"Universal Background Checks" may Increase Firearms Suicide

While firearm studies by medical journals have been notoriously anti-Second Amendment, this interesting bit comes from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore.

Michael Bloomberg gave the school 300 million dollars specifically to target "gun violence" and other issues.  Bloomberg's fanatical advocacy of political gun control has tainted "research" that comes from the school.  When the researchers found that gun control laws could have unintended consequences, they did not advocate for repeal of those laws. From foxnews.com:

The research team looked at what happens when people want to temporarily remove firearms from their home because they fear someone in the house might be considering a suicide attempt. In some states, they found, gun control laws may actually hamper the ability to easily transfer a gun temporarily to reduce suicide risk.

What's needed, according to Jon S. Vernick of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore and colleagues, are laws that allow for temporary storage of guns by federally licensed firearm dealers, law enforcement officers, family members and friends.

The research was published this week in an issue of JAMA Internal Medicine focusing on firearm violence.

Other researchers are arguing that voluntary cooperation may work better than the heavy hand of legislation.

In a separate paper in the same issue, public health researchers from Boston argue that in order to reduce gun suicides, health care professionals need to work with, and not against, gun shop owners, firearm instructors and gun rights stakeholders. Rather than squaring off against one another, they say, these groups should "jointly devise strategies to put time and distance between a suicidal person and a firearm."

The thinly disguised attempt to create "universal gun registration", otherwise known as "universal background checks" never seemed likely to reduce suicide rates.  That it might work against efforts to reduce suicides by firearm should have been widely anticipated.

Most people who commit suicide with guns are older white males that have owned the guns for decades.

Suicides are approximately two thirds of all fatalities that are associated with guns.  It is likely that more suicides with guns will result from Universal background checks than unjustified homicides will be prevented.  Universal Background checks have not been shown to reduce the criminal use of guns.

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

Link to Gun Watch

PA: Fatal Shooting; Expired Permit; no Charges

Image from nbcphiladelphia.com


On Wednesday, 16 November, 2016, two brothers decided to rob a Bucks County pizza shop in Levitown, Pennsylvania. It was just after 10 p.m. The shop had closed only moments before, but there was one customer left inside.

During the robbery, one of the brothers, Shawn Rose, pistol whipped the customer on the forehead.  The customer dropped to one knee.

In a fluid and rapidly changing situation, it is very hard for perpetrators to keep track of all the actors. It only takes a momentary lapse to give a victim a chance to strike back.

Shawn Rose glanced away. The customer drew a .45 caliber Glock 30 or 36 from his pocket, and shot both brothers. Shawn was killed and Justin was critically wounded in the throat and shoulder. From nbcphiladelphia.com:

Shawn Rose allegedly pistol-whipped the customer in the forehead causing him to drop down to one knee. As Shawn Rose looked away for a moment, the customer pulled out his own .45 caliber handgun from his jacket and fired one shot, striking him in the torso, officials said.

Officials said the customer then fired two shots at Justin Rose, striking him in the throat and shoulder area. Justin Rose fell through the door of the store. The customer then aimed his weapon at the two brothers until police arrived.

Every fatal shooting is fraught with consequences.  In this case, there was an added complexity.  The shooter had a concealed carry permit, but the permit was expired.

Weintraub said the customer could have been charged however because he had an expired permit to carry a concealed weapon. They decided not to charge him "based on the totality of the circumstances." 

"It was only months after his grace period for the renewal of that permit that ended," Weintraub said. "He legally could have renewed his permit at any time and I want to emphasize that he should have renewed his permit to carry that concealed weapon. He was the victim of a robbery however and a pistol-whipping and that factored heavily into our decision."

The District Attorney cited the fact that Pennsylvania is an open carry state in explaining his decision:

"If he had possessed the gun out in the open he wouldn't have even needed a permit to carry at all," Weintraub said. "Most importantly he used that gun to save his own life and the life of the intended victim, the pizza shop owner."

If the DA had been an avid proponent of a disarmed population, the victim might have had to fight an expensive court battle. A decade ago, that would have been more likely. But today, many people have been educated about the Second Amendment, their rights, and the realities of armed defense of self and others. Public perception and attitudes have changed.

The reality of armed self defense is reported more now than it has been in the last 50 years.  The establishment media's control over the information flow has been broken.

The more people become educated, the more they become Second Amendment supporters. The more Second Amendment supporters there are, the less likely it becomes for the authorities to persecute them.



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

Link to Gun Watch

KS: Man Disarms Invader, Shoots him

Police said a 39-year-old man and his girlfriend were sitting at their 1400 E. Morris home when someone knocked on the front door just before 11 p.m. Monday. A 30-year-old man with a gun then forced his way into the home.

The homeowner managed to wrestle with the suspect, take the gun and shoot the suspect. A second individual who showed up with the suspect ran away and has not been found.
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Followup CO: No Charges in Fatal Marijuanal Burglary Shooting

Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a man who shot and killed a 17-year-old boy during a September marijuana burglary at an Adams County home, saying that they cannot disprove the shooter was acting in self defense.



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TX: Sun Fights with Armed Sex Offender, Shoots Same

Trevino emerged with a gun and demanded to be let into the house on Nov. 10, according to the warrant.

The mother and son living at that address reportedly fought with the armed suspect, and the son shot Trevino in the face.

Police said Trevino is also a suspect in a child indecency charge in connection with the same family.

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TX: Armed Son-in-Law Shoots, Kills 1 Home Invasion Suspect

"The homeowner told deputies that two men wearing masks with guns kicked in the back door and demanded money," Snelgrove said.

"As it happens, at the time of the break-in, the homeowner was on the phone with her son in-law who lives across the street, and when he heard what was happening he came to the house to protect her."

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WV: Armed Homeowner Shoots at two, Wounds one

A Kanawha County homeowner shot at two people during a home invasion in the Cabin Creek area early Tuesday morning, according to the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office


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D.C. Domestic Defense, Father Shoots Son

A retired D.C. police officer fatally shot his son during a domestic disturbance in the family’s home Monday night in Northeast Washington, according to authorities.
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GA: Armed Grandmother, 78, Drives off two Suspects

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - Two men and a woman have been arrested after grandmother with a gun thwarted an attempted burglary at her home in Coweta County, according to deputies.

“I don’t know why they selected that house, but they picked the wrong one,” Colonel James Yarbrough from the Coweta County Sheriff's Office said.
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TX: Home Invastion Gunfight, 2 Residents and Suspect Wounded

HOUSTON -- Two residents and a suspect were wounded in a home invasion that led to a shootout late Monday.

It happened at a home in far southwest Houston, near Missouri City, on Rowell Court at Briargate.

Police reported that several men kicked in the door to a converted garage, and an exchange of gunfire took place.
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SC: Armed Homeowner Captures Armed Suspect

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — A man was escorted out of a home at gunpoint to the waiting arms of the law early Tuesday morning.


According to a North Charleston Police report, officers responded to a home on Easy Street for reports of a burglary in progress.


They were met by the homeowner who walked out with the suspect at gunpoint. The suspect was ordered to the ground and was arrested.

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MO: Domestic Defense, Father Shoots Son to Protect Wife

A Douglas County man is not expected to face charges after shooting his 34-year-old son in the chest on Sunday afternoon, according to Sheriff Chris Degase.

Degase said charges are expected to be filed against the son, who came inside a residence on County Road 157 and attacked his mother.
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AL: Armed Man Shoots Invader who Stabbed Him

But, the man who had been yelling with his girlfriend later broke the window on the door to the neighbor's home and stabbed his chest, Johnson said. The stabbing suspect doesn't live in the neighborhood but had been visiting with a relative.

In retaliation, the neighbor shot the man's chest twice with a pistol.

