Saturday, October 19, 2013

Hackensack Police Director Calls for National Fingerprint Screening of Gun Buyers

Michael Mordaga
Michael Mordaga

North Jersey dot com

When Michael Mordaga was a Hackensack detective, he was nearly killed when a suspected drug dealer rammed his car into him and two other officers during a drug stakeout on May 26, 1989.

With Mordaga, then 34 years old, snagged on the hood, the driver sped off. Mordaga reached for his gun and shot the driver through the windshield. The car crashed into a pole, sending Mordaga airborne and into a wall, leaving half his torso purple and blood gushing from his scalp. He thought he might die.

So it was troubling when Mordaga, now Hackensack’s civilian police director, recently got a call from the Virginia State Police telling him that the man who nearly took his life 24 years ago had been arrested with handguns. Authorities said Edward Carter Irvin, who served 12 years for attempted homicide in the incident that nearly killed Mordaga, had bought three guns in Virginia, which is known for its lax gun laws, by changing his name and denying he had ever been convicted of a felony.

For Mordaga, the phone call from Virginia was more than a reminder of his brush with death. It was proof, he said, of the need for a national fingerprinting system to screen gun buyers.

Mark Kessler, Anti-Government Fanatic, Says He Touched the Nation

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Oklahoma Gun Owner Charged in Accidental Shooting that Half-Blinded his Friend

KSWO, Lawton, OK- Wichita Falls, TX: News, Weather, Sports. ABC, 24/7, Telemundo - 

The gun-rights fanatics would have us believe that young people who own guns rarely do this kind of thing. In The Famous 50% I estimated the percentage of gun owners who smoke pot, use other drugs and drink to excess.

Lawful gun owners in many states smoke dope through shotgun barrels and play zombie games with loaded guns. It's called partying and it's not just done in Oklahoma.

Indiana Lawful Gun Owner Shoots his Son Accidentally Outside Gun Shop

shooting
An accidental shooting last night in Vermillion County.
It happened in the parking lot of Darrel’s Custom Firearms in Cayuga around 7p.m.
Police say 20 year old William Simonton, of Newport, was accidentally shot in the leg by his father.
Apparently Charles Simonton had just purchased the gun and it discharged as he was leaning into his truck.
You realize dear old dad probably had a concealed carry permit. And if he did, he counts as one of the superior ones who commit fewer crimes than the rest of us. Part of the reason for that nonsense superior theory is that we take pointing a gun at an innocent and negligently pulling the trigger so lightly. This should be a crime.
They make all kind of excuses for each other, which is often reflected in the media description of events. Often the gun just went off. In this case it was the old "leaning into his truck" problem. Often they claim mechanical failure.
The truth is, guns shoot people when you point them at the person and pull the trigger. Doing this unintentionally should be a serious crime and a disqualifier for continued gun ownership.
What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.


Pennsylvania Man to be Charged in Accidental Shooting of 8-Year-old


Investigators outside of a house on Norris Street where an 8-year-old boy was accidentally shot on Thursday. (Times Staff / JULIA WILKINSON) 

Local news reports

An accidental shooting left an 8-year-old city boy hospitalized with a buttocks injury and a 19-year-old family member facing criminal charges Thursday night, authorities said.

Police were dispatched for a child-involved shooting, at 5:14 p.m., according to a press release issued by city police Capt. Anita Amaro. On arrival, officers were directed to a second-floor bedroom where they found the young boy, suffering from a gunshot wound to the left buttock.

The young boy was transported by paramedics to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he was being treated for the non-life threating injury at press time.

“The investigation finds this shooting to be an accidental discharge while handling a weapon. All parties involved are cooperating with police,” the release states.

According to city Police Commissioner Joseph Bail Jr., the 19-year-old family member was expected to be charged some time Thursday night with reckless endangerment and receiving stolen property offenses. The latter offense involved a 9 mm Ruger which was recovered by city detectives and crime-scene investigators.


