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30 September, 2007

Mississippi: Exasperated Homeowner Defends Home: "Patricia Parker was home watching Wheel of Fortune on televsion Friday night. She says just before 7pm she heard her live in boyfriend Otis yell out her name. She says... at that point, she knew something was wrong. "He said, Tricia, Just like that. He said Tricia and I knew something was wrong." When Patricia walked outside she realized that her boyfriend was holding a knife aimed at a man lying on their back porch. Patricia belives the man was trying to steal their air conditioner, and that Otis caught him in the act. She says Otis was so frustrated, he went into the house to get his gun. Instead of taking that opportunity to flee, the suspect ran into the house after Otis. Patricia says at that point, things seemed to get out of hand. "I said Otis, please don't shoot that man, please don't shoot him. But he shot twice. " The suspect eventually ran out of the home, with Otis hot on his trial. He was struck at least twice, by bullets in Otis' gun. Police found the suspect running down State Street, apparently trying to get to a nearby hospital. Otis was taken away in handcuffs, though police say he probably won't face any charges. The suspect is recovering at a local hospital. He will likely end up in handcuffs once he is released from the hospital."



Mississippi: Jackson Homeowner Shoots At Would-Be Burglars: "Students at McLeod Elementary School were on lockdown Friday afternoon as police searched for two men involved in an attempted home invasion. Homeowner Fredrico Hamblin said he saw a car in his neighborhood most of the morning, passing in front of his Riverwood Drive house several times. The two men tried to get into his home through the garage, Hamblin said, so he opened fire, shooting five or six times. Hamblin said he thinks he hit one of the men. A stray bullet hit a neighbor's car. "I was just trying to get them away from my home. I shot five or six times. One of them dove over the car. I think that's when I shot him," he said. Both men ran into a wooded area; police found one of the men about a half-hour later behind the Mississippi Basketball Association Complex. Police used a helicopter and dogs to search for the other man, and nearby McLeod Elementary was put on lockdown. A constable arrested another person believed to be the driver for the two men nearby. Police said Hamblin will not face charges related to this shooting because he was protecting his home."



Disarmament bill being rammed through Senate: "You'd think that when rabid, anti-gun legislators like Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy join together to pass anti-gun legislation, it would raise a few red flags. But these two New York Democrats are currently planning to roll over gun owners with H.R. 2640 -- legislation which would bar you from owning guns if: * You are a battle-scarred veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; or * As a kid, you were diagnosed with ADHD. .. Sen. Schumer is pushing hard to pass this legislation -- dubbed the Veterans Disarmament Act -- so he is circulating an 'agreement' which would waive the Senate rules in order to bring up and pass the bill. This agreement could come about in the next few hours or the next couple of days!"



29 September, 2007

Florida: Feisty lady pulls gun, scares off robbers: "A clerk at a Regency area clothing store scared away a group of robbers with a gun when she produced her own handgun during afternoon shakedown, according to authorities. Detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on Thursday afternoon launched an investigation of an armed robbery at the 904 Fashion store in the 10000 block of Atlantic Boulevard. According to authorities, four or five men walked into the store and started grabbing clothes and then produced a gun and tried to take money from the store's clerk. The store manager and JSO said the store clerk produced her own handgun from her purse and fired some shots at the robbers. The men ran from store and then fled the scene in a vehicle. The thieves did not get away with much merchandise or money, authorities said."



North Carolina: No charges filed in shooting: "No charges will be filed against a homeowner stemming from his fatal shooting of a suspected intruder last week, Surry County Sheriff Graham Atkinson said Wednesday. Jones, for whom no official address has been given, was shot on the morning of Sept. 17 while trying to burglarize a home he once owned at 484 Surry Gadsberry Road in the Pilot Mountain area, according to earlier accounts. Authorities have said that Jones had propped a ladder against the house and was attempting to gain entry through a window when he was confronted by Jayme Gullatt, the homeowner, who was awakened by a loud noise and grabbed a .223-caliber rifle. The intruder then began to advance on the homeowner, who fired two warning shots into the ground, based on Gullatt's statements to investigators. Despite the homeowner's actions, Jones continued to approach Gullatt and got to within a few feet of him before being shot once in the upper body. Jones was transported to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where he died later that day." [See also here]



California: Shooting of loony ruled self-defense: "An Acampo homeowner acted in self-defense and will not face charges for fatally shooting a man who drove through his home and confronted him, prosecutors said Wednesday. David Robinson, 60, was not arrested after the June 13 death of Ravi Batuk Vora, 39. San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies instead investigated the case and then forwarded it to prosecutors, who ruled it justifiable homicide. Robinson fired one gunshot, only after Vora had "initiated a prolonged and repeated assault" on Robinson and his wife, Deputy District Attorney Ron Freitas wrote in his final report on the case, which was signed Wednesday by District Attorney Jim Willett. [Case noted here on June 17]



28 September, 2007

Florida: Beaten Man Says 911 Dispatcher Had Him Return To Scene: "A disabled east Orange County man says a 911 operator told him to return to the scene where he was allegedly beaten by a group of thugs. When he got there, he said, he was almost beaten again by the same group until he used his gun to defend himself. John Holloway says a group of thugs tried to rob him after he picked up some groceries at a State Road 50 Circle K. He said he was punched and the men broke the windows out of his truck before he escaped. Holloway was then shocked to be told he needed to come back to the scene to get the address of the only Circle K in Christmas. "Hit me three times in the head with his fist," Holloway said. In the serene sounding town of Christmas, with one prosthetic leg and another leg paralyzed, Holloway was no match for five men surrounding to rob him. "All the sudden they're kicking and beating on my car and hollering at me, 'We're gonna get you! 'We're coming to your house. We're gonna get you and after we kill you, we're gonna take everything you have,'" he said. .. Holloway said, when he went back, he had his pistol in his hand and, when they attacked again, he fired one shot and scared the men away. The sheriff's office listed both Holloway and his attackers as victims and suspects. Apparently Holloway's mistake was firing his weapon to scare the men away. He said he did what he felt he had to do for his protection. There was no word if the 911 operator will be reprimanded for sending Holloway back to the scene".



Louisiana: Shootout at Casino: "What started as an armed robbery in Calcasieu Parish Louisiana led to a group of men in a shoot out with a security guard at a casino. The men didn't get far. “Mr. Budwine has been a constant nuisance to Vinton for a long time,” said Calcasieu Parish District Attorney John Degrosier. Investigators say Kenyon Budwine from Vinton and three men from Orange began a crime spree in Calcasieu Parish early Wednesday morning. The four men were armed with handguns and a shot gun. Authorities say they took what they could grab from an EZ Mart. Down the road, three of the men attempted to rob the Cash Majic Truckstop casino about an hour later. “We got another call of a robbery in progress,” said Mancuso. But a quick thinking security guard kept them out. They exchanged gunfire and bullets struck Budwine. In an attempt to get away, the men drove across the Texas border where Orange County Deputies stopped them. “Getting ready to put him out of business, where he's going he won't bother anyone for a long time,” said Degrosier. This isn't the first offense for Budwine. Vinton police say in the past he robbed a truck stop and got away with more than $1,000. All four of the men are being held under one million dollar bonds in the Orange County jail, but they'll be headed back to Louisiana soon."



Cleveland mayor "all wet" on anti-gun proposal to stem crime: "A proposal by anti-gun Cleveland, OH Mayor Frank Jackson to make firearm possession illegal by anyone under age 21 is a non-solution to a genuine problem of violent crime, and like all gun control laws, it targets the wrong people, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. Mayor Jackson's suggestion came after the killing of a 12-year-old girl caught in a crossfire near her home Sept. 1. However, one of the suspects in that gun battle, Eric Romel Wilson, would not have been affected by such a law because he is 35 years old, and due to his criminal history, he cannot legally own a gun."



27 September, 2007

Georgia homeowner gets shot, responds by shooting armed robber in eye: "A Macon man was shot in the stomach by an armed robber and returned fire, shooting the robber in the eye Monday night, according to a Macon Police Department report. Grover E. Glover, 64, of Lamont St., reported to police that Jamel Scott came to his house just before 11 p.m. and asked to use the telephone to call for help for his broken down car. Once inside, Scott pulled out a gun and demanded money from Glover, according to the report. After striking him in the head with the gun, Glover told Scott his wallet was in a drawer in his bedroom. Once in the bedroom, Glover instead pulled a gun from the drawer and Scott fired before he could turn around, according to the report. Glover told officers he then shot Scott in the eye and Scott ran out of the house, leaving his gun behind, according to the report. Warrants have been issued for Scott's arrest on the charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault, said Macon police spokeswoman Sgt. Melanie Hofmann."



California: Shootout in garage: "Roger Gilchrist woke from a dead sleep when he heard his pregnant wife screaming for her life, as she honked her car horn incessantly in their garage. He grabbed his gun. It wasn’t 20 seconds after his wife pulled in and saw a masked gunman standing near her vehicle that gunfire erupted at point-blank range, the couple said. “Under the circumstances, with him having a gun and standing next to my pregnant wife, I’m not going to wait and see what happens — I’m going to fire,” Gilchrist said. Officials said the crook shot first, and Gilchrist returned fire. About 10 rounds were let off in the confines of the garage, officials said. “I hit him once, and then I heard the click, click, click, and I knew he was out of ammunition,” Gilchrist said. His wife, who asked not to be identified by first name, said those “clicks” were aimed at her head from about three feet away. “I told him I was pregnant and not to hurt me, and he said he wasn’t going to. But when he got shot, there is no doubt in my mind that he decided he was going to kill me — only he was out of bullets,” she said..... When no one was found, Gaytan called the valley dispatch center, Thacker said. “They told him there was a deputy from Central Station who had just pulled over a white PT Cruiser at Highland and State Street for blowing stop signs,” Thacker said. “Gaytan gets his cell phone number and was talking to him when the deputy found the passenger with a bullet wound and a gun in his waistband.” Authorities said Finney was bleeding out and pools of blood filled the vehicle. While medical aid was called for Finney, deputies also detained the driver, Roland Ryland, 38, of San Bernardino. Days after both were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, Gilchrist found out that Ryland, a friend since childhood, was one of the arrestees"



Anti-gun California senator is at it again!: "You may recall that in recent years, GOA has enlisted your aid in fighting so-called 'gang' legislation, which typically includes attempts to apply federal RICO anti-racketeering statutes to minor gun infractions -- thus harassing and prosecuting otherwise law-abiding gun owners as though they were Mafia bosses. Well, Feinstein's S. 456 is the latest vehicle for such underhandedness."



