WI: No criminal charges coming in fatal garage shooting: "An Okauchee man will not face criminal charges for fatally shooting an unarmed man who broke into his garage in August, Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel announced Friday. James P. Babe IV, 39, was killed outside Michael Fitzsimmons' home about 2 a.m. Aug. 27. Schimel determined that Fitzsimmons, 47, fired two shots in self-defense. Fitzsimmons said he awoke when he heard noise in his garage, that he approached it from his deck and yelled out asking who was there and stated that he had a gun. He said Babe yelled back that he had a gun, then emerged from the garage onto the deck and lunged at him with what Fitzsimmons believed was a gun. Fitzsimmons fired once, and when Babe did not immediately go down or back away, fired a second shot. There was evidence someone had broken into the garage, and Babe's cell phone case and keys were found there."


AL: Shooting is apparent self-defense "Red Bay Police Chief Jana Jackson says that a Thursday night shooting death will be turned over to a grand jury, and at this time, no charges have been filed. The incident began around 5:30 p.m. when witnesses say 42 year old David Andrasik stopped his car in front of a house near the intersection of 10th Street and Hester Avenue. The witnesses report Andrasik got into a verbal altercation with a homeowner that soon turned physical. Andrasik was shot once with a small caliber handgun, rushed to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead. At this time, Chief Jackson tell us her officers believe the incident was a case of self defense. However, she stresses that the investigation is not finished and the case will be presented to a grand jury."

:

TN: Delivery Driver Shoots Robbery Suspect: "Memphis Police are investigating a shooting involving a pizza delivery driver in Hickory Hill. Around 11:00 Thursday night, police say a Papa Johns Pizza delivery driver was trying to deliver a pizza to a vacant home in the 6900 block of Snyder Road. Police say a 19-year-old man pulled a gun on the driver and tried to rob him. That's when the delivery driver pulled out his own gun and shot the suspect three times. The 19-year-old was taken to the MED in critical condition. The delivery driver is being questioned by police."


NC: Clerk shoots robber at The Bodega Convenience Store: "The store’s clerk said two black males entered the store armed with hand guns and robbed the store. During the robbery, the clerk drew a weapon on the suspects and fired one shot. The clerk said he believed he had hit one of the suspects before they both ran away on foot toward Chandler Avenue. About an hour later, a Chapel Hill police officer conducted a traffic stop on N.C. 54 in Chapel Hill and found one of the occupants in the vehicle was suffering from a gunshot wound. The officer escorted the occupants of the vehicle to UNC Hospitals for treatment. Burlington police detectives were contacted by hospital police. Burlington detectives went to Chapel Hill Hospitals and identified the victim as Marquis Jamar Moore."


Concealed carry in Virginia: "Like many states, Virginia has long had a concealed-carry law, one that permits citizens to carry concealed weapons upon securing a permit from the state. However, for a long time there was a glaring exception to the law: Concealed-carry permit holders were not permitted to carry their weapons into restaurants or bars that served liquor. This meant that people with concealed weapons either had to leave their guns at home or in their car or ignore the law and hope they didn’t get caught"


WA: Seattle gun ban is illegal, appeals court rules: "The state Court of Appeals affirmed Monday that Seattle's gun ban in parks is illegal, more than a year after a King County judge sided with gun-rights advocates and the city appealed. In 2008, then-Mayor Greg Nickels enacted a rule that banned guns and 'dangerous weapons" from city parks, community centers and other city properties. In 2009, the city added another rule that banned guns from parks where kids are 'likely to be present.'"

W.Va. Man shoots home invading neighbor: "A man who started the day grocery shopping didn't expect to come home and shoot someone, but he told police he didn't have a choice. He had to defend himself and his home. John Chapman, 61, says he returned late Wednesday morning to his home in St. Albans and found his neighbor had broken in. When he returned home, he noticed his back door was open, so he grabbed a gun and started searching the house. He allegedly found his neighbor, 19-year-old Josh Sovine, rummaging through drawers in an upstairs bedroom. “He, of course, challenged the gentleman. He told him not to move, he was gonna call police,” St. Albans Police Captain James Agee said. The two struggled over the gun, and Chapman shot Sovine twice -- once in the leg and once in the hip. Police say Sovine, who is recovering in the hospital, will be charged with daytime burglary.


MD: Armed Liquor Store Owner Wins Showdown With Robber: "Had the robber of AMS Liquor World in Perry Hall known his target better, he may have thought twice about pulling a knife on the store's longtime owner. And for the 20 years since it opened, the owner has always kept a gun in the store. But Saturday afternoon was the first time he ever fired it. "I knew when [the robber] came in, something about him just didn't feel right. I've been doing this 20 years. You get to know people," he said. "When another customer was getting his lotto ticket, I said, 'I need to watch this guy.'" Suddenly, the stranger swung a knife at him, up and down, the owner said. He held onto the sidewall and leaned back—"like Keanu Reeves"—to avoid being stabbed. The owner then reached for his handgun and chased the man. "That's when he bolted out that door like lightning," he said. "He knew when I was reaching, I was reaching for something bigger than he had." Elise Armacost, a Baltimore County police spokeswoman, said no charges had been filed against the owner and investigators believe he acted in self defense."


AZ Jury: Man not guilty in fatal shooting: "Jurors reached a verdict of not guilty on Thursday in Cochise County Superior Court in the case of a man who was charged with fatally shooting his friend in McNeal last year. Dwayne J. Nelson, 21, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of manslaughter and one count of negligent homicide of Alex Alvarado, 19, on Nov. 13, 2010. During his closing argument, defense attorney David Thorn said Nelson was friends with Alvarado and he did not want him to die. He pointed out Nelson was so angry after the shooting that he broke the .22 rifle by smashing it against the wall. Thorn also told the jury Nelson was justified to shoot Alvarado, and therefore not guilty of a crime, because the victim had threatened to shoot him. He also said it was foolish to play with guns while they were drunk, but that is not a crime


New Gallup data shows Americans value their gun rights: "Today’s revelation by Gallup that a record low number of Americans support a legal ban on handgun possession by private citizens demonstrates a positive change in the public attitude about personal protection and the Second Amendment, the Second Amendment Foundation said. According to Gallup, only 26 percent of Americans favor a handgun ban. The annual Gallup Crime poll was conducted Oct. 6-9."

