Saturday, June 4, 2011

Al Quaeda and Gun Checks


Al-Qaeda spokesman and possible successor to Osama Bin Laden, Adam Gadahn, just circulated a chilling new video calling on “lone wolves” in the U.S. to buy assault rifles and carry out a wave of shootings.

Gadahn informs his fellow terrorists that they have a “golden opportunity” to exploit gaps in our gun laws and kill innocent people:

“You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card.”


Watch the new al-Qaeda video and share it with your family and friends.
Unfortunately, al-Qaeda is correct -- loopholes in our nation’s gun laws let dangerous people purchase firearms with no background checks and no questions asked.

It’s clear that our enemies are ready to exploit this gap in our national security. We need to take action right away to keep terrorists and other dangerous people from getting their hands on guns.

Share the new al-Qaeda video today and spread the word about fixing gun checks:

www.FixGunChecks.org/al-Qaeda


Let’s make sure terrorists lose this “golden opportunity” to claim more American lives.

Thanks for speaking out,
Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Louisiana Does the Right Thing

The News Star reports

Legislation allowing concealed weapons on public university campuses thankfully was shot down again this week.

Rep Ernest Wooton, I-Belle Chasse and chairman of the Louisiana House's Criminal Justice Committee, has repeatedly attempted to pass this legislation, maintaining that it would improve an individual's chances for safety in a threatening environment.

That thought is well-intentioned, but the logic is faulty. No college campus needs students, faculty and staff wandering around packing guns, waiting for the next opportunity for a shoot-out.

This time, the legislative committee didn't even listen to testimony, silencing the bill on an 8-3 vote.
Doesn't it seem odd that a state like Louisiana, which one might associate with the Deep South, seems to have more sense than Arizona or Florida?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Fantasy Fodder for the Gun Crowd

via Fat White Man

This is what it's all about, kill or be killed. Only real men can survive one of these encounters. The fact that, unless you're a cop or a drug dealer, the chances of running into one of these situations are about the same as experiencing a meteorite strike, has nothing to do with it. This is what we dream about. This is what we prepare for.

The Gun Show Loophole Explained


Al Queda Advice - Go to the Gun Shows


In a video released today Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn encourages terrorists to use American gun shows to arm themselves for potential Mumbai-style attacks. Gadahn's video laid out a new tactic for Al Qaeda to continue their murderous terrorist agenda:

Friday, June 3, 2011

June 2011 News relating to MN Gun Violence

June 3, 2011 STrib:

A fugitive on the Hennepin County Most Wanted list is in jail after he was arrested Monday in Canada.
Ahmed Abdulqadir Abdi, 29, of Hopkins, had been on the run for five years after he was charged in 2005 with attempted first-degree murder for allegedly shooting a man in the head in Minneapolis.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested Abdi in connection with an assault that occurred at a bar in Alberta. After Abdi was fingerprinted, the Canadian police discovered he was wanted on a felony warrant in Hennepin County.
Abdi is in jail in Alberta awaiting extradition.
MARY LYNN SMITH

MN Memorial Weekend Shooting Arrest

June 3 2011 STrib:
Police have arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Burnsville man Sunday night in south Minneapolis.
Acting on information from investigators, patrol officers arrested the 28-year-old suspect at 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue S. on Thursday afternoon, police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer said in a news release. The man is being held in the Hennepin County jail pending charges.
He's suspected of shooting Guled Hashi Mohamed near Nicollet and Groveland Avenues about 11:30 p.m. Off-duty police officers heard shots and saw a vehicle leave the scene.
They found the vehicle at the SuperAmerica station at 26th Street and Nicollet. Mohamed had been driven there and was inside the car with a gunshot wound. He died Monday at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Police have not identified a motive in the shooting.
He was among six people shot late Sunday or early Monday during a night of unusually heavy gunfire in the city.
The investigation into Mohamed's death will continue, and police are asking anyone with information relating to the case or any of the other shootings to call them

Update on a MN Memorial Weekend Shooting

From the STrib on Friday, June 3, 2011:

Charge: Man ran up to car in Mpls., fatally shot victim in temple

Guled Hashi Mohamed confronted two men on a downtown Minneapolis street and accused them of following him before a third man ran up and fatally shot him in the temple, according to charges filed Friday.
Biyamin Beiti Omar, 28, of Hopkins, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder in the death Sunday night of Mohamed, 26, of Burnsville. Omar was ordered held in lieu of $2 million bail.
Mohamed, a college graduate, was among six people shot late Sunday or early Monday during a night of unusually heavy gunfire in the city.
According witnesses cited in the criminal complaint:
Late Sunday night, Mohamed was a passenger in a car parked near a bar at 18th Street and Nicollet Avenue. Two men came up to the car, and the driver pulled away, prompting the two men to give chase on foot.
The driver stopped, and Mohamed got out and said, "You know me. Why are you following me?"
Mohamed got back in the car, and another man ran toward the car and fired his gun two or three times. Mohamed was wounded in his right temple and died at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Witnesses helped lead police to Omar, who said he was in the area when the shooting occurred but was not involved, didn't witness the crime and didn't see anyone with a gun.
Mohamed is a graduate of Minnesota State University, Moorhead, volunteered for AmeriCorps and planned to attend graduate school at St. Cloud State University, family said. He had a criminal record that in addition to minor offenses included a 2010 felony conviction for terroristic threats, for which he was sentenced to probation.
His family said he came from Somalia to the United States at age 12 and worked hard to attend college and support his family. He was the father of 6-month-old Fatimah, and his wife was expecting a second child. Besides them, survivors include his parents and seven siblings.

