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(TX)San Antonio Man Tells TTAG How He (Probably) Stopped a Murder
Nick posted a DGU story yesterday of a man who was stabbing his wife in the neck outside their child's San Antonio elementary school when a Texas CHL holder pulled his gun and stopped the attack. The good samaritan has contacted TTAG and here's his account of what happened:
I am the guy that pulled my KelTec P3AT on the guy yesterday morning. Just to clear up the confusion, I was walking down S. St. Mary's street IN FRONT OF Bonham Academy. I first thought that the guy was beating someone, and I ran toward him ordering him to stop. He looked at me and ignored me . . .
When I saw the blood and the knife I was about 10 or 15 ft. away from him. I pulled my gun, aimed it at him, and yelled at him again. Again he looked at me and ignored me. When he began stabbing her again I yelled to him as loud as I could. He again turned and looked at me. I told him, "dude do you see what I have aimed at your head?" He immediately dropped the knife and asked me to call 911. All of this happened in the middle of S. St. Mary's street, not in the school parking lot. I was not charged with anything.
If you look at the :51 point on the attached KSAT 12 video, that's me in the Bass Pro Shops t-shirt, and my wife standing next to me. I'd like to remain as anonymous as possible for obvious reasons. I've told all of the news sources that I do not want to be interviewed, and I don't want my name released.
My concern is that I want the public to see that an average guy with a CHL can stop a crime as it is being committed, and in this case, no shots were fired. I'm praying that I was able to stop this guy before he did irreparable damage to his ex-wife.
I will tell you that my name is Fred. I am 62 years old, and I've had my CHL for about 18 months. This was the first time that I have had to aim the gun at another human being. I was never sure if I could; I now know that I can. I offered last night via email to speak at a CHL class, (for free of course), but the instructor has not answered my email. When this guy goes to trial, my name will probably be public. After the incident I was taken to the SAPD Homicide Unit where I gave a sworn statement and made a positive identification of the suspect.
The Bloomsters
What I would like to talk about today is two themes that come together. The first is what is wrong with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the second is what's wrong with Independence Institute President Jon Caldara.
Michael Bloomberg has created a faux grassroots organization called "Mayors Against Illegal Guns." Financially, it is by far the economic center of the gun prohibition movement in this country today. It is very wealthy and employs lots and lots of lobbyists in DC and in state capitals around the country. George Soros put some money in it as well; they've got some bucks.
But it's not exactly what it seems. There are 12 people who got their names off this list of supposedly "Mayors against illegal guns." These mayors said, "I never signed up for this; you just put my name on this without asking me. Or you told me his group is against illegal guns. Well, there are not too many people for illegal guns, so I signed up. It turns out you're just against guns in general."
There are another 19 mayors, actual members of "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" who now have left office because of felony convictions or because they are under indictment or because charges are pending or because they had to resign and the prosecutor was nice and didn't bring a case. With 19 identified criminals in "Mayors Against Illegal Guns," Michael Bloomberg's organization has a much higher crime rate then do people who have permits to carry handguns for their own protection.
In the interest of truth and advertising, the proper way to refer to this group is "Illegal Mayors Against Guns."
But I would say they have done one important service. There are a lot of people who wonder if there is an afterlife or not. How could you ever know for sure? Well, one mayor who was in this group and genuinely signed up for it passed away, and yet afterwards "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" was distributing letters from him lobbying on the gun issue — anti-gun letters signed by this deceased mayor. So if there any doubt, well, doesn't that prove there is an afterlife?
I'm not sure if writing anti-gun letters is the ideal way to spend it. Probably this mayor enjoyed it.
What we consistently see out of Michael Bloomberg and his crowd, including in their attempts to exploit the recent murders in Aurora and Wisconsin, and really every day, is undifferentiated hostility towards gun ownership and especially toward people who own firearms for protection.
