WV: Gunfight in Bellaire, Homeowner Attacked, Shoots Intruder

Sheriff’s Deputy Chief James Zuzack today said Hall and an accomplice, whose name is unavailable, came to a home Tuesday night on Pipe Creek Road. Hall was allegedly armed with a gun, and his accomplice may have been, too, he said. “They knocked on a subject’s door, the subject opened the door, and they forced their way in, assaulting the homeowner,” Zuzack said. “We don’t know this for sure, but gunshots were fired on both ends (the alleged invaders and the homeowner) I believe.”

More Here

TX: Homeowner Shoots Man Attempting Break-in

“He was trying to break in or broke into the house and the owner ended up shooting him,”police spokesman J.J. Trevino said. The suspect took off and ended up at a local hospital where he remains.

Trevino said the man was shot in the arm and stomach, but it’s believed his injuries are non-life threatening.
More Here

PA: Defender, Intruder, Shot in Home Invasion

Kevin Malik Kenney, 20, of Philadelphia, was shot after he and Harrisburg resident Sherrod E. Baltimore, 21, forced their way into an apartment in the 1200 block of Bard Drive, Shippensburg Township, at about 10:30 p.m., police said.

Christopher Batts Jr., who was in the apartment at the time, was shot in the stomach and airlifted to York Hospital. Kenny was flown to Hershey Medical Center. Police did indicate where the bullet(s) entered Kenney's body, and no information was immediately available on either's condition.

More Here

Maine Background Check Proposition (Gun Registration) Defeated

One of the many bright spots in the 2016 elections for supporters of the Second Amendment was the defeat of Question 3 in Maine.  The question was portrayed as relatively straightforward.  From ballotpedia:

Do you want to require background checks prior to the sale or transfer of firearms between individuals not licensed as firearms dealers, with failure to do so punishable by law, and with some exceptions for family members, hunting, self-defense, lawful competitions, and shooting range activity?[8]

Question 3 was more complicated in reality.  It was three full pages long. You may read the entire proposition in a pdf file at this maine.gov page:

It does not matter much now.  A large group of independent minded Maine citizens rose up against the out of state money spent by Michael Bloomberg.  They defeated his gun control agenda. The NRA was able to send a million dollars to defend Maine's Citizens' rights.

As with all the propositions pushed by Michael Bloomberg, the proposition was much more concerned with setting up the prerequisites for more infringements in the future than any attempt to reduce crime.

Question 3 set up a future registration system. It could have required "background checks" without requiring permanent records.  Instead, it required that every firearm be recorded by serial number on permanent federal paperwork.

It banned 18 to 20 year old citizens from legally acquiring pistols. That right had existed in Maine since it became a state.  There was no exemption in Question 3 for young adults that were in law enforcement or the military. 

Bloomberg spent more than four million dollars. From wlbz2.com:

Trahan is rallying sportsmen and sport shooters in an attempt to defeat Question 3. Spending on the "Yes" side of the Question is Bloomberg driven and amounts to more than four million dollars. Most of the "No" money has come from the National Rifle Association and amounts to one million dollars.

The proposition was very similar to the  proposition 594 in Washington State. Second Amendment supporters learned from that disaster in fighting Michael Bloomberg in Maine.  Much of the difficulty was the full court press by those pushing population disarmament.  With propositions in four states, the effort was split.  It is difficult to compete with a billionaire who can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a whim.

Maine citizens refused to allow their rights to be purchased by a New York City billionaire. They were outspent by four to one.  As many people voted against question 3 as voted for both the Republican candidate (Trump) and the Libertarian (Johnson).

Question 3 lost 52% (390,200) to 48% (359,733).

Maine won.  Bloomberg lost.

In Washington State, with Proposition 594, the question was confused by a competing proposition, 595.  Proposition 595 would have essentially nullified proposition 594.  The complication was too much to explain to the voters with a limited budget.  A split in the vote happened in Washington State.  It could have happened in Maine. 

With the small government vote split between the Republicans and the Libertarians, Trump did not carry the southern electoral district in Maine.  Trump received 332,591 votes, Johnson 37,578.  Together they totaled 370,169.

Hillary Clinton received 352,485, Stein 14,006. Together they totaled 366,491.

The lesson form Maine for Second Amendment supporters: keep the choices simple and obvious.  Do not split the small government vote.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

CA: Ban on Magazines, License for Ammuniton Purchanse Passes

In California, Proposition 63, the ban on gun magazines, requiring licenses to purchase ammunition, requiring reporting any change in gun ownership, has passed by an enormous margin, 63% to 37%.  The measure had millions spent to get it passed.  The gun haters outspent Second Amendment supporters over five to one. From ballotpedia.org:

Yes on Prop 63 outraised opponents five to one. As of November 3, 2016, supporters received $4.54 million, while opposing committees raised $868,265. The California Democratic Party, a supporter of Proposition 63, had contributed over $1 million to the campaign. The National Rifle Association was against the initiative and contributed $95,000 to opponents. Polls indicated that around 68 percent of residents supported Proposition 63 prior to the election.

Here are a few of the major provisions of the proposition.  From Ballotpedia.org:

Licenses to sell ammo

In July 2016, California enacted legislation to regulate the sale of ammunition. The legislation required individuals and businesses to obtain a one-year license from the California Department of Justice to sell ammunition. Hunters selling 50 rounds or less of ammunition per month for hunting trips were not required to obtain a license

Proposition 63 established a misdemeanor penalty for failing to follow these dealer licensing requirements.

Large-capacity magazines

California banned large-capacity magazines for most individuals in 2000. Individuals who had large-capacity magazines before 2000 were allowed to keep the magazines. Proposition 63 removed the ownership exemption for pre-2000 owners of large-capacity magazines. The measure provided for charging Individuals who do not comply with it with an infraction.

Court removal of firearms

Proposition 63 enacted a court process that attempts to ensure prohibited individuals do not continue to have firearms. The measure required courts to inform individuals prohibited from owning a firearm that they must turn their firearms over to local law enforcement, sell their firearms to a licensed dealer, or give their firearms to a dealer for storage. Proposition 63 also required probation officers to check and report on what prohibited individuals did with their firearms. 

Out-of-state purchases

Starting in July 2019, the July 2016 legislation would have prohibited most California residents from purchasing ammunition outside the state and bringing it into the state without first having it delivered to a licensed dealer. Proposition 63 moved up the start date of this law to January 2018. It also made bringing out-of-state ammunition into the state without first delivering it to a dealer an infraction.

Reporting theft

The measure required dealers of ammunition to report a theft or loss within 48 hours. It required individuals to report a theft or loss within five days to local law enforcement. Failure to report is considered an infraction under the initiative.

The proposition benefited by a full court press against gun ownership in Maine, Nevada, Washington State, and Oregon. The massive funding given to muliple referenda all on the same date, along with an absolutely critical presidential election, prevented Second Amendment supporters from concentrating their resources in opposition to one referendum.
 
I expect the proposition to be challenged in court.  It remains to be seen if a replacement for Justice Scalia will be on the Supreme Court before a challenge might reach them.  A challenge might not be mounted for months or years.  It is possible that challengers will wait until the Supreme Court makeup is more favorable.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

NC: Armed Neighbor Wounds Burglary Suspect who Threatened Him

On Sunday at about 4:40 p.m., the man called 911 reporting he interrupted a burglary at his neighbor’s home, according to Sgt. Brian Humphreys, spokesman for the Kanawha sheriff’s office. He said he saw the people at his neighbor’s house and confronted them. He also shot their vehicle, striking the rear glass and a tire before they fled, according to Humphreys.