IL: Barber shoots robber: "A Southwest Side barbershop owner fatally shot one of two fleeing robbers, then rummaged through the teen’s pockets to get back what he stole, police said Monday. The alleged robbery was Friday. The teen suspect died Sunday from his injuries, authorities said. One of the robbers was able to get away, but the owner of the shop fired shots, striking the suspect just outside the shop, police said. Police did not say whether the store owner could face criminal charges. Marcus Nunn, 17, of the 5400 block of South Paulina, suffered multiple gunshot wounds at 3102 W. 63rd St. The teen’s accomplice was not in custody Monday."


OH: Robbery thwarted: "An Akron man faces aggravated robbery charges after police said the victim foiled an attempted heist. Melvin L. Thompson, 41, of Childs Avenue, is accused of attempting to rob a man who was seated in his car at an East Akron gas station. According to police reports, the 62-year-old man was playing some lottery tickets when a man opened the passenger-side door, entered the car and demanded money. He was wearing a mask and carrying a stun gun, police said. When the victim threatened to shoot the would-be robber with his handgun, the robber jumped out of the vehicle and ran. Police said Thompson was located in an apartment on Perkins Street and booked into the Summit County Jail."


PA: Robber with pretend gun gets shot: "Mayo said that when McIntyre, with the last $20 of Mayo's money, got out of the car near the speakeasy, he threw the car in gear and sped off. He told police he was scared to the point of blacking out at times during the entire ordeal. He said waited a half hour before going home. He said he met another drug dealer near the breezeway beside his home and described what had happened to him. He said while he was in the breezeway, he heard the dealer call out, "Is this the guy?' Mayo said when he stepped out of the breezeway, he and McIntyre locked eyes. Mayo said the other man "reached" and he shouted, "'Don't. Don't.' And that's when I started firing." He admitted he never saw McIntyre with a gun, either in the car or on the street. "He was going to shoot me or I was going to shoot him," Mayo told detectives. "What am I supposed to do? Wait and get shot?" Mayo told police that if he had been able to confirm that McIntyre was not armed when they were in the car, he would have ended the encounter then. "If I'd seen both of his hands, I would've kicked his ass," he said."


SC: Sheriff says time for citizens to arm themselves: "Spartanburg County, South Carolina Sheriff Chuck Wright held a news conference on Monday in which he urged citizens to buy and carry guns: 'Our form of justice is not making it. I'm really aggravated. Carry a concealed weapon. That'll fix it.' Sheriff Wright's news conference addressed an incident in which a woman was attacked in a park over the weekend."

CT: Man gets suspended sentence in defensive shooting: "A former New London resident charged with shooting somebody after firing his revolver out of his Wightman Street apartment during an attempted break-in last April has pleaded guilty to reduced charges and received a suspended sentence. Witnesses told police the shots had come from the area of the second-floor apartment at 21 Wightman St. As police approached the apartment, they found three .45-caliber shell casings and noticed the rear of the house had been struck three times by bullets. Police questioned the nine people in the apartment, including Purdue-Pulido and two other tenants. They said Purdue-Pulido had a .22-caliber revolver and eventually admitted his involvement. Purdue-Pulido told police a couple of men had come up the back stairway and knocked on the door; one tried to force his way in with a large-caliber pistol. Purdue-Pulido said he fired a shot into the air out his bedroom window in an attempt to scare the men away. When somebody fired back two or three times, he said he fired the remaining rounds from his revolver out the window "in an act of self-defense." He said he didn't take aim at anyone "but simply blindly fired the gun out the window," according to the police report. He said after the shooting he saw four or five men flee north on Maple Street.


Idaho: Shooting ban "Kuna City Council is headed down the path of prohibiting shooting within the city limits. Not too long ago, they stretched their city limits miles in every direction to include corn fields, wheat fields, hundreds of acres of farmland, fallow land and much more. What problems are they solving ... and what problems are they creating?"

CA: Victim fires shots after early morning robbery: "A southwest Bakersfield business owner attempted to shoot a couple of armed robbers early Sunday morning, but the thieves got away. Bakersfield police officers were dispatched to Max Muscle at 8000 McNair Ln. just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday. The owner of the business told investigators that two men armed with handguns got into the business through a back door. The robbers, who were wearing dark-colored hooded sweatshirts, confronted the business owner and his female companion. The business owner was ordered to the ground at gunpoint. When one of the robbers walked to the back of the business, the victim grabbed a gun and attempted to fire at the suspects. The suspects ran and the business owner ran after them and fired three shots. No injuries were reported."


Cleveland Thugs Rejoice: City Buys Back 700 Guns: "The city of Cleveland became a little safer last Thursday—safer for criminals. In what has become an annual spectacle, the city dumped more than 700 firearms into the Number 1 Basic Oxygen Furnace at the Cleveland Arcelor Mittal facility. The formerly useful weapons, collected in “gun buyback” programs in the city and surrounding communities in September, were subjected to temperatures of about 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit and 200 tons of molten iron. It’s not clear how the city could “buy back” something it didn’t own in the first place. According to WTAM 1100 news, “Parma Mayor Dean DePiero says in a small but significant way, the gun buy back program is making our streets safer, and hopes it is expanded to more communities next year.” Presumably he said this with a straight face. But he’s wrong—dead wrong. At best, the destruction of the firearms will have no negative impact. It’s also possible, though, that the lack of a gun will ensure that an innocent victim does not have the means of self-protection in the face of an attack."

La.: Wife shoots abusive husband: "Police say a man was shot Saturday in the 1700 block of Alston Street in Shreveport's Allendale neighborhood after a domestic dispute. Officers said a fight between Kenneth Robinson, 26, and his wife, Tomeka Nunn, 28, took place just after 5 p.m. Officers said they think Robinson physically struck Nunn during the altercation, prompting Nunn to produce a handgun and fire two shots into Robinson's legs. Robinson was taken to LSU Hospital with what are described as nonlife-threatening injuries. Police say charges will be filed against Robinson for the abuse. They also said Nunn is not being charged at this stage in the investigation, as the shooting appears to be self-defense."