Death of Gun Advocate Joel Rosenberg

Joel Rosenberg, Minneapolis, was an activist for gun issues.  Condolences to his family and friends in Minnesota.


from the Strib, June 3, 2011
Obituary: Author Joel Rosenberg, Mpls. gun advocate who packed heat in City Hall

Joel Rosenberg, a Minneapolis gun advocate and author who was arrested for packing heat and entering City Hall, has died.
Rosenberg, 57, died Thursday at Hennepin County Medical Center after respiratory problems and a heart attack, which eventually led to major organ failure, his wife, Felicia Herman, said in an online notice posted Friday.
"Today, June 3rd would have been his 32nd wedding anniversary," Herman wrote.
In November, Rosenberg wore a holstered semiautomatic handgun when he showed up for a meeting with police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer, according to the charges.
In a video of the encounter later uploaded to YouTube, Palmer can be heard telling Rosenberg that a court order prohibits people from carrying a gun in the building. Rosenberg objects, citing state statute. He avoids arrest at that time when Palmer, who confiscated the weapon, says: "Will you take this back to your car, please?"
Rosenberg replies: "You said the magic word."

The Armored Sleeve

via Criminal Wisdom


Equipped with a highvoltage stunner, video camera, laser pointer and flashlight, the armor sleeve is intended to prevent violent situations. […] The breathable glove weighs less than three pounds and is encased by a hard shell that extends across the forearm. A pull pin preps the stunner (generated by four electrodes on the wrist), and a button at the palm activates it. Similar buttons trigger the laser pointer, video camera and flashlight. (Gizmodo)

Non-violent Substance Abusers - Let My People Go

Long-term Homicide Rates



The American data is consistent with European data... Do note that some correction should be made for the fact that violence is less lethal when people are healthier and medical care is more effective.

The bottom line is that there has been a big and welcome decrease in homicide rates in Europe and America over the past several centuries. To put these numbers in perspective, however, note that the homicide rate in New Orleans today is 52 per 100,000 and in Detroit it’s 40 per 100,000 so even with a lower average there is lots of variation. Brazil today is around 22 per 100,000 not too far from America in the 19th century. The homicide rate in El Salvador is 71 per 100,000, in Jamaica (!) 60 per 100,000 and in Honduras 67 per 100,000 — all higher than fifteenth century Europe. Thus, the past was a more violent place but not so violent as to be unknown to the present.

Louisiana Guns on Campus Debate

Colin Goddard was there.

College campuses are always safer places than the communities that surround them, Goddard said, and having guns there is "going to make the days when there aren't shootings more dangerous."

Answering Wooton's claim that only trained gun owners who have taken safety and gun-handling classes to earn a permit would be allowed to carry handguns, Goddard points out that Louisiana has cooperative agreements with other states, including Virginia, that honor their permits.

"Virginia doesn't require that you ever shoot a gun to get a license," he said.
Now that's what I call shabby. Louisiana, which has inadequate requirements, offers reciprosity to Virginia, which has none (or next to none).

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

On Wisconsin!

Milwaukee police chief slams concealed-carry measure

Flynn implores Walker to reshape gun bill 

The chief of Wisconsin's largest police department issued his most scathing criticism of the state's proposed concealed-carry bill during a news conference Thursday.
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn urged Gov. Scott Walker to "provide some adult supervision" and ensure that the final version of a concealed-carry bill outlines a strict permitting process for carrying guns and stipulations including basic training and not being a "criminal, drug abuser or insane." He also called for changing the charge of carrying a concealed weapon from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The news conference came after a gunfight Wednesday night between Milwaukee police bicycle patrol officer Jose Viera and a 21-year-old armed suspect in the Sherman Park neighborhood. The officer escaped unharmed despite a chase during which the two exchanged gunfire. The suspect was shot multiple times and arrested.
"I also want to take this as an opportunity to call upon Gov. Walker to exhibit statesmanship and provide adult supervision over the chaotic legislative process that seems bent on inflicting a reckless and foolish concealed-carry law on the citizens of Wisconsin," Flynn said. "This is not a political talking points issue. This is an officer safety issue. This is the second time in less than a week my officers have been in a gunbattle with armed, reckless assailants. We cannot afford a reckless bill."

Big Murder - Suicide in Yuma - 6 Dead

Seattlepi reports.
An elderly gunman who killed five people before taking his own life on Thursday in Yuma, Ariz., formerly lived in South Kitsap.
Not many details are yet available, but you can be sure of one thing. Arizona is number one when it comes to gun mischief.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Heeding God's Call Is Aiming at Realco Guns


The local chapter of Heeding God’s Call—a national gun violence prevention campaign—is inviting residents of the Greater Washington Area to participate in a "public witness" at Realco Guns (6108 Marlboro Pike in District Heights, Maryland) on Monday, June 6, from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. An interfaith movement comprised of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others will call on Realco—the leading supplier of crime guns to the District of Columbia and Prince George's County in Maryland —to implement business practices which would prevent straw purchases and other illegal gun sales.