Deputies found Steve Lee Rose Jr., 31, at his home in Charleston and charged him with burglary. One of the people he was with, an 18-year-old man who had been grazed by one of the bullets the neighbor fired, was taken to the hospital. -

More Here

Open Carrier Handing out Water, Accused of "Intimidation" Near Polls in Mesa, Arizona

An open carrier in Mesa, Arizona, was handing out water in the polling station parking lot.  One or more gun haters called in that he was "intimidating" voters.  They claimed that he was "patting" his gun.  The video is of his conversation with police as they investigated the incident.

Link to video

Arizona is one of the few states that forbids firearms at polling places.  It is clear that this incident took place outside the polling place boundaries.  No arrest was made, but the Sargent makes a funny comment when he says that the Constitution is different in different states.

There can be splits in circuits.  Maybe he meant the state constitutions can be different.

I do not see a big problem.  Police have a duty to check out complaints.  As the officer said,

We are investigating whether a crime has been convicted.  

The 911 operator got a call.  The caller claimed the open carrier was patting his gun. It might or might not have been intimidation, depending on the circumstances and what was said.

Open carry has always been a right in Arizona.  The open carrier said:

"I never touched my gun."

He also says that even if he touched a gun, it is not a crime. The officer falls back on the old "disorderly conduct" statute, but that goes back to the intimidation issue.  Occasional touching of an openly carried, holstered pistol, is inevitable in the normal course of events.  Keeping the pistol under the elbow is a common retention tactic.

The fact that no one, out of dozens in line, took video of him "patting his gun" indicates it probably did not happen.

Calling the police for innocent conduct, and exaggerating to get them to come, is a form or "swatting".

Calling for police harrassment of open carriers has been common on the gun hater facebook pages.  It happened to me a couple of times, but is becoming less frequent as open carry becomes normalized.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

Book Review: A Time to Kill (The Myth of Christian Pacifism)

A Time to Kill 

(The Myth of Christian Pacifism) 

Greg Hopkins, paperback, 302 pages,  $19.95

I was an agnostic/practicing atheist for 40 years.  I have been an active Christian for a little over 4 years.  When Greg Hopkins approached me at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Tampa, Florida, two months ago, I welcomed the opportunity to read his book and write a review.

I do not write book reviews unless I have actually read the book. Readers might be surprised to know that many reviews are written by authors, as a favor to people who the author wishes to "review" the book.  The "reviewer" then reads the review, and approves of it (or not).

This book is not one to be read over a weekend. It took me a month of reading and digestion to finish it. I normally read a novel in a day or two. This book is not an adventure novel.

I liked Greg's fictionalization and embellishment of a couple of biblical accounts, as a literary device to make and emphasize particular points.  They were easy reading, but they are a small part of the book.  A Time to Kill is a deep level study of the biblical perspective on the use of deadly force, both individually, and collectively in war.

The book covers, but does not place undue emphasis on, Jesus' order to his disciples to obtain weapons in Luke.  One chapter, 23, out of 27, is devoted to the subject.  The Old Testament is covered in considerable detail.

I particularly enjoyed Greg's account of how the two Roman centurions mentioned in the New Testament were treated.  Centurions were Roman military officers. As a former U.S. Army officer, I could relate.

The first centurion mentioned in the bible has a conversation directly with Jesus. Jesus praises him for his faith. The second and his household were chosen as the first Gentiles to become Christians.  Neither was commanded to give up their profession of arms.

Greg has been a lawyer for most of his adult life.  His everyday experience is used to illustrate Christian and legal doctrine.  He shows the biblical basis for most of the law on the use of force in the United States.  He gives sound advice on both the use of force and how to avoid having to use force.

I recommend the book to anyone who wants more than a superficial look at biblical teaching of Christian morality on the use of deadly force.  I found it well worth while.

The book is available in both soft cover and in electronic format on Kindle for 19.95 at amazon.com.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

Voting in Yuma Arizona November 8th, 2016

I voted early today.  Usually a vote a couple of hours later, but a little after 7:00, I was in line, waiting to vote.

I thought the number of people voting might be sparse, so I asked Esther, an election worker for 13 years, how the turnout was.

She said: "This is amazing. Usually at this time, it is me and the birds in the parking lot!"

She said the voting had been steady, at much higher levels than she was used to. 

I did a little totally unscientific exit polling. I asked the couple behind me in the picture if they had voted for Hillary or Trump.  They emphatically said "Trump!"

It is not surprising.  Arizona is a Conservative state, and Yuma is a conservative part of Arizona. 

People say this is the most important election ever.  I think the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, and Dubya Bush in 2000, were equally significant.  Without Reagan we would not have won the Cold War, and the push for English style gun control would not have been stymied.  Without President Bush, Al Gore would have destroyed the economy with insane EPA regulations, and the irrational "Assault Weapons" ban would have been enhanced and renewed.

A president Trump offers a welcome rollback of government power, and a chance to build a Supreme Court majority that actually respects the Constitution, and especially the Second Amendment.

A president Hillary will take us to depths of corruption never seen before.  Her inept foreign policy will further weaken our sovereignty and confuse our allies.  Her Supreme Court picks will gut the Bill of Rights, particularly the Second Amendment, and First Amendment protections for speech, press, and religious freedom.

Much rides on the outcome.

No matter who wins, the old establishment media has been shown to be completely partisan.  That will change much.  If you have not voted, do so. You can find the nearest polling place on the Internet.  I did.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

OR: Homeowner Shoots Intruder

SALEM, Ore. — Salem Police say it appears as though a homeowner shot an attempted home intruder Friday afternoon.

More Here

NM: Hatchet Man out of Hospital, Faces Multiple Charges

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — An 18-year-old man faces multiple charges after he was shot by a man he attacked during a home invasion robbery, police said.


Diego Vallejo, 18, and four other men went to a home on the 300 block of Keathley Drive on Oct. 26 with the intent of breaking into it and stealing property, police said.

Vallejo had a hatchet while another person was carrying a bayonet-style knife, police said.

The group kicked in the front door and attacked a 37-year-old man who lived here. The victim was stabbed several times before he grabbed a handgun, police said.
More Here

CA: Home Owner Uses Shotgun to run Off Burglars

The homeowner armed himself with a shotgun and fired one shot at a man who was in the garage. Daniel Ross, 25, and Mandie Blake, 39, both from Sacramento, were waiting outside the home in a vehicle, Elk Grove police said.Ross and Blake were caught, but the other man is still outstanding.
More Here

CA: Attempted Carjack ends With Supect Stabbed in Self Defense

A man who attempted to carjack three vehicles in Santa Rosa saw his luck run out Sunday when he tried to steal a fourth vehicle — a Hummer — and was stabbed by one of the truck’s occupants, authorities said.

David Anthony Garza-Leventon, 30, was taken to a hospital with a stab wound in his shoulder. He later was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on three counts of carjacking and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

More Here

PA: Old man; Old.22 Handgun; Dead Career Criminal

Franklin Schrout, pictured above, chose to invade one too many homes in his criminal career. It happend about 1:30 a.m. Friday, 4 November, 2016, in Allentown, PA.  Schrout broke into the home of an 81 year old man and his invalid sister. Strout was wearing all black and a skull mask.

