Saturday, May 23, 2015
New Zealand Man on Trial for Accidentally Killing his Son on a Hunting Trip
Stephen Phillip Long
New Zealand local news
A Southland man has admitted accidentally shooting dead his son during a hunting trip to Stewart Island in March.
Stephen Phillip Long, 61, has pleaded guilty to a charge of careless use of a firearm causing the death of his 24-year-old son Samuel Phillip Long on March 23.
Long was wiping away tears in the dock as police prosecutor Phil Berryman read the summary of facts in court on Friday morning.
Samuel Long left the hut they had slept in overnight at 9am on March 23 dressed in camouflage clothing and wearing a camouflage cap and backpack.
His father left the hut 45 minutes later, also wearing camouflage hunting gear.
He reached an area of bush and saw movement in the bush which he believed were two white-tailed deer.
He told police he spent two or three minutes confirming this with both the naked eye and also looking through his rifle scope at different magnifications to identify the deer, Berryman said. Long also moved to his left and right to clearly identify his target.
He aimed and fired at what he believed was the deer's head and neck from his Tikka 7mm-08 rifle.
"The defendant then walked forward to find he had fatally shot the victim through the head," Berryman said.
Michigan 12-Year-old Accidentally Kills Sleeping Woman
Local news
A shotgun involved in the accidental shooting death of a woman while she slept Friday morning had been locked in a gun safe, said the grandfather of the 12-year-old boy who allegedly fired the shot.
The boy, who investigators said is "mentally impaired," came across the keys in the pocket of some clothing, his grandfather, Daniel Hummel, said.
"He got up before anybody this morning at 5:30 a.m.," said Hummel. "He said he was in my pocket trying to get change and he found the gun safe key."
"It's always locked up, and I always have the key on me, and so, nobody gets in it but me, he didn't even know I had it in my pocket," Hummel added.
Hummel said the boy then unlocked the safe, removed and loaded a shotgun, but knowing what he was doing was wrong, tried "to take the shell out of the gun."
"It was an unfortunate accident," he added. "The guns were locked up, you can't' do much more than lock them up."
A shotgun involved in the accidental shooting death of a woman while she slept Friday morning had been locked in a gun safe, said the grandfather of the 12-year-old boy who allegedly fired the shot.
The boy, who investigators said is "mentally impaired," came across the keys in the pocket of some clothing, his grandfather, Daniel Hummel, said.
"He got up before anybody this morning at 5:30 a.m.," said Hummel. "He said he was in my pocket trying to get change and he found the gun safe key."
"It's always locked up, and I always have the key on me, and so, nobody gets in it but me, he didn't even know I had it in my pocket," Hummel added.
Hummel said the boy then unlocked the safe, removed and loaded a shotgun, but knowing what he was doing was wrong, tried "to take the shell out of the gun."
"It was an unfortunate accident," he added. "The guns were locked up, you can't' do much more than lock them up."
Friday, May 22, 2015
More on the Idaho 5-Year-old Shooting Death - Charges Dismissed - No One Responsible
Charges have been dismissed against a
Chubbuck couple charged with misdemeanor injury to a child in the
accidental shooting death of a 5-year-old girl last year.
Rusty
and Ashlee Lish were charged for the accidental shooting death of Noell
Aston Shawver, of Blackfoot, by another 5-year-old in their home.
More on the Alabama Teen Shooting - Half-Brother Charged
The half-brother of a Collinsville teenager shot and killed on Sunday in what was initially considered an accidental shooting has been charged in the boy's death.
Austin Lane Buchanan, 20, is charged with reckless manslaughter in the death of 13-year-old Eli Luis Estrada. He is being held in the DeKalb County jail in lieu of $50,000 bond.
Buchanan allegedly shot Estrada with a .38-caliber revolver that belonged to the boy's grandmother. Estrada was killed in a home on County Road 51.
DeKalb County District Attorney Mike O'Dell said in a news conference shortly after 11:30 a.m. Thursday that Buchanan was charged following additional investigation into Estrada's death. AL.com's news partner WHNT broadcast the O'Dell's remarks in a live stream on its website.
"It is no longer considered an accidental shooting," O'Dell said in the news conference.
The prosecutor and DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris declined to go into details of what led investigators to charge Buchanan, but O'Dell said that his office had received confidential information that led detectives to take another look at the shooting.
"It goes way beyond a standard that we would consider accidental," O'Dell said.
Majority Of Democrats Okay With Violating First Amendment
Freedom Force
A poll released Wednesday by the online pollster YouGov has found that a plurality of the American public, as well as a majority of Democrats, support limiting the First Amendment to allow a ban on hate speech.
The poll, conducted from May 8-11, asked respondents whether they would support a law criminalizing “public comments intended to stir up hatred against a group based on such things as their race, gender, religion, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.” Overall, 41 percent of Americans supported such a laws, while only 38 percent were opposed (22 percent were unsure).
Among those supporting a ban on hate speech were 51 percent of Democrats, as well as 37 percent of Republicans. The higher figure for Democrats was driven in large part by the attitudes of black and Hispanic respondents. Sixty-two percent of blacks favored a ban on hate speech, as did 50 percent of Hispanics. In contrast, only 36 percent of whites wanted a ban.
YouGov found other significant demographic divides among respondents. Those age 69 or older were the most supportive of a hate speech ban, but they were followed by those aged 18-29, while those of intermediate age were more protective of free speech. Women and those earning under $40,000 a year were also more willing to ban hate speech.
A ban on hate speech, if it passes, would utterly violate the First Amendment as it is currently interpreted by U.S. courts. The Supreme Court has, among other things, upheld the legality of cross-burning and affirmed the right of the Westboro Baptist Church to picket funerals and other events with hateful signs. Even hate speech calling for violence is protected in U.S. law, as long as the advocacy is general rather than promoting immediate and specific action.
A poll released Wednesday by the online pollster YouGov has found that a plurality of the American public, as well as a majority of Democrats, support limiting the First Amendment to allow a ban on hate speech.
The poll, conducted from May 8-11, asked respondents whether they would support a law criminalizing “public comments intended to stir up hatred against a group based on such things as their race, gender, religion, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.” Overall, 41 percent of Americans supported such a laws, while only 38 percent were opposed (22 percent were unsure).
Among those supporting a ban on hate speech were 51 percent of Democrats, as well as 37 percent of Republicans. The higher figure for Democrats was driven in large part by the attitudes of black and Hispanic respondents. Sixty-two percent of blacks favored a ban on hate speech, as did 50 percent of Hispanics. In contrast, only 36 percent of whites wanted a ban.
YouGov found other significant demographic divides among respondents. Those age 69 or older were the most supportive of a hate speech ban, but they were followed by those aged 18-29, while those of intermediate age were more protective of free speech. Women and those earning under $40,000 a year were also more willing to ban hate speech.
A ban on hate speech, if it passes, would utterly violate the First Amendment as it is currently interpreted by U.S. courts. The Supreme Court has, among other things, upheld the legality of cross-burning and affirmed the right of the Westboro Baptist Church to picket funerals and other events with hateful signs. Even hate speech calling for violence is protected in U.S. law, as long as the advocacy is general rather than promoting immediate and specific action.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Boy Scouts Of America Bans Water Gun Fights
Opposing Views
The Boy Scouts of America recently released a list of approved activities for their members and have revealed that water gun fights are prohibited.
The list also makes mention that water balloons must be no larger than a ping-pong ball.
According to the 2015 Boy Scout’s Manual, “Pointing any type of firearm or simulated firearm at any individual is unauthorized. Water guns and rubber band guns must only be used to shoot at targets, and eye protection must be worn.”
The organization’s leaders released a statement on their blog on May 6 explaining why the prohibition is in place.
“Why the rule? A Scouter once told me this explanation I liked quite a bit: A Scout is kind. What part of pointing a firearm [simulated or otherwise] at someone is kind?” Bryan Wendell wrote on the website.
As for water balloons, the Boy Scouts of America National Shooting Manual states that scouts must “use small, biodegradable balloons, and fill them no larger than a ping-pong ball.”
Along with the new stipulations put in place for water guns and water balloons, the organization also has a list of other banned items such as boomerangs, crossbows, potato guns, and marshmallow guns, according to the Washington Times.
House Dems Propose Mandating Background Checks on All Gun Show Sales
Guns dot com
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., last Friday introduced the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act, aimed at ending the “major trafficking channel” for illegal guns in the country.
The legislation would require that every transfer done at a gun show would have to pass a check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, while funding would be added to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to hire investigators specifically to patrol such events in search of regulatory violations.
“States across the country, including my home state of New York, have recognized the danger posed by this significant gap in our gun laws that allows complete strangers to buy and sell guns without the background check requirements Congress passed in the Brady Bill,” said Maloney on bill submission last week.
“I’m proud that there is momentum around the country to update our gun laws and ensure that weapons do not end up in the wrong hands — but the fact is that we need a federal solution to this national problem,” the lawmaker contended. “The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has cited gun shows as a ‘major trafficking channel,’ and lax gun show regulations in one state can allow guns in the hands of criminals in communities many states away.”
Maloney’s bill was filed Friday as H.R.2380 and currently has some 25 co-sponsors, all from her party. As noted in a release, the bill would require gun show operators to maintain a database of all sellers along with identifiable information for submission to the U.S. Attorney General’s office while establishing a mandate that all transfers– even private sales, which are currently not required by the federal government–undergo a background check.
Nebraska Lawmakers Vote to Abolish the Death Penalty Despite Gov. Ricketts' Veto
IBN
The Nebraska legislature voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to abolish the death penalty in the state. Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican who supports the death penalty, has promised to veto the measure, although lawmakers' 32 - 15 vote in its favor would be sufficient to override.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charges in the Shooting Death of Fellow Trooper
Former State police Cpl. Richard Schroeter. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office
Local news
A former Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. pleaded guilty Tuesday to recklessly endangering another person resulting in the Oct. 1, 2014, accidental shooting death of 26-year-old state trooper David Kedra.
Richard Schroeter, 43, of Royersford, entered into an open guilty plea May 19 in front of Judge Garrett Page to five counts of recklessly endangering another person. Each count is a second degree misdemeanor and carries a maximum sentence of one to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
There were five counts of recklessly endangering another person because at the time of the accidental shooting, there were five troopers, including Kedra, in the room.
The Kedra family has been critical of the way the district attorney’s office has handled the case previously saying that District Attorney Risa Ferman should have charged Schroeter with the more serious charge of involuntary manslaughter, a charge that calls for more time spent in prison than recklessly endangering another person.
Texas Legislators Reduce Penalty For Guns At Airports
Ammoland
The Texas state legislature voted 139-0 to reduce the penalty for licensed gun owners who accidentally bring their guns to the airport.
Bringing a gun to the airport under any circumstances is a 3rd degree felony in Texas, a penalty that one legislator called a “massive inconvenience.”
Under the new law, CHL holders who are stopped by security will be allowed to put their guns in their vehicles or check it with their luggage.
The law generated national headlines when State Rep. Drew Darby was charged with a felony after trying to take a .38 caliber Ruger pistol through security at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 2013.
The Texas state legislature voted 139-0 to reduce the penalty for licensed gun owners who accidentally bring their guns to the airport.
Bringing a gun to the airport under any circumstances is a 3rd degree felony in Texas, a penalty that one legislator called a “massive inconvenience.”
Under the new law, CHL holders who are stopped by security will be allowed to put their guns in their vehicles or check it with their luggage.
“One of the big arguments is, ‘What if someone is trying to use it to gauge our security? TSA will record it. If you try it multiple times during the day, you will be targeted,” said Rep. Drew Springer.Texas made it a felony to have guns at airports during the 1990s, when the state first started issuing concealed carry licenses.
The law generated national headlines when State Rep. Drew Darby was charged with a felony after trying to take a .38 caliber Ruger pistol through security at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 2013.
The number of guns confiscated at airports in the United States has reportedly quadrupled in the past decade, from 660 in 2005 to 2,212 this year.Darby told security that he forgot the handgun was in his bag.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Obama Administration Lowers the Boom on Military Gear for Police
Guns dot com
Following a year of high-profile riots and demonstrations, the White House on Monday moved forward with implementing a ban on transferring some weapons and military equipment to law enforcement.
The Task Force on 21st Century Policing, a now permanent separate federal inter-agency working group set up by executive order of President Barack Obama in January, has released its final report, which the president has ordered placed into effect through the Departments of Justice, Defense and Homeland Security.
Among the list of items now prohibited from being transferred either from surplus military stocks via the DOD’s 1033 Program or bought through DHS grants are tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft, vessels or vehicles of any kind; firearms or ammunition of .50 caliber or higher, grenade launchers, bayonets and camouflage uniforms.
“The Working Group concluded that a prohibition on acquisition of such equipment by LEAs [law enforcement agencies] from Federal programs is appropriate because the substantial risk of misusing or overusing these items, which are seen as militaristic in nature, could significantly undermine community trust and may encourage tactics and behaviors that are inconsistent with the premise of civilian law enforcement,” reads the report. “These concerns outweigh the Federal Government’s interest in providing this equipment to address law enforcement needs (that could not otherwise be fulfilled).
”In addition to prohibiting the future transfer of the now-restricted weapons and equipment, the administration is also seeking to recover those that are already in the hands of police agencies nationwide.
Oklahoma Man Injured in Accidental Shooting
Local news
A 28-year-old Owasso man was critically wounded when another man accidentally discharged a rifle inside an apartment early Monday, police said.
WHETHER criminal charges will be pursued???? What could be more criminal than shooting someone in the head?
A 28-year-old Owasso man was critically wounded when another man accidentally discharged a rifle inside an apartment early Monday, police said.
Owasso
Deputy Police Chief Jason Woodruff said the man was taken by ambulance
to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa in critical condition.
A
26-year-old man at the apartment told police that he was handling a
.22-caliber rifle when it went off, striking his friend in the head,
Woodruff said.
Once
a police investigation into the shooting is completed, the case will be
submitted to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office to determine
whether criminal charges will be pursued, police said.WHETHER criminal charges will be pursued???? What could be more criminal than shooting someone in the head?
Alabama Teen Killed in an Accidental Shooting.
Eli Estrada
Local news reports
A gun accident is to blame for the death of a Collinsville teenager.
Eli Estrada was pronounced dead at a home in Collinsville on Sunday after a 911 call was made concerning a shooting at the home.
The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office said a relative had the gun went it discharged. After receiving a 911 call, sheriff's deputies and investigators responded to the home. The boy was taken to the DeKalb Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The boy's body was taken to Huntsville for an autopsy at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.
Yes, by all means let's have an autopsy. And when that's done, and perhaps a lengthy investigation too, we can look at the "relative [who] had the gun went it discharged [all by itself]. But, since this is Alabama, maybe not.
Lengthy Investigation Continues Into Accidental Shooting Death Of 9-Year-Old California Boy
Local news
Authorities Monday continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a 9-year-old boy who was accidentally shot by his older brother.
Around 12:10 p.m. on Saturday, deputies from the Perris Police Department were sent to a home in the 100 block of Metz Road for report of an accidental shooting.
Upon their arrival, officials located the young boy suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. His identity is being withheld pending family notification.
A preliminary investigation revealed the victim’s 14-year-old brother had accidentally shot him. One of the boys discovered the gun inside a box, and began to play with it, which led up to the shooting.
“The older brother pointed [the gun] at the younger brother, pulled the trigger and apparently it was loaded,” explained Mayor Daryl Busch. “He died from the shot.”
It remains unclear if the gun was properly permitted.
At this time, authorities are referring to the incident as a tragic accident, and not a deliberate act.
Authorities Monday continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a 9-year-old boy who was accidentally shot by his older brother.
Around 12:10 p.m. on Saturday, deputies from the Perris Police Department were sent to a home in the 100 block of Metz Road for report of an accidental shooting.
Upon their arrival, officials located the young boy suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. His identity is being withheld pending family notification.
A preliminary investigation revealed the victim’s 14-year-old brother had accidentally shot him. One of the boys discovered the gun inside a box, and began to play with it, which led up to the shooting.
“The older brother pointed [the gun] at the younger brother, pulled the trigger and apparently it was loaded,” explained Mayor Daryl Busch. “He died from the shot.”
It remains unclear if the gun was properly permitted.
At this time, authorities are referring to the incident as a tragic accident, and not a deliberate act.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Richard Martinez Responds to Ted Cruz
Guns dot com
I wonder why Martinez didn't respond to the ridiculous "inevitable prelude to tyranny" remark. One minute, Cruz was talking about how bad universal background checks are, and smooth as any slick politician, he slid right into total gun confiscations by the tyrannical governments.
It seems Richard Martinez was responding to a different interview with Ted Cruz, in which he used expressions like the 2A is "absolute" and it "trumps" the other amendments. It's pretty misleading of guns-dot-com to link to the wrong interview.
I wonder why Martinez didn't respond to the ridiculous "inevitable prelude to tyranny" remark. One minute, Cruz was talking about how bad universal background checks are, and smooth as any slick politician, he slid right into total gun confiscations by the tyrannical governments.
It seems Richard Martinez was responding to a different interview with Ted Cruz, in which he used expressions like the 2A is "absolute" and it "trumps" the other amendments. It's pretty misleading of guns-dot-com to link to the wrong interview.
Waco Texas: Sunday Biker Gang Shooting Leaves Nine Dead, 18 Injured
Local news
Rival motorcycle gangs turned a local restaurant into a shooting gallery Sunday afternoon and when the gunfire was over, nine people were dead and 18 were injured.
Waco police Sunday afternoon, assisted by Department of Public Safety troopers, police officers from several cities and deputies from the McLennan County Sheriff's Office were surrounding the Twin Peaks Restaurant, in the Central Texas Market Place after several people were reported shot during a rival motorcycle gang fight.
Police initially said three gangs were involved, but later said factions from at least five gangs took part in the melee.
Police and troopers were in the parking lot trying to secure the area and protect citizens when a fight broke out inside the restaurant and spilled into the parking lot.
Swanton said the fight quickly escalated from fists and feet to chains, clubs and knives, then to gunfire. Gang members were shooting at each other and officers at the scene fired their weapons, as well.
Swanton said officers recovered more than 100 weapons from the scene and there were several vehicles that had bullet holes in them.
Dan Zimmerman of The Truth about Guns had this to say: "Why do we carry guns? This is why:"
I'd like to know what good Dan and his gun would have been able to offer.
Rival motorcycle gangs turned a local restaurant into a shooting gallery Sunday afternoon and when the gunfire was over, nine people were dead and 18 were injured.
Waco police Sunday afternoon, assisted by Department of Public Safety troopers, police officers from several cities and deputies from the McLennan County Sheriff's Office were surrounding the Twin Peaks Restaurant, in the Central Texas Market Place after several people were reported shot during a rival motorcycle gang fight.
Police initially said three gangs were involved, but later said factions from at least five gangs took part in the melee.
Police and troopers were in the parking lot trying to secure the area and protect citizens when a fight broke out inside the restaurant and spilled into the parking lot.
Swanton said the fight quickly escalated from fists and feet to chains, clubs and knives, then to gunfire. Gang members were shooting at each other and officers at the scene fired their weapons, as well.
Swanton said officers recovered more than 100 weapons from the scene and there were several vehicles that had bullet holes in them.
Dan Zimmerman of The Truth about Guns had this to say: "Why do we carry guns? This is why:"
I'd like to know what good Dan and his gun would have been able to offer.
Concerned Lawmakers Seek to Stop Online Ammunition Sales
NRA-ILA
On May 12, 2015, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) introduced H.R. 2283 or the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2015. According to a report from The Hill (full text of the legislation has not been received by the Government Publishing Office at press time) the bill would require that ammunition sellers be federally licensed, that online ammunition purchasers show a photo identification in-person at an “authorized dealer” in order to take receipt of their orders, and that any purchases of more than 1000 rounds made within five consecutive days be reported to the Attorney General.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Jacksonville Florida Police Hunt for Gunman, 16, Wanted in School Bus Shooting that Injured 2
Edgar Robles
Local news
A laughing teen gunman being hunted on charges of shooting two girls on a Jacksonville school bus Thursday has been identified as a 16-year-old nomad angry about being spit on as he and two friends readied to fight some other passengers, police said.
The two 16-year-old victims, one shot through both cheeks and the other in the back of the head, remained hospitalized in fair condition Friday.
The Westside attack on a bus carrying students from three alternative schools occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on 118th Street just outside the front gate of Ringhaver Park.
Police early Friday afternoon identified the gunman as Edgar Robles, 16, who is charged in arrest warrants with two counts of attempted murder and one count of throwing a deadly missile. Police were hunting him citywide and said he is known to live roaming from place to place in the city, said Sheriff’s Office Director Tom Hackney.
I thought they weren't allowed to use a picture of a minor?
My main question is where did the gun come from. As Baldr always says, every gun in the hands of a kid has to pass through the hands of an adult. I would go even further. Every gun used in a crime started out the legal property of some lawful gun owner. Because these guys enjoy such loose gun laws, and because they are so irresponsible, their guns flow into the criminal world like the mighty Mississippi.
Do We Have a Gang Problem or a Gun Problem?
Huffington Post
In a scathing critique of ABC's recent report "Young Guns," Dana Loesch stated that most gun deaths were the result of gang violence; therefore, America has a gang problem, not a gun problem. Her claim appears to be supported by sites positing that "a staggering 80 percent of gun homicides are gang-related." As it turns out though, not only is her statement factually incorrect, as the majority of gun deaths are suicides, but there is not a shred of evidence to support her characterization that gangs are the driving force behind firearm violence.
Unfortunately, Dana Loesch's sentiment is shared by many gun advocates, including the Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, who, when opposing firearm background checks said, "President Obama should be as committed to dealing with the gang problem that is tormenting honest people in his hometown as he is to blaming law-abiding gun owners for the acts of psychopathic murderers."
So, do we have a gang problem or a gun problem? Data collected by the National Gang Center, the government agency responsible for cataloging gang violence, makes clear that it's the latter. There were 1,824 gang-related killings in 2011. This total includes deaths by means other than a gun. The Bureau of Justice Statistics finds this number to be even lower, identifying a little more than 1,000 gang-related homicides in 2008. In comparison, there were 11,101 homicides and 19,766 suicides committed with firearms in 2011.
In a scathing critique of ABC's recent report "Young Guns," Dana Loesch stated that most gun deaths were the result of gang violence; therefore, America has a gang problem, not a gun problem. Her claim appears to be supported by sites positing that "a staggering 80 percent of gun homicides are gang-related." As it turns out though, not only is her statement factually incorrect, as the majority of gun deaths are suicides, but there is not a shred of evidence to support her characterization that gangs are the driving force behind firearm violence.
Unfortunately, Dana Loesch's sentiment is shared by many gun advocates, including the Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, who, when opposing firearm background checks said, "President Obama should be as committed to dealing with the gang problem that is tormenting honest people in his hometown as he is to blaming law-abiding gun owners for the acts of psychopathic murderers."
So, do we have a gang problem or a gun problem? Data collected by the National Gang Center, the government agency responsible for cataloging gang violence, makes clear that it's the latter. There were 1,824 gang-related killings in 2011. This total includes deaths by means other than a gun. The Bureau of Justice Statistics finds this number to be even lower, identifying a little more than 1,000 gang-related homicides in 2008. In comparison, there were 11,101 homicides and 19,766 suicides committed with firearms in 2011.
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