You see, gun owners who make theft so easy contribute to this kind of thing. Of course this 19-year-old who is so bumbling that he accidentally shot his young brother in the ass could be a master safe cracker. Perhaps the original owner of the gun took every precaution and the firearm was stolen anyway.  But I doubt it.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Friday, October 18, 2013

How Many Guns Are Stolen Each Year?

One of our favorite commenters recently expressed doubt as to the claim that a half-a-million guns are stolen each year. Of course, this is a guy known to bend the truth a bit in the name of a good argument, so it's hard to tell if he was even serious.  Furthermore, he's a guy who firmly believes in the million-plus numbers of DGUs which are based on telephone interviews with self-aggrandizing gun owners boasting about their exploits. But, with hard numbers of stolen guns reported around 200,000, even though such reports are not required and may very well reflect badly on the stupid gun owners who keep their guns under the pillow for safekeeping, this unnamed commenter finds it hard to believe the true number is up around a half-a-million.


MAIG

Guns stolen from homes: Almost 600,000 guns are stolen each year from private homes, according to poll data on gun-owning households.

Johns Hopkins University puts the number at 500,000


Governing

“I think [the report] needs to be put in context,” said Lawrence Keane, assistant secretary and general counsel at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the gun industry. The number of guns that are stolen each year is likely to be much higher, Keane said, referring to a widely cited survey by the U.S. Department of Justice that suggests it’s closer to 500,000. However, even half a million stolen guns represents a small fraction of how many guns are sold, manufactured and imported in the United States every year, he said. (The ATF estimates that about 6.5 million firearms were manufactured and another 3.2 million were imported in 2011.)

US Bureau of Statistics gives the number of REPORTED guns stolen.

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics released a report last November with lower -- but still alarming -- numbers. According to the report, 1.4 million firearms were stolen during burglaries and other property crimes between 2005 and 2010. That's an average of 232,400 annually. 

The ATF gives us the number REPORTED, even though it's not required. One can only guess at the multiplication factor required to reach the actual number of guns stolen.

In 2012, NCIC received reports reflecting 190,342 lost and stolen firearms nationwide. Of those 
190,342 lost and stolen firearms reported, 16,667 (9% of the total reported) were the result of 
thefts/losses from FFLs. Of the 16,667 firearms reported as lost or stolen from a FFL, a total of 
10,915 firearms were reported as lost. The remaining 5,762 were reported as stolen. 

In Vetoing Gun-control Bill SB 755, Brown Misses the Mark

Jerry Brown
California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill last week that would have added repeated alcohol and drug offenses as reasons for denying gun ownership. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press / May 29, 2013)

Los Angeles Times

One thing I don't get: If people kill people — guns don't — why is it OK for a perpetually drunken person to own a gun? Gov. Jerry Brown thinks it is.
A drunk with a gun is double-barreled trouble.
Studies show that a gun owner with one misdemeanor conviction — such as a DUI — is five times more likely to commit a violent crime with a firearm than a gunner with no prior arrest record, according to Garen Wintemute, director of the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program.
But Brown vetoed a bill last week that would have added repeated alcohol and drug offenses as reasons for denying gun ownership. Two DUIs or other misdemeanor substance abuse convictions within three years and you couldn't possess a firearm for 10 years.
Not even the gun lobby aggressively opposed that legislation, SB 755 by Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis).
Brown, in his veto message, said: "I am not persuaded that it is necessary to prohibit gun ownership on the basis of crimes that are non-felonies, non-violent and do not involve misuse of a firearm."
I asked the governor's office for some elaboration. The response: "The message speaks for itself."
So the message is that the governor doesn't see why a convicted drunk or druggie shouldn't be armed.
"I was just stunned," Wintemute says. "He was just wrong on the facts. There is persuasive evidence out there. There are dozens of studies associating acute alcohol intoxication and a history of DUIs with the risk of committing future gun violence. That's established beyond doubt."
Wintemute, an emergency room physician who has been researching firearms violence for three decades, adds, "Of all the gun bills proposed this year, SB 755 might have been the one to have the largest effect on crime rates. We missed a chance to do some good here."

