2 Dead 1 Wounded in Washington State Murder / Suicide

The Seattle Times reports on the terrible tragedy which took place in Bellingham, Washington.

A man shot and wounded his girlfriend, killed her 14-year-old daughter and then took his own life at a home in Maple Falls.

Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo did not immediately identify the man. However, The Bellingham Herald says others have identified him as the homeowner, 41-year-old Sean D. Wilson, a Whatcom County planning commissioner.

The sheriff said the woman ran to a neighbor's house to call 911 at 3:19 a.m. Thursday. When deputies arrived at the home about 20 miles northeast of Bellingham they found the bodies of the man and Felicity Boonstra, a student at Mount Baker Junior High. Her mother Rebecca Boonstra was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham and is expected to survive.

Elfo said deputies have been to the home at least once before, in March 2008, for domestic violence.

According to The Herald, a few minutes before the shooting was reported, the girl posted on her Facebook page that it was the third night in a row of yelling and fighting in her home.

"I just want to leave this house and be with my (real) dad," she wrote.

I realize we have to have due process and all that, but don't you think something has to be done to prevent people like this from owning guns? It's the same argument against prohibiting people on the terror watch list, but public safety cries out for a solution.

Domestic abusers should not have guns, period. If we wait for them to commit serious enough crimes to be prohibited it's often too late for the family.

No guns for suspected terrorists and no guns for suspected spouse abusers.

The way it is now, in places where there are more guns, more women get killed. Just look at the stats.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Misleading Statistics

Tampa Bay Online has a wonderful article about the way statistics can be misleading when taken out of context. Brought to us by FatWhiteMan. Thanks.

More than 900 black males between the ages of 14 and 17 killed somebody in 2007. Should we be scared of young black guys?

Of course not. There are roughly 3 million black males in that age group in the United States. It would be horribly unfair to toss around the first statistic without mentioning the second; doing so would be misleading, if not malicious.

That's certainly a good example of how this can be done. The article goes on to discuss the ratio between murders committed by folks with concealed carry permits and the total number of people who have such permits. The results: "two one-thousandths of 1 percent."

It's hard to argue with that. And, let's not forget, no discussion of concealed carry permit holders would be complete without including the DGUs

Estimates of how often this happens vary wildly, from 108,000 times a year (the 1993 National Crime Victimization Survey) to 1.5 million (Department of Justice, 1994) to more than 3 million (a 1976 California study). Florida criminologist Gary Kleck may have produced the most scrupulous count, which he puts at 2.5 million annual defensive gun uses.

I wondered if, according to this author, the idea is that only gun control folks engage in the behavior of presenting misleading statistics.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Denis Henigan Suggests

The Huffington Post reports on Denis Henigan's advice to the Obama Administration.

I have a modest suggestion for the President. In the State of the Union address, demonstrate that national security trumps fear of the gun lobby.

Make no mistake about it, the gun lobby's influence has made the war against terrorists harder to fight.

He goes on to talk about the Tiahrt Amendment needing to be repealed and the "terror list loophole," which needs to be plugged.

Resistance to both seems to be the result of not trusting the federal government. Folks feel that the federal gathering of records of gun purchases, which the Tiahrt Amendment prohibits, would result in the dreadful gun registry. I think they're right, but I ask what's so wrong with that? I believe it's paranoia pure and simple that says this would be the first step to gun confiscation.

The problem with prohibiting folks on the terror watch list from buying guns is that, according to the gun enthusiasts, the government will abuse the power and put people on the list too easily. I say this is a reasonable concern, but it need not be the case. The maintenance of the list could be handled better, controls could be implemented, abuse could be avoided.

I agree that now is the time to stand up to the NRA and the gun lobbyists. By the way, when speaking of the gun lobby, everyone talks about their being paid by the powerful and rich NRA, or that they represent the people, as one HuffPo commenter erroneously stated, but no one seems to mention the gun manufacturers. Wouldn't they have the biggest stake in this? Aren't they the ones who are laughing all the way to the bank, as gun proliferation increases?

I say it's high time Obama stood up to the special interests, as he promised.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

St. Louis: 4 Dead, 4 Wounded

CNN reports on the terrible shooting which took place earlier today.

An employee at a transformer manufacturing company opened fire on his co-workers Thursday, killing three people before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Five other ABB Inc. employees were wounded in the shooting in the company's factory in St. Louis, police said.

A law enforcement official identified the suspect as Timothy Hendron.