The Greater Washington Area Chapter is the most recent addition to Heeding God’s Call, a faith-based, grassroots movement which has publicly pressured gun stores in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Harrisburg to adopt better marketing and distribution safeguards. The chapter has tried (unsuccessfully) on several occasions to arrange a meeting with the owner of Realco Guns, Carlos del Real, to discuss the possibility of his store implementing a 10-point Code of Conduct called the “ Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership.” The code includes several voluntary safeguards to prevent illegal sales; such as videotaping gun purchases, conducting background checks on store employees who handle firearms, and maintaining a database of purchasers whose guns ended up on crime scenes.
I'm not completely sold on the idea of using religious arguments either for gun rights or against. But, I'm pretty sure whose side Jesus would be on.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

NRA Group Losing Steam

A group closely aligned with the NRA and other gunloon groups is losing steam:

Now it has dissolved into a tangle of lawsuits and blame that involves alleged fraud, theft, leadership struggles and even murder.
“As far as the movement, it’s kind of at a stalemate and that’s because of its own undoing,” said Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the original Minuteman Project, who has been fired and reinstated as head of the group throughout the course of three lawsuits.
Over the years, more than 200 affiliated but independent organizations calling themselves Minutemen arose across the country as part of a loosely organized coalition.
Many of them have disbanded, some no longer run patrols and those that still monitor the border do so with skeletal teams.
...............................................
Another is the coalition’s attractiveness to white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other radicals, Gilchrist said.
“Some people will use a movement or any cause as a cover to veil their sinister intentions,” he added.
The Minutemen drew in “disenfranchised, mostly white men with guns and also pulled a fringe element of neo-Nazis, openly racist individuals and attention-seekers to its camp areas in the desert,” said Heidi Beirich, research director at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama

Pregnant Woman Latest Victim of MN Gun Violence

from the June 2, 2011 STrib:

Pregnant Rochester woman shot in neck; boyfriend detained

An 18-year-old woman in her third trimester of pregnancy was shot in the neck in a home northeast of Rochester, Minn., and her 17-year-old boyfriend was detained, police said Thursday.
Lisa See, of Rochester, was taken by helicopter Wednesday to nearby St. Marys Hospital and underwent surgery, said Olmsted County Chief Deputy Mark Darnell. She was shot about 12:30 p.m.
See "is alive and in recovery," Darnell said, but he had no further word on her condition or the fate of her fetus. The hospital withheld condition information at the family's request.
The boyfriend is a "person of interest" and is cooperating with investigators, Darnell said. A .22-caliber rifle was recovered at the scene, the chief deputy said.
Darnell said he had no information about "the relationship of the person detained to that of the baby" or what led to the shooting.
Investigators haven't been able to interview the woman, he said.
PAUL WALSH

Florida's New Crawfish Doctrine

NRA Posterboy
Apparently, Florida has a new gunloon law known as the Crawfish Doctrine.

The Crawfish Doctrine dictates that white NRA gunloons are free to shoot up fishmarkets owned by minorities if said fish purveyor doesn't have crawfish.

From the link:
Kelly claimed to be a "sovereign citizen," telling deputies he does not have to follow the law or obey law enforcement officers, deputies said. Also found in the truck was the book "The Sociopath Next Door."

Update, to Earlier Post re: Minnesota Gun Violence

More gun violence.

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. -- A standoff in Mendota Heights that lasted for nearly 8 hours Wednesday ended just before midnight with a single gunshot.
Officers were called to a residence on the 2400 block of Lexington Avenue around 4:30 p.m. on a reported domestic disturbance. A crying female had reported a physical domestic incidence to a 9-1-1 dispatcher. During the call she stated that the suspect had gone to retrieve a gun. Immediately after that she took the only other occupant of the home, the couple's small child, and left the townhouse.
The suspect refused to come out when Mendota Heights officers surrounded the home. The standoff lasted until around midnight, when a remote camera located the body of 42-year-old Donald Richardson. The Dakota County medical examiner later confirmed that Richardson had died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Over the past two years there have been calls from the residence for medical assistance, a domestic disturbance and a crisis call.

Oh! Look! Another Arizona Mass Shooting!

Anyone surprised? No?

Anyone want to make a side bet this was also done with a legally purchased gun in AZ? No?

Anyone want to bet that this guy really believed he was in the right, that he was exercising his 2nd Amendment rights, and that his gun ownership and use was perfectly reasonable? No?

Investigators check a vehicle thought to be that of a man suspected of shooting five people Thursday in Yuma, Ariz. and the Wellton-Mohawk Valley. The man allegedly took his own life in the vehicle found in the desert approximately 13 miles northeast of Yuma.


A 73-year-old gunman apparently upset over a divorce case went on a shooting spree Thursday around Yuma county, Ariz., killing at least five people including himself and the attorney representing his ex-wife, officials said.
A sixth person was injured and flown to a Phoenix-area hospital.
Authorities identified the suspected shooter as Carey Hal Dyess of Yuma. Yuma County Sheriff's deputies found Dyess with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound near Blaisdell and Highway 95 around 11:35 a.m.
Earlier, the gunman shot attorney Jerrold Shelley in his downtown Yuma law office, said Jerry Geier, police chief of the city of 91,000 along the Colorado River near the Mexican border. Attorney Amanda Taylor said Shelley represented Dyess' ex-wife.
Yuma police spokesman Clint Norred told the Sun that the shootings were connected, but he would not confirm the identities of all the victims.
Four fatalities took place in the county.
Some of the victims were friends and relatives of the gunman, Mayor Alan Krieger told Reuters by telephone.
Details of the incident were sketchy, but Krieger and police said the shootings unfolded at six locations in and around the city.
Krieger said the gunman's motive was not entirely clear but that he was believed to be upset over a divorce case.
Court records show Dyess was involved in two civil court cases, one in Yuma and one in nearby Wellton. A judge issued an order of protection against Dyess in one of the cases in 2006, and a court clerk said it stemmed from Dyess' wife divorcing him.
The Yuma County Sheriff's Office was called to the first scene when the body of a woman was found in a yard at Avenue 35-1/2E and Old Highway 80, the Sun said.
Around 9:21 a.m., the Yuma Police Department responded to a shooting in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue in Yuma, which is where Shelley was killed.
Shootings were also were reported in the Wellton area.
The Yuma County Courthouse and schools in the area, including Roosevelt, Fourth Avenue Junior High and the Post building, were placed under a lockdown, which was later lifted.
"The situation has ended and now we’re sorting out the details," Krieger told the Sun. "My sympathies to the families with this loss of life."
The Sun said City Administrator Greg Wilkinson warned staff in an email that "certain people" were targeted.
Wellton Mayor James Deermer told the Sun "rumors are floating around." He called the shootings "a tragedy for our community ... that’s true anywhere."
Yuma Presiding Judge Andrew Gould issued a statement early Thursday afternoon: "We are thankful that those within the courthouse are safe but we are shocked and saddened at the violent acts that have occurred in our close-knit community."

