Four More Bears Shot with .22 Rimfire

Image by Troy Nemitz, with permission.

Many people underestimate the .22 Long Rifle (LR) cartridge. It is the most common cartridge in the world. It is capable of killing men and large animals. Three years ago, this correspondent documented 20 incidents where .22 rimfire was used to kill all three types of bears in North America. Black bears are the most common, followed by grizzly/brown bears, and occasionally, polar bears. Since the 2020 article, four more incidents have been found were bears were shot and killed, or so badly wounded they were euthanized as an act of mercy. Of the four bears in this update, one was a grizzly/brown bear, the other three were black bears. The events are listed in sequence.

This event was with a .22 caliber pistol. It is included in the AmmoLand series on defensive against bears with handguns. The event happened in the summer of  1962 in  Montana. The incident was recounted by Allan Schallenberger, who was Chuck Jonkel's partner the next year.

The grizzly charged and Chuck stood still waiting for his helper to shoot. He looked around and the helper was running off with the shotgun. Chuck turned to run and tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. The 500-pound male grizzly ran up to Chuck and stood up on his hind legs over him with the trap on a front paw. Chuck pulled out his .22 revolver and fired all nine shots in it. Some missed, some glanced off the grizzly’s skull and one went into an eye socket, killing the bear.

The next event concerns a Florida couple who endured the attention of a persistent black bear. The bear kept attempting to enter their home. Juanita Brown used a .22 rifle to good effect on October 1, 2006. She fired 10 shots and the 332 lb bear collapsed within six feet of the sliding glass door it had been pressing against. From emeraldcoast.com, October 26, 2006:

“Mrs. Brown then grabbed a 22-caliber rifle from the corner to the right side of the sliding glass door, the bear turned away from the door quartering to the right, she cracked the door open and started firing at the bear,” wrote Wood in his report.The woman then closed the door and ran to the bedroom to help her husband. The two later called the sheriff’s office. 

Wood noted in his report that there was a smudge on the sliding glass door 17 inches down from the top, indicating where the bear had been standing on its hind legs, and multiple smudges on the lower two feet of the door apparently made by the bear. It was determined by the officers that Juanita Brown fired 10 times at the bear and hit it six times. Three wounds were on the right side of the spine, from the front shoulder along the neck, and the other three were on the left side of the head and neck, at the jaw and ear and about five inches below the ear.

The third addition also happened in Florida, on June 24, 2020. The Shooter was trying to scare away the bear with a "warning shot". The warning shot from the .22 broke the bears spine. From clockorlando.com: June 24, 2020, Daytona Beach, Florida

Castellano grabbed his .22 caliber rifle and fired what was meant to be a warning shot but accidentally struck the bear, according to the report.

Records show the bear collapsed to the ground, unable to stand, and dragged itself into the wood line.

Officers said they went into the woods with an FWC biologist and found the bear but determined that its back was broken and it wouldn’t be able to recover, so it was euthanized.

The .22 caliber bullet was found lodged inside the bear’s lungs, according to the affidavit. A single shell casing was found on Castellano’s porch.

The last addition is a black bear which was shot in South Carolina, as it was attempting to get into a chicken coop. After being shot with a .22, the bear climbed a tree, was tranquilized, fell out of the tree and was put down. From dillonheraldonline.com:  June 16, 2023

 According to reports, the bear was trying to get into a chicken coop and the resident told officials that he felt he had no choice but to shoot the bear.

 After being shot with a .22, the bear climbed a tree. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) was called to tranquilize and remove the bear.

Due to being shot and injuries sustained from the 35 ft. fall from the tree, the bear had to be put down.

It is common for bears to be shot with bird shot to sting them as a harassment technique. If the bear is too close, birdshot can be fatal.  In northern Wisconsin, a taxidermist says all big bears he works on have a collection of birdshot and even .22 bullets in them. If the bear has enough fat to prevent a .22 from penetrating the body cavity because of the angle of the shot, if the bullet is stopped by  heavy bone, or if the bullet lodges in muscle, the wound is often survivable. If a .22 bullet penetrates the abdominal or thoracic cavities, death is common.  It may take from several seconds to several days.  Central nervous system hits to the brain or upper spine tend to cause near instantaneous death. With a .22, central nervous system hits have to be at a good angle, hitting the right spot, or they can "glance off" or miss the brain or upper spine.

A single .22 LR bullet is equivalent to a #1 buckshot, with better penetration.

 

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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OH: Domestic Defense, Man, struck with an Axe, Shoots Attacker

BELMONT COUNTY, OH — The Bellaire Police Department is investigating a domestic incident that sent three people to the hospital on Monday morning. Police were notified of shots fired in the area of 41st Street and Noble Street. When police arrived, they found a male had been struck with an axe, and had then shot the attacker in self defense.

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FL: Domestic Defense, Father Attacks his Wife, Son intervenes, Shoots Father

This morning at approximately 12:47 a.m., the Baker County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a call that a disturbance was in progress on Doyle Williams Road in Sanderson. While deputies were en route to the residence, a second call was made to BCSO with the caller stating that a person had been shot at the same residence. Deputies arrived and discovered a white male subject had been shot and began to render aid. BCSO Detectives responded to the scene to investigate the circumstances of the shooting. Detectives learned that there was a physical domestic disturbance at the residence between a husband and his wife. The wife was allegedly being physically battered by her husband. An adult son, who also lives at the residence, intervened to protect his mother. That led to the father and son having a physical altercation in the front yard. Mother and son stated that the husband/father got into a vehicle and attempted to run them over. The son, who had retrieved a firearm, fired into the moving vehicle, striking his father, and critically injuring him. The father was air lifted to UF Health in Jacksonville. The FDLE Crime Scene Unit responded to process the crime scene. Lt. Mancini has discussed the case with Assistant State Attorney Ralph Yazdiya and no arrests have been made at this time. We will continue the investigation, review the crime scene evidence, and collaborate with the state attorney to determine the course of action. This is an on-going investigation, and no names will be released at this time.

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What the Attack on Israel Portends for Magazine and "Assault Weapon" bans in the USA

The horrific and highly successful raids on unarmed Israelis near the border of Gaza show how useful and effective militias can be against lightly armed and armored raiding forces.

Local militias are an innate response to existential threats. They are well fitted to the nature of man.

When men lived in small communities, every man was expected to aid in defense of the community against outside forces, which amounted to everyone outside the tribe or nation. A militia is simply local men working together to protect against the threat of others who want to kill, rape, loot and destroy. Militias can band together to form armies, but they need more training to work effectively as a larger force. When armies are successful at destroying a tribe's or nation's enemies, people can be lulled into believing militias are not necessary or useful.

In the history of the United States, militias were primarily needed to defend against raids by Indian tribes/other nations.  A militia does not guarantee success. Militias give a community a chance to defend themselves. With no defensive force, a community is vulnerable to raids of whoever finds them to be an inviting target. There are many times when raiders can be defeated by a lightly armed force with relatively low levels of organization and training. Armed citizens can be a greater deterrent than police. The United States has an excellent core of people with military and reserve experience to draw on for leadership.

The primary advantage of a militia is it is always there. It is reasonably ready to respond quickly. A militia can slow down an attack and defend against a threat until a larger force can relieve it.  Police are not equipped or manned to deal with organized raids.  There is roughly 1 police per several hundred citizens.

There is an enormous difference between being armed, with some organization, some communication, and some training, to being unarmed with no organization, communication or training.

The gap between some and none is very large.

The Hamas raiders did not show high levels of organization or training. They were lightly armed. They did not need more, because their targets were mostly unarmed with no communications or organization. The surprise attack was exceptionally effective because it was very good at the thing raiders depend on most: surprise!