Hendron is among a group of ABB employees listed in a lawsuit filed in 2006 against administrators of the company's retirement plan. The suit, filed in federal court, accuses the administrators of, among other things, causing the plan to include "unreasonable and excessive" fees and expenses, paid by participants, without their knowledge and not used for their benefit or that of the plan.

No one seems to know if that was the motive. It doesn't sound to me like he was angry at the bosses or the company. It sounds more like he was angry at his colleagues, or that he just cracked up. Hopefully we'll hear more about that over the next days.

I wondered why no one shot back at him. Isn't St. Louis a gun-friendly place? Maybe some of the victims had guns too but with the element of surprise and all, the shooter got the jump on them. Or maybe he was just lucky and selected eight unarmed people.

What's your opinion? How can we keep people like this from having guns? Is this just the price we must pay for the "freedom" of exercising our god-given rights in America?

I'll tell you what, how about we tighten up the gun laws to the point that over say, a decade or so, we have about half the number of guns. The half that remain in circulation will be so strictly registered to their rightful owners that the flow of guns into the criminal world all but stops. Some gangsters will import them along with the drugs, sure, but the huge numbers that flow every year from the loose fingers of lawful gun owners dries up.

How's that sound? Please leave a comment.

Daddy's Guns Are Bad News for Kids

Chicago Boy, 12 years old.

The boy was arrested at Bethune Elementary School at 3:25 p.m. local time and was charged as a juvenile with unlawful use of a weapon, police were cited by MyFoxChicago.com as saying.

Students alerted the school’s dean that the boy had a handgun in his bag, according to the police report, MyFoxChicago.com reported.

Police said the dean found a 9mm Ruger handgun inside the boy’s backpack, MyFoxChicago.com reported. Three live .380 caliber rounds of ammunition, which did not match the Ruger handgun, were found in the boy’s pants pocket, police said according to the site.

Police are investigating the incident.

Griffin, Georgia, eighth-grader.

Students at Carver Road Middle School apparently saw the gun during a P.E. class and reported it to the resource officer, according to school officials.

The student was isolated while school administrators found the unloaded .25-caliber gun and a clip in the student's book bag. School officials reported the incident to the Spalding County Sheriff's Department.

Alhambra, California high-school student.

A California school is on lockdown Wednesday afternoon after a dog found a gun in a student's backpack and on him, local radio station KPCC reported.

Police arrested the Mark Keppel High School junior and are searching all the classrooms the student attended, as well as talking to his friends. They are also at his home in Monterey Park, Calif.

The radio station reports that the school district contacted a local canine company to do a random search.

This is the gun culture in America today, or I should say this is just a slice of it. These three "anecdotal" stories are among the scores of such reports that make the news every single day. Is this what the lawful gun owners who support NRA policies and fight tooth and nail to eliminate gun control laws say they have no responsibility for?

Is this the "freedom" the gun enthusiasts are always talking about? While ensuring that they'll have the means to fight tyranny in 21st century America, normal people cannot send their kids to school without worrying about guns.

Or should we just keep increasing the number of guns, making sure everyone can protect themselves from all the lethal threats, as long as we send our kids to do the Eddie Eagle training?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Badger Guns Back in the News

The Milaukee Journal Sentinel published an article about the latest problems facing Badger Gun Shop. We've discussed them before.

Milwaukee County's district attorney and the city's police chief want all documents on violations found by federal investigators at a West Milwaukee gun store, saying the paperwork could contain evidence of criminal activity, according to a letter released Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) sent her own letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives demanding answers about the agency's regulation of the store.

The moves come in reaction to a Journal Sentinel investigation that on Sunday reported federal investigators recommended revoking the license of Badger Outdoors after a 2006 inspection - a rare move that could have closed the store.

But there was no revocation and the store remains open, operating as Badger Guns. Federal records show the license recommended for revocation was relinquished voluntarily, the players inside the operation took on new roles and a new license was issued to the son of a previous owner, creating what one federal official called a "clean slate."

That's just what they do, isn't it? The "players inside the operation" simply change roles and it's business as usual. What I can't understand is how pro-gun folks who are generally letter-of-the-law guys when it comes to other criminals, excuse this behavior and support people like this who give the entire gun owning world a bad name. The folks at Badger Guns, as well as Iknadosian and let's not forget Bull's Eye, make a mockery of the law and hypocritical gun owners who are otherwise law abiding citizens themselves, turn a blind eye. Why?