26 September, 2007

Illinois: Clerk Shoots Robber in head: "A store clerk on the West Side fought back against an alleged robber, shooting him in the head. Chicago police say Monday evening the suspect is in stable condition. "He produced the weapon, announced the robbery," said Sgt. Rich Dowling of the Chicago Police Department. "The clerk produced the cash register, at which time he also produced a weapon, and he began firing at the offender." A man who identified himself as belonging to a local street gang, but declined to give his name, said he is a close friend of the man who was shot. "He our friend. We be together every day," the man said. "Just so happened today we weren't with him. When asked if he thought his friend was trying to rob the hardware store, the man said, "He might have. He might was. If he feel he was robbin' that store, he did what he did." A clerk at a currency exchange next door told CBS 2 that she and the hardware store's owner had called police last week after robbers took cash at gunpoint from a now-shuttered office. She feared that street gang members were sizing them up in preparation for attempting a robbery. "It's time for us to stand up for the victims," Shirley Walls said. "This was a black-owned business. Black-owned." She warmly praised the hardware store clerk who shot in self defense. "He just got married. He has a family," Walls said. "He's trying to make an honest living...This guy came in on him." Police told CBS 2 detectives had gone to Holy Cross Hospital to await permission from doctors to interview the wounded suspect."



Minnesota: Jailbird reoffends: "Prosecutors charged a killer today with trying to burglarize two homes seven months after his release from jail. Feon Stone, 21, is to appear in court Tuesday on a probation violation. He may be sent to prison on his previous manslaughter conviction, for which he had received a stayed sentence. On Sept. 13, at about 1 a.m., officers were sent to the 1200 block of Rice Street on reports of a man trying to burglarize a house, according to a complaint filed against Stone today by the Ramsey County attorney's office. According to the complaint: A man who lives in the home was working on his computer and heard a noise. When he went to check, he saw someone enter his enclosed porch. The man confronted the person on the porch and yelled at him. The intruder ran toward the man and punched him in the head. They fought, and the man ran to his bedroom to get a gun. He went into the back yard and shot a round into the ground to scare the intruder away. A police dog was tracking the suspect when police got a call about 1:15 a.m. about a burglary in progress at a home about two blocks away. The caller, a 74-year-old woman, told police a man was in her bedroom. Officers found Stone inside and the basement window kicked in... In January, Ramsey County District Judge Salvador Rosas sentenced Stone to about seven years in prison for manslaughter for killing his girlfriend's uncle, Christopher Beck, but stayed the sentence. He also sentenced Stone to one year in jail and 15 years probation."



Harassment of Ryan Horsley of Red's Trading Post: "You know ... I've been in the Army for seven years -- both active duty and National Guard. One of the biggest things that is always drilled into our heads is that we are accountable for taxpayer money, which pays us all. We are to report fraud, waste and abuse if we see it. We are the guardians of the tax dollars that give us equipment, our salary and fund our missions. As far as I know, the ATF -- a government agency funded by taxpayer dollars -- has the same critical responsbility. So how many more audits ... how many more agents ... how many more manhours will be spent on shutting up Ryan Horsley of Red's Trading Post? How much more taxpayer money will be wasted on retribution and the attempt to shut down a legitimate businessman?"



25 September, 2007

A moving story from the NRA convention

The National Rifle Association conference yesterday in Washington, D.C. drew lots of media attention because of the high powered presidential candidates invited to speak. McCain got in a line on a protester, Thompson got in a line on Bill Clinton, and Rudy tried to make peace with his previous anti gun positions; stories for which Drudge has linked to on his site. But to my complete shock, the best speaker of the evening was not Fred, nor Newt nor Mike Huckabee all of which I enjoyed immensely.

But the best speaker of the day was not a politician, lobbyist, nor even an NRA official. The best speaker, hands down, was a young army NCO. Everyone I asked agreed with that assessment. I can't express in words how amazingly his speech, his story, his utter love for this country moved me. When he took the stage and began speaking unassuming, haltingly, somewhat softly spoken, I was concerned. I thought at the time as I later told him "I was feeling sorry for you speaking amongst such polished, intelligent speakers." However, I quickly followed up with "you kicked their asses!"

This young NCO, a man I won't identify by name to a wide audience until I get his permission, told of his massive injuries while fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Trying to relay his story here seems futile. I can't match in print the emotion of the man nor the way I felt about him even were I a better writer. I don't think anyone could. But I will try and tell you a little about what he went through.

He talked of his 19 years in the Army, how he had seen friends die in combat, and then one day it was his turn. He and a few other Special Forces operators were pinned down in a four day battle against "a thousand Taliban" in Afghanistan. Unlike the typical Taliban hit and run tactic they massed and no one had been prepared for such a battle. He and his men held their position against an overwhelming force requiring Air Force ammunition drops several times when they were reduced to "40 rounds" between them.

As they maneuvered their vehicle (I believe he said he was on the gun in the turret) they got blown up. He described the sensation of heat, not just on his skin but in him. He struggled to pull himself from the vehicle. He looked down and saw his leg hanging by mere flesh, the bone splintered out into the sand. He got out, couldn't breathe and then felt a pop which eased his airway constriction. That pop was his abdominal lining bursting. He watched as his intestines began to leak from the stomach wounds.

Others came to his aid and they beat out the flames on his body. Disoriented, he began fighting the man who was hitting him. As they hovered over him to administer aid he felt the sting of what he thought was biting insects but soon realized was actually sand spitting up from the bullets hitting all around them. He said he "owed those men a debt he can never repay". I thought, no sir, it is us who owe them that debt. It is us who can never repay them for bringing you home to tell your story.

The sergeant said his plan if he got hit in combat was "to die". It never occurred to him he might live. He went from a Special Forces soldier to "a man who could not wipe his own butt" he said, apologizing for the graphic detail. No apology was needed of course. He talked about his recovery, the year he spent in the hospital, only recently getting out. He said that what sustained him was his faith in God, his incredible wife, the amazing military medical professionals who rebuilt him, and something that surprised me, the wonderful assistance of the NRA and corporate partners that took a personal involvement in his recovery.

I do not intend this as a commercial for the NRA. But having just joined myself, this type of activity was unknown to me until today. I want to thank the NRA and the corporate partners who aided him. One representative from a corporate sponsor with whom I spoke about the NCO was choking a bit on his emotion which allayed my skeptical nature.

The young NCO didn't talk about politics, the war on terror, the war protesters, although he berated the Move On "Betray us" ad. He just said, or rather asked, paraphrasing: that the next time a soldier, someone who has on the ground knowledge, who has sacrificed for our freedom, please listen to what they have to say.

I doubt his message will breach the tin ears of the antiwar left. But his courage, his love of his family, country and freedom pushes me to write. I ask the antiwar left, and I urge others to ask, listen to the soldiers.

Right now, the overwhelming majority of them find value in their mission to fight terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. I agree. If I ever get the sense from them, the genuine belief that they don't support the mission I will be the first to stand up and say bring them home immediately. Until then can you on the left stop "supporting them" by insisting you know more than they do about the work they are doing?

If they tell us they are fighting al Qaeda can the MSM please stop writing articles about how they are not really fighting al Qaeda? Can Michael Ware please refrain from making hyperventilating statements like "the streets were rivers of blood" as he did a few days ago on CNN? Can you at the New York Times and Time magazine just take a few moments to rethink the de-legitimization of our brave soldiers strategy your are employing when you call them uneducated, unemployable, untrained, too afraid to speak up against the president "cooking the book" stooges of George Bush?

I am not asking you to love the war. I am asking you to listen to a man who watched his guts leak from his body to protect that freedom of the press you use to attempt to dishonor him. Just listen to him.

Update: The hero's name is Sgt. 1st Class Greg Stube. Video link at the source below:

Source




New ATF report again shows Bloomberg lies about trace data: "Yesterday's release of aggregate gun trace data in the New York City region by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) once again puts the lie to long-standing claims by Mayor Michael Bloomberg that this data is not available to law enforcement, the Second Amendment Foundation said today. William G. McMahon, ATF Special Agent in Charge for the ATF's New York field division, released the data for 2006 on Thursday."



How gun bans affect non gun owners: "Gun bans wrongly and wrongfully affect non-gun owners because bans disarm only the law-abiding. Nothing new, until you see how this spreads. As usual, criminal laws do not interfere with crime until after-the-fact; gun control interferes with only the honest and before-the-fact, and then again after-the-fact, often within a system which victimizes constituents twice. Lifting gun bans can enhance crime control and lift government burdens. For some officials, carrying burdens is desirable, but it is an abuse of the law against the interests of the United States."



24 September, 2007

Texas Business Owner Shoots, Kills Burglar, Police Say: "Dallas police said a man shot and killed a burglar who broke into his business early Saturday, NBC 5 reported. The shooting happened at Walton Machine and Welding in the 2000 block of Chalk Hill Road, police said. Police did not release the deceased man's identity. There was no word on whether the business owner will face charges."



Oklahoma: Tulsan acquitted in brother's shooting death: "A Tulsa man was acquitted Friday night in the shooting death of his younger brother. Defense attorney Allen Smallwood successfully argued that Benjamin Smith, 27, acted in self-defense when he shot Samsun Smith, 22, in the chest during an altercation in March 2006. Smallwood called the outcome a "major victory" for the Smith family, who endured seven hours of deliberation before learning the verdict. In his closing arguments, Smallwood pleaded with jurors to think about the effect the case would have on society. ''You are going to tell Tulsa County whether a person has the right to defend themselves like Benjamin Smith did,'' Smallwood said. The altercation, which took place at a family residence in west Tulsa, escalated when Benjamin Smith aimed a rifle at Samsun Smith, testimony indicated. Immediately before he was shot, Samsun Smith threw a pillow at his brother and took a step backward. Assistant District Attorney Mike Abel, representing the state, said this showed Benjamin Smith was not acting in "reasonable" fear but rather wanted to control his brother.... " [A pillow is dangerous??]



Outlaw all knives!: "Despite a much-touted reduction in shootings in Boston, police are now confronting a troubling rise in the number of stabbings, which have jumped 10 percent over the same period last year and are on track to reach their highest point in four years. Savvy criminals, aware of the tougher punishments levied for gun violations, have begun wielding blades instead, Boston law enforcement officials believe."



23 September, 2007

Texas business owner shoots burglary suspects: "A pair of burglary suspects were foiled Thursday evening by the owner of a business in the 700 block of Rodeo Center Blvd. when he entered the second floor of the building and fired a shotgun at the two suspects after they resisted an order not to move, Mesquite police say. At about 10:25 p.m., Mesquite police received a call noting a burglary in progress at a closed business. The owner entered the building to investigate voices he had heard inside, the caller indicated. Upon entering the building, officers heard three shots, police reports say. The owner of the building indicated he had found the two burglary suspects on the second floor. He pointed a shotgun loaded with buckshot at the burglars and told them not to move, police say. One burglar advanced toward the owner of the business and he fired, striking the burglar in his chest and face, police say. After hearing the gunshots, officers went upstairs and found both burglars lying on the floor, police reports state. Charles Ray Knight Jr., 40, a white male, was transported to Baylor Hospital in Dallas suffering from pellet shot to the face, a punctured lung, and one pellet entered his heart. He is listed in stable condition. James Edward Jamie Black, 40, a white male, was identified as the other burglary suspect. Both Black and Knight have lengthy criminal histories. The owner of the building will not face charges in the incident."



