Saturday, March 1, 2014

Guns in Airports - Part 264

gun
On Wednesday, a man on his way to Charlotte was stopped at Norfolk International Airport after officials say a loaded handgun was spotted in his carry-on baggage.
They say the gun was discovered while an officer was staffing the checkpoint x-ray machine. A loaded .380 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun was loaded with five rounds and one chambered officials say.
TSA officials notified the Norfolk Airport Authority. The gun and the ammo were confiscated and the man was arrested.
He was then allowed to take his flight without the weapon.
I suppose this clown had a concealed carry permit, which made me wonder. How stupid does one have to be to "forget" they have a gun in their carry on bag when going through airport security? Even if they receive only a slap on the wrist, the hassle is significant, at the very least, brief arrest, temporary loss of the gun. 
Yet, it happens fairly often. What I wondered is what percentage of permit holders travel by air. Not most, surely.  Most people never travel by air, or once in a lifetime. That means that if ALL of them were frequent fliers we'd have an extremely high number of these incidents because so many of these guys are that stupid.

Ohio Concealed Carry permit Holder Smuggles Gun into Toledo Court House in Companion's Purse - No Charges

A Lucas County sheriff’s deputy who has been disciplined in the past for inattention to his job could face additional sanctions for allowing a handgun to get through security screening at Toledo Municipal Court.
Deputy Barry Disalle, 68, was working the screening area at the court entrance Feb. 10 when he apparently became distracted and did not see a small semiautomatic handgun at the bottom of a woman’s purse, said Rob Sarahman, an investigator with the sheriff’s internal-affairs unit.
According to an incident report, the deputy noticed an image of the gun in the purse later on the X-ray machine about 2:30 p.m. and located the woman carrying it in the lobby area outside the city prosecutor’s office. A man with her said the gun was his and that he had a concealed carry permit, according to the report.
Is that allowed?  Is a concealed carry permit holder allowed to turn his weapon over to another person to hold? 
Typically, in gun-lovin' Ohio, the focus of this story is on the inattentive security guard who didn't stop them at the screening point.
Sounds like more special treatment for civilian gun owners.

Another Study about Gun Accessibility Contributing to Murder and Suicide

A national study on shooting deaths concludes that a suicide or homicide is more likely to occur in a home with a gun than one without.
Although gun ownership is common in the Fayetteville and Fort Bragg area and mental illness is seen in the civilian population and in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, the design of the study makes it hard to apply to any given city, said Eric See, a Methodist University criminologist.
"The study really doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know," said See, chairman of Methodist's Department of Justice Studies, Forensic Science and Cyber Crime. "And what we already know, especially dealing with suicide, is that it oftentimes can be a very impulsive thing. And if someone has made a decision to do this and there is a loaded gun right there, it makes the odds of completing suicide far more likely."
In the study, published Jan. 21 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the authors reviewed data from other studies that analyzed gun-related deaths versus other causes of death.
"Impulsiveness may be a catalyst for using a firearm to commit suicide and may also play a role in firearm-related homicide," wrote the authors from the University of California San Francisco. The homicides "may indicate an impulsive reaction to domestic disputes."
But the Fayetteville area has seen firearms-related suicides and domestic homicides among its military, veteran and civilian populations. In 2012, 28 suicides by firearms were reported in Cumberland County, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. In recent years, the highest number of suicides was 31, in 2008, while the lowest was a year later, with 24.
Guns stored loaded or unlocked were more likely to be used in a suicide than unloaded or locked firearms.

Father of Chardon High School Shooting Victim Kills Himself on Second Anniversary of Son's Death

Yahoo News reports

The father of one of three teens killed in a northeast Ohio school shooting was found dead Thursday, the second anniversary of his son's death, a sheriff's investigator said.
A family member found 48-year-old Russell King Sr. dead inside his home, said Lt. John Hiscox of the Geauga County Sheriff's Department. The cause of death had not been determined, and a coroner was investigating. Hiscox said there were no signs of foul play.
"Whatever transpired, there's no question Russell King is another victim of this tragic shooting two years ago today," said Craig Bashein, an attorney who represents the family in a wrongful death lawsuit.
King's 17-year-old son, Russell King Jr., was one of three students killed in the shooting at Chardon High School east of Cleveland. Three other students were wounded.
Prosecutors say T.J. Lane, who was waiting for a bus to the alternative school, took a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to the high school and fired 10 shots at a group of students inside the cafeteria on Feb. 27, 2012.
Daniel Parmertor and Demetrius Hewlin, both 16, also were killed.
Lane, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty and is serving three life sentences. At his sentencing last March, he wore a T-shirt with "killer" scrawled across it and cursed and gestured obscenely at relatives of victims in the courtroom.