The attacks on Western Civilization, Christianity, and the United States have become more and more effective, and celebrated at the highest level of government. The threats of raids in the United States has become higher and higher. Potential raiders are becoming more emboldened as police are denigrated and demoralized. Modern communications allow for flash organization through social media.

The Israeli victims were almost entirely unarmed. This was the policy of the Israeli government, which has embraced strict gun restrictions on private citizens since 1949. The enormous death toll at the "Peace Festival" shows how a few armed men can kill large numbers of unarmed victims. The examples of the Bataclan Concert Hall massacre in France and the Pulse Nightclub massacre in Florida show how vulnerable mass gatherings of unarmed people are. The Israeli death toll shows how vulnerable unarmed communities are.

Very few communities in the United States are as unarmed as the Israeli communities were. In the United States there are at least twenty-five million AR15 type semi-automatic firearms, and hundreds of millions of standard 30 round magazines for them. AR15 type firearms are magnificent militia weapons, as noted by the Honorable Judge Benitez in his landmark opinion in Miller v. Beccara.

Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for both home and battle, the AR-15 is the kind of versatile gun that lies at the intersection of the kinds of firearms protected under District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008) and United States v Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939).

Several states are attempting to ban the private ownership of these arms because they are effective militia weapons.

The Atlantic and Pacific oceans are no longer the barriers they were to hordes of barbarians from overseas who want all Americans dead. Hamas and Iran refer to the the United States as the Great Satan. The Biden administration has given them billions of dollars.

Our Southern border has been opened to millions of unvetted young men of military age. Major cities are aiding the formation of hundreds of thousands of criminals who see the US Constitution and the rule of law as illegitimate. The raids we see against local property are not sustainable.  Those who live on easy theft are likely to expand to where there are more victims. To those on the left, the lives and property of the vast majority of Americans does not deserve protection.

Militias are needed to protect against the threats of barbarians, internal and external. The Second Amendment of the Constitution reads:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

For a hundred and thirty years, those words have been impugned and denigrated by Progressives who declared them to be obsolete.

Authoritarian governments do not like militias, which are locally based and controlled. The shrinking of the world by modern communications and transportation is making local militia and the Second Amendment as relevant as ever.

 

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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CA: Los Angeles Woman Shoots Man attempting to force his way into her Home

A woman shot a man after he allegedly tried to force his way into her Hollywood Hills home Sunday night, claiming he’d been hurt and needed help, police said.

The man, in his 30s, was reportedly trying to push open the back door of a home in the 2800 block of Hollyridge Drive at about 9:30 p.m.

The woman, in her 50s, was trying to hold the door shut as the man claimed he was in fear of his life, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Norma Eisenman.

 

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IN: Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder who Attacked Him

A Kokomo man is dead after police say he was shot after breaking into a house and attacking its owner.

Scott Elliot Jones, 51, died late Sunday night after police say he broke into a home in the 600 block of East Jackson Street and was shot by the homeowner in an apparent act of self defense, according to a press release from the Kokomo Police Department.

 

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Bears, Blades and Blunt Objects

Weingarten with Cold Steel Boar Spear, suitable for dangerous game Spear is 7 feet long

Firearms are not the only tool available to defend against bears. Blades and blunt objects have been effective in a number of recorded cases. Unlike bear spray or firearms, when someone defends against a bear with a blade or a blunt object, it tends to make the news. Traditionally, bears were hunted with spears and dogs. Humans with spears, partnered with dogs, are very difficult for a bear to successfully overcome. Some human and dog casualties result, with dog casualties much more common than human. Spears give humans a necessary stand-off distance to keep them away from a bear's teeth and claws.  Dangerous prey spears usually have a cross piece to keep the prey from reaching the human at the other end.

Two or more humans with spears are nearly as effective as a human and dog pack team.

There have been several cases of humans using hatchets/axes to successfully defend against bears.

Bosnian Shepard uses Axe to kill Attacking Brown Bear in 2013

Romanian Man uses Axe to Kill Bear attacking Wife  in 2018

Canadian woodsman kills black bear with a hatchet in 2019

Several people have successfully defended against attacking bears by using knives. Even relatively small knives are better than bare hands.

In Bear Attacks, the Deadly Truth, page 129, Bob Nickols killed a grizzly bear with a knife, as it badly mauled him. He survived. The bear died.

Larger knives are better.  Tom Tilley gained fame for killing an aggressive black bear with a six inch Buck knife.  It seems likely sharp swords could work well.

Here is a humorous, but likely true account, where a black bear was driven off with a thrown knife. This technique is not recommended.  Here is part of the tale of Florida resident Gary Carroll, a bear and a steak knife.

I take the steak knife by the tip and threw it just like I would expect someone to throw it if they knew how to throw a knife and the knife was a “throwable” knife – neither of which are true.

Miraculously enough, it hit the bear in the face, almost directly on his nose, point first. It stuck him quite deeply on the muzzle. I mean “POING!!!” deep.

This is doubly miraculous since I was aiming rather vaguely at the other end of the bear. Throwing really hard is evidently for one’s aim.

He blatted like I imagine a sheep would sound, jumped in the air, swatted  the knife out, and fled at top speed. He cleared a four-foot chain link fence without slowing down and without touching it at all.

So, I introduce the story to the grandkids as “Did I ever tell you about the time I fought off a 450 pound bear that wanted my BBQ by stabbing it in the FACE with a steak knife?”

Blunt objects have been used effectively.  Bears are routinely driven off with fusillades of rocks. The defenses referred to here are when the bears refused to be driven off. Blunt object defenses at contact range take strength and skill and luck. These recorded lethal blunt object defenses were against black bears.

Bear killed with log:

"I threw about five rocks at the bear to keep him away," Kyle Everhart said.

Realizing his sons could be killed, Everhart grabbed a log and threw it at the bear's head, striking and killing him.

Bear killed with rock:

Logger Jesse Mengler was assessing a rural wooded area near Castlegar in August when he had to put his experience as a baseball pitcher to unexpected use.

He said he had clapped his hands over his head and yelled, but the bear did not stop its charge at him.

"It had one intention and that intention was me," MLaengler told CBC News on Wednesday.

He said his truck was too far away for him to reach and the bear was too fast to outrun.

Mengler said he looked down and saw a rock the size of his hand.

"By this time, it was [10 metres] away. I reached down quick, I grab this rock. ... By this time, he's [three metres] away. [I] reached back and just threw the rock and struck it right between the eyes.

"It was like I shot it. Knocked it right out."

Contact weapons can be used effectively against bears. This correspondent's choice would be a spear. More distance is better. People using spears against bears often survive without injury.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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WI: Domestic Defense, Man Shoots Brother-in-law who was choking him

Later, Hanson spoke with investigators. He denied having the gun out prior to his statement about being choked. But another person who was in the kitchen during the incident "stated that Hanson had the gun out to his side when he was yelling" at (the victim) to leave. There was a scuffle and at one point "Hanson stated that he was in a seated position with (the shooting victim) on top of his shoulders/neck area pushing/holding him down, and that he told (the victim) he could not breathe, that he pulled out the gun and pushed it into (the victim) saying he would shoot him i he did not get off," the complaint says. Hanson stated (the victim) did not get off and he shot twice.

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CA: Car burglary Suspect Shot

The caller, identified as 36-year-old Alexander Marquez of Rancho Cucamonga, made the initial call to authorities saying that a man was breaking into a vehicle. 

Marquez then allegedly shot the suspect, identified as Dennis Smith, 24, of Hemet, before deputies arrived on scene.

“Deputies found Smith suffering from a gunshot wound to his lower body and immediately rendered medical attention,” a release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.