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Another Toy Gun Incident, This One in Florida




An Army staff sergeant home on leave in southwest Florida chased down a suspected bank robber and held him until authorities arrived.Eddie Peoples was at a Bank of America branch in Sarasota with his two young sons Tuesday when a man walked in with a handgun and demanded cash from the tellers, officials say.
Peoples told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune he sprang into action after the man threatened his sons.
"The only thing that went through my mind was, 'Don't let them get hurt,'" Peoples told the paper.
Peoples said he left his sons inside while he ran to his rented van and blocked the suspect's car in the parking lot.
The suspect got out and pointed his gun at Peoples, who twisted the man's arm, stripped away the gun and slammed him to the ground.
Sarasota Sheriff's deputies arrested 34-year-old Matthew Rogers. The gun turned out to be a toy.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Update on One of the Six Memorial Day Shooting Victims in MN

From the June 1, 2011 STrib:

'We need you to come forward'

Members of Minneapolis' Somali community gathered near where one of their own was slain.
Less than an hour after she buried him on Wednesday, Hawa Aden stood in a busy Minneapolis parking lot not far from where her son was shot in the head three days before.
A crowd of more than 100 members of her Somali community who had gathered for a vigil stood silent as she talked about 26-year-old Guled Hashi Mohamed. She described a doting husband and father, a college graduate and social worker who wanted to go back to Somalia to help refugees like himself.
Aden said he was a good man who didn't deserve what happened to him but who now deserved justice. She implored members of her community to deliver.
"I know not everyone comes forward. We need you to come forward," she said in Somali, her voice rising. "You know the suffering. This has gone too far! This has to stop!"
Minneapolis police continue to investigate the slaying. Mohamed, of Burnsville, died 11 hours after someone shot him on Sunday night as he sat in a car outside a restaurant at Nicollet and Groveland Avenues S. A passenger in the car drove it to a gas station before Mohamed was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center.
He was among six people shot during a night of unusually heavy gunfire in Minneapolis. Police said only two of the shootings, at one location in the Warehouse District, were thought to be connected.
Police had made no arrests in Mohamed's killing as of Wednesday and had yet to identify a motive. A police report said several unidentified people witnessed the killing.

And Yet Another Threat in MN of Gun Violence

So, here is a question for readers.  If this man is found to have indeed been involved in a physical domestic abuse as reported here, which may or may not be a felony, for having (allegedly) threatened her and possibly a child with a gun, but not actually shooting anyone (so far anyway), should he lose his gun rights for the rest of his life?

Anyone want to comment on the pros and cons of this threat if it comes from a LEGAL gun?

For those of you who believe that gun violence is primarily a problem of slums, let me point out that Mendota Heights is one of the wealthiest communities in MN, although by no means is everyone who lives there wealthy.  There are many modest middle class homes as well, but no slums.  It's where I grew up; I know it well.

From the June 1, 2011 STrib:

Mendota Heights town homes evacuated because of domestic dispute

Residents in 36 town homes in Mendota Heights were being kept out of their homes late Wednesday night while police tried to negotiate with man who reportedly was armed with a gun.
The man's girlfriend called police about 4:30 p.m. to report a physical domestic dispute at the home on the 2400 block of Lexington Av. and told the emergency dispatcher that the man was going to get a gun, said Mendota Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener said. The woman left the house with a small child.
Aschenbrener said the man called 911 and then hung up. Police evacuated the neighbors, surrounded the house and have tried to contact the man throughout the evening, Aschenbrener said. "So far, he doesn't want to talk," Aschenbrener said.
Police don't believe anyone else is in the house.

The NRA Criticizes Deleware

 The Daily Reporter has the story of the unconscionable self-interest of the NRA..

"We can't determine the precise extent of the problem because unlicensed dealers are not required to keep records," Lippstone (Andy Lippstone, deputy legal counsel for Markell) said, adding that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says 30 percent of illegally trafficked guns are connected in some way to gun shows.
It makes perfect sense that a market which is completely unregulated cannot provide statistics. Nevertheless, gun-rights fanatics have frequently trotted out pseudo-statistics showing how few crime guns come from gun shows.

The NRA response is typically hysterical, yet like talking-points in the policy division of any organization, you're sure to hear these repeated all over the pro-gun world.

In a letter sent out before Wednesday's committee meeting, the NRA urged supporters to contact lawmakers and urge them to defeat the bill.