This is rather hypocritical because when Michael Bloomberg says people shouldn't have guns for protection, he must have his fingers crossed or he has a mental reservation. Apparently if you can get an entire New York police security detail carrying machine guns to accompany you every second, that's OK. Because after all, he isn't personally owning a gun for protection. So maybe he feels there is some kind of difference there.
Gun Control I Can Support
Terrorist or a LEO? The difference is shrinking
Today George Reisman writing for the Ludwig von Mises Institute touched on a topic that has recently come to my attention, the proliferation of federal agencies who have taken to arming and equipping their own private militias.
These are regulatory bureaucracies not law enforcement agencies and yet have taken on some contrived law enforcement authority as an excuse to purchase and pass out guns to selected employees.
The Dept. of Education, Housing and Urban Development and Social Security Administration appear to be the latest paper pushers to assign themselves the authority to carry guns.
God only knows who else has or has plans to form their own armed goon squads. Bureau of Weighs and Measure? Census Bureau? Library of Congress? Dept. Of Double Entendre's?
Ya know, any butcher willing to use an uncalibrated scale is capable of taking hostages if cornered. Just sayin'.
While my own research on this trend has failed to turn up a current list of federal agencies authorized to carry weapons, I have learned that many agencies see this as a matter of prestige. A way to stake out more 'turf' for themselves in a growing ocean of federal agencies, many of which have overlapping duties. It's also a way they can pressure Congress for an ever increasing share of the taxpayer's pie.
Recently we learned that the National Weather Service, an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oversees Maritime Fisheries. Under that guise they feel the need to create an armed militia, because those dadgummed fish poachers are some mean hombres.
I'll bet you can't find a single Capt. of fishing trawler whose boat was ever boarded by the Weather Service and his crew held at gunpoint while the size of their catch was inspected.
Never mind the fact that the US Coast Guard already patrols off shore fisheries and inspects the commercial fishing fleet for compliance. Never mind the fact that both federal and State Fish and Wildlife Services also have authority to regulate the size of the catch and the fishing seasons. They make the rules and the Coast Guard enforces it.
The Social Security Administration says they need an armed force to protect their offices and employees. Really? You have a lot of old geezers waving canes at the desk jockeys? When pressed they couldn't give one instance when one of their offices were threatened. Instead they mentioned a case where a street fight broke out "near" one of their offices. And I suppose the local cops couldn't handle it?
I can't wait for the day when the "blue belly" rent-a-cops of the TSA are issued submachineguns and body armor. The better to intimidate granny into dropping her drawers. And you know that day is coming.
(TX) Wife watches as smoke shop clerk exchanges gunfire with robbers
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The clerk at an east Harris County smoke shop was shot while he exchanged gunfire with two robbers overnight, all while his wife and two shoppers looked on.
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, two suspects entered Puff's Smoke Shop off the East Freeway just before midnight Monday. The armed duo attempted to rob the store, but the clerk pulled out his own gun and opened fire.
DGUotD II: Concealed Carry Texan Stops Stabbing at San Antonio School
This hits close to home. Literally — I live in San Antonio and carry a concealed handgun. And stories like this make me glad I rarely leave home without it, no matter how safe I think the destination. As we all know, just because you're in a school zone doesn't mean that the bad guys will stay away. And yesterday morning, an armed citizen stopped what could have been a murder in front of a school in broad daylight, all without firing a single shot. WOAI San Antonio picks up the story . . .
The attack happened around 10:00 a.m. Tuesday outside the Bonham Academy on St. Mary's Street. Teresa Barron, 38, had just dropped off her child at the school when the child's father showed up, and the two got into an argument.
Its not an uncommon theme. Even the happiest couples have their rocky moments. But most of the time those issues can be resolved without having to resort to repeatedly stabbing your loved one in the neck.
The child's father, 38-year-old Roberto Barron allegedly then stabbed the woman several times in the upper body and neck area.
So there's the situation. A man is stabbing his wife to death in the parking lot of a school. MANY bystanders are watching, but too scared to intervene because of the knife — a weapon like that in close quarters is deadly. No one wants to get close enough to do anything for fear of being stabbed themselves. But thankfully, someone had a weapon with a little more range and was able to put an immediate stop to the situation.