Pennsylvania hairdresser turns tables on bandit: "Philadelphia police had no trouble identifying a robbery suspect. He's the one with the bullet wound in his leg. One of his victims grabbed the bandit's gun and turned the tables on him. "I don't know what came over me. I just grabbed the gun from under his arm. I just started shooting," said Lillian Bailey. She can't believe what happened at her Germantown hair salon as she worked past midnight. When a client left the popular stylists business, a gunman lurking outside rushed in demanding money. Her three clients gave him their purses and ran for cover in two back rooms. Lillian was shaken as she shared her frightening story exclusively with Action News. "He went to reach for my pockets, but he put his gun under his arm with the pocketbooks. In that split second, I just grabbed the gun and started shooting," said Bailey. The young mother thought about making it home to her children as she aimed at the robber and emptied his .38 revolver. "After there were no more bullets, I just started bashing him on his head as he was trying to escape the salon," she said. He got away. Lillian didn't realize he was shot until police found him unconscious in some bushes on nearby Johnson Street. He had a bullet wound in his leg."



Pistol-packing teachers?: "In court documents, she's known as 'Jane Doe.' Innocuous enough, but the woman behind that pseudonym pushes one of the nation's hottest political buttons: guns and school safety. What Ms. Doe wants to do is take her Glock 9-mm pistol to the high school in Medford, Ore., where she teaches. She's licensed to carry a concealed weapon and she has what many supporters say is a legitimate reason for being armed: a restraining order against her ex-husband based on threats he's allegedly made against her and her children. But district policy prohibits anyone except a law-enforcement officer from bringing a weapon onto campus. When word got out that she had a concealed-carry permit, administrators reminded her of that policy."



22 September, 2007

Kids and guns: time for commonsense action

An interesting report from the Australian State of Tasmania

Tasmania firearms legislation may soon be brought in line with other Australian states by allowing monitored firearms use by junior permit holders from 12 onwards. The increasingly shrill voice of the anti-gun lobby tells us this will put a gun in the hand of every child, and cries of 'God Bless Aus-merica' on every lip. Questions of whether Tasmanian laws should reflect other states' legislation have been obscured by a campaign of misinformation, as has the fact that nobody is proposing to alter the stipulation that under 18s are not permitted to own a firearm or use a firearm without strictest supervision.

There is no evidence-based justification for opposing the controlled introduction of juniors to legal shooting activities. The only excuse given is a vague muttering about tough gun laws being a moral imperative for avoiding "US gun culture". An increasing body of peer-reviewed research, including by the Australian Institute of Criminology, shows the 1996 gun bans and $500 million buyback scheme did not impact on the pre-existing decline in firearm homicides. The majority of firearm homicide perpetrators are unlicensed. Despite our tough gun laws, young men use illegally obtained firearms in the course of crimes that are all too often drug-related.

In contrast, consider the young people interested in learning about legal firearms use, and judged by their parents or guardians as ready for the responsibility. They know their participation depends on staying on the right side of the law, and that involvement with violence or drugs will bring an end to legal firearms use. Under the direct supervision of adults who have been approved by police to handle firearms, they are taught that the "US gun culture" seen on television is not the Australian way. They learn the only "gun culture" should be one of safe and sensible use.

NZ laws 'world class'

Some take the ideological view that any "gun culture" is negative, but New Zealand proves otherwise. New Zealand has higher gun ownership and lower firearms abuse per head of population than Australia, and does not expend scarce resources policing the already compliant. Instead of bans and buybacks, they emphasise voluntary training through the Mountain Safety Council, and genuine co-operation and consultation between the firearms community, police, and government.

Like Australia, New Zealand has not had a public mass shooting in over a decade, even though licensed New Zealanders still use the types of firearms Australia banned. Why there has not been a mass shooting despite the availability of these firearms remains unexplained, and poses significant challenges for those who believe the 1996 bans are responsible for preventing mass shootings in Australia.

The New Zealand model has been hailed 'world class' by Mr Tsutomu Ishiguri, Director of the UN Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific. Their down-to-earth laws recognise that firearms licensees and the associated culture of responsible gun ownership do not pose a danger to the fabric of society and the morals of young people.

Illegally used firearms, and the circumstances surrounding their possession, are where we should place our attention. Preventing our future champions from taking their first steps on a lifelong path of achievement, and discouraging motivated young women from following the positive example set by our highly successful Olympic and Commonwealth female shooters, cannot achieve this. Rather, we must recognise that allowing disadvantage, social exclusion, and gross inequality to permeate our society is what can lead us down the US path. If we commit to tackling these issues, then we truly stand a chance of protecting young people.

Preventing young people from learning about firearms from suitably licensed adults has no bearing on protecting youths. Labelling young people with an interest in using firearms in a supervised environment as an undesirable element of the community contributes nothing to protecting the teens who are at real risk of being drawn towards crime, or are already involved in the justice system.

Legal firearms ownership in Australia is not the harbinger of apocalypse created by gun prohibitionists' fertile imaginings. Their rhetoric does not withstand scrutiny, containing only tired slogans where once there were great promises of a safer Australia. Sadly those promises were never about compassion, equality, or progressive social policy - qualities that are key to making Australia a better place for future generations.

With no factual support to justify further restrictions upon legal firearms use, anti-gun lobbyists must find the courage to accept that demanding change on the basis of stringency alone, or decrying modification as "watering down", does not engender effective policy. It encourages simplistic dichotomies between good and bad that actively impede debate and progress. So when it comes to kids and guns, or guns in general, it is time for commonsense - exactly what the Tasmanian Government is trying its best to use.

Source




Tennessee invalid fires and scares off intruder: "A LaVergne man pulled a gun on a would-be robber Wednesday night. The incident happened at a home on Jean Drive, officials said. According to police, the homeowner was lying on the couch when a man with a knife burst through the door. Police are still searching for the intruder. According to the man, the intruder walked into his house through his unlocked front door. “His words were, ‘Money. Uh, I want your money,’” he said. The father of two said he managed to pull a .380 semi-automatic pistol from underneath the sofa cushions. "And I just reached back and grabbed the gun, and then I brought it up. He’s trying to get out the door and I fired,” he said. He said the results might have been different if he hadn’t had a gun. “He would have got what little I had, and I would have been at his mercy,” he said. The man said the intruder wore a mask and spoke with an accent. He said it was too dark to be able to see well enough to give police a description.



Texas: Shooting at business leaves man dead: "Police said Wednesday that Terry Reginald Green, from Industry — some 18 miles south of Brenham — was found dead at around 4:30 a.m. at T.J. Burdett & Sons Recycling near the intersection of state Highway 75 and Interstate 45. The business owner — whose name was not released as of late Wednesday night — shot the man in the chest with a shotgun after he suspected the man to be trespassing. “The business owner confronted an intruder that had made his way into the locked fenced area of the closed business,” said Sgt. Jim Barnes with the Huntsville Police Department. The owner told Green to stay put, but Barnes said the man refused. The owner then shot Green an unknown number of times in the chest. “The business owner was armed with a shotgun and attempted to hold the intruder at gunpoint,” Barnes said. “The intruder failed to comply and was shot in the chest area.” Green was pronounced dead at the scene by Precinct Justice of the Peace Janie Farris."



21 September, 2007

Pennsylvania gun store owner pulls gun, foils robbery: "A Lawrence County gun store owner confronted by an armed robber yesterday grabbed his own gun and foiled the attempt, sending the suspect running out of the shop. "I always planned for this," said Donald Pieri, 60, owner of Triangle Gun Shop in Perry Township. "You have to think it out." State police charged Jeffrey J. Ierino, 32, of Wampum, Lawrence County, with attempted robbery and other offenses after tracking him to his house. Mr. Pieri was sitting behind the counter talking with PennDOT consultant Paul Butera, 57, about a road project outside the shop when the masked gunman walked in at 11:24 a.m. The suspect waved a semiautomatic in their faces, then tossed a bag to Mr. Pieri and told him to fill it with pistols. At first, Mr. Pieri thought it was a prank. But when he realized it wasn't a joke, he quickly dived behind a door leading into the back room and retrieved his own pistol from his office desk. He said the sudden move startled the gunman enough so that he couldn't get off a shot. Instead, the masked man ran away. He proved fairly easy to catch. Mr. Pieri said many people in the area had reported seeing a suspicious car driving around the shop in the morning, and at least two witnesses wrote down the license plate. Within a couple of hours, troopers tracked Mr. Ierino to his house, but they said he ran off when they showed up. They caught him about a block away at a bar. Mr. Ierino, who has a long criminal record, is charged with attempted robbery, attempted theft, illegal possession of a gun, carrying a gun without a license, terroristic threats and simple assault. He was being held in the Lawrence County Jail on a $25,000 bond." .



Oregon man shot by motel owner: "A Springfield man was in serious condition Wednesday morning after a Tuesday afternoon shooting at a motel near 12th and Main Streets in Springfield. Police say Columbus Hayles was shot when a fight with the motel owner got out of hand. Hayles' wife, Sherry, said they were at the motel to pay for a truck they were buying from a tenant there. Witnesses say the motel owner, Edward Yu and his wife told them to leave. Apparently, when the Hayles couple refused, the fight began. Police say surveillance video shows Columbus Hayles attacking Yu's wife. They say the owner then shot Hayles, with a 38-caliber pistol. Investigators call the shooting justified, saying the motel owners were within their rights to protect themselves and their property.



IL: Off-duty officer shoots intruder in own home: "A would-be burglar definitely picked the wrong house to break into early Saturday morning. Chicago police said the man was in good condition at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn after he was shot in the thigh by the homeowner, an off-duty Chicago police officer. The officer discovered the intruder, who police have not named, in his home in the 6000 block of South Austin Avenue about 2 a.m. The officer noticed the back door was open and then spotted the man, Chicago police spokesman Pat Camden said. "He identified himself as a Chicago police officer and attempted to arrest the intruder," Camden said. "When the intruder resisted, the officer shot him." The incident brought at least a dozen police cars in the wee hours to the quiet Clearing community, neighbors said. The officer was not home Saturday afternoon, and his wife declined comment. Police said neither the police officer nor his wife was hurt in the incident. The man who broke into the home likely will be charged once he has recovered sufficiently, Camden said."