Lawsuit Seeks to Overturn California Open Carry Ban: "On December 15 a Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit will be filed seeking an injunction against a California law that was passed in 1967 which makes it a crime to openly carry a loaded firearm. Ironically, AB 144 recently passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown making it a crime to openly carry even an unloaded handgun has greatly simplified the lawsuit. Under a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in May of 2011, it would have been necessary to show that the California law, which requires openly carried firearms to be unloaded until one was in grave and immediate danger, was a “substantial burden.” With the passage of AB 144, this will no longer be necessary."

No charges against man who confronted, shot robbery suspect in Minneapolis: "A man who confronted and fatally shot a suspected robber won't be charged in the killing because he acted in self-defense after a gun was pointed at him, prosecutors said Friday. The criminal complaint against Marberry described the events leading up to the shooting. It said a 53-year-old woman's purse was taken and she was hit in the head with a handgun shortly before 10 p.m. Evanovich, Marberry and another man — all suspects in that robbery — fled. The complaint said the unidentified man followed them in his car and asked for the robbery victim's purse back. Evanovich pointed a gun at the man, who pulled out his own handgun and fired. The man has a valid concealed-carry permit, authorities said."


TX: Homeowner shoots intruder: "Watauga police are investigating an early-morning break-in that sent the alleged 16-year-old intruder to the hospital with a critical gunshot wound to the chest. The homeowner said he shot the intruder in self defense. The homeowner said the sound of someone breaking down a door woke him up just after 2:30 a.m. He then found an intruder inside his son's bedroom holding a gun to his son's head and demanding money, he said. Police said the homeowner went back to his bedroom, got a rifle and told the intruder to drop his gun. Instead, the intruder allegedly turned and pointed the gun at the homeowner, which was when the homeowner shot the intruder in the chest area. he injured intruder was rushed to the hospital by air ambulance in critical condition. Police said he may face charges for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. The homeowner faces no charges at this time."


Clinton confirms DOJ/DHS committed felonies in Operation Fast and Furious: "Sometimes it really does get just this simple. By denying that State played any role at all in Operation Fast and Furious, Hillary Clinton has thrown Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano under the bus at highway speeds. “How?” you may be asking. Simple. According to the Arms Export Control Act, only the State Department can authorize the export of weapons. Every weapon that the multi-agency strike force made up mostly of Department of Justice and Homeland Security personnel sent over the Mexican border should equal a felony, for at least 2,020 felonies in Operation Fast and Furious alone. Eric Holder’s December 8 agreement to appear in front of Congress under oath just got a lot more interesting. Maybe after his trial Holder, can share a cell with Jerome Pendzich until we get him and Napolitano extradited to Mexico for the 200 plus counts of their being accessories to murder."


Loaded Gun in Checked Luggage at LAX: "Media reports are expressing alarm about the fact that a loaded handgun was found by Alaska Airlines baggage workers loading planes on a flight at LAX on Sunday. The Los Angeles Times declared, "Security officials at LAX fail to detect loaded gun in bag," The gun fell out of a duffel bag that had been screened along with the rest of the checked baggage for the flight. Despite all the hand-waving, guns in checked baggage are not illegal (though they are supposed to be disclosed to the airline and packed unloaded). Nor are they a threat to the safety of flights. And the idea that TSA should minutely inspect everything in checked bags would not only add costs and time to the bag-screening process. It would also make an already overly-intrusive TSA into even more of a threat to people’s privacy and liberty. We need to distinguish here between what is being looked for at passenger checkpoints and what is being looked for in checked baggage."

Don't call me grandma






Poll: US gun ownership at 20-year high: "Nearly half of Americans say they have a gun in their household, the highest percentage since 1993, according to a new Gallup poll. Forty-seven percent of Americans say they have a gun on their property."

IG Schnedar’s investigation: Gunwalker’s “Little Bighorn?”

A string of damning emails and testimony has laid waste to the Obama Administration’s planned defense in depth over their involvement in Operation Fast and Furious, a multi-agency plot that saw ATF, DEA, and FBI agents within the Department of Justice colluding with ICE agents in Homeland Security and IRS-CID agents within Treasury to assure that at least 2,020 firearms would be transferred from U.S. gun shops to the Sinaloa cartel without the possibility of state or local authorities interdicting smuggled weapons or arresting the straw purchasers or the smugglers themselves.

In recent comments by Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano, and repeated comments from President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, it has become apparent that the last, perhaps only defensive card the Administration has to play is to invoke the investigation into the gun-walking scheme being run by acting DOJ Inspector General Cynthia A. Schendar. By claiming that they do not want to talk because of the on-going OIG investigation, the President and appointees buy themselves both time and a plausible reason to avoid making comments that may come back to haunt them in the event of impeachment or a criminal trial.

But who is acting Inspector General Schnedar, what role does she have to play in investigating her boss and her boss’s boss? Is there any reason to suspect she can be trusted to provide a fair an impartial accounting of the actions that led to the shooting of three U.S. federal agents, and the deaths of 200 Mexican citizens, or more?

It would be unfair to malign Schnedar’s character or objectivity as the acting Inspector General, so we’ll simply report the facts as they are known.

The Obama Administration has a very bad record of intervening into Inspector General investigations, and in fact had Corporation for National and Community Servic Inspector General Gerald Walpin fired for his investigation into an ally of President Obama that misappropriated an $850,000 AmeriCorps grant.

Eric Holder is well known to be a key ally of the President, in addition to being the head of the Agency that employs Schnedar. It is reasonable for Schnedar to suspect that if she finds the Obama Administration or its high-level appointees responsible for their apparent roles in walking guns, that she would find that she is no longer needed as acting Inspector General, nor would her services as a lawyer be in great demand in the private sector, having turned against a President heavily favored by the legal profession.

This of course, assumes that acting Inspector General Schnedar is both ethically allowed and practically interested in conducting a legitimate investigation.

Why would she want to “rat out” a colleague like her old friend Eric Holder?