Police say a bystander who happened to be a concealed handgun license holder pulled his weapon and ordered Barron to drop the knife. Barron surrendered and was taken into custody by the bystander and a school district officer.
Quick note on Texas' concealed carry law (and while I'm not a lawyer, this is my understanding thanks to the mandatory 10-hour class): parking lots are always fair game. Schools are off limits, but their parking lots are 100% legal to carry your weapon. Same goes for your vehicle — since it is technically a domicile, you can have a concealed handgun, license or no license.
But once you step foot into that school with a concealed handgun, you're venturing into felonious territory. Which makes you wonder what would have happened if the stabbing had taken place inside the school rather than the parking lot.
The hero of the story actually commented below, and he had some clarifications on the story:
I am the guy that pulled my KelTec P3AT on the guy yesterday morning. Just to clear up the confusion, I was walking down S. St. Mary's street IN FRONT OF Bonham Academy. I first thought that the guy was beating someone, and I ran toward him ordering him to stop. He looked at me and ignored me. When I saw the blood and the knife I was about 10 or 15 ft. away from him. I pulled my gun, aimed it at him, and yelled at him again. Again he looked at me and ignored me. When he began stabbing her again I yelled to him as loud as I could. He again turned and looked at me. I told him "dude do you see what I have aimed at your head?" He immediately dropped the knife and asked me to call 911. All of this happened in the middle of S. St. Mary's street, not in the school parking lot. I was not charged with anything.
The wife is in critical condition at a local hospital and the husband is currently facing an aggravated assault charge. I wouldn't be surprised if they upped it to attempted murder eventually. Because really, when you think about it, stabbing someone in the neck is a good indication of their murderous intent.
And if that citizen hadn't had their weapon with them, they could have witnessed a murder right there in front of the school.
Moral of the story: always be prepared. Carry all the time. Because you never know when your life — or the life of a fellow human being — might be in danger. And even the simple threat of force is often enough to end the situation.
Montana rancher shoots black bear that broke into home
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – A Montana rancher shot and killed a black bear that scaled a tall fence and broke into his house to rummage for food this week along the Rocky Mountain Front. Lane Yeager discovered damage when he returned to his home near Choteau on Monday evening. The young male bear had broken through a screen and entered an open window, wrecked a lazy Susan and tore off a door to get to food in the trash and in the pantry. "It was dark out. I was headed for the light switch when it ran across ahead of me," Yeager told the Great Falls Tribune. "That's when I knew I had an issue."
(MI)59-year-old woman pulls gun on two men who approached her with weapon
An armed man and another person who approached a woman at a traffic light in northwest Detroit this week fled after the woman pulled out her own gun, police said.
An inconvenient truth about NYC
Not surprisingly, in the wake of the recent shooting in front of the Empire State Building, the gun-control crowd has surfaced again. After Jeffrey Johnson shot and killed former co-worker Steven Ercolino, gun controllers trotted out their old familiar mantra, "This shows, once again, how badly we need gun control."
What? Somebody needs to inform these people of a very basic fact that might prove quite discomforting to them. We have already have gun control! Or, to be more precise, New York City already has gun control. Yes, that's right — it's illegal for people to possess handguns in New York City. In fact, it's a felony offense.
Shocking! Don't believe me?
Just ask 39-year-old Meredith Graves, a Tennessean who was visiting New York City as a tourist when she got busted for carrying a 22-caliber pistol in her purse. Why, it didn't even matter to New York City officials that she had a concealed-carry permit issued by the state of Tennessee. This is New York City, not Tennessee! It's illegal for anyone to bring handguns into New York City. Graves was lucky. Even though she was clearly guilty of a felony offense, they let her off with a misdemeanor, which still might affect her plans to become a doctor.
