the store posing as a customer. An employee began to assist the man and he produced a handgun and announced that he was robbing the jewelry store. He ordered the female employee and a customer to lie on the floor. The robber then confronted the owner and attempted to restrain him. The robber then fired one shot that struck the owner in his upper leg. The robber began to rummage through the store and the owner was able to secure his personal handgun and fire several shots at the robber. An exchange of gunfire then ensued between the owner and the now fleeing robber. During that gunfight, the robber was struck multiple times in his upper body. He exited the store and fell on the front sidewalk. The owner then held the robber at gunpoint until officers arrived.  Beaumont EMS transported both the robber and the storeowner to St. Elizabeth ER for treatment of their wounds. The owner was listed in good condition suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg."


FL: Self defense acknowledged in shootout:  " Investigators faced conflicting accounts in the March Sportsman's Park shooting that left Marcus Samuel dead, and couldn't overcome Terry McEliver's contention that he fired on Samuel in self-defense.   Port St. Lucie police have said the shooting happened after an altercation involving Samuel and McKeliver, who were playing basketball at Sportsman's Park.  Officials learned Samuel ran to his car and got a .22 caliber handgun he is said to have purchased in February.  "Prior to retrieving said gun, Samuel allegedly made the statement, 'You're dead,'" police records state. "Samuel did return back to the park and fire his handgun prior to being shot by McKeliver."  He said Samuel turned in his direction and pointed a gun at him. McKeliver first fired a shot — intentionally aimed high — to scare Samuel, but Samuel still pointed a gun toward him. McKeliver fired a second shot that struck Samuel."

CA:  Knifeman chased off by gun:  "The suspect reportedly brandished a knife and demanded money or food from a man and his girlfriend who were eating at a nearby restaurant at about 7:50 p.m., said Andrew Neiman, an LAPD spokesman.  The man who was dining, a retired police officer, pulled a gun and chased the robbery suspect, who fled into the Gregory's shoe store on Melrose Avenue.  No injuries have been reported"


SC: Kid shot while attempting to rob drug dealer:  "Calvin Busby received a bond of $25,000 for his charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Officials say Busby was the target of a failed robbery that resulted in the death of a 14-year-old.  Family members say accused drug dealer Calvin Busby didn’t fire the shot that killed a 14-year-old.  Shakeyia Benjamin said Busby has told his family he fired several warning shots in the air to frighten away his would-be robbers.  Terek Wright, 14, of 140 Joe Paul Drive, Cordova, died from loss of blood after being shot in the abdomen.  He and two others attempted to rob Busby in an otherwise quiet Cordova neighborhood on Monday night, officials claim. Brothers John Riley, 20, and Jerrell Richardson, 17, both of 231 Joe Paul Drive, are each charged with attempted armed robbery.  Busby was taken in on a charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana."


MO: Police chief drops demand for victim disarmament ordinance:  "Washington Police Chief Ken Hahn has withdrawn his call for an ordinance making it illegal to openly carry firearms in the city limits. ... The police chief said he changed his mind after consulting with City Counselor Mark Piontek who said that a weapon would have to be readily capable of lethal use, meaning it has to be loaded, for a violation to occur. 'That would require our officers to check to see if a gun is loaded which they can’t do without probable cause,' Chief Hahn told The Missourian Tuesday. 'It’s a dead issue,' Hahn remarked"


Dershowitz: Fire Prosecutor in Trayvon Martin Case:  "The special prosecutor in charge of trying Trayvon Martin’s killer should be fired from the case because she has made it clear that her priority is to “get” George Zimmerman, says leading appeals case lawyer Alan Dershowitz in an exclusive Newsmax TV interview.   Florida Gov. Rick Scott should never have appointed Angela Corey to the racially sensitive case in the first place, added the Harvard law professor.  “She has a terrible reputation in Florida for over-charging and being political and holding her finger to the wind and seeing which way the wind is blowing,” said Dershowitz, who has been an outspoken critic of the handling of the case.  “This prosecutor says she is here to do justice for Trayvon Martin and that is not the job of a prosecutor. The job of a prosecutor is to do justice period, to let the chips fall where they may, and even to resolve doubts in favor of the defendant."