"The true intent of this legislation is to move towards an ultimate ban on all private sales — even those between family and friends — regardless of where they occur," the letter reads. " ... Targeting your Second Amendment rights because politicians won't crack down on criminals is wrong and cannot be tolerated."
"The true intent" theory is one of the hallmarks of NRA rhetoric. In some cases I suppose the authors of this nonsense actually believe their own claims. But more often than not, I suppose they know better and in the most unscrupulous way they're attempting to fill the simple minds of their members with plausible lies. It's dirty and it's immoral and all the while dangerous people have an easier time buying guns because of it.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Governor Rick Scott of Florida



Corporate Criminal, Political Wrecker
& Freshman GOP Florida Governor
Rick "Lex Luthor" Scott

Among the "scorched Earth" Tea Party GOP governors elected in 2010, Florida governor Rick Scott may be the most unpopular, now hovering at just a 29% approval rating. Scott was forced to resign as CEO of Columbia/HCA in 1997 amid a scandal over the company's Medicare billing practices. The company admitted to fourteen felonies and agreed to pay the federal government over $600 million in fines. Scott entered politics in 2010, spending over $70 million of his own money to win by just 1 percent. Upon taking office Scott immediately began wrecking the state -- cutting education spending, cancelling transportation projects and forcing state workers and the unemployed to submit to drug testing (Scott owns a chain of drug testing labs). Scott may be governing like a sociopath, but it should come as no surprise considering his history. Maybe next time Floridians will actually think before voting.
We are in complete agreement, in fact the gov was one of the reasons Florida took the crown from Arizona.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

On and On

Fresno, CA:

Police are trying to determine how a 2-year-old Fresno boy got ahold of a gun with which he accidentally shot and killed his 6-year-old sister.
Really?  Let  JadeGold 'splain.

Gunloon dad needs guns to reinforce manhood.  Gunloon dad leaves firearm around young'uns.

Bang.

Send $10,000 consulting fee to JadeGold.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The New and Improved Patriot Act


2-Year-Old Fresno Boy to be Tried as an Adult

That's a joke, although it's obviously no joking matter. My jocular mood was stimulated by the following news report, especially the part about the police trying to figure what happened and, best of all, the part about their not having decided if the gun owner should be charged with anything.

Police are trying to determine how a 2-year-old Fresno boy got ahold of a gun with which he accidentally shot and killed his 6-year-old sister.

Sgt. Stephen Viveros tells the Fresno Bee the victim was playing with two other siblings in a bedroom in the family's home on Sunday when the toddler walked into the room with a loaded semi-automatic handgun. He says the boy fired a shot that mortally wounded his sister.

Viveros says officers seized a number of other weapons from the residence, home to five children, ages 2 to 15.

The Bee reports that the gun's owner was in another room when the shooting happened and could be charged with failing to secure the weapon.

Under California law, adults who allow children access to guns can face felony charges. Viveros says investigators have not yet decided whether to recommend that the district attorney prosecute the case.

The Fresno County Coroner's Office identified the 6-year-old girl on Monday as Emily Lavender.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Domestic Murder by a Policeman


Shots rang out at the Sheetz in downtown Roanoke across from the Roanoke Civic Center Monday morning. The shooter, police say, is a 32-year-old Franklin County Deputy; his target and victim, police say, is his 30-year-old ex-wife. She is now dead.

Roanoke Police say Jonathan Agee used a rifle to shoot and killed his ex-wife Jennifer Agee at the Sheetz on Williamson Road. Police believe Jennifer wasn't the only person in the car.

"I believe there was a child, but I don't know if he was in the car, out of the car. I don't know those details. That's all a part of the investigation at this point," said Chief Chris Perkins, Roanoke Police Department.

Chief Perkins says Agee then fled in his cruiser.

At exit 128 on interstate 81, a Trooper pulled Agee over. State police say Agee opened fire on Trooper Matt Brannock, and Brannock returned fire after being shot in the leg. Soon, we're told, more Troopers arrived, shooting Agee and ending the threat.
You see how it works? When it's a black kid running away or climbing in the window, shooting him center-of-mass is the only thing to do. They're trained to do that, after all. But when it's one of their own, they suddenly have other options.

Agee has been suspended without pay and is facing numerous charges.
What do you think? Do the cops have a double standard when it comes to shooting offenders? Wouldn't that say something about homeowners too, you know, all those guys who have no other choice but to kill the intruder?

Please leave a comment.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Crime Rates Going Down

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/05/27/property-crimes-rise-in-places-you-wouldnt-expect/?ncid=webmail

For those of you who keep asserting you need to carry weapons because of crime.

The Scariest Knife in the World




Designed for underwater use:

This weapon injects a freezing cold ball of compressed gas, approximately the size of a basketball, at 800psi nearly instantly. The effects of this injection will drop many of the world's largest land predators. The effects of the compressed gas not only cause over-inflation during ascent when used underwater, but also freezes all tissues and organs surrounding the point of injection on land or at sea. When used underwater, the injected gas carries the predator to the surface BEFORE blood is released into the water. Thus giving the diver added protection by diverting other potential predators to the surface.

Earlier Post Was Off By One - There Were More

from the STrib:

 6 wounded during night of gunfire in Minneapolis

The men were shot in five separate incidents. Three were shot downtown.