Smith remains hospitalized and his condition is unclear.

 

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Multi-State Coalition of Leftist Attorney Generals Argue for the Power of States to Ban Common Arms

 

A coalition of leftist Attorney Generals for sixteen states and the District of Columbia has filed an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit appeal by the State of Hawaii, claiming state power to ban common arms is essential.  On August 7, 2023, a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit reached the unsurprising conclusion that knives, particularly the type of pocket knife called a "butterfly knife" or "balisong" were bearable arms. Therefore, they were protected by the Second Amendment of the Constitution, and the State of Hawaii did not have the legal authority to ban them.

On September 20, 2023, the State of Hawaii filed an appeal to Teter v Lopez, claiming the three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit mistakenly applied the law, asking for a new panel or for a hearing en banc. Historically the Ninth Circuit has been hostile to the Second Amendment and has reversed the decision of three judge panels which uphold Second Amendment rights.

On September 22, the plaintiffs, Teter and  Grell were ordered to file a response to the appeal within 21 days.

On October 2, 2023, the coalition of 14 state Attorney Generals and the District of Columbia filed an amicus brief in support of the appeal. The arguments of the State of Hawaii, the 14 leftist attorney generals, and the District of Columbia are remarkably similar. In sum, they are this:

1. The Heller and Bruen decisions did not clarify that all bearable arms are preemptively covered by the Second Amendment (they carefully do not mention the unanimous Caetano decision, which says the opposite of this).

2. The Heller and Bruen decisions only protect arms which are shown to be in common use for self defense.

3.  Common possession of arms is not the same as common use. The Second Amendment does not protect arms which are commonly possessed, only those arms which are commonly actually used for self defense. The state can claim an arm is unusual and dangerous. It is the burden of the person challenging the law to prove an arm is commonly used for self defense.

The three arguments turn the Heller, Caetano, and Bruen decisions on their head. The three decisions make clear all bearable arms fall under the Second Amendment. Caetano, which was a unanimous decision, clarifies this the best. From Caetano:

The Court has held that “the Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms, even those that were not in existence at the time of the founding,” District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U. S. 570, 582 (2008), and that this “Second Amendment right is fully applicable to the States,” McDonald v.Chicago, 561 U. S. 742, 750 (2010). In this case, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld a Massachusetts law prohibiting the possession of stun guns after examining “whether a stun gun is the type of weapon contemplated by Congress in 1789 as being protected by the Second Amendment.” 470 Mass. 774, 777, 26 N. E. 3d 688, 691 (2015).

The proper test is to determine if the instrument is a bearable arm. Knives are bearable arms. Therefore they are, "prima facie" (accepted as correct until proven otherwise), protected by the Second Amendment. Once this is established, it is the burden of the state to prove these particular bearable arms are not in common use for lawful purposes. Lawful purposes are not limited merely to self defense, but include all lawful purposes.

The 14 leftist attorney generals and the District of Columbia use the scare tactic of saying a backpack nuclear bomb is a bearable arm, and thus would be presumptively protected by the Second Amendment. It is a correct but misleading statement. Backpack nukes are far from "in common use". They are uncommonly dangerous, as they could wipe out an entire city.  Under Heller, Caetano, and Bruen, they can, and are heavily regulated, so as to make them exceedingly difficult to obtain.

What the State of Hawaii, the 14 leftist attorney generals, and the District of Columbia are attempting to do is salami slice the Second Amendment into a nullity. If they can claim a knife which opens a somewhat different way is "uncommon" and "dangerous" and can force the burden of proof of what is in common use onto the plaintiff, they have erected a serious obstacle to restoring Second Amendment rights. When they claim only actual, documented cases of self defense count as lawful purposes, they create a very difficult bar to overcome. Uses for self defense include deterrent effects. If a person owns an arm for the purpose of self defense, they are using it for self defense. A person does not have to cut or stab someone with a knife in order to use it for self defense.

Analysis:

If the government can claim a particular type of pocket knife is "unusual" and can therefore be banned, without having to prove it is *not* in common use, they can cut the Second Amendment in slices by banning one item, then banning another, eventually banning so many none are left. Perhaps unloaded single-shot shotguns will be allowed, if securely stored in the home. They could only be loaded when under serious threat. Before the Supreme Court decision in Bruen, supporters of unlimited state power were willing to admit items such as semi-automatic rifles and magazines were in common use.

Bruen has clarified the Heller decision so as to prevent states from nullifying the Second Amendment by claiming "safety" or "an important state purpose" in a means/ends test where the state always wins. Opponents of limited government are left with attempting to redefine the words of the Heller, Caetano, and Bruen decisions.

The arguments by the leftist attorney generals are an inventive, if unsupported, way to nullify the Second Amendment.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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OK: Domestic Defense? Dees is stabbed, Shoots, Kills, Dee Cook

He said Dee Cook from Carnegie allegedly stabbed Douglas Dees in the leg. Dees, who lived at the address, had a gun and shot Cook who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dees was transported to the hospital for his leg injury. The sheriff says no arrests have been made at this time the district attorney is expected to make a decision Monday on a charge of homicide or self-defense.

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Cautionary Tale from an Alabama Forest: When in a Gunfight, Don't Hesitate

Adam Simjee and Mikayla Paulus on the day Adam was killed. Image contributed

On August 14, 2022, Adam Simjee and his longtime girlfriend, Mikayla Paulus were on a road trip through wild Alabama country before returning to college. They decided to help a woman who appeared to have had a vehicle breakdown. The woman, Yasmine Hider,was planning to rob them or worse. Adam was a dedicated Second Amendment supporter. He had tucked a concealed pistol in his waistband because he was suspicious of the circumstance. After Adam and Mikayla had been working on the broke-down vehicle for an hour, without success, Hider pulled out a handgun and ordered them to drop their cellphones, empty their pockets, give their bank and cell phone passwords. Then she marched them into the forest. Adam waited for an opportunity to draw his firearm.  In situations such as this, the assailant is often momentarily distracted. From abc3340.com:

"Adam had his gun on him the whole time because he said, 'This is how people get robbed,'" she said, "So I was just waiting on him to use it."

Paulus described what happened next, "Adam pulled out his gun and told her to get on the ground and that's when she started messing around with her gun. It jammed once but they both shot at each other and she was shot a few times and he was shot only once."

 Law and Crime supply a few more details. From Law and Crime:

At one point, HIDER looked away and lowered her guard, Victim #1 pulled his pistol from his waistband and ordered HIDER to drop her weapon. HIDER said, “Are you serious?” She cocked her gun and started firing, and Victim # 1 returned fire simultaneously while falling to the ground. While on the ground, Victim #1 said, “You shot me,” and fired one last time at HIDER. After the shooting stopped, HIDER said, “Why did you shoot? It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

In situations where someone has the drop on you, and is momentarily distracted, there is a limited time for your action to beat their reaction, in the neighborhood of 3/4 of a second. In this case there seems to have been a little more time, as Hider is said to have answered Adam Simjee, and taken some action with her firearm before both started to fire. When someone is threatening your life, it is not a good idea to have a conversation with them. This has been acknowledged in popular movies. In The Good the Bad and the Ugly  Tuco says "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk."

 Clip from the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:

John Wayne, in The Shootist, says his advantage is he does not hesitate when it is time to shoot, essentially saying: most men hesitate. I don't. Clip from The Shootist: Most men aren't willing.

Adam Simjee showed good tactical awareness by waiting for the right moment. Then he hesitated. Shots were exchanged. He was killed. Most people do not want to take a life. At short range, it is not uncommon for both participants in a gunfight to be hit, or for both participants to be missed. Hesitation can be deadly. Simjee expected compliance. Instead, he received a deadly bullet.