A triple barrelled revolver.  Definitely not for concealed carry or a weak wrist

Particularly with the short barrel, it should have some shotgun-type scatter  effect so there should be some improvement in your chance of hitting your intended target



Details on the mad gunsmith who crafted this bizarre piece are unknown, except that it was made in Spain and appears to be a one-off creation. The fact that it only has a single trigger makes us assume the gun fires all three 6.35mm rounds at the same time, making it easy to get off 18 shots in no time. So even if you're a terrible shot, the gun's quantity over quality approach all but guarantees at least one round will find its mark.

Source




Pa.: Veteran shoots intruder with gun carried during Korean War:  "An 84-year-old western Pennsylvania man and Korean War vet shot and wounded a home invasion suspect.  Ricciutti said he heard a noise at about 4:30 a.m. and could see someone coming into the room. He pulled a gun out of a drawer, yelled a warning at Hiles and then fired once, hitting him in the neck.  Ricciutti said the suspect lives across the street, and he's never faced any hostility in the town.  WPXI-TV first reported that investigators said Hiles was arrested a few blocks away, carrying a screwdriver and a stun gun. He's being held on $100,000 bail on charges including criminal trespass and burglary."

AL:  13-year-old suspect killed during robbery:  "Birmingham police say a 13-year-old robbery suspect was shot and killed by the person he tried to rob in Birmingham Friday night. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office confirms the teen's identity as Jaqures Cortez Walker of Birmingham. He was a 7th grade student at Martha Gaskin Middle School and the quarterback for the football team, according to a family member.  BPD Sgt. Johnny Williams said the teen suspect approached a couple as they pulled into their home at the gated Skyview Condominiums.  The suspect had a T-shirt over his face like a bandana and was holding a cocked and loaded gun, Williams said.  Police say the would-be robber approached the male occupant of the car and told him to "Get out and give it up." The man had his own gun in the car and shot the teenager. The teen ran a few feet, collapsed and died at the scene, Williams said."


Florida governor rejects gun ban for Republican convention:  "Florida Governor Rick Scott has shot down a request by Tampa's mayor to allow local authorities to ban guns from the city's downtown during the Republican National Convention in August.   Citing Second Amendment protections in the U.S. Constitution, Scott told Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn that conventions and guns have co-existed since the nation's birth and would continue to do so during the four-day event beginning August 27.  "It is unclear how disarming law abiding citizens would better protect them from the dangers and threats posed by those who would flout the law," the Republican governor said in a letter on Tuesday.  Local officials need Scott's permission to enact the temporary restrictions after state lawmakers last year passed a measure that prohibits local governments from adopting gun ordinances that are stricter than state law."

No Guns for Illegals

(Denver, Colorado) The 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver has ruled that illegal aliens do not have the right to own firearms under the U.S. Constitution. Seems about right.

The lawyer for the defendant voiced plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Why You Need a Gun

I am still convalescing but someone sent me this from Tennessee -- well worth posting -- JR

Apparently the media couldn’t find cute kiddy pictures of Michael Martin, because no one has been making an issue of his well-deserved demise:



Any relation to Trayvon is probably superficial.

Source

Apology to My Regular Readers



I am in hospital. May be mid next week before I am blogging again

MO:  Woman shoots burglar:  "Richardson and Trevor Garms, 17, broke into a home in the 5800 block of Garfield Street at 2:15 p.m. April 9. The two men alleged boasted beforehand that they were planning to steal a flat-screen television and an Xbox 360.   Garms was distracted and yelling at Richardson, allowing the woman to grab the gun unnoticed, according to court documents.  "Garms then put the gun to the back of the victim's neck and began trying to force her onto the ground. Thinking Garms was going to kill her, she fired one shot at him and he stumbled back," according to court documents. "She began begging him to leave, but he came back towards her and she fired again. Garms dropped the gun, but bent down to pick it up, still ignoring the witness' pleas for him to leave. As Garms picked up the gun, she fired again, at which time Garms stumbled out her front door and collapsed across the street."  Garms died on the sidewalk."