20 September, 2007

Kentucky druggies killed: "Two men were shot and killed today and the man who shot them has been charged with drug trafficking, police said. Just before 6:30 a.m., two men allegedly kicked in a door of a second-floor apartment at the Thunder Bird complex in the 1700 block of Tempest Way in the Hunters Trace area, said Lt. Barry Wilkerson, head of the homicide unit. An altercation broke out and the resident, Shawn Martin, 32, told police he shot both men. Killed were Corey Carr, 29, of the 500 block of East Jefferson Street, and William Gibson III, 28, of the 200 block of Conestoga Avenue, said Gayle Norris, a deputy Jefferson County coroner. Both Carr and Gibson died of single gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene, Norris said. Police have charged Martin with one count each of trafficking in a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence. When searching Martin’s apartment, police found several bundles of crack cocaine in a toilet, according to the arrest citation. He also disposed of other bundles, according to the citation... Police found one man’s body just outside the door to the apartment and another body in the middle of Tempest Way. Carr and Gibson both had felony records including drug trafficking and terroristic threatening charges stretching back as far as 2001, according to circuit court records. Wilkerson said Martin also had a criminal history that also included at least one felony on his record, but he did not have specifics available."



Maryland robber shot with own gun: "A 21-year-old man was shot multiple times about 9:30 p.m. Sunday when he attempted to rob another man in the 100 block of N. Howard St. Police said a gunman was in the process of robbing another man when the intended victim, 22, grabbed the handgun, turned it toward the gunman and shot him before dropping the gun to the ground. Police said when the robber charged at the victim, the victim retrieved the gun from the ground and shot the other man two more times. The intended robbery victim fled and was being sought. Police said Calvin Ray was shot in the right side of the chest, a hip and lower back and was in serious condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Charges against Ray were pending."



Utah man shoots attacking pit bull: If John Erickson hadn't had his gun with him when a neighbor's pit bull attacked him, there's no telling how bad things might have been. Erickson, 22, was walking up to his house on 400 South near 700 West in Orem on Wednesday when a neighbor's pit bull bit him from behind. As he rode his scooter to his house around 8:30 p.m., Erickson saw the dog sitting calmly while a neighborhood girl petted it. Then he parked and took three or four steps toward his house when the dog bit him. "All of a sudden the dog grabbed my leg from behind," he said. He swung his scooter helmet at the dog, which backed off for a moment. But when the dog charged forward, Erickson, who has a concealed weapons permit, drew his 9-millimeter pistol and fired at the dog's head. Erickson said he worries about what would have happened if he hadn't been armed. "There's nothing I could've done. I couldn't run. There's no way I'm going to outrun it. There's nowhere I could go," said Erickson, a student at Utah Valley State College. Even more, he said he worries about what would've happened if the dog had attacked his wife, Lynn Ann, who came home just two minutes before him, or the many children who walk down that street on their way to and from Orem Elementary School. At Erickson's request, no charges were filed against the dog's owner, said Orem police spokesman Lt. Doug Edwards. Vicious animal citations and letting dogs run free are misdemeanor offenses."



19 September, 2007

North Carolina Intruder Shot, Killed: "Deputies are investigating a breaking-and-entering case in which they said the intruder was shot and killed. The incident occurred just after 8 a.m. Monday in Surry County. Authorities said a man woke up and found another man climbing through a ladder and going through his window. The homeowner confronted 55-year-old Howard Jones as he came off the ladder, investigators said. Jones was shot twice with a rifle and later died at a local hospital, according to the Surry County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said it wasn't the first time Jones had broken into the home. No charges have been filed.



Florida: Accomplice in fatal store robbery caught: "The Broward Sheriff's Office said detectives have arrested the accomplice of a robbery suspect shot and killed last week by a store clerk at an Oakland Park clothing store. Michael McNeal, 19, was taken into custody Sunday outside a church in the 200 block of SW 27 Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. McNeal, of Fort Lauderdale, faces several charges, including murder, robbery, burglary and carjacking. He remains in jail without bond. Store clerk George Azar, 25, shot and killed McNeal's friend, Hung Nguyen, 17, after they entered the Corner Urban Wear store armed with handguns, detectives said. Detectives believe McNeal fled on foot after the shooting. Azar was not injured in the incident and has not been charged. If investigators find that Azar shot Nguyen in self-defense, the shooting would become the fifth such death in the county this year."



West Virginia: Coyote shot: "Brian Akers and a group of neighbors were standing outside when a sickly looking coyote approached them. They tried to run the coyote off by chasing it away with a four-wheeler, but the coyote wasn't startled. After the coyote lunged and attempted to bite a neighbor, Mr. Akers shot and killed the animal. The coyote was taken to the Bland County Health Department and is now undergoing testing for rabies".



18 September, 2007

Florida: Owner Sleeping In Gas Station Over Crimes Surprises, Kills Intruder: "A gas station owner in Central Florida who was sleeping in his business after a rash of crimes in the area shot and killed a man trying to break into his store early Friday morning, according to sheriff's deputies. Investigators said someone apparently began to break into the Citgo gas station located at the corner of Pine Hills and Silverstar Road at about 2:30 a.m. The owner said when he was awakened by glass breaking he grabbed a gun and opened fire, shooting 14 times. Police said the culprit was able to flee the business after being shot but was found dead after collapsing in a nearby parking lot. The owner, who did not want to be identified, said he did not regret using lethal force. "One way or another, he had to go down," the owner said. "His days were numbered. If it were not me, he would get somebody. And if he had a weapon, I would have gone down." The owner said there have been 14 break-ins in the last two weeks. Police said the business owner acted in self-defense but were checking surveillance video and still investigating the case. The owner said he has slept at the station for the last 10 days to stop any crime at the station."



Georgia: Man killed during home invasion: "An early-morning struggle in a darkened duplex left a man lying dead on the floor next to a backpack full of burglary tools, Clayton County Police said. The renting resident told detectives he heard the noise of someone breaking down his back door at about 4:30, Wednesday morning. He went to check, and bumped into someone in the kitchen. “He saw the suspect reaching for a gun in his waistband,” said Deputy Chief Tim Robinson, and “was somehow able to disarm the suspect. He fell back — I’m talking, maybe 10 feet — he fired and he killed the suspect.” The renter, whose name has not yet been released by police, fired several shots inside his 5701 Williamsburg Trace residence, between Riverdale and College Park, according to his statements to police... Everything seemed to match the man’s account. “The physical evidence tends to support his story,” the deputy chief said. “And he’s been very cooperative.” The angle of the bullet, the position of the body, the signs the back door was forced open and the bag next to the dead man’s body all lent credence to the resident’s account of being surprised by a home invasion and then shooting a would-be burglar to death. Police have not yet positively identified the dead man. They have a tentative identification, Robinson said, and have some indication he had burgled before. “He did have a backpack, and inside that backpack he did have several items that are indicative of someone who was burgling homes,” Robinson said.



Felons need guns too: "In a Sept. 4 Salt Lake Tribune story, Danny Dutton of Hurricane justifiably killed a man in self-defense, but may go to prison because he used a gun he wasn't entitled to have -- because he's a convicted felon. So, in order for Danny Dutton to save his life, he had to commit another felony to defend himself. There's something wrong here. Do convicted felons have reasonable expectations to be able to defend themselves if their lives are in danger when they're not committing a crime? If not, why not? The Second Amendment says 'the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.' It doesn't go on to say 'unless you're a convicted felon.' That's something that individual states tacked on later."



17 September, 2007

CA: Kids told to remove tiny rifles from graduation caps: "Cornerstone Elementary School will review its zero-tolerance policy toward guns on campus this fall after fifth-graders were told to remove weapons from the hands of toy soldiers that festooned their graduation caps. 'We don't want to repeat mistakes or offend people,' Walker Williams, superintendent of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, told the Daily Breeze. 'We didn't intend to offend.' ... A lawyer for the National Rifle Association, Chuck Michel of Long Beach, suggested district officials had taken the policy to a ludicrous extreme."



WV: Substitute teacher acquitted in fatal shooting: "A man accused of killing a neighbor during a dispute over a dog has been acquitted following his six-day trial in Preston County Circuit Court. The seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated for nearly three hours Tuesday before returning the not guilty verdict against Ronald Schleger. Schleger, a 56-year-old substitute math teacher, was initially charged with murder, malicious assault and attempted murder. On May 12, 2006, both Schleger and Douglas Livengood, 43, called Preston County's 911 center to report that Schleger had run over and killed Livengood's dog. Authorities said Schleger later called 911 to report that he had shot Livengood. Livengood's wife was also shot but survived. Preston County Prosecuting Attorney Melvin C. Snyder III told the jury in closing arguments that the shooting had all the elements of malice, premeditation and intent. Schleger, however, maintained that he fired his gun in self-defense."



DC Handgun Ban: "Is banning handguns a 'reasonable regulation?' The District of Columbia certainly hopes that the Supreme Court thinks so. D.C. filed a brief last week asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let it keep its 1976 handgun ban, but how the city argued its case was what was most surprising. Instead of spending a lot of time arguing over what the constitution means, the city largely made a public policy argument. D.C. argues that whatever one thinks about the Second Amendment guaranteeing people a right to own guns, banning handguns should be allowed for public safety reasons. Claiming that the Second Amendment doesn't protect individual rights might be a tough sell, but the city's public safety argument will be at least as tough."



16 September, 2007

Texas Resident Shoots Robber, Foils Robbery: "A resident opened fire on a would-be robber Friday morning outside a Waco apartment complex, foiling the hold-up and sending the man to a local hospital. It happened outside the Parkside Village apartments on North 9th Street in Waco. Initial reports were that a resident witnessed a man attempting to rob another person and fired as many as six shots at the would-be robber, who was struck at least three times. Police learned of the incident after the badly injured man turned up at the Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center emergency room. Late Friday morning police were still at the hospital and at the scene of the robbery."





Louisiana: A dead Chestnut: "A would-be carjacker who was shot at a Metairie fast food restaurant in June died Thursday from medical problems related to the injury, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said. According to Col. John Fortunato, a sheriff's office spokesman, 44-year-old Carl Chestnut was shot several times while attempting to rob a mother and her 17-year-old son at an Arby's drive-through. Fortunato said the victims were in their car waiting to place an order when Chestnut walked up to the vehicle and pointed a gun at them. The women's teenage son was able to pry the gun away and shot Chestnut several times, wounding him in his head and torso. Chestnut was taken to East Jefferson Hospital immediately following the shooting, but was eventually transferred to Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge on September 7 for additional medical help. Chestnut died September 13 at the hospital."