Life is complex. Uncertainty is common.  In the tragic case of the good Samaritan college students in the Alabama forest, hesitation was a deadly mistake.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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AZ: Two Armed Robbery Suspects Killed by Armed Victims

On Thursday, Oct. 12, at 11:20 p.m., authorities received several calls reporting a shooting at 3055 North Tyndall Avenue.

Officers responded to the apartment complex and located 26-year-old Daniel Alfredo Cortez-Arguelles and 41-year-old Vicente Apodaca.

Both men died at the scene. 

Officers located and contacted the two men who had called 911.

Detectives learned the two men were in the parking lot near their cars when Cortez-Arguelles and Apodaca approached to two men with their faces concealed and attempted to rob them at gunpoint.

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Why do Handguns Appear more Effective in Stopping Bear Attacks than Rifles and Shotguns?

Man with slung rifle v Jimmy Cox with pistol and dead bear

 

A surprising result of the research done to determine if handguns are effective when used in defense against bears is they appear to be more effective than rifles or shotguns. This is a surprise. Rifles and shotguns tend to be more powerful. They are easier to use accurately at a distance.  When expecting a bear encounter, the preferred firearm is almost always a high powered rifle or a shotgun.

Terms become very important in this discussion. Rifles and shotguns are better tools for hunting bears than most defensive handguns.

Hunting is not the same as defending.

Much of the advantage of accuracy at range of rifles and shotguns is eliminated because most defenses against bears occur at very close range. Defensive handguns have been designed with close range defense in mind. They are specifically designed for quick access, and repeated fast shots at close range.

In the study done by Herrero and Smith, Efficacy of Firearms  for Bear Deterrence in Alaska, in 2012, Herrero and Smith found handguns to be marginally more effective than long guns, with long guns at 76% effective and handguns at 84% effective. Herrero and Smith note, because of the small sample, this is not a statistically valid difference. The study includes many instances where a firearm was not fired, for various reasons.

One of the main reasons handguns appear to be more effective is because they are fired more often in defense against bears. Handguns are meant to be carried on the person, usually in a holster. Holsters are ergonomically designed and extensively tested to allow quick access during stress. The same holsters are designed to prevent the firearm from being lost during strenuous activity.

Rifles and shotguns are generally carried in the hands or on a sling. Most hunting slings are not designed for quick access. Many sportsmen carry their rifles and shotguns with an empty chamber. Many agencies require long guns to be carried with an empty chamber. Carrying a long gun on a sling tends to slow the response time by a second and a half to three seconds, if well practiced. Carrying with an empty chamber slows the response time by another three to five seconds, if well practiced. It is not difficult for most people to learn to draw and fire two aimed shots from a holster with a handgun, in under two seconds. If not well practiced, when a firearm is carried with an empty chamber, many try to fire the first shot, only to realize they have an empty chamber. This slows the response many more seconds. This information comes from a retired law enforcement firearms instructor with decades of experience, who did considerable testing. This does not apply to tactical slings, where the delay can be relatively small. Few people carry long guns in tactical slings.

Because rifles and shotguns are more cumbersome than handguns, they are often left some small distance from the person. Rifles are often leaned against a tree, a wall or a tent pole while chores are being done. They may be laid down on the ground, a rock, or on a tent floor. A significant number of times, a person with a handgun will have the handgun on their person while a rifle will be a few feet away. Because a long gun is more commonly left unsupervised, there is more incentive to leave the long gun with an empty chamber.

Once enough power is achieved for bullets to penetrate vitals and break bones, diminishing returns are encountered. The extra power and energy available from a rifle or shotgun may not make much difference. Even relatively low energy bullets hurt a great deal. The entire theory of bear spray is based on the notion of inflicting pain on the bear. If the bear experiences enough pain, it is likely to stop the attack.  Handguns have a larger capacity than most rifles or shotguns, so more shots can, to an extent, make up for lower power individual shots. Several shots from "low power" handguns deliver as much power as a single buckshot load from a shotgun.

Because bear defense usually occurs at very close range, handguns have an advantage. They are easier to hold onto in a deadly fight against a bear where contact occurs. Because of their length, long guns can be more easily knocked away from a person. In confrontations with humans, it is easier to disarm someone who has a long gun than someone who has a handgun, because the length of a long gun gives more leverage.  It is easier to hold onto a handgun with one hand than it is to hold onto a long gun with one hand.

Selection bias of what is considered an attack makes handguns appear to be more effective. 

Handguns, by their nature, tend to be used at very close range. If a long gun is used to deal with a bear at longer range, the bear is likely to be killed without any human injury. Those situations will seldom be classified or reported as a bear attack, or even as an aggressive bear. Bear problems solved at long range with a long gun are seldom recorded as successful defenses. Bear problems solved at short range, where handguns have advantages, are likely to be classified as a aggressive bear defense or a bear attack. In the Herrero and Smith literature, a bear attack is defined as when a bear makes physical contact with a human. Under this definition, all successful defenses against bears, where the bear is killed or driven off before physical contact occurs, are not considered bear attacks.

The two factors, better availability and accessibility to handguns during bear encounters and the selection bias in favor of defenses against bears with handguns are the reasons handguns appear to be more effective than long guns for defense against bears.

If people carried handy, high capacity long guns in tactical slings, with a loaded chamber, ready to deploy in a fraction of a second, as defense against bears, the results might be more effective than the 98% we see with handguns.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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LA: Domestic Defense, Ex-Boyfriend Breaks in, is Shot

SHREVEPORT, La. - A man is recovering Wednesday morning after police say he was shot when he broke into into a Highland neighborhood home.

It happened shortly after 1 a.m. in the 200 block of Boulevard Street between Centenary and Gilbert.

Police on the scene told KTBS 3 News that it appears it was a domestic home invasion.

They say an ex-boyfriend who was armed with a knife and a bat briefly got inside. Police say that's when a man in the home shot the intruder in the leg.

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Cheap Gun Opportunity in Dallas on October 21, 2023 $100 per Gun

 

Image from Youtube video from WFAA

The City of Dallas will be holding what they call a "gun buyback" in October. "Buyback" is an Orwellian propaganda term which insinuates all guns belong to the government. An organization cannot "buy back" what it never owned. A more accurate term for these events is a gun turn-in, where people are given an incentive to turn guns in to the police.

Dallas is organizing a gun turn-in to be held on October 21, 2023, at the parking lot of the Samuel Grand Recreation Center. From Dallas Metronews.com: 

Dallas Gun Buyback program set to take place on October 21, 2023 

On Saturday, October 21st, the parking lot of the Samuel Grand Recreation Center, near the Cove—the complex’s aquatic hub—will become a center of civic responsibility from nine a.m. to noon.

The amount of money set aside to reward people for turning in guns is relatively meager: $20,000. Thus, people will be compensated for a maximum of 200 firearms. To qualify, the firearms are supposed to be in working order. KERAnews.org notes there is no limit on the number of firearms which may be turned in, but people will recieve gift cards only as long as they last. The event will be first come, first served. From keranews.org:

The gun buyback event will be held at 9 a.m. on Oct. 21 at Samuel Brand Park. There is no maximum number of firearms a resident can bring, but the event is first come, first serve.

Almost any working gun is worth more than $100 in today's market. With a couple of weeks to prepare, this correspondent would not be surprised to see some homemade slam fire shotguns turned in at the Dallas event. Because Dallas has wisely not organized such a turn in for a number of years, it is likely there are a number of people who have inherited guns, which they are not interested in, and who will see the event as an easy way to dispose of them while obtaining something of value. Sometimes these inherited guns are quite valuable. This correspondent has seen Smith & Wesson revolvers, a Colt Python, AR15 rifles, Winchester Model 97 pump shotguns, and many other valuable items show up at these events. 