TX: Guard Trades Gunfire with Robbers:  "Steve Martinez says he was taking a cigarette break outside the game room in the 3000 block of Broadway when he was approached by three masked men.  Martinez says one of them had a gun and told him to give them his wallet.  When the guard refused, he says they knocked him to the ground.   Martinez says he drew his gun and fired, knowing the robbers would shoot back. "I knew I was going to die, too," says Martinez.   Instead, neither Martinez nor the robbers were hit.   The robbers, all believed to be under the age of 25, took off without Martinez's wallet.


TX:  Suspect Tries to Rob the 'Wrong Guys':  "A robbery suspect with a gun chose the wrong place at the wrong time to threaten three men who were meeting behind a restaurant. He learned the hard way that they had guns of their own.  Three undercover narcotics officers, who were dressed in shorts and baseball-style caps with no badges visible, were meeting around 11 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot behind the Luby's Cafeteria on the Gulf Freeway frontage road near Telephone Road when a man wearing a ski mask jumped out from behind a bush, approached the group of undercover officers, pointed a gun at them and demanded their money and wallets.  The officers complied with the robber at first and emptied their pockets, but one of the officers began to speak with the robber, which allowed one of the other officers to walk behind one of the vehicles parked nearby.  When the robber threatened to shoot the officer who spoke to him, the officer who was hiding behind the vehicle fired several gunshots toward the robber and struck him once. The third officer also fired shots at the robber.  The robber died as a result of the shooting."

TX: Knife threat ended by two gunshots: "Officers learned that Lewis Hampton, a white male age 41, had threatened several people with a large knife.  One white male, who was threatened by Hampton, had a handgun in his possession.  He confronted Hampton in an effort to protect himself and others.  Hampton continued to use the knife and continued to threaten the victim and others.  Hampton eventually cut the victim with the knife at which point the victim shot Hampton.  After being shot, Hampton continued to verbally threaten and attack him.  The victim shot Hampton again.  At this point, other people were able to subdue Hampton until Tyler Police arrived.  Hampton was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for two gunshot wounds.  The victim was also transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released for several knife wounds.  Investigators were called to the scene as well as the Crime Scene Unit to process the scene.  Investigators believe at this point that the victim was acting in self-defense."


PA:  Stick-up of State Senator enlivens minds of legislators:  "State Sen. Tim Solobay, D-46, Canonsburg, became the target of four young men in September 2010 while he walked in downtown Harrisburg at about 11:30 p.m. Solobay, who has a concealed carry permit but was not armed at the time, was jostled and confronted by the teens, who demanded money.  Two of the teens ran off when Solobay pushed them, but one pulled a gun as Solobay got into his car. Solobay, a fire chief and former constable, hit the siren in his car and the gunman ran away. "I carry (a gun) all the time now," Solobay said. "It's very unusual if it's not on me."  Solobay said legislators are walking in pairs or groups, and some female colleagues are taking shooting lessons so they are ready to use a weapon."

It must be pre-election season:  "According to the National Firearms Act Trade & Collectors Association, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are preparing to remove the often burdensome Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) signature requirement from Form 1 and Form 4 for NFA firearms."


Lyons: Facts don’t bother pundits:  "Almost from the beginning, there were two aspects of the “George Zimmerman as racist assassin” story that made little sense. First, who calls the police, then murders a total stranger in cold blood knowing that the cops are minutes away? Panic seemed likelier than malice. Second, how does a 28-year-old man with a desk job catch a fleeing 17-year-old high school athlete, anyway? A festival of bad reporting, speculation and mind-reading from the outset, the Zimmerman-Martin affair has turned into a classic example of what University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls a “consensual hallucination.”.  Very little about the tragedy as initially reported has survived closer scrutiny. Remember when Zimmerman was depicted as a 250-lb. brute assaulting a child half his size? The real George Zimmerman turns out to be a smallish fellow some five or six inches shorter than the wiry young man he confronted...."