Shrout demanded money. The Homeowner said he did not have any in the house. Shrout and the 81 year old started fighting. On or in the nightstand was a .22 caliber handgun.  The home owner had never fired it. The handgun had been there for over 30 years. It is likely the ammunition was over 30 years old.  From wpxi.com:

The 81-year-old was able to grab a .22-caliber gun during a struggle with Schrout and fired one shot, police said.

Schrout ran out of the house and the 81-year-old’s bedridden sister called 911, police said.

When police arrived at the home, they found Schrout dead outside.

The 81-year-old told police that he had never fired the gun before and that it had been sitting in his nightstand for 30 years. He also said he wished he had been stronger so that he could have fought off Schrout without having to shoot him.

I have not been able to find a picture of the handgun, or a reference to make or model, other than caliber.  A source stated that it was a handgun, and not a rifle.  The location, on or in a nightstand, is consistent with that. Here are more details. From cbslocal.com:

The homeowner picked up a .22 caliber gun, which he had nearby and fired one round. It hit Schrout in the abdomen.

Lt. Kolencik told KDKA-TV’s Ralph Iannotti, “The [unidentified] homeowner advised [us] that he had the gun for over 30 years sitting on his nightstand and has never fired the weapon… and uses it today and it saved his life.”

Schrout was hit once in the abdomen with a .22 fired out of a handgun. It was probably a 40 grain bullet traveling about 800 feet per second.  Schrout fled the house.  He was found outside, lying dead in a neighbor's yard, near a shed.

The .22 caliber is consistently underrated by the uninformed.  A great many people and large animals have been killed with the caliber.  It would not be my first choice as a defensive handgun, but it is far better than not having a gun.

Under the firearm storage laws in place in San Francisco, the firearm would have been stored illegally.  If those laws had been in place in Pennsylvania, the Homeowner would have been storing the pistol illegally, or would not have been able to access it.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch 

NC: Armed Neighbor Shoots, Kills, Man Stabbing Woman

A nearby resident, 26-year-old Kyle Jensen, heard screaming and yelling from the assault and went outside to check it out, according to authorities.

Police said Jensen saw Davidson assaulting Harris and fired several rounds from his personal handgun, hitting Davidson. Davidson then ran back into the apartment where police later found him.
More Here

PA: 81-Year-Old Fires Old Gun, Kills Burglar

Police will not disclose the name of the homeowner, but they say he was awakened by a burglar and the two engaged in a physical confrontation.

That’s when the elderly victim reached for a gun that he’s kept on his nightstand for 30 years.

Police say the victim fired it for the first time.
More Here

Don Kates, Second Amendment Hero, has Passed On

Don Kates 1989

The first that I learned of Don Kates was when I ordered his bombshell academic book in 1980.  It was Restricting Handguns: The Liberal Skeptics Speak Out, published a few months earlier. Don was a classic liberal, not the leftist "progressive" that "liberal" has come to be known as today.

Don had edited a collection of liberal authors who wrote about why gun control, was a sham.  They explained why it could not work, and why it hurt poor people and minorities more than any other group.  I read it, passed it around, bought around 20 copies, as I recall, and handed them out.

Here is a link to a video of a talk given by Don Kates in 1989.

I ended up corresponding with Don.  I and a friend, Norman Whisler, were offered a chance to write, as I recall, for Gun Week, as a result.  My career took me to Panama, a few years before email made international writing simple.

I owe Don a good bit for the encouragement that he gave me.

Don was the person who invented, championed, created, nurtured and developed the academic rediscovery of the Second Amendment in the law journals.

He pushed the plan to treat the Second Amendment the same as the First Amendment.  The plan was to pursue a legal strategy parallel to the one that was used to incorporate the First Amendment. His strategy worked.

We all owe Don a great deal. He will be missed.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

Right to Hunt Amendment on Ballot for Indiana, Kansas

The right to hunt is something early colonists took seriously.  In England, the right to hunt was limited to the the King and landowners.  Commoners did not have a right to hunt.  In the American colonies, hunting was important for survival.  Vermont included the right to hunt in its constitution in 1777.  The right to hunt was considered for the United States Constitution, but ultimately was not explicitly included.  It falls under the 10th Amendment.

Nineteen states have the right to hunt in their state constitutions.  In the last 20 years, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming have passed amendments to protect the right.  The language in Alaska's Constitution does not explicitly guarantee the right to hunt, but reserves fish and wildlife for "common use". There is case law that shows this as a protection of the right to hunt and fish.

This year, right to hunt amendments are up for a vote in Indiana and Kansas.

It is Question 1 on Indiana ballot. From ballotpedia.org:

Section 39.
(a) The right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife:

(1) is a valued part of Indiana's heritage; and

(2) shall be forever preserved for the public good.

(b) The people have a right, which includes the right to use traditional methods, to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife, subject only to the laws prescribed by the General Assembly and rules prescribed by virtue of the authority of the General Assembly to:

(1) promote wildlife conservation and management; and

(2) preserve the future of hunting and fishing.

(c) Hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife.
(d) This section shall not be construed to limit the application of any provision of law relating to trespass or property rights.^[3]

It is Amendment 1 on the Kansas ballot. From ballotpedia.org:

§21. Right of public to hunt, fish and trap wildlife. The people have the right to hunt, fish and trap, including by the use of traditional methods, subject to reasonable laws and regulations that promote wildlife conservation and management and that preserve the future of hunting and fishing. Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. This section shall not be construed to modify any provision of law relating to trespass, property rights or water resources.[3]

It is hard to say how effective these amendments are.  They allow for management of fish and game resources by the state.  The power to manage is power to eliminate, given the will.  They provide protection against popular and emotional movements to enact laws. As with any constitutional amendment, the can be repealed, misinterpreted or ignored.  The bolster and and enhance the political strength of those who support the rights protected.

They are useful. As long as a strong minority support hunting, they are an aid in protecting the right to hunt.  I support them.  But any Constitutional amendment ultimately depends on the will of the people and strong institutions to support and defend the rights so protected.


©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch

AZ: Armed Homeowner Wounds Teen Intruder

A Tolleson-area resident arrived home Friday morning to find two intruders inside the house and fired a weapon at them, striking a 15-year-old boy, Phoenix police said.
More Here

Free Pistol with San Francisco Newspaper Subscription (1887)

Using guns as a marketing bonus has a long history in the United States.  Guns have always been valued.  A free firearm with a car or to open a bank account has been fairly common in the last few years.

The usual system, in our over regulated age, is to give a coupon to be redeemed at a gun shop, which has made a deal with the car dealership or the bank.

But things were simpler in 1887, when the San Francisco Chronicle a weekly, offered a pistol along with a years subscription, for $3.90.  That did not include mailing the paper.  If you lived where the paper was delivered, you could pay the delivery charges separately.  To have the paper mailed was another $5 a year, or about 10 cents a week.

When you use constant dollars to correct for inflation, $3.90 in 1887 would be $96 today.  If you use gold as as the standard, $3.90 was .195 ounces in 1887, or $253 at today's price of $1300 an ounce. It is still cheap for an inexpensive pistol and year of weekly newspapers in a major city.