The current strategy to keep private purchasers from rescuing the more valuable and collector firearms from being turned into scrap metal is to hold the turn in event in a controlled parking lot. Organizers require the guns to be delivered in a vehicle trunk or area where they cannot be easily accessed by people inside the vehicle. This makes it difficult for private purchasers and potential sellers to make a deal. When a similar event was held in Phoenix, in 2013, it became a "rolling gun show", with private purchaser buying hundreds of guns. Some enterprising private parties stake out locations to allow people bringing guns to the turn in to park and consider alternatives before they enter the parking lot.

The private purchase of firearms has always been a part of the right to keep and bear arms in the United States. Texas has not attempted to infringe on the right of private parties to purchase firearms without government interference. 

In previous gun turn-ins, when there has not been such an event in several years, the event often runs out of 200 reward cards in an hour or less. Because the event is scheduled for three hours on a Saturday morning, people keep showing up with guns they wish to dispose of. Some excellent deals can be made at this point. People don't want to take their firearms home. They don't want to give them up for nothing. 

Ammunition is often turned in at these events, without any compensation. This correspondent picked up 500 rounds of good 12 gauge dove loads at $2 per box of 25 at one such event. 

Those who wish to purchase firearms at such an event should research local laws. It is best to operate with others so video can be made of the event. Sometimes police attempt to intimidate people to keep them from purchasing firearms.

The major thrust of these events is as propaganda, to promote the idea "Guns are bad". Private purchasers send the message: Guns are valuable. We pay cash!. 

Many studies have show these events do not decrease crime or suicides, and may increase crime for a short period.

 

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

OH: Resident Shoots Person who Charged with Knife

CINCINNATI — One person is in the hospital after a Westwood resident shot a knife-wielding home intruder late Tuesday night, according to Cincinnati police.

It happened around 11 p.m. at an apartment complex on Harrison Avenue.

Police said the a person charged at a resident with a knife, but the resident pulled out a gun and shot that person.

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September 2023 NICS Numbers and Gun Sales Continue Trend of Fifth Highest Month

Lines are from 2022, bars are from 2023

Gun sales and National Instant background Check System (NICS) numbers for September of 2023 continue the trend of being the fifth highest for the month. The first full year of NICS records is for 1999.  The history of NICS now covers the last 25 years. NICS checks were recorded at 2,104,825 for September of 2023.. Gun sales for September are estimated at 1.09 million. NICS does not track gun sales directly. Multiple gun sales can be done with one background check. 25 states have permit systems which can be used instead of a separate background check. Background checks are done for multiple purposes besides gun sales. The number of background checks done for each gun sale has varied considerably from year to year.

According to estimates by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), September of 2023 is the 50th continuous month on record in which gun sales in NICS exceeded 1 million guns. August and September have been reasonably close in NICS numbers for most of NICS history. August has had slightly more NICS checks than September for the last six years. Only two Octobers in the last 25 years have had NICS checks lower than the previous September.

This correspondent expects October of 2023 numbers to be significantly higher than those for September because of the recent events in Israel. Israel has strict restrictions on the private ownership of firearms. There are only about 150,000 private guns in the country, or about 1.6 for each 100 Israelis. The restrictions are part of the legacy of Israel being founded as a socialist country.  500 dead Israelis is a large number for a small country, with a population of less than ten million people.  Many Americans will look at this attack, the number of unarmed Israelis, and come to the conclusion they need weapons of their own, as governments cannot reliably protect their citizens.

The world is in some sort of significant transition period. Historically, it looks a little like the world prior to World War I, or prior to World War II. There is considerable unrest against the existing world order. Inside the United States, the current administration seems intent on destroying the Bill of Rights and the balance of power so as to insure a one party rule by the left for the foreseeable future.  Leftists rule many states and cities, and act surprised when their policies produce chaos and uncertainty. Ordinary citizens are appalled at the lack of order. This is part of what has driven gun sales to the new normal of over a million every month.

Ammunition prices appear stable at the moment. It is a good time to stock up if you have the means. Ammunition is a hard asset which maintains value. Inflation is going to hit ammunition prices if it has not done so yet. Quality ammunition, if stored in a cool, dry place, has a shelf life measured in decades.

Guns and ammunition are commodities for uncertainty and difficulty. When people no longer trust the authorities, they desire the ability to protect themselves. The United States has a long tradition of spontaneously organizing local militias to maintain order during periods of local emergency and disorder. The United States has more firearms and ammunition per person than any other country on the planet.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

AL: Gunfight, Armed Victim Shoots, Wounds two Armed Robbery Suspects

About 7 p.m. Sunday, the ECSO, Poarch Tribal Police and Atmore Police responded to a shots fired disturbance in the 7400 block of Jack Spring Road near the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation. They arrived to find two males suffering from gunshot wounds after they attempted to rob two other men, Jackson said.

“One of the victims was armed and after being threatened with a weapon, discharged his weapon at both suspects,” the sheriff said.

Both suspects were airlifted to a trauma center. An update on their conditions was not available.

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Gun Ban with Restraining Order has no effect on Domestic Murder

John Lott and Carlisle E. Moody have authored a paper examining the effect of the Lautenberg Amendment prohibition on the possession of firearms by people subject to a domestic violence restraining order. The relevant statute is 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8). From the abstract:

We find that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) has no statistically significant beneficial impact on domestic murder, domestic femicide, domestic gun murder, or domestic gun femicide.

The findings in the paper are robust. The paper is well done and statistically sophisticated, as is expected from authors Lott and Moody. The paper shows there are no policy advantages gained from the federal ban on the possession of firearms by people who are under a domestic violence restraining order. The ban fails to accomplish its stated goal of reducing intimate partner homicides. It fails to reduce even domestic femicides committed with guns. The findings of the research have been submitted to the Supreme Court as part of an Amicus brief  for the United States v Rahimi case by the Crime Prevention Research Center.

The findings are what this correspondent has long suspected. John Lott, Carlisle Moody and the Crime Prevention Research Center have done the nation a significant service with this sophisticated analysis of 38 years of dense homicide data from the FBI Supplemental Homicide Reports (SHR). The data is available from 1976 - 2020. Bolstering and confirming the basic evidence from the SHR are detailed data on state level domestic violence law and restraining orders.

A look at the data on intimate partner homicide shows a clear and convincing pattern in the SHR data. From 1976 to 1996, the intimate partner homicide rate drops dramatically, as shown in this graph from a Bureau of Justice Statistics Factbook published in March of 1998.

 

The chart shows raw numbers.  According to the source, female victims decreased by 1% per year, and male victims decreased by 5% per year.  Because of population increase, the rate of intimate partner homicides declined even more. From 1976 to 1996, the population increased by 24%.  If the raw numbers of homicides had remained the same, the rate would have fallen by 24%. A cdc.gov paper shows intimate partner homicide rates which cover most of the period:

The Lautenberg Amendment, which created the ban on possession of firearms by people who are under a domestic violence restraining order, became effective on September 30, 1996. A curious thing happened. The number of intimate partner homicides, which had been falling for two decades, leveled off at about 1300 victims (with a known relationship) per year.  The total number depends on how the unknown relationship number is treated, which shows a tendency to increase from about 38% in 1997 to 48% in 2019. Those numbers are from this correspondent's notes while examining SHR data. The notes are not a rigorous study. This is an unexpected result, as the rate of total homicides dropped from 7.4 in 1996 to 4.5 in 2014.