OH: Robbers  shot in shootout with  off-duty police officer: "According to Cleveland Police, three males approached Officer Dwayne Borders, 45, and attempted to rob him. During the robbery, one of the males pulled out a gun, and that's when Officer Borders grabbed his weapon and both parties began shooting at each other.  Officer Borders was shot in the torso, one suspect was shot in the abdomen and the second suspect was shot in the leg. The third suspect fled the scene uninjured.  Officer Borders tried to drive himself to the hospital, but was pulled over for speeding. The traffic officer then rushed Officer Borders to MetroHealth Medical Center where he was treated and later released.  The suspects drove to MetroHealth Medical Center where the dropped off the male with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The two remaining male suspects fled the hospital area on foot."




OK:  Stupid  woman (above) Gets Tasered By Restaurant Employee: "It happened at the Subway near 41st and 129th East Avenue. Police say 25-year-old Lorna Hampton came in armed with what appeared to be a black pistol demanding money. Officers say she went behind the counter with employees, who backed away.   Police say as Hampton began to open the register and take money out, a male employee used a taser on her. Hampton fell to the floor and the employee did not allow her to move. The employee left the prongs attached to the suspect just in case she tried to get up and waited for police to arrive. Police say the weapon used turned out to be a BB gun.  Hampton was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on a complaint of robbery with a firearm as well as child endangerment. Police say Hampton's vehicle was located across the street and her two children, ages two and five, were inside."


UT: Gun stops crazy knife attack:  "An attacker bought the knife inside a local market in Salt Lake City, UT, then stabbed one man in the side of the head and another person in the stomach. The attack took place in the market parking lot. A bystander with a concealed carry permit witnessed the attack and stepped in to keep it from escalating. The bystander was suspicious of what might be going on, and when he saw the stabbing, he just drew his pistol and challenged the individual, which caused the attacker to lie down on the ground. By the time police officers arrived on the scene, the attacker was subdued and is now in custody.  The knife wielding man seriously injured two people."


An armed society is truly a polite society:  "I can think of no reason for not carrying guns openly. In fact, there are only seven states and the District of Columbia that continue to infringe on the Second Amendment by not allowing open carry. Fourteen states allow open carry with a license along with 29 states that allow unlicensed open carry, including four states -- Arizona, Arkansas, Vermont, and Wyoming -- which require no permits for carrying openly or concealed. If open carry were a big problem, wouldn't some of these states repeal these laws instead of trending toward open carry in more states?"

Behenna hearing underway

A government lawyer has told an appeals court that a police officer pointing a gun at a suspect would have no right to self-defense if attacked.

The shocker came in arguments before the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the CAAF, during a hearing for 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, who was convicted of murder after shooting a known terrorist in Iraq who attempted to grab his weapon during an interrogation.

Vicki Behenna, an assistant district attorney and Michael’s mother, said it was evident during the hearing this week the judges were very knowledgeable about the case.  “It’s always hard to know what they are thinking, but I think they seemed sympathetic to Michael’s case,” she said. “I believe they were very fair during the hearing and well informed on the case. This leads me to believe that Michael will get a fair review.”

CAAF is a civilian court that oversees the military court system and is supposed to be completely free from all military influence.

Jack Zimmerman, Behenna’s attorney, argued the court should overturn Michael’s 15-year sentence based on several key errors made by the judge and prosecutors.

During the CAAF hearing, the judges appeared skeptical of claims by the government that Behenna had no right to self-defense against Ali Mansur, who lunged at him in an attempt to grab his weapon.

The prosecution had argued that Behenna lost the right to self-defense the instant he pointed his weapon at Mansur and that his only option was to move “away from the victim into the vast expanse of the desert” because it was an unlawful interrogation.

During the hearing, one of the judges questioned this assertion by the government, noting that the same standard would apply in law-enforcement.

“So the government’s view is that if a police officer misunderstands the law and is conducting an interrogation with a weapon, than the police officer has no right to defend himself if the person being interrogated then jumps the officer,” the judge asked. “He has to just sit there and take whatever happens?”

The government lawyer hesitated for several seconds and then said, “Yes, your honor. When a police officer does something unlawful like that, they lose the right to self-defense.”