The .38 S&W cartridge is still loaded.  The  H&R American Double Action advertised has a solid frame. It was stronger than many of the top break designs in common usage at the time. It is a pull pin design.  To load it, pull the cylinder pin and remove the cylinder.  Fill the chambers with cartridges, then replace the cylinder and the cylinder pin. Here is a picture of one in decent condition, chambered in .32 S&W long.

It is a simple, solid, design.  Old ones often have spring breakage, but parts can be found, and a gunsmith can make a replacement spring.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

Responsible for Every Bullet: Woman Killed, Man Charged (video)

The woman's window was in line with the shooter and the vehicle he was shooting at.  The video shows where the shot was fired from, and where it went.

 Video showing path of bullet 

A shooter is responsible for every bullet that they fire.  It is important to know your target, and what is behind your target.  Some say that every bullet has an attorney attached to it.  There is good reason for this.  When you shoot, you are unleashing deadly force.  It is a grave responsibility. You need to be sure of your backstop. Do not unleash it when it is not necessary in a highly populated area.  From oregonlive.com:

BONNEY LAKE, Wash. — Authorities say a woman was killed after she was hit by a stray bullet fired into her bedroom by a man who was aiming at his car, which had just been stolen.

The News Tribune reports Pierce County Sheriff's deputies received multiple calls between 11:10 and 11:25 p.m. Thursday from people who said they heard at least 10 gunshots in Bonney Lake. Shortly afterward, a woman called 911 to report her son's Jeep was stolen. She said he fired shots from a handgun before chasing after the car.

The shooter is cooperating with police.  We do not have the full story yet.  There may be more to it than his mother knows. Neighbors say they heard as many as ten shots.

We know that an innocent woman is dead, hit in the head with a bullet. The entrance hole in the window seems to be in line with the direction the shooter admits to shooting.  It looks bad.

You do not want to be "that guy". You do not want to be that woman.


 ©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

MO: Suspected Car Thief Shot, Killed, Investigation Continues

LAKE SAINT LOUIS • A homeowner shot and killed a suspected car thief Friday in Lake Saint Louis, authorities say.

The dead man, Shawn T. Jimenez, 31, of Lake Saint Louis, was found in the homeowner’s 2009 Volkswagen Passat about 1 a.m. Friday.

The homeowner, whose name was not released, was not injured. Police said they were investigating to determine whether the shooting was justified.
More Here

GA: Rare Mistaken Identity Shooting?

The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting incident after a 66-year-old Aiken man claimed he accidentally shot his roommate outside of their Barway Drive home this week.

According to a police report, deputies responded to Aiken Regional Medical Centers around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, where the man said he was inside his house and saw a man climb over his fence, prompting him to get his shotgun.

More Here

French Gun Ownership, Carry, Increasing

France has a large number of legal firearms and firearm owners.  That number is growing, as explained in an English language French publication. From thelocal.fr:

As a result there has a been a surge in the number of people joining gun clubs and looking to arm themselves.
An investigation by the Nouvel Observateur website found that the number of people signing up to become licensed members at shooting clubs has risen 38 percent in five years.

And in the past year alone there has been a 10 percent increase, believed to be down to the spate of terror attacks that began with the massacre at Charlie Hebdo in January 2015.

“Before the beginning of 2015, it was just a vague trend. But since the attacks at Charlie Hebdo, the Bataclan and Nice, the movement has amplified,” writes the Nouvel Obs.

Having a gun no longer seems to be a taboo subject in France.

There are a healthy number of gun clubs in France.  They can be found at this link.

Most of the increase in gun ownership is only to have a gun in the home. It is almost impossible for a private citizen to legally carry a firearm for defensive purposes.  But the French attitude may be changing.  Off duty police officers have been encouraged to carry.

The French government has recently given off-duty police officers the right to carry their arms and has encouraged municipal police to take their right to bear weapons on duty.

But Arpac, an organisation that is in favour of the public having the right to carry weapons, says it has received hundreds of inquiries since the terror attacks.

There are a great many guns in France that are "off the books".  It is illegal to own these firearms, or to carry them.  France is credited with having millions of illegal guns in the country.  The number is estimated at 7.5 million legal guns and 10-20 million illegal guns, many of them firearms from WWII.  

If France backs off of its current strict gun control scheme, it will likely attempt some form of "amnesty" to have the illegal firearms brought into government control.  Having had numerous firearms declared illegal in the past, and confiscated, it is likely that few old guns will be registered. 

It seems not all of those who have decided to arm themselves are doing so legally with France seeing a steep rise in the number of illegal guns seized, according to the interior ministry.

There are strict penalties for illegally carrying a gun in France.  As with much of the world, a well known and respected citizen in a rural area, is much less likely to be searched or prosecuted than a poor urban dweller.

As terror attacks become more frequent, the push to allow citizens to carry guns will increase.


 ©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

Huma Abedin's Father Wrote that the U.S. was wrong to Defend its People from Barbary Pirates in 1801-1805

Muslims enslaved Europeans for over a Millenia.  It was stopped in the 1800's by military force

Protection against enslavement is a good reason to be armed.

The United States first foreign war was against the Barbary Coast Pirates from 1801-1805.  Just as they had done for a thousand years, the Islamic states on the coast of North Africa knew that Allah gave them the right to attack any non-Muslim shipping and enslave any non-Muslims that they could reach. The Muslims especially prized European women as sex slaves.  They were organized and sanctioned by Muslim governments. If a non-Muslim government was willing to pay protection money, they were supposed to be safe from attack for a period.  But the protection money amount was often raised, and the "protection" was far from absolute.

The young United States Navy and its Marines were assigned by Thomas Jefferson to stop the attacks and slavery by force.  The Marines and Navy did an excellent job, punching far above their weight class.

Huma Abedin is Hillary Clinton's closest aide, confidant, and advisor.  She is a devout Muslim. Her parents are/were avid Muslims and Sharia law promoters.  Her father, Syed Zainul Abedin, earned a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.  From counterjihadreport.com:

The late father of Huma Abedin, the devout Muslim who’s co-chairing Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, sympathized with the Barbary pirates in America’s first bout with Muslim terrorism and criticized President Thomas Jefferson for not appeasing them by paying their infidel tax.

In a 1974 dissertation for his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, Syed Z. Abedin slammed Jefferson, one of America’s most popular founding fathers, for raising a U.S. naval force and invading Tripoli during the Barbary Wars against Islamic pirates attacking U.S. ships in the early 1800s.

If you follow the source, the dissertation is there.

From upenn.edu:

SYED ZAINUL ABEDIN, "IN DEFENSE OF FREEDOM: AMERICA'S FIRST FOREIGN WAR. A NEW LOOK AT UNITED STATES - BARBARY RELATIONS, 1776-1816."

It is interesting that Huma Abedin's father wrote about the Barbary war as if it were a "colonial" conflict.  The Barbary states were far from helpless people exploited by evil western powers.  They had been enslaving Europeans for over a millennia. The traffic in European slaves was finally stopped when France conquered Algeria in 1850. Slavery was finally outlawed in Saudi Arabia in 1962, and that was under pressure from the British government.

The Muslim slave trade has been reinvigorated by ISIS in the Middle East and Boko Haram in Africa. It has never been eradicated in the Sudan.

Islamic forces had laid waste the coast of Spain, France, and most of Southern Europe from 649 to the early 1800's.  It was only the increasing power of the European nations, strengthened by the industrial revolution, that finally stopped the depredations.  The Europeans did so by conquering North Africa.