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PA: No Charges for Man with Expired CCW who shot two Armed Robbers

An armed customer who shot and killed a masked robber and injured the suspect's brother inside a Bucks County pizza shop Tuesday night will not be charged despite having an expired permit to carry a concealed weapon, according to the Bucks County District Attorney.

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GA: Gunfight with an AK Pistol Clone in Atlanta

On Sunday, 21 August, 2016, at a little after 8 p.m., at a Texaco gas station in Atlanta, a gunfight erupted.  Most of it was caught on video. A hat tip to Beardedrambler at TTAG.  He pointed me toward the video.

The videos show a sequence of events where the driver of the black Charger is threatened by a man who flashes a pistol. The driver retrieves an AK 47 clone of a pistol and drives off the pistol flasher, who he says offered to sell him some "weed".

The video was posted online on 22 August.  Two days later, a follow-up video was posted by a couple that claimed to have been involved in the gun fight. I believe them.  If you compare the images from the video with the follow-up, the hairstyles are the same.  The man has a distinctive, two tone hair style. The couple also appears to have an AK pistol clone, as shown in the gunfight video.

The next day, August 25, a third video was posted.  In this video, the purported shooter of the AK pistol is still high from being alive.  He is at the stage in Kipling's poem In the Neolithic Age where "It is well that they are dead,". The Charger driver was questioned by the police, and released after they viewed the first video and interviewed witnesses.

He celebrates being alive, and is glad that the man who tried to kill him is dead. He shows us more weapons, a full stock AK clone and a Taurus Millenium G2 pistol. He also gives an account of what happened.

Link to video

The account is consistent with the gunfight video. The man with the two tone hair says the other man offered to sell him some weed. He said the he had "his own stuff".  The "weed seller" then flashed a pistol.  The victim with the two tone hair and the AK pistol is the driver of the black Dodge Charger.  The fellow that flashed the pistol follows him.  That puts the Charger driver into a high state of alert.  He pulls out the AK pistol from the driver's side of the black Charger. 

The "weed seller" who flashed the pistol sees the AK clone and retreats around the car.  The Charger driver follows. The aggressor falls down, desperately trying to clear his pistol which is caught in his clothing.

The Charger driver keeps giving the "weed seller" chances to give up or retreat.  It seems the Charger driver gave him too many.

The "weed seller" signals for mercy by lifting his left hand, but he continues to attempt to clear his pistol with the right hand.  He acts as if he is retreating. The Charger driver, in an act of mercy, is letting him go.

Then, in classic "gansta" style, the pistol flasher fires with the pistol held sideways, and hits the windshield of the black Charger.  He doesn't miss the Charger driver by much.  This may be where the Charger driver's passenger is slightly wounded in the left shoulder. 

The Charger driver fires the AK pistol in reply.  In the original article, it is stated that the pistol flasher retreats to a red and black Mazda, and drives away.
 From 11alive.com:

In the video, a black Dodge Charger is seen parked near the front door of the gas station. As car's owner walks out from inside the store, he is approached by an unknown suspect. The two exchange words as the suspect follows the car owner around the back of the car.

The exchange escalates until the suspect flashes a gun from his waistband. At that point, the car's owner walks over to his front door and pulls out an AK pistol.

The car's owner aims the gun at the man and appears to threaten the suspect, who had fallen to the ground. As the suspect gets up, he runs around the front of the car and opens fire on the other man.

At least four bullets strike the car's windshield, and at least one hit the woman, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car.

Here is the video from the couple, two days later. Not much there, except for some bad gun handling.

 

 Link to second Video

In the third video, the Charger driver regrets being as slow to use deadly force as he was.  He realizes that this resulted in his girl being wounded, and that he could easily have died. He claims that the man he shot at is dead. I have not been able to confirm that claim.  The shooter seems to believe it.

Link to third video 

The video of the shooting shows that a person who threatened you with a gun cannot be assumed to be retreating.  They may be attempting to gain time or a better tactical position.  Just because they are moving away does not mean they have stopped being a deadly threat. It took a fraction of a second to shoot at the Charger driver, and wound the woman.  Either one could have been killed.

If a jury is sees this video, they can understand the problems a defensive shooter faces.  Now that you have seen it, you can testify that you know how quickly someone who appears to be retreating can use deadly force. Such knowledge might be enough to introduce the video into a trial, as evidence of your mindset.

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

Link to Gun Watch

MI: Rifle in Bedroom Beats Knife at Throat

Tawas City, Michigan is a small town on the West coast of Lake Huron.  A 66-year-old man has a modest home there, where he lives alone.  He has a cleaning woman stop by to help maintain the home. 

It was after dark on Sunday, 13 November, about 8:20 p.m. Crime rates are low in the area. As with many homes in the rural Midwest, the door was not locked while he was home. He was watching TV. The first sign of a threat was when a knife was put to his throat.  

Two masked intruders had silently entered the house.  They demanded money and guns.  Then they tried to force him into the bathroom. That was not a good sign.  He told them that they would never find the money without him. 

From wnem.com:

"I was watching TV and suddenly there was a knife at my throat," the 66-year-old man said.

He lives alone and smiled as he described the house as a "storage unit" where he sleeps.

"They wore masks. The bigger guy demanded money and guns. I'm thinking 'how did he know I had money and guns," he said.

He thought of his options.He considered bolting for the back door.  The home is not large.  But, there were two of them, and they were young and fast. This is rural Michigan, the heart of deer country. He had a loaded rifle near his bed, a 30-06. 

As they passed near the bedroom door, he made his move.  He pushed one assailant, 21-year-old Jesse Allen Odell, aside, and sprang into the bedroom to the rifle.  He turned and fired, killing Odell, and wounding the other attacker in the upper thigh.  Then he exited the house to seek help.

"They tried to get me into the bathroom, but I wasn't having it. I thought they'd kill me for sure if I went in there," he said. "I thought about running for the back door, but they were younger and would have caught me and stabbed me to death by the time I hit the stairs."

When they came close to his bedroom, the homeowner said he decided to "go for it." His 30.06 hunting rifle was near the bed, loaded.

"I shoved the guy and went for the rifle. I just grabbed it and fired," he said.

Police are looking for the cleaning woman.

It is not uncommon for criminals to develop a ring of sources who keep an eye open for likely places to rob.  It is one of the security risks that is unavoidable if you allow people into your domicile.  The attackers probably knew that the door was habitually left unlocked.  When I was growing up in Northern Wisconsin, we never locked our doors.  What would be the point, in a house with no visible neighbors?  When we were home, the dogs always alerted us to the presence of visitors; when we were not, any criminal need only break in unhindered.

That does not apply to a man living alone without a dog.  Sophisticated home security systems have become common and relatively cheap. It is easy to become complacent, especially in an environment where crime is rare.

Both attackers had criminal histories.  If the bullet hit bone, the survivor is likely missing a leg.  30-06 hunting ammunition is designed for optimum destruction of tissue in big game.  Deer are about the same size as humans.

The make or model of the rifle has not been made public.

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

MI: Rifle Beats Knives

The 66-year-old man was in his home when two men entered, both wearing masks and brandishing hunting-type knives. The men attempted to rob him, but the resident shot them both with a rifle, Kaiser said.

One suspect, a 21-year-old Oscoda man, was dead and still wearing his mask when troopers arrived. The second suspect, a 29-year-old man also from Oscoda, received treatment for a gunshot wound on scene and then flown to a Saginaw hospital. He is expected to survive, Kaiser said.
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President Trump Can Eliminate Gun Free Zones in the Army Corps of Engineers

President Donald Trump has committed to eliminating Gun Free Zones.  He cannot eliminate the Gun Free School Zones Act by himself.  It will take Congressional or Court action.  He can eliminate Gun Free Zones on military bases and in recruitment offices.