It turns out that Ms. Schnedar has long and close ties to Mr. Holder. According to her biography on the Justice Department website, she became assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. in 1994. Eric Holder had become the U.S. attorney in Washington the previous year, so he in effect was Schnedar’s boss from 1994 until 1997, when he left to become President Clinton’s deputy attorney general. Holder would become a key player in the scandalous pardons of fugitive billionaire Marc Rich and members of the Puerto Rican nationalist terrorist group known as FALN.

But during Ms. Schnedar’s tenure before Holder had departed, it happened that they had ended up working a number of cases together. According to the LexisNexis website, there were at least fourteen of them, usually at the appellate level. For Holder, it was more than just “in name only”; in some of those cases, they apparently co-filed legal briefs.

In one case, they had represented the ATF. In another, they represented both the ATF and DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), an agency that has now also been linked to Fast and Furious.

The ethical conflict of interest faced my acting IG Schnedar is insurmountable. She is tasked with investigating a former colleague who is currently her employer, and an unfavorable outcome would seem to terminate both her current career as an acting Inspector General and vastly reduce her chances for premium employee opportunities in the private sector as well. For these reasons, an ethical Inspector General would have recused herself from the investigation immediately, something that Schednar has steadfastly refused to do, raising the specter of impropriety and cronyism, undermining the system she is sworn to protect.

Of course, that is making the assumption that Cynthia Schnedar is ethical Inspector General, which evidence seems to suggest she may not be.

Secret tapes recorded by the gun dealer at the heart of the government’s gun-walking operation were turned over to the Congressional investigators working the case. Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa turned over copies of the tapes to Schendar, who immediately turned them over to the very people she is supposed to be investigating, without even first listening to the tapes herself. Schnedar will eventually find that her mandate as acting Inspector General is to investigate “waste fraud or abuse,” which she will not find in Operation Fast and Furious and she slow-walks her investigation to deny documents to Congress while her investigation drags on.

The Obama Administration is heavily, perhaps entirely invested in hiding behind acting Inspector General Schendar’s investigation, and certainly depends upon it as their last rhetorical stand defending themselves in the media. No wonder the President has ignored a growing chorus of calls from law enforcement officers and Congress to take Schnedar off the case and appoint an indepedent special prosecutor.

The fix is in.

Source




KY: Store owner shoots robber who demanded money: "Louisville Metro Police are investigating a shooting in old Louisville. Police say a man walked into a store and tried to rob it and the owner fought back taking aim at the intruder. Police say the robber walked into the business and demanded money. The owner gave it up, but then pulled a gun and shot the robber. The wounded suspect then fled the scene and police say he found a ride to the hospital where he remains at this hour Wednesday night. We're not sure of his condition, but police say the injuries do not appear to be life threatening."


TN: Shop owner, employee beat robber, getaway car with bat: "A robber intending to knock over a liquor store Tuesday night instead had a gun pulled on him, was beaten with a baseball bat and had damage to his car as he tried to get away. At about 10:15 p.m., a man with a crowbar walked into The Wine Cellar, 4 Lealand Drive, at closing time, said he was homeless and demanded money, according to a news release from Clarksville Police spokesman Officer Jim Knoll. When the 67-year-old store owner refused, the robber struck him in the head with the crowbar. The owner pulled out a revolver, and the robber fought him for it, Knoll said. A 66-year-old woman, an employee of the store, heard the commotion, came out, saw the two men fighting, grabbed a baseball bat, and in the heat of the battle, hit the robber and the store owner. The robber was able to pull the gun out of the owner’s hand and run from the store. The owner and employee chased the robber outside and saw him get into a older model, dark colored, Jeep Cherokee. The owner grabbed the baseball bat and struck the Jeep several times, possibly breaking a headlight and a window. The robber then fled from the scene."


Record low support for gun control: "The Second Amendment has rebounded in the last half-century as support doubled since 1959, the Gallup poll reported. Nearly 3 out of every 4 Americans now opposes a ban on handguns — only 1 in four are for banning possession of a handgun. In 1959, 60% of Americans favored banning handguns — and only 36% opposed such an affront to the Second Amendment. The jump in support for handguns shows what an utter failure the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has been. Handgun use is up, yet gun homicides are down, contrary to what the Brady Campaign has preached for a quarter-century."

CA: Man who shot another acted in self-defense, DA's office says: "Criminal charges will be dismissed against a 46-year-old man arrested in August for shooting another man in the Montgomery Creek area in an apparent dispute over a marijuana grow, the Shasta County district attorney’s office announced today. Senior Deputy District Attorney Kelly Kafel said in a news release that the charges will be dropped against Terence Seed, who she said acted in self defense when he shot Todd Finch, 25, in the shoulder on Aug. 28. Hexum told the investigator that he tried to pull Seed away from Finch as they fought, and that he and Finch fell to the ground and that Seed was let go. Hexum said he saw Seed fire one shot at Finch from about 7 feet away, hitting him in the chest-shoulder area, the sheriff’s report said. In Kafel’s news release, she noted that the cell phones of the two witnesses were examined and that text messages on Finch’s cell phone contained information that Seed was going to be attacked."


Canadians finally scrap long-gun registry: "Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews tabled a bill to scrap long-run registry in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The federal government is making good on a promise to rural Canadians and law-abiding firearms owners to scrap the long-gun registry and destroy all evidence of its existence so future governments and other jurisdictions can't easily resurrect it. A controversial subject that has long pitted urban dwellers against their rural neighbours, the 20-page piece of legislation drew reaction from stakeholders almost immediately after Public Safety Minister Vic Toews tabled the bill Tuesday in the Commons. New Democrats and Liberals argued the move seemed counterintuitive for a government hell bent on law and order, while hunting enthusiasts and members of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation applauded the long-awaited bill. [A billion dollar boondoggle that accomplished nothing]

Congress Moves Closer to Restoring a Key Second Amendment Freedom

Thanks to the good work of millions of American gun owners and NRA members, Congress is moving closer to restoring one of our fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

Last week, the House Judiciary Committee considered amendments to the “National Right-to-Carry-Reciprocity Act” (H.R. 822), which would allow any person with a valid, state-issued concealed firearm permit to exercise the right to carry a firearm in any state that permits concealed carry.