More here





Kentucky Supreme Court says universities can't ban guns in staff, student vehicles on campuses:  "The Kentucky Supreme Court held Thursday that universities may not prohibit employees or students from storing firearms in vehicles parked on campuses because it is “contrary to a fundamental policy, the right to bear arms.”  The National Rifle Association hailed the ruling as an important victory for gun owners, while the chief of the University of Kentucky police department said it it was “very disappointing” because it potentially limits the school’s options in safeguarding the campus.  The court said UK improperly fired a graduate student who also worked as an anesthesia technician at Chandler Medical Center after a semi-automatic pistol was found in the glove compartment of his car parked on university property."


Why can’t foster parents carry a firearm?:  "The foster care agencies' rules about firearms in foster families are understandable -- to a point. The point where safe storage butts-up against the constitution right to keep and bear arms. Bear as in carry. Carry as in protecting the lives and limbs of loved ones. In fact, gun rights and foster care are only incompatible because the state says it's so. Just as anyone who wants to foster knows that discretion -- or submission -- is the better part of valor."


Oklahoma advances open carry, multiple gun bills:  "Oklahomans with concealed handgun permits would be allowed to carry their weapons in the open if a bill that easily passed the House of Representatives becomes law. But members defeated an amendment Thursday that would have allowed for the open carry of handguns anywhere without a permit. Senate Bill 1733 would allow anyone with a license to carry a firearm under the Oklahoma Self Defense Act to carry the weapon either openly or concealed. It passed 85-3 and is headed for a conference committee.   It also would allow a property owner to openly carry a handgun on his or her land. No concealed-carry permit would be required."

Media beginning their long retreat

Now that Zimmerman is being tried, the media face the fact that the truth will be soon  out and that their campaign against him will be exposed for the hoax it always was.  Soon people will see, for instance, that the pictures of the 12 year old Trayvon Martin that they have been putting up day after day are nothing like the 6'3" Martin that Zimmerman encountered.  So the media are now trying to present a kinder, softer image of Zimmerman.  See this  Reuters story, which has been widely reproduced.

It's quite a long article so I won't try to do any excerpts from it except this one:

Though civil rights demonstrators have argued Zimmerman should not have prejudged Martin, one black neighbor of the Zimmermans said recent history should be taken into account.

"Let's talk about the elephant in the room. I'm black, OK?" the woman said, declining to be identified because she anticipated backlash due to her race. She leaned in to look a reporter directly in the eyes. "There were black boys robbing houses in this neighborhood," she said. "That's why George was suspicious of Trayvon Martin."

Self-Defense Under Attack

Critics of Florida's self-defense law object to its recognition of a right to "stand your ground" in public places, which eliminated the duty to retreat from an assailant. Yet many of these critics seem to believe they have a duty to stand their ground and never retreat, using George Zimmerman's shooting of Trayvon Martin as a weapon to attack Florida's law, no matter what the evidence shows.
The emphasis on the right to stand your ground is puzzling in the context of the Martin case, since Zimmerman's defense does not seem to rely on it. The 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer, who was released on bail this week after being charged with second-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 26 shooting in Sanford, told police the unarmed teenager knocked him down with a punch to the face and pinned him to the ground, repeatedly smacking his head against the pavement. By Zimmerman's account, then, he had no opportunity to retreat.

Florida's law also has been blamed for delaying Zimmerman's arrest, and it did require that police have probable cause to believe the shooting was unlawful. But this is the same standard that applies to arrests for all other crimes, and whatever obstacle it may have posed proved temporary.

One unusual aspect of Florida's law that will be apparent in this case is that Zimmerman has a right to pretrial hearing at which he can try to convince Judge Kenneth Lester, by "a preponderance of the evidence," that he acted in self-defense. If he can meet that standard of proof, which requires showing it is more likely than not that his use of force was appropriate, the charge against him will be dismissed. But even if he went to trial, he would be (or at least should be) acquitted with that much evidence in his favor, since the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was not acting in self-defense -- which, as Northern Kentucky University law professor Michael J.Z. Mannheimer has pointed out, would be true "in virtually every state."

Zimmerman's defense under Florida's law is that he was attacked and "reasonably believed" shooting Martin was "necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm." Contrary to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is leading a national campaign against Florida-style self-defense laws, that does not mean people "make their own decisions as to whether someone is threatening or not" and therefore have "a license to murder." The threat assessment has to be reasonable, meaning someone who uses deadly force has to show it was justified by the circumstances.