He can eliminate Gun Free Zones on lands managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.  Donald Trump will be the Commander in Chief.  The Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency in the Department of Defense.  It is commanded by a Lieutenant General (three star), Todd T. Semonite.   General Semonite is under the command of Donald Trump.

President Trump can order the Army Corps of Engineers to eliminate its regulatory ban on the exercise of the Second Amendment on the lands that it administers.  Regulations cannot be changed instantly.  There are procedures to be followed. President Trump can issue an executive order that the Corps of Engineers remove the ban on weapons on the land it administers, requiring the Corps to make the changes in accordance with existing law. A problem with this method is that a new administration could reverse the rule just as easily.

Another method available to President Trump is a negotiated Court settlement. The ban on possession of weapons on land administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is being challenged in the Courts. Court cases in both the Ninth Circuit and in the Eleventh Circuit are active. A Trump administration could order the Corps of Engineers to negotiate a Court sanctioned settlement that would prohibit the Corps of Engineers from ever violating the Second Amendment again. Such Court sanctioned agreements have long been used to create law without congressional approval, law that is impossible to remove by regulatory means.

Additionally, President Trump can support Legislative removal of the Corps' authority to regulate in this area, as they did for National Parks lands. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has introduced legislation(pdf) to remove federal infringements on Second Amendment rights from lands controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). From the press release:

The bill seeks to make firearm regulations consistent across federal lands by allowing law-abiding citizens to carry firearms on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) property. Under current law, a person may carry a concealed weapon in a National Park or Refuge as long as individuals comply with the firearm laws of the park’s home state. However, the same rights are not extended to Americans who hunt, camp or fish on land owned by the Corps, effectively denying them of their Second Amendment freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution when on Corps lands. 

This legislation has been introduced for the last three sessions of Congress but has been bottled up by Harry Reid in the Senate and the Obama administration. 
Congressional removal of the Army Corps of Engineers' ban has significant support and could be enacted during a Trump administration.  A removal of similar bans on National Park lands was enacted during the Obama administration.  It has been an unqualified success.

Opportunities for Donald Trump to keep his promise to "get rid of gun free zones" are available and multiple.

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

Link to Gun Watch

President Trump will Pass the Hearing Protection Act

In 1934, the Franklin Roosevelt administration was able to pass omnibus gun control legislation, with massive infringements on the Second Amendment.  It was the National Firearms Act.  The law was primarily designed to eliminate the private ownership of handguns. That was too much of a direct assault on the Second Amendment for Congress, which removed handguns from the bill. The remainder of the act passed, creating a bizarre law with unintended consequences.

For obscure and unknown reasons, gun mufflers, also known as silencers, or suppressors, were included in the act. Silencers immediately changed from being a $10 accessory, available over the counter, to becoming an item requiring a federal tax stamp costing $200.  The tax stamp required an intrusive and time consuming application process. $200 in 1934 would be $3,600 today.  As another measure, $200 was 5.7 ounces of gold in January, 1934.  That was by legislative fiat.  In December of 1933, it would have been 10 ounces of gold.  If you use gold as the standard, 5.7 ounces of gold would be worth $7,400.  It was common for a day laborer in 1934 to be paid $1 a day.  People worked long days, six days a week. The tax on a silencer was about the yearly pay of a minimum wage worker of the time. It was not a tax.  It was a prohibition.

The rest of the world did not share America's self imposed prohibition on gun mufflers.  In the rest of the world, silencers were regarded as a useful accessory, something that the neighbors appreciated because it reduced noise pollution.

In Europe, silencers are far less regulated than they are in the United States.  In New Zealand, a 12 year old can walk into a hardware store, pay $20, and walk out with a perfectly serviceable commercial silencer.

Inflation has whittled away at the prohibitionist tax on silencers in the United States.  $200 dollars is now 28 hours at minimum wage instead of a year's worth of labor.  People understand the damage done to unprotected ears by close proximity to gunfire.  Silencers have become essential safety equipment in many circumstances.

A growing movement has risen up to place silencers in the same regulatory environment as ordinary rifles and shotguns.  It removes the prohibitory tax and the burdensome, unnecessary regulations. Legislation has been introduced in Congress by Matt Salmon (R) Arizona.

The Hearing Protection Act. It keeps the federal regulation that states refer to when they require federally sanctioned ownership for legal possession of silencers in many. That regulation becomes the same as for ordinary rifles and shotguns.

When legislators are informed of the bizarre history of U.S. regulation and prohibition of these safety devices, they have no problem passing corrective legislation.  Josh Waldron, one of three founders of the American Suppressor Association, says that when legislators become informed, 90% of both Democrats and Republicans vote for  the reform legislation.

The Hearing Protection Act will pass.  It only needs to be presented to Congress.

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

Link to Gun Watch

FL: More on Shooting of Man who was Beating Deputy

"He just kept beating him and beating him," said Shanta Holditch. She said the deputy was pulled out of his patrol car by the suspect, "throwing him to the ground and punching him in all different directions."

"I heard like three shots. He fell down on top of the police officer," said Mr. Smith, a witness. "After a moment, the police officer rolled him back over, got on his mic, then rolled over back on the ground besides the guy."

Holditch said the suspect "refused to get off the officer and the officer kept yelling, 'shoot him, shoot him, shoot him,' and then he shot him. I think approximately three shots were heard."
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IA: Permit Holder Stops Mass Stabbing Attack

CEDAR FALLS -- A man with a permit to carry a firearm detained a Cedar Falls man when he started stabbing people at his apartment building last month, according to authorities.


According to police, Adam Scott Jacobsen had stabbed fellow tenant Jeffrey Miller 24 times and apartment manager Denice Bennett eight times at University Avenue Studios apartments before Daniel Williams drew his firearm.


“He pulled the gun and ordered him to lie on the ground,” said Chief Jeff Olson with the Cedar Falls Police Department. He said Jacobsen complied and remained there until police arrived.

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MO: Victim Disarms Attacker, Shoots Him

A couple was staying at the Ebony Motel near the intersection of Page Boulevard and Grand Boulevard when two robbers barged in, St. Louis police Lt. James Joyner said. One of the men had a pistol and announced a robbery.

The girlfriend ducked behind a bed to hide as the boyfriend leaped at the man with the gun. He was wrestling both suspects when the gun went off once and struck one of the intruders in the lower back.
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LA: Man Forces way into Home, Attacks Resident, Flees from Pistol Shots

The man who had been punched then pulled a .38 caliber pistol from his waistband and fired one shot. He briefly fought with Deroger over the gun before firing a second shot, prompting Deroger to run away, the report says.

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MO: Man Violates Restraining Order, is Shot by Armed Husband

Sheriff Chris Heitman said the victim has been identified as Walter Gray. Heitman said Gray showed up to the home off Highway 63 where a woman has a restraining order against him.

Deputies said the the woman's husband saw Gray peeking through the window of the home. Heitman said when the husband confronted him, Gray allegedly made a threatening move toward the man causing him to fire his gun.
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GA: Man Dressed in Black Shot Outside House

The homeowner at 1633 Woodrow Place reported hearing a loud crash outside his bedroom window sometime before 8:30 p.m. When he went to investigate, he found a man coming from behind the home dressed in all black. He asked the man to stop. When he didn’t, the homeowner shot the man several times, according to a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article114373308.html#storylink=cpy

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FL: CCW Permit Holder Shoots Suspect, Saves Officer

A person with a concealed carry permit shot a man who was attacking a police officer in Florida. The officer had stopped the man for extreme speeding.  One witness said the vehicle was traveling on the shoulder past full lanes of slow moving traffic, at 120 mph.  The chase and shooting occured on 14 November, 2016, at about 9 a.m.