Reno Officer's Gun Sale on Armslist to Unstable Man Was Legal

Laura Conklin

USA Today

A monthslong investigation found that no state or federal laws were broken when a police sergeant sold a firearm and magazines to a 19-year-old mentally ill man in July.

The report, released Wednesday, said that neither former Reno Sgt. Laura Conklin nor the man, who was later identified as prohibited from legally owning a gun, violated the law. When first reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal, the case reignited debates across the country on whether the law should require background checks for private party sales. 

The man had responded to an ad on armslist.com and met Conklin at a downtown Reno Starbucks at 4 a.m. on July 2. After learning about the gun, the young man's mother, Jill Schaller, became distraught and contacted officials because her son has Asperger's syndrome and is periodically suicidal. 

Schaller demanded that he return the gun. After an emotional scene involving Washoe County Sheriff's deputies, Conklin bought the gun back. 

Schaller filed a complaint, and the Reno Police Department's Internal Affairs division investigated whether Conklin violated any policies. Chief Steve Pitts also asked the Sparks Police Department to review the case for any possible charges. The investigation was completed this week and the report made public. "Through my investigation, I have found that according to state and federal law, Laura Conklin is not required to perform a background check on an individual wishing to obtain a firearm via private party transfer," Sparks Police Detective Tony Marconato said in his report.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

"If you are open carrying just to make a political point, you're a dumbass."

I have to admit this that is really funny given who is making the statement:

David Carrender Shot And Killed Son Following Argument About Watching Football


David Carrender faces murder charges in the shooting death of his son

Huffington Post

Indiana police arrested David Carrender, 49, on Sunday after his 19-year-old son, Wyatt Carrender, was gunned down at the family home in Martinsville. Police said that the younger Carrender was shot six times by his father with a handgun following an argument about watching football on television.

I wouldn't be surprised if this dangerous gun owner had a concealed carry permit, since they're so easy to get. No one checked if he had one, any more than they checked if he had a fishing license or library card.

The other thing I'm not surprised about is this is not his first incident. A neighbor reported witnessing a scene in which Carrender pulled a gun illegally. That's the way it usually works. People who make the news with gun misuse are generally not first-time offenders.

The real question for me is this: who is more representative of of gun owners, a guy like this or the extremist gun-rights fanatics. I think it's the former, at least insofar as typical gun owners suffer from all the ills of modern society, stress, depression, excess drinking, drug abuse, problems with rage. The gun-rights advocates, on the other hand, adhere strictly to safety rules, but are only a tiny fraction of the whole.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Ohio Man Arrested in Friends Accidental Shooting Death

Local news reports

Ryan Raider allegedly shot his roommate Brandon Smith while Smith was lying in bed with his girlfriend, according to a search warrant filed Tuesday in Lorain County Court of Common Pleas. 

Smith’s girlfriend, Emily Markel, told police that they had been out drinking earlier in the evening, and Smith and Raider had been playing with firearms when they returned home. She said when she and Smith went to bed, Raider continued playing with a firearm that later fired a shot into Smith’s head. 

Raider, who was questioned after the incident, told police that the gun discharged when he dropped it, but he later changed his story to say that the gun was about to fall and he caught it when it went off. 

Police said Raider appeared to be intoxicated, but he did not grant police consent to search his residence that night. 

Smith was flown to Metro Health Medical Center in Cleveland, where he died after Markel called 911 at 3:16 a.m. Saturday. Raider was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and having weapons while intoxicated. 

Police indicated that the semi-automatic pistol that Smith was shot with was not the only weapon in the house. Police said there were four other firearms, including three assault-style rifles. Police found those firearms, as well as ammunition and magazines in a gun safe in the bedroom. A .40-caliber magazine was found on the bedroom floor, and a .40-caliber casing was found on the bed. Rounds were also found kitchen floor. 