The changes not only halted the recommended revocation but also erased violations found by federal regulators over 17 years at Badger Outdoors, which at one time was known as Badger Guns and Ammo, according to documents obtained by the newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act. Many details, including the violations themselves, were blacked out by ATF because of a federal law that applies only to gun dealer license paperwork.

This is the result of decades of lobbying and NRA influence which more than anything is responsible for the gun violence in America. I never tire of pointing out the average gun owner's share of this responsibility, but the real criminals are the NRA and gun manufacturers who sponsor the lobbyists who achieve such obviously detrimental laws concerning guns.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Red Dawn

When Patrick Swayze died I was reminded of the film, Red Dawn. I read a few comments by pro-gun folks about how great it is. Well, I finally got around to seeing it again, and although I like movies with shooting and violence, this one was terrible. That's my considered opinion, terrible. Critics must have agreed, according to the IMDB site there was only one award nomination. And they list everything under the sun for films with merit. Wikipedia had an interesting notation, "National Review Online has named the film #15 in its list of 'The Best Conservative Movies'"

What's your opinion? Did you like the movie? What did you like about it?

While watching the film last night, I could see the appeal it might have for the libertarian-minded and the ultra-patriotic viewer. If anything it reinforced my opposing stand to the gun rights movement usually embraced by those types.

I must admit though, I love the action scenes in movies, even in this one where they weren't all that convincing. For example when the girl was mortally wounded and asked for a hand grenade to kill herself so she wouldn't be captured and interrogated. Then you realize she's going to take out one of the bad guys when he comes for her. I love that stuff. But, it's a movie.

The folks who prepare for something like this by stockpiling weapons and encourage others to do the same, in my opinion, are mistaken. I believe they're operating out of some mental disorder or other, there are probably several, but they have lost touch with reality. My term for what many of them seem to have is "grandiose victimism."

Some have responded, in proper macho fashion, that they don't plan to be victims. I guess their thing would be "grandiose vindication," that's living in the fantasy of coming out on top in the "life and death" struggle for rights and survival.

The film "Red Dawn," is the classic tale of "grandiose victimism," Patrick Swayze's and Charlie Sheen's characters heroically sacrificed their lives for the cause and all they had to show for it was an anonymous plaque in their honor.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Bay Area Open Carry

Is carrying an unloaded gun on one hip and two full magazines of ammo on the other safer than carrying a loaded gun with one round in the chamber?

ABC has the video.

When I Was a Kid

As predicted by the Grand Prince, I'm posting another video as part of the "weapons of mass distraction."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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Las Vegas Shootout

The Los Angeles Times reports on the headline-grabbing shootout in Las Vegas which left 2 dead.

Reporting from Washington and Las Vegas - A 66-year-old retiree apparently upset over losing a lawsuit related to his Social Security benefits opened fire in a federal courthouse lobby Monday morning, killing one person and wounding another in a chaotic shootout.

The gunman, identified by law enforcement sources as Johnny Lee Wicks, died from gunshot wounds after fleeing across the street as court officers returned fire.

Is this the case of just another nut or is there a growing trend of disgruntled folks who are heavily armed and are nearing "the edge?"

In 2008, Wicks, who had moved from California to a local retirement home, filed a complaint against a regional Social Security Administration commissioner, contending that his monthly benefits had been reduced by $317 because he was black.

"It's all about race," he wrote in the complaint, although he cited no evidence. "I am no fool."

A lawyer for the Social Security Administration responded in court documents that Wicks' payments had been cut because, as a Nevada resident, he was no longer entitled to a supplement he had received while living in California.

This man went over "the edge." It's exactly the same thing the folks in the video of the New Mexico gun rally were talking about. People commented asking what's wrong with that rally, what did I find objectionable. Well, it has to do with the subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, threat these people make. In essence they're saying if certain things happen, too severe gun laws, too much "socialism" from Obama, they will respond with gun violence.

Poor Mr. Wicks went over the edge about his Social Security claim which was denied, proving that people like this don't need reasonable or factual situations to justify their decision to attack. Many gun owners are precariously close to that very same edge. The glib and irresponsible pro-gun writings on the internet are more than enough to push some of them over. And just like the social security decision that Wicks found so unacceptable, an unstable gun owner doesn't need reasonable or factual ideas to lose it.

As an example, Joe Huffman frequently writes that gun-owners today are persecuted in a similar way as the Jews in 1930s and 1940s Germany. Does anyone really believe that? I don't think the gun bloggers, who for the most part are extremely well written and seemingly intelligent folks, do. But the vast majority of gun owners probably do, like the ones depicted in that video the other day.