Some members of the Committee tried to weaken the bill with anti-gun amendments, and I’m happy to report that every one of them failed. The committee is expected to pass the bill soon, after which it will go before the full House for a vote.

As of today, 49 states have laws in place that permit their citizens to carry a concealed firearm in some form or another. Only Illinois completely denies its residents the right to carry a concealed firearm outside their homes or businesses for self-defense, an injustice for which President Obama fought hard when he was an Illinois state senator.

In 41 of these 49 states, law-abiding citizens can carry a firearm without having to navigate an overly restrictive bureaucratic process.

The problem is that some states allow visiting permit holders from other states to exercise their right to carry, and some states do not. As you can imagine, this presents a nightmare for interstate travel, as many Americans are forced to check their Second Amendment rights, and their fundamental right to self-defense, at the state line.

The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act would solve this problem by simply requiring states that allow concealed carry to recognize each other’s permits. Nothing more.

Predictably, gun-ban organizations like the Brady Campaign and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s deceptively named “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” are doing everything they can to demonize H.R. 822, as are their allies in the anti-gun media.

First, they tried to scare Americans into thinking that H.R. 822 would unleash a new “wild west” atmosphere in the United States. This tactic fell flat because nearly every state in the nation already allows concealed carry and none of these outlandish predictions have materialized. In fact, quite the opposite has occurred.

On average, the 41 states that have the most tolerant right-to-carry laws have 22 percent lower total violent crime rates, 30 percent lower murder rates, 46 percent lower robbery rates and 12 percent lower aggravated assault rates, compared to the rest of the country. This is likely due to the fact that, as a group, citizens with permits to carry a firearm are more law-abiding than the general public.

Having failed at scaring Americans, the gun banners are now falling back on the Tenth Amendment as their main argument against H.R. 822. It’s a poorly conceived argument, as you might expect from groups that spend the majority of their time trying to trample the same “states’ rights” that they now want to hold up as sacrosanct.

The fact is the Tenth Amendment is most certainly sacrosanct – that’s why, in the 1990s, the NRA supported a successful constitutional challenge to provisions of the Brady Act that violated it. But the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act doesn’t violate the Tenth Amendment. Rather, the Act recognizes that the Second Amendment guarantees the fundamental, individual right of every law-abiding citizen to bear arms for safety when traveling.

This is an inalienable right that neither the federal government, nor any state government, may infringe upon. In addition, the 14th Amendment gives Congress the power to protect us from states that infringe on our inalienable, constitutional rights.

By the way, these are the same gun-ban groups that don’t give any consideration to states’ rights when they lobby for sweeping federal gun bans, ammunition bans, and magazine bans.

NRA has made the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act a top priority because it restores a fundamental, inalienable right guaranteed to all law-abiding Americans by the Second Amendment. All Second Amendment advocates, gun owners and pro-gun groups should be campaigning for the passage of this bill.

Also, as a general rule, no one should ever take seriously any lessons on constitutional law from groups whose sole mission is to destroy our most basic civil right guaranteed in the Constitution: The right to bear arms and defend ourselves and our loved ones…no matter which state we’re in.

Source







CA: Woman shot and killed persistent intruder (above): "A 66-year-old woman who shot and killed an intruder early Friday morning in south Redding after he tried to break into her home appears to have been justified, prosecutors say. The intruder was identified Friday by the Shasta County coroner's office as Jesse Edward Theis, 37, of Redding. Donna Hopper had first fired warning shots at the man after she was awakened by the sound of him trying to break into her Branstetter Lane bedroom window just before 4 a.m., Shasta County Chief Deputy District Attorney Josh Lowery said. She shot him when he came back and tried to climb inside the window a second time, Lowery said. Theis had been released from the Shasta County jail the morning before the shooting. Theis was on her front lawn when officers arrived. They tried to give him emergency medical care, but he died before being taken to the hospital, Poletski said."

Off-Duty Officer Fends Off Attack: "Three men who allegedly attempted to rob an off-duty New York police detective, two of whom were injured when the detective fired his service weapon during a scuffle, were charged on Sunday, police said. The detective, whose name was not released, was walking his dog in an empty lot on Beach 27th Street in Far Rockaway at around 7 p.m. Saturday when three men from the street gang GOA—or Gang of Apes—approached him with a toy gun and tried to rob him, police said. A law-enforcement official said the detective identified himself as a police officer and pulled out his gun. The men then tried to wrestle the gun away. During the scuffle the detective fired several shots before the men fled, the official said. Responding officers found Davon Torres, 19, and Tylique Samuels, 15, a few blocks away at Beach 22nd Street and Seagirt Avenue. Mr. Torres had suffered gunshot wounds to the arm, chin and torso, and was transferred to Jamaica Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. Mr. Samuels was not injured. A short while later, David Caraballo, 21, walked into Jamaica Hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot, police said. Police said they determined he was the third person in connection the shooting."




A young Australian sharpshooter: "Alethea Sedgman has a lot riding on her ability to focus. For this champion shooter, training and competing means holding still - apart from pulling the trigger of her 6kg rifle - for sometimes hours on end. "You have to be really focused," said Sedgman, who won Commonwealth Games gold at just 16 last year. "It takes a lot of energy. A lot of people think you're 'just out there shooting', but it does drain you. "If you think the wrong thing (when aiming), you'll make mistakes." Even from 50m, the difference between success and failure is "probably less than a millimetre". Now 17, Sedgman is aiming for a spot at the London Olympics next year." ["Alethea" is Greek for "liberty"]


CA: Open carry activists to tote long guns in public: "Now that a new California law banning the open carry of pistols is loaded for action, the big guns are coming out.Rifles, that is. And shotguns.Gun owners who are upset that the anti-carry state law will go into effect Jan. 1 intend to start packing their biggest heat in open as often and as visibly as they can, beginning with a gathering Saturday in San Leandro"

CA: Bully finally gets shot: "The shooting in Monrovia, Calif., appeared to be self-defense after Blair threatened his business partner, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Det. Dan McElderry. But he said the case still is under investigation and will be submitted to the District Attorney's Office for a decision whether to file charges. The violent death was the end of a life visited by violence from an early age. "Sometime in his teenage years he began exhibiting the behavior that followed him through his life," said Brett Blair, a half-brother who said he is "a member of the United Methodist clergy." Brett Blair said he lives in Memphis and Florida, but had cut off relations with his brother about 1975.