Our pro-gun commenters often claim that guns do not discharge when dropped.  They say what usually happens is someone tries to catch the gun as it's falling and inadvertently hits the trigger. This story is a case in point.


Gun Permit Application Leads to Felony Criminal Mischief Arrest in Graffiti Case


This booking photo released by the Concord Police... ((AP Photo/Concord Police Department))

Local news reports

A New Hampshire detective combed through hundreds of gun permit applications to find one with a distinctive lowercase "b" that led to an arrest in a 2-year-old racist graffiti case, police said Tuesday.


Concord police said Raymond Stevens, 42, used a permanent black marker to deface the homes of three African refugee families in September 2011. On one home was scrawled, "The subhumans in this house are enjoying a free ride." On another, "Go back to your hell and leave us alone."
Stevens wrote graffiti on a fourth house in the same south Concord neighborhood a year later, according to police. One of the phrases written on that home was, "We cannot coexist with Third World scum."
This guy is another shining example of concealed carry permit holders.  They truly are the superior race.

Alan Gottlieb Does a Little Flip Flopping



Huffington Post by Josh Horwitz

Gottlieb decided to buck the opposition of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and formally endorse the central element of that legislative package -- the so-called "Toomey Manchin Amendment" that would have required background checks on all private sales of firearms at commercial venues (i.e., gun shows, the internet, and classified ads in newspapers). After throwing the full weight of his SAF and CCRKBA behind the amendment (named after NRA 'A'-rated Senators Joe Machin of West Virginia and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania), Gottlieb was caught on camera giving an incredibly revealing speech at a dinner in Portland, Oregon on April 12, 2013.
During the speech, Gottlieb bragged that he and his staff had helped to write the Toomey-Manchin Amendment behind the scenes, and then added this bombshell:
Philosophically, in a perfect world, I don't want any background check either, but I also don't want criminals buying guns and killing people with them and I can't justify morally that a person walks into a gun show, buys a gun from somebody without giving his name, the guy can hardly speak English, and he walks out the door with that firearm with no check, nothing at all. It goes on every day at every gun show. I want to be honest with you. We can't tolerate that. We're going to lose all our rights if we allow that to continue to go on. It's not a sustainable position for us to take. Yes, we might be able to win the battle this time and stop it in Congress. You're going to lose the war over time with that. Your Republican candidates, they're going to run on that, with [Mayors Against Illegal Guns co-chair and New York City Mayor] Mike Bloomberg spending millions of dollars in their districts and wiping them out? And then Democrats get their [way] on background checks [and] they want gun bans. It's not a tenable position for us to take. We're marching off the edge of a cliff with it.
Facing this pressure, Gottlieb decided to pull SAF and CCRKBA's support for the Toomey-Manchin Amendment just hours before it was brought to the Senate floor for a vote, when Senator Manchin made it clear on "Morning Joe" on MSNBC that he didn't have the votes needed to pass it. But just one month later, Gottlieb defended his original endorsement in aninterview with Guns.com:
Looking to the future, while we can win the skirmish today on this thing, we're not going to win this war over time. The reason is the polls that show that 90% of the American people want background checks is true. Most gun owners want background checks ... What we're going to face now, and I'll be really up front about this because this scares the hell out of me, in 2014... Mayor Bloomberg of New York is going to spend $16 million putting a ballot measure on in 15 states for a background check that's going to be draconian, one that none of us are going to want and none of us can support. And you know what's going to happen? It's going to pass in 15 states and then Bloomberg and the rest of the crowd are going to go to the American people and say, 'Well, the gun lobby may own the politicians, but the American people repudiated the gun lobby.' I don't want to hear that, I don't want to see that, I want to fight smart and I want to win.
When the interviewer asked Gottlieb what was next in the campaign to negotiate a reasonable compromise on background checks in Congress, however, Gottlieb was pessimistic and had no answers. "We're in a toxic environment," he explained. "For the first time, we are back on the defensive. We are not on the offensive."
Gottlieb's effort to engage the pro-gun movement in a serious conversation about long-term strategy was at an end. The monster he himself had helped to create had risen up to threaten his leadership (and maybe his life as well).
Now, just five months later, Gottlieb is back to his old tricks. His "Guns Save Lives Day" is a cynical attempt to throw red meat to the most radical of SAF/CCRKBA supporters and generate additional dollars for his direct mail empire (the event's webpage is nothing more than a glorified petition form that feeds names, emails and zip codes to Gottlieb) at the expense of the feelings and dignity of gun violence victims and survivors.
Will "Guns Save Lives Day" save Gottlieb's own neck by restoring his personal prestige among pro-gun activists? Maybe. But the event will only serve to march his movement closer to the cliff edge he described in his Oregon speech. Like the broader Republican Party, the pro-gun movement is now dominated by slash-and-burn extremists who are ideologically extreme, disdainful of compromise, and incapable of critical, long-term thinking. There will come a day, probably sooner rather than later, when events like "Guns Save Lives Day" will no longer be viable fundraisers, when changing demographics will result in an American public that is totally offended and alienated by such antics. Alan Gottlieb and his ilk might be bloody rich by that point, but they will also be decidedly out of business.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Piers Morgan Tells Alan Gottlieb Like It Is

