Kansas Sweeping Gun Bill Passes the Senate

-(Ammoland.com)- This week, the Kansas Senate passed Senate Bill 447 by a 34-2 vote.  Following its passage, SB 447 was integrated into House Bill 2578 (previously reported on here) in a conference committee and passed again.

The integrated version of HB 2578 received a 4-2 vote in the conference committee, which becomes an “Agree to Disagree.”  Both the Senate and House concurred on the motion to Agree to Disagree this afternoon.  After a second conference committee tonight, the integrated version of HB 2578 will now be returned to both the House and Senate for a final action concurrence vote.  Your NRA fully supports this comprehensive legislation and anticipates that it will be brought up for a concurrence vote in both legislative chambers as early as tomorrow.

The new version of HB 2578 will include:Your NRA fully supports this comprehensive legislation and anticipates that it will be brought up for a concurrence vote in both legislative chambers as early as tomorrow.

• An expansion of Kansas’ firearms preemption provisions to open carry and will prohibit municipalities from implementing local ordinances relating to the transportation of firearms.  Whether you choose to carry concealed, open carry or carry a knife for self-defense, this bill would eliminate the complex patchwork of gun laws that arise from local regulations.

• A ban on the use of taxpayer funds for gun “buyback” programs.  These programs are a waste of taxpayer dollars and have no proven impact on crime reduction. This bill would prohibit seized firearms not used in the commission of a felony from being destroyed by law enforcement agencies.  These firearms, so long as they are in operable condition, would either be sold to a licensed gun dealer (FFL) or donated to hunter education programs.  In addition, it would also mandate that if a firearm has been seized by law enforcement and the owner is acquitted of the charges or the charges are dropped, the firearm must be returned to the owner within thirty days.

• A prohibition on county, city or municipal employers from maintaining a database of employee permit holders, ensuring confidentiality.

• A “shall certify” requirement that a chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) sign off on an application to transfer an item regulated by the National Firearms Act, including short barreled rifles/shotguns and suppressors, within fifteen days, as long as the applicant is not prohibited by law from receiving the item.

Kansas Man Shoots his Wife and Two Kids - Charged with 1st Degree Attempted Murder

Local news reports

The man accused of shooting his wife and two children at a Wichita home earlier this week made his first appearance in court Thursday afternoon.

Pettix McMillan, 38, is charged with three counts of attempted first degree murder.

According to Wichita Police, it began as an argument between a man and woman over one of their children. It soon escalated into a shooting.

The 36-year-old woman was shot at least once in the upper torso. A 13-year-old boy was shot in the head, and a 5-year-old boy was shot near his left eye. They were rushed to a local hospital.

Officers located the suspect about two hours later near Binter and Maize Road. Police say he had slits on his wrists where he attempted suicide shortly after the shooting.

Jail records identify the suspect as 38-year-old Pettix McMillan. Police say he's been arrested three times since January for domestic violence against the woman. There had been a protection from abuse order in place, but it expired in February.

McMillan is currently jailed on three counts of attempted first degree murder.

Police say all three victims are expected to survive.

Kansas Permit Holder Injures Himself and Another While Drinking in a Bar

Local news reports

Two people were hurt in an accidental shooting early Saturday morning at a south Wichita bar. 

It happened around 1:30 a.m. at Shot Time II in the 32000 block of South Exposition, near 31st Street South and Seneca. 

Sgt. Ron Hunt said officers were originally called to the report of two walk-in shooting victims at Via Christi-St. Joseph hospital. One man said he accidentally discharged his handgun while at the bar. The bullet went through his right thigh and into the left thigh of the other man seated beside him. 

Their injuries are not considered life-threatening. 

Sgt. Hunt said the man who had the gun has a concealed carry handgun (CCH) license and admitted to having several drinks while in possession of the firearm. 

He also refused to cooperate with law enforcement, Hunt said. He was arrested for aggravated battery.

Kansas Woman Arrested After "Accidentally" Shooting her Husband

Local news reports

The Butler County sheriff says the shooting of a Potwin man by his wife Sunday afternoon wasn't an accident, even though they both said it was.

The woman, 31-year-old Brooke Longobardi, called 911 Sunday afternoon, saying she'd accidentally shot her husband, 49-year-old Richard Longobardi.

Dispatchers walked her through first aid for the wound until EMS crews arrived.  He was then flown to a Wichita hospital in critical condition.

He gave a statement saying the shooting was accidental, too.

But after detectives talked to the couple's four children, who were home at the time, and neighbors, they said that wasn't quite the case.