After both cars were stopped, the suspect jumped the officer and managed to get on top, beating the officer severely.   From winknews.com:

Bardes and the suspect exited their vehicles at the Corkscrew Road exit and a fight started, sources said. The suspect was armed, Bardes told his supervisors, according to sources.

The passerby, who had a Concealed Weapons License, exited his vehicle and told the suspect he’d shoot him if he didn’t stop beating the deputy, sources said.

After noncompliance from the suspect, the passerby shot the suspect three times, sources said. The suspect later died.

Here is a bit more information from a witness at the scene.  From leoaffairs.com:

Another woman wrote: “I watched the suspect jump out of his car and run toward the officer and tackled him.”

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office told local news media that the deputy who was involved, 12-year veteran Deputy First Class Dean Bardes, is expected to be okay. The suspect who was fighting with the deputy was killed during the struggle and WINK is reporting that a passerby is the one who shot him.

“The passerby, who had a Concealed Weapons License, exited his vehicle and instructed the suspect to stop beating the deputy…after noncompliance from the suspect, the passerby shot the suspect three times,” sources said.

These incidents, while rare are more common than when permit carriers attack police officers.  Permit carriers across the nation are more law abiding than police officers are.  The attitude toward permit carriers has changed considerably over the last 20 years.  At first, police administrators were wary of legal firearms carriers.  But experience has taught them that people who carry legally are seldom a problem, and often render assistance to police officers.

Today, police are overwhelmingly in favor of the rights of legal firearm carriers. From policeone.com:

More than 91 percent of respondents support the concealed carry of firearms by civilians who have not been convicted of a felony and/or not been deemed psychologically/medically incapable.

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

Link to Gun Watch

Price of .22 Ammunition to Drop

In the run up to the 2016 election, the price of .22 ammunition has been fluctuating up and down around 6 cents a cartridge for baseline bulk ammunition.  The reasons are clear.  Production of .22 ammunition is up by about two billion rounds a year, responding to over the top demand for the last four years.

Part of the demand is structural.  Many new gun owners and shooters have been created.  Many of the younger members were raised on first person shooter games like Doom, Golden Eye, Battlefield, and Call of Duty.

People in the industry have reported that the new generation of shooters is more likely to go through 500 rounds of .22 in a shooting session, instead of 50.  Moreover, decent .22 rifles and pistols have become relatively cheap.  A Marlin model 60 today can be had, brand new, for $150.   A Savage model 64 can be had for $116, and the Mossberg semi-auto for $109.

The Model 60 cost about $40 in 1960.  A constant dollar calculator shows that would be $322 in 2016.  So the price has dropped in half in constant dollars. Another way to look at this is the minimum wage in 1960 was a dollar an hour.  It would take a full week of 40 hours to buy the rifle.

Today, the minimum wage (federal) is $7.25.  It would take a person about half a week (21 hours) to buy a model 60 today.  That correlates pretty well with the constant dollar calculator.

There are a 100 million or more .22 rifles and pistols in the United States.  They are incredibly popular, and with very little care they last for many decades.


Some of the increased 2 billion rounds a year will go to feeding the increased structural demand.

But a considerable amount of the demand has been a bubble created by concern over gun control.  It is one of the few areas where President Barack Obama was stymied by the American people and Congress.  Hillary Clinton fed the fear with her campaign rhetoric and potential Supreme Court justices.

With the election of Donald Trump, that fear will be subsiding.  Many .22 owners have built up a stockpile of a few thousand rounds of ammunition.  That ammunition has not been shot, and it will be around for a while.

I expect the demand for .22 ammunition to drop when the reality of a Trump administration hits home.  The current protests and riots are not helping.  Nor are the conspiracy theories about a Trump assassination.

After President Trump is safely inaugurated, and starts to move his legislative agenda, demand will drop and prices will fall.

I expect bulk .22 ammunition to be available for 4 cents a round by October of 2017.

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

Link to Gun Watch

Reducing Suicides Through Partnerships Between Health Professionals and Gun Owner Groups—Beyond Docs vs Glocks

In a small Western town in the fall of 2015, a gun shop owner stood up at a suicide prevention conference and said the he had been approached as part of the suicide problem in the past, but this was the first time he was approached as part of the solution. He joined a fledgling movement gaining momentum around the nation that brings gun shop owners, firearm instructors, and gun rights stakeholders together with health professionals to prevent suicide. Rather than squaring off against one another—as exemplified by passage of Florida’s so-called “Docs vs Glocks” law (Fla Stat §790.338) that prohibits physicians from routinely asking patients about guns—participants jointly devise strategies to put time and distance between a suicidal person and a firearm. Seven years ago, when this work began in New Hampshire, similar projects did not exist. Today projects are under way in more than 20 states. We provide background on this work and discuss its implications for clinical care.

More HERE 

President Trump: Repeal the Unconstitutional Gun Free School Zone Act

A promise made by Donald Trump during the campaign was to remove gun free school zones.  The federal gun free school zone law has been an abominable infringement on the Second Amendment.

It has no justification as anything other than an infringement on the right of Americans to bear arms. It does not improve safety. It does not protect "sensitive places".  It serves no legitimate purpose.

It has already been struck down once by the Supreme Court.

The Gun Free School Zone act creates an illusory "zone" where most people are forbidden from bearing arms. The zone exists within 1,000 feet from the property line of any school. It is unmarked and mostly unenforced.

It was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1995 in the famous U.S. v Lopez decision, where the Court concluded that there was no interstate commerce involved in a person bearing a firearm within a thousand feet of a school. That was the correct decision.

President Clinton immediately pushed through a replacement bill, the Gun Free School Zone Act of 1995, with a few minor changes.  The change that was supposed to make the law acceptable to the Constitution was that it only applied to guns that had been "involved" in interstate commerce.

That is distinction without a difference.  Everything is "involved" in interstate commerce.  The molecules of oxygen that you breath have crossed state lines.  The ore that was used to create the steel used to make a gun barrel crossed state and international borders.  If that is not enough, the water used to cool the turbines that created the electricity to power the motor that turned the machine to shape the gun barrel, crossed state lines.  This is the insane thinking that has made the phrase "interstate commerce" a nullity. The original law was struck down because everything is *not* interstate commerce, and the legislature cannot make it so simply by so stating.

The Gun Free School Zone law is a direct affront to the Second Amendment.  In U.S. v Lopez, the Second Amendment was not argued.  The Heller and McDonald decisions had not yet been decided. But to ban the bearing of arms from public places anywhere within a thousand feed of a school is clearly an infringement of the first order.

The 20 years of existence of the current Gun Free School Zone Act have resulted in a tiny number of cases, virtually all of which involve concurrent other crimes.  The act has no purpose other than to create precedent that the federal government has the power to disarm anyone, anywhere it desires. It might need to put the word "school" in such a power grab, to grant a fig leaf of deflection for justification.  Many believe the lack of enforcement is from a desire not to have a case tested in court.

A Trump administration can attack the law from two directions.  One is the obvious, frontal approach. Have the Congress repeal the law.  It is plausible, and it could work. Members of Congress take an oath to uphold the Constitution.  The second is to create a test case to bring the law in front of a constitutionalist Supreme Court, to be struck down on both Commerce Clause and Second Amendment grounds. 

A sympathetic case could be made where a U.S. Attorney prosecutes an otherwise blameless black woman for possessing a legal firearm within a thousand feet of a crime ridden school in an inner city, or perhaps a Native American within a thousand feet of a small school in Wyoming.