The Unpopularity in Washington DC

Washington Post

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Gun-Carrying Limits Survive as High Court Rejects Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court rebuffed gun-rights advocates by letting stand a Maryland law that requires people to show a special need for protection to get a permit for carrying a handgun in public.
Six months after leaving intact a similar New York law, the justices today turned away an appeal by a Maryland man who was denied renewal of his permit to carry a handgun. A federal appeals court upheld the law in March, saying it was a reasonable effort to protect public safety and prevent crime.
The rejection, at least for the time being, keeps the justices out of the fray over the constitutional right to bear arms. The nation’s highest court hasn’t considered a Second Amendment case since 2010, when it said people have a right to have a handgun in the home for self-defense purposes.
Under the appeals court ruling, “the Second Amendment has no practical impact beyond the threshold of one’s home,” argued Raymond Woollard, the Maryland man who challenged the law along with the Bellevue, Washington-based Second Amendment Foundation. The National Rifle Association also backed the appeal.
Maryland is one of six states that generally require people to make special showing to get a carry permit. The state’s requirement doesn’t apply to police officers, prosecutors, judges and security guards.
The law protects citizens by “decreasing the availability of handguns to criminals via theft, lessening the risk that basic confrontations will turn deadly and reducing escalations of routine police encounters with citizens into high-risk situations,” Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler argued in court papers.

Texas Teen Indicted in Friend's Accidental Shooting Death

Local news reports further to our original post



These boys didn't stand a chance, growing up in the Texas gun world where boys will be boys and drinkin' and shootin' critters is just what you do.

I noticed how the distraught teen already had all the makings of a self-centered gun nut. With his best friend dead, he was panicky about what would happen to him. "Am I gonna die?"  He probably learned that from his daddy and his granddaddy, just like he learned gun safety from them.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Arizona Gun Owner Charged with Negligent Homicide in Girlfriend's Death

 Shot in truck

Local news reports

A Red Rock man is under arrest after Pinal County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an accidental shooting Monday night that left a 19-year old woman dead.
Deputies were called to Red Rock Feeding on East Sasco Circle in Red Rock just before 7 p.m. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
20-year old Ramiro Delcid of Red Rock told PCSO Homicide Detectives he was sitting in his company work truck with his girlfriend. He unloaded his .38 caliber pistol and then pointed it at her in an attempt to scare her. He pulled the trigger thinking the gun was unloaded, but one bullet was still in the gun. The bullet struck his girlfriend in the chest and killed her. After shooting her, Delcid called 9-1-1.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said, "This case is a tragic reminder of how quickly a life can be taken by those who handle firearms irresponsibly. Ramiro took the life of his girlfriend because he thought it would be funny to scare her with a gun. His poor judgment and decision making took the life of this young woman with her entire life ahead."
Ramiro Delcid was booked into the Pinal County Jail for Negligent Homicide.