Sheriff Kelly Herzet tells Eyewitness News that according to witnesses, the couple was in a heated argument over the children when Brooke Longobardi pulled out a gun and fired it several times.  He says she hit her husband in the back in the upper left shoulder once.

Deputies are now holding her on aggravated battery charges while the investigation continues.  The couple's four children, ages four to 13, are staying with family members.

Two Kansas Men Seriously Injured with the Same Accidental Gunshot

Local news reports

Two males are injured, one critically, after their family member accidentally shot them with one bullet.

At 1:20 p.m. Sunday, Shawnee County Sheriffs Department received a call of a shooting at 7610 SE Highway 40 in a field.

Police told 13 News that a man was in a field near a trailer when he accidentally shot two of his male family members.

Police say the males suffered with leg wounds and were transported to the hospital.

Police say the man shooting didn't know the weapon was loaded.

You think there'll be charges in this case?  I don't. But there certainly should be.  Violating the Gun Safety Rule number one should be a criminal offense. Or, let's say, violating Safety Rule number one should be a criminal offense when someone gets hurt or killed as a result.

How's that sound?  Is that too tough a standard to live up to?

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Two Kansas City Gun Owners - Used to be Friends - Now One's Dead

KCTV5

Colorado Man Visiting Friend in Kansas Dead of Accidental Gunshot

The Wichita Eagle

A Colorado man accidentally shot by a friend with a .22 magnum Friday evening in Park City has died, police said.

Eloy Portillo-Meza was pronounced dead about 12:20 a.m. Saturday after he was rushed in critical condition to Wesley Medical Center with a single gunshot wound to his abdomen, Park City Police Chief Phil Bostian said. The 36-year-old Denver man was visiting the owner of the gun — a friend who lives at the home, in the 1600 block of East Gary, where the shooting occurred.

“The (gun) owner thought he had unloaded the gun and was in the process of putting it back together, and that’s when it went off,” Bostian said.

The Park City man was taken into custody after the shooting but was released following questioning by police, Bostian said. The department plans to present the case to Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett’s office next week, he said.

The gun owner suffered minor injuries to a hand when the weapon discharged and was treated at the scene, Bostian said; Portillo-Meza died at the hospital. Both men involved are around the same age, he said.

The pro-gun crowd love to tell us how percentage-wise, these incidents are not all that frequent.  But, so many of them are the "forgot the one in the chamber" kind.  It makes you wonder how often that really happens when, by sheer luck, no one is hurt seriously enough to make the news.

It's my contention that many of the ones that do make the news, in other words, the cases in which some gets hurt or killed, are due to repeat offenders.

The solution:  one strike you're out. 

This would make the world a safer place.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a  comment.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/05/04/2789321/colorado-man-dies-after-accidental.html#storylink=cpy

Kansas Passes the Strongest 2nd Amendment Protection in the Country

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback waits for other hunters before heading into cover during the Kansas Governor's Ringneck Classic in western Kansas. (Brent Frazee/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images)

Huffington Post

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) on Tuesday signed what is being called the nation's most pro-Second Amendment law, but one that could face constitutional challenges. The Second Amendment Protection Act exempts all guns that were made in Kansas and have not left the state from all federal gun control laws.

Last week, Brownback had signed a law to expand concealed carry of guns in public buildings in the state. Both measures had been sought by pro-gun lawmakers as a way to promote and expand the firearms industry in Kansas.

"My understanding is, it is the strictest Second Amendment protection law in the nation," state Rep. Brett Hildabrand (R-Shawnee), a co-sponsor of the exemption legislation, told The Huffington Post.

"That is really great news. It creates a stark contrast with our neighbors in Colorado. I consider it a pro-job growth bill because of it encouraging the large gun manufacturers or those who make gun components to move to Kansas."

The hypocrites who want to trample states' rights with reciprocal concealed carry laws love this one. Let's hear the justification.

One result will be more of this and this.  They should be proud.

Kansas 6-Year-old Shot by Accident - 14-Year-old Cousin Arrested

Local news reports

Mission police are investigating after a 6-year-old girl was shot in the leg by a teenager Tuesday morning.

The shooting, believed to be accidental, happened at a chiropractor's office in the 6000 block of Martway.

Police Capt. David Maloy said the 14-year-old juvenile ran off after the shooting but was later taken into custody.

Do you think the boy was a gang member involved in the drug business or was he just the product of gun-nut culture, Kansas style?