Creating a test case is the method that was used by the Franklin Roosevelt administration in U.S v. Miller.  The prime actor in U.S. v Miller was Judge Heartsill Ragon, a Roosevelt ally, the Chuck Schumer of his day. 

Heartsill Ragon was the representative from Arkansas who was supported by the KKK for his election in 1922.  He introduced and managed to get passed, the ban on selling pistols through the post office, the first federal regulation of gun sales.  Judge Ragon was appointed by Franklin Roosevelt.  Ragon created the Miller case, selected the defense attorney, the defendants, and requireing the case to be appealed to the Supreme Court.  It was a complete set-up, created and orchestrated by a Roosevelt appointee. 

A school zone case could be found or created and guided through the courts.  Today, the process is longer, but it could be done. 

Perhaps both avenues should be pursued.  They would reinforce each other.  The judicial branch could be used as reason to push forward with the legislative solution.  Uncertainty in the legislative solution would give impetus to the judicial one.


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

Link to Gun Watch

WI: Reform of Gun Law would Allow Licensed Carry in Schools

A Wisconsin representative is looking to restore the right to bear arms in some schools for some people. From jsonline.com:

Town of Jackson — A state lawmaker said Saturday he would introduce a bill to allow licensed gun owners to carry weapons on the grounds of private schools, and he expects to advance similar bills aimed at public K-12 schools and college campuses.

State Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) said the state's concealed carry law, which restricts permit holders from taking their weapons on school grounds, needs to be adjusted to match the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, which includes an exception for those with CCW licenses. He said the effort is targeting private schools first because "it's an easier lift" politically.

 The problem with current law is that people who legally carry guns are required to leave guns in their vehicle every time they enter or leave school grounds.  This presents a safety hazard that is real, as it multiplies the number of times that guns are holstered and unholstered. It exposes the firearms to theft.

There is a tiny increment in risk each time a gun is unholstered and stored, then retrieved and reholstered.  There is a much more significant risk of the personal defensive firearm being stolen while stored in the vehicle.

The much safer option is to remove the restrictions on legally armed individuals ability to exercise their right to bear arms.  They keep their arms protected on their persons. The arms would then be under their control, available to protect themselves and others, and far less likely to be stolen.

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

Link to Gun Watch

OR: Pistol Attack, AR 15 Rifle Defense, Justified

On October 12, at 8 p.m., a convicted felon ambushed a couple at their campsite near Butte Falls in Oregon.  The attacker, Dick Laurence Zoomer Daniels, had a history with the woman, Mariah Silviera.  There was a dispute about the ownership of a truck that was parked at the camp site.

Daniels had been dropped off at the site by a different female friend. He set up a hide overlooking the site.  When the sheriffs department investigated, they found a scoped .243 bolt action rifle there. Fate intervened. The couple, Mariah Silveria and Shane Young, returned after dark.  Sunset on October 12th was at 6:34 p.m. A nearly full moon was up, so there was some light.

Mariah Silviera exited the truck on the passenger side. Daniels left the rifle and used a pistol and a flashlight.  Daniels pointed the .40 caliber S&W 4006 alternatively at Shane and Mariah.  He fired at Shane. Shane exited the truck and  ran around it, using it as cover and concealment.

As Shane circled the truck, Daniels fired at him several times, searching for him with the flashlight. Daniels mounted the rear bumper to gain a better field of fire. Shane had a rifle in the truck, an AR15 clone made by Good Times Outdoors.  As Shane hid in the darkness near the open passenger door, Mariah managed to reach the .223 rifle and pass it to Shane.  Shane fired at Daniels, hitting him twice and killing him. From mailtribune.com:

Police said Young and Silveria returned to their campsite in a truck about 8 p.m. Oct. 12, and Daniels stepped out of the woods from his hiding spot with a flashlight. Silveria exited the passenger side of the vehicle and heard Daniels threaten Young. Daniels fired a shot at Young then chased him around the vehicle, squeezing off several shots.

Daniels reportedly stood on the truck's rear bumper, pointing the flashlight around to try and find Young, who was crouched next to the open passenger door. Police said Silveria reached into the vehicle's cab, retrieved Young's .223 rifle and handed it to Young as he hid. Young fired twice, hitting Daniels in the chest and right shoulder.

The District Attorney concluded that the shooting was justified on Wednesday, November 9th, 2016.

In a video interview, Shane said that he had to do what he did in defense of himself and Mariah.  He added the following. From  kdrv.com:

"My mama didn't raise no fool, my mama didn't raise no coward." 

Shane might have ran off into the dark woods.  But what about Mariah?  Would it have been right for her to have run, leaving him there?  It is not clear if Daniels identified himself.  He was in the dark, behind a flashlight.

Daniels was a prohibited possessor. He had spent time in prison for manslaughter.  He had killed a friend, shooting at people who were fighting with the friend. He was already a prohibited possessor when that happened in 2005.  From mailtribune.com,10 years ago:

The man charged with fatally wounding a friend and dumping him in a hospital parking lot Wednesday faces additional allegations that he recklessly endangered two other people with a gun.

Dick Laurence Zoomer Daniels, 21, appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court Thursday in connection with the shooting death of Jeremiah Lee Coughtry, 30, of Butte Falls. In addition to charging Daniels with first-degree manslaughter, prosecutors allege that he recklessly endangered two other men during a Tuesday night fight by firing a gun in their direction.

Here is an account that shows more details, and mentions the dispute over the vehicle. From kobi5.com:

The district attorney’s office said Daniels aimed a flashlight at Silveria and Young as he approached the vehicle they were in. Daniels was also carrying a pistol and fired a shot toward Young, who exited the vehicle, only to be chased by Daniels. Another four or five rounds were shot as Daniels chased Young around the vehicle. Silveria then reached into the vehicle’s cab, grabbed a rifle, and handed it to Young–who was hiding behind the passenger side door. Young fired two rounds that struck Daniels in the upper chest and shoulder. Daniels was confirmed deceased when paramedics arrived on scene.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Silveria and Daniels were in a dispute over ownership of a truck that was found at the campsite.

Maybe Shane did not know the history of Mariah's former boyfriend.  If he had, it would have been wise to have a pistol on his person.

Daniels had a way with women.  A female friend, perhaps the one who dropped him off at the camp site, with the rifle and pistol, said that he was a gentle person who would not hurt anyone.

A source at the Jackson County Sheriffs department believed the .223 would be returned to Shane Young, as he was not a prohibited possessor.

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

Link to Gun Watch

If you have any information regarding this incident, contact the sheriff’s office and reference case #16-20742. - See more at: http://www.kdrv.com/news/Man_Found_Dead_Near_Butte_Falls.html#sthash.SRXg7zp6.dpuf

TX: Gun Beats Knives and Drugs in Texas Home Invasion

According to Lt. Bryan Taylor with the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the man had “some kind of medical episode where he was hallucinating.”

The man who shot the knife-wielding suspect struck him once, wounding him. The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, was taken to the hospital with a non-life threatening injury.


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WA: Armed Homeowner Confronts Armed Intruders, Kills One

SHORELINE, Wash. -- A Shoreline man shot and killed one of two men who broke into his home early Saturday, the King County Sheriff's Office said.

Police responded after 7 a.,m. to the 14500 block of Whitman Avenue North. Officers found a wounded man who the resident of the home said was one of two men who had kicked in the front door of his home and entered it.
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WA: Man Emerges from Shower, Shoots Intruder

The resident was in the shower at the time, and after being confronted by the burglar, grabbed his gun and shot him in the chest. The burglar is now in the ICU at Lourdes Medical Center after undergoing surgery for his injury, and is expected to be okay.
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NV: Armed Citizen Shoots Armed Robby Suspect

An attempted armed robbery ended in gunfire at a 7-Eleven Thursday morning leaving the suspected robber dead.