OR: Teacher fights gun ban: "A high school teacher in southern Oregon plans to challenge a school district policy that prevents her from carrying a gun on school grounds. Portland lawyer Jim Leuenberger said in an e-mail message to the Mail Tribune newspaper that he will ask a Jackson County judge to declare the Medford School District's policy 'illegal and void' for holders of concealed handgun licenses. ... Leuenberger said the woman has divorced her husband and obtained a restraining order against him. The woman contacted the lawyer and the Oregon Firearms Federation after school officials approached her about rumors that she was carrying a weapon."



15 September, 2007

Colorado: Robbers chased off but owner hurts himself: "A 64-year-old Denver businessman accidentally shot himself in the chest Sunday night as he chased a pair of robbers from his dry cleaning business. Rick Bugdanowitz went to his business, La Nouvelle Fine Cleaners, 4025 E. Dickenson Place, Sunday at about 7:20 p.m. to check a security alarm, said Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson. Bugdanowitz found two robbers inside and they threatened him, Jackson said. The business owner grabbed a handgun he keeps in the store, Jackson said, and fired two shots at the robbers. The pair fled and as Bugdanowitz chased them out the front door he tripped, Jackson said. The gun he was holding fired and hit Bugdanowitz in the chest. His injury was not life-threatening, Jackson said."



Arkansas shooting justified: "Jefferson County’s prosecutor ruled Wednesday that the death of a 15-year-old boy who was shot by the owner of a Pine Bluff pawn shop was “justified under the law.” Taron Hopkins was shot by Chuck Smith, the owner of Chuck Smith Pawn Shop at 3621 W. Sixth Ave., on Aug. 16 after Hopkins and two other juveniles tried to break into the business at approximately 11:30 p.m. In a memo to Police Chief John Howell, 11th Judicial District West Prosecuting Attorney Steve Dalrymple said, “The physical evidence of the event was corroborated by the statements of the two youths that accompanied Taron Hopkins in the burglary of the building. Additionally, their two statements support the account of Chuck Smith.” Smith told police he heard a noise at the back door of the building and, when he opened the back door, saw several individuals standing in front of him, including one holding what appeared to be a tire iron. “The law is very clear on the use of deadly force,” Dalrymple said in the memo to Howell. “The use of a firearm by Smith was justifiable when faced by an intruder armed with a potential weapon, a tire iron.” Hopkins was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:15 a.m. of an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body."



Corruption run amok within anti-gun ranks: "A recent spate of contemptible allegations has shaken up some prominent players within the ranks of the anti-gun community. Earlier last week, anti-gun Broward County, Florida Sheriff Ken Jenne resigned after agreeing to plead guilty to federal tax evasion and mail fraud charges stemming from a federal corruption investigation."



Leftist Canadian nut wants to ban guns to prevent stabbings! "Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty said Wednesday that he does not want to see the provinces' schools resort to installing metal detectors and having uniformed security officers patrol the halls in the wake of Tuesday's fatal stabbing at a Toronto high school. Such a move, he said, would amount to the Americanization of schools in Ontario. “I see that as an absolute last resort,” Mr. McGuinty told reporters during an election campaign stop. Instead, he said, Ontario needs to distinguish itself from the United States by imposing an outright ban on hand guns. “Let's ban handguns in Ontario,” he said. “Let's ban handguns across the country. Let's declare war against handguns."



14 September, 2007

NJ corruption busts: "No wonder politicians don't want armed citizens" : "The arrests Thursday of 11 public officials, including state lawmakers, mayors and city councilmen, in communities across New Jersey shows why anti-gun politicians in the Garden State don't want citizens to have firearms rights, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. These arrests are just the latest developments in a deeply-rooted culture of corruption that has seen more than 100 New Jersey public officials convicted on federal charges in the past five years."



NY: Senior fights off iron wielding robber: "A tire iron-wielding man who police said was looking to mug a senior citizen probably thought he had found an easy target -- that is, until the 74-year-old fought back. Bruce Ferraro had no idea someone was following him as he walked out of a department store at the South Shore Mall on Saturday and got into his car, police said. But then a man pounded on Ferraro's window and demanded cash. 'Ferraro says, 'What, are you kidding me?' and he actually gets out of the car,' said Det. Sgt. Thomas Groneman, of the Suffolk County Police Department. The mugger demanded Ferraro hand over his wallet, calling the Bay Shore resident an 'old man' and threatening to hit him with the tire iron, Groneman said. Instead, Ferraro grabbed the bar and the two fought, until the septaugenarian managed to snatch away the tire iron ... Without the weapon, the 32-year-old suspect ran to his car and attempted to drive away, police said. But the vehicle stalled, and the man got out of the car and fled on foot. Ferraro later helped police identify the suspect. The man was arrested later Saturday at his home in West Babylon. Police charged him with attempted robbery and he was being held on $10,000 bail in Riverhead".



FL: store owner guns down robbery suspect: "A Hurricane Katrina refugee who relocated his family and his urban clothing store here was involved in another traumatic event Monday night. He shot and killed a would-be armed robber, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. Store owner George P. Azar, 25, of Sunrise, was not injured in the attempted hold-up at O.G.'s Corner Urban Ware, 2192 W. Oakland Park Blvd., said his wife, Dana Kennedy. Officials said it was too early to tell whether Azar, who opened the business in October 2005, would be charged in the death. There were no customers inside the store when the shooting took place, and investigators were trying to find possible witnesses who were in the area when it happened, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal. Officials did not immediately release the name of the person who was killed but did say that he apparently had walked into the store with a teenage boy, whom deputies were still searching for late Monday. The Sheriff's Office did not release a detailed description of that teenager, who they said also was armed. Deputies responding to a silent holdup alarm at the business about 7:30 p.m. reached the store in the Buglewood Plaza to find one of the suspected robbers dead on the store floor, Leljedal said".



13 September, 2007

GA: Homeowner shoots, kills intruder: "A Madison County homeowner shot and killed an intruder who tried to break into his home Sunday morning, police said. Sheriff Clayton Lowe said William Keith Parks of Carlton, Ga., entered the home about 12:30 a.m. Sunday and was shot and killed by the homeowner. ... County Coroner Michelle Cleveland said Parks, 41, was shot in the chest with a shotgun at close range as he entered the house through the door of a rear porch. Cleveland said there was no altercation before the shooting and the homeowner's wife called 911 afterward."



Virginia: Murder charges dropped : "Charges have been dropped against a Louisa County man accused of murdering his brother-in-law. A grand jury on Monday found that there was insufficient evidence to bring 40-year-old James E. Ward to trial on second-degree murder and firearms charges. Authorities said Ward shot 36-year-old David Wayne Martin, his wife’s brother, after a June 18 domestic dispute. “There was a strong indication from the very beginning that it could very well have been a self-defense case,” said Maj. Donald A. Lowe of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office. Martin went to Ward’s home that evening and assaulted several people, including his sister and Ward, during an argument over a grill, Lowe said. While Martin was struggling with another occupant in the house, Ward retrieved a .22-caliber pistol and shot him in the chest, authorities said. Martin died at the scene. Louisa County Common-wealth’s Attorney R. Don Short said he would talk to the investigator in the case to determine if other charges are appropriate. “That would be to make sure we’ve covered all the bases, and that there isn’t some piece of evidence that we may have overlooked,” Short said."



VA: Petition defends worker who shot robber: "A robbery and subsequent shooting at Baskin-Robbins last week is stirring up a lot of emotion in the community -- so much so that residents in one Richmond neighborhood have started a petition to keep the employee who pulled the trigger from being prosecuted. Many Stratford Hills residents have signed the petitions that will be handed to the commonwealth's attorney. They're asking Michael Herring not to press charges against the worker for killing the robber, 43-year-old Jerome Davis."



12 September, 2007

Detroit, MIchigan: Man In Wheelchair Shoots Intruder: "A wheelchair-bound man shot an intruder in his home in the 8100 block of Alpine Road in Detroit Sunday night. The man said he saw the intruder as he was getting out of the shower. The homeowner told police he shot the man to protect his home and he feared for his life. He said he does not feel safe anymore, so he will be moving out of his home. Police said the intruder drove himself to the hospital. He is listed in critical condition."



Nevada: Man Shot During Burglary; Man Kills Suspect with Gun: "A man is in the hospital after being shot during a burglary Monday afternoon at his south Reno home. The incident happened just before 1:45pm on Britney Avenue in southwest Reno behind Walmart. Police say a resident came home from the grocery store to find a suspect burglarizing his home. Both ended up fighting over a gun. The unidentified resident was shot. He suffered non-life threatening injuries. But police say he then managed to get the gun away from the suspect and fatally shot him."



Louisiana: Two Men Arrested for Attempted Murder: "Detectives say the two then stole a car and made their way 7 miles across town to Cherokee Drive, where two motorcycles caught their eye. But there was one problem, they had no keys. Plus they were being watched by a neighbor. When the neighbor confronted them, he was allegedly forced at gunpoint to knock on the homeowner's door. "The neighbor was forced at gunpoint to knock and try and wake his neighbor up. He ended up fleeing and then the homeowner wouldn't open the door. So the suspects ended up taking off but not before shooting the door and narrowly missing the homeowner of that residence," said Mancuso. By this time deputies were on the scene and saw the suspects flee in the stolen car. A chase ensued. Mancuso says, "They actually dismantled the shotgun while the police were chasing them and threw the parts out the window." After getting rid of the weapon, the men ditched the car and fled on foot. Detectives brought in the dog, eventually catching up with Graham, while Willis was caught a short time later at his grandparents' home".



11 September, 2007

Texas homeowner shoots suspected intruder: "Detectives are questioning a man who shot a suspected intruder early today inside the northwest Harris County home he was remodeling, authorities said. After the homeowner stopped by the house in the 7900 block of Shady Grove about 7:45 a.m., "he found an intruder inside," said Sgt. Joe Freeman of the Harris County Sheriff's homicide division. In the ensuing confrontation, a suspect in his late teens to early 20s was shot, and subsequently taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, authorities said. His condition is unknown. Deputies placed paper bags over the homeowner's hands to preserve any gunpowder residue from the shooting. He wasn't injured, authorities said. Detectives haven't determined if the entry was forced or how long the suspect had been inside."



New York: Employee Foils Gunman's Donut Shop Robbery On L.I.: "A gunman held up a doughnut shop, pistol-whipped an employee and forced her to open a safe but then ran away empty-handed after another employee grabbed his weapon, police said. The gunman, Karsheam Simpkins, entered the doughnut shop just before 1 a.m. Sunday, confronted the two employees and ushered them toward an office in the back, Nassau County police said. He smacked a female employee with his gun and made her open the safe, they said. But while he was going through the safe, a male employee snatched his gun from him, police said. He ran out a back door, they said. Two police officers saw the robber running away and arrested him as he was entering his home a few blocks away, they said. Simpkins, 31, was charged with robbery and criminal possession of a weapon. He was to be arraigned later Sunday. His home telephone number was unlisted."