In a night of gunfire that kept Minneapolis police and 911 dispatchers intensely busy, six men were shot late Sunday and early Monday, three of them in the downtown Warehouse District, two in south Minneapolis and one at an unknown location.
As of late Monday, two of the victims remained hospitalized in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, and no one had been arrested. None of those shot has been identified, and except for a double wounding downtown, the shootings are not thought to be related.
Police Chief Tim Dolan said that the three downtown shootings were not random. "They seem to be targeted, argument-related," he said.
Dolan declined to speculate on motives in any of the shootings, but as police have done after previous Warehouse District incidents, he sought to quash concerns about downtown, noting that violent crime is down 3 percent for the year.
"The average person going to the average bar is not going to run into that situation," he said. "It was not a good night, obviously."
The downtown shootings came near bar closing time in an area where bars are already under scrutiny by city regulators. They also occurred on what has become the most troubled night of the week -- Sunday, when some clubs admit anyone 18 or older.
Christopher Kaneakua, who works security at the Aqua Nightclub, 400 1st Av. N., said he heard the shots from two incidents. After he left work, he found his car behind crime scene tape with a bullet hole in the rear driver's side panel. He said he was parked on the street across from Karma, a club at 315 1st Av. N. "Thankfully, I was down the street" when the shots were fired, Kaneakua said. "I definitely worry about that, especially Sunday night."
"It's a few ruining it for everyone," said Erik Forsberg, who owns the Ugly Mug, a bar located kitty-corner from Karma at the intersection where two of the victims were shot.
A sound engineer down the block at the Fine Line Music Cafe said he parks several blocks away and bikes to work to keep his car safer. When nearby clubs close in the wee hours, "It gets kind of haggard out there," said Ian Anderson. "We try to end all of our shows early, for that very reason."
Anderson gestured toward 4th Street N., half a block away. The highest point on 1st Avenue N. is sometimes called "Mount Stabby," he said, adding that he believes late-night violence in the area "has really gone up in the last 2 1/2 years."
Forsberg disagreed, saying that he believes his neck of downtown Minneapolis has far less crime than it used to. "It is actually quite safe down here."
Dolan said extra city police were on the streets Sunday night and many clubs have private security, but the masses pouring out at Sunday bar closings are staggering. He likened it to the State Fair Midway on a very busy night.
The area is heavily monitored by cameras that captured at least one shooting clearly, Dolan said, adding that others would soon be reviewed. "One video can lead to another," he said.
In one bar closing incident, an argument appeared to have been the impetus when a 21-year-old man was shot in the head at 2:15 a.m. Monday at 1st Avenue N. and 3rd Street N. He is in a life-threatening condition at Hennepin County Medical Center.
At the same time and place, a 19-year-old man was shot in the upper body. His injuries were not life-threatening, said Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. Bill Palmer.
Ten minutes later, in a parking lot at 5th Street and 1st Avenue N., a 23-year-old man was shot in the head after an argument. That man was in stable condition, Palmer said.
Shortly after those shootings, a fourth man walked into Hennepin County Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his leg. He provided only his name and left before he was treated, so police do not know the origins of his wound.
In two other shootings, Palmer was unable to say whether the victims knew their attackers.
The first shooting occurred at 9:30 p.m. Sunday when aman attempted to rob another man at 24th Street and Nicollet Avenue S. The victim was shot in the hand, Palmer said.
At 11:30 p.m., a 26-year-old man was shot in the head in a car outside a restaurant at Groveland and Nicollet Av. S., just south of downtown. A woman in the car drove it to a gas station at 22nd Street and Lyndale Av. S. The man was taken from there to HCMC and is in "extremely critical" condition, Palmer said.
Several unidentified witnesses saw the shooting, according to the incident report.
With the exception of the incident where two men were shot, Palmer said, "as far as we know, none of these are connected."

Poor Bradley - Talk about having "Daddy Issues"

via Democratic Underground

Due Process of Law and the Patriot Act


Memorial Day 2011

The Big California Prison Release


A quadriplegic inmate serving a 150-year term for kidnapping, beating and raping a San Diego woman in 1998 will not be released to the care of family members under a new law, parole board rules.

A knife attack in prison in 2001 severed Martinez's spinal cord, leaving him a quadriplegic. His medical expenses cost the state more than $600,000 a year. When he was in a medical facility outside the prison, the cost of round-the-clock guards exceeded $800,000 a year.


[State Sen. Mark] Leno said the timing of the parole board's rejection of Martinez, the same week the U.S. Supreme Court ordered California to release 33,000 prisoners, is particularly galling. "If we can't start with a quadriplegic, where can we begin?" he said.

Leno said he fears many prosecutors will oppose medical paroles "out of vengeance" toward the prisoners. "When we are unable to fund education and healthcare," he said, "how much vengeance can we afford?"
Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Parole Board of California.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Columbus Ohio Cease Fire

The Boston Herald reports

Gun violence in Ohio is costing scores of lives and millions of dollars annually across the state, though much of it happens in the largest cities, according to a newspaper analysis published Sunday.

The Columbus Dispatch analyzed state records and data from 2009, which offer the most recent statewide statistics available. It found guns were present in more than 12,500 incidents investigated by authorities, an average of 34 per day. Four-fifths of those happened in seven of Ohio’s largest cities: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown.

The numbers illustrate the scope of gun violence, but it’s an incomplete picture because the crime data was submitted voluntarily by agencies that cover only about 70 percent of Ohio’s population.
Now that's an interesting idea. The crime data is incomplete. That means it's worse than they say.

Such crimes have prompted Deanna Wilkinson, an Ohio State University associate professor who studies youth violence, to seek a federal grant to start a Columbus version of the CeaseFire gun violence reduction program, which uses former offenders to help keep conflicts from escalating into violence.

"This exposure (to gun violence), whether you’re involved or not involved, it’s having a negative impact on the quality of life for the whole entire city," Wilkinson said.

Columbus public safety director Mitchell Brown said he supports the proposal.

"We’ve got to try something different," Brown said. "We can’t have police officers on every corner. We all know that. It’s a societal issue."
Good for Deanna Wilkinson. God knows someone's got to help Ohio to not go the route of its flanking neighbors.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Gun Rights and Freedom in North Carolina

from the good folks at NCGV

Oakland Gun Violence - 2 Dead

 KTVU reports with video.

A man and a woman are dead after a Sunday night shooting near the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club that left another woman hospitalized with major injuries, Oakland police said.

Officers responded to reports of gunfire at 88th Avenue and International Boulevard at about 9:20 p.m., Officer Holly Joshi said. The three victims were found with gunshot wounds near the East Bay Dragons' clubhouse, Joshi said.
One of the video surveillance cameras showed "several people with guns."

Brooklyn Gun Violence



The Daily News reports on the absolutely horrible gun violence qwhich took place in Sheepshead Bay.

It sounds like the only thing this girl did wrong was to hang around with the wrong guys, guys who had lots of guns..