The Clark County Coroners Office identified the suspect as 24-year-old Rashad Ryan.

It happened around 3:30 a.m. at a store on Cheyenne Avenue and Civic Center Drive in North Las Vegas when an armed citizen inside the store shot the suspect.
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FL: Armed Homeowner Captures Burglary Suspects

“My adrenaline was going,” Mendoza said. “I really can’t tell you what happens at that time, but you’re ready to protect your family.”

Police said the suspect broke the window of Mendoza’s truck. “Confronting some guy right in front of you, and it’s your life or his,” Mendoza said.

Police said Alvarez threw a tire-iron at Mendoza before getting into a van and trying to take off. Police said Mendoza then shot out a tire.

In court, a judge told Alvarez that he could have been killed if things went differently.
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The Village Gun

Northern Wisconsin is gun culture country.  When I was growing up in the 50's and 60's, everybody had a gun or three in every house.  It wasn't always so.  The Depression was a hard time for a lot of people.  My father managed to snag the Springfield model 84-C during the 1930's. He paid $5 for the rifle and $2.50 for the scope. The rifle will feed Shorts, Longs, and .22 Long Rifle interchangeably through the detachable 5 shot magazine. The scope was an old straight tube 3/4 inch 2 3/4 power. It was state of the art in the 30's. It was a Weaver. As I recall, it was a model 329.  Those sold in 1934 for $4.75, with a choice of mounts.  

The rifle was advertised for $9.70 in 1939, so the pricing ratio was about right.

 

Somehow the scope had acquired hole in the tube, just  ahead of the adjustments.  I never changed the adjustments, and it always was right on.  The hole was sealed with a couple of wraps of ordinary transparent tape, probably Scotch. It was a farm boy repair. It was in that condition when I first became aware of it about 1960.

The tape grew more and more yellowed with age, and the scope grew dimmer and dirtier. By 2010, the inside had gathered enough grime that it was becoming unusable. I replaced it. I considered having it refurbished, but could not justify it.  I reasoned that no one but me would have an attachment to that old scope.

My father said that a deer shot through the lungs with a .22 acted the same as if it were shot in the same spot with a .300 Savage.  It ran a hundred yards and died. He told me an excess of 200 deer had been harvested with the 84-C. Most of them were taken illegally.  They were much appreciated in those hard times. Meat was expensive, even on the farm. During WWII, it was rationed. He shot a lot of the deer himself, but he wasn't the only one.  In those times, not everyone had a rifle.

Or maybe not everyone had a rifle and ammunition.  The rifle was a favorite of the neighbors to borrow when they wanted to get some venison.  If the hunt was successful, the rifle would be returned with a front quarter.  Besides being quiet and cheap, the village gun destroyed little meat.  I never shot a deer with the rifle, but hundreds, probably thousands, of squirrels, grouse, rabbits, and various pests from crows to ground squirrels and the occasional raccoon or fox were accounted for. 

I went to Panama in the 1980's. I left the rifle in Wisconsin.  I didn't want to risk it overseas, through import and export.  While in Panama, I visited the San Blas Islands.  Americans were popular there, even with an ongoing "cold war" with the Noriega regime, just before the invasion of Panama in 1989. Little handmade American flags were on top of most of the houses.

An American missionary group had brought running fresh water to the main island. It was a small, flat, corral island. It sat a couple of hundred yards off the coast, in the Caribbean. Houses covered the Island, because there were no mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes cannot live in salt water. The addition of running fresh water improved the quality of life enormously.

I encountered the same village gun system on the Island.  Guns were relatively expensive. The old rules applied. Borrow the gun. If successful, a share of the game went to the owner.  Basic capitalism at work.

As a poacher's gun, the .22 has few equals.  It is quiet, powerful enough, and inexpensive. Food is cheap in the modern United States. Poaching in Northern Wisconsin is rare. If it is done, hunger is seldom the reason.  That is a good thing.

Many memories are attached to the village gun. I learned to shoot and to hunt with it. I don't have a problem with my father and his neighbors feeding their families, even though game was scarce.

The game recovered with modern management practices. Poaching to eat was never the problem, market hunting and loss of habitat were.

I hope to pass the village gun to my grandson.  Perhaps he will find an interest in the old, obsolete, bolt action.  It works fine and shoots straight.  I have been wondering if I should refinish the stock, maybe have the rifle reblued. But the stock dings and wear have been honestly earned with thousands of miles of carry in the field.

I will consider it. Maybe there is time for my grandson to make the choice.

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

Link to Gun Watch

OH: Home Invasion Subject Shot in Both Knees

A phone call to Jefferson County 911 led to the missing suspect from Monday night's home invasion.

“We got a call from 911 stating that the individual was here at the residence. We gained entry and located him," said Yorkville Police Chief John Morelli.

Kenneth Hall was found to be suffering from two gunshot wounds inside the Tiltonsville home.

"He had two gunshot wounds to both of his knees," Morelli said.
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Florida Open Carry is Coming: Roadblock Removed

A primary obstacle to Florida open carry has been removed. The person who was blocking open carry in Florida was Senator Diaz de la Portilla (R) of Miami Dade.  Senator Portilla refused to let the open carry bill out of committee in 2015.  Then he repeated the performance in 2016. The bill had passed the Miami House by an overwhelming margin, and had a large majority support in the Senate. From sun-sentinal.com:

And yet he singlehandedly has killed in the Legislature this year bills that would allow concealed carry permit holders to openly carry firearms, to carry them on college campuses, and to carry them in airport terminals.

As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Diaz de la Portilla decides what bills get a hearing there. All the gun bills were assigned to his committee, and he refused to hear them all, effectively killing them.

Many Second Amendment supporters vowed to work against Portilla's reelection.  He lost by 6,000 votes out of 179,000 cast. 

Senator Bullard, who was chairman of the Miami-Dade Democrat party, lost his seat to a Republican, keeping the Republican advantage in the Senate. The numbers are the same as last term, 25 Republicans to 15 Democrats. From miamiherald.com:

Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Coral Gables, was defeated by Rep. Jose Javier Rodriquez, D-Miami, in the race for District 37, and Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Cutler Ridge, lost to Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, in District 40.

Florida carry analyzed Portilla's blockage of the pro-rights bills.  They concluded that the Senate leadership wanted a cover so that they did not have to vote on the bills.  From a Florida Carry alert:

Through his resistance to calendar SB 176, Sen. Diaz de la Portilla is ignoring the success of the House companion bill for his own personal reasons, and denying the bill its deserved consideration by the remaining Senate committees. This is an intentional attempt at running out the clock, so fellow Senators are not put in the position of having to vote yea or nay on the right to bear arms on campus.
In this way, they can claim support for self defense by honestly saying they’ve never voted against a pro-gun bill.

With Senator Portilla gone, Frank Artiles is added as a new senator. He probably will not take the chairmanship of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, but he is another vote. As a member of the Florida House, Frank Artiles voted for the open carry bill, HB 4001, last year.

Only five states  generally forbidding the open carry of holstered handguns. It appears that Florida is the next domino to fall. That would leave only New York, Illinois, California, and South Carolina who forbid open carry.  When Florida goes, South Carolina is likely to be next.

The restoration of Second Amendment rights, increment by increment, continues.

When President Trump nominates Supreme Court justices who will uphold the Constitution as written, we are likely to see Supreme Court cases that strike down more infringements on the exercise of the Second Amendment.  Those cases may take years to work their way through the system.