Also lucky was Ryan Jerome, a former Marine who is now a jeweler in Indiana. He also had a concealed-carry permit, one issued by the state of Indiana. He didn't know that it would be illegal for him to have his gun in New York City. But ignorance of the law is no excuse. Like Meredith Graves, he was clearly guilty of a felony offense and facing 3 ½ years in jail. He too was allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor offense.
Alas, former Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress wasn't so lucky. Caught with a handgun in New York City, he faced the same felony charges that Graves and Jerome faced, only he was more famous. So, New York City officials decided to throw the book at him. The most they would offer him was a guilty plea to a felony and a 2-year jail sentence. He decided to accept the deal given that he, like Meredith and Jerome, had no defense to the charge.
So, that should be enough to clear things up for the gun-control crowd. Surely after learning of the travails of Graves, Jerome, and Burress, those people will no longer say that gun control is needed in New York City. They will understand that there already is gun control in New York City — serious gun control, punishable with a felony conviction and a 3 ½ year jail sentence.
So, what about that recent shooting in front of the Empire State Building? Well, it must be lie. It cannot possibly be true. Why? Because they have gun control in New York City! It's a felony to possess a gun there. And they put people in jail for violating the law. Therefore, how is it possible for that shooting in front of the Empire State Building to have taken place if it's illegal to possess a gun in New York City?
Well, the answer is an easy one, one that any first-grader can understand but one that the gun-control crowd, for some reason, has tremendous difficulty understanding. A person who intends to murder someone isn't going to give a hoot about violating some gun-control law. Duh!
The killing in front of the Empire State Building confirms this phenomenon once again. It's against the law to murder someone in New York. That law obviously didn't stop Jeffrey Johnson from murdering Steven Ercolino. And neither did the New York City law that made it a felony for Johnson to possess the handgun with which he murdered Ercolino.
George Zimmerman granted new judge on grounds of bias at bail hearing
George Zimmerman scored a significant legal victory on Wednesday night when a Florida appeals court ruled that the judge overseeing his case for the murder of Trayvon Martin must be removed.
A panel of senior judges ruled two to one to side with Zimmerman's lawyer Mark O'Mara, who argued that circuit court judge Kenneth Lester was biased against his client for scathing comments he made at an earlier bail hearing.
Lester had accused the neighbourhood watch captain of "manipulating the system to his own benefit" by failing to declare his wealth from donations to a personal website in order to secure a lower bail amount, then refused to disqualify himself when O'Mara protested.
"While this is admittedly a close call, upon careful review we find that the allegations, taken together, meet the threshold test of legal sufficiency," judges Alan Lawson and Jay Cohen, of the fifth district court of appeals, Daytona Beach, wrote in their majority decision granting O'Mara's motion.
"We direct the trial judge to enter an order of disqualification which requests the chief circuit judge to appoint a successor judge."
The spat with Lester came in June, when prosecutors alleged that Zimmerman hid more than $135,000 in donations to a website he set up to pay for his defence.
Zimmerman's wife Shellie, 25, told Lester at a bail hearing that the couple was virtually penniless, convincing the judge to grant bail at $150,000.
When Lester was informed of the amount of the donations, he revoked Zimmerman's bail then lambasted him in a written decision that raised the bail amount to $1m.
"Under any definition, the defendant has flaunted the system," Lester wrote. "The evidence is clear the defendant and his wife acted in concert, but primarily at the defendant's direction, to conceal their cash holdings."
O'Mara, who claims the defence fund is now virtually exhausted, accused Lester of making "gratuitous, disparaging remarks about Mr Zimmerman" in documents to the appeals court seeking a writ of prohibition.
"The court has created a reasonable fear in Mr Zimmerman that the trial court is biased against him, and as a result of this prejudice cannot receive a fair and impartial trial," he said.
