President Roosevelt Liked Silenced Rifles

President Teddy Roosevelt was a big fan of silencers. The only silencers available to him were Maxim silencers. A silencer for his take-down model 94 Winchester 30-30, above, cost $9.70 in 1909.  He used the rifle frequently on his Sagamore Hill estate on Long Island, New York.  It was the classic use of a suppressed rifle. He used it to cull pests without disturbing his neighbors, the Duponts and the Tiffanys .

From rarewinchesters.com:

Whenever Winchester introduced a new model, Roosevelt was quick to put it through its paces. He acquired an 1894 similar to all his other rifles in extras and embellishments and used it on an antelope hunt. His "little .30" as he called it, was able to knock down a good sized antelope at a distance of more than 180 yds. After witnessing the fantastic shot and the irrefutable and immediate results, his guide said that the gun was just "aces" in his book. He also used a Model 94 outfitted with a Maxim silencer at his Long Island home "Sagamore Hill" so as not to disturb neighbors when varmints were in need of culling.

 The Sagamore take down 30-30 model 94 Winchester was not President Roosevelt's only silenced firearm. When he traveled to Africa for his specimen collecting Safari, he took two other silenced rifles.

 

The last case to be added to his Winchester cases to be loaded for the trip was case number 15. The contents of the case are shown below.

The ship left port in 1910. Notice that two rifles fitted with silencers were in crate number 15.  They were a "U.S. magazine rifle, M' 1908 chambered in .30 Govt.  It was fitted with illuminated sights. The other, a M'95 would be a lever gun chambered in 405 W.C.F.  The 405 Winchester is a powerful cartridge, as made clear by President Roosevelt's use of it to collect the rhinoceros pictured below. It is unknown if the rifle pictured was the M'95 that was fitted for a Maxim silencer.

From Theodore Roosevelt Hunter-Conservationist, published by Boone and Crocket, 2009, page 253, Loeb informed Winchester in 1910:

"And so on the 27th of February Loeb let Winchester know they would be receiving "from General Crozier [US. Army Ordnance] a Springfield rifle and a 405 Winchester rifle, both fitted with Maxim's silencers, and one of them with an arrangement for shooting at night, together with 200 Springfield cartridges. Please add t these 100 cartridges for the 405 Winchester and the cleaning apparatus, with oil, and have them put in a case that will enable the President to use them on the steamer..."

TR knew full well that he could hardly spend some three weeks at sea and resist the temptation to open his tin-lined cases and shoot. The two rifles with silencers would solve that problem nicely.

President Roosevelt understood and appreciated Maxim silencers. He used them for their intended purpose, to prevent annoyance of his neighbors and fellow travelers.

Silencers have the same purposes today, and today, we know how important they are to protect hearing when hunting or target shooting. When the Franklin Roosevelt administration made silencers prohibitively expensive and absurdly regulated for the common man, no one could explain why. No reason was given in the legislative history.

The regulation of silencers are likely to be reformed with the Hearing Protection Act, H.R. 367.

I suspect that if T.R. knew of the proposed legislation, he would say "Bully!", and heartily approve.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

IL: Chicago Homicide Self Defense by Woman against Man who Beat her

CHICAGO — A woman shot and killed a man after he beat her in Clearing early Sunday, police said.

At 5:18 a.m., the two were in the 6900 block of West 65th Street when the man, 33, hit the woman, 30, police said. The woman took out out a gun and shot the man, hitting him three times.
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NC: Domestic Defense, Gun Beats Bat and Gasoline

POLK COUNTY, N.C. —

A man ignored an order of protection, went to his ex-girlfriend’s house with a container of gasoline and a baseball bat and attacked a man who shot him in self-defense, deputies say.

Joshua Cuthbertson went to his girlfriend’s home Monday, despite being aware of the order of protection prohibiting contact with her, Polk County deputies said.
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OH: Concealed Carry Permit Holder Holds Car Burglar for Police

The man — a CCW holder — reported that he spotted two suspects going through his neighbor’s car on Devonshire Drive just before 2 a.m. Thursday. He then grabbed his gun and ordered them to get on the ground until officers arrived.

According to a police report, one of the suspects managed to run away when the man yelled for his girlfriend to call the police.
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Followup MO: No CHarges in Death of Adam J. Harness

The 20-year-old man who resides at the apartment warned Harness that he would shoot him if he did not leave, Parks said. That’s when Harness attempted to assault the resident.

The resident shot Harness three to four times with a small-caliber handgun, authorities said.

Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Bob Parks said the shooting was justifiable.
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Followup MI: Shooter Pleads Guilty to "Warning Shot" that Hit Police Officers

Juwan Plummer, 20, pleaded guilty on Monday before Judge Michael Hathaway to two counts of intentional discharge of a firearm in a building causing serious injury and two counts of felony firearm.

In an agreement with prosecutors, two counts of felonious assault were dismissed.

Plummer has said he had no intention of hurting police officers; that he thought they were burglars standing on the front porch of his home in the 20500 block of Lesure, near 8 Mile Rd. and Schaefer, last April. Believing his family was in danger, Plummer said he fired a warning shot to try to scare the strangers away before dialing 911.
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Ammo Prices Drop: Vista Outdoors Looks to Direct Brand to Consumer Internet Sales

Vista Outdoors is one of the major players in ammunition production in the United States and the world. It owns CCI and Federal. With the decrease in demand for ammunition and for sporting goods, its stock price has dropped. A year a go it was over $50 per share. This spring it fell below $20 for a brief period. Most of the drop is likely due to a decreased demand for ammunition. Vista has a strategy to increase ammunition sales, or at least to keep market share and increase profits. From lmtribune.com:

Independent retailers and e-commerce will play a key role in helping Vista Outdoor regain momentum as it faces sluggish markets for ammunition and the products it sells for shooting, camping and other recreation.

That approach was unveiled Thursday in a conference call for stock market analysts after Vista Outdoor reported a dramatic drop in net income for April, May and June.

Net income was $16.6 million for the three months ending July 2, compared with $29.1 million for the same time last year at the company that employs about 1,375 people in its Lewiston ammunition operations, which have been shrinking through attrition.

Vista Outdoor's per-share stock price was $21.86 after the close of the market Thursday.Data indicate "consumers are buying, but just not to the extent they normally would this time of year," said Interim Chairman and CEO Michael Callahan.

What does this mean to the consumer? Will Vista enter the direct Internet to sales market that now includes many distributors such as AmmoMen, Outdoor Limited, Lucky Gunner, Target Sports, and many others? The plan is for the brands, such as Federal and CCI to have their own websites.

With the Internet, direct to consumer sales from the factory becomes possible. Is the interest of Federal or CCI served with a bypass of traditional wholesalers, distributors, and local gun shops?  Vista Outdoors would like both old and new methods to prosper.

The Internet is changing commerce in new and radical ways.  No doubt the local gun store will continue. It offers convenience, expertise, and a hands-on direct inspection of merchandise.

In July, the new CEO of Vista Outdoors said this. From 4-traders.com:

"The market, as you know, is really evolving right now," Callahan said. "I'm not sure I'd call it an apocalypse, but certainly the retail market is in a turmoil. What we're seeing and what a lot of companies have to do is adapt now to how consumers want to shop and where they want to shop."

A box of a well known brand of ammunition is expected to be the same if you buy it at the local gun store or in a case delivered to your doorstep.