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Monday, May 30, 2011

More Minnesota Gun Violence on Memorial Day Weekend

Multiple shootings in Minneapolis.  Wonder where those guns came from?  We're less free with this kind of gun violence.  From KSTP:
By: Leslie Rolander        2 Shootings, At Least 3 Injured in Downtown Minneapolis


At least three people were shot in Minneapolis after two shootings Monday morning.
An officer heard the shots at about 2:15 a.m. after bars closed in downtown Minneapolis.
Minneapolis Police tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS two victims were found at First Avenue and Third Street.
About five to ten minutes later there was another shooting at First and Sixth, and a third victim.
Police are working to determine if another person who showed up at Hennepin County Medical Center with a gunshot wound is involved.
Police are working to determine if the two shootings are connected. Additional details have not been released.
and also from the same person at KSTP:
Man with Gunshot Wound to Head Dropped Off at Mpls. Gas Station

Authorities say the man was shot in the head. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center.
Police are investigating this incident. Additional details have not been released.
I would remind our readers that Minnesota is one of the safer, more peaceful LEAST violent states, so compare all of these incidents I report to your own, and realize you probably live where there is more, not less of this kind of gun violence incident

Dangerous Guns in the Hands of Criminals?

OK, this is one instance where I can't fault the owner for the problems with securing his weapons...

Guns stolen from tornado-damaged Minneapolis home

After a tornado hit North Minneapolis on Sunday, burglars reportedly stole more than $6,300 worth of WWII guns and other military equipment from a dark home.
By: Maricella Miranda, St. Paul Pioneer Press / MCT

History buffs aren't the only ones interested in World War II memorabilia.
After a tornado hit North Minneapolis on Sunday, burglars reportedly stole more than $6,300 worth of WWII guns and other military equipment from a dark home.
The missing weapons are an auto-ordnance, 1911, 45 pistol and a 9mm MP-40 semi-auto machine gun, said owner Scott Steben. The machine gun is a federally regulated weapon, and is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"I hope these guns aren't used," said Steben, 47.
The guns are props for war re-enactments, he said, but they still work.
North Minneapolis has seen a slight increase in burglaries since the tornado hit, said Minneapolis police Sgt. Stephen McCarty. Officers plan to step-up patrols in the area to discourage property damage, thefts, burglaries and looting.
"All of these burglaries will be investigated to ensure that these are legitimate burglaries ..." and not people reporting the crimes for ulterior motives, McCarty said.
During the cleanup, police will be asking anyone loitering in North Minneapolis to leave. They also will be escorting city staff, emergency responders and work crews.
The goal is to ensure residents' safety during the storm recovery.
So far, one looting incident has been reported, McCarty said. About 20 looters stole cash, booze, and cigarettes Sunday from Broadway Liquor Outlet after the storm smashed a storefront window. But that incident happened
before police were mobilized, he said.
Police have no suspects in Steben's home burglary. Stolen guns on the streets raises concerns for police, but the case will be investigated like other burglaries, McCarty said.
Steben -- and his WWII weapons and memorabilia -- were at a WWII re-enactment in Farmington when the tornado hit. The home burglary happened later Sunday night.
With electrical lines down around his house, there was no electricity.
After Steben unloaded his vehicle, he said he quickly left the house to catch a late-night dinner with his family. He usually locks his guns in a safe, but not this time.
When he returned, his backdoor was open.
Along with his guns, the burglars took his laptop computer, a WWII canvas pack that holds gun magazines and a camouflage helmet, Steben said.
Some of the items he bought 20 years ago. Although the guns are more than 70 years old, it's not difficult to find bullets for them, he said.
Steben was in the process of getting renters insurance, but was uninsured at the time, he said. He plans to eventually replace the items slowly -- if they're not returned.
"It's so darn expensive," Steben said.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Military-Style Guns (Formerly Known as Assault Weapons)

The Utah News reports

Hundreds of the weapons advertised on KSL.com classifieds are rapid-firing military weapons with pedigrees from around the world.


The proliferation of these weapons, based on military designs, including the ubiquitous AK-47 by Mikhail Kalashnikov, have become wildly popular among shooting enthusiasts. And that popularity is a grave concern to gun-control activists.


"I don’t know how anyone can justify having one of those weapons," says Steven Gunn, a spokesman for the Gun Violence Protection Center of Utah. "Except their usual explanation that it is to ‘resist tyrannical government.’ "


I'm not sure what they mean by "rapid-firing." I suppose that can apply to any semi-automatic weapon. It fires as rapidly as you can squeeze the trigger.

The problem seems to always get back to this: how can we distinguish these undesireable weapons from the others which have more-or-less the same characteristics?

I'm certainly no expert, but I'm going to throw out a suggestion here.  If the gun fires one of those scary, pointy bullets, it's banned. Would that work for ya?

What's your opinion?  No more guns that fire these kinds of bullets.  All the remaining ammo stocks can be turned into cool jewelry.

Please leave a comment.

Trigger-Happy Cops and Felony Murder

The Chicago Tribune reports

(Tatioun Williams)



A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder after his 15-year-old companion pointed a gun at Chicago police and was shot and killed by one of the officers, authorities said.


Brandon Ross, 16, of the 6800 block of South Jeffery Boulevard, was charged as an adult with felony murder and armed robbery, according to state’s attorney spokesman Andy Conklin. Ross was expected to appear at a bond hearing at noon.


The teens made off with an iPod, credit cards and a car key, the victim said.


The two sergeants, responding to the robbery, were flagged down by a witness a block away, near 69th Street and Bennett Avenue, who pointed them in the direction of the teens, authorities said.


One of the teens turned and pointed a gun at the sergeants, and one of them opened fire, striking the teen in the back.