Guns Keep Us Safe

Tom Tomorrow

More Minnesotans Have Permits to Carry a Gun Than Ever Before

Star Tribune link

via ssgmarkcr:

  I came upon this article that is close to home for me.  Minnesota's carry permit has broken a new record with a total of over 165,000.  Stories like this are fairly common when the new legislative session starts.  The problem is that the media has a hard time portraying permit holders as a problem because the information on what little criminal behavior is committed is freely available, including data on when the permits are taken away. 

    Minnesota permit holders are also politically active, last year there was an attempt to pass legislation passed to ban assault weapons, high capacity magazines, and of course mandate universal background checks.  The turn-out by permit holders greatly outnumbered those supporting the legislation, and there were no confrontations.  And of course, most everyone exercised their prerogative to carry in the capitol.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend, but I have sent the required notification in to inform them of my intent to carry if I visit.
 
"Permits issued in Minnesota for carrying a firearm nearly doubled in 2013 vs. the previous year, state officials said Friday, helping push the number of active permit holders to its highest total ever measured.
About 20 percent of the 60,471 permits issued last year were renewals, which are required every five years, according to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

Also, the number of active permit holders has grown to 165,295, an increase of about one-third from the total of 125,339 a year ago at this time, the agency reported. Not everyone who has a permit is a gun owner.

The current number of permit holders is the highest ever measured by the BCA, said spokeswoman Jill Oliveira. The agency does not keep a day-by-day tally, but it gathers snapshot totals upon request. The previous high reported by the BCA upon request was 159,691 (on Nov. 26, 2013).

Sheriffs statewide reported 540 permits were denied in 2013, 28 suspended, 18 voided and 11 revoked, the BCA said."

Friday, February 28, 2014

Elizabeth Warren for President - I've Said It Before

Video link

I have no idea how she feels about guns, but I'd be the gun-rights fanatics won't like it.

Obama Hate among Republicans

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Utah's Anti Suicide Initiative


In this Dec. 27, 2012 file photo, Cori Sorensen, a fourth grade teacher from Highland Elementary School in Highland, Utah, receives firearms training with a .357 magnum from personal defense instructor Jim McCarthy in West Valley City, Utah, where teachers and administrators are allowed to bring guns to school. State lawmakers are advancing a measure that attempts to prevent suicides by giving concealed-carry permit holders a state rebate on purchases of gun safes. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
The Salt Lake City Tribune

A House committee unanimously passed a gun-safety program aimed at preventing suicides that includes state rebates for some purchases of gun safes.
HB134, which now moves to the full House, would create firearm safety literature, covering topics such as safe storage and handling of guns and suicide prevention, to be packaged with cable gun locks and made available free of charge. It would also provide rebate vouchers for between $10 and 200 for concealed-carry permit holders who purchase gun safes.
The bill will cost $900,000, which will come from excess funds already collected from concealed-carry permit fees.
Bill sponsor Rep. Steven Eliason, R-Sandy, said Utah ranks fifth in the nation in youth suicides and that, as of 2011, 45 percent of fatal suicide attempts are committed with firearms. He said there are factors that lawmakers cannot alter to prevent suicides, but they can work on gun safety.
"It has nothing to do with taking guns away or mandatory restricting access. It’s simply an education program aimed primarily at parents to talk about the risks of not properly securing your firearms," Eliason said.
He said one-third of youth who committed suicide had faced a crisis in the past 24 hours and 85 percent of youths under 18 who killed themselves with a firearm used a family member’s gun.
Child psychologist and University of Utah professor Doug Gray who studies suicide, said teenagers are impulsive and many suicides that occur after a crisis are preventable.

Alabama Seeking to Loosen their Already Loose Gun Laws

WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

Strong opposition from law enforcement.  Of course cops oppose this kind of loosening of the gun laws.  They know that guns in civilian hands do more harm than good.