May both means thrive in the future. The owners of industrial concerns retain only a small portion of increased productivity. Historically, most of the increase has gone to workers and consumers. It is why the standard of living has soared in the last two centuries.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

CCI opens new .22 Rimfire Production Facility in Idaho

.22 Rimfire case block being filled and checked at old CCI plant in Lewiston, Idaho

Vista Outdoors opened their new rimfire production facility in Lewiston, Idaho on 10 August, 2017. The new facility covers 37,000 square feet.

Vista Oudoors owns the CCI and Federal ammunition brands. They are major suppliers of .22 rimfire ammunition for the United States. The CCI facility in Lewiston, Idaho has been running almost non-stop to attempt to meet demand in the United States for the last four years. It produces about 4 million .22 rimfire rounds a day.

To meed the increased structural demand for .22 rimfire, Vista Outdoors made the decision to increase rimfire production, years ago. The plan has been in process. The new plant automates the production to modern standards. Much of the new machinery was designed by CCI engineers. From the Lewiston Tribune:

The latest addition provides room for a variety of proprietary equipment used to make .22-caliber rimfire ammunition.

Much of the equipment was designed by company engineers, in cooperation with outside vendors. The focus, Mackleit said, is on "continuous flow" - starting out with raw material and moving through to the finished product in a sequence of steps without building any pockets of inventory along the way.

The result, he said, has been a substantial and "very satisfying" reduction in the time needed to complete an order.

This 10 minute video of how .22 ammunition is made at CCI was made a few years ago by 22Plinkster. It shows how the old process produced .22 ammunition. I recommend it to see how high quality .22 rimfire ammunition is made on an industrial scale. The priming segment particularly interesting. It was still done partly by hand, likely for safety reasons.

Link to video

Perhaps a new video will be made of the plant that opened on 10 August, 2017.

.22 rimfire ammunition has been slowly increasing in availability and dropping in price for months. Production is gradually meeting pent up demand. The new CCI plant will speed up that process. 

The lowest priced .22 ammunition consistently available is the Aguila brand. On the Internet, prices have been about 4.2 cents per round. Aguila quality control is said to have been increased significantly in recent years. Aguila nearly doubled its ammunition production over the last four years.  Aguila uses an Ely priming process. They are striving to get and keep a significant market share of North American demand.

The CCI plant can be seen as work by Vista Outdoors to keep its share of the market. It has brand recognition, an excellent reputation, and is the major player in the market. To keep that position, CCI .22 rimfire prices will need to be competitive.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

Followup AL: Woman Suspected of Home Invasion Charged with Felony Murder

A Guntersville woman has been indicted on a murder charge after authorities allege she solicited a man to assault a Baileyton homeowner who then shot and killed his attacker in April.

A Cullman County grand jury found probable cause to charge Kelly Joan Young Bryan, 41, with two counts of criminal solicitation for burglary and assault in addition to felony murder.
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AL: Armed Driver Stops Robbery Attempt

Lieutenant Brian Smith says a passenger tried to force the driver out of a vehicle while traveling through the parking lot of the LaQuinta Inn.

Both men got out of the car and the driver fired a shot into the air.

The passenger ran away but was arrested a short time later. He's charged with robbery.
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SC: Homeowner Shoots Delusional Man who Threatened him

A man is facing charges after authorities say he was shot in the leg by a homeowner he threatened.

Cody Brandon Driver, 29, of 727 Bulls Horne Road, Abbeville, was arrested Tuesday and charged with third-degree assault and battery.
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SC: Deranged Man Loads AR-15, Flees Pawnshop Under Fire

"While inspecting the rifle, the subject took out a loaded magazine for an AR-15 that he had on his person and inserted it into the (rifle)," he said. "He then began to shoot into the store and at two of the employees inside of the store."

A store employee returned fire and the suspect, later identified as Westfall, fled the store, Cochran said.

Deputies found him in a wooded area behind the pawnshop, he said. He still had the AR-15 rifle in his possession and was taken into custody without further incident.
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AZ: Overdosing Drug User Shot after Invading Home

The homeowner reported to police that a stranger entered his home and his bedroom. He said the man was "grunting and yelling incoherently," as he advanced toward him.

The victim fired from his handgun, striking Soto in the shoulder and upper arm.

Soto has been charged with criminal trespassing.

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Australian Gun Culture (part 13): Maxim Memorital, Ben Hall Wall

Driving south from Quirindi in the Gunnedah Shire in New South Wales, Australia, there is a war memorial. It started as a war memorial for the Great War of 1914 to 1918,  World War II and Vietnam were added later. The names of the dead and those who served are reverently listed.

On top is a Maxim machine gun. A few parts are missing. I could not determine if it was a captured gun or one used on the side of the British and Australians. It struck me as being remarkably complete, though there were layers of thick paint and I could not see the internals.

I seldom see machine guns in memorials in the United States, though artillery pieces and tanks are common.  There were several variants of the Maxim. It was a very successful machine gun, used for many wars, with improved versions in the Vickers and the German MG08. 

The Australians are a patriotic folk who admire their servicemen and women. 

The memorial likely contains a number of useful Maxim parts. The Australians have a very low crime rate, especially in the country. It is nice to see this memorial remain unmolested.

On the same road, next to the war memorial is a memorial to one of Australia's great bush rangers, Ben Hall. An Australian bush ranger is rather like an American Jesse James, without the Civil War. In Australia, Jesse James is considered an American bush ranger.

There is not much pistol play in Australian folk lore. Ben Hall is one of the few examples. Australians have been a pretty law abiding folk, the aborigines were completely outclassed by the European weapons organization, and agriculture. There was no great power threatening Australia with a land border. England ruled the seas, so Australia was protected until World War II.

It is hard to see what pistols Ben is using for his wealth redistribution efforts in the mural. It was too early for cartridge revolvers. Ben Halls actions happened from about 1862 to 1865. In 1865, he was shot and killed from ambush by police. Ben is not known to have killed anyone.

He is reported to have used a Colt .31 caliber pocket revolver, a Colt 1851 Navy, a Tranter 1856 .38 percussion revolver, and a double barreled percussion pistol.

The revolvers were state of the art weaponry at the time. The Colt revolvers were reported as stolen from the NSW police.

The Australian gun laws were gradually being tightened before 1996. There was also a growing and popular gun culture.

Now, after enacting some of the most repressive and strict gun laws in the developed world, slow reforms are being made. The numbers of gun owners are increasing, and some sanity is being applied to the law.

Original percussion revolvers are supposed to be considered non-guns. That is subject to much interpretation. Donald Eykamp paid a heavy price for having some original Colt percussion revolvers at his house. The revolvers were not locked up in a safe.


©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

TX: Woman Uses .357 Magnum to Deter Burglary Suspect

Police say a man broke into a home on the 400 block of Millwood around 9:35 a.m. Tuesday. Police say the suspect got into the garage of the home and then entered the kitchen. A woman inside heard a noise in the garage and grabbed her .357 handgun. A police report states the woman and the man then spotted one another, and the suspect ran out of the house. Investigators say the woman followed the suspect to see where he was going and fired one round in his direction "out of fear that he may return."
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FL: Armed VIctim Shoots Robber, Unarmed Victim is Shot

JSO said two men tried to rob two different victims near 4200 University Blvd N.

In the first situation, a male victim was shot by two black males in front of the Prime Time Food Store (4275 University Blvd N, Jacksonville, FL 32277).

A second shooting took place on Polo Court, which is the street behind the Prime Time Food Store. The suspect was shot by the victim that he was trying to rob. The other suspect fled.