So, my contention is the Las Vegas incident was not an anomaly but rather an example of a large and growing trend of disgruntled armed people who are going over the edge. These poor characters are aided in their insanity by well-meaning gun bloggers who are continually pushing ideas which may be debatable but which do serious harm to their own cause.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Death Sentence Vacated

The News-JournalOnline.com reported on the judge's ruling which vacated a 1982 death sentence.

DAYTONA BEACH -- A local judge vacated the sentence of one of Volusia County's oldest death penalty cases, finding that Ted Herring's IQ is too low for him to be executed for killing a convenience store clerk in 1981.

Last month, Circuit Judge Joseph Will signed the order setting aside the death sentence, which had been handed down after Herring's trial in February 1982.

Circuit Judge S. James Foxman followed a jury's 8-4 recommendation that Herring be executed for shooting Norman Dale Hoeltzel in the left side of the head with a .22-caliber bullet.

Well, I guess that settles the question about whether a .22 can kill someone. What it doesn't settle is why the death-penalty proponents insist on killing these pathetic criminals.

"There is ample evidence in the record that throughout his life, Herring has suffered from significant limitations in adaptive functioning in multiple areas," Will wrote in the ruling.

Of course it's being appealed to the State Supreme Court. If it's upheld, Ted Herring will serve a life sentence.

What's your opinion? Should we be executing people with diminished capacity? Do you believe like many hard-liners that if a person is capable of doing what Mr. Herring did, then they are capable of paying the ultimate price?

Please leave a comment.

Mayor Booker's 3-Year Public Safety Report

The Daily Newarker posted the Public Safety Report issued by Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker and Police Director Garry F. McCarthy.

Newark officials attribute 21 percent reduction to overall crime rate

to modern technology, alliances, community engagement and anti-gun strategies;

Newark the second city in the country to Los Angeles in reducing gun violence;

Mayor highlights Newark’s prisoner reentry programs

for dropping participants’ one-year recidivism rate to 10 percent

I haven't been to Newark in years, except for driving in and out of the airport. But even that, combined with what I read on the internet, makes me a bit suspicious of any report describing it as "improved."

At the press conference, the Mayor and Police Director McCarthy displayed crime statistics for the past three years, all of which showed a steady decrease in violence crime, despite an increase in murders in 2009, which saw 77 killings, 10 more than 2008’s total of 67. A list of Police Department highlights for the past three years is attached.

“We must remember that this uptick is still lower than the 2007 figure of 99 killings in Newark, and 107 in 2006,” Director McCarthy said. “We finished 2009 with 30 fewer homicides than in 2006. So while we take pride in these figures and how they validate our efforts, they also remind us that we still have more work to do.”

What's your opinion? Is Newark a good example of the multiple factors which are involved in crime, gun availability being just one? What could be the explanation for the strongly fluctuating murder statistics?

Please leave a comment.

Bloomberg's Blueprint

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on the 40-step plan of Mayor Bloomberg's to improve New York even further. Sebastian already posted about this even before its official release, expressing serious concern about the impact on gun owners.

“Every day in our county, 32 Americans are killed by gun-wielding criminals — that’s a Virginia Tech-scale tragedy happening every single day,” said coalition co-chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “Enacting these 40 recommendations will save lives — and each can be done administratively, without action by the Congress. America’s mayors look forward to working with the Obama Administration to better enforce the laws already on the books.”

This is one of the pro-gun crowd's concerns. The fact that no Congressional action would be required worries them, I suppose because proposals like that may be easier to implement. But, haven't the same gun folks complained that enacting new laws is wrong when we already have so many on the books? Haven't I heard frequent overtures from them that we should just enforce the laws we have?

... 96 percent of NRA members and 94 percent of gun-owners surveyed agreed that “Criminals who possess, use, and traffic in illegal guns should be punished to the maximum extent of the law.” The full survey results are available on the Mayors Against Illegal Guns website.

Since its inception in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from just 15 mayors to more than 450 members.

Are the opposing sides of this argument really so different from one another? When talking about punishing violent criminals aren't we all on the same page?

What do you think about the growth of the MAIG? In spite of those attempts on the part of pro-gun people to focus attention on some of the members who'd gotten themselves in trouble, it looks like the organization as a whole is thriving. Do you think Bloomberg will take over from the Brady Campaign as the leading organization in the gun control movement?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Toy Guns are Good for Kids

I grew up with this stuff and look how I turned out. Thanks FishyJay.