Arizona: 1 Dead, 1 Wounded In Store Shooting: "A convenience store security guard fatally shot a 21-year-old man and superficially wounded another in the parking lot during an apparent robbery attempt, Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill said. It's the same Circle K store where clerk Brady Daniel was shot and killed June 4, Hill said. Hill said in the latest incident, two men entered the Circle K store at 5845 W. McDowell Road around 1:30 a.m. The 21-year-old was was armed with a handgun and pointed it an armed security guard inside the store while the second man apparently went to steal property from the store, Hill said. The security guard and the gunman got into a hand-to-hand fight with guns drawn, according to Hill. Both men ran from the store and into the parking lot with the security guard chasing after them, Hill said. The gunman pointed his weapon at the security guard and the guard opened fire, killing the 21-year-old Hispanic, Hill said. The second man, a 20-year-old Hispanic, attacked the security guard outside the store and the guard shot him once in the arm, Hill said. A Phoenix police officer who was working an off-duty job at a convenience store across the street heard the commotion and spotted a suspicious vehicle in the lot, according to Hill. Hill said the occupants of the vehicle, who were detained, may have been involved in the crime. Detectives said the dead gunman had a real gun, but it contained no bullets."



10 September, 2007

Virginia: What Will Happen To Ice Cream Store Manager Who Killed Robber?: "When robbery victims strike back, you can almost see Lady Justice rolling her eyes, especially when the robber winds up fatally shot while trying to make his getaway. That's apparently what happened Thursday night when a career criminal fresh out of prison stuck up the Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors at 6940 Forest Hill Avenue, just around the corner from his house. Lady Justice won't care that the deceased robber, 43-year-old Jerome Davis, wielded a BB gun. The self-defense statutes say if the victim thinks it's a gun - especially if the perp is using it like a real gun - then it is the legal equivalent of a functional, fully loaded firearm. But the law gets much blurrier when the robber gets shot while in the act of fleeing. Jerome Davis was shot at least once in the back while allegedly trying to run out of the store. He managed to run the few blocks to his Cherokee Road home before collapsing in the yard, where police dogs found him bleeding to death. So what will happen to the as-yet unnamed store manager? Short answer: Probably nothing. He'll likely have to sweat it out for a while, and then live with the knowledge he killed somebody, which might not be as simple as it seems. It's been a long, long time since the victim of a store robbery was prosecuted for blasting off. The idea that Davis may have been fleeing the store - threat supposedly over - isn't necessarily a big deal, Hicks said, since robbers have been known to return and open fire."



Michigan Bar owner chases down .44 Magnum-toting robber: "On Thursday around noon, a man in a camouflage mask and clothing and carrying a .44 Magnum handgun and a bag walked into Ott's bar, Poor Nate's Tavern, in the township of Dellona about 50 miles northwest of Madison. The bartender, who declined to give her name, said the robber never pointed the gun at her, but went straight to the money drawer. She began screaming for Ott, who was upstairs doing the bar's books, as the robber headed out the back door with nearly $5,000 in his bag. The 68-year-old Ott came charging downstairs and burst out the back door after the robber, shouting at him to stop. "I told him, 'Give me my frickin' money back,"' Ott said. Ott followed the robber through the countryside behind the bar, careful to keep his distance. The robber ducked from tree to tree, looking back at him from time to time, Ott said. He ran up a hill toward some rental cottages before Ott found him trying to hide behind a shed. Ott walked the robber back to the bar and made him sit at a table until Sauk County Sheriff's deputies arrived. Ott said he recognized the 31-year-old robber once he had the mask off him. He had come into the bar in the past to cash checks, Ott said, which explains how the robber knew where the money was. The man offered no explanation for the robbery or his decision to surrender, Ott said. "He just said he was sorry after I found out who he was," Ott said. Sauk County Chief Deputy Chip Meister said chasing down a man who has a .44 Magnum may not have been the wisest move, but it worked. Ott said he didn't have a plan when he went out the back door. "I just wanted to follow him and, I guess, see where he went to and see if he got in a car and get a license number or whatever. I just stayed my distance and yelled at him and finally he gave up. He just handed me the gun and the money and that was it."



Guns on campus: Time to litigate: "When it comes to banning guns on campus, and when students suffer damages (such as wrongful death) due to an interference with their civil rights, is there a liability on the part of the campus who writes and enforces such a gun ban? We are no longer discussing banning guns on campus for some theoretical safety reasons, we are now discussing the fate of students when those policies and politics have failed. Policies of banning weapons are clearly understood now to act to the detriment of the very people the policies claimed to protect and much, much more than the what-if's of general concealed carry on campus squabbling."



9 September, 2007

Florida burglar shot: "A man was shot in the leg by the owner of a home he was trying to break into Friday afternoon, police said. The suspect, who police say they are trying to identify, was shot at about 1:30 p.m. at a house on the 800 block of Long Island Avenue, said Sgt. Frank Sousa, a police spokesman. The suspect was taken to Broward General Medical Center for treatment, Sousa said."



New Mexico: Debt collectors shot, charged: "A shooting last week that left two Los Lunas men injured has been determined by deputies to be justified, and the pair are now facing multiple felony counts in connection with the incident. On Tuesday, Aug. 28, deputies found Arthur Lovato Jr. and Sean Viviani, both 23, suffering from gunshot wounds they received at a house in Tome. On Friday, Lovato was arrested. Viviani remains in the hospital recovering from his injuries. Deputies say Viviani will be taken into custody after he's released. Christanelli, who police say shot Lovato and Viviani, will not be charged, Gordon said. Instead, Lovato and Viviani have been charged with a total of 18 felony counts including aggravated burglary, two counts of armed robbery, extortion, attempted criminal sexual penetration, attempted aggravated burglary and several counts of accessory and conspiracy.... the Christanellis told deputies a few days after the shooting that they were in debt and were unable to pay their bill. The detective said Lovato and Viviani confronted the couple and demanded the money. Gordon alleged that when the Christanellis told them they didn't have it, Lovato and Viviani went inside and ransacked the house looking for money. They found a little more than $100, the detective said. The detective said when the two men walked outside and into the front yard, Viviani demanded the couple's cell phone, When Fred Christanelli told him no, both men allegedly threatened to sexually assault his wife, Gordon said. "They (Lovato and Viviani) were approaching the house again when Mr. Christanelli got a gun from inside his house and shot both of them at close range," Gordon said. "At that time, everyone fled the scene"



Texas: New law allows guns in vehicles: "A bill that becomes law Saturday allows law-abiding people to carry guns in their vehicles without a concealed handgun permit. House Bill 1815 passed unanimously in both houses of the Texas legislature, after which Governor Rick Perry signed it into law. HB 1815 was actually passed to clarify some issues left dangling by a similarly-enacted law in 2005, according to Wendy Hopper, Texas Senator Craig Estes' executive assistant. But, the wording in it still leaves room for improvement, said Grayson County District Attorney Joe Brown."



8 September, 2007

Kentucky burglar shot: "A Louisville man has been charged with burglary after being wounded by a homeowner earlier this week, police said. Paul E. Richardson, 33, of Little John Court, was charged with first-degree burglary, said Officer Phil Russell, spokesman for Louisville Metro Police. Richardson is accused of entering a building on a property off of Lena Lane in southeastern Jefferson County late Tuesday night. As Richardson attempted to leave the property, a couple who own the building tried to stop him until police arrived, Russell said. The man and woman were not identified by police. The woman tried to use a car to block the vehicle Richardson was driving, but he drove into the woman’s car, Russell said. At some point during the altercation, the man fired a shotgun and Richardson was wounded, Russell said. Richardson was taken to University Hospital for treatment. After he was released, Richardson was taken to Metro Corrections early this morning, according to Russell and jail records. The man and the woman had not been charged as of yesterday afternoon, Russell said. The Commonwealth Attorney’s office may review the case to make sure there will be no additional charges related to the incident, he said.



Texas: Clerk shoots, kills beer thief: "A Heights area store clerk shot and killed a man who allegedly ran out of his store with 18 beers Wednesday night. The shooting happened at a Conoco in the 600 block of Studewood at White Oak. The clerk said the man went into the store around 11:45 p.m. and walked out with a 12-pack and a six-pack of beer. The store clerk followed the suspect out to his car. The suspect allegedly reached for something, and that's when the clerk shot him once in the chest, fearing the man was reaching for a gun. Two witnesses tried to perform CPR on the suspect, but he died at the scene. Houston police haven't determined if the suspect had a weapon in his car. They will refer the case to a grand jury.



Defending the right to bear arms: ""I carry openly. I do this for political reasons -- the same reason I make it a point to sit in the smoking section at restaurants when I go out to eat by myself, even though I don't smoke. But that's another story. I carry openly, precisely because it invites comment (it shouldn't, but such is the sad state of our society). Some of the comments are good, a few are bad, and many more merely serve educational purposes."



7 September, 2007

Utah shooting case ordered to trial: "Authorities have determined Danny Dutton acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a violent intruder at his Hurricane apartment earlier this year. But in a case of legal Catch-22, Dutton has been ordered to stand trial for possessing the gun he used to kill Aaron Rondan Barbosa during a March 24 break-in. Because of a 2004 felony conviction for cultivating marijuana, Dutton - a nephew of Hurricane Mayor Tom Hirschi - is prohibited from possessing firearms. After a June preliminary hearing, defense attorney Gary Pendleton filed a motion to dismiss the charge, citing case law recognizing that even a convicted felon may be entitled to use a gun in a life-or-death situation. Deputy Washington County Attorney Eric Gentry countered that the motion was premature and that prosecutors are not required at this stage to negate Dutton's claim of self-defense. The shooting episode began when Barbosa and another man knocked on the door of the apartment Dutton, 22, shares with a male roommate. When Dutton answered the door, Barbosa entered and began beating Dutton with a metal pipe, breaking Dutton's arm, according to court documents. Dutton shouted at the intruders that they had "the wrong man," but Barbosa continued beating Dutton, who retreated to the kitchen, grabbed a .357-caliber handgun and shot Barbosa. The other man, Juan Gonzalez, fled in a vehicle driven by Lucinda Ann Corral, but later confirmed Dutton's version of events."



California: Retired Officer Shoots Man Who Tried To Rob Him: "A retired police officer carrying a handgun shot and wounded an armed man who apparently attempted to rob him in a residential North County neighborhood Wednesday, authorities said. Responding to a report of a gunshot victim, officers found a wounded man in the parking lot of a Circle K convenience store in the 1000 block of West El Norte Parkway about 1:50 a.m., according to the Escondido Police Department. About the same time, another man reported that he had just shot a man who tried to hold him up at gunpoint near Country Club Lane and Capistrano Glen -- less than two miles from where the shooting victim was found, Lt. Bob Benton said. The description of the would-be robber matched that of the man found wounded in the parking lot, Benton said. Investigators found that after getting shot, the injured man ran toward El Norte Parkway and into a nearby complex, where he asked a resident to call for help, Benton said. The gunshot victim was taken to Palomar Medical Center, Benton said. His condition was not reported. The retired police officer was not hurt."