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GA: Howmowner Shoots, Kills, Intruder

A homeowner shot and killed an intruder in self-defense late Monday on Kingsberry Street, according to Columbus police.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/crime/article165989092.html#storylink=cpy

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TX: Gunfight, Robber Shoots Armed Victim, Runs Off

The robber, who was armed with a handgun, approached the victim at around 12:50 a.m. Tuesday near the Glen Oaks apartments in the 5100 block of Sanger and demanded money.

“The victim pulled his gun and began shooting at the suspect,” Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said.

“The suspect then shot the victim striking him in the right leg.”
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FL: Three Stabbed Before Good Samaritan with Gun Stops Attack

SEMINOLE, FL — Two good Samaritans suffered stab wounds on Sunday when they tried to come to a woman’s aid in a Publix parking lot in Seminole. That’s when Pinellas County deputies say a third good Samaritan with a gun stepped in and put an end to the struggle without firing a shot.
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TX: Armed Homeownner Captures Teen Burglar at Gunpoint

Notice the positive comment by Sherman Police.

When he got home, Debord said he heard someone upstairs, so he grabbed his gun and went to confront the intruder.

He found the culprit, a teenage boy, hiding in the corner of a bedroom.

"Obeying every command that I had for him,” Debord said. “You know, hands up. Stay there. Don't move."

Sherman Police arrived and took the boy into juvenile custody.
(snip) (from police Sgt. Hampton)

"It's just not worth it. Don't break into people's homes." Hampton said. “They work hard for what they have. They have the right to defend themselves.”

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IL: Chicago CCW Holder Fires Back

The concealed carry holder, 39, was driving a white 2015 Dodge Charger south in the 9500 block of South Stony Island Avenue just before 1:25 a.m. when someone in a 2007 Chevy Equinox fired at him, police said.

The man returned fire, causing the Equinox to crash. The suspect ran from the scene, police said.

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WA: Intruder Shot While Breaking into Apartment

A man broke into a Puyallup apartment late Sunday and got a bullet for his trouble.

The 33-year-old man who lived in the home welcomed the intruder with a pistol and quickly fired two shots when the he burst through the door.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article165845107.html#storylink=cpy

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Followup OH: Domestic Defense, 64-Year-Old Son Shot by 85-Year-Old Father, Defending 84-Year-Old Mother

Guernsey County Sheriff's Deputy Sam Williams said Carl Jeffery King was fatally wounded by a small caliber rifle after initiating a violent altercation with his parents.

Williams said victim's mother called 911 at approximately 7:45 p.m. stating that her son had come home intoxicated and threatened to kill her.

While the 84-year-old woman was on the phone with a dispatcher, her son emerged from a bedroom with a handgun and began firing at her.

The woman's 85-year-old husband, was able to retrieve a small caliber rifle from the kitchen and returned fire. Williams said about a dozen rounds were fired between the two men before King was mortally wounded.
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Followup TX: Police Seek Suspect in Home Invasion Shooting

Police said Jalen Cole, 18, and another man broke in wearing masks and attempted to rob the home. People inside the apartment started shooting back and Cole was shot. He later died in the street. His accomplice ran away.

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AR: Gunfight, Firearm Beats BB Gun, Robber Shot, Killed

"An employee of the restaurant reported that Price entered the store," police wrote. "Price asked to see the manager, then brandished and cycled a handgun. At this point the employee, who was armed with a handgun, shot and killed Price."

The statement said "indisputable evidence" shows Price enter the store armed with a handgun and later brandishing it. It did not specify whether that evidence was surveillance footage.

The weapon Price held was later determined to be a BB gun "that functioned like a semi-automatic handgun," police wrote.
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AZ: Armed Victim Stops Robbery, Accidentaly Shots Self in Leg

A spokesperson for Mesa police tells 12 News that a man showing up for work at Cindy’s Café was confronted outside the business by an armed assailant. The victim then pulled out his own handgun in order to defend himself.

Police believe that gun went off accidently striking the man in the leg. The armed robber ran off.
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Slight, 61-Year-Old Musician with Carry Permit, Stops Big Teen Robber video

 On July 30, 2017, a 61-Year-Old, mild mannered musician, Darius Summers, walked down to the local gas station for a cup of coffee. He had recently obtained a concealed carry permit. Darius is not a large man. A local miscreant "made" Darius, and saw that Darius was armed. He decided that he would rob Darius of his gun.  The store video shows what happened.

Link to video

It did not turn out well for the large, armed, thuggish teenager. Darius lulled the suspect into a false sense of security. Then he accessed his pistol and shot the would be armed robber. It was a nicely executed bit of misdirection.  It illustrates the old saw: "Old age and treachery beat youth and skill." From clickondetroit.com:

He said a 16-year-old boy armed with a gun saw that Summers was also armed, and the teen tried to take his weapon. He stuck his gun in Summers' back, thinking he was an older, easier target.

"I said, 'All I want to do is leave,'" Summers said. "He said, 'You can't leave.' I said, 'OK. What do you want to do?'"

Summers said the teen was controlling him, but then the 61-year-old man pulled out his own gun and shot the boy in the stomach. The teen picked up the gun that he dropped and limped out of the store.

 The size, strength, and agility advantages were all on the side of the armed robbery suspect. He even knew that Darius was armed. Darius' handgun and tactics more than evened the odds, allowing him to prevail and likely prevent untold future crimes.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig has championed the right of residents to have concealed carry permits and to fight back. Homicides in Detroit have bucked the trend in cities where the police have been disparaged by the Obama Justice department, cities like Baltimore, MD, and Chicago, Ill. In Detroit, murders leveled off from 2014, and dropped 10% from the levels of 2013.  In 2013, there were 332 murders; in 2016, 302. In Detroit, Chief Craig is very popular.

In the Ferguson Effect, homicides rose after police pulled back from inner cities, murders rose as much as 90%. Cities where the administrations claim that armed citizens are part of the problem, not part of the solution.  From washingtonpost.com:

2015 closed with a 17 percent increase in homicides in the 56 largest cities, a nearly unprecedented one-year spike. Twelve cities with large black populations saw murders rise anywhere from 54 percent in the case of the District to 90 percent in Cleveland. Baltimore’s per capita murder rate was the highest in its history in 2015.

Baltimore's high murder rate stayed high in 2016.

Armed citizens may not make a large difference in the numbers of murders. The decline in the Detroit murder rate is not huge. But having a gun gives an average older man a good chance against a large, young one.


©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

MI: Teen Tries to Steal Gun, Gets Shot by 61-Year-Old Musician

He said a 16-year-old boy armed with a gun saw that Summers was also armed, and the teen tried to take his weapon. He stuck his gun in Summers' back, thinking he was an older, easier target.

"I said, 'All I want to do is leave,'" Summers said. "He said, 'You can't leave.' I said, 'OK. What do you want to do?'"

Summers said the teen was controlling him, but then the 61-year-old man pulled out his own gun and shot the boy in the stomach. The teen picked up the gun that he dropped and limped out of the store.
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FL: Rape Survivor Says Campus Carry Would have Made a Difference

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Pro-campus carry legislators have promised to bring back the issue next session. Florida is one of 20 states that ban any form of campus carry.

Some students say they would feel unsafe if guns were allowed on university campuses, but a survivor of sexual assault said her attack changed her mind on the issue.
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FL: Elderly Homeowner Shoots, Kills Home Invader

LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies are conducting a death investigation in Lakeland.

Investigators say it appears elderly homeowners on Deeson Road were woken up by an unknown intruder in their home.

The male homeowner shot the intruder, according to detectives, and the intruder died at the scene.
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SC: Man Kills 1 of 2 Pitt Bulls that Invaded Porch, Attacked Yorkie

The man told officers two pit bulls approached his home and tore through a screened-in porch that housed his Yorkie. One of the pit bulls grabbed the smaller dog and started biting it, the man said in the report, so he "attempted every avenue possible" to remove the dogs from the Yorkie.