Nebraska Gun Negligence Merits Police Reminder To Be Careful but No Charges

KHGI-TV/KWNB-TV/KHGI-CD-Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings

Ohio Concealed Carry Permit Holder Shoots Girlfriend - It Was the Gun's Fault - No Charges

Local news reports

A shooting that injured a 25-year-old Etna woman has officially been ruled an accident by detectives. 

Crystal Johnson was taken to Grant Medical Center around 8 p.m. Friday night after she was accidentally shot by her boyfriend, 25-year-old Aviz Quraish, on the 400 block of Ballman Road. 

Licking County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sgt. Brock Harmon said Quraish had received his conceal/carry permit on Friday and was in the kitchen of the residence with Johnson looking at the holster for his handgun.

“At one point in time, he produced the handgun and dropped a magazine in the handgun and pulled the slide back and the gun went off,” Harmon said. “He immediately sat her down and tried to help her out.”

This is the caliber of gun savvy folks we have getting carry permits. How does a gun go off when you pull the slide back? Answer: the same way a gun goes off anytime, by pulling the trigger.

Maybe that should be one of the test questions.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.


Young Washington Gun Owner Charged with Manslaughter in Friend's Death

Teen charged in accidental shooting death of friend
Tanielu Lotovaivai

Komo News

A 19-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of a friend in Tacoma on Friday.

According to the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office, Tanielu Lotovaivai was "playing around" with his revolver, which he believed to be unloaded, when he pointed it at 17-year-old Jalon Bea and pulled the trigger, shooting him in the chest.

Lotovaivai had been parked in a car with several people inside the car and others, including Bea, standing outside of it. According to the Prosecutor's Office, immediately after he fired the gun Lotovaivai told those around he was sorry and didn't know it was loaded.

Lotovaivai reportedly helped get Bea to the hospital but left before police arrived because he was scared. He turned himself in three days later.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, detectives believe Lotovaivai tried to unload the revolver before passing it around to friends in the car but accidentally left at least one bullet in the cylinder.

“This is a sad example of why you should never point a gun at anyone unless you intend to shoot,” Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said in a press release.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Gun Control Argument Hasn't Changed in Decades - Archie Bunker

Colion Noir, the Lying Con Artist, Says Gun Control is Based on Feelings



It seems poor Colion can't make a straight, honest video even if he tries. Actually, I don't think he's trying at all.

This one, like most of his, is based on a lie.  The entire premise is that the gun control movement is based on "feelings."  He takes this obvious over-simplification from the occasional remark that people have a right to feel safe. To take that remark, which gun control folks have been known to say, and try and spin it to represent the entire gun control movement is ridiculous.

The secondary lie is that because of these "feelings," gun control folks want to take guns away from good people.  This one's a bit trickier, since there are assault weapons bans and other restrictions that do take SOME guns away from SOME good people.  But, that's not what he's talking about.  He's making it sound like we want to disarm everyone and leave them helpless to face the ever-present threat of violence. (Which is mainly in their minds anyway. Remember when it suits, they keep telling us how violent crime is declining.)

The truth is the gun control movement is about taking guns away from unfit and unsafe people. It's not based solely on "feelings." It's based on facts and statistics, it's based on the never-ending stream of misery that's caused by irresponsible and dangerous gun owners. It's based on the fact that guns start out lawfully owned and through various means make their way into the criminal world.

What's your opinion?  Is this guy a lying con-artist or what?

Ted Nugent Says 'American People' Are 'Dumbest Society in the History of Humankind'



Link

Former rock star and current NRA board member Ted Nugent has never been shy about insulting President Obama, poor people and African-Americans.

But he recently expanded his target to include the entire population of the United States.