Even if the Trayvon Martin case does not really illustrate the shortcomings of Florida's law, it is possible that eliminating the duty to retreat in public places, combined with reinforcing the "castle doctrine" (which applies to home invasions) and extending it to vehicles, has encouraged avoidable escalations of violence. The law's opponents note that the annual number of justifiable homicides in Florida (excluding police shootings) nearly tripled after the law was passed in 2005, from an average of 12 between 2000 and 2004 to an average of 35 between 2006 and 2010.

Still, you would expect to see an increase in homicides deemed to be justified even if the law were working exactly as intended. The crucial question in assessing the law's impact, which the task force appointed last week by Gov. Rick Scott presumably will ask, is whether these homicides should be deemed justified.

In the meantime, it is worth noting that Florida's violent crime rate, which fell by 12 percent in the five years before the "stand your ground" law was enacted, fell by 23 percent in the five years afterward. Since 1987, when Florida adopted a nondiscretionary carry permit law that the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence blames for "year after year of carnage," the state's violent crime rate has been cut nearly in half.

Source




PA:  Man says he shot in self-defense during roadside robbery:  "Two people were taken to the hospital after a man told police he fired his gun in self-defense during a roadside robbery in Stroud Township Wednesday afternoon....  a man called police from a home off Shafer's Schoolhouse Road to report being beaten by several individuals.  In an interview, he told police that he was the shooter, that he was beaten and robbed by the occupants of the vehicle, and that he fired the gun in self-defense. He was taken to Pocono Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.  Police have not released any names and are continuing to investigate. The weapon involved, a .45 caliber firearm, was recovered by police."


Misrepresented Second Amendment:  "The Bill of Rights recorded on the White House website plays with semantics. Knowing how the far left uses subtleties of language to effectively bring about change, I think these subtle changes do matter.   I’d like to know what was wrong with the original wording. Of concern is the change to the second amendment. Instead of the actual wording - "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed" - it becomes a right given to us by the state with the following White House wording - "The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to bear arms".   The Founders believed that we have certain inalienable rights as recorded in the Bill of Rights. An inalienable right means that no one gives it to us, it is an inherent right."

NC: Two burglars dead after breaking into the home of two Marines:  "Two Camp Lejeune Marines returned home early Sunday morning to find two men in their house. The intruders didn't make it out of the house alive.  33-year-old, Maurice Skinner and 33-year-old, Diego Everette were identified by police as the men killed in the burglary attempt. Both men are from Jacksonville.   Skinner and Everette were pronounced dead at the scene, but according to Jacksonville Police Chief, Mike Yaniero it is unlikely that anyone will be charged in the shooting.  "The investigation is ongoing, however at this time there is no evidence to suggest that criminal charges be filed. Police say the intruders attacked the residents and gunfire was exchanged"

Miss: man says fatal shooting was in self-defense:  "Jackson police said a man admitted to a fatal shooting but said he acted in self-defense.   Emmanuel Ealey, 37, was shot and killed Friday night at Westwick Apartments on Flag Chapel Road, police said. Ealey had a loaded gun on him when he died, police said.  Pelvius Thomas contacted police on Tuesday and spoke with investigators about the shooting. Thomas admitted to shooting Ealey but said he did so after Ealey confronted him for no apparent reason and pulled a gun on him, police said.  Jackson Police Department detectives were able to verify Thomas' story through a witness to the shooting, authorities said.  Thomas was released without being arrested, police said."


La.: Senate panel votes down new  self-defense bill:  "Legislation inspired by Florida’s Trayvon Martin case failed in a Senate committee Tuesday amid concerns that it would cloud state law.  Senate Bill 719 by state Sen. Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, D-Baton Rouge, would have rewritten Louisiana’s justifiable homicide law. Under the change, the law would not apply when the person committing the homicide is the aggressor.  “What I don’t want to happen in this state is that we have permission to murder,” Dorsey-Colomb told the state Senate Committee on Judiciary C.  Critics of the change complained that the measure would lead to confusion and possibly result in people provoking aggressive behavior in order to have an excuse to kill."