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Kansas 7-Year-old Dead Because of Dad's and Brothers' Negligence

Local news reports

The 7-year-old boy who was shot Friday, died at 6:44 p.m. Saturday at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said Sunday morning.

In an email from the Sheriff's office, the boy was identified as Gavin Brummett from northeastern Saline County.

The sheriff's office reported that Gavin had been with his brothers and his father, Rodney Lee Brummett Jr.,shooting a Master Piece Arms semi-automatic 9 millimeter handgun. Kochanowski confirmed Sunday that Gavin was shooting the gun. 

The case is still being investigated and the sheriff's office is awaiting results of an autopsy that will be performed Monday.

The gun-nut family of father and (living) sons should be doing their mourning in the local jail. Then, upon release they should surrender all their guns.

Oh, the horror of being unprotected, of being deprived of the best tools for self defense, cry the gun-rights fanatics. But, how about the horror of allowing a 7-year-old to shoot a gun he couldn't handle?

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Wichita Pellet Gun Accident - 5-Year-old Seriously Injured - Dad Arrested

Local news reports

Wichita police say a 26-year-old man has been arrested after a 5-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the head with a pellet gun. 

Wichita police Lt. Doug Nolte says the man’s 5-year-old son picked up the pellet gun and pulled the trigger on Sunday. A pellet penetrated the child’s skull.

Nolte says the father of the shooter left the pump-action pellet gun on a table after returning home from hunting.

The father was arrested on suspicion of offenses that include aggravated child endangerment and obstructing arrest.

You see what happened there? "Obstructing arrest" was where he went wrong.  Gun fanatics can let their kids shoot themselves all day long and not get arrested, but if you mess with the police when they come by lying or hiding evidence, you're bound to end up in the pokey.

What's your opinion?  He sounds like another lawful gun owner, don't you think?  Anyone idiot can own one of those pellet guns, right?  He could have had a concealed carry permit too, for all I know. No one checks on that.

Please leave a comment.

Kansas Hidden Criminal Gets 16 Years for Child's Death

The Denver Post

A Kansas man whose gun was used to accidentally kill a 5-year-old boy was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday.

In December, 2011, Adam Dean Laham was visiting friends who lived at the Eagle Crest Apartments, in Lakewood, and slept in a room belonging to three children, ages 3, 5 and 6.

Laham, 24, put his Kel-Tech semi-automatic handgun on a box he was using as a nightstand in the bedroom.

On the morning of Dec. 23, the adults were in the living room and the children went into their room to play video games.

Family and friends told a Wichita, Kan., television station in 2011 that the adults heard a shot and ran into the bedroom. They found the 3-year-old still holding the gun. He had shot his older brother at point-blank range.

Later, police found numerous guns inside the apartment, all loaded, all with a round in the chamber.
Laham pleaded guilty In Jefferson County District Court last November to negligent child abuse resulting in death. While on bond awaiting sentencing, he was arrested three times on drug and gun charges in Kansas and Arkansas, according to the District Attorney's office.
 

Prior to the incident, he qualified as a lawful gun owner. Isn't that a hoot? Is it any wonder why we don't trust gun owners to act responsibly?

The problem is obvious.  A large percentage of so-called lawful gun owners are guys like this who have yet to sustain their first felony conviction.  Because of the gun-rights fanatics' efforts, led by the NRA and gun manufacturers, these hidden criminals have all the rights and privileges as everyone else.

The solution is obvious. The rights of all gun owners need to be infringed a little bit more.  That doesn't mean they can't own guns, that simply means they need to be better qualified and more strictly regulated. And, as importantly, when they do something wrong with a gun, they need to lose their gun rights entirely.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Kansas Man with Concealed Carry Permit Shoots Wife Accidentally

Local news reports

William H. Mize Jr., 66, has a court date Thursday on charges of aggravated battery and carrying a concealed weapon while under the influence.

Police said Mize and his wife were sitting across from each other at the restaurant on Jan. 2 when the man reached into his front pants pocket and accidentally discharged a small pistol, striking his wife in the leg just above the knee. She was treated at a hospital and released.

Mize had a valid permit to carry a concealed weapon but Kansas law does not allow people to carry concealed weapons if they are under the influence of alcohol. The Longbranch, 8600 Marshall Drive, serves alcohol.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/06/4104612/man-charged-in-accidental-shooting.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/06/4104612/man-charged-in-accidental-shooting.html#storylink=cpy

This one will count as one of the supposedly highly rare incidents involving concealed carry permit holders. The reason, somehow the fact that he has a permit made it into the news. 