"The American government today will go down and the American people, it breaks my heart to say... will go down as the dumbest, most unappreciative society in the history of humankind," Nugent told the Associated Press.

Nugent also made his obligatory Obama insult, calling the president a "monster in the White House" who "wouldn't qualify to drive my tour bus."

Interestingly, Nugent is never attacked by conservatives for slamming the President of the United States, but the Dixie Chicks were pummeled ten years ago for daring to criticize President Bush once.


Now, that's a double standard.  What do you think?

An Armed Society is a Polite Society - Texas Style


Police were looking for a suspect Monday after a man was shot to death during an argument at a Mexican restaurant in Dallas.
The shooting happened Sunday night after the two men argued inside the restaurant.
One of the men went outside, got a handgun out of his vehicle, returned to the restaurant and opened fire, police said.
The victim, whose name wasn’t immediately released, was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Tennessee Man Shoots through Floor and Hits Neighbor


Local news reports

Note to gun nuts: when you're playing with your fetish item with total disregard for the safety of the neighbors don't have any pot in the house. Cops don't like that and it will ruin your attempts to call yourself a lawful gun owner.

Monday, October 14, 2013

It's Not About Race - It's About Tyranny

"We don't want these guys to sneak up on us, OK, literally."

Does the Second Amendment Cover the Right to Carry Concealed?



Towards the end of the video, we have two references to lower-court decisions. Naturally, our pro-gun commenters often mention the one but never mention the other.

The Tenth Circuit said the Second Amendment conveys no right to concealed carry of a firearm. That's the one our lying friends ignore.

Intrepid Reporter Emily MIller Uncovers the Unspeakably Evil Conspiracy to Allow a Double Standard

Dianne-feinstein

Conservative Read

Is there a double standard in Washington, D.C. when it comes to gun politics? Are gun control supporters given certain allowances that gun owners and gun rights advocates are not privy too?

It appears that’s the case if one is to accept a new report by intrepid journalist Emily Miller, the Opinion Editor of the Washington Times.  

Miller investigated how Sen. Dianne Feinstein obtained the “illegal” firearms she displayed at a D.C. press conference earlier this year when the senator from California rolled out her 2013 Assault Weapons Ban.

Those firearms included a Bushmaster XM-15, a Tech 9 handgun, Smith & Wesson M&P15, a Glock 19 with an extended magazine, among others.  According to the District’s strict gun laws, it is illegal for anyone to possess these firearms whether it’s in the city or on federal property.

So, how did Feinstein get her guns?  After invoking rights under the Freedom of Information Act, Miller uncovered the following:

Emily Miller
On Dec. 24, 2012, lobbyist Chuck DeWitt contacted Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, “Sen. Feinstein has asked us to bring examples of assault weapons used in the worst incidents over the past few years,” DeWitt wrote.

Lanier agreed to help supply some of the firearms while the rest would come from the Philadelphia Police Department, however it was on the condition that the media would be kept in the dark on where the guns came from.

Please make “no mention of the fact that the weapons came from D.C. or were recovered by MPDC in the official language or speeches,” said Keith Williams, the commander of the MPD’s Crime Scene Investigation Division to Feinstein’s press secretary, Tom Mentzer.

Aware of the law, Mentzer was worried that if Feinstein didn’t disclose where the weapons came from, she’d be accused of possessing illegal firearms.

“By not mentioning where the weapons came from, we open ourselves up to the same charge against David Gregory,” Mentzer replied in an email.
Now, here’s where the alleged double standard kicks in.  Shortly after the California senator introduced her AWB, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) wanted to bring a AR-style rifle and a semiautomatic hunting rifle to a Senate Judiciary Committee on Feinstein’s ban.

The two pro-gun senators wanted to demonstrate to the committee that the ban is really about cosmetics, e.g. pistol grips, barrel shrouds, flash suppressors, etc. and not about how the two semiautomatic weapons function (they function the same) but the request was denied due to the district’s strict gun laws.