Syed Abedin died in 1993.  His wife, Huma's mother, continues his work in spreading Sharia law around the world by heading and Islamic institute founded by Syed. Huma helped edit the Institutes's journal for 13 years.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

OH: Armed Woman Pistol Whips Intruder

Jones said she hit the man with the butt of her gun.

"I don’t ever want to kill a person but if I have to, I will,” she said. “And I don’t believe that any woman or young girl that’s being attacked should run. Because she’s going to be killed anyways, I believe she should fight back."

More Here

OH: 88-year-old man uses Coffee Table Gun to Shoot Home Invader

HAMILTON


An 88-year-old man had just finished washing his car in the front yard of his Lindenwald residence Tuesday night when a man and a woman cornered him, demanded money and forced him into the house.


But the senior citizen was able to get his hands on a gun in the drawer of a coffee table and shoot the male robber in the leg.
More Here

GA: Armed Resident Kills 1 of 3 Home Invaders, Survivors Charged with Murder

Officials say Florence and Brown conspired with Curtis Bernard Turner, 32, and forced their way into a home on Parkline Drive on October 10. Once inside, deputies say an assault occurred and Turner was shot to death by an occupant of the residence.


More Here

Rhode Island Supreme Court Chides Police Chief for Failure to Issue Carry Permits

Image from eastbayri.com


East Providence Police Chief Christopher J. Parella is in trouble with the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. Again. He failed to issue licenses to carry handguns to three more applicants, without explaining any reason for doing so.

From providencejournal.com:

The law reads that a city or town's licensing authority "shall" issue a license when it appears that the applicant has a good reason to fear an injury to his or her person or property or has "any other proper reason" to carry. A proper showing of need is not a component of the law, the court said.

In the court's recent ruling, issued on Oct. 25, the justices threw out Parella's denial of concealed permits to three residents and directed that new decisions be issued within 90 days that include the chief's reasoning.

"It's very frustrating that citizens have to hire a lawyer just to obtain compliance with the Supreme Court ruling," said David J. Strachman, who represents the three applicants. The law is not discretionary, as the city has argued, but mandatory if an applicant shows a proper reason to carry, he said.

Strachman criticized East Providence police in court papers for their "troubling history" of "flagrantly ignoring" the high court's mandate and refusal to comply with state law.

Before the Supreme Court ruling in April of 2015, the City Police Chief there had not issued a permit for the previous 10 years. The court did not impose any penalty on the errant Chief Panrella, who has been in the position a little more than a year, other than to send the applicants back, and order him to come up with an explanation for refusal of the permits.  He has 90 days to do so. 

It seems a strange that the Court has to repeat itself less than eight months after their first finding.  Most improperly denied applicants do not bother to hire a lawyer and go the Supreme Court. Their Second Amendment rights have been completely chilled.

The applicants have already gone through months of process.  They citizens will have to wait another 90 days, just to see if they are approved.  During this entire period, they are deprived of their Second Amendment rights.

Connecticut is a shall issue state, but the process leaves much to be desired.  At the minimum, a winning case should be reimbursed for court costs and lawyers fees.  Perhaps a deprivation of rights case could be filed; but that may require an exhaustion of civil remedies.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

2056: Looking Backward from a Trump Future

The four decades since 2016 have seen a breathtaking restoration of the Republic of the United States of America.  Looking back from 2056, the historians and pundits say it was inevitable.

The United States had enormous energy resources, an educated and ethical workforce, a history of entrepreneurial spirit. The fruits of the digital industrial age, genome processing, and robotic development were on the edge of explosion. The resurgence back from the malaise and blame America thinking of the Obama administration was certain to happen, with a wealthy, prosperous, powerful and free America the obvious result.

It wasn't that way. I was there. To use an anachronism, "America was going down".  The Clinton crime machine was expected to take over the country.  The establishment media were in their pocket.  The Department of Justice was on their side.  All the "smart' people wrote that Hillary Clinton would be the next president... and that she deserved it. The American reformation would have been strangled before it ever started, with a rope woven of political correctness, fake climate change dogma, Clinton corruption, immigrant demographics and massive media collusion with the Clinton machine.

A miracle happened to change all of that.  They say that great men are made, that they rise to the occasion. That happened in the first American revolution.

George Washington was rich.  He risked it all. George Washington was not as political as he was military. After the revolution was won, Washington wanted to tend to his own affairs, but was forced by events to take the Presidency.

George Washington is often referred to as America's Cincinnatus.  Cincinnatus was the Roman general who was called from his estate to fight for Rome.  He won the war. Then he refused to rule Rome as dictator, and went back to his farm and estate.

Donald Trump became the second American Cincinnatus.  He wasn't a politician. But he could not stand by and see the country destroyed. He risked it all to go against the corrupt establishment.  As with many great men, he grew with the fight.  He became the indispensable man of his time. Without Trump, the Clinton crime machine would have won, or, less likely, a watered down version in Republican clothes would have taken their place. With no real reforms, the inevitable decline would, at most, have been delayed a few years until sufficient immigrants had overwhelmed the election process.

Donald Trump had unique personality traits that allowed the bloodless revolution against the corrupt American Aristocracy to succeed.

First, he was willing to fight.  Because he was not a politician, he did not know that fighting by Republicans was "not allowed" under the rules of political correctness.  In the prosperous and free 2050's, it is hard to imagine how tightly censored American thought was in the 2010's.  Conservatives were not allowed to speak on campus.  Social Justice Warriors infested the Net and destroyed peoples' lives on mere suspicion of the "miss-use" of forbidden political speech.  Constitutionalists were defined as proto-terrorists.

Second, Trump was a known performer, entrepreneur, writer and celebrity with a base of admirers. That base, on new social media, allowed his thoughts to evade and escape the control of establishment media censorship.

Third, Trump had always been a solid supporter of the military and police. The Obama administration and the Clintons made a grave strategic error by despising the military.  In the two years before the 2016 election, the propaganda against the police was non-stop.

Trump's willingness to fight, his stand against illegal immigration, and his media presence are what won the Republican nomination.  In the general election the entire American Aristocracy, including the establishment media, the Republican leadership, the government bureaucratic leadership, and the Democrat party, were allied against him.  They claimed he could not win.

The new media on the Internet and talk radio made it a fight. Trump could get his message of an American restoration (Make America Great Again), to half the population. His message resonated with Americans who had learned to distrust the corrupt media.

James O'Keefe and Project Veritas released video on Youtube showing the Democratic party and the Clintons using dirty, illegal tricks and plotting voter fraud. Wikileaks released emails hacked from the Clinton machine. The media responded with an all out attack on Trump's character.  They almost succeeded.

Link to Video with Julian Assange of Wikileaks

The balance was tipped by a patriotic and eclectic group of police and federal law enforcement officers, centered in the FBI and the NYPD.  In the following years, thousands of agents and officers claimed to have been involved.  We may never know the numbers for certain.  It appears that less than a hundred were the core group. They understood that the Clinton crime machine and its tentacles had already compromised many in the top levels of government. They had witnessed how the compromised DOJ had been politicized and used to cover-up high level corruption.

What could they do?  The Fast and Furious scandal showed how little whistle blowers were protected, and how effectively the establishment media was able to spin, deflect, and spike any revelations of misconduct. There had been no punishment for the politicization of the IRS. The lack of punishment showed the essential impotency of the Republican House and Senate.