(snip)

His wife then retrieved a 12-gauge Remington shotgun. He told officers "he had no other choice" but to shoot at the dogs. He said he shot one dog at point blank range on the porch, instantly killing it, according to the report. Police said they found spent shotgun shells on the porch.
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Australian Gun Culture (part 12): Amnesty of 2017 Halfway Through

.44 Magnum S&W and Browning Auto-5 turned in at 2017 Australian Amnesty

Image from skynews.co

Australia is undergoing a gun "amnesty", the first general one since 1996, when some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world were imposed on Australia. The federal guidelines were fast tracked by the hoplophobic Prime Minister, John Howard, with substantial aid by the anti-gun Australian media, during the emotional effect of the Port Arthur massacre.

From sbs.com.au:

Since being declared a month ago, 1700 rifles, 460 shotguns and nearly 200 handguns have been surrendered and thousands more firearms submitted for registration.

Surrendered items include four SKS assault rifles, a 9mm homemade sub-machine gun, a Colt AR-15 rifle, M1 carbine, a .44 calibre Magnum revolver, and a Leader Dynamics T2 MK5 assault rifle.

Police have also received more than 110 prohibited weapons including samurai swords, knives, knuckle-dusters and other edged weapons, Forensic Services detective chief inspector Wayne Hoffman told media on Tuesday.

This firearms amnesty differs in significant ways from the mandatory turn-in during 1996. In that turn-in, people were required to turn in the guns, and were paid for them.  In this amnesty, there is no government compensation for turned in guns. People can have the guns sent to a gun dealer to be sold, or they can register them if they already have the appropriate license. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party can be thanked for that bit of sanity.

A week ago, I talked to an employee of Tamworth Firearms, one of the biggest gun stores in Australia. I asked about the amnesty, and how it was going.  He said that under a hundred guns had been turned in at the store.  Most had been registered with someone who already had a license.  All were common rifles and shotguns. There were no high dollar items. The shop charges 20 dollars to register the guns. If the person registering them already has a license, they can leave with their newly registered gun in a few minutes.

I ran into this American Family at the Tamworth Firearms shop

On the 9th of August, I stopped at the Tamworth shop. A policeman was there delivering a shotgun to be registered.  It was a very nice high grade French 16 gauge.

One of shop personel allowed me to look. Double triggers, internal hammers, solid rib. Simply lovely. It was made by Henri Gaymu in Paris, probably about 1900. Scroll engraving covered the receiver. Many French records were destroyed in WWII. Gaymu was a well known manufacturer of quality guns. Any other information on Gaymu shotguns would be appreciated.

About 6400 guns have been turned in or registered in New South Wales so far. The article from AAP says that almost 2,360 firearms were turned in. That means that over 4 thousand unregistered guns have been registered under this amnesty.

Samurai swords are listed as prohibited weapons. There are many replicas on the market. Australia was heavily involved in the Pacific island fighting. It  is likely that one of the swords turned is a WWII bringback. Some of them are worth tens of thousands of dollars.

I hope that someone with a sense of history is looking at the items turned in.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

Falling Bullet Injuries: Pakistan v. U.S.

Image from the Shillong Times

Celebratory gunfire is dangerous. Those who engage in it may not consider where their bullets will land.

Thirteen year old Noa Inman in Hammond, Indiana, was struck by a bullet on July 1st, 2017. He died from a wound to the head. Such clearcut examples are rare enough to become national news stories. From nbcchicago.com:

Noah Inman, of the 1600 block of 171st Pl. in Hammond, was pronounced dead at 2:06 p.m. Friday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

Surprisingly few deaths from celebratory gunfire are listed in the wikipedia article.  The wikipedia article lists about a dozen "notable incidents".

A 1994 study in Los Angeles lists 38 people killed over the eight years of the study. 77% of the 118 people listed as being hit suffered from head wounds. The study may have suffered from selection bias, as it only looked at people treated in the hospital. Those wounded had a fatality rate of 32%. People deliberately shot in Chicago have a fatality rate of about 15%.

A more recent study from Pakistan looked at "stray bullet injuries". It showed a fatality rate of 7.87% for a sample of 165 patients over 5 years, from January 2006 to December 2010. Chest injuries were 18 (10.9%), Abdominal injuries were 102 (61.81%), Spine injuries were 17 (10.3) percent and head injuries were 8 (4.84%).  There were multiple injuries in 20 cases.

The differences may stem from different definitions of "stray gunfire". They may result frim demographics, or cultural definitions, or study design. In both studies, there may be strong motivations to label gunshot wounds as "accidents" that were actually part of deliberate crimes, or tribal and gang warfare.

If fired at a very steep angle, the bullets will impact at velocities of about 300 fps or less, according to estimates of terminal velocity. People who fire into the air at angles closer to horizontal pose the greatest danger. Bullets from high powered rifles can maintain velocities near 600 feet per second at close to two miles. The shooterscalculator.com lists the velocity of a 180 grain .30-06 bullet at 589 fps at 3500 yards. A 7.62x39 bullet with a weight of 124 grains is listed at traveling at 575 fps at the same distance.

Shotgun pellets fired into the air have such low terminal velocities that they bounce off of ordinary clothing.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

Followup ID: Twin Falls Shooting of William Newton Scott was Self Defense

TWIN FALLS - Twin Falls police and the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney's Office have concluded that a man acted in self-defense when he fatally shot another man at the Creekside Trailer Court in May.

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Followup OR: Conviction of Mentally Ill Man Who Attacked Hunter Overturned

He didn't knowingly and intelligently waive his Miranda rights, and incriminating statements made during the interview should not have been allowed at his March 2015 trial, the court said.

Washington County deputies arrested Norgren in October 2013, saying the 20-year-old was naked when he hit a 58-year-old hunter with a rock and tried to choke him in woods west of Portland.

Despite suffering multiple injuries, the hunter, Jeff McDonald, fought back and held his attacker at gunpoint until authorities arrived. Norgren was lying in a fetal position.
McDonald told The Oregonian/OregonLive after the trial that he asked Norgren during their struggle: "Why are you trying to kill me?" He said Norgren replied, "'Sasquatch kills the hunter.'"

Jurors convicted Norgren of assault and attempted murder, and Washington County Judge Thomas Kohl sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The case now returns to county court.
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TX: Gunfight at Food Mart, Owner Wounded, Suspect Killed

It happened at Lakewood Food Mart on Cedar Point near Grant Road at around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

Authorities say the 26-year-old male suspect entered the store and shot the owner during a holdup. The owner, who was wounded, grabbed his own gun and shot the robber.

Both the owner and robber were transported to the hospital, where the suspect died. The owner is recovering from his injury.

A family friend said the owner has two young children and a wife.
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Followup MN: LaCount Says Legal Ability to Carry Gun Saved Him

The dispute between the two men began when one accused the other of not owning up to putting a dent in his vehicle.

It ended months later with the accuser shot in the head at the Minnetonka ministorage facility where the rift began — and with police backing up the killer’s claim that his actions were self-defense.

Following the strong recommendation of investigators, the Hennepin County attorney’s office said this week that 65-year-old James LaCount, of Minnetonka, will not be prosecuted for fatally shooting Thomas Luetzow on June 23 at the Public Mini Storage in the 2800 block of Hedberg Drive.
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FL: Gun Beats Stick in Self Defense Shooting over Woman

Harrell S. Jeffries, 56, said he was asleep in his camper when William H. Markham barged in and beat him with a stick. Jeffries, whose camper is close to a wooded area off a narrow dirt road and is surrounded by other residences in rural Marion County, said he managed to grab a gun and fired shots at the 48-year-old man.