(CA) Fresno County Woman Stops Kidnapping By Pulling Gun on Home Intruder
Fresno County sheriff's deputies are looking for a man in connection to a burglary and attempted kidnapping . It happened just after 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at a home on Maple between South and Manning. Deputies say a woman and her two-year old daughter heard a window break in the back of her home. They saw a man in his 20's, who then broke in, stole some merchandise and tried to kidnap the child. The woman then grabbed a shotgun and told the suspect to leave her daughter or he would be shot. The suspect let the child go, then took off in a blue Honda Civic or Accord
.More Here
Animal Rights Group Calls Sport Hunting Magazines 'Shooting Porn' and Wants to Ban Kids from Seeing Them
An animal rights group in the U.K. came out with a report Monday saying gun magazines are "shooting porn" that should be banned from sale to minors.
In its report "Gunning For Children: How the gun lobby recruits young blood," Animal Aid says that such "lurid, pro-violence content could have a corrosive, long-lasting effect on impressionable young minds."
The group believes these magazines should be considered "top shelf" and banned from sale to customers younger than 18. Animal Aid says this action"could deal a serious blow to a gun lobby that is desperate to recruit youngsters to counter a declining constituency." In England and Wales, the group notes, licenses for shotguns have been declining for the last two decades.
Tyler goes on to say youth who engage in sport hunting in urban areas are "considered dysfunctional and a social menace."
Gun advocates are dismissive of the report and its claims. The Daily Telegraph reports Simon Clarke of the British Association of Shooting and Conservation saying the magazines only promote responsible use of the firearms and that the animal's death is not inappropriately glorified.
David Taylor with the Countryside Alliance told the Telegraph the magazines also show how hunting is a vital part of the rural economy
Gun phobia and a disgusting school administration
Harassing a little kid! And a handicapped one at that
A school district has demanded a three-year-old deaf student named Hunter use a different hand sign for his name as the current gesture resembles a gun, his parents have claimed.
The Grand Island, Nebraska district reportedly has a policy forbidding children from bringing 'any instrument that looks like a weapon' to school.
School administrators claim Hunter Spanjer's name sign, which he makes by crossing his index finger and middle finger and then shaking his hands, violates that policy, his parents said.
'Anybody that I have talked to thinks this is absolutely ridiculous. This is not threatening in any way,' the boy's grandmother, Janet Logue, told KOLN.
Speaking to KOLN, the school district was not forthcoming with details into the incident. 'We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child,' Jack Sheard, Grand Island Public Schools spokesperson, said.
Yet he later claimed the issue was a 'misunderstanding' which had nothing to do with weapons. It was 'not an appropriate thing to do in school' but Hunter was being asked to spell his name out by letters rather than using the sign, Sheard told the New York Daily News.
'I never realised that there were people who could be so ignorant about sign language and to treat a young child like that is unspeakable,' one commenter, Tracie Speed Setzer, responded.
La.: Bystander Fired Deadly Shot to protect cop
East Baton Rouge Sheriff's spokesman Greg Phares says Officer Brian Harrision was escorting a funeral procession Friday when he pulled Temple over and wrote him a ticket for breaking into the procession. According to Phares, that's when Temple attacked Harrison. Police say Perry Stevens was walking outside of the Auto Zone on Greenwell Springs Road when he heard Harrison yelling for help. Harrison was reportedly on his back with Temple on top of him. That's when Stevens went to his car and grabbed his .45 caliber pistol. According to Col. Greg Phares, "[Mr. Stevens] orders Mr. Temple to stop and get off the officer. The verbal commands are ignored and Mr. Stevens fires four shots, all of which struck Mr. Temple." "He again orders Mr. Temple to stop what he was doing and get off the officer. Those commands are ignored and he fires a fifth shot and that hits his head. The incident is over with, and as you know, Mr. Temple is dead. Police are calling the shooting death justified. 9 News is told George Temple has a criminal record"
Posted by jonjayray at 8/29/2012 06:56:00 AM No comments: Links to this post
(FL) Customer kills gunman during armed robbery attempt at Jacksonville Dollar General
A 57-year-old father and grandfather stopped off on his way home from work Monday night to fill a grocery list his wife left for him that morning. But after entering the Dollar General at 1921 Dunn Ave., he was thrust into an armed robbery that ended with him firing his weapon and one of the two robbers lying dead on the floor. Two men entered the store about 9:20 p.m., both with handguns, said Lt. Rob Schoonover of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. "One of them had the clerk and one of them was at the front cash register," Schoonover said. The manager then alerted the customer to the situation. "The customer, who had a concealed firearms permit and a firearm, fired at the suspect, striking him apparently two times, killing him," Schoonover said.
