Proposed Ohio Gun Laws Not Popular with Police

Middletown Journal reports

Five bills currently pending in the Ohio General Assembly would allow permit holders to carry their weapons in state-owned parking garages — such as below the Ohio Statehouse — loosen permit renewal requirements, eliminate required gun safety training and background checks and automatically expand the system for recognizing CCW permits issued by other states. 

 

After reviewing the current bills being proposed in Ohio, law enforcement have said some of the bills are “scary,” pointing to House Bill 256 and House Bill 422 — as particularly troublesome. 

HB 256 would eliminate background checks and gun safety classes required for concealed carry permits, while HB 422 would repeal the requirement that a permit holder who is pulled over in a traffic stop alert law enforcement that he or she has a loaded weapon.

Haven't we been told by the pro-gun folks that your regular cops are on their side of the argument about concealed carry, and it's the Police Chiefs and other top brass who oppose it?

Supposedly, the street cops recognize the clear and obvious benefits of arming the good guys, and the top cops, who are more like politicians don't.

That doesn't seem to be the case in Ohio. I suppose the explanation is that, like so much else in the gun-rights argument, this particular point was non constrained by the truth.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Arkansas Cop Kills a Guy for Practically Nothing

The Cabot Star-Herald reports

Cpl. Jack Fitzhugh has been placed on paid administrative leave after his involvement in the fatal shooting of Dustin R. Williamson, 32, of Lonoke on Arkansas Highway 294 on Thursday morning.

According to a statement issued by the State Police:

"About 9 a.m. today (Thursday, April 19, 2012) law enforcement authorities were notified by the public of an individual standing along [Arkansas] State Highway 294 between Jacksonville and Furlow exhibiting erratic behavior and swinging a large piece of iron railing.

"Upon the arrival of a Lonoke County Sheriff’s Deputy the man reportedly struck the side of the patrol car and window glass with a piece of metal believed to be the base of a vehicle lift used to change a flat tire.

"The deputy fired his sidearm striking the individual who was later pronounced dead.

"The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division will prepare an investigative file that will be turned-over to local prosecuting attorney for consideration."

Tasers, batons, a little ingenuity, anything would have been better than shooting the guy to death. This is police brutality at its worst, abuse of power, literally.

I often suspect in cases like this what the guy really got killed for was disobedience.  Cops on power trips don't loke to be disobeyed, they get furious at that, and sometimes they kill for it.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Big Shootout in Chicago - 2 Dead, 2 Wounded

The Chicago Tribune reports

Two men were shot to death and two others wounded following a dispute that started in a Calumet City nightclub early Saturday and ended with gunfire outside, police said.

Family members said they believe the man shot to death is Archie Lee Chambers Jr., 20, who had been shooting in the air before being shot by police.

Friends told Chambers’ sister, Arshanette Chambers, 21, that Chambers and other friends had been at a car club party at What’s Up about 1:30 a.m., when a fight started inside the club and someone began shooting outside the club, killing Chambers' friend and bringing Chambers outside.

Police "did engage the shooter," but the chief did not say that Chambers was the one who had shot the others. White and Chambers were not shot by the police

What's your opinion? Is the solution to arm more of the good guys and let them carry guns in bars? That's the recommendation of the gun-rights crowd.

 For me the solution is obvious. Tight restrictions on guns, laws which would choke off the continual gun flow from legitimate gun owners to the young gangsters.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Private Prisons

via Fuck Conservatives

Accidental Shooting at the Metropolitan Museum - No Charges

The New York Times reports

Shortly before 3 p.m., a single shot rang out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Not in the Russell B. Aitken Gallery of firearms, where the 16th-century double-barreled wheellock pistol made for Emperor Charles V and the 17th-century gilded French flintlock are housed.

It was down in a basement locker room, where a security guard cleaning his .38-caliber Colt accidentally shot himself in the leg.

The guard, whose injuries were not life-threatening, is one of a limited number at the museum authorized to carry weapons, said Harold Holzer, a spokesman for the museum. They are not allowed to take them out of the building, Mr. Holzer said, so they maintain and clean them on the premises.

I can just hear Michael Corleone yelling, "WHERE MY WIFE SLEEPS, where my children come to play with their toys." I would have said, "WHERE REMBRANDT'S PAINTINGS HANG, where my children come to visit on summer vacations."

You know what the story tells us, don't you. No place is safe. Too many lawful gun owners, even professionally trained men, actually turn out to be unfit and dangerous.

Yet, the gun-rights fanatics resist at every turn the simple restrictions which would weed out some of the worst of these characters. And to make matters worse, they just love to issue nothing more than a slap on the wrist when one of them does demonstrate negligence.

What's your opinion? I can't repeat it enough. One-strike-you're-out is the appropriate response to any incident of negligence. Gun rights must be removed from the unfit and irresponsible.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity

via The Maddow Blog where you'll find a wonderful list of Romney lies and deceptions.  I was most interested in the first three.

1. Speaking to the NRA, Romney said, "The Obama administration has decided that it has the power to mandate what Catholic charities, schools, and hospitals must cover in their insurance plans.... Here we are, just getting started with Obamacare, and the federal government is already dictating to religious groups on matters of doctrine and conscience."

In Massachusetts' governor for one term, Romney took the same position Obama has adopted. He somehow forgot to mention this.

2. Romney also told the NRA audience, "We need a president who will enforce current laws, not create new ones that only serve to burden lawful gun owners. President Obama has not, I will."

The grammar in this sentence makes it hard to understand, but the implication seems to be that Obama has created new restrictions on gun laws. That's a lie.

3. Romney also claims to be a "lifetime" member of the NRA.

In reality, Romney used to oppose the NRA, but became a "lifetime" member fairly recently by buying the honor from the group.

Those poor racist Obama haters, I almost feel sorry for them.

What's your opinion?  Does old Tricky Mitt even stand a chance?

Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Yakima Man by Himself - Several Charges

The Yakima Herald reports

According to court records, two women told police Castilleja had been playing with a revolver before placing bullets in the cylinder. Then while spinning the cylinder and pointing the weapon at his chest, he inexplicably pulled the trigger, discharging a round, police said.

Since convicted felons aren't supposed to have guns, Castilleja was arrested after the April 7 incident and charged with felony charges of illegal possession and possession of a stolen firearm. Court records did not indicate how seriously Castilleja was hurt, but he was apparently well enough to appear in court within five days.

However, in a second display of self-inflicted pain, authorities allege that Castilleja phoned friends asking them to contact the witnesses to have them tell police that he'd been shot in an attack.

Problem was, calls from jail are automatically recorded, detectives said. As a result, they are now asking that charges of witness tampering be added to the firearms charges.

Now he sounds like a real genius. Good thing there are no lawful gun owner like that. What do you think? Was he playing Russian roulette to show off for the girls? And that call from jail, everybody knows those calls are monitored. What's wrong with this guy?

I say again, thank goodness the gun owners in America are divided neatly into two distinct groups, the criminals ones and the lawful ones.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.