British man on trial for shooting black (above) who was breaking into his apartment: "An unarmed burglar was shot in broad daylight by a man whose ground floor flat he had broken in to. Raymond Andes, fired a single round which hit 21-year-old Isaiah Bovell in the head in the garden of his south London home, the Old Bailey heard. Andes, 39, accepts firing the weapon, but denies murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life on the grounds that he acted 'in reasonable self defence trying to scare off someone he believed to be attempting to break-in'. Mr Bovell had gone to Mr Andes flat in Clapham with two others who were waiting outside the front of the property, the court heard on Friday. He was shot shortly before 11.15am on April 14, as he tried to force entry into the property via the ground floor bedroom window. The burglar was pronounced dead at the scene." [It's a jury trial so he could well get off]

MN: Good Samaritan shoots, kills armed robber: "Police say a middle-aged woman was assaulted and robbed near a south Minneapolis Cub Foods. A witness, with a conceal and carry permit, saw the incident, chased the attacker, and fired off at least one shot killing the suspect. On Friday evening, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the dead man as 23-year-old Darren Evanovich of Minneapolis. Authorities say he died from multiple gunshot wounds. "We do know guns were drawn from both parties," said Sgt. McCarty. "But we are still investigating exactly what happened." Those critical details will determine whether or not the Good Samaritan in this case will be charged. The witness in this case has not been arrested. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be passed on to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office."


CA: Bedroom shooting case ends in acquittal: "A man who shot his ex-girlfriend's nephew in San Rafael was acquitted of assault charges Friday. Edward William Outcalt, 50, claimed self-defense in the shooting, which occurred in July 2010 at his ex-girlfriend's home on Marquard Avenue. Outcalt rented a room in the house, and the woman's 24-year-old nephew lived there as well. During a conflict in the middle of the night, Outcalt shot the nephew in the abdomen with a .22-caliber gun he kept next to his bed. San Rafael police arrived to find Outcalt and the gun in some bushes near the home. The nephew suffered one bullet wound and survived. Defense attorney Jon Rankin said the nephew was a volatile martial arts practitioner who had threatened Outcalt previously and called him a "f——— Chihuahua." On the night of the shooting, when the heavily intoxicated nephew burst into Outcalt's room, Outcalt feared for his life and instinctively went for his gun, Rankin said."


OH: For two years, the police have kept my gun: "At 2 a.m. on April 24, 2010, the alarm to the backyard barn went off. I armed myself and went to check it out. The barn door was wide open and a man was inside looking around with a flashlight. I yelled at him to come to me and he came at me with a tire iron in hand. He was less than 10 feet away when I fired a warning shot. He turned and ran; I fired more shots trying to get him to stop. At no time was I trying to hit him. The police came, took the tire iron that he dropped and also took my gun. It’s been almost two years, and I still cannot get my gun back. No charges were ever filed. I saw a lawyer and was told it would cost me $400 to file papers with the court for return of the gun. The gun was registered and I have a permit to carry. I’m 68, never been in trouble. I fired in self-defense. Why are they keeping my gun?"

CA: Market owner shoots habitual criminals: "The Coroner has released the names of the men who were shot at a southeast market Tuesday night and both men were recently released from prison and had extensive criminal records. Efrem Wandick, 41 and David Lyons, 24 were shot at the Central-Cali Market on East California Avenue. Both men spent time in prison for being in a gang and possessing firearms. Family members who protested against the store Thursday say what happened Tuesday night didn't have to end in violence. "The owner (Samrith Vong) didn't go to jail, he shot them for what? All the family wants to know is, for what? If it was an argument or whatever it wasn't cause for no killing," said Randle. She says Vong could have called 911. The clerks in the store declined interviews, but did the shooter act in self defense? Attorney Kathryn Fox says even if a person is running away, self-defense can be used depending on the situation."


RI: Drug dealer sees of robbers but grabbed by cops: "The victim of a home invasion in Providence went before a judge Thursday. Investigators said 23-year-old Michael Badessa was the intended target Wednesday night when he and three others were held up on the first floor of 270 Knight St. by two armed intruders. Police said Badessa fired a pistol at the intruders and hit one. Thirty-year-old Jose Dearmas collapsed in a neighbor's driveway. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was in serious condition. The other man got away. Although Badessa was a victim, police found large amounts of drugs -- cocaine and 10 pounds of marijuana -- in his second-floor apartment. He was arraigned Thursday on those charges, not for firing a gun at the intruders. He was ordered held without bail."

FL: Clerk at 24 Hour shop shoots, kills would-be robber who grabbed child: "A clerk at a landmark East Naples corner store shot and killed a man Tuesday as he attempted to rob the family-run shop and flee with her 1-year-old daughter. The man, whose name was not released, demanded money from the Elizabeth Easterly, a clerk at Del’s 24 Hour Food Store, and then grabbed a stroller that held Easterly’s baby, said Del Ackerman, the store’s owner and Easterly’s grandfather. Easterly, 22, was alone during a shift change, running the shop with her 1- and 2-year-old daughters there, Ackerman said. Around 3 p.m. a man entered the store, 2802 Thomasson Dr., “acting erratically,” Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jamie Mosbach said. As the man made for the front door with the child, Easterly did just as she had been taught — she drew a gun and aimed for the would-be robber’s knee, Ackerman said. Bleeding, the man was then tackled outside the front door by a store employee who was about to start his shift. The man was transported to NCH Downtown Naples Hospital. He died from his injuries."