It is difficult to know if the ban on possession of firearms by those under a restraining order increased intimate partner homicides, decreased intimate partner homicides, or had no effect on intimate partner homicides, without a sophisticated statistical examination of the data. The sophisticated examination of the data, including analysis of numerous other variables affecting homicide rates, is supplied by the research done by Lott and Moody.

The Lott and Moody paper shows no statistically significant effect on intimate partner homicides. There has been a significant effect on the lives and fortunes of tens of thousands of people who have been the victimized by the law.  About 50,000 people are listed as prohibited possessors because of domestic violence restraining orders in the NICS active records index at any one time. Because domestic violence restraining orders are supposed to be temporary, it is reasonable to believe over 40,000 people are victimized by the law each year. The detrimental effects are not small. Many people who depend on access to firearms for their career have had their careers destroyed. Restraining orders are commonly used as a weapon in divorce proceedings to unjustly gain advantage in custody battles or property awards. Severe economic and emotional hardships are common. How many people who have been victimized by the law become victims of crime because they have been disarmed, is unknown.

The damage to the fabric of the nation is significant. Enforcing a controversial law which large percentages of the population see as unconstitutional on its face, for decades, does great harm to respect for the rule of law.

Banning the ownership of firearms for a mere domestic violence restraining order has been, both practically and constitutionally, a monumental failure.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

MS: Homeowner Fires Shots, Drives off Invaders

According to Martin, two suspects entered the home, and the homeowner fired shots at them.

No injuries have been reported, and no arrests have been made as of Monday, October 9.

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Banff National Park Canada: Two More Fatalities with Bear Spray Use

 Image of grizzly bear  by Troy Nemitz, used with permission. 

 

Early reports are two dedicated hikers and campers, Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, his wife, and their dog, have been killed by a grizzly bear in a remote part of Banff National Park in Canada. At least one empty can of bear spray was found at the scene. From Calgary Herald.com:

From what he was told by Parks Canada officials, it appears the attack began when the couple were in their tent, where they would have typically been poring over e-readers with Tris by their side, Colin said.

“Their tent was crushed and their e-readers were open, they were both discovered in their stocking feet,” he said.

It also appeared one of both of them might have left their tent and fought the bear to the end, he added.

“One can of bear spray had been fully discharged but this bear was not to be deterred,” Colin said.

“It’s possible one was on the outside trying to fend off the bear while the other was in the tent sending the message.”

He was also told the response team encountered the same grizzly believed to be responsible for the deadly attack, and were forced to shoot it.

“In their words, the bear was intent on killing them.”

Another source,  outsideonline.com  reports two empty cans of bear spray were at the scene:

Colin Inglis told the CBC that the couple had messaged him throughout the trip via a Garmin inReach. On the evening of the attack, he received a message saying the two were setting up camp. But later that evening, Colin Inglis received an SOS message from the two. “The message said ‘Bear attack bad,’” he told the CBC.

Colin Inglis said rescuers found two empty canisters of bear spray in the couple’s campsite.

Both sources cite Colin Inglis, identified as Doug Inglis' nephew, for the information.  The scenario, where two people have two cans of bear spray, and a dog with them, makes the potential to use the spray during an attack highly plausible. The couple's tragic deaths increase the number of cases where bear spray was used during a bear attack, and people were killed, to eight incidents where nine people were killed. Seven previous incidents were detailed in an AmmoLand article. Canadian National Parks bans people from carrying firearms inside its borders. The couple did not have the legal option to carry a firearm for protection. United States National Parks had a similar policy until 2008.  Handguns have been shown to be 98% effective in stopping bear attacks.  A figure of "98%" has been widely disseminated for bear spray, but the calculations involved are completely different. It is extremely difficult for people to obtain permission to carry handguns for defense in the Canadian wilderness. A few permits are issued for people who are required to work in wild areas.

Bear spray has been available since 1986. Eight incidents have been documented where bear spray was sprayed and nine people were killed by bears. Modern cartridge handguns have been available since about 1873. One person has been documented as killed in one incident where a handgun was fired in defense against bears.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

NC: Aberdeen - Both Resident and Home Invader die in Gunfight

Around 4:15 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a home invasion at 106 Forest Circle in Aberdeen. Upon arriving, deputies learned that Collins had been shot and subsequently died from her injuries.

Sheriff’s investigators determined that an exchange of gunfire happened within the residence between the home invaders and the occupants.

A 17-year-old, believed to be one of the perpetrators, was also shot during the incident, according to the sheriff’s office. He was transported to Moore Regional Hospital by private vehicle where he later died from his injuries.

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Florida Attorney General, Ashley Moody, Clarifies Definition of Short Barrelled Rifle

The Florida Attorney General, Ashley Moody, has issued an opinion clarifying that the Florida legal definition of a "short-barreled rifle" does not include a pistol to which a stablizing brace has been attached, even if the stabilizing brace is used as a stock. From myfloridalegal.com:

Unless and until judicially or legislatively clarified, I conclude that the definition of "short-barreled rifle," which the Legislature enacted in 1969, does not include a handgun, such as a pistol, to which a person attaches a stabilizing brace, because the use of a such an optional accessory does not change the fundamental characteristics of the handgun.

The Florida statute banning the possession of short-barreled rifles was passed in 1969, shortly after the Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed by Congress at the urging of President Lyndon Johnson. From Florida Statutes 790.001(16)

(16) “Short-barreled rifle” means a rifle having one or more barrels less than 16 inches in length and any weapon made from a rifle (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches.

The short-barreled rifles were added to the federal National Firearms Act in 1934 as an afterthought by the actions of an addled, drunk, or Machiavellian Minnesota Congressman, Harold Knutson. Knutson was a man of dubious sexual proclivities who used his position on the Ways and Means Committee to have the Roosevelt Administration add short-barreled rifles to the items which required  a $200 tax and to be registered withe the Federal government. The Roosevelt administration never considered short-barreled rifles to be a significant criminal problem. They were focused on handguns.

In 1961, 27 years later, that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), then a part of the Department of the Treasury, officially defined shoulder-stocked pistols as short-barreled rifles. The defined the most common shoulder-stocked pistols, Mausers and Lugers, into the curio and relic category (effectively removing them from the definition of short-barreled rifles) in 1981.

Shoulder stocks had been available for pistols as long as there have been pistols. Many people found that adding a shoulder-stock to a pistol aided in its accuracy.  Such was implied by the use of a shoulder stocked pistol by the character Colonel Mortimer in the Western movie "For a Few Dollars More".

Banning an entire class of firearms which are in common use is not allowed by the Second Amendment, as held in the Heller decision and clarified in the Bruen decision in 2022. Short barreled rifles were common and advertised prior to 1934. Several hundred thousand have been registered under the onerous regulations and tax requirements of the National Firearm Act. Pistols with shoulder stocks should never have been added to the NFA.

Congressman have been educated beyond what they were in 1934 and 1968. Those who want to disarm the American people resort to silly argument about how adding a shoulder stock to a pistol makes it "more powerful". They also claim it is still as concealeable as a pistol. Adding a shoulder stock makes a pistol less concealable.

Shoulder stocked pistols have historically been hindered by the same short sight radius which exists for regular pistols. The advent of micro red-dot optical sights has increased the practical accuracy of a shoulder stocked pistol to virtually the same as a pistol caliber carbine.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

IL: Domestic Defense? Disarm and Shooting in Chicago, Man and Woman both Wounded

CHICAGO - A man and woman shot each other inside a home in Gresham following a fight Sunday morning. 

Police say a 33-year-old man was in an argument with a 52-year-old woman, who he knew, when he pulled a handgun. 