Chris Hayes and Jon Frankel Discuss Kids and Guns

Video link

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Golden Gate Bridge Hits Record 46 Suicides in 2013

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge has seen a record-breaking level of ‘jumpers’ in 2013, with 46 people ending their life, according to a watchdog group. This is 1.5 times higher than a year before.
The Bridge Rail Foundation urged the authorities to install a safety net to prevent further escalation of the suicide rate at the 1,280-meter bridge, which towers more than 65 meters over the entrance to San Francisco Bay.  
“I know it won’t be built soon, and that’s the most frustrating thing about this,” Dayna Whitmer, board member with the organization, told Reuters.
“We hate to see any more 17-year-olds jump or 86-year-olds jump, it’s just not right,” she added.
The authorities have been planning to set up a special safety net to catch people who jump. However, $66 million are needed to build the construction. Three years ago, a company was given $5 million to design the safety net.
The previous record of suicides is believed to have been 40 or 41 fatalities in one year, Whitmer said.
Currie also said that police officers or others stopped another 118 people from jumping to their deaths. To stop the people from ending their lives, there are bicycle patrols, plus two to four officers on the bridge’s sidewalks, according to California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Andrew Barclay, as cited by Reuters.
In 2012, the number of suicides stood at 33.

Chicago Murder - Suicide - 4 Dead

Local news reports


Authorities are calling the Wednesday gunshot deaths of four members of a family in the south Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn the result of an apparent murder-suicide.

Emergency crews responded to a fire at a home in the 9800 block of 51st Avenue at about 5 a.m.

"We encountered a vehicle in the garage and noises coming from the vehicle. At that time we approached the vehicle and opened the door, and observed an adult male in the driver's seat take his own life with a shot gun," Oak Lawn Police Chief Michael Murray said.

Officials say a male's body was found inside the hallway of the home, a female in the first-floor bedroom and a 5-year-old boy in the basement.

Two of the victims were a husband and wife who had lived in the residence for more than 30 years, and their 36-year-old son -- who's believed to have committed the shootings -- lived at the home with them.

Medicaid Expansion

Man with a Muckrake: "Racism in the Republican Party. Pure and simple. Racism!"

Southern Beale's Tennessee Gun Report

Southern Beale has plenty this week, including the following:




Local news reports

A Memphis man is in jail for accidentally shooting a teen friend. Police say he pulled the trigger on a gun he thought was not loaded.

"Sad occasion. I really hate that," said Jesse McCracken, friend of the family.

Twenty-three year-old Courtney Hatch is behind bars for reckless homicide, after police say he accidentally killed 17-year-old Kennedra Miles. Neighbors close to Hatch's family feel bad for both families.

"17-years-old. Just started her life," noted Phillip McIntire.

Authorities say Hatch was in the back seat of a car at Weaver Road and Canary Lane around 11:00 p.m. Saturday night. Hatch told police he was looking at a small handgun and then pulled the trigger. Miles, who was sitting right in front of him, was then shot through the seat. Hatch told investigators he thought the gun was empty.

Southern Beale's observation: "He’s black though, so he was charged right away with reckless homicide."

NRA Loses: Federal Judge Rules San Francisco Can Limit Sales of High-Capacity Magazines

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has lost its first legal battle against the City by the Bay over the banning of high-capacity magazines in city limits.
San Francisco’s mayor, Edwin Lee, approved an ordinance last November that prohibits residents from possessing firearms with clips that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Individuals owning such weapons must turn them into police, sell them to licensed gun dealers, or remove them from the city by April 7.
The NRA filed suit on behalf of the San Francisco Veteran Police Officers Association, retired officer Larry Barsetti, retired U.S. Navy master chief Arthur Ritchie, and city residents Rainerio Granados, and Randall Low to stop the law from going into effect.
They argued before U.S. District Judge William Alsup that the ordinance violates the Second Amendment by limiting Americans’ right to defend themselves.
But Alsup rejected the plaintiffs’ claim and let the law stand.
“Although there will be some occasions when a law-abiding citizen needs more than ten rounds to defend himself or his family, the record shows that such occasions are rare,” Alsup wrote in his ruling (pdf).

Jon Stewart on the Enlightened States of Kansas and Missouri

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Erin Burnett Interview with Ted Nugent



My favorite part is when he personally took credit for getting Piers Morgan's Show cancelled.

On another thread I made the remark that you gun-rights fanatics get all personal about it while we tend to attack what our opponents say. I was asked if I don't personally despise Ted Nugent.