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

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/article113508138.html#storylink=cpy

WA: Armed Home Invader Shot, Killed

King County Sheriff's Office says an armed intruder was shot and killed after he and another person kicked in a door to a Shoreline home Saturday.
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Nevada: Brave Fight, Heartbreaking loss, Gun Control Proposition Passes

In 2016, Nevada was one of four states facing Michael Bloomberg funded attacks on Second Amendment rights.  As with most such attacks, deceit and misdirection were the focus.  Outright lies were repeated endlessly.  Much was made of bogus "studies" that  were carried out by activists behind the flimsiest of academic cover.  Second Amendment defenders in Nevada were outspent 3 to 1 in cash outlays, 19.7 million dollars to 6.6 million from Second Amendment supporters, primarily the NRA.

The key to the proposition was what it was being marketed as doing, compared to what it would really do.  

On that question, cash was merely the tip of the iceberg.  The direct media support for the Bloomberg measure was immense.  Never has the media been so overtly partisan as in 2016.  That was reflected in the broadcast media in Nevada, which showed itself to be focused in favor of the gun control proposition. The media situation was similar to the media situation in Washington State in 2014, where a similar measure was passed with Bloomberg money.

Proponents claimed that the measure would only require "background checks" and that it would stop criminals and the mentally ill from obtaining firearms.  Both promises were misleading.  But it is hard to convey the complexity of the falsehoods in the face of brazen media complicity in the big lie.

First, background checks have never correlated with reduced crime.  They do not work.  States that instituted background checks have not seen crime reductions.

Second, the measure required far more than background checks.  It would have been easy to design a system where background checks were done, without recording sensitive information such as gun owner identities and gun serial numbers.  Instead, the proposal in Nevada specifically demands that this information be recorded in federal paperwork. The most reasonable assumption is as an incremental step to create a gun registration system.  

Second Amendment supporters had learned lessons after the defeat in Washington State.  They learned to focus on one objective, to work hard to get out a unified, clear message.  They were able to bring more resources to bear to get the message out. In Nevada, they were only out spent 3-1. In Washington State, proposition I-594 proponents outspent Second Amendment Supporters 10-1.  

The Nevada defenders almost pulled it off. It wasn't enough.  Almost, but not quite.  Question 1 passed by a tiny margin, less than 10,000 votes out of 1.1 million.   According to Ballodpedia, it passed 558,586(50.45%) to 548,685 (49.55%).  That margin occurred in Clark County, the center of Democrat political power in Nevada.  Nevada is the third most urbanized state in the United States.  Clark County has 1 million of the 1.5 million voters in the state.  In Clark County, Question 1 won by 13 percent.


Second Amendment supporters can win in Nevada.  They came very close. But in 2016, they could not quite overcome the combined forces of 3-1 cash expenditures and the overwhelming support of broadcast media against them.

All is not lost.  In three years, the measure can be countered in the legislature.

The media cartel's dominance is fading, as shown by the election of President Donald Trump.

This was a squeaker.  Nevada was also the only state where the NRA backed candidate for U. S. Senate lost.  Joe Heck lost to Cortez Masto by 35,000 votes.

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

Link to Gun Watch

NJ: Armed Woman Shoots two Robbery Suspects

The 43-year-old woman, whose name was not disclosed, was getting into her car at Commerce Street and McCarter Highway around 9:30 p.m. when she was approached by the two men, who demanded money at gunpoint, Ambrose said.

The woman, who retired as a detective from the NYPD, fired her gun at the two men, who fled from the scene after being hit.
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Police on Friday identified the accused robbers as Tahje M. Hunt, 22, and Brian P. Moore, 27, both of Newark. Both were treated for non life-threatening injuries and face charges, including robbery and weapons offenses.


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WY: Bear Spray to be Required for Grizzly Bear Hunts?

Image by Troy Nemitz


Dave Smith, a well known author and expert on bear attacks, sent me a heads up on a proposed Grizzly hunting regulation.  In the  Wyoming Grizzly Bear Management Plan(pdf), on page 47, (page 55 on some pdf versions), dated  5/11/2016, is a regulation requiring that grizzly hunters carry bear spray.

"All grizzly bear hunters must carry bear spray while engaged in the act of grizzly bear hunting (WGFC Regulation Chapter 16, pending)"

When you are hunting bears, you would normally be carrying a rifle.  You would have to drop the rifle, then access and deploy the bear spray.  That does not work. Nearly all bear spray successes have been during use by unarmed people.

One of the foremost proponents of bear spray has said that it would be crazy to attempt to use bear spray against a charging grizzly when you were carrying a rifle. From hcn.org:

Here’s the problem, according to Brigham Young University professor Tom Smith. In an interview with Sports Afield, he said, “If I’m actually out hunting and I have a gun in my hands, and suddenly a bear comes at me, do you think I’m going to lay the gun down and pick up bear spray? Are you out of your mind?” 

Smith is the primary author of Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska, and Efficacy of Firearms for Bear Deterrence in Alaska. His remark makes it clear that carrying bear spray is one issue, but using it if under attack is a far different matter. The impracticality of hunters using bear spray explains why bear-spray research only provides data on spray use by non-hunters.

Dave graciously sent me his analysis on the proposed regulation. I have edited and cut a bit for reasons of space:

The "logic" is that research proves bear spray is more effective than a firearm: it follows that during a surprise encounter with a grizzly, hunters should "only use a firearm if bear spray is unavailable."

One, I'm not aware of a single case when a hunter facing a charging grizzly did "something" with his rifle or shotgun and then used bear spray. Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska shows that just one hunter "stalking a wounded" bear used bear spray.

It is illogical to claim that research on bear spray use by non-hunters proves bear spray is the best self-defense tool for hunters carrying a rifle or shotgun in hand.

Bear spray zealots prove the adage "when your only tool is a hammer, you treat everything as it were a nail."

Bear spray zealots: the problem is that too many hunters who rely on their firearm for self-defense get injured by bears. Solution? Bear spray.

Dave explained that if the problem is that too many hunters who rely on their firearm for self-defense are being injured by bears, there is a simple solution.

Provide hunters with information on how to use their rifle quickly and effectively.

Instead of using Pittman-Robertson funds to promote bear spray and discourage firearms use, state fish & game departments should fund moving bear targets at shooting ranges in WY, MT and ID.

Teach kids how to use their firearm quickly and effectively. Right now, WY, MT, and ID teach kids in hunter ed classes how to use bear spray.

I wanted to see what had happened in Wyoming, so I looked up the Wyoming hunting regulations for this year (2016).  I could not find chapter 16.  It was obvious that cooler and more logical heads had prevailed. Everywhere else I looked, there was no mandatory carry of bear spray while hunting grizzly bears.

There was a site at Wyoming.gov, Bear Wise Wyoming. It had a number of suggestions about how to handle human/bear interactions.  I have excerpted the relevant ones.  From wyo.go:

What to do if you encounter an aggressive/defensive bear at close range

• Try to remain calm, slowly back out of the area, and have a defense ready. 
• Never run away from the bear.
• Do not challenge the bear with any aggressive body language or direct eye contact.
• If the bear begins to approach, stand your ground and use bear spray if available.

 What to do if the bear is acting predatory

• Do not back away from the bear but instead stand your ground.
• Act aggressively towards the bear.
• Make yourself look as big as possible by holding your arms out and using your coat and standing on a log or rock.
• Yell at the bear in a loud firm voice.
• Use branches and rocks to deter the bear.
• Use bear spray or a weapon to protect yourself.

What to do if a bear comes into your camp.

• Remain calm and do not panic.  Bears generally avoid people and they are probably attracted to odors of food.
• Get your bear spray or gun prepared for use.

The list shows that both guns and bear spray are useful defensive tools for interactions with bears.

