Virginia Gun Ban for Violent Offenders May Have New Life

Local news reports

Advocates for a bill that would ban anyone convicted of stalking, sexual battery or physical domestic abuse of a family member from possessing a gun for five years are trying to revive the effort.

The Senate passed the bill 29-6, but last week a House criminal law subcommittee tabled the bill on a voice vote, then later voted to send a letter to the Virginia Crime Commission for further study.

Lori Haas, with Virginians for Responsible Gun Laws, stressed that the bill would mean a temporary prohibition on firearm possession by people convicted of certain violent misdemeanors.

“This bill does not impact law-abiding citizens,” she said.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, opposes the measure because the convictions that the bill would apply to are misdemeanors and not felonies.

“If in the law, something is a misdemeanor, a minor crime, then it should not take away your rights,” he said. “How they draw those lines is up to the General Assembly.”

Arkansas Lawful Gun Owner Commits Murder over a Teenage Prank

Huffington Post

Study: Missouri Murders Spike After State Repeals Gun Background Check Law

Raw Story



I can't wait to hear what TS and the other gun apologists have to say about this one.  They're pretty creative when they find something that threatens their single-minded worldview.

Georgia Considers Even More Special Treatment for Concealed Carry Permit Holders Who Bring Guns to Airports by Mistake

Politico

Gary Lawrence usually carries a .22-caliber revolver while out walking his dog in rural Georgia as protection against venomous snakes and coyotes. But he says he learned a hard lesson while rushing to catch a flight at Atlanta’s airport last month, the firearm forgotten in the pocket of a heavy coat.

In the security line, he took off his belt, boots and leather coat and placed them on a conveyor belt to the X-ray machine when “all of a sudden, I had about five cops around me.” One of the officers asked what was in his coat pocket. “That’s when it hit me. I knew what was in my pocket. I just sank. I couldn’t deny it. I told him the story,” said Lawrence, who has a state-issued license to carry a gun.

Handcuffed, he was escorted away to spend a night in jail, charged with a misdemeanor.

Now gun-friendly lawmakers in Georgia want people licensed to carry a gun to avoid arrest if they accidentally bring their firearms into the security checkpoint at the country’s busiest airport and willingly leave the security line. It comes as gun rights groups in Georgia push state lawmakers to broaden the places where people can legally take guns, including churches and other houses of worship.

The labor union representing airport security screeners opposes loosening laws banning guns at security checkpoints, especially after one TSA officer was killed and three other people wounded last November in a shooting at Los Angeles International Airport.

Lawmakers supportive of the plan in Georgia say some wiggle room should be allowed. They want to allow people licensed to carry a gun to avoid being arrested if they are caught at a security checkpoint carrying a firearm and obey instructions to leave. Offenders without a license to carry a gun could still be arrested.

“I would tell you that a lot of people carry a weapon,” said state Rep. Alan Powell, a Republican who supports the bill. “It’s almost like it’s just a second nature to them. And sometimes they forget where they have, you know, they basically forget they’ve got it in a briefcase or a suitcase.”
Those convicted of a misdemeanor for carrying a gun into the secured areas of Georgia’s airports could face a $1,000 fine or up to a year of probation or prison time. However, charges are dismissed against most first-time offenders if they attend gun safety classes, surrender the firearm they illegally brought to the checkpoint and stay out of further trouble. They do not lose their license to carry a weapon in Georgia. TSA officials can separately fine them up to $11,000.

Florida Concealed Weapon Permit Holder Fires Shot Inside Orlando Sports Bar, Injuring One - No Charges

Local news via Southern Beale

A concealed weapon permit holder showing off his pistol late Sunday inside Miller's Orlando Airport Ale House and accidentally shot one victim, according to Orlando police.

John A. Smith drew the .45-caliber Kimber pistol show its safety features to a friend when he fired it into the floor, a report stated.

A piece of the bullet struck Leanabel Torres-Rodriguez, 22, leaving a small wound above her right ankle.

"Rodriguez stated the handgun was pointed at the ground when the gun accidentally discharged," according to the report. "Rodriguez stated she did not wish to press charges and signed a declination of prosecution."

The report did not indicate if Smith was showing the gun to Torres-Rodriguez.

By the time police arrived after the 10:34 p.m. incident, Smith left the restaurant at 6141 So. Semoran Blvd., later saying he panicked and drove home, according to the report.

"I'm the guy you're looking for," Smith, 36, told police when he returned without his $900 Kimber 1911 Custom II handgun. "Smith stated he was not drinking while at the Ale House."

Smith proved to police he had been legally carrying a concealed weapon by showing his Florida concealed weapon permit, the report stated. Florida has issued 1.2 million active concealed weapon permits, but does not test applicants on their knowledge of state laws restricting where and when weapons can be carried.

WalMart Shooting in Phoenix

Huff Post Crime

A man shot inside a Walmart store during a fight died, police in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler said Sunday night.

Detectives reviewing surveillance video report that two people got into a fight in the store, which ended in a shooting around 4 p.m. Sunday, Chandler police spokesman Joseph Favazzo said in a news release.

Favazzo told The Associated Press that the shooter remained at the store for a little while and then fled. He didn't make any other threats, the spokesman said.

Soon afterward, a family member called authorities to report his whereabouts. Police picked him up at the home and were questioning him. The man wasn't under arrest as of Sunday night and was cooperating with authorities, Favazzo said.

The victim had been taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but later died. His name hasn't been released.

Florida 3-Year-old Dead - Charges Possible

Local news reports

Authorities said a 3-year-old Lake Worth girl died Thursday after what appears to be an accidental shooting.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's officials said Zuri Chambers was shot with an unsecured weapon. She and her father were the only two people in the house. Zuri was flown to Delray Medical Center, where she died Thursday night.

A sheriff's spokeswoman said charges are possible because Florida law requires that weapons in homes be kept securely.