South Carolina: Pastor Shoots and Kills Burglar: "Though he was slashed several times, a retired pastor who lives in Greenville County managed to shoot and kill an intruder Tuesday night, deputies said. Deputies said they were called to the home on Lake Shore Drive, just down the road from the Donaldson Center Airport, at about 11:30 p.m. The homeowners, 70-year-old William Willis and his wife Judith, were at the home when they arrived. They said Judith Willis was sitting on the side porch in her nightgown, her arms covered in blood. Investigators said Judith Willis told them that she woke her husband after she heard a noise in another room. William Willis grabbed a gun that he kept in the bedroom and went to investigate. Willis said he confronted a man that was in another room. Deputies said Willis was cut several times during the scuffle, the most serious wound to his arm. Deputies said Willis shot the intruder several times. He later died at the scene. Investigators said that Willis was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital. As of noon time, he was reported to be in good condition."



6 September, 2007



Georgia Pit Bull Attack Victim Speaks Out: "Friends and family are staying close by Kelly Edwards' side as he recovers from multiple bite wounds to his arms, legs and torso. He said he vividly remembers the attack by three pit bulls as he went for his daily walk Monday. “The small one came out and leaped for me and got me on my side, and I fell,” he recalled. “Then, when I was on the ground they were snapping at me and biting me. There was one place on my arm where the skin was laid open where one of them bit me." He said he tried his best to fight the dogs off. “I lost so much blood, I was just too weak,” he said. As the dogs were attacking Edwards, one neighbor came up and fended them off with a walking stick, then another shot one of the dogs dead. Edwards said if David Banner hadn't stepped in, he might be dead. The two surviving pit bulls are at the Barrow County Animal Shelter, but not for long. “The two remaining dogs were surrendered by their owner and will be euthanized tomorrow, and then the remains will be analyzed for rabies,” said Barrow County Animal Control Director Stephen Eades."



Florida: Victim Uses Gun To Scare Suspects From Home: "The victim of an attempted home invasion robbery in Hilliard, Fla., fired a single shot and scared four men from his property on Labor Day, Nassau County officers said. According to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, Louis Steinritz, Alex Hastie, Ryan Jeffers and a juvenile went to the home of Randy Nutty and after knocking on the door, struck Nutty in the head and shoved the victim back into the home. The victim received further injuries during a struggle with the four suspects, officers said. They said one of the suspects knew Nutty. The suspects were looking for money, authorities said, but when none was found, they went outside and were attempting to steal a vehicle when Nutty exited the home with a handgun and fired one shot into the ground. The suspects fled the residence, but were captured by police a short time later. Steinritz, Hastie and Jeffers were booked into the Nassau County Jail on charges of attempted home invasion robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The men's bonds were set at $75,006. Nutty was taken to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries and then released."



Kentucky Burglar's Gun Taken, Pointed At Him: "A burglary victim grabbed the burglar’s .40-calibre handgun and held him at gunpoint until police could arrive, according to Louisville Metro Police. According to a police report, Douglas L. Speaker Jr. broke into a home in the 7000 block of Bronner Circle on Sunday around 8 a.m. when he was apprehended and held at gunpoint with his own gun. Speaker has been charged with robbery, burglary and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon."



5 September, 2007

Georgia home-invaders shot: "One apparent robber was killed and another critically injured after they were shot in a Brunswick home invasion early Monday morning. The two men kicked in the front door of the home at 601 Wolfe St., where about a dozen people were hanging out around 1:30 a.m., Sgt. Kevin Jones said. Witnesses said the two men both drew their guns, but one of the men at the house pulled out his handgun and started firing, Jones said. One of the intruders was shot in the side and pronounced dead at the home. The other was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Southeast Georgia Regional Medical Center. Police did not release any names but said the hospitalized man is 18 years old. Jones said he was in critical condition as of Monday morning, but the hospital could not provide any further update. The people in the south Brunswick home were in their late teens and 20s, Jones said. The man who shot the suspects does not live at the house and is not expected to be criminally charged in the shootings, Jones said. According to Georgia law, if a person is in fear of great bodily harm or death, that person can use deadly force in self-defense".



Oklahoma: Security guard fires shot during altercation: "Several arrests were made Sunday morning and a shot was fired in a fight at a Norman apartment complex. The Norman Police Department was notified of a weapons call at the Dutch Hallow Apartments, 1201 Oakhurst Ave., 1:10 a.m. Sunday. Initially, the police were told there had been a hit and run accident and security guards were holding three people at gunpoint, according to a police release. The first police officers to arrive saw a fight between two males in the street. The officers also saw a female security guard fire one shot from a handgun in the direction of the men fighting. Norman police officers took control of the situation and detained four people, including the two security guards. One additional person — identified as Lelis Record, 21, of Norman — was combative with officers, the release said. Record was brought under control with the use of a Taser and arrested on charges of disturbing the peace and public intoxication. Record was taken to Norman Regional Hospital where he was treated and released for injuries sustained in the fight with the security guard."



Maryland man shoots bear in self-defense: "Maryland Natural Resources Police said Friday they will not charge an Amish Road man who shot a bear after it charged him and his wife and then attempted to come through a window after the couple sought refuge inside their home Wednesday evening. “They had every right to do what they did,” said Clarissa Harris, a biologist with the Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service. “It is appropriate to defend yourself or your family or your livestock.” NRP Sgt. Ken Turner said Friday that the husband and wife heard commotion outside their house and then saw a bear trying to get at two penned goats. “The man said he shouted at the bear and the bear turned and ran toward the couple. He told the investigating officer that he was glad nobody was seated on the porch because the bear moved so quickly that they would not have had time to get into the house,” Turner said. The bear then attempted to pull an air conditioning unit out of the window frame as the wife held onto the unit from inside. The husband grabbed a shotgun, loaded it with No. 4 pellets and shot through the window at the bear, according to Turner. The couple called Maryland State Police at 7:30 p.m. and at 8 p.m. a NRP officer arrived to find the bear struck in the head and neck area and lying, still alive, in the yard. Turner said the officer then put the bear down."



4 September, 2007

Pennsylvania Man Shoots, Kills Intruder: "Police continue their investigation today following a man’s death in Esplen overnight after officials say he broke into a home with a loaded weapon. The shooting happened just after 2:30am in the 500-block of Parson Street. Authorities have identified the man who died as 32-year-old Charles Long, of McKees Rocks. Police say it all started when Long began knocking on the door of West End resident, Terrence Triplett, 27, while he and his girlfriend were sleeping. Long then kicked in the front door and entered the home, officials report. According to investigators, Triplett confronted Long, disarmed him and fired several shots. Officials say when they arrived they found Long lying just inside the doorway. He was pronounced dead at the scene with gunshot wounds to the head and torso. Police say neither Triplett nor his girlfriend was injured. Investigators say Triplett has not been charged with any crime at this time, and is free on his own recognizance. Officials report that they will consult with the District Attorney’s Office to see if any charges are warranted."



Michigan: Shotgun scares off 2 robbers: "An Ypsilanti Township convenience store clerk grabbed a shotgun and scared off two would-be robbers, including one who crawled out of the store on his hands and knees to escape, police said. The clerk fired off a single shot after the two masked men got outside the Dairy Mart at 10131 Textile Road early Thursday morning, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Cmdr. Dave Egeler said. The blast blew out a window in the door but missed the fleeing robbers, Egeler said. Deputies responded to the Dairy Mart at 4:15 a.m. after receiving a call about a robbery attempt in which gunshots were fired, said Egeler. The convenience store clerk, a 31-year-old Ypsilanti Township man, told deputies he was behind the counter when heard something hitting the side of store shortly after 4 a.m. He went into an office, loaded a shotgun and as he exited the office heard the front door to the store open, Egeler said. The clerk told deputies he saw someone crouching in front of the counter and shouted as another man wearing a ski mask attempted to enter the store. Upon seeing the shotgun, the man by the entrance held the door open as the man by the counter crawled out, Egeler said. The clerk ran after them and fired one shot through the glass window of the front door. A tracking dog was unsuccessful in finding the robbers, who were dressed in all black and wore white gloves."



Florida: Neighbor shoots dog as it attacks puppies: "A man shot his neighbor's dog that he said was attacking his three puppies, the sheriff's office reports. In an early morning incident east of Bradenton, Willard Merchant, 18, said his neighbor's Rottweiler attacked his three puppies in his backyard, and so he injured the dog with a shotgun blast. A Manatee County Sheriff's Office report called the incident "shooting of a vicious dog." Merchant lives in the 5200 block of 47th Street East. The shooting took place at 7:45 a.m. today. An injured puppy died en route to a veterinarian, and the Rottweiler was treated and released, the sheriff's report said. The Rottweiler had previously been deemed aggresssive and Animal Control responded for follow up, the report said.



3 September, 2007

More Guns, Not Less, Would Prevent Shooting Massacres

Few tragedies make their victims feel more helpless than multiple-victim shootings. Imagine the terror: Unable to escape, simply waiting for the killer. With school starting, the April 16 attack at Virginia Tech that left 32 dead is still on many people’s minds. Some are looking for guarantees that such an attack won’t happen again.

But Virginia Tech’s just released report on how to stop future tragedies was pretty disappointing, and this coming week’s Virginia Governor’s task force report isn’t likely to be any better. The university proposes more counseling for mentally troubled students, internet based billboards to alert students of emergencies, putting both the police and fire departments into the same building to allow better coordination, more surveillance cameras, and locks that make it easier for students to get out of buildings.

Well, more cameras might help get campus police to the scene faster, but let’s hope that the next attacker doesn’t commit the attack where there are no cameras or that he doesn’t disable them first. Assuming that the doors to buildings are merely locked as they normally would be--and that the assailant has not blocked them or tied them shut with a chain-- easy to open locks could help. If a current student is planning the next attack, gets identified as having mental problems and has treatment, and that the treatment is successful, more mental health resources could be helpful.

But one glaring omission remains: The report failed to ask whether there were any common features or similarities among the different multiple-victim public shooting tragedies. And what happens if these policies fail? Should there be some ultimate protection upon which the university can rely?

Of course, these horrors are hardly unique to the United States. In 1996, Martin Bryant killed 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania, Australia. In the last half-dozen years, European countries-- including France, Germany and Switzerland-- have experienced multiple-victim shootings.