Ga. granny with gun foils robbery attempt via shootout with 2 armed men, injuring 1 of them:  "Authorities in Georgia say a grandmother foiled a robbery attempt by two armed men by getting into a shootout with them, injuring one man.  Police told The Telegraph  that Lulu Campbell just dropped off her grandson at her daughter’s house early Saturday morning when someone demanded money outside her car, threatening to shoot her.  Campbell says the man fired at her, missing. The 57-year-old fired back, striking him in the chest. Her truck sustained eight bullet holes in the hood, one in the grill. Both front side windows were destroyed. The second man fled after she shot at him.  Campbell, who owns convenience stores and gas stations, always is armed.  Police say 32-year-old Brenton Lance Spencer has been hospitalized and was charged with aggravated assault and attempted armed robbery."


FL: Clerk, gunman dead in store shootout:  "About 5 p.m., a man entered AC Grocery, which is in a small strip mall called Pace Plaza, at 1450 Pace Blvd. near Godfrey Street. He robbed it at gunpoint, a news release from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said.  During the robbery, the clerk took out a gun and shot the robber, the release said. The man then fired back at the clerk.  The clerk was pronounced dead at the scene, the release said. The suspect ran away from the store but did not go far before collapsing. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died."


Zimmerman was constitutionally entitled to follow Martin:  "I’ve heard TV pundits refer to George Zimmerman as a wannabe cop or “self appointed” neighborhood watch volunteer. This is a denigration of the private citizen’s responsibility to protect his neighborhood that would have shocked the Founding Fathers, who considered it was precisely the role of the private citizen to protect his neighbors whether as posse comitatus or as militia; the idea of standing police departments or military officers quartered among the people (Third Amendment prohibition) was exactly what the American Revolution — and the preservation of its principles in the Bill of Rights — was designed to escape.  It’s the denigration of the private citizen using “police” powers to protect his community — and the usurpation of these powers by a centralized authority — that is one of the principal methods by which Americans are infantalized by a paternalistic government.


Obama good for gun industry:  "The economic impact of the firearms industry is up 66 percent since the beginning of the Great Recession, providing an unexpected shot in the arm for the economy, according to a new study.  The National Shooting Sports Foundation says the economic impact of firearm sales — a figure that includes jobs. taxes and sales — hit $31 billion in 2011, up from $19 billion in 2008.  Jobs in the firearms business jumped 30 percent from 2008 to 2011, when the industry employed 98,750.  Some in the industry attribute the jump in sales to fears the Obama administration will tighten gun control laws in a possible second term.  "There's a concern that in the second term the Obama administration would lead an attempt to restrict gun ownership," Mr. Keane said.  That concern, known in the industry as "the Obama factor," has led many gun owners to purchase now in hopes of avoiding more restrictions and regulations later."

PA: Store owner  shoots at would-be robbers:  "Three men who allegedly tried to rob a Allentown store owner at knifepoint didn't get far Sunday. The owner of Tommy's Mini-Mart at Sixth and Tilghman grabbed a gun and fired two shots at them, scaring them off. Speaking exclusively to 69 News, the store owner said he didn't want to use a weapon but felt he had no choice.  Just as Nahy Hadeed was closing for the day, he said three men walked in and demanded all his money, pushing his face into the counter and pressing a sharp object against his throat.  When Hadeed couldn't get the cash register open, he said one attacker became agitated, jumped the counter, and started punching him. That's when Hadeed grabbed his gun, hidden under the counter, and fired two shots. "I just don't want to hurt anyone or kill anyone, but once again the issue is, I just want them to flee the store," he said."




TX: Man tries to rob bar patrons:  "Beaumont police say the table is turned when patrons at Luke's Ice House on Calder fight back against a robber armed with a gun.  Police say 23-year-old Kenneth Ray Taylor [above] of Beaumont is now in the Jefferson County Jail on bonds totaling $100,000. Owen says he and his friend jumped into their truck and fled when Taylor began robbing another person. But when they looked back, Owen says he was robbing yet another victim.  Except this time the robber chose the wrong person to mess with.  "He knocked the gun out of the guys hand and picked it up and shot him," Owen said.  Officers say Taylor was shot in the calf. Taylor ran south after the robberies but police quickly found and arrested him."
    