OH: Robber flees after shot: "An armed robbery at a Dayton business takes an unexpected turn.. when the store clerk pulls out a gun of his own! It happened the evening of September 27th at the Best Wireless store in the 28-hundred block of Salem Avenue in Dayton... and surveillance cameras captured the whole thing. An armed suspect wearing a bandana over his face walked into the store, his weapon already drawn and pointed at the clerk. The suspect even hops the counter, but that's when the tables turned. The store clerk pulled out his own weapon and fired a warning shot into the ceiling! That's when the suspect quickly turns tail and hightails it out the door. Detective Cayce Cantrell said "The suspect is described as a black male with a short haircut"


CA: Camouflaged woman intruder shot dead: "Dressed in camouflage from head-to-toe, an unidentified woman parked her car about a mile from her former co-worker's Cherokee County home, walked the rest of the way and slipped inside with a gun. It was 6:30 this morning, and the homeowner's wife had just left for work. A struggle ensued between the man and the woman. A shot was fired. A bullet hit the woman in the head, killing her."


Senate votes to end “Fast and Furious” gun program: "The Senate voted Tuesday to effectively block the Justice Department from undertaking gun-smuggling probes like the flawed 'Operation Fast and Furious' aimed at breaking up networks running guns to Mexican drug cartels but that lost track of hundreds of the weapons, some of which were used to commit crimes in Mexico and the United States. The 99-0 vote would block the government from transferring guns to drug cartels unless federal agents 'continuously monitor or control' the weapons."

Anti-gun liars

This year, Wisconsin became the 49th state to recognize the right of its citizens to carry firearms.1 Now, only one state remains in the Dark Ages — that being the state of Illinois.

But as can be imagined, the anti-gun media is predicting that letting citizens carry firearms will result in carnage in the streets, shootouts in bars, and angry parents settling scores on the ball field with their firearms.

And to supposedly prove their point, they cite a bogus report of the Violence Policy Center (VPC), entitled “Concealed Carry Killers.” The faux report says that “since May 2007 at least 300 people — including 11 law enforcement officers — have been killed by private citizens legally allowed to carry handguns in killings not ruled self-defense ….”2

An article at PajamasMedia.com has done a good analysis of the VPC “report,” showing that the anti-gun group:

*Double counts victims to inflate their statistics;

*Counts people who are still alive today, as though they had been murdered by concealed carry permit holders;

*Includes deaths that were caused by rifles, beatings or strangulation — in other words, tabulating deaths that were clearly NOT caused by concealed handguns; and

*In some cases, even counts “murderers” who were later cleared in court as having acted in self-defense.3

According to the Pajamas Media analysis, less than half of the deaths which were attributed to concealed carry holders by the VPC were actually “committed by a permit holder drawing and firing his or her concealed weapon.”4

Less than half?

Yes, less than half of the killings were actually committed by a handgun that was in the possession of a concealed carry permit holder. That was the analysis as of December 21, 2009. Sadly, VPC’s reporting has not gotten any better in the following two years.

VPC still embellishing its figures to demonize gun owners

With the Wisconsin law set to go into effect on November 1, 2011, VPC is excoriating the Badger State for ignoring the “bloody record of police deaths, mass shootings, and attempted political assassination” which have supposedly been perpetrated by concealed carry holders.

There are some in the media who are peddling this hype and using VPC’s bogus statistics to scare the public.5 But what goes unnoticed by a gullible media is that VPC is still inflating the number of “concealed killers,” even while they ignore the fact that the average citizen — yes, even the average cop — is much more likely to commit a crime with a gun than is a gun owner with a concealed carry permit.

More here




Repeal all gun laws: "At the core of suspicion is the concept that regulation or even a gun ban would have helped. No honest gun owner would believe this because they understand deeply how they are the only one they can count on in time of violence. The entire purpose of carrying a gun is --- as we often say -- because a cop is too heavy."


Oregon court overturns campus gun ban: "In a ruling late last month, the Oregon State Court of Appeals overturned a longstanding firearm ban at The University of Oregon. Jeff Maxwell, a U.S. Marine and student, was arrested and suspended from school for having a concealed weapon in a university building and, thus, violating the no-gun policy. The Oregon Firearms Federation filed a lawsuit on his behalf after the incident. There are currently 15 states that allow universities to decide whether concealed weapons should be banned, but this case could potentially change those states' laws regarding guns, as it ruled that universities do not have the "institutional authority" to regulate guns.
"It's a state law decision having to do with who gets to make state rules concerning guns," David Franklin, a professor at DePaul's College of Law, said. "The court held that only the state legislature can do so."

More gun control is more nonsense

The rush is on in California — the rush to mass exodus, that is.

Last week, gun legislation signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown signaled the floodgates to open even wider, as sportsmen’s voices were ignored.

Liberalism was on display as California bucked the national trend to loosen gun ownership restrictions by requiring the preservation of records for long guns sold or transferred after Jan. 1, 2014 with the passage of AB 809.

The measure was cheered by Dallas Stout, president of the California Brady Campaign Chapters. He said, “The governor has shown common sense and real courage.”

But, it is this type of intellect that has created a budget deficit as much as $28 billion this year and more than $20 billion annually for the foreseeable future.

The National Shooting Foundation's Senior Vice President and General Counsel Larry Keane said, “The bill will increase costs for the taxpayers and the state’s retailers, most of whom are small mom-and-pop businesses. It will cost the state jobs and tax revenue, all the while doing absolutely nothing to reduce crime.”
Of course, this bill and AB 144 also signed into law, which prohibits carrying in public openly displayed handguns, are cited as viable means to control crime.

Sounds logical to the uninformed, but oh, those pesky facts. The gun-control advocates rely on scare tactics and fear that never materialize. Remember how they were quick to sound the alarm when the landmark Supreme Court cases of Washington D.C. and Chicago struck down restrictive gun bans?

It’s emotion. Nothing else.

District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty had this prediction: “More handguns in the District of Columbia will only lead to more handgun violence.”

Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley predicted disaster. He said that overturning the gun ban was “a very frightening decision” and predicted more deaths along with Wild West-style shootouts and that people “are going to take a gun and they are going to end their lives in a family dispute.”

According to John Lott, author of “More Guns, Less Crime,” in the first six months of 2011, there were 14 percent fewer murders in Chicago, compared to the first six months of last year (when owning handguns was illegal).

It marks the largest drop in Chicago's murder rate since the handgun ban went into effect in 1982. Similarly, in the year after the 2008 Heller decision, the murder rate in Washington, D.C., fell two-and-a-half times faster than in the rest of the country.

Here’s a little prediction of my own: The 2012 election will continue the revolution toward freedoms at the polls that swept this country in 2010 like a new broom.

That’s one fact the liberals won’t be able to dodge. Will they understand? Probably not.

Source




TX: Homeowner shoots, kills teen suspect in home invasion: "A homeowner confronted by two men with guns during an early morning home invasion robbery shot a teenage suspect who collapsed and died in a field next to the home, according to Beaumont Police, who say a second attacker got away. Officers responded to a report of shots fired at 2:10 a.m. Sunday in the 2400 block of Durden in north Beaumont. The 55-year-old homeowner told investigators rwo men with handguns forced their way into his home and demanded money. The man said he struggled with the attackers and was able to get a gun. He fired at the men and struck one in the chest. They ran away toward Roman Alley. While officers were securing the area they found a man dead in a field just east of the 2400 block of Durden. The man had a single gunshot wound to the chest. Detectives were called out to the scene. Investigators have identified the man as Marvin Hall Jr., 18. The other man got away. Investigators haven't filed any charges against the homeowner."

AG: Gun control would have stopped Fast and Furious

In an astonishing admission, Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress that a lack of gun control was to blame for the government selling guns to Mexican drug cartels.

Holder sent a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Charles Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary, regarding recent revelations he was briefed on Operation Fast and Furious much earlier than he told Congress.

Operation Fast and Furious was a plan by government officials to permit illegal aliens to purchase and take weapons across the border. Once the guns crossed the border, agents often lost track of them. The guns have since been found to have been used in several crimes in the U.S., resulting in at least one death, border patrol agent Brian Terry.

In May, Holder appeared before Congress. At that time he was asked specifically when he first heard about Fast and Furious. Holder responded, “I'm not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.”

Recently released documents reveal that Holder received memos referring to the program in July, 2010. A July 5 memo said, “Operation Fast and Furious” involved a “firearms trafficking ring.”

Holder downplayed his Congressional testimony and claimed he misunderstood the question.

After being challenged by Issa for his answer, Holder fired off a letter to Congress claiming that he had never read the memos, and it was the responsibility of his staff to brief him on what they considered important.

Holder then went on to say that the reason the ATF was unable to prevent the weapons from being sold to the cartels was a lack of gun control and registration.

“ATF witnesses testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that the agency’s ability to stem the flow of guns from the United States into Mexico is severely impaired by a lack of effective law enforcement tools.” Holder said, “For example, a number of witnesses indicated that current penalties for illegal straw purchases are inadequate to deter such activity or to include cooperation with law enforcement authorities after a violation is detected. Likewise, the lack of reporting requirements for multiple long gun purchases in a short period of time hindered law enforcement efforts to combat gun trafficking.”

During the operation, gun dealers contacted government officials with concerns over the number of purchases some illegals were making. They were told by ATF officials to let the sales go through.

Luke O’Dell, Director of Operations for the National Association for Gun rights, said Holder’s statement reveals the real reason the DOJ approved of Fast and Furious.

“That is the ultimate purpose of the Fast and Furious program. Obama’s Justice Department is pursuing its own political agenda rather than protect the American people.” O’Dell said, “That agenda is to restrict access and ultimately ban civilian access to all types of firearms. Remember, the administration has said ‘never let a crisis go to waste.’”

Responding to Holder’s letter, Issa fired off a terse response. While many times officials will try to be polite, using terms such as "mislead," Issa said the DOJ lied. ‘The Department of Justice has been lying to Congress ever since the inquiry into Fast and Furious began. On Feb 4, 2011, Assistant Attorney General, Ronald Weich, wrote that ‘ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally and prevent their transport into Mexico. This letter, vetted by both the senior ranks of ATF as well as the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, is a flat-out lie.”

Issa also made it plain that he did not believe Holder’s statement about not knowing about the program. “The facts simply do not support any claim that Fast and Furious did not reach the highest levels of the Justice Department. Actually, Fast and Furious did reach the ultimate authority in the Department - you.”

Issa concluded saying, “Whether you realize it or not, you own Fast and Furious. It is your responsibility.”

Issa’s office told the Gazette that during the course of the investigation, many of the documents released by the Justice Department were heavily redacted, some to the point of being useless.

On Oct. 12, the Gazette received a copy of a subpoena sent to Holder by Issa asking for unredacted documents for Fast and Furious or any Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) firearms trafficking case based in Phoenix, Arizona; to or from fifteen members of the Justice department, including Holder. Holder was also told to produce every single memo he received on any topic over a nearly two-year period.

For the first time, Congress is asking for information that reaches into the White House itself. The subpoena sent by Issa also demands “All communications between and among Department of Justice (DOJ) employees and Executive Office of the President employees, including, but not limited to, Associate Communications Director, Eric Schultz, referring or relating to Operation Fast and Furious or any other firearms trafficking cases.”

Roll Call reported a GOP source familiar with the investigation said there was more to the request than a routine inquiry. The source said, “The question is whether the White House has been instructing the Justice Department on what [documents] to release.”

Fast and Furious has become a sore spot for the administration. A CBS reporter claimed Holder had yelled at her for daring to ask a question about the operation.

Source




CA: Shooter in Killing Claims Self Defense: "The man who shot a house guest to death in his Mayflower Avenue home on Friday told investigators that he acted in self defense, a sheriff's official said. The man, who was not identified because he was not arrested, said that his house guest came into his bedroom in the early morning hours Friday and made threatening statements, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Lt. Michael Rosson said. Rosson declined to elaborate about whether a struggle took place or where the gun was when the deceased man allegedly made the threats. There had been no previous dispute between the men before the allegedly threatening behavior, Rosson said. The man who was killed came out to California from Tennessee in an effort to start a business, Rosson said. He and the shooter were "acquaintances" at some time in that state and are not related, Rosson said."