(TN)Neighbor With Carry Permit Puts Burglar On The Ground
Police said a neighbor who has a gun carry permit spotted a burglar next door and put the man on the ground. Officers said James Kelly Glover, 37, of 1421 Wright St., was still lying down with a handgun trained on him when they arrived at the address on Jenkins Road.
Empire State Building Shooting : Anti-gunners skipping the important facts, naturally
In their zeal to exploit Friday's shooting near the Empire State Building in New York City, anti-gunners are deliberately overlooking some facts and adding their own agenda items instead.
Kudos to the Seattle Times for not picking up on the rhetoric in its selection of stories about the incident to publish. Then, again, one might wonder if the Times is just playing down the event because the "mass shooting" that had initially been reported now has been revealed to have been caused by police gunfire, not dead gunman Jeffrey T. Johnson.
His pistol was an old Star .45-caliber semi-auto, a gun that by no stretch of anyone's imagination — with the exception of the Violence Policy Center — meets the definition of "assault" anything. One glance at the VPC's statement about the shooting cements that organization's lack of credibility, because it contains this gem:
"Today's shooter reportedly used a 45 caliber handgun to end the life of a former co-worker, offering yet another example of how the ready availability of semiautomatic handguns that can be equipped with high-capacity ammunition magazines destroy lives and make everyone less safe."—Violence Policy Center
The Star has a seven-round magazine. Nobody makes a "high capacity" magazine for that gun. Johnson fired five rounds into his victim, 41-year-old Steve Ercolino, and did not fire again, even as he aimed the pistol at patrolmen Robert Sinishtaj and Craig Matthews.
They fired a total of 16 rounds and hit Johnson seven times. All bystanders hit in that shooting were struck by whole bullets or fragments fired by the two cops, and that is why this incident is quickly disappearing from the headlines.
According to an analysis in Mother Jones by Mark Follman, Friday's incident doesn't even qualify as a "mass shooting." That kind of event has three criteria:
* We excluded crimes involving armed robbery or gang violence;
* The event had to have occurred in essentially a single incident, in a public place;
* And the killer, in accordance with the FBI report, had to have taken the lives of at least four people.
The Brady Campaign's tepid remarks show a little more restraint than the VPC, with that group continuing to push it's new slogan, "We're better than this."
Some folks on the gun forums might suggest that should include better marksmanship by the police, but this column isn't going that route. Instead, someone should ask a few of the keyboard commandos — as opposed to gun people who are offering serious analysis — out there how easy they think it is to hit a target while you are moving, as were officers Sinishtaj and Matthews.
A look at that video clearly shows the cops spreading out, as this column noted yesterday, making it impossible for the gunman to zero on both cops if he opened fire. The result of this strategic move is simple, as previously noted: At least one of those officers would have been able to return fire without being in Johnson's line of fire.
They also made themselves moving targets. It's not that easy, even up close, to hit a moving target under stress, and Johnson was definitely stressed, having just pumped five rounds into Ercolino in front of witnesses, and now facing two armed street cops who drew on a drawn gun.
It is entirely plausible that Johnson committed "suicide by cop." Do the math. In the eight seconds that encompassed the Johnson shooting, Matthews got off seven rounds and Sinishtaj fired nine times. Johnson, with his gun out, didn't fire at all. All three men were armed with semiautomatic pistols, capable of the same rate of fire. Johnson could have easily fired his gun empty during that confrontation, but he didn't.