“I was protecting myself,” said Jeffries on Thursday, standing next to a pickup truck just yards from his camper. His left hand was bandaged from his elbow to his fingers and Jeffries said it is broken. His head had staples in it and he said his ribs were still sore from the blows from the stick.

Asked how many times he shot at the deceased, Jeffries said “I don’t know.”

“I tried to protect myself from dying,” he added.
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Gun Store Owner Settles with Statement after 5 years of Lawsuit by Gun Control Group

In 2012, a mentally ill man named Benjamin Bishop shot and killed his mother and her boyfriend in cold blood. He was forbidden from owning a gun or ammunition, but a friend Matthew Schwab purchased the gun for him at a local gun shop. 

The Brady lawsuit alleged that Bishop attempted to buy a gun at the shop before his friend purchased the shotgun for him.

There does not appear to be any evidence that Bishop had been turned down for a background check at the store. From tbo.com

Tanso vehemently denied Bishop ever tried to buy a gun in his store. He said there is no record his name was ever submitted for a background check from the store, and added that Bishop was 17 at the time and could not have been sold a firearm.

Bishop asked an 18-year-old neighbor to buy a gun and went with him to the store, the complaint states. The shop sold the neighbor a 12-gauge shotgun, the complaint states.

Tanso says Bishop’s friend lied on the government form, saying he was buying the gun for himself. Tanso said the teen said he wanted to use the gun at a shooting range, which Tanso said is typical for an 18-year-old. Tanso said Bishop was with his friend at the time of the purchase, but store employees had no reason to question him because they had never seen him before.

Lock N Load is a large gun store. It is quite likely that the store employee who sold the gun to Schwab had never seen Bishop before, even if he had previously been in the store. 

Local papers treated the claim that Bishop had been turned down in the store as if it were fact: From tampabay.com:

A Lock N Load employee initially refused to sell to him after learning he had a criminal record, according to investigators. So Bishop came back with a friend, Oldsmar resident Matthew Schwab, who bought the gun for him.

From tbo.com:

Bishop couldn't legally buy the gun because he had a criminal record and had even been turned away from Lock N Load when he attempted to buy one while on probation earlier that fall, according to the lawsuit. But in October, Bishop returned to Lock N Load with his neighbor, Matthew Schwab, 18, the lawsuit states. Schwab bought the shotgun with $279 in cash and then turned it over to Bishop, who told him he needed it to defend himself from gang members. Schwab never faced charges.

 TBO.com states on clear falsehood. They say that the firearm sold was a "sawed-off, 12 gauge shotgun". From TBO:

Bishop's father, Joey Bishop, and his maternal grandmother, Jean Allen, are listed as plaintiffs on the Brady Center's lawsuit, which says Tanso should be held liable for the mentally ill teen obtaining the sawed-off, 12-gauge shotgun used in the killings.

No other reporter, in numerous articles, ever alleged that the shotgun was "sawed-off". 

No federal charges were brought against the gun store owner. It seems unlikely that federal investigators would have let the store go unprosecuted in the Obama era, if there were any evidence to back up the claim in the lawsuit.  The alleged straw buyer was not prosecuted as part of his agreement to act as a state witness. The idea that a cooperative straw buyer would not implicate the store where he committed the crime, if there were any thing to implicate, seems absurd.

The Brady lawsuit against the gun store owner dragged on for five years. The settlement was reached after Donald Trump was elected president.  The terms of the settlement have not all been revealed. The store was sold to another owner, and will continue in business. No extra-statutory restrictions have been placed on the operation of the store.  The former store owner, Gerald Tanso, has agreed not to obtain another federal firearms license in the future.  In effect, he sold his business and retired at age 61.

The gun control group attorney has attempted to make the settlement into a victory. The attorney says that Tanso has agreed to make a public statement. From tbo.com:

Tanso's statement says, in part: "Our Second Amendment protects the rights of law abiding citizens and we must protect those rights. At the same time, we must exercise great caution and due diligence with great responsibility in preventing firearms from getting in the wrong hands of people who seek to harm us all. I support laws that protect our Second Amendment and the laws that protect our society from criminal elements who would abuse that right to the detriment of others. I encourage all gun dealers, including the new owner of my gun shop, to implement such measures."

The full actual statement does not appear to have been made public at this time.

Large gun stores near urban areas have large numbers of guns that are eventually traced to criminal use. The reason is statistically clear. Large gun stores sell lots of guns. Urban centers have lots of crime. Criminals figure ways to get guns through theft or having friends or family purchase them illegally.

Most gun stores are small operations in rural areas. Simply by existing, urban area gun shops end up having the highest numbers of guns that are traced to crimes.

The anti-Second Amendment groups characterize these large gun shops near urban areas as "bad apple" gun stores, even though the stores keep scrupulous records and are extremely careful to follow the law.

My take on the recent events? The gun store owner had been worn down by five years of frivolous litigation. The Brady bunch knew they had a losing suit, especially after President Trump was elected and Jeff Sessions was the AG.  They could not expect moral support for their losing cause from the White House and the Attorney General.

Both sides settled with a face saving agreement. The Brady bunch gets a generic statement about preventing guns from getting to criminals. Gerald Tanso gets to sell his store and retire.

We will likely never know the exact terms of the settlement. It is common for such settlements to include a non-disclosure agreement. It will be interesting to see the precise wording of the statement from former gun store owner Gerald Tanso.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

"Fleeing" Suspect Shoots at Clerk in Victorville Youtube Video

On August 1st, 2017, in Victorville, California, a suspect attempted to rob the Star Market on 7th St. In the image above, the armed robbery suspect is "fleeing" the scene.  A clerk pulled out his gun, and the suspect took off. The suspect was armed and brandishing a gun when the clerk accessed his defensive weapon.

Many will tell you that once an attacker starts to flee, they are not a deadly threat and cannot be legally engaged with gunfire. In cases where the attack is committed with hands and feet, or with a contact weapon, that may be true.

It does not apply to an attacker armed with a firearm or other weapon that can reach out and apply deadly force from a distance. An attacker may appear to be fleeing. They may be seeking a tactical advantage. They may turn and fire at any moment.

Armed with a weapon that is deadly at a distance, they are still a deadly threat.  In the video, the "fleeing" suspect fires a shot at the clerk in the next fraction of a second. The shot shatters the store window, and no one was hit.

Link to video

From abc7.com:

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (KABC) -- A man brandished a gun at a store clerk in Victorville and then fled in fear, firing off a shot as the clerk brought out his own weapon, officials said.

The incident happened at the Star Market on Seventh Street Tuesday night.

The robbery suspect was clearly a threat before he started to flee. The video is an illustration of the danger of a "fleeing" attacker armed with a firearm.

Do not assume, just because an attacker is moving away from you, that the threat has ended. In this case, the threat continued until the attacker was out of sight.


©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

CA: Clerk Pulls Gun on Armed Robber, who Flees and Fires

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (KABC) -- A man brandished a gun at a store clerk in Victorville and then fled in fear, firing off a shot as the clerk brought out his own weapon, officials said.

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GA: Armed Homeowner Shoots, Kills Fox that Attacked Dog

A dog was in its driveway when a fox entered the yard and attacked her, Jackson said. The owner went into his house, got a gun and shot the fox. The homeowner called animal control. They came out, took the dead fox and tested it for rabies, Jackson said.