NC: Drug dealer shoots at robbers, gets jailed: "Witnesses told investigators that two men stole $60 at knifepoint from a man outside a convenience store on U.S. Highway 421 in Lillington after arranging a drug deal with the man.  The robbers then fled the area in a vehicle.  The victim chased after the robbers and forced their vehicle off the road near the intersection of U.S. 421 and Seminole Road in Broadway.  The victim fired at least four shots at the robbers, wounding both of them.  The robbers called 911 to report they had been shot and deputies tracked down the gunman a few minutes later at the intersection of MacArthur and Mt. Pisgah Church Roads. Ryan Richard Rachelle, 23 of McDougald Road in Lillington, and Cody Joseph Rachelle, 20 of Dixie Farm Road in Sanford were each charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.  They were detained in the Harnett County jail on a $75,000 bond each.  Kevin Felton Brown, 23 of Lillington, was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle.  He is being held on a $100,000 bail."


Zimmerman released:  "In a low-key event, George Zimmerman was released from a Florida jail on $150,000 bail as he awaits his second-degree murder trial in the fatal shooting of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. The neighborhood watch volunteer was wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans and carrying a paper bag as he walked out of the jail around midnight Sunday. He was following another man and didn't look over at photographers gathered outside. The two then got into a white BMW car and drove away.  His ultimate destination is being kept secret for his safety and it could be outside Florida.  Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said at a hearing Friday that Zimmerman cannot have any guns and must observe a 7 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew. Zimmerman also surrendered his passport."

TX:: Shoplifter  died after being shot in Walmart:  "Police said Bradshaw had been detained by store personnel as he attempted to leave the Walmart with a shopping cart of stolen merchandise sometime around 4 p.m. Friday.  After being escorted to the store's loss-prevention office, Bradshaw began to struggle with employees and pulled a handgun from his pants pocket.  The gun discharged during the struggle and a round struck a filing cabinet before a loss-prevention officer was able to get control of Bradshaw's gun.  Bradshaw then pulled a knife, investigators determined, and began to approach the loss-prevention officer wielding the gun.  The employee shot Bradshaw once in his mid-section, police said."


CA:  Guard shoots, kills robber:  "A security guard shot to death one of several people police said were attempting to rob jewelry from an indoor swap meet in Fontana Friday afternoon. The dead man was not immediately identified.  At least one of the robbers had a gun, said Fontana police Sgt. Pat Mackey at a news conference this evening. He said three men wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and ski masks went into the swap meet in the 9700 block of Sierra Avenue just before 2 p.m.  One pistol-whipped the guard while at least one other smashed a jewelry case.  The assaulted guard pulled a handgun and shot one of the robbers, killing him, Mackey said. The other robbers ran out the front door. It did not appear that anything was taken.  The guard was taken to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. Mackey said he was expected to recover."


Zimmerman may remain in jail until middle of next week:  "The neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin could remain behind bars until the middle of next week due to concerns about collecting enough funds for his $150,000 bond, his lawyer said Saturday.  Attorney Mark O’Mara visited his client George Zimmerman in the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, Florida on Saturday, a day after Seminole County Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. set the bond. Prosecutors had asked that Zimmerman remain in jail without bond until trial or that it be set at $1 million.  With the 10% cash payment customarily made to secure bond, Zimmerman could be freed with $15,000 from his family, attorneys said."


California Democrat trying to get gun-permit recognition bill blocked:  "Sen. Dianne Feinstein is trying to block votes on bills that would require a state to honor concealed gun permits from other states.  The California Democrat wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid and Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, requesting that no votes be scheduled on two concealed weapons "reciprocity" bills. There was no immediate response from Reid, D-Nev., or Leahy, D-Vt., to the letter dated April 17.   Feinstein wrote, "These dangerous bills ... would undermine states' rights by forcing nearly every state to accept the concealed carry permits issued by other states, even if the permit holder could not qualify for a permit in the state to which he is traveling."