The two were inside a residence in the 1700 block of West 86th Street at about 1:50 p.m. when the incident occurred. 

Police say the fight became physical and the woman was shot in the stomach. She then wrestled the runaway from the man and shot him in the chest and back. 

Both the victim and the offender were transported to Christ Medical Center in critical condition.

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Ill: Chicago, Two Teens Attack Armed Victim, Both are shot, Wounded

In the 9400 block of S. Lafayette, on Oct. 7, 2023, at approx. 1:38 p.m., two male victims, 15 and 16, approached an unknown male and initiated a physical altercation with the unknown male. The unknown male then produced a handgun and fired shots. There are no offenders in custody, area detectives are investigating.

Male victim, 15 – struck in the leg and was transported to LCM Hospital initially reported in good condition.

Male victim, 16 – struck in the hand and was transported to LCM Hospital initially reported in good condition.

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Ill: Gunfight in Chicago Alley, One person Wounded

A male victim, 28 was in a dispute with an unknown male offender in the alley when both subjects produced handguns and exchanged gunfire. The offender fled the scene and it is unknown at this time if he sustained injuries. The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the right leg and arm and was transported to Mt Sinai hospital in good condition. The victim was very uncooperative and refused to answer questions about the incident. Officers did recover his weapon and there is no one in custody. Area Five detectives continue to investigate the incident.

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CA: Jewelry Store Employee Opens Fire on Smash and Grab Suspects

"Five suspects, who were described as wearing hooded sweatshirts, used hammers to smash the jewelry showcases," said the statement. "An employee of the store responded by using a firearm to shoot towards the suspects."

After the employee opened fire, police say that the suspects were seen fleeing southbound on Sepulveda Blvd. in vehicles that were waiting outside of the store.

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TX: San Antonio Carjack Suspect Wounded by Armed Victim

According to police, a carjacker had stolen a vehicle and had to ditch it a few feet away because he couldn’t drive the standard transmission.

Police said while the man ran to another suspect’s vehicle, the victim pulled out a gun and started shooting at them. That’s when, police say, the suspect in the passenger seat was grazed in the head by a bullet that went through the headrest of the car.

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AZ: Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder who Forced his way into Home

Officials learned a man, identified as 30-year-old Ricky Gomez, had forced his way into a home in the area and the man living at the home shot him. Gomez died from his injuries at a hospital.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Florida Black Bear Population increasing rapidly

 

 

Image by Troy Nemitz, with permission. 

 

The number of Florida bears have skyrocketed. The bear population was estimated at  300 - 500 in 1974. Black bear hunting was banned in Florida in 1994, when the population was estimated at 1280 to 1290.  In 1998, the population was estimated at 1500. According to the tampabay.com, there were 2,000 to 2,500 bears in 2006.

In a 2015 bear hunt, a meager 304 bears were harvested. In 2016, the population was estimated at 4,350 bears.  No study has been done to estimate the bear population since then. Bears are very adaptable. There remains considerable habitat for bears to populate in Florida, in competition with humans. The number of bears today is likely much higher than in 2016. If there is sufficient food and habitat available, bears will increase their population at a 10-20% per year. From a 2016 article published in the news-journalonline.com:

An estimated 4,350 adult black bears live across the state, an increase of 60 percent since the last statewide estimate in 2002, said Thomas Eason, director of habitat and species conservation for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That's a return from an estimated population of 300 to 500 bears in the 1970s and about a third of the number estimated to live in the state when European settlers arrived.

“They’re one of our greatest success stories from a conservation perspective in Florida,” Eason said. Bears are "abundant," he said, their "populations are strong and robust and growing."

The new estimate is the total before the agency’s controversial bear hunt last fall, which killed at least 304 bears, he said. But, it also does not include an estimated 2,000 bear cubs born in Florida this spring. With a cub survival rate of 40 to 60 percent, he estimated about 1,000 of those cubs could survive the year.

In Michigan, the bear population continues to increase with a 15% harvest rate. If we assume a conservative growth rate of 10%, there would be more than 8,500 bears in Florida at the end of 2023. If we assume a 15% growth rate, there would be 11,500 bears in Florida at the end of 2023. It is very close to the number of bears thought to exist in pre-Columbian Florida. Estimates of pre-Columbian bear populations are highly speculative.

The amount of calories available to bears in present day Florida is likely higher than it was in pre-Columbian time. Agriculture was more primitive then, with far less cultivated land. Modern agriculture produces many more bear-friendly calories per acre than did primeval forests and swamps. Human made fertilizers make each acre much more productive than they used to be. Many more calories are brought to the land from the sea today than was possible with stone age fishing equipment. With man removed as the top predator, bears have very few natural enemies, with most predation of young bears done by older male bears.

How many bears are there in Florida? We do not know. Another study is due this year, in 2023. Bear attacks and bear encroachment onto human habitat continues.  There were 37 bear-human conflicts where the bear made physical contact with a person from 2006 to 2022, according to Florda Fish and Wildlife Commission table. Given estimates of the bear population (according to FWC), that would be one physical contact conflict for every 1600 bears per year. There are probably many more conflicts were bears destroy property and/or are driven off without contact with humans.

To maintain a bear population of 4000, about 400 to 800 bears need to be harvested each year. To maintain a bear population of 8,000, abut 800 to 1,600 bears need to be harvested each year. If humans refuse to limit the bear population, it is unknown what level it may reach. Before the maximum is reached, the increasing number of bear attacks will change the public attitude, and regular bear hunts will be used to maintain a level bear population.

A few days ago, Florida state representative Jason Shoaf filed HB 87, a bill to allow the taking of a bear or bears if the person believes such force is necessary to protect himself, herself, or their private property.  The person taking the bear would not be allowed to keep the bear hide or meat, or to bait the bear. The bill is unlikely to pass.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

TX: Burglary Suspect Shot

Northeast officers are at a shooting scene 1200 Jensen. Adult male is expected to survive. Initial reports are the male burglary suspect was shot by a security officer after trying to spray paint a security K9 and assault the security officer.

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CA: "Drug deal" becomes attempted theft. Two suspects Shot, Wounded

Around 6:40 p.m., two suspects, both men, met with two other men at a residence on the 11000 block of Loch Lomond Road, east of the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway and south of Katella Avenue, for a suspected drug deal, said Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Woodroof. The suspected sellers then attempted to rob the two men at the residence at gunpoint.

The two men, also armed, exchanged gunfire outside the residence, ending when the suspected dealers were both shot and injured, Woodroof said.

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TX: Gunfight, Security Guard Shoots Attacker During Disarm Attempt

On October 1, 2023, at about 3:45 a.m., Dallas Police responded to a shooting call at 11000 block of Harry Hines Blvd.

The preliminary investigation determined a uniformed, commissioned security guard, 26-year-old David Thomas, was escorting a 32-year-old Marqurius Lambert from the property when Lambert went to his car and put a firearm into his waistband.

Lambert then pulled out the firearm and he and Thomas started to fight over the weapon.  

During the struggle, Thomas fired his weapon, hitting the suspect.

Lambert tried to leave the scene in his car, but crashed, then ran from the scene.

Around 4:45 am, Lambert went to a local hospital for a gunshot wound to the arm. Lambert was treated, then arrested and charged with Assault on a Security Guard.

He was taken to the Dallas County Jail.

The investigation is ongoing.

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PA: Carjack Suspect Shot by Armed Victim

While en route, police learned someone was struck by the gunfire and there was a carjacking.

The car that was taken, a 2010 silver Chevy Malibu, was found unoccupied a short time later at Poplar Street and Eggleston Circle in the borough.