Donald Trump became these law officers' last chance to save the Republic. The American Republic was set up to facilitate the bloodless transfer of power. The officers could not act while President Obama was in office.  Their careers would have been destroyed to no effect. If they waited until Hillary was elected, their situation would have been worse.  If any other Republican were elected, the unwritten rules of the American Aristocracy would prevent them from doing anything effective. The Republican would simply be another face of a corrupt establishment.

Trump offered a revolutionary chance. There was a narrow window of opportunity to stop the Clinton campaign. Expose the Clinton corruption, allow truth to elect an outsider, and the corruption could be rooted out under a Trump administration that had promised to "Drain the Swamp" in Washington, D.C.

Trump had a record as a reliable supporter of the military and police. His reputation stood in stark contrast to that of President Obama and the Clintons.

A different Democrat might have beaten Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton was uniquely vulnerable to being exposed as corrupt.

Any other Republican but Donald Trump would not have offered the radical change necessary to alter the course of the nation. The candidate had to be someone who could destroy the corrupt media stranglehold on information flow.

The Clinton - Trump contest offered the knife edge chance of a reformation of the American political system.

The patriots acted.  It may be they who were responsible for the transfer of data to Wikileaks. The historical record is unclear.  The Wikileaks data set the table for the later, critical revelations.  The establishment media did their best to ignore the evidence. They concentrated on pushing emotional, unsubstantiated attacks against Donald Trump.

The idea that 95% of establishment media coverage was directed against Donald Trump seems preposterous today.  It was known at the time,and has been confirmed by numerous academic, historical studies. 

FBI Director Comey had followed the obvious desires of the Obama administration, and declared that the investigation by the FBI of the Hillary Clinton email scandal was over, with no indictment, in early July of 2016.  The entire establishment media and American Aristocracy cheered and declared that Hillary Clinton was "cleared". By early October, the American Aristocracy were declaring that Hillary Clinton had already won.  The three debates were a draw.

Then, Project Veritas videos and Wikileaks releases stopped the Clinton campaign momentum.

Donald Trump continued to campaign with enthusiasm, energy, and constantly improving discipline and message. You could see him grow into his role from day to day. He fought against the frivolous character attacks. He started to close the gap shown in increasingly distrusted voter polls.

At eleven days before the election, the patriot agents and officers decided the time was right.  FBI director Comey was forced to announce the investigations of the Clintons had been re-opened.  The establishment media could not ignore the FBI director. They had lionized him scant months before, so the attacks on his character rang hollow.

Huma Abedin, Hillary's right hand woman, her most trusted confidant, aide, and constant companion for over 20 years, was implicated.  She and Hillary were separated.  The Hillary campaign began to falter.  A few Democrats called for Hillary Clinton to step down.  The Hillary Campaign staffers did not know who to trust, who might be turning states evidence, or who was cutting a deal. The Clintons' most loyal media operatives had been exposed in the Wikileaks data. The campaign could not control the narrative.

Allegations and evidence of widespread crimes in the Clinton campaign, Clinton Foundation, and Clinton's term as Secretary of State mounted daily.  Attempts by President Obama to deny the obvious were futile.

Donald Trump won in a landslide.  His coattails increased the majorities in both the House and the Senate. He showed Republicans how to overcome the establishment media that had controlled the debate for decades.

Obamacare was repealed and replaced with market based reforms and Health Saving Accounts.  The Great Southern Wall was built. In two decades, the United States had assimilated most legal immigrants. Half became reliable conservatives. Twenty five percent of black voters became Republican.

The biggest effect was on the Supreme Court.  In President Trump's two terms, three young "Justice Scalias" were confirmed, giving originalist justices a solid 6-3 majority, the first originalist majority since the 1930's. President Pence appointed three more.

Following President Trump's appointments, the Second Amendment became fully enforced.  Affirmative action was struck down as being unequal justice under the law.  The voting rights act was reformed to insure the integrity of the vote.  "Gay Marriage" was reversed.  Religious freedom under First Amendment decisions led to a restoration of freedom of association.  The unconstitutional power of the EPA was overturned. The reach of the Federal government's power under "interstate commerce" was reduced.  The freedom of political speech in church was restored.

A radical reduction of federal regulations, and tax reforms, spurred a plethora of innovative production.  The economy boomed as overseas capital flooded into a United States that was business friendly and safe.

It took 30 years to overcome the debt accumulated during the spending spree of the Obama regime, but the buy down was manageable in a rapidly expanding economy.

Europe, with the leadership of the United States, reformed NATO to contain the Islamic threat.  The danger of a nuclear Iran was mitigated as the Ayatollahs were overthrown by a popular revolt.  The launch of a single nuclear missile toward Israel was detonated in mid flight. Mounting Islamic terrorism resulted in nation after European nation outlawing Sharia Law as an ideology incompatible with human rights.  Muslim "refugees" who would not denounce Sharia law were repatriated to North Africa or the Middle East.

It seems so inevitable in hindsight, with the United States as the sole superpower, leading the world in a pax Americana.  Three profitable private space travel companies offer trips to orbital hotels.  There is a base on the moon.  Crime levels have dropped to those of the 1950's. Alzheimer's is becoming rare.  There is a burgeoning world wide renewal of churches.  American prosperity has increased as has the standard of living all over the globe.

In the fall of 2016, with the pivotal election approaching, it did not seem inevitable.  Patriots altered between the edge of despair, and hope.  The end of the Republic seemed very, very close, teetering toward banana republic status.  Trump support was strong, but of unknown quantity. The legendary "deplorables" worked hard. Would it be enough? The tension was stark.

Wikileaks and Project Veritas, bolstered by the small group of patriots and freedom fighters in the FBI and the NYPD, tipped the balance.

It was not an historical inevitability.  It was an historical pivot that was far, far too close for comfort.  We owe our prosperity, freedom, and power to the patriots that supported, defended, and ultimately, elected Donald Trump.  He was a man for his time.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

MO: Gunfight Don't Mess with an Old Guy 73-Year-Old Kills 2

Alley where bodies of robbery suspects found

There is an old saying that has been worn out, warning criminals not to scare old men.  But clichés are there because they have a piece of reality embedded. An active 73-year-old retiree was well liked in the neighborhood.  He helped people out, and he spent considerable time in his garage, working on his truck.  Some young criminals, just getting into the most active part of their career, also noticed the truck and decided they wanted it. The retiree had been a victim of robbery attempts before.  Now he carried at home.

The armed homeowner was in his garage, working on his truck, when the suspects entered with their guns drawn.  Everyone was armed with handguns.

One reporter said neighbors heard up to five gunshots.

The two bodies were found in the alley shown above.  It is not certain if the garage shown in the picture, with the door on the alley side, is the garage where the shooting took place.  It seems likely. From fox2now.com:

A 73-year-old man told police that he shot the suspects after they attempted to rob him. Investigators say that the man was inside of his garage when the suspects entered the door and displayed their guns. Police say that one of the suspects held a gun to the victim’s head and demanded the victim back up.

The victim said he got out his gun and, fearing for his safety, shot at the men. Police say that the victim’s gun and the guns used by the suspects were recovered from the scene. The gun recovered from Jonathan Warren was reported stolen on Sunday by the Florissant Police Department.

Neighbors tell FOX 2 that the Bevo neighborhood is a close-knit community and are shaken by the fatal shooting in their neighborhood. They also call the robbery victim a kind man who has lived in the neighborhood for a long time with his wife. They say the 73- year-old man would work hours on his truck in his garage and would help those in need in the community.