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

Truthout reports on the situation in Yemen and its relationship with the United States. (Thanks for the tip Laci).

...there has been a dramatic turnaround in the fluctuating love-hate relationship between the two countries.

And this week's aborted attempt to blow up a U.S. plane by a Nigerian student, with ties to a terrorist group in Yemen, has brought the political spotlight back on a country which is proud of its gun culture.

Yemen reportedly has over 60 million handguns and small arms spread over a population of some 21 million people.

Yehya al-Mutawakil, a former interior minister, was quoted as saying that everyone in Yemen is armed with handguns, while members of various tribes have gone upscale: they are armed with assault weapons, rocket launchers and submachine guns.

Between 2002 and 2008, Yemen received some 69 million dollars in U.S. military aid; and 496 Yemeni military personnel were trained under the International Military Education and Training programme (IMET).

William D. Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New York-based New America Foundation, cites press reports to suggest that Washington will rapidly ramp up U.S. military aid to Yemen over the next 18 months.

The projected total, he said, is about 70 million dollars, or roughly the amount provided during the entire administration of former President George W. Bush.

"U.S. military aid to Yemen is a double-edged sword," Hartung told IPS.

On the one hand, the Yemeni government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh has participated in strikes against al Qaeda and al Qaeda-inspired groups within and around its borders.

On the other hand, he said, "The Yemeni government is one of the most unstable regimes in the world, and there is a danger that U.S. weapons and training could be turned against U.S. interests, if there is a change in government there."

This is my biggest disappointment with Obama. I was hoping he'd get us out of Iraq, wind down the business in Afghanistan and quit policing the world. I thought this was a characteristic of the Bush years. I was wrong. Now the only question seems to be, which will it be next, Iran or Yemen.

What's your opinion?

Happy New Year - Gun-Lover Style

CBS Atlanta reports on the stray bullet which crashed through a church roof and killed a 4-year-old.

A 4-year-old boy who was struck by a stray bullet while at church died Friday.

The incident happened around midnight Friday during a New Year’s Eve watch service at the Covington Drive Church Of God of Prophecy in Decatur.

It was not immediately clear who fired the shot that came through the roof of the church and struck the child, who was identified as Marquel Peters.

I'm sure the gun folks will say responsible gun owners who adhere to the tenets of the 4 Rules would never do something as stupid as firing a round into the air in celebration, which is what they think this was. I agree wholeheartedly that responsible gun owners who adhere to the tenets of the 4 Rules never would. But my question is what percentage of them is that responsible. Who hasn't fired a shot or two off where they shouldn't have? Who shoots all those rural road signs?

I'll tell you who, the vast majority of gun owners. Most folks are not concerned with the rules, not to the point of becoming out-and-out criminals, but definitely to the point of doing stupid things that get innocent people hurt.

What's your opinion? Is this 4-year-old killing in Decatur Georgia just another of those rare accidents? Please leave a comment.

Your Average Gun Owners

The Las Vegas Democrat Examiner provided a wonderful article and this video, which perfectly illustrates the malleable masses of simple gun owners. These are not the ones who write pro-gun blogs. These are the ones who receive the message whether by reading it themselves or by word of mouth. I say again, it is irresponsible for pro-gun bloggers to incite their less-intellectually endowed followers with exaggerated talk of gun confiscations and persecution of gun owners. It's not the government that's pushing these people towards the edge, it's their own leaders in the gun movement.

George Carlin on Toy Guns

Thanks PhuckPolitics

Tighter Gun Control in Finland

China View reports on the reaction to the recent multiple murder in Finland.

Finnish Interior Minister Anne Holmlund said on Saturday that Finland will amend the gun law to tighten control on guns, Finnish media reported on Saturday.

A 43-year-old man named Ibrahim Shkupolli, a Kosovo Albanian, shot and killed four employees at Sello shopping center in Espoo, southern Finland, as well as his ex-girlfriend at her home, who was also employed there, and finally himself on Thursday.

The shooting rampage has again aroused Finnish people's attention to the country's gun control. Finnish people have long asked for tighter gun control after two school shootings in 2007 and 2008.

Finland's rate of gun ownership ranks the third highest in the world as its 5.3 million populations own 1.6 million registered guns.

That's an interesting phrase, "Finnish people have long asked for tighter gun control." I wonder if that means the majority. Could the same be said about the United States?

Interior Minister Anne Holmlund said on Saturday that Finland will amend its gun law for tighter control on guns. Furthermore, new legislation will require safer ways of gun-keeping at home in order to reduce illicit weapons obtained through burglary. An illegal handgun was used in Thursday's shooting incident.