As Miller reported, in the wake of this denial, Feinstein’s staff gloated: “I was gratified to hear Sens. Cruz and Graham complaining that getting weapons into their hearing today was ‘unworkable,’” Mentzer emailed Williams and another officer with a news story about the Republicans not being able bring in even a legal rifle. “I find you guys ENTIRELY practical, for the record.”

California's 5150 Rule for Gun Prohibitions is a Model for the Country

Having achieved something close to mythic status in California pop culture, the state's "5150" hold for people in psychiatric crisis is being looked at by national gun-control advocates and some experts as a way to get help for mass shooters before they open fire.
Named for the section where it appears in California's Welfare and Institutions Code, 5150 lets mental health professionals commit those deemed to be a danger to themselves or others to a care facility for as long as 72 hours.
If professionals believe a person requires further hospitalization, they can extend the stay for two weeks. Patients committed for that length of time are automatically entitled to a hearing that allows them to argue for their release.
Under California law, hospital admission in these circumstances triggers a report to the state Department of Justice's Armed Prohibited Persons System. Those who have been detained on a 5150 hold cannot possess or own guns for five years, though the law permits them to petition to regain firearms rights.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Both sides are NOT to blame for the current budget mess

Late in the evening of September 30, 2013, the House Rules Committee Republicans secretly changed the rules of the House so that the ONLY Member allowed to call up the Senate's clean CR for a vote was Majority Leader Eric Cantor or his designee -- all but guaranteeing the government would shut down and stay shut down. Previously, all Members had the right to bring such bills up for a vote. Democracy has been suspended in the House of Representatives.



Of course, the US needs a real parliament where failing to pass a budget bill would result in a dissolution of parliament and new elections.

On the other hand, given how fractious US politics are, the US would go through more governments than Italy.
No other country shuts down its government in the same way the U.S. does.
That's not to say that other nations don't have budgetary disagreements and worse. They do. But "for most of the world, a government shutdown is very bad news — the result of revolution, invasion, or disaster," says Anthony Zurcher at BBC News. Seriously, "even in the middle of its ongoing civil war, the Syrian government has continued to pay its bills and workers' wages."
Syria's not alone. "Countries like Pakistan and Colombia have had civil wars, coups, financial crises, even defaults but never a government shutdown," says Erik Voeten at The Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog.

Gohmert: McCain Supports Al Qaeda - Obama and Reid Shut the Government Down

Mass Shootings are Accelerating in Frequency and Gravity since the AWB Expired

This is a repeat post for Greg who, in a recent comment, put his fingers in his ears, began stomping his feet and called us liars for suggesting such a thing.


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Governor Brown Vetoed the Rifle Ban but Signed 11 Other Gun Laws

San Jose News

Some of the other bills Brown signed will require long-gun buyers to earn safety certificates like those already required of handgun buyers; ban conversion kits that allow people to turn regular magazines into high-capacity magazines; and extend from six months to five years the prohibition from owning firearms for those who have described a credible violent threat to a psychotherapist.

Gun rights activists are grateful that Brown vetoed Steinberg's SB374, but the governor still "signed the most sweeping set of gun control bills in the nation into law today," Kerns said Friday. "There will be a political price to pay for this."
She said her group will examine Friday's signings, pore over roll calls of lawmakers who voted for them "and determine if there are grounds for legislative recalls," especially "any legislators who voted wildly out of step with their districts. ... We may even go out and talk to some of their constituents, hold a town hall or three."
Still, Brown ultimately rejected seven of 11 bills that the National Rifle Association had urged him to veto.
Easily the most controversial gun bill signed by Brown was AB711 by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon, D-South Gate, to ban use of lead ammunition in hunting by mid-2019.
He issued a signing message that said lead endangers wildlife, but noted that the new law lets the state Fish and Wildlife Department suspend the ban if the federal government prohibits nonlead ammunition because it's considered armor-piercing.
"It is time to begin this transition and provide hunters with ammunition that will allow them to continue the conservation heritage of California," Brown wrote.