"IN THE BACK," did you hear that part?  Does that make sense to you, I mean without stretching it to fit a pre-conceived story? It should be a given that if you kill someone by shooting them in the back they were not posing a lethal threat, they were running away.  What is so hard about that?

"They did an excellent job," said the robbery victim, who asked not be identified. "If they respond as speedy as they did yesterday, that could cut down on criminals getting away."

Yes, for stealing an i-pod, the murdering cops did an excellent job, at least according to this outstanding citizen. I'm sure he approves of charging the other juvenile delinquent with the murder. That makes perfect sense, don't you think.  Two kids steal an i-pod, the cop kills one of them and the other one is charged with the murder.

What's your opinion of this sick and twisted travesty of justice?  Please leave a comment.

Philadelphia Crime Watch

via Newsworks

Lincoln Drive / Kelly Drive – complainant said a fellow driver pulled out a gun during an argument at the location. The complainant said the offender was tailgating him before he switched lanes and pulled in front of his car, causing the complainant to come to a stop. Complainant said he got out of his car and that the offender followed suit. When the complainant saw the firearm, he got back in his car.

Sounds like a joke, but it's not. In Philadelphia that's just the way things go.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Hunting in Italy

via Beppe Grillo's Blog

In the 2010/2011 hunting season there were 100 victims, 25 dead and 75 injured. Mostly in Tuscany, Sardinia, Lombardy and Veneto. Overall it went well, considering that for months Italy is transformed into a shooting range. A wood is more dangerous than the war zones of Afghanistan. During an Autumn walk, the sound of birds singing is replaced by the roar of rifles. If you don’t run, you become the wild boar, the hare or the deer. And not even within the walls of your own home are you safe. “Our house is in a zone frequented by hunters in Ceglie. At times you happen to hear gun fire even when it’s the closed season for hunting. It happens that the hunters are shooting at a distance of 10-15 metres from my house. One morning in January, at the first light of dawn, while we were asleep, we were woken with a start by a loud sound of glass shattering. A blast of lead shot had hit the window of the bedroom where my sons (aged 15.11 and 5) sleep, shattering the glass” (12/9/2010)
Hunting is sick, just like gun ownership in general. And, just like with gun ownership, only a small percentage of hunters is a problem. But that small percentage is too high.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Another Instance of Senseless Gun Violence

from the AP

Veteran Texas deputy shot and killed while waiting at traffic light

  • Article by: Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO - Authorities in south-central Texas say a veteran sheriff's deputy was shot and killed while waiting at a traffic light in his patrol vehicle.
Bexar County Sgt. Kenneth Vann was waiting at an intersection early Saturday when someone in another vehicle pulled up next to his marked cruiser and opened fire through Vann's front passenger side window.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Manuel Longoria called it a "senseless" attack. He told the San Antonio Express-News that Vann was struck by a number of bullets and died at the scene.
Investigators don't have a motive for the attack. No arrests have been reported.
Vann had been on the force for 24 1/2 years and was a patrol supervisor. His wife is also a sergeant with the sheriff's office.

Castle Doctrine at Work in Texas

via Bob S. of 3 Boxes of BS, whose unflinching support of this shooting in no way conflicts with is deep Cristian convictions.




What's your opinion? Did it sound like the home owner had a truly life threatening situation on his hands? Wasn't he close enough to shoot the kid in the arm or hand? What about a warning shot?

It seems to me these castle-doctrine guys are hiding behind the law which in certain circumstances is a license to kill. What they're really operating on is outrage and disgust that some punk would dare to violate their sacred space. Fear of their life has nothing to do with it.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

An Interesting Gun Story

via Lair of the Blue Bear

One day, shortly after our house had been broken into, I came home to find a revolver laying on the dogs bed. Thinking it was Tom's pellet gun I scolded the dog for taking it and went to pick it up. As I lifted it I turned it such that I got a view of the barrel pointing at me. I freaked! Fuck, this ain't no pellet gun! It had a full size bore and I could see the copper tips of the bullets pointing at me from the cylinder holes!

Pawlenty for President - Never in a Million Years


The Gun Control Argument Made Simple


Is there a rational person among us who wants convicted felons, terrorists, purveyors of domestic violence and individuals who have serious mental health issues to have direct and easy access to firearms? The answer in any civilized society must be an unhesitating “No.”

And, in such a civilized society, it should be a simple matter to enact legislation that would produce such results in the name of sane and rational public safety.

Do we have such legislation in the United States? No. Why not? The simple answer is that the National Rifle Association and its followers oppose these measures — often through their omnipresent “slippery slope” argument: If we enact any restrictive legislation, where will it all stop — a Nazi-like confiscation of all weapons and ultimate subjugation of the populace?

The more complex answer is that the NRA and many of its members have bamboozled an entire generation of legislators into believing that support for any restriction on the availability of firearms is a third-rail issue: Touch it and your re-election possibilities are history. But, acceptance of this political “wisdom” shows a serious lack of responsible leadership and a distressing disregard of public safety.
What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Florida Man Shoots Girlfriend in the Face


The man charged in the Thursday shooting death of a North Fort Myers woman told investigators the two were fighting about her cheating on him when the argument turned physical, and he shot her, according to a Lee County Sheriff's Office report.
Guns are very bad news for women in Florida. Don't forget, ladies, your state wears the crown.

What's your opinion? Is it wrong to malign Florida when this kind of thing happens frequently in many other gun-friendly states?

Please leave a comment.

Newark Policeman Killed

The officer wouldn't have had any time to reach for his weapon, everythiing happened so fast.

Isn't that the way it always is? Yes. And it applies to civilians with concealed carry permits as well as the off-duty police.