Kansas City 4-Year-old Accidentally Shot on January 10th Has Died - Still No Charges

Local news reports

Kansas City police have disclosed the death of a 4-year-old girl who was shot in the head earlier this month by a 6-year-old boy. 

Police said Tuesday that preschooler Trinity Ross was taken off life support last week, seven days after the accidental shooting. 

The Kansas City Star reports an adult had briefly left the preschooler and two boys, ages 5 and 6, alone in the living room of Trinity’s home when the older boy found a gun on a chair. The adult heard a gunshot and found Trinity on the floor with a wound in her forehead. 

Police said the older boy apparently found the five-shot revolver under a jacket. The adult said it belonged to a relative of the boys. 

No charges have been filed.

We can only assume the idiot adult who was in charge of these children was a lawful gun owner otherwise charges would have been filed. When ex-cons and felons in possession of firearms do this kind of thing they go to jail. Not so for lawful gun owners in many cases.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

The Safety and Security of Society

from The Kansas City Star

Some Kansas cities and the Libertarian Party are locked in a dispute, as you may know, over whether cities can legally prohibit people from openly carrying loaded weapons in public places. The party says an open-carry ban would violate both the U.S. and Kansas constitutions and state law. 

They may be right on the law, but the constitutional picture is cloudier. Let’s see why.

Kansas has guaranteed an individual the right to possess weapons since its founding more than 150 years ago. The state’s original constitution included this: “The people have the right to bear arms for their peace and security.” 

Curiously, however, late 19th century Kansans interpreted that language rather loosely. Dodge City, Wichita, and Abilene openly restricted firearms possession, and in 1905 the Kansas Supreme Court upheld a Salina gun control law by finding no individual right to carry a weapon.

“It was the safety and security of society that was being considered when this provision was put into our constitution,” the court ruled.

Winds blow and laws change, of course. In 2010, Kansas voters amended their constitution to more firmly create an individual right to bear arms, and the same year the U.S. Supreme Court said the U.S. Constitution contains a similar guarantee.

But conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the majority, made a crucial point: “No fundamental right — not even the First Amendment — is absolute,” he wrote.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/10/19/171547/commentary-in-gun-rights-battle.html#storylink=cpy

Gun Friendly Kansas

LJWorld published a letter to the editor by Jack Ozegovic

I read, with dismay, the Feb. 1 article in the Journal-World that there is a move in the Kansas Legislature to allow concealed weapons on college campuses. I’ve always been wary of the concealed carry law, but to expand it to college campuses seems a bit extreme to me. What’s next? Nursery schools? Day care?

I remember when concealed carry was passed, but I was totally in the dark until I read this article that it allowed people with vision disorders and physical disabilities to also carry a gun. A few years ago, I had major corrective ocular surgery. I think of myself before that and there was little chance that I could have used a concealed weapon effectively. At the least, I would have needed scattered birdshot, at best, a cluster bomb to ward off an assailant. I think the same limits would apply to anyone afflicted with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or any other physical disability that restricts bodily movement and quick response to a dangerous situation. I question this section of the law, and the law itself, which does not consider the time of reaction for a disabled person to ward off an attacker and may bring greater danger to the disabled person.

When I moved to Kansas 22 years ago, I knew its residents to be straightforward, hard working, and with a broad streak of common sense. Now, it seems many have been duped and shoved aside by wild-eyed ultraconservatives, and pseudo Christians whose actions seem orchestrated by the Mad Hatter.

Wichita Man Who Watched Too Many Movies Shoots Himself in the Groin

Guns, drugs, stupidity, negligence and No one has been charged?

Follow Up on the Topeka Misogyny

Dog Gone covered it before

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Shoot First - Call 911 Later

The Wichita Eagle has the report.

Two men were shot by a homeowner on his property in the Sumner County town of Milton early Monday, authorities said.

The 46-year-old homeowner awoke about 2:45 a.m. and thought he heard intruders in his house, Sumner County sheriff's Capt. Mike Yoder said. The man got up, grabbed a rifle and went to investigate.

He saw four men on his property, including in a detached shop, Yoder said. He opened fire on them, and they began to run before fleeing in two vehicles from the town, which is in northwest Sumner County south of Suppesville.

The homeowner then called 911.

The County Sherrif summed it up perfectly.

The homeowner was booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated battery, Yoder said.

"Obviously, you have the right to protect your property, but you can't go overboard with it," Yoder said.

What's your opinion? Do they go a bit too far with this castle-doctrine mentality? I say yes.

Please leave a comment.