The two dead suspects were Jonathan Warren, 18, and Lonnie Middlebrook, 20. Both already had significant criminal histories. From stltoday comments:

Case.net shows these two were certainly not on the path to stellar citizenship. Middlebrook already had charges pending on unlawful possession of a firearm over the summer. The other guy had charges for elder abuse and property damage with intent to steal. Plus it looks like they both had several run-ins with MetroLink.

The retiree was not hit.  It is not clear who fired how many shots, but the 73-year-old fired at least two.  Police say it appears to be clear-cut self defense, and no charges are expected.

The shooter and his wife are upset, but not in the hospital.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch 

MO: 73-Year-Old Shoots, Kills, 2 Robbery Suspects

ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis police say a 73-year-old man shot and killed two armed intruders who confronted him in his garage and tried to steal his pickup truck.
More Here

AL: Burglary Suspect Shot in Chest

A short time later, police found a man in his truck in the 2800 block of Pinson Valley Parkway. He was suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. His injuries are life-threatening.

Edwards said the investigation is continuing but they believe the gunshot victim was involved in the burglary. More information will be released as it becomes available.

More Here

Guam Shall Issue: Popular, Safe, and Expanded

In 2014, Guam passed a shall issue concealed carry bill to reform the existing "may issue" law.  The chief proponent of the bill was Senator Anthony Ada. Senator Ada said that one of the reasons he pushed for the passage of the reform was the Peruta case in the Ninth Circuit.  Guam falls under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit.

In 2014, concealed carry license rose from about 100 to 700.  In 2015, 800 more licenses were added.  While not precise, firearms registrations indicate that about ten percent of the population are firearms owners.

From guampdn.com:

Almost 600 concealed firearms licenses were issued in Guam in 2014 — a dramatic jump from previous years, when the numbers hovered around 100, according to Guam Police Department data. In 2015, more than 800 licenses were issued.

Sen. Tony Ada attributes the dramatic jump to a bill he authored in 2014, which became law that year.

“P.L. 32-150 was enacted in May of 2014,” Ada said. “It makes sense that any jump in the number of concealed (firearms licenses) issued thereafter beyond the previous norm can be attributed to the law’s enactment.”

According to Ada, the law eliminated subjectivity in the language from “GPD may issue” to “GPD shall issue” a concealed firearms license if applicants meet requirements stated in the law. He said changing the language was important to get Guam back in compliance with the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, which grants the right to keep and bear arms.

There have not been any adverse consequences to the new law. More than one percent of the inhabitants of Guam now have a concealed carry permit. In 2016, Senator Ada introduced a reform into Guamanian firearms law, changing the requirement that a person be a citizen of the United States, to the requirement that they be a legal resident.  This reform removes an unconstitutional aspect of the previous law.  The reform, bill 236-33, passed the Senate and was signed into law by the Governor.

The legislative attitude on Guam is much friendlier to Second Amendment restoration than on the neighboring Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).  In the CNMI, the legislature and local elites are fighting the establishment of Second Amendment rights at every opportunity.


©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

Interview Video of Chinese Woman who Repelled 3 Home Invaders in Atlanta

Just before 4 a.m. on 16 September, 2016, in Georgia, Gwinnet County a courageous Chinese immigrant drove off three home invaders.  It was all captured on surveillance video. The event went viral; not in the United States, but in China.  Chen Fengzu gave this interview to China Central Television.

From China Central Television 1 minute, 42 seconds.  Here are the captions:

I didn't have any choice, so I had to take out the gun I'd hid there.

Then I loaded my pistol and walked out of my bedroom.

I shot at the Invaders when I saw them.

One of them fled quickly, and another one ran away from the front door.

Then I shot again, the one inside my home also broke the glass on the back door and ran away.

I did not feel scared at that moment.

and all I thought about was how to handle the situation.

 First I chose to call 911.

I called on the phone while I took out the pistol.

But my phone call could not get through.

So I had to open fire on them while calling 911.

Police took off the Burglars's clothes and attempted to resuscitate him for about 15 to 20 minutes.

and then they told me they had failed to save him.

 Link to Video

The surveillance video captured the action.  Some things stand out from the reporting of this case.

First, that Chen Fengzu, (last name first in Chinese usage) received some warning from her store assistant, who was in a separate bedroom.  He yelled "No Money", which likely alerted her to the robbers.

Second, she had to load her pistol.  She only loaded it with a few rounds, and ended up shooting the pistol dry, which can be seen in the second video.

Third, you do not need to be a practiced pistol shooter to be effective with a pistol.  Fengzu had been given the pistol  less than a month ago, from her husband.  She had only shot it once.  Good tactics and good shooting ability will give accomplished shooters an edge, but pistols are made to be ergonomic.  Some say, "the original point and click" interface.  Fengzu did very well for a novice shooter.

Link to video of action

The impact of this video and several other incidents has been substantial. Many Chinese immigrants are now  arming themselves and becoming fans of the Second Amendment.

From chinadaily.com:

"For Americans, gun ownership is in their blood. It's part of the culture and part of their identity. For most Chinese, however, it's not something they're naturally interested in. But it's becoming not safe to not have a gun," said Li Ran, one of 10 co-founders of the club, which began in 2013 after the group originally met through an online forum to talk about their shared interest in shooting.

This home invasion did not go well for the invaders.  One was killed.  It is likely the other was wounded.  It was all over long before emergency responders could reach the scene.

The pistol Fengzu used appears to be an S&W SD9VE.  It has a 16 shot magazine.  It has been reported that Fengzu only loaded six rounds in it, but it appears to me that she shot 8 or 9 times in the video. 

I suspect that she will load more rounds in the future, or load another magazine.

Chen Fengzu is a heroine, and serves as an example of courage and determination in action to all of us.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

WA: Hit and Run Halloween Driver Held at Gunpoint

The 7-year-old boy was trick-or-treating with his dad, holding hands as they crossed North I Street at North Ninth about 7:20 p.m. Halloween night.

A maroon Toyota 4Runner struck the boy in the crosswalk, then drove away, court records state.

The boy was lying in the street with a fractured skull, missing teeth, with cuts all over his body, records state.

Onlookers saw the crash and stopped the driver a block away, holding the driver at gunpoint until police arrived to arrest him.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article111939732.html#storylink=cpy

More Here

FL: Gunfight, Victim Wounded, Kills 1 of 3

An 18-year-old man was killed Sunday when he and two other armed men entered an apartment on Rio Grande Avenue and shot a man, deputies say.

Kadeem Jahquan Moses and two others burst into the apartment in the Lakeview Pointe complex, between Texas and Holden avenues, about 9:45 p.m., according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

One of them shot and injured Bernard Mathuria, 22, who returned fire, striking Moses, deputies said.
More Here

KY: Armed Woman Drives off Intruders

A woman scared away two unknown suspects attempting to break into her home at approximately 2:20 a.m. Saturday on Woodvale Drive, according to a Hopkinsville police report.
More Here

TN: Teen Shoots at Burglar inside Home

A teenager shot at a burglar who he found inside his home Sunday night on McAllister Circle.

More Here

CA: Intruder Shot, Killed by Homeowner

A suspected intruder was shot dead Monday afternoon by a homeowner at a house near downtown Turlock, authorities said.