As more facts emerge about Johnson, it is becoming clearer that he had literally run out his string. It just might turn out, after killing his intended victim, that he merely let the cops cut the cord.
Posted by jonjayray at 8/27/2012 09:09:00 AM 2 comments: Links to this post
(NC) Clerk pulls gun, chases robber from store
BURKE COUNTY, N.C. —
When a robber pulled a 10-inch knife on a store clerk, the clerk pulled a gun and chased him from the store. Sheriff's deputies spent much of Monday afternoon watching the video and trying to identify the robber. Deputies said the suspect put the knife to the throat of the 63-year-old clerk.
Video at the link
(WA)Vancouver man shoots and kills alleged intruder in his bedroom
A 42-year-old man is dead after he allegedly forced his way into a Vancouver home early Saturday morning and was shot by a homeowner, according to the Clark County Sheriff's Office. The homeowners were alerted by their dog barking sometime before 2:16 a.m. and realized somebody was in their home, according to Sgt. Kevin Allais. Law enforcement officers believe the man entered the home through an unsecured door. The homeowners then locked their bedroom door, according to Allais, and the intruder allegedly forced his way into the bedroom. The resident, armed with a handgun, shot and killed the intruder, Allais said.
NYPD: Ricochets Wounded Bystanders in Jeffrey Johnson Shooting
The security cam video of Jeffrey Johnson's final moments have hit the 'net. At the same time ABC is reporting that "[Jeffrey Johnson] was cut down in a hail of 16 bullets that left Johnson riddled with 10 bullet holes." Sixteen (shots fired) minus 10 (bullet holes in the perp) leaves six (rounds). How did police fire wound nine bystanders? "Some of the 10 bullet holes were exit wounds, authorities said." Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne added that it was "very likely" all nine bystanders were "hit by police gunfire or ricochets or fragments from the planters that were hit by bullets." The media outlet's reporting "significant damage" to anti-car bomb cement flower pots lining the nearby curb. Will we ever know how many injuries were caused by ricochets and how many by direct hits?
Video at this link
Note: It appears that Johnson never fired a shot at the police. He is the man in the suit that comes into sight to the left of the planters. You can see him draw his gun and point it at the two officers that come up behind him. It appears as if he never fires a shot.
Update by JR: There is a very skeptical account of the matter here
Excerpt: Officers' gunfire injured nine passers-by while gunman fired no more bullets; Evidence shows Johnson did not fire at police; One victim shot by police, Robert Asika, said officers were 'firing randomly'
(FL)Bradenton man shoots, wounds attacking pit bull
MANATEE COUNTY - A man with a .38-caliber Ruger shot and injured a pit bull that charged his terrier on a Bradenton street, sheriff's deputies say.
(IL)Rockford homeowner shoots one of two intruders on Edna Road
ROCKFORD — Gerrod Walker is used to dealing with many four-legged nuisances in his pest control business. Thursday, he showed he can handle the two-legged variety as well.
One of two men who reportedly broke into Walker's attached residential garage is lucky to be alive after being shot by Walker with a .357-magnum at point-blank range.
Despite the wound, the man was able to escape in a van, drive to a hospital in Rochelle and was later airlifted to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center.
Nathan Brown, 31, of Rockford underwent surgery and was listed in fair condition, Thursday night. Upon his release, he will be arrested on a warrant for burglary.
(SC) Man breaks into home with machete, gets shot
Conway police are investigating a home invasion that happened early Tuesday morning at a home in the 1600 block of 9th Avenue. Shortly before 6:00 a.m., Conway police officers were called to the home in reference to a shooting. When officers arrived, a man was lying in the living room floor of the residence with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. Officers then spoke with the homeowner who told them that he was asleep when he awoke to find someone standing by his bed holding a machete.
(CO) Man shoots at intruder
A burglary didn't go as planned for one intruder Thursday morning. Around 3:00 a.m., KJCT News 8 received reports that a man in the 13 hundred block of 24th Street woke up to a man he didