MO: Woman Shoots man in Confrontation at her Home

According to police, the woman pulled up to her home and was confronted by a stranger.

“This initially began in her driveway, she was in her car, the person, the deceased, approached her there and then there was some type of confrontation. She ran in to the house and he followed her,” said Roy Joachimstaler, Chief of Police for the O'Fallon Police Department.

Police said the woman then fired multiple rounds, killing the man.

 More Here

Followup OR: Landlord found Justified in Ricky McKowen Shooting

Clackamas County prosecutors on Monday dropped charges against a Milwaukie-area landlord recently accused of murdering his tenant.

A Clackamas County grand jury opted not to indict Gerald Miller in the death of Ricky McKowen after hearing testimony from McKowen's girlfriend, who was at the house when the shooting occurred, Miller's adult daughter and others, the Clackamas County District Attorney's office said.
 More Here

AZ: Gun for Hire

Driving to the Ranch through the Mohawk valley, east of Yuma, I noticed the gentleman pictured above.  I stopped to take his picture and determine his business.

You can see that the soil in this area is a fluffy loam.  It is highly productive, irrigated by Colorado River water.  This area near Yuma is some of the most productive agricultural land in the United States and in the world.

Leo did not mind having his picture taken.  I asked him if he were guarding the field from birds that would eat the seeds.  No, he said, ground squirrels. He had shot three the previous day.  They infiltrated the approximately 10 acre field from the perimeter of uncultivated land.  Leo and his partner on the other side of the field spent 9 hours a day guarding the field from the pests. 

Leo was carrying the utility grade version of the popular Mossberg 500, the Maverick 88.  The 88 has trigger guard mounted safety instead of the tang safety for the 500 proper. The Mossberg family of pump shotguns is one of the most popular the world has ever known, with the beefed up  military version the 590 and 590A1.  Leo used ordinary dove and quail loads of number 8 shot.

I am not sure what was planted in this field. I talked to a farmer about pest problems in the area.  Ground squirrils are only one.  Birds can devastate whole fields of lettuce by pulling up sprouts one after another as they walk along, without eating them.  Maybe they think they are worms.  Larger pests do monumental damage.  Deer consume large amounts of valuable produce.  It is hard to obtain depradation permits for them.

Wild horses come in the middle of the night and fill themselves in the fields.  Then they wallow in what is left. Wild burros are said to be even more destructive. Managers are frightened of the Wild Horse and Burrow act and terrified that "animal rights" activists will single them out for destruction with the assistance of the media.

Lettuce is a common crop in Yuma.  The value of a crop is about $10,000 per acre, so a 10 acre field has about $100,000 to be protected.  The ground squirrels only raid the edges.

Farm managers in the Yuma area are very careful they use the latest techniques and track all expenses.  If Leo, his partner and their model 88 shotguns were not cost effective, they would not be there.

I was impressed with Leo.  He was knowledgeable,  polite, and well spoken. He handled the model 88 with the casual confidence of a workman with his tools.  Muzzle discipline was excellent, just as I expect from American shooters.  The muzzle never crossed me, and it never was pointed at the road.

Leo was quietly enthusiastic about the job.  He got to hunt things all day and get paid for it. He and his colleagues do not use shotguns all the time.  Much of their days are spent managing the irrigation flow.  It is their efforts, and those of farm managers organized around a market that produces the abundant and inexpensive food supply in the United States.

We should encourage them to protect their crops against animal mauraders, be they bird, rodent, deer, horse, or burro.


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

AZ: Woman Openly Carrying Glock Threatened by Armed Felon; She Kills Him

A woman openly carrying a Glock was threatened by an armed felon in the early morning hours of 1 August, 2016.  She was leaving the gas station with a drink in her hand and the Glock on her hip.  Her daughter would be turning three in about a week. From abc15.com:

Miracle said she was leaving the Circle K near 59th Avenue and Camelback Road with her family early Monday morning when the suspect, Frank Taylor , tried to bum a cigarette. She told him that she didn’t have one, and then seconds later, Miracle said, she could feel the barrel of the gun against her skin.

“He put the gun up to my neck and said, ‘It’s loaded, don’t move,’” Miracle said. ”I think he thought, ‘She’s a little girl. Maybe she doesn’t know how to use her weapon.’”

Miracle said, “I dropped my soda, released my gun from my holster and cocked it. I shot him and ran in the opposite direction."

Link to video of interview with Carolann Miracle

Carolann's father was a Marine.  He taught her well.  The pistol appears to be a Glock model 17 or 22, with night sights.

There are several things to note about this encounter.  Many elements of the story are items often found in armed robberies/muggings.

First is the approach.  It is common for robbers/muggers to use a pretext to close the distance and distract the victim.  Asking for a cigarret is a common pretext.  So is asking for the time.

Second is picking what appeared to be weak prey. Carolann is a small woman, 4'11, 85 pounds.  It is common  for human predators to pick on weaker prey. Maybe he did not see the Glock on her hip.  It was dark.  She was holding a drink from the gas station, probably in her right hand.  If she was wearing a dark top, as she was in the video, the Glock would not have presented much contrast.  While open carriers tend to be very aware of their defensive firearm, many people never notice it.

Carolann did many things right.  The first was to instantly recognize the threat.  Many become mired in the thought that "this cannot be happening"; "this is not real".  People who carry are much less likely to do that because they have considered the possibility of attack and prepared for it.

She did the right thing when she dropped her drink.  Dropping things to access your weapon or to fight better is not an instinctive reaction.  Many people instinctively hang on to useless things that impede their ability to fight.  I taught my students to practice dropping things at the beginning of a fight so that they could draw their firearm, and fight more effectively.

She did the right thing when she fled the area in the opposite direction from the way the attacker was going.  Many attacks, perhaps 50%, involve an accomplice.  She purposefully made the decision, moved to safety, then called the police.

Carolann's response is common.  She did not want to kill her attacker. It was a consequence of what he forced her to do.  She would have preferred that it never happened.

There were witnesses and surveillance video, both of which backed up her story.

Carolann says she "cocked it".  I suspect she was carrying Israeli style, in condition 3, with an empty chamber.  If you practice pulling and releasing the slide as you draw, it can be fairly fast.

What did not happen.

Carolann was openly carrying.  She was accosted by a violent, armed felon.  He did not simply "shoot her first" as many who oppose open carry claim will happen.  Even though he "had the drop" on her, she won the gun fight. 

Action beats reaction.  Dropping the drink likely gave her another second, as the felon probably thought  "dropping drink" not "drawing gun".

It is a known gunfighter tactic that Louis L'Amore wrote about in one of his novels.  In that case, the fictional character let a match burn down to his fingers from lighting a cigarette, thus conditioning his opponents to expect him to flick his hand away from the burn.  Expecting that, they were surprised by the draw.

Maybe Carolann did not consciously make that decision; but the effect was similar.

Carolann Miracle; small woman, Marine's daughter, open carrier, mother, now, undesired, gunfighter.  She survived and lived to see her daughter's third birthday.

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

Clarification:  Frank Taylor pleaded guilty to Trafficking in Stolen Property in February of 2015.


Trafficking in stolen property is a felony in Arizona.

TX: Off Duty Deputy Constable ; Gun Beats Car and Knife

"The suspect entered his vehicle that he drove to this residence, put it in reverse and attempted to run over the sergeant and pin him between the fence and the car," Collier said.

Investigators said the man then parked his car and got out with a knife, telling the officer that he would assault him.

"The sergeant told him put down the knife to not approach him," Collier said. "The suspect approached anyhow, at which time the officer discharged the weapon twice striking the suspect in the stomach."

The man was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital by Life Flight. Officials said he was in critical condition.
More Here

KY: Armed Homeowner Shoots, Kills, 1 of 4 Home Invasion Suspects

About 8:18 a.m. Saturday, four armed people forced their way into the home at 123 Clark Hollow in Olive Hill and took an undisclosed amount of cash, according to state police. Several people, including children, were in the home at the time but no one was injured.

During the robbery, according to state police, an altercation occurred between the homeowner and one of the robbery suspects. Kevin J. Helton, 48, of Salt Lick, was shot and killed at the scene, according to police.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article95649622.html#storylink=cpy

 More Here

DC Residents Challenge Ban on Stun Guns

Image of Crystal Wright from conservativeblackchick.com

On August 2nd, 2016, another case was filed to regain Second Amendment rights in the District of Columbia.  This case is likely to succeed, and it may set some interesting precedents.  It is a case that sues to eliminate the unconstitutional ban on stun guns and Tasers in the District. From cnsnews.com:

The plaintiffs in this case—Crystal Wright, Brendan Turner, and Traci Dean—have indicated that they have a legitimate need to defend themselves, but each has stated a desire to use a Taser or stun gun against an assailant rather than a gun, knife, or some other form of lethal force. The plaintiffs argue that pursuant to Heller, the Second Amendment extends to “all instruments that constitute bearable arms, even those that were not in existence at the time of the founding.”

Accordingly, the District “may not completely ban the keeping and bearing of arms for self-defense that are not unusually dangerous, deny individuals the right to carry arms in non-sensitive places,” or “deprive individuals of the right to keep or carry arms in an arbitrary and capricious manner.”

From the case filing  1:2016cv01556 against the District of Columbia and Cathy Lanier(pdf) :

37.
D.C. Code § 7-2502.01(a) provides with exceptions not pertinent to plaintiffs that “no person or organization in the District of Columbia (“District”) shall receive, possess, control, transfer, offer for sale, sell, give, or deliver any destructive device.” 