The worst, in Germany, resulted in 17 deaths; in Switzerland, one attack claimed the lives of 14 regional legislators. Of course, since 1997 there have been multiple attacks in the U.S., with the 13 dead at Columbine.

Prior to Virginia Tech, the two previous most deadly shootings in the U.S. were the 1991 Luby's Cafeteria massacre in Texas, which left 23 people dead, and the shooting at a California McDonald's in 1984, in which 21 people were killed.

All these attacks shared something in common: citizens were already banned from having guns in those areas. Indeed, every multiple-victim public shooting of any significant size in the United States has occurred in one of these gun-free zones.

The problem with gun-control laws is not that there isn't enough regulation, rather that it is primarily the law-abiding, not the criminals, who obey these laws. Virginia Tech has rigorously enforced its gun-free zone policy and suspended students with concealed handgun permits who have tried to bring handguns onto school property, and it will continue to do so. Imagine what this means for a faculty member fired for bringing even a permitted concealed handgun on campus. It would be impossible for them to get another academic job at any other university. Similarly, a student who gets expelled for a firearms violation will find it virtually impossible to get admitted to another school.

But whether it is the suspensions and expulsions at universities, or even the three-year prison terms that can await those who take guns onto property of K-12 schools in most states, these penalties are completely meaningless for someone intent on killing and facing multiple life sentences or death penalties.

But citizens and police who pack heat do help, because they can stop a shooting while it is happening. Amazingly, opposition to guns on campuses is so extreme that some even oppose police being able to carry guns. When, in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting, campus police at Brandeis University asked that they be armed to prevent similar tragedies, the president of the Brandeis Student Union even argued that, “the sense of community and the sense of safety would be disturbed very much by having guns on campus.” The administration is now considering arming its officers but has not taken action. By Sept. 10, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa will also decide whether to end an almost 30-year ban and allow campus police to again carry handguns.

Police with guns are certainly helpful, but there simply aren’t enough police to ensure that an officer will be at the scene when shooting starts. For example, this past spring at Virginia Tech, each officer on duty had to cover well over 250 acres.

Up until the early 1970s, Israel had to deal with the cold reality of terrorists who would take machine guns into shopping malls, schools, and Synagogues and open fire. That type of attack doesn’t occur any more. Why? Israelis realized that armed citizens could stop such an attacker before he did much damage. About 15 percent of Israelis are now licensed to carry weapons, and determined terrorists have to resort to less effective, secretive routes of attack such as bombing.

Increasing the probability that someone will be able to protect himself or herself increases deterrence. Even when any single person might have a small probability of having a concealed handgun, the probability that at least someone in the crowd will have a gun is very high. There have been a number of attempted public attacks have been stopped by permit holders on streets, at universities, and public schools.

While right-to-carry laws-- now operating in 40 states -- do reduce violent crime generally, the effect is much larger for multiple-victim shootings. Normally about 2 to 6 percent of adults in any state have permits, and for most crimes that means some deterrence. But for a shooting in a public place where there might be dozens or hundreds of people, it will almost ensure that at least someone -- someone who is unknown to the attacker -- will be able to defend themselves and others. People won't have to wait helplessly for the killer to get them.

More here



Texas Father Protects Daughter, Shoots Alleged Intruder: "The El Paso County Sheriff's Office investigated a shooting in Canutillo Saturday morning. It happened on the 800 block of Anthony Road early Saturday morning, when deputies said a 21-year-old man attempted to cause damage or commit a theft. The woman who lived in the home called her father, who lives a few houses away. He showed up with a handgun and confronted the 21-year old outside. Deputies said the father fired a warning shot first, and fired at the man when the 21-year old charged after him. The 21-year-old was hit in the chest. He was taken to the hospital."



PA: State police: Gun data upgrade may be delayed: "Pennsylvania's top trooper said yesterday that a controversial computer upgrade that would shut down firearm purchases for several days next week may be pushed back, amid criticism from hunters and others. Col. Jeffrey B. Miller said he plans to recommend to Gov. Rendell three alternative dates to upgrade the state's criminal-history background database: the end of September, the week after Christmas, or early January.Rendell is expected as early as today to decide from those alternatives, or to go forward with the originally scheduled shutdown ..Sportsmen, gun dealers and legislators from rural Pennsylvania have blasted that plan, arguing that it would occur at the start of dove and Canada goose hunting season."







2 September, 2007

Illegal gun ban in Va: "More than 100 gun-rights advocates, most carrying handguns on their hips and wearing buttons saying "Guns Save Lives," came to the City Council on Tuesday night to protest what they called harassment of law-abiding gun owners by city officials. The protest was called by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights group, after Chet Szymecki of Yorktown was arrested in June at Harborfest for carrying a gun. Szymecki was arrested for violating a city ordinance banning guns at Harborfest - an ordinance that officials now acknowledge violates state law. City Attorney Bernard A. Pishko said city officials were unaware of a state law prohibiting localities from banning guns. Carrying a weapon openly is legal in Virginia, even at a large gathering such as Harborfest. Once city officials realized their error, the charges against Szymecki were dropped. "We made a mistake," Councilman Barclay C. Winn said. "It was unintentional." Most who came to protest didn't appear to believe it was an innocent mistake. "You know it was illegal," said Dave Vann, who drove from Falls Church to speak. "You arrested someone, and now it's going to cost you dearly." Szymecki, a Navy veteran, said he was manhandled and hurt and that his wife, Deborah, his three children and two other children who accompanied them were traumatized. He said he has hired Norfolk attorney Stephen Merrill. Others rose to describe incidents in which they said they were questioned and often handcuffed by police for simply carrying a firearm openly."



Guns Don't Kill Criminals, Criminals Kill Criminals: "In Newark, where three young friends with no apparent links to crime were executed Aug. 4, roughly 85% of victims killed in the first six months of this year had criminal records, on par with the percentage in 2005 but up from 81% last year, police statistics show. David Kennedy, a professor at New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says the rise in criminals killing criminals has escaped policymakers' attention. "The notion that these (murders) are random bolts of lightning, which is the commonly held image, is not the reality," says Kennedy, who has examined the backgrounds of murder suspects and victims in multiple U.S. cities. "It happens, but it doesn't happen often." The slaying of truly innocent victims is so unusual in Baltimore that the chief prosecutor says the city has become dangerously numb to the carnage. "If we don't put human faces on the victims, we will become desensitized," State Attorney Patricia Jessamy says"





North Carolina: Victim In Home Invasion Shoots, Kills Intruder: "One of three men accused of breaking into a home and holding the residents at gunpoint was shot and killed early Friday morning by one of the residents. Wayne County Sheriff's Department officials said Antione Logan Chestnut [above], 19, of Dudley was shot to death after he and two other men broke into a home in the Dudley community at about 12:30 a.m. There were two adults and four small children -- ages 4, 5,5 and 8 -- at the home at 2546 Old Mount Olive Highway at the time. According to officials, Chestnut, Kayloe Lemont Middleton, 25, and one other man broke through a front door, ransacked the home and held the people inside at gunpoint. Police said Chestnut fired at someone in the home. The resident shot back multiple times, killing Chestnut. The other two men escaped the home in a dark-colored vehicle. Middleton was arrested later and is charged with first-degree burglary and first-degree kidnapping. Police are still looking for the third intruder."



1 September, 2007

Another flaw found in new CHP pistols: "Smith & Wesson is recalling and replacing thousands of ammunition magazines it delivered with the California Highway Patrol's new semi-automatic pistols after officers reported bullets were not properly loading into the weapons' firing chambers. It marks the second time this year that parts have been recalled related to the CHP's new Smith & Wesson 4006TSW pistols, a purchase that drew criticism for its lack of competitive bidding. The CHP, however, maintains its confidence in the guns. "If we felt our officers weren't safe, they wouldn't be carrying these guns, period," said CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader. The department bought 9,736 new 4006TSW pistols in 2006, drawing fire from legislators like Romero -- who demanded a state audit -- and from a rival gun maker, which alleged the CHP had improperly restricted bidding for the guns to a single Smith & Wesson model. Problems with the new guns surfaced soon after deliveries began. Then, in March, Springfield, Mass.-based Smith & Wesson Corp. voluntarily recalled 3,000 of the CHP pistols to replace a defective metal catch. That catch, known as a sear, had failed during training shoots, rendering some weapons useless. The new pistols had an additional minor problem with a second part -- a slide stop release lever spring -- which Clader said the officers were instructed to fix themselves. The latest problem and recall -- affecting 684 guns and a total of 3,984 magazines -- arose Aug. 7 after 15 of the CHP's Inland Division officers reported concerns, Clader said."





South Carolina burglar shot in home invasion sentenced to 15 years: "An Orangeburg man shot during the February home invasion of a World War II veteran was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he entered a guilty plea Tuesday. Christopher Aiken [above], 24, of 2088 Muriel Street, was originally charged with first-degree burglary, a charge that after plea negotiations was reduced to second-degree burglary. The charges against Aiken came after the Feb. 20 invasion of the home of Ted Jackson, an 80-year-old World War II veteran and gun enthusiast. It was about 2 a.m. on that date when the shooting occurred. Jackson said his dog began barking, alerting him that something was amiss. As Jackson turned on a light, he grabbed a pistol. Seconds later, a man carrying an AK-47 kicked open his bedroom door. At a bond hearing for Aiken earlier this year, Jackson said he's faced Japanese cannon bigger than a machine gun. He fired at the intruder, striking the man in the upper shoulder. Aiken was treated for the gunshot wound and later released. When told of Aiken's sentence, Jackson said, "Yeah, that's OK, that's good. I'm glad that part's over." However, Jackson wonders if it really is over. About two weeks ago, someone broke into his home while he was away. He wonders if that latest break-in isn't related to the February shooting. Obviously a no-nonsense individual, Jackson says that given the same circumstances, he'd do it all over again. "Somebody's coming in my house? You dadblasted right I would," Jackson said. "If my little dog hadn't woke me up, it could have been a lot different."



Tennessee: Victim and Suspect Show Up at The Med, Suspect Arrested: "Memphis Police have arrested a man who showed up for treatment at the same emergency room as the man he's accused of shooting. It happened Monday at the Regional Medical Center. Police records show Samuel Anderson was shot several times by a man who came into his house and fired when Anderson tried to run. Anderson was hit in both thighs, his right calf and his right hand. The report says the intruder ran when Anderson got to his bedroom, picked up a pistol and fired one shot. The report says the man broke out a window to escape, cutting himself. At the hospital, Anderson recognized a man awaiting treatment, noting his crooked teeth. He told a nurse and police arrested 19-year-old Richard Terrell Blackburn. After Blackburn was bandaged, police questioned him and say Blackburn admitted the shooting and told detectives where to find the gun, stashed in a lawn mower bag".