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PA: Navy Vet Shoots Violent Guest, is Charged with Manslaughter

“Derrick Cosby is a Navy veteran that has never been in trouble with the law.  On the night in question, he was protecting his home and the people in it from a physically imposing, intoxicated individual who was violently wreaking havoc to the people there.  He believed that the shooting was justified.  Immediately after the shooting, he called 911, remained at the scene and cooperated with law enforcement.  We look forward to the day when all of the facts are revealed behind this tragic event.”

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GA: Armed Driver Shoots, Hits Suspect who Shot at Him

A man and female passenger were in the 300 block of Skipper Place NW when the suspect approached the car and opened fire, according to authorities.

The man driving the car returned fire, hitting the suspect, who was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition.

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GA: Armed Woman Shoots, Kills Armed Man who Threatened Her and Children

“At some point, Funches threatened the residents with his own hand gun,” McPhilamy said. Green’s three children were inside the home at the time. Funches, police said, had had several run-ins with Marietta police, including a 2015 incident where he pointed a gun at an officer.

While protecting her children, Green managed to grab her own gun and fatally shoot Funches, McPhilamy said, adding Green was afraid he would hurt her or kill her and her children.

“It was either him or me and I wasn’t going, my kids weren’t going to get hurt and they weren’t going to see me get hurt,” Green told Channel 2 Action News.
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Bringing Black Youth into Mainstream Gun Culture

Image from officialblackgunsmatter.com

For years, I have been writing the urban black community is a natural place to recruit Second Amendment activists. The people there are those most in need of guns for self defense.  John Lott came to the same conclusion with academic studies of who benefits most from concealed carry laws.

Second Amendment activists have long said that firearms training increases responsibility and maturity. It has worked in rural areas. It should work in urban centers. Maj Toure decided to take that concept and run with it.  Maj is one of a number of black firearms activists that teach in support of the Second Amendment. Maj founded Black Guns Matter. From blavity.com:

The BGM leader educated the YESPhilly students through various workshops, covering topics like conflict resolution, de-escalation, firearm safety, their rights as citizens and the Second Amendment.

Maj Toure founded Black Guns Matter in 2015 and tours across the country providing Second Amendment education and information to urban communities according to the BGM website.

“I don’t think there’s a black gun culture or white gun culture, I think there’s an informed gun culture and an ignorant gun culture," Toure said.

These efforts are part of a sea change in attitudes about guns among blacks and women.  John Lott has documented that more black people and women are getting concealed carry permits than ever before. A majority of Black Americans now see firearms ownership as a positive. People with carry permits now exceed 16 million people. That is about 6.5% of the total adult population.    From foxnews.com:

Women are largely fueling the increase. Among the eight states that had data from 2012-16, permits for men grew by 22% and permits for women soared by 93%. In the 14 states with 2016 data on sex, women now make up 36% of permit holders.

Over those same years, the number of blacks with permits increased 30% faster than the number of whites with permits. Blacks now make up 11% of permit holders. A few states provide a breakdown for Asian-Americans, and in those states they accounted for the largest percentage increase in permits.

Black people, especially black women, are realizing the right to bear arms is a right that has been taken from them. That realization is making draconian gun control impossible to pass.

The necessity of keeping slaves disarmed, and the racist desire to keep freed blacks disarmed, drove gun control laws and the gun control movement. Integrating responsible gun ownership and Second Amendment rights into urban black culture destroys the racist roots of gun control.

At Black Guns Matter, they embrace this mission. It is one that all Second Amendment activists can embrace. From blackgunsmatter.com:

The Black Guns Matter mission is to educate urban communities on their 2nd amendment rights and responsibilities through firearm training and education.

Those pushing for a disarmed population depend on blacks and women as core supportive groups.  They are losing that support.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

ID: Man Shoots Starving Cougar that Attacked his Dog

The man told Fish and Game investigators that he heard whining and howling sounds outside and came out to find the cougar attacking his dog. He went inside and got his gun and shot the cougar a close range, killing it. Fish and Game found no evidence of wrongdoing on the homeowner's part.


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WV: Homeowner Shoots, Kills, Intruder

Neighbors said police told them that someone inside the house shot an intruder during an apparent home invasion attempt. Wednesday. Troopers with the West Virginia State Police, which is handling the investigation, would not confirm those details.

A release from the state police’s Wheeling detachment late Wednesday identified the man killed as Steven Thomas Headley.

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More Followup SC: No Charges for Debra Sheridan in Sanders Shooting

EASLEY, SC (FOX Carolina) -

After an investigation, the Solicitor's Office and the Anderson County Sheriff's Office determined no charges will be filed against an Upstate woman in a fatal shooting.

On Jan. 21, deputies responded to shots fired on Hamlin Road and found 37-year-old Jerry Wayne Sanders Jr. deceased. Sanders was shot to death by homeowner 50-year-old Debra Sheridan.

Sheridan told investigators she heard a noise coming from her shed and fired two warning shots before Sanders came out from behind the shed. When he did, Sheridan said she fired a shot in his direction.
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AZ: Woman Shot in "Road Rage" Incident

The shooter, also a woman, still was at the scene when police arrived. She was detained by police, Waite said.

Waite said the initial investigation indicates that a road-rage incident between the women began a few miles south of the intersection.
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WA: Man intervenes in Fight, Dog Bites, Dog Shot

A man shot and killed a dog that attacked him after he tried to intervene in an argument between two women on Saturday.

The 26-year-old Gold Bar resident had not been with either the 35-year-old woman or 18-year-old woman before their dispute turned into a fistfight, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Shari Ireton.

He yelled at them to stop, and the dog jumped from one of the women's cars, according to the sheriff's office, biting him on the leg. Ireton said it is believed the altercation was related to drug use.

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Warning Shots Precipitate Attacks

Antonio Hickerson

Warning shots may galvanize an opponent into the action you are attempting to deter. They may attack you. That is what seems to have happened in situations in Indiana and South Carolina.  From wave3.com in Indiana:

“The victim was able to retrieve a handgun that he owned,” Mull said. “He was able to use that handgun to get Mr. Hickerson out of his residence.”

The situation didn't end there. The homeowner, who didn’t want to go on camera, told police he fired two warning shots after Hickerson refused to leave. That's when a struggle started as the suspect tried to grab the gun out of the homeowner's hands.

Neighbor Libby West described how another neighbor jumped in to help.

“He walked outside because he kind of saw and heard a commotion and he saw a gun waving in the air,” West said. “The two men were fighting over it.”

That neighbor grabbed his gun and ran over to assist his friend. Other neighbors jumped in as well.

Police got to the scene quickly and arrested Hickerson. The homeowner’s keys and cellphone were found in Hickerson's pocket.

In the case in Indiana, the shots attracted the attention of a neighbor, who appeared with a firearm and helped to subdue the suspect. The suspect,  Antonio Henderson, told police that he was under the influence of multiple opiates.

Update:

In South Carolina, in January, a woman fired warning shots, was attacked, then shot and killed her assailant. From foxcarolina.com:

Sheridan told investigators she heard a noise coming from her shed and fired two warning shots before Sanders came out from behind the shed. When he did, Sheridan said she fired a shot in his direction.

(snip)

Wagner said Sheridan retrieved her handgun after hearing a loud crash as she opened the door to her home. Sanders was dressed in dark clothing and had his face covered at the time of the incident, Wagner said.

"His behavior would startle anyone in a similar situation, and it is not unreasonable to think that to protect herself after feeling threatened Ms. Sheridan believed she had to fire a shot in the direction of the large male charging at her," Wagner and Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride said in a joint statement.