38.
D.C. Code § 7-2501.01(7) (D) defines “Destructive device” inter alia as, “Any device designed or redesigned, made or remade, or readily converted or restored, and intended to stun or disable a person by means of electric shock.”  

39.
Thus, the District of Columbia outlaws the private possession by
plaintiffs of a Taser or stun gun within the District.

 The lawsuit cites the recent per curiam decision in Caetano v. Massachusetts:

13. 

Given the decision in Heller, The District of Columbia may not completely ban the keeping and bearing of arms for self-defense that are not unusually dangerous, deny individuals the right to carry arms in non-sensitive places, deprive individuals of the right to keep or carry arms in an arbitrary and capricious manner, or impose regulations on the right to keep and carry arms that are inconsistent with the Second Amendment. See Caetano v. Massachusetts, 577 U.S. ___ (2016); Heller v. District of Columbia, 801 F.3d 26

In Caetano(pdf), the Supreme Court unanimously held that stun guns were protected under the Second Amendment.  It is hard to see how the District court will be able to ignore that recent, unanimous, ruling. The District is already under legal threat that their abusively restrictive gun carry permit scheme is a de-facto ban.

It will be interesting to see how the D.C. lawyers attempt to wiggle out of this lawsuit.

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

Easy to Make Your Own Guns

The more people that understand that making guns is not difficult, the more people will understand that "gun control" is counter productive.

AR-15 rifles are the most common sporting rifles in the country. They are used for target shooting and many states allow you to hunt with them. Surprisingly, it’s pretty easy for people to make their own guns, both legally and illegally.

Raymond L. Blackmer III was arrested and charged with one federal count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in November 2015, which brings up a question. How easy is it to obtain or build a gun illegally?

NRA certified instructor Kirk Whatley told 22News, “People can make a firearm out of pipes, it’s not that difficult to do.”
More Here

ID: Man Assults Woman, is Shot, Wounded

Police said the man suffered a gunshot wound to his side during the argument with the woman about loose dogs on their street near Alameda Park.

The argument happened on the street and sidewalk outside the man and woman’s residences in the 600 block of Park Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Police said the man started pushing the woman. And during the ensuing melee, the handgun she possessed fired and wounded the man in the stomach area.

More Here

Poster Woman for Fatal Gun Accident w/AK Clone

Pick up a loaded AK clone, point it at your boyfriend's face at point blank range while you pin him to the bed.  The gun just "went off".  He is dead, and the woman is charged with negligent homicide.

I wonder if Rosario was right handed.  Are those bruises below her left eye?

The articles note that Gabriella does not have any prior arrests.  I found two for a Rosario Soto Leon in the Phoenix area, one on March 7th, another on April 20th, both in Maricopa County. Without further ID, it is impossible to know if it is the same Rosario Soto Leon. If it is, he would have been 20 years old. From abc15.com:

According to court paperwork, Hardee and her boyfriend, Rosario Leon, were getting ready to check out of the room when they jumped onto the bed together.

Hardee admitted to picking up the gun that was on the bed next to Leon. She picked up the weapon, put her hand on the trigger and the weapon discharged. She told officers she pointed the gun at a downward angle that was directly at her boyfriend’s head.

Fatal gun accidents have become quite rare in the United States.  There are only about 500 a year.  That is down from 3200 in 1932.  The per capita rate of fatal gun accidents has dropped by 94% in that time period.

It does not appear that Gabriella was trained in how to use the rifle, or had any safety training with firearms, generally.  From 12news.com:

Police said based on the knowledge Hardee had that Leon usually had ammunition in the weapon and Hardee had seen it being discharged and knew it was a deadly weapon that she was operating carelessly, she will be charged with negligent homicide.

The case seems a classic example of what criminologist Gary Kleck wrote about in "Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America" the classic text on guns, gun use, yse if guns in crime and gun control in America. From Point Blank, page 297 in the chapter on "Reducing Gun Accidents":

Concerning the second premise, many gun accidents, perhaps the majority of them, involve chronically reckless people whose impulsiveness, emotional immaturity, or alcoholism cannot be eliminated by a few hours of safety training.

When those words were written in 1991, fatal gun accidents were occuring at a rate of .57 per 100,000.  The figure was .16 per 100,000 in 2013.  That is a 67% drop in only 23 years, so Mr. Kleck may have been a little pessimistic. Perhaps a high school course in gun safety would have made a difference.  But maybe not.

Rosario had only had the rifle for two and a half weeks.  He had kept the rifle loaded most of the time, according to reports.  No one has reported what Rosario did for a living to pay for things like rifles and motel rooms.