Well, that got me to thinking. I suppose I do.  He's a draft dodger, an admitted statutory rapist of young girls, he often uses racist and misogynistic slurs, he's a blowhard and a bully. For those reasons and more, many folks on my side despise Ted Nugent, myself included.

You guys, on the other hand, despise Piers Morgan for nothing more than his stance on gun control.

Do you see the difference?

Do You Have a Gun in the House?

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The Hate Map



Southern Poverty Law Center has a fascinating interactive map.  Before clicking, guess which states have the most.

Many of these groups are armed to the teeth, but when talking about lawful gun owners who are responsible and make the world a safer place, they're not what we have in mind, are they?

Prosecutor: Firearms Instructor Who Shot Student Should Not Face Felony Charges

dunlap
Terry J. Dunlap Sr.

The Republic

A special prosecutor says no felony charges should be filed against a central Ohio firearms instructor who accidentally shot a student in the arm in his concealed-carry class last year.

The prosecutor said Monday that the shooting near Lancaster was accidental and 74-year-old Terry J. Dunlap Sr. was not acting recklessly at the time.
Dunlap, a local township trustee who is certified to teach concealed-carry classes, shot 27-year-old Michael Piemonte while he was demonstrating a .38-caliber handgun toward the end of a 12-hour concealed-carry class on Aug. 10.

Piemonte, who was not seriously injured, tells The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1hO6spE ) that he believes Dunlap acted recklessly and should at least be charged with a misdemeanor. He said Dunlap has never apologized.

Not only that, but the bumbling instructor, lawful gun owner an concealed carry permit holder that he is, has a history of shooting people accidentally. 

Cathy Schmelzer couldn’t believe it when she read in the newspaper that Terry J. Dunlap Sr. — a firearms instructor — had accidentally shot someone.

“Oh no, he’s done it again!” she said she thought to herself. Schmelzer, 50, was Cathy Hessler, a 14-year-old Pickerington girl, when she was accidentally shot in 1977 by Dunlap during a Halloween hayride.

When Mass. Criminals Want A Gun, They Often Head North

Massachusetts gun laws are widely considered some of the toughest in the country. But with a rash of shooting deaths in Boston this year, some law enforcement officials say it’s obvious that there are ways around the rules. And when Massachusetts criminals want to get their hands on a gun, they frequently head north.
In 2012, more than half of the guns that law enforcement seized in Massachusetts and managed to trace to their origins came from other states, according to federal statistics. The biggest suppliers by far were New Hampshire and Maine, as is the case most years.
This is one of the things pro-gun fanatics like to dismiss as unimportant or even mock as foolish.  The truth is however, states with strict gun control laws are not getting the benefits they otherwise would because of the nearby states with lax laws.
Denying the obvious is what they do.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Michigan Man Shoots Himself in the Head Demonstrating How Safe Guns Are

Detroit Free Press

A 36-year-old man from Independence Township apparently shot and killed himself by accident while trying to demonstrate gun safety to his girlfriend after he had been drinking, authorities said. 

Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at about 9 p.m. Sunday to a home on the 4400 block of Pinedale, near Sashabaw and Maybee roads, where the man’s girlfriend was performing CPR. 

The girlfriend told authorities that the man had been drinking all day and was explaining to her that his three handguns are safe when they aren’t loaded, according to Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe. He demonstrated by placing the guns against his head and pulling the trigger.

Georgia 9-Year-old Dead - It Was Just an Accident - No One Charged

Landry Oliver
Landry Oliver


The shooting death of a 9-year-old Guyton boy last week appears to be accidental, authorities said today.
An autopsy on Landry Oliver was conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Savannah.
“The initial investigation indicates that the shooting appears to have been accidental,” said David Ehsanipoor, Sheriff’s Office spokesman. “There are no immediate indications of foul play.”
Oliver died from a gunshot wound to the head. Charges are not expected at this time, however the investigation is ongoing, Ehsanipoor said.
Oliver, a student at Marlow Elementary, was shot with a .22-caliber rifle at a residence in the 100 block of Zittrouer Road at about 7 p.m. on Thursday. He was airlifted to Memorial University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on Friday.
The shooting occurred while Oliver and an 11-year-old neighbor where playing in Oliver’s backyard, Ehsanipoor said. The rifle had been in a shed at the home.

Having a Gun in the House Doesn't Make a Woman Safer


A father takes his 14-year-old daughter shopping at a gun show in Houston. (Reuters)

The Atlantic

Another large case-control study compared women who were murdered by their intimate partner with a control group of battered women. Only 16 percent of the women who had been abused, but not murdered, had guns in their homes, whereas 51 percent of the murder victims did. In fact, not a single study to date has shown that the risk of any crime including burglary, robbery, home invasion, or spousal abuse against a female is decreased through gun ownership. Though there are examples of women using a gun to defend themselves, they are few and far between, and not statistically significant.

These facts should be as chilling to men as they are to women. A 2005 studyexamining mortality data from 1998-2000 found that when a female was shot by her intimate partner, the perpetrator subsequently killed himself in two thirds of the cases. This statistic not only shows necessity of getting mental help for at-risk men. It also further suggests that owning a firearm may make a household more vulnerable than ever.  

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear About Gun Rights for 18 to 20-Year-Olds but Prepares for Concealed Carry Outside the Home


The Supreme Court refused Monday to consider any new cases seeking to expand gun rights, including two challenges to restrictions on young adults.
The decision does not preclude the court eventually agreeing to consider the next big legal issue in the national debate over guns: whether the right to keep a gun at home for self-defense extends to public places.
In fact, a federal appeals court panel's divided ruling this month in a California case makes it more likely that the question of guns outside the home will be heading to the high court soon.
The petitions denied Monday included challenges to a federal and a state law restricting access to young adults. The federal law blocks those ages 18 to 20 from buying guns from licensed dealers. The Texas law doesn't allow them to carry guns in public, as others can do with a license.
Ever since Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for a divided court in 2008 that the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects the right to possess guns at home, the question of public places has been looming. Many states impose restrictions, such as requiring a demonstrated need to carry a gun, whether concealed or in plain sight. Most lower courts have upheld those restrictions.

Ted Nugent Apologizes - Sort Of

rick perry ted nugent

Business Insider

Controversial rocker Ted Nugent has finally apologized for calling President Obama a "subhuman mongrel" following a backlash that included a number of Republican politicians, Politico reports.
"On behalf of those professional politicians and those who put their heart and soul into representing we the people so aptly like the gentlemen I just mentioned, I apologize for using the street-fighter of subhuman mongrel instead of just using more understandable language such as violator of his oath, the Constitution, the liar that he is," Nugent told Politico. "I apologize for using the term subhuman mongrel and I will try to elevate my vernacular to the level of those great men that I’m learning from in the world of politics."

Gun Control Advocate Piers Morgan's Show is Ending

CNN host Piers Morgan, the British host who has often lectured his American audience about the need for stricter gun control, is losing his 9 p.m. weeknights show.
New York Times media writer David Carr scoops that Morgan and CNN President Jeff Zucker "had been talking about the show's failure to connect and had decided to pull the plug, probably in March." Carr writes:
'It's been a painful period and lately we have taken a bath in the ratings,' [Morgan] said, adding that although there had been times when the show connected in terms of audience, slow news days were problematic.
'Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it,' he said. 'That's run its course and Jeff and I have been talking for some time about different ways of using me.'

Monday, February 24, 2014

"No Big Deal" Is Getting Bigger: San Diego Declines to Appeal Peruta, Accepting CCW Applications as ‘Shall Issue’

In the past three days two of the largest counties in California have witnessed their sheriffs switch from ‘may issue’ to ‘shall issue’ in the wake of the Peruta v. San Diego reversal by a federal court.
San Diego County’s sheriff, who was expected to appeal the decision, announced late Friday that he would respect the court’s findings and not seek an en banc review of the case.
“Since becoming Sheriff, I have always maintained that it is the legislature’s responsibility to make the laws, and the judiciary’s responsibility to interpret them and their constitutionality.  Law enforcement’s role is to uphold and enforce the law,” said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore in a press release (pdf) late Friday.
Gore acknowledged this authority in saying, “The legislature certainly has the power to amend California’s firearm carry process, and the Ninth Circuit has the ability to bring its own motion to rehear the decision of the three member panel en banc.”
“However, while the court’s decision clearly involves a question of exceptional importance, and conflicts with decisions of other United States Courts of Appeals, the opinion provides clear guidance in the context of issuing CCWs in California,” it continued.
“I see no need for me to petition for a hearing or rehearing en banc in order to be able to carry out my duties as Sheriff of San Diego County,” he added. “As a result, I have advised the Office of County Counsel that I will not seek such a hearing.”
With this, “should the decision of the Ninth Circuit become final, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department will begin to issue CCW’s in situations where the applicant has met all other lawful qualifications and has requested a CCW for purposes of self-defense” concluded the press release.

Gun Fetishists Naming Their Kids After Guns



The Daily Beast

In 2002, only 194 babies were named Colt, while in 2012 there were 955. Just 185 babies were given the name Remington in 2002, but by 2012 the number had jumped to 666. Perhaps the most surprising of all, however, is a jump in the name Ruger’s (America’s leading firearm manufacturer) from just 23 in 2002 to 118 in 2012.  “This name [Ruger] is more evidence of parents’ increasing interest in naming children after firearms,” Wattenberg writes. “Colt, Remington, and Gauge have all soared, and Gunner is much more common than the traditional name Gunnar.”

Texas Idiot Gun Owner Arrested for Accidentally Shooting his 4-Year-old Son

Local news with video report

Florida Lawful Gun Owner Shoots Himself Accidentally After Attending Gun Safety Class

Gunshot wound to the leg via Shutterstock

Raw Story

Police in Boynton Beach, Florida responded on Friday to a call from a man who claimed he had accidentally shot himself. According to the Palm Beach Post, officers found the man in the bed of his pickup truck nursing a gunshot wound to the leg.

The injured man explained that he was headed home from a gun safety class and had stopped on the side of the road to inspect his Glock pistol. He told officers that he had removed the ammunition clip, but failed to remove the bullet in the weapon’s chamber. As he was manipulating the slide, the weapon discharged.
Police provided emergency first aid treatment at the scene, then transported the victim to a local hospital.

Woman Arrested with Gun at Chicago's O'Hare Airport

PREGNANT

Local news reports

A pregnant woman from Milwaukee  faces a felony charge after trying to board a plane with a loaded gun.

O`hare security found the gun in Angelique Kittell’s bag at one of the check points. Her attorney says she didn't know it was there.

Former NRA President Charlton Heston to Get US Post Office Stamp



The Daily Caller
The United States Postal Service has announced that former NRA President Charlton Heston will be honored with his own stamp. The stamp is part of their “Legends of Hollywood” series, and while the specific issue date has not yet been determined, it will be issued sometime in 2014.

Heston was a five term president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2003. He was a tireless advocate for Second Amendment rights and will always be remembered by the NRA faithful for his “cold, dead hands” speech delivered at the 2000 NRA Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Guns To Surpass Car Accidents As Leading Cause Of Deaths Among Young People

Guns kill a lot of young people in the United States. Not just in school shootings or horrific “accidents” between toddlers that tend to garner the most media attention, but in every day shootings in communities around the country that result in the deaths of thousands of children and teenagers.
In 2010, 6,201 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 died by gunfire. Guns were a close second to the leading cause of death among this age group, car accidents, which took the lives of 7,024 young people that year. But, while car accident deaths among young people have been steadily declining over the past decade, gun deaths have remained relatively unchanged. And, as described in a new Center for American Progress reportreleased Friday, if current trends continue, gun deaths will surpass car accident deaths among young people sometime in 2015:
Gun deaths

Facebook And Instagram In Talks With Gun Control Advocates Seeking To Ban Gun Sales On Social Sites



Forbes

Two of the country’s most influential gun control groups are in talks withFacebook’s legal team in an effort to see gun sales banned on the world’s largest social network and its sister site Instagram.
Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America has partnered with Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns to put pressure on Facebook to prohibit the private selling or trading of guns on its platforms — a practice that’s as widespread as it is unregulated.
“Facebook and Instagram are enabling people to sell weapons, often with no questions asked and no background checks required,” said Mayors Against Illegal Guns’ spokesperson Erika Soto Lamb.
Lamb cited a recent sting operation in Storm Lake, Iowa, where a convicted felon tried to exchange an assault rifle for a handgun via Facebook. In this case, the gun dealer was an undercover officer, and the 21-year-old felon was arrested and jailed.
“This police department shed light on how easy it is for someone who is prohibited from owning a gun to procure one using social media,” she said.
Lamb added that Facebook and Instagram would be joining fellow online platforms eBay, Craigslist and Google GOOG -0.03% +, all of which have banned the buying, selling or trading of firearms without background checks.

Cenk Uygur on the Abbot - Nugent Collaboration

Pennsylvania 13-Year-old Shot by Accident - Neighbor Arrested