The problems with warning shots are several. The bullet has to go somewhere, and it may not land where you intend it. People have been killed and wounded by "warning shots". Prosecutors may ask why, if you faced a deadly threat, did you fire a warning shot? Warning shots use precious ammunition that may be needed to stop a threat.

In spite of these shortcomings, there is one overwhelming advantage of warning shots. You may stop an attack without having to shoot someone. The assumption is that some people will be deterred by warning shots that would not be deterred by the sight of a firearm pointed at them.

Florida has modified their law to make the use of warning shots less legally problematic. Prosecutors in other states have stated that warning shots show restraint.

Criminals may not act rationally. They may respond in ways that a rational, "civilized" person does not expect a person to act.

Do not depend on your version of how you expect a criminal to react.  A retired police officer told me to view an attacker as you would a large, dangerous, wild animal. Do not expect to reason with them or expect mercy from them.

Warning shots sometimes work with wild animals. Sometimes, they don't.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

Followup CO: No Charges for Felon who Shot man in Self-Defense

The felon accused of fatally shooting another man in a Longmont Walmart parking lot — an act prosecutors ruled was self-defense — also will not face charges related to the possession of a firearm by a previous offender.

While Joseph Anderson was released from custody Tuesday after prosecutors declined to press charges, Longmont police have not closed their case and continue to investigate — though they are vague as to why.


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AZ: Armed Husband Drives off Naked Man from House

The suspect told the family he was "invited" to this particular home and would pay the homeowner in diamonds.

After the homeowner, Tyler Piltz, held the suspect at gunpoint and chased him out, the unknown man allegedly found clothes in an alley and put them on before fleeing the area, officials said.

Piltz says he's still shaken up by the bizarre incident.
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AL: Manager of Jewelry Store Shoots 1 of 3 Suspects

Lt. Larry Rice tells us one of the suspects got a brick and busted out the glass in the store’s front door. Rice says the suspects attacked the manager, and the fight eventually ended up with everyone uotside in the parking lot.

One suspect allegedly went to their car and reached for a gun inside. Rice says the manager, who was armed, saw them and shot the suspect. The suspect who was shot was transported to UAB Hospital with injuries that are not life threatening. The other two suspects are in custody.
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IN: Homeowner Holds Home Invader for Police

Greenwood Police say Kyler Thompson, 46, had entered a home in the 800 block of N. Madison Ave. around 1:45 a.m. Wednesday. A woman in the home said she and her husband woke up to the sound of the breaking glass in another room. That’s when officers say the man grabbed a gun and found Thompson in a spare bedroom. Investigators say the homeowner held Thompson at gunpoint until police arrived to take him to jail.

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IN: Homeowner Fires Shots; Neighbor Helps Drive off Attacker

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN (WAVE) - Neighbors on one Jeffersonville street immediately became first responders after a man forced himself into one of their homes.

Shots were fired, but fortunately no one was hurt. Antonio Hickerson, 36, is currently behind bars and made his first court appearance Wednesday morning. 

Investigators said this was a crime of opportunity. The homeowner was checking his mail on Hampton Drive when the suspect moved in.

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NC: Homeowner Shoots Career Criminal, is Charged by Police

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A man accused of terrorizing a south Charlotte neighborhood was shot by a homeowner carrying a shotgun on Wednesday.

The homeowner, Robert Leroy Campbell, 55, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon to inflict serious injury.

The shooting happened on Stacy Boulevard off Woodlawn Avenue around 7 a.m.

Neighbors said the man who was shot was not a victim, but a menace to the community.

"That's who he is. He likes to threaten people and scare people," a neighbor said.

The neighbor spoke on condition of anonymity because he's afraid of Bimanbu Tchendo.

Neighbors said Tchendo has roamed their streets, terrifying their neighborhood for 13 years.

Neighbors didn’t want to be identified, but were calling the man who shot him their hero.
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MA: Domestic Defense, Husband Shoots Estranged Brother-in-law

The caller told police the man was her estranged brother and said he first crashed his car into the vehicles in the driveway then shattered a sliding glass door in the rear of the home in an attempt to get inside.

The woman’s husband then shot her brother in the abdomen, according to police.
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Followup CA: Gun Fight, 1 Cut, 1 Wounded, 1 Dead

Two of the men were injured; one had sustained a laceration on the right side of his face, and the other had been shot in his left arm, officials said.

Deputies determined that a 24-year-old man, described only as Latino, had entered the home with a rifle.

The intruder first encountered the man who sustained a face laceration. The two engaged in a struggle, resulting in the victim’s injury, officials said.

A second resident heard the scuffle and armed himself with his personal handgun before confronting the assailant, according to sheriff’s officials. Gunfire then broke out between the two men, and the resident was shot in the left arm.
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Followup SC: Woman who Shot, Killed, Masked Man acted in Self Defense

ANDERSON Co., S.C. (WSPA) — A woman, who authorities say fatally shot a man, did so in self-defense, according to a joint news release from Solicitor David R. Wagner and Anderson Co. Sheriff Chad McBride.

Debra Sheridan, 51, of Easley was accused of shooting and killing Jerry Sanders, 37.

Officials say Sheridan was acting in self-defense on property she owns.
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Followup NV: Driver Likely Acted in Self Defense when Shooting Robert Brown

A 22-year-old driver who shot and killed a 30-year-old man Monday night in North Las Vegas may have acted in self-defense, according to police.

The shooting victim, identified by the Clark County coroner’s office as Robert Brown Jr., was on foot and agitated when he approached a white Nissan truck at the intersection of Deer Springs and Aviary ways in the Aliante master-planned community, a North Las Vegas police news release said.

Witnesses told police Brown approached the truck and broke the driver’s side window, the report said. Witnesses also said the driver may have acted in self-defense when he fired at least one shot, hitting Brown in his upper torso.
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AZ: Customer Shoots, Kills Robbery Suspect in Drugstore

The man who was shot and killed by a customer while attempting to rob a north Phoenix drugstore was identified Wednesday as 30-year-old Stephen Holguin, officials said.

The incident occurred about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at a Walgreens in the 3400 block of West Union Hills Drive, Sgt. Jonathan Howard said.
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More Gun Prosecutions with AG Jeff Sessions: Good or Bad?

On March 8th, AG Jeff Sessions ordered all 94 federal prosecutors to prioritize violent crime, using the statutory tools at their disposal.  The first two offenses listed by the Attorney General were 18 U.S.C section 922 (firearms offenses including possession and straw purchasing) and 18 U.S.C. section 924(c) (possession of a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime or drug trafficking offense).

The United States Attorney's Offices were urged to identify and target the criminals responsible for violent crime in their districts, and to coordinate with the state and local counterparts. 

It appears to be having some results. As of the second quarter of 2017, gun prosecutions are up.  From justice.gov:

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that, following the memorandum from Attorney General Sessions to prioritize firearm prosecutions, the number of defendants charged with unlawful possession of a firearm increased nearly 23 percent in the second quarter of 2017 (2,637) from the same time period in 2016 (2,149).

This is an essential part of the strategy used in Project Exile and similar programs. The programs have had considerable success in high crime urban areas.  The second part of the strategy is build trust of the police in those areas.

The Trump campaign lauded Project Exile, and promised to expand the program.  The March order from AG Sessions is a step in that direction.

A key part of Project Exile and of AG Sessions order is to concentrate enforcement efforts on violent offenders. As Harvard academic David Kennedy has noted,  only a tiny number of people commit most murders. The people in the neighborhood know who the dangerous, violent people are. The approach that David Kennedy has promoted is the second half of Project Exile. Convince the people in the community that you are acting to remove the dangerous, violent offenders, and many in the community will cooperate with you.