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

PA: Home Invasion Suspect Shot

According to a police report, the home invasion took place in the village of Cumbola, Blythe Township, 12 miles west of Tamaqua. Police said a 40-year-old male forcibly entered a home at 190 Market St. about 1:20 a.m. He was then shot by a 50-year-old male who lived in the home. The victim was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital and is listed in stable condition. No other details were released.
More Here

IL: Brothers Disarm Jelous Boyfriend

Navarro allegedly mistook the man’s brother for the person for who he was looking. He allegedly pointed what appeared to be a black handgun at the man and his wife. While the two suspects tried to reason with Navarro, the intended victim, a 31-year-old man, came outside. Navarro allegedly pointed the gun at him and the man jumped into Navarro’s car to try to disarm him. The victim’s brother joined the fray and the two men were able to take the gun from Navarro while punching him and striking him with the gun several times.

More Here

MO: Domestic Defense Man Shoots Brother to Stop Attack with Hammer

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – A 56-year old man is in police custody after fatally wounding his brother in an attempt to stop him from attacking a woman with a hammer.

More Here

IN: Armed Victim Exercises Much Restraint; Refrains from Fireing Back

Evansville police have arrested two people in connection with a shooting that took place in broad daylight in the middle of a neighborhood on the city's southeast side Thursday morning. The incident could have been worse, police said, if not for the restraint displayed by the victim, who opted not to shoot back despite legally carrying a firearm.

More Here

Followup KY: Man Justified in Shooting Pearson Brothers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —A judge ruled a Louisville man acted in self-defense when he shot two brothers.

(snip)

The judge noted the two brothers were fighting over a gun with bystanders in the area.

Albright asked them to stop and drop the gun, and when they didn't, he fired.

"One of the questions I asked him, I said, ‘Would you do it again? Knowing what you know now, knowing what all you've been through, would you do this again?’ And he said ‘Absolutely.’ He said, ‘It's cost me a lot, 'but it was important for him to protect himself and others,’" Schaefer said.
More Here

Followup OH: Clerk Justifed in Fatal Shooting

CINCINNATI (AP) - Prosecutors say a convenience store clerk was justified in fatally shooting a teenage robbery suspect two weeks ago in southwest Ohio and won't be charged criminally.

Authorities say 18-year-old Anton Kirby entered the Cheviot (SHEH'-vee-uht) convenience store July 29 wearing blue latex gloves and holding a handgun and ordered clerk Jeremy Donohue to empty the cash register. Donohoe pulled a handgun from his waistband after he was unable to open a store safe and shot Kirby four times.
More Here

TX: Homeowner Shoots Home Invader

A home invader was shot and wounded by a resident in east Oak Cliff Thursday night.

Police were called about 8:30 p.m. to the 1600 block of Missouri Avenue where they found the man shot in the leg. The resident reportedly shot the man in self-defense.
More Here

FL: Felon, Unable to Control Rage, is Killed by Armed Citizen

That first deadly case of road rage occurred in Tampa in 2001. Durham became enraged behind the wheel, angry with a fellow motorist. He followed the man into a parking lot.

The other driver was a cancer survivor who had recently become a grandfather. Timothy Gibbs, just 48 years old, was sucker punched so hard by Durham he lay in the hospital brain dead for days before succumbing to his injuries.

Durham had been upset with Gibbs after the two men exchanged words and hand gestures while in traffic. Durham, however, took it a step further and insisted on a face-to-face argument, then delivering that fatal blow.

Gibbs’ widow, Nancy, talked to News Channel 8 Wednesday. “I know it’s not the Christian thing to say, but this is poetic justice,” she said.
More Here

DE: Armed Victime Shoots Back, Stops Robbery

Hoffman said that at about 2:25 p.m. Aug. 10, two men were walking on Ridgely Street when Braswell came up to them, pulled a handgun and demanded their property.

The men fought with Braswell, who then fired several shots at them; one of the men, who was legally carrying his own firearm, shot back at Braswell, Hoffman said.

Braswell was arrested a short time later.
More Here

MO: Father Uses "Military" Rifle to Defend Self, Children

"He jumped out of his truck, even left the truck running, came straight to the property owner and began to assail him with fists," Dobbs said. "The property got away from him, hollering at him to leave. They were friends. They worked together in the past, so the guy was saying, 'Just get out of here, man; leave me alone.' And the guy wouldn't leave so the property owner tells the kids to go into the house."

Meredith followed his children into the house and retrieved a rifle and went back to the door from where Dobbs said he told Sullivan again to leave the premise.

"He refuses; the guy fires a warning shot into the air," he said. "The assailant still doesn't leave the property.

"The guy moves back into the back part of the trailer house, has the girls in a back bedroom, and the assailant comes through the front door, makes the turn down the hallway towards the bedroom,"

Dobbs said. "The property owner says, 'Stop or I'll shoot.' The guy doesn't stop, and in fact, it's described as charging him, the property owner shoots once and the guy drops and dies of his wounds."

More Here