According to Anne Holmlund, Finland's present gun registry is primitive. In some cases, license information has been written on a file card without the weapon's serial number or the purpose for which the permit was granted. All the guns with old licenses will have to be re-registered, she said.

She also stressed that all the licenses for people with criminal backgrounds should be revoked.

I wonder if that's how they did the registry in Canada too, "license information has been written on a file card without the weapon's serial number." How could any system of registration be organized so badly? It almost sounds like pro-gun spies designed it to fail.

How about the suggestion that, "All the guns with old licenses will have to be re-registered." That sounds pretty simple. I guess with enough jack-booted federal enforcers it could be done. What do you think?

Please leave a comment.

The Danish Cartoonist Attacked with Axe

The Daily Record reports on the home invasion and attempted murder of the famous Danish cartoonist.

AN axe-wielding Muslim fanatic who tried to butcher a Danish cartoonist in his home was carried into court on a stretcher yesterday to be charged with attempted murder.

The 28-year-old Somali, said to have links to al-Qaeda, was also accused of trying to kill a police officer who shot and wounded him outside Kurt Westergaard's home.

Westergaard, 75, has been a target of extremists since he drew a cartoon in 2005 of the Prophet Mohammed wearing a bomb-shaped turban.

The cartoon was one of a series which outraged the Islamic world.

Those Danes know how to treat criminals. No hospital stay and rehabilitation before the court appearance for the bad guys over there.

Westergaard was at home with his five-year-old grand-daughter in the city of Aarhus late on Friday when the attacker broke in.

The house is fortified but the man smashed a window to get in. He told Westergaard in broken English that he had come to kill him.

Westergaard fled with his granddaughter to a "panic room" in the bathroom. He said the attacker yelled "Revenge!" and "Blood!" and smashed the door with the axe.

The cartoonist pressed an alarm button to alert police. Officers arrived within two minutes and confronted the axeman outside.

Now there's another interesting concept, "the panic room." Of course that could never work in America where people are into that old stand-yer-ground mentality.

What's your opinion? Would fortifying one of the rooms in the house and equipping it with means to communicate with he local police be a possible answer to protecting yourself and your family at home? Or would you prefer to be armed to the teeth?

What do you think about the blasphemy charges some in the Islamic world have raised against this cartoonist? Those Muslims are pretty severe judges and they definitely don't have a sense of humor. Is this the case that's raised questions of a United Nations prohibition against blasphemy?

Please leave a comment.

Those Evil Toy Guns

Channel 3 News from Memphis Tennessee reports on the new Arkansas law banning toy guns.

(West Memphis, AR 01/01/2010) The New Year brings a new law that cracks down on toy guns being sold in the state of Arkansas.

The law stems from the 2007 shooting death of a 12 year old West Memphis boy, DeAunta Farrow.

DeAunta Farrow was gunned down after police say he waved a pistol at them. Police later revealed the pistol was actually a toy gun. State legislators say the new law is aimed at protecting other children and officers from similar violence.

The shooting death of 12 year old DeAunta Farrow changed a lot of things in West Memphis and now its changed law. Toy guns that look real are banned in Arkansas.

What's your opinion? Do you think a law like this might save a few lives? Is the inconvenience of depriving children from playing with realistic-looking toy guns worth it? Is there some other "rights" issue involved in such a law? Why do I expect gun enthusiasts to oppose such legislation? Do they?

Please leave a comment.

Utah Man Kills Friend

The Salt Lake Tribune reports on another tragic accidental shooting.

A 23-year-old man was killed early New Year's Day after a bullet discharged from a gun that a friend was handling and struck him in the head.

Responding officers booked Ian Lewis, also 23, into the Salt Lake City jail for negligent homicide. According to police, Lewis had picked up a gun and was handling it when it went off and struck Steven McKinney.

Both men are from the Salt Lake City area, said Salt Lake City Sgt. Robin Snyder. She added the incident is a reminder to always treat guns as if they are loaded.

RuffRidr recently told me that every gun owner he knows "wouldn't put up with this" and that responsible gun owners are taught the 4 Rules when they're kids. I guess the people who are making the news every day weren't that lucky.

What's your opinion? Does it sometimes seem that the percentage of irresponsible gun owners who were not raised with the 4 Rules is a bit too high? Do you think that's just a distorted impression based on the reports that make it to the main stream media?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Guns kill people when they're in the hands of people like Ian Lewis.