 The Obama administration fraudulently implied that racist police officers were at fault in the Ferguson, Missouri and Trayvon Martin cases. They promoted measures that reduced police presence in high crime areas. When police worry about being persecuted for doing their job, they will do less. As a result, violent crime has risen. It is nationally known as the Ferguson effect.

The Obama Administration has done a great deal to de-legitimize the police in black neighborhoods. The damage done by the Ferguson effect will have to be reversed in order to bring the murder rate in those areas down.

Trust in the police and in the criminal justice system is easily lost, and difficult to build up. Targeting violent offenders in high crime neighborhoods can be effective. To do so the police have to follow the rules.  The gathering of minute statistics on racial quotas that the Obama administration pushed does not build trust in the system. Trust is built by engaging community members, explaining what the police are doing, and backing up the words with actions.

The time needed to build the trust in police and the criminal justice system is uncertain. Eight years of attacks by the Obama administration and the establishment media will take time to overcome.

Mere arrests under federal gun laws are not sufficient. The arrests have to be of violent offenders, as AG Sessions ordered.

If the arrests are simply to drive up statistics, the approach will not work. The arrests have to be targeted. It will be months before we know if the approach is having a positive effect.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

TN: Gun Beats Fork in Hotel Attack on Permit Holder

The victims told police they exited the elevator and went towards their room while Grisham also exited and walked in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later, the victim says he opened the door to the room and found Grisham attempting to stab him with an object. Believing it was a knife and fearing for his life, the victim knocked Grisham down, retrieved his Glock 19 handgun from the table and shot Grisham in the left bicep.

Grisham took off with the knife, which was later recovered and determined to be a fork. The gun owner was able to stop Grisham and held him at gunpoint until police arrived.
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TN: Homeowner shoots, kills Man who Rammed Police Cars

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) -

A man wanted by police for ramming Memphis police cruisers and speeding off was shot and killed by a homeowner over the weekend.

The homeowner said it was all in self-defense.

The homeowner said he was in his driveway trying to protect himself, his family, and his neighbors. As a last resort, he opened fire.

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CO: Keith Hammock Convicted of 2nd Degree Murder for Shooting Teen intent on Stealing Marijuana

A Denver jury has convicted a man of shooting two teenagers who he said had climbed a fence into his yard to steal marijuana plants.

The jury also determined that Keith Hammock’s marijuana grow was illegal, according to a news release from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
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Followup MN: No Charges for Man who Shot, Killed Thomas E. Luetzow in Self Defense

A 65-year-old man who fatally shot another man in the head and neck inside a Minnetonka ministorage facility was acting in self-defense and won’t be charged, a spokesman for the Hennepin County attorney’s office said Tuesday.

Thomas E. Luetzow, 58, of Minnetonka, was shot late on the morning of June 23 at the Public Mini Storage in the 2800 block of Hedberg Drive during what police described as a dispute between the two men. Luetzow was dead at the scene.
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Followup PA: Marquize Gatewood to face numerous Charges after Being Disarmed and Shot

A Lancaster man whom police say opened fire inside a home containing 20 people, and who was then shot when someone disarmed him, is facing charges.

Marquice Gatewood, 25, was charged by the Lancaster police with robbery, persons not to possess firearms, firearms not to be carried without a license, recklessly endangering another person and receiving stolen property.

He was discharged from the hospital and taken into custody today for the Tuesday incident.

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TX: 60-Year-Old Woman Shoots, Kills, 1 of 2 Home Invaders

One home invasion suspect is dead and a second is on the run near Katy.

Tuesday, August 01, 2017 08:39AM
KATY, Texas (KTRK) -- Neighbors in the Sundown neighborhood in west Harris County are on edge after deputies warned them of a home invasion suspect on the run.

Deputies said while this suspect got away, a second suspect was shot and killed when the duo tried to rob a 60-year-old grandmother inside her home.
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TX: Employee Shoots Masked Robbery Suspect Several Times

A man who tried to rob a Waco smoke shop at gunpoint Saturday night was shot several times and taken to a local hospital, according to a press release from Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton.

The man demanded money after entering Tee's Smoke Shop, 3528 N. 19th St., with a handgun and wearing a ski mask, Swanton said. A store employee drew a gun and shot the man in the mask several times, he said.
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Firearms Safety Course Opposed by Wisconsin Political Group

A leftist Wisconsin group, Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) is opposing teaching children gun safety in schools. They prefer that children not be taught about gun safety, because if they learn about guns, they may decide that guns can be fun and useful. From wrn.com:

A group dedicated to preventing gun violence has concerns, over a bill that could have Wisconsin high schools teaching kids how to safely handle guns. The legislation from Republican lawmakers requires the Departments of Public Instruction, and Natural Resources to develop the curriculum.

“Our concern is that it’s not actually firearms safety, it’s really about teaching children to enjoy shooting firearms,” said Annalise Dickman with WAVE — Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort.

The logic is similar to those who avoid teaching children to swim. The parallel is that if we teach children to swim, they might drown. If we teach children to use guns safely, they might shoot someone.

But teaching children to swim keeps many from downing. Teaching gun safety has a high correlation with decreasing accident rates.  Guns have many useful purposes. With the Wisconsin Constitutional protection of guns, they will be hard to eliminate.

WAVE has always been a political organization. WAVE is a small organization, funded by the leftist Joyce foundation. From patch.com in 2012: 

However, WAVE is very politically active. Jeri Bonavia, the executive director of WAVE, is often found in politics, pushing gun control on behalf of her and the WAVE organization. For just a few of many examples, see here, here and here. Notice the recurring theme? It's always somehow related to gun control. In addition, WAVE itself is a registered lobbying group in the state of Wisconsin.

The heart of the "anti-violence" group is not opposition to violence, but opposition to individual power. Guns are an extension of individual power, like a power drill, an electric iron, a car, or credit card. All of them extend your reach, and amplify your abilities.  They are tools that can be used for good or evil.

All people believe that some people should not be allowed to have guns. Our current legal system outlaws guns for felons, those who have been adjudicated as a threat to themselves or others,  and to minors without parental consent. 

But those who wish the public disarmed aim for much more restrictive policies. They aim to teach children that guns are bad and should be avoided.

How else can you explain a policy that aims to prevent children from learning gun safety, because they may learn to like shooting guns?

Do we choose freedom or ignorance? Thomas Jefferson said:

I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.

Second Amendment supporters have consistently claimed that teaching children to use guns safely teaches them to be responsible adults. Those who wish to disarm the public believe that ignorance of guns is a better solution.






©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

More on NC: Domestic Defense, Woman Shoots Ex

FAIRMONT — A woman defended her home from a burglar by shooting the man multiple times with a .40 caliber handgun, according to the Fairmont police chief.

The shooting victim turned out to be her ex-boyfriend.
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More on FL: Homeowner Shoots one of Four Attempting Break-in

As the four people at the door tried to enter the apartment, the resident opened the door slightly, which was secured by a chain to keep it from opening all the way. During the incident, the occupant shot one of the suspects, who was pronounced dead at a hospital.
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OK: Homeowner Returns fire from Drive by Shooting

Officers responded after midnight to the home near East 56th Street North and North Peoria Avenue. The caller told police that a white four-door car pulled up and fired multiple shots into the house.

The homeowner then returned fire at the vehicle, according to police. The suspect vehicle drove away westbound.

No one was injured in the shooting.
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