There are studies that attempt to measure the effectiveness of firearms for defense against bears.  There are studies the attempt to measure the effectiveness of bear spray.  I have not seen any studies that compare the two. I wrote studies, not opinion pieces comparing apples to eggs.

The separate studies are not comparable, because they use completely different data sets, in very different circumstances.  Most of the uses of bear spray are against non-aggressive bears.  Most of the uses of firearms, in the most touted firearms study, are against aggressive bears.  The "studies" most often mentioned, refuse to release their data sets.

Both tools can be effective, if used in the right situation. It is not correct to claim that bear spray has been shown to be more effective for defense against bears than firearms.

The people at Wyoming Fish and Game used common sense.  They have applied a real world evaluation of situations when considering their hunting regulations.  Hunters are free to carry bear spray for situations where it may be appropriate.  They are not required to have bear spray with them while stalking grizzly bears with a rifle in hand. That is a good thing.

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

Link to Gun Watch

SC: Armed Victim wins Gunfight at Gas Station

Deputies say the victim was at the pump when Steven Klimek came up from behind demanding cash from him at gunpoint.

Klimek even attempting to get the man to get inside the car.

"That's when the physical altercation started and the suspects weapon was discharged," said Capt. Eric Abdullah with the Aiken County Sheriffs Office.

The suspect fired first, but deputies say the final and fatal shot came from the victims gun.
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IL: Armed Clerk Shoots Would be Robber

An 18-year-old man attempting to rob a store Wednesday evening in the South Side Gresham neighborhood was shot by the clerk, according to Chicago Police.

The would-be robber was shot multiple times by the clerk at 7:56 p.m. in the 8100 block of South Racine, police said.



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Video - Newt Gingrich vision for the next eight years of Trump

"You and I along with millions of otherAmericans are just begining one of the great adventures of our lifetime. The eight years of Donald Trump are going to be one of the most extraordinary creative, inventive, exciting periods of all of American History."  Newt Gingrich

Worth watching.

President Trump's Commitment to Constitutional Government

President Trump lost no time in starting his administration.  He put up a website, greatagain.gov, that outlines his priorities, advertises for political appointees of the highest caliber, and states his positions. 

He devotes a policy section to Constitutional Rights.  In it, he goes much further than recent residents of the White House.  His choice of words is telling.  From greatagain.gov:

Donald Trump understands the solemn duty that comes from the Oath of Office – swearing to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." He embraces the fact that the reason the Founders of this nation decided to adopt a written Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land for the first time in world history was to create a democratic form of government in which ordinary people would know the powers of government and the rights of the people. That is why the Constitution's 4,400 words were written in a way that ordinary Americans would read and understand them, and use a standard to hold public officials accountable.

As President, Donald Trump will fulfill that sworn duty, vetoing legislation that exceeds Congressional authority, taking actions as Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief that are consistent with his constitutional role, and nominating Judges and Supreme Court Justices who are committed to interpreting the Constitution and laws according to their original public meaning. He will defend Americans' fundamental rights to free speech, religious liberty, keeping and bearing arms, and all other rights guaranteed to them in the Bill of Rights and other constitutional provisions. This includes the Tenth Amendment guarantee that many areas of governance are left to the people and the States, and are not the role of the federal government to fulfill. The Constitution declares that as Americans we have the right to speak freely, share and live out our beliefs, raise and protect our families, be free from undue governmental abuse, and participate in the public square.

There are important particulars in this document.  First, it is not the simple platitude that politicians often spout. Many politicians will say they "support the Constitution" or "the Bill of Rights" or the "Second Amendment", without any particulars, and most importantly, with the understanding that the Constitution is the false malleable, plastic, non-protective, "living constitution" fabricated by "progressives". 

Key phrases that jump out to those who have followed political debate for the last few decades:

"fundamental rights"

"committed to interpreting the Constitution and laws according to their original public meaning"  (no "living constitution")

"religious liberty"

"keeping and bearing arms" 

"This includes the Tenth Amendment guarantee that many areas of governance are left to the people and the States, and are not the role of the federal government to fulfill."

Who was the last president that even remembered the Tenth Amendment?  This is a remarkable policy statement for a president, just after his election.  It is a good sign.

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

Link to Gun Watch

Three Quick Things Second Amendment Supporters Should Expect from a Trump Administration

Donald Trump made a number of promises when he was campaigning to be the President of the United States.  Many of them can be  achieved fairly quickly. Some will be fought, tooth and nail by "Progressive" dominated states.  Here are three that can be done quickly and should be insisted upon.

First:  Appoint Antonin Scalia literalists to the Supreme Court.  This was the cornerstone of President Trump's support for the Second Amendment.  Trump should push for this fast and hard.  He should be held to this promise on any future court appointees.  From donaldtrump.com:

Appoint justices to the United States Supreme Court who will uphold our laws and our Constitution. The replacement for Justice Scalia will be a person of similar views and principles who will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Trump on the Second Amendment:

The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period. The Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that belongs to all law abiding Americans. The Constitution doesn’t create that right it ensures that the government can’t take it away. Our Founding Fathers knew, and our Supreme Court has upheld, that the Second Amendment’s purpose is to guarantee our right to defend ourselves and our families. This is about self defense, plain and simple.

Appointing one or more justices who will be true to the Constitution as written, is the most likely policy to be fiercely opposed by gun haters.  By acting quickly, President Trump can get his choice through with the minimum of contention and delay.

Second: National reciprocity for the "bear arms" part of the Second Amendment. This has been a major plank in Donald Trump's platform.  Here it is:

NATIONAL RIGHT TO CARRY.

The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving which is a privilege, not a right then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.

The proper vehicle for implementing this promise has already been introduced in Congress.  It is HR 923.

Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, who is entitled and not prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence or who is carrying a valid state license or permit to carry a concealed weapon, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document, to carry a concealed handgun (which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, other than a machine gun or destructive device) in any state in accordance with the restrictions of that state.

Provides that in a state that allows the issuing authority for licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms to impose restrictions on the carrying of firearms by individual license or permit holders, an individual carrying a concealed handgun under this Act shall be permitted to carry it according to the same terms authorized by an unrestricted license or permit issued by such state. 

There have been the votes in the Senate and House to pass national reciprocity for 10 years.  President Bush did not make it a priority. The Congress knew President Obama would veto it.  Pass HR 923 quickly, while Democrat Senators still fear the strength of the gun lobby.

The third thing Donald Trump can do quickly is end the gun free zones on military bases .  He can tell the Joint Chiefs of Staff to prepare an order to allow military members to carry on post and in recruit centers, to be able to protect themselves.

MILITARY BASES AND RECRUITING CENTERS.
Banning our military from carrying firearms on bases and at recruiting centers is ridiculous. We train our military how to safely and responsibly use firearms, but our current policies leave them defenseless. To make America great again, we need a strong military. To have a strong military, we need to allow them to defend themselves.

Bonus. There is a fourth thing where President Trump does not have to do anything, but he should get some credit.  He will keep the Protection of the Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA)

Elimination of the PLCAA  was a major plank of the Hillary Clinton platform. The PLCAA stopped the lawfare designed to destroy gun manufacturers in the United States.   This is the easiest policy to enact.  Nothing is required.  President Trump should get credit for doing nothing in this case.  It is an enormous improvement over a Clinton presidency.

President Trump can do much more, some things are easy, some a bit more complicated.  I will leave those for a future article.

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

Link to Gun Watch

Hillary's Campaign, November 8th, 2016

Hillary's Campaign ended in a spectacular way.

AZ: Burglar Driven off by Gunfire

Yuma Police Department (YPD) officials say the man claims he woke up to what sounded like someone trying to kick down the door to his house. The man then heard a noise coming from his bathroom, grabbed a gun and fired two shots when he saw the burglar climbing through the window.

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