It was not yet clear who was hit by gunfire, though the police radio traffic indicated the owner of the vehicle shot at the carjacker.

One suspect was identified as a Black male, 5-8 to 5-10, with shoulder-length dreds.

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NM: Man Detaining Woman Intruder Shoots Her During Struggle

Garcia initially called 911 to report that he shot an intruder at his home, located at 407 Wesmeco Dr., S.E. Garcia told responding officers that he was in his bedroom watching TV when he discovered a woman was in his home. He said the woman had cut his screen door to make entry into his home. Garcia told officers that he retrieved his firearm and pulled the female subject to the front room of the house. Garcia stated that he told the female, “If you move then I am going to shoot you.”

Garcia said he went to the kitchen to retrieve his phone to call 911, and the woman stood up and attempted to run out of the door saying, “I’m not gonna let you call the cops on me.” Garcia said he then grabbed the woman by the back of her shirt and the gun went off. Garcia further clarified that he grabbed the woman and she yanked him out the door and the gun went off.

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MT: MSSA Succeeds in Urban Transit Removing Unconstitutional Ban on Weapons

 

Gary Marbut and the Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) have scored another victory in restoring the right to keep and bear arms in Montana.  The Montana Urban Transportation District (MUTD) has removed their ban on the carry or transport of weapons on the vehicles of the Mountain Line in Missoula.  Gary Marbut is the right to keep and bear arms guru in Montana. He is responsible for writing and passing most of the Montana gun laws. Those laws have done a great deal to restore the right to keep and bear arms (RKBA).

In 2016, MSSA requested MUTD remove its unconstitutional policy banning weapons from its buses. In January of 2016, MUTD counsel claimed the policy was legal and desirable. Counsel recommended MUTD keep the policy. Seven years later, on February 27, 2023, Gary Marbut wrote to MUTD, stating the MSSA would no longer tolerate their unconstitutional policies. From progunleaders.org:

MUDT articulates the policy that, "The following items are prohibited on Mountain Line:" "Firearms, BB guns, air guns, knives."

The purpose of this communication is to inform you that this policy violates both the Montana and U.S. constitutions, and that MUTD lacks the authority under Montana law to adopt, articulate, or enforce such a policy.  We respectfully request that you remove this policy from whatever policy set MUTD has adopted, remove this policy from the MUDT Website, cease enforcing this policy, and conduct whatever training may be necessary to insure that MUDT staff understand the de-adoption and enforcement termination of this policy.

Much had happened in seven years.  On November 3, 2020, the voters approved of  legislative initiative  LR-130. LR-130 amended the Montana Code Annotated Section 7-1-111. The changes removed all power of local governments that applies to or affects the right to keep and bear arms. The statue went into effect on January 1, 2021.  In 2023, the Montana Legislature passed HB 631, which states plaintiffs who are successful in their lawsuits to protect the right to keep and bear arms, shall be awarded reasonable attorney fees and costs:

(3)        A person who prevails on a claim to enforce the person's rights under Article II, section 12, of the Montana constitution or [sections 1 through 3] must be awarded reasonable attorney fees and costs.

In response to the threat of lawsuit, the MUTD reversed their long-held, unconstitutional policies. From nbcmontana.com:

The August message from the Montana Shooting Sports Association that laid out plans for an Oct. 2 lawsuit cited House Bill 631. The law was passed last legislative session and says “The right to bear arms may not be restricted by the state unless a compelling state interest exists.” The law goes into effect Sunday.

Mountain Line's new policy will allow passengers who are legally allowed to carry weapons to do so on their buses. The weapons are still prohibited from the bus line’s buildings.

The former rules prohibited firearms and knives completely.

The reversal of MUTD policy is the latest of numerous successes Gary Marbut and the MSSA have had over the last three decades.

Lawsuits in Illinois and Washington, D.C. are in progress to restore the ability to keep and bear arms on public and mass transit systems. The Bruen decision at the Supreme Court is likely to be pivotal in these efforts. --

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

GA: Gunfight at Gas Station, Armed Victim, Armed Robbery Suspect both Wounded

Police say a 27-year-old man suffered shots to the abdomen. He was listed in serious condition late Thursday evening.

A second man, who is 24, was shot in the neck and was stable, police say.

Friday morning, police say they believe both men "were engaging in risky behavior" when one tried to rob the other.

Investigators say both began shooting at each other and wer injured.

 

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Man Blames Wife for Carry-on Error: Mistakes are incredibly Rare

Firearm found in man's carry-on at Reagan National Airport Check Point on September 21, 2023

Transportation Security Administration, (TSA), officers found a tiny .22 caliber revolver in a man's carry-on bag at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The revolver appears to be a North American Arms Black Widow .22 Magnum with Boot Clip grips.  These are some of the smallest repeating pistols made. They carry five shots of .22 magnum cartridges, as can be seen in the TSA photograph of the pistol which was discovered on September 21, 2023. From tsa.gov:

ARLINGTON, Va. – A King George, Va., man was cited by police after he was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers with a loaded handgun at one of the checkpoints at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, Sept. 21. The .22 caliber pistol was loaded with five bullets and was packed in the man’s carry-on bag.

The gun was caught as the man entered the security checkpoint. The X-ray unit alerted the TSA to take a closer look and inspect the carry-on bag, which was opened by police for a closer inspection. Police confiscated the gun and cited the man on state charges. The man blamed his wife and told officials that she packed his carry-on bag and did not know that he already had his loaded gun inside.

There are more than 22 million people with concealed carry permits in the United States. Over half the states in the United States have restored permitless carry, where no permit is required to carry a loaded handgun, concealed or openly. Those states have a population of about 150 million people. Roughly 6.6% of the entire population have carry permits, or 8.5% of adults.  In 2022 there were 853 million passenger emplanements in the United States. Assuming 6.6% of them have carry permits, the number of times people who have carry permits traveled on airplaines in 2022, was 56.3 million. In 2022, the TSA found 6,542 firearms at TSA checkpoints. 88% were loaded. The number of people with concealed carry permits, who made a mistake, who forgot a firearms was in their carry-on, their purse, or even in a jacket pocket, was slightly more than 1/1000 of 1 percent. To put it another way, those who remembered to follow the rules were an astounding 99.999%

This is an astonishingly low error rate for human actions. The error rate would be even lower if we counted the 117 million adults who can legally carry without a permit.

When 99.999% of adults follow a rule, it is an incredible success. This rule is backed by armed agents with sophisticated detection systems and stiff penalties. The rule which requires airlines to allow firearms and ammunition in checked baggage helps. Nearly all responsible adults will chose a legal alternative, if it is available.

When the rule for checked baggage was initiated, one or two checked bags were included in virtually all flights. It has become the norm for airlines to charge a fee for checked luggage. This has a chilling effect on people exercising their Second Amendment rights.  As a reasonable compromise, checked baggage, which must be used to be able to exercise Second Amendment rights, should be available for free or heavily discounted, perhaps 20% of the normal rate, to those Americans who are exercising those rights.

 ©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

NC: Woman Shoots Man who Attacked Her

In an update released just before 12:50 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, the WPD stated that the “female caller advised the 911 center that she had been attacked by a male.”

“The male victim was located suffering a gunshot wound, he was across the parking lot from the apartment where the female had called 911 from, he was deceased,” the WPD update states.

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OK: Boyfriend Shoots Intruder inside Home

 

According to the affidavit concerning the situation, a woman and her boyfriend were at home when their dogs alerted them to an intruder.

The boyfriend went to investigate the cause of the dogs' barking and found a man he did not know inside the home. The unknown man then charged towards the boyfriend, leading the resident to retrieve his firearm and shoot the intruder in the chest with a single shot.

 

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