The Mother of all Swiss Army Knives

Guns dot com

With over 100 tools, including a .22-caliber revolver, this 19th century multi-tool really is the “mother of all Swiss Army knives.”

Made in Germany in 1880 for JS Holler & Co’s cutlery store in New York City, this 3.5-inch wide and 9-inch long multi-tool was way ahead of its time, predating the Swiss Army knife by 11 years. It also predates the bottle cap by 12 years, meaning if you had one today, you’d have to find another way to crack open a beer.

Owned by the Smithsonian Institution and displayed at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Wyoming, this clever contraption would have made any cowboy the king of the corral. But according to the Smithsonian website, this mega-multi-tool wasn’t actually meant to be carried.

“Knives like this were made exclusively for exhibition to highlight the cutlers’ art,” the website reads. “They were so difficult to make they were only attempted by the most notable firms with the most talented artisans. They could be seen at various fairs and industrial expositions during the 19th century.”

California GOP Candidate Tim Donnelly Warns Jerry Brown with Bizarre and Empty Threats

SF Gate

Conservative Southern California a Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Tea Party favorite and former Minuteman, kicked off his campaign for governor at the state GOP convention Saturday, warning that Democratic Governor Jerry Brown may be face recall “if he wants to erase the Second Amendment” by signing tougher gun laws. 

Referencing recent recalls in Colorado in which the National Rifle Association weighed in on gun rights, Donnelly said, “those winds can cross the Rockies, and recalls can happen here.” And if Brown wants to “deprive” Californians of their rights to carry firearms, “then he will pay the price at the ballot box,” he warned, as conservative backers cheered.

I don't suppose Mr. Donnelly knows what NRA really stands for in California.

Texas No. 1 in Gun Purchase Applications

Mercury News

Texas is leading the nation in the number of people seeking federal permission to buy guns.

Federal statistics reviewed Friday by the Houston Chronicle ( http://bit.ly/17FYwPP) show 1.2 million people in Texas through the end of September filled out applications for background checks.

At that rate, last year's record 1.4 million requests will be surpassed by the end of 2013.

"The gun business is doing well," Rob Elder, head of the Houston division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said.

He said number of requests could increase his agency's workload, but he said most purchasers are law-abiding citizens seeking firearms for legitimate purposes.

The figures don't equate to the number of purchases but represent people who have asked to buy from a federally licensed dealer.

One Houston gun store owner, Jim Pruett, told the newspaper President Barack Obama motivates gun buyers.

"Any time he talks about gun control, it drives people crazy and they go and buy guns," he said.

4-year-old Boy Injured in Accidental Shooting in Charles County, Md.

Washington Post

A woman in Charles County was watching her 4-year-old grandson play one evening last week when he went into a parked car and she heard a gunshot, the county sheriff’s office said.

The child was flown to a hospital, where it was determined that he had suffered a graze wound in the accidental shooting. The injury was not regarded as life-threatening.

Detectives went to Hopewell Place and found a 9mm semiautomatic handgun in the car. The gun was registered to a member of the boy’s family, the sheriff’s office said in its statement.

In the statement, which was released Friday, the sheriff’s office said it was investigating.

The Supreme Court Looking at ‘Gun Rights’ of Domestic Abusers

Consortium News

The U.S. Supreme Court has now agreed to hear a case involving whether persons convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors should be prohibited from possessing guns.

The case involves James Castleman, who in 2001 pleaded guilty under Tennessee law to one count of misdemeanor domestic violence against the mother of his child.  In 2009, Castleman was found in possession of several guns, which was prohibited by a 1996 law that made it illegal for those who have misdemeanor convictions of domestic violence involving physical force or a deadly weapon to possess guns.

Three key members of the right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court: Justice Antonin Scalia; Chief Justice John Roberts; and Justice Anthony Kennedy. (From the official Supreme Court photo in 2010.)

Allegedly, Castleman was purchasing weapons and selling them illegally. An appeals court in Cincinnati, Ohio ruled that the federal law does not apply in Castleman’s case because his domestic violence conviction did not involve physical force.

What's your opinion? The author goes on the explain that normally domestic abuse escalates over time, so a conviction that does not involve physical force is likely to be a precursor of what will eventually happen.

The other problem she mentions is the plea bargaining system.

And, interestingly, as a side note, Florida allows convicted domestic abusers to get their guns back after three years. How about that?

Connecticut Concealed Carry Permit Holder Shoots Part of His Hand Off

Stamford Advocate

Police are investigating what they believe to be an accidental shooting Friday evening when a man in the Cove shot his right hand while dismantling a semiautomatic hand gun.

 Lt. Diedrich Hohn said police were called to 12 Soundview Ave. on the report of a man shooting himself. 

When police arrived, they found a 34-year-old man who had blown part of his right hand off.

Hohn said the man said he did not realize that one bullet was in the chamber when he was taking the gun apart.

The slug was fired into the man's right palm and traveled under the skin, exiting through his pinky finger. The slug then went through a wall and lodged in a bedroom bureau, where it was recovered by police. 

The man was taken to Stamford Hospital, where he underwent reconstructive surgery. Hohn said police are investigating the shooting, but it appears to be an accidental discharge. The man was cooperative throughout and admitted that he made a mistake when he pulled the trigger of the gun while taking it apart, not realizing that one bullet was ready for firing in the chamber. 

Hohn said the man has probably lost part or all of his pinky finger. 

Police took the man's valid permit to carry a concealed handgun and seized the handgun for safekeeping, as well as a shotgun also kept in the house. 

Hohn said State Police will review his permit to determine if his permit will be returned and a hearing will be held in the matter. No charges have been filed in the case.

Nebraska Trailer Dweller Arrested for Accidental Shooting of Neighbor

Local news reports

A rural Columbus man has been charged with third-degree assault after accidentally shooting his neighbor late Thursday night.

According to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office, 30-year-old Trent Kowalski was conducting target practice inside his Collegeview Trailer Park residence around 10:45 p.m. Thursday when the accident occurred.

The sheriff’s office says Kowalski was shooting a .22-caliber rifle inside his home at 6034 55th St. No. 545 when a bullet exited the residence and struck 57-year-old Mark Foxvog in the leg.

Kowalski was arrested and taken to the Platte County Detention Facility, where he was still being held Saturday morning. No bond had been set.

The sheriff’s office and Nebraska State Patrol responded to the shooting, which is still under investigation.

I wonder why he was taken to jail immediately and not AFTER a lengthy investigation?

Target practice INSIDE the trailer, did you get that?