Turlock police Sgt. Stephen Webb said his agency received a call just after 1 p.m. that a man had been shot at a house in the 300 block of North Thor Street.

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/news/local/crime/article111691237.html#storylink=cpy

More Here

OH: Store Owner Shoots Armed Robber

The robber began to walk out of the store, and the owner grabbed an employee's gun that was behind the counter and told him to stop, a police report says.

The robber wheeled around and pointed his gun at the owner who now had a gun pointed at him, the report says. The robber continued to run away from the scene, but the owner fired two or three rounds, the report says.
More Here

Gun Sales Record: October 2016 NICS Breaks 2015 Record by 350,000

October, 2016 continued the record breaking pace to become the year with the most gun sales ever. The 2016 NICS checks are far ahead of those for 2015, the previous record holder. In October 2016 there were 2,333,539 National Instant Checks done.  In 2015, the  number done in October were 1,976,759.

In 2015, the total NICS checks for the year were 23,141,970 .  In 2016, through October, they were 22,206,233.  That is less than 1 million below the total for 2015, with the two biggest months in 2016 yet to happen.  Last year there were 17,584,346 by the end of October.

The numbers are 26.3% ahead of where 2015 was at this time.  If this pace continues, 2016 will end up with 29.2 million background checks for the year.

There are 15 years where we can compare the NICS background checks to the actual addition to the private firearms stock, as reported to the ATF.  During that period there have been about .6 firearms added for each NICS check.

The NICS checks are done for more than new firearms.  They are done for used firearms as well. They are done when trade ins are sold at gun shops or when used guns are sold at gun shows.  NICS checks are done for gun carry permits, which are also breaking records every month.  In most states, once a person has a carry permit, further NICS checks are not required to purchase a firearm.

We will not know exactly how many guns have been added to the private stock in 2016 until late January, 2018.  The numbers will not be reported to the ATF until the end of 2016. The ATF is required by law to hold them from public view for a year, to prevent proprietary information from being released.

It is easy to see how one manufacturer would like to know exactly how many guns of certain models and calibers their competitors are selling.

Given the NICS numbers, there will probably be 17 to 18 million guns added to the private stock in 2016.  That would increase the total number to 405 - 406 million private firearms in the United States.

The private firearm stock in the United States will have increased by nearly 100 million firearms, or 30%, during the two terms of the Barack Obama presidency.

To reach that number there will need to be 7 million more NICs checks done in 2016 from, 1 November to 31 December.  In 2015, 5.56 million NICS checks were done in that period.

If Hillary Clinton is elected in a week, I predict that we will exceed that number.  If Donald Trump is elected, NICS checks will drop. How much is uncertain.

The record rate of NICS checks picked back up in October, after slowing a little in August and September.

Many indicators show a soaring and  diverse level of gun ownership.  Carry permits are burgeoning, approaching 15 million and more.  Gun ownership among women and minorities is at an all time high.

Who would have thought that President Barack Obama would be the record setting, all time champion, gun salesman?  The total NICS checks will reach over 250 million by years end.  That will be over 150 million firearms added to the private stock in the last 18 years. Over 37% of the private firearms stock will be less than 18 years old.


©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

TX: Man with Tobacco Addiction Shot by Clerk

The employee refused, and the man reportedly got upset, went around the counter and began to grab cigarettes from behind the register.

Police said the clerk then grabbed his gun and shot the man. He was transported to the hospital and later died.
More Here

Tucson Illegally Destroyed a Million Dollars worth of Guns since 2013

Handguns from an Arizona Turn In Event, 2013

In 2013, the Arizona Legislature passed HB 2455, to prevent the destruction of valuable firearms by lower levels of government in the state. No penalties were imposed.

It is not normal for local governments to destroy valuable property, at least not when the property can be legally sold for the public benefit. But in this case, the property was being destroyed for ideological purposes, not for pragmatic ones. The purpose of destroying valuable guns is to send the propaganda message: guns bad. 

Some cities, especially Tucson, refused to obey the law.

In 2016, the Arizona legislature passed SB 1487, which allows a state legislature to file a complaint with the State AG if a local government passes a law that "violates state law or the constitution of Arizona."  If the AG finds the complaint to be valid, the local government entity has 30 days to rescind the law. If they do not, the AG is to direct the State Treasurer to stop sending state funds to the government entity.

Now we find the extent of which the City of Tucson has been willing to push their illegal propaganda. From tucson.com:

The Tucson Police Department has destroyed 4,820 guns turned in by residents or seized from crime investigations since the beginning of 2013, city records show.

The figure is at the heart of a complaint made by state Rep. Mark Finchem, who is arguing Tucson is violating a 2013 Arizona law that requires the sales of otherwise legal guns obtained by law enforcement agencies.

The article gives us more information about the firearms destroyed:

City policies allow only for rifles that are not semi-automatic and shotguns to be sold at public auction. All handguns and semi-automatic rifles taken in by police are destroyed.

Roughly 86 percent of the guns that were disposed of in the last 3½ years were destroyed, according to documents provided by the Tucson Police Department. Of the remaining 14 percent, half were put up for sale at auction and half were kept for law enforcement purposes.

As all the firearms destroyed were either handguns or semi-automatic rifles, a reasonable value would be about $200 each.  We cannot know the exact value, because the firearms were not put up for auction. 

The city of Tucson destroyed about a million dollars worth of firearms in the last two and a half years.

You might counter that local governments have First Amendment rights to make political propaganda, and to spend money on it as they see fit. No, they do not. From thewashingtonpost.com:  

(Note that local governments and state agencies likely have no First Amendment rights against state governments, because the state is entitled to control the conduct of its subdivisions; likewise, federal agencies have no First Amendment rights against the federal government. The question is whether state and local governments, agents of one sovereign, have First Amendment rights against the federal government, another sovereign.)

The issue of Tucson flagrantly violating state law is coming to a head.  The AG is investigating the City to see if they violated state law.  It seems clear they have done so.  It remains to be seen if the AG will find it to be true, and if the Treasurer will be required to withhold funds from the city.

 ©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch 

John Boehner told the House "Never criticize the first female speaker" (Nancy Pelosi)!

On the Sean Hannity show, today, 31 October, 2016, Sean had Congressman Louie Gohmert on as a guest.  They were discussing the election, and possible results from the finding of hundreds of thousands of emails connected to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on at least one computer, and perhaps other devices belonging to Anthony Weiner and Abedin Huma, a close and intimate associate of Hillary.

The emails were found when a computer was searched as part of a child sex crimes investigation involving Weiner.

Congressman Gohmert casually threw away this line to Sean Hannity at about 14:48 Pacific time, Monday, 31 October, 2016.

Congressman Louis Gohmert said that when majority leader, John Boener told House Republicans to "Never criticize the first female speaker of the House"!

Wow!  What an incredible indictment of the GOP leadership in the House.  It is no longer a mystery why the house leadership was unable to oppose President Obama in any significant way, even after they gained solid majorities in both the House in 2010, and the Senate, in 2014.

They were completely crippled by the chains of political correctness and terror of being criticized by the media wing of the Democrat party.

You cannot win a fight if you tie both hands behind your back, first placing a gag of political correctness over your mouth.  That is what Boehner in the House and McConnell in the Senate have done.

I had not heard of this pronouncement by Boehner before.  It is an amazing revelations.

Donald Trump should be lauded, if only for all the truth that is being shown to the American people, that was hidden away from us for decades.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch