Texas Lt. Governor Flip-flops on Gun Bills

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has had to scramble this week to stay ahead of the state’s gun politics. (Photo: Dallas Morning News)

Guns dot com

Within a 48-hour period, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick first said the time wasn’t right for gun reform legislation then praised a campus carry measure while backpedaling to explain his comments.

The confusion began Tuesday when Patrick, who made promises during his election campaign to support a pro-gun agenda, told local media that the state legislature, which began its session earlier this month, had priorities other than passing bills to expand open carry rights in the Lone Star State.

“Second Amendment rights are very important, but open carry has not reached the level of being prioritized at this point,” Patrick said during a Texas Tribune event. “I don’t think the votes are there.”

Within hours, gun control advocates such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, who urged members to contact Patrick with notes of support, celebrated his comments.

Michael Bloomberg-backed Gun Group Forced to Retract Claims about Dealers

The Washington Times suggested by commenter George Jefferson

Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group financed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has gone into mea culpa mode for claims it made about firearms dealers that turned out to be wrong — and that may lead at least one to file a lawsuit.

The group issued a report a few days ago that said more than 1,000 online gun ads in Vermont were posted by unlicensed dealers and therefore, leading potential buyers to bypass background checks. But Everytown for Gun Safety wrongly identified 48 ads by dealers.

At least one misidentified Vermont dealer — Bobby Richards, owner and operator of CrossFire Arms in Mount Holly — is threatening a lawsuit, The Blaze reported.

Mr. Richards, who advertises firearms sales at the online venue Armslist, said he requires every potential buyer to fill out a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 and undergo a screening by the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System, The Blaze reported.

Everytown for Gun Safety, meanwhile, has issued an apology for the error.

Hahahahahahaha.  Bloomberg is laughing as hard as I am. Of course this nonsense comes from the conservative rag The Washington Times and the conservative web site, The Blaze (Glenn Beck is well known for his honest portrayals).

What it boils down to is that Everytown said 1,000 and it's really 952.

Hahahahahaha

Fun with Statistics

Starting with the chart from yesterday's post about gun death rates

States with the Five Highest Gun Death Rates				States with the Five Lowest Gun Death Rates
Rank	State	Household Gun Ownership	Gun Death Rate per 100,000	Rank	State	Household Gun Ownership	Gun Death Rate per 100,000
1	Alaska	60.6 percent	19.59	50	Hawaii	9.7 percent	2.71
2	Louisiana	45.6 percent	19.15	49	Massachusetts	12.8 percent	3.18
3	Alabama	57.2 percent	17.79	48	New York	18.1 percent	4.39
4	Mississippi	54.3 percent	17.55	47	Connecticut	16.2 percent	4.48
5	Wyoming	62.8 percent	17.51	46	Rhode Island	13.3 percent	5.33

 Findlaw shows the top ten for violent crime


Here are the Top 10 states with the most -- and least -- violent crime per capita, according to the FBI's data:
Highest Crime Per Capita

1. Washington, D.C.: 1,243.7 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants
2. Tennessee: 643.6
3. Nevada: 607.6
4. Alaska: 603.2
5. New Mexico: 559.1
6. South Carolina: 558.8
7. Delaware: 547.4
8. Louisiana: 496.9
9. Florida: 487.1
10. Maryland: 476.8

In case you were wondering, California (423.1), New York (406.8) and Texas (408.6) didn't trail too far behind.
Lowest Crime Per Capita

1. Maine: 122.7
2. Vermont: 142.6
3. New Hampshire: 187.9
4. Virginia: 190.1
5. Wyoming: 201.4
6. Utah: 205.8
7. Idaho: 207.9
8. Kentucky: 222.6
9. Minnesota: 230.9
10. Hawaii: 239.2

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics calculated age adjusted suicide rates by state. Here are the 10 most suicidal states in America:
10. Oregon:                        15.2 suicides per 100,000
9. Utah:                                15.4 suicides per 100,000
8. West Virginia:              15.9 suicides per 100,000
7. Arizona:                           16.1 suicides per 100,000
6. Colorado:                        16.4 suicides per 100,000
5. Nevada:                           18.3 suicides per 100,000
4. Montana:                        19.4 suicides per 100,000
*3. Wyoming:                       19.7 suicides per 100,000
2. New Mexico:                  20.4 suicides per 100,000
*1. Alaska:                             22.1 suicides per 100,000

Based on National Center for Health Statistics calculations, here are the least depressed and happiest states in America:
10. California: 9.8 suicides per 100,000 residents
*9. Hawaii: 9.7 suicides per 100,000 residents
8. Maryland: 9 suicides per 100,000 residents
*7.  Rhode Island: 8.7 suicides per 100,000 residents
6. Illinois: 8.5 suicides per 100,000 residents
*5. Massachusetts: 7.6 suicides per 100,000 residents
*4. Connecticut: 7.4 suicides per 100,000 residents
*3. New York: 7 suicides per 100,000 residents
2. New Jersey: 6.7 suicides per 100,000 residents
1. District of Columbia: 5.8 suicides per 100,000 residents

Surveillance Video Of Murder-Suicide Suspect Buying Gun

Local news

Kentucky Taking Gun-permit Applications Online

 USA Today

Kentucky gun owners can obtain concealed-carry permits faster under a new online application process that critics view as dangerous but others say pays heed to Second Amendment rights.

The process requires state police to either issue or deny a license within 15 days of receiving an electronic application — down from the 60-day processing period allowed for paper applications.

Rep. Jim Wayne, a Louisville Democrat opposed to the new rules, says state police are already hurting for personnel and that having officials process applications within 15 days could result in mistakes, such as approving permits for people with criminal histories.

"They are so overloaded and they should have the leeway to not be pressed to get this job done," he said.

NC Concealed Carry Permit Holder Accidentally Shoots Himself at Work

Local news reports

City police said a man suffered an accidental gunshot wound inside a Burlington business.

The incident happened just after 2:30 p.m. Sunday near the sporting goods section of Dunham's Sports on Huffman Mill Road.

The victim, an employee of the business, suffered a gunshot wound to his upper leg. Police told WXII they think the self-inflicted wound happened with the employee's personal handgun.

There were patrons in the area when the incident occurred, but no other injuries were reported. The business remained open.

Since no charges are brought, the incredible record of permit holder behavior will remain unchanged.

Albuquerque Toddler Wounds Both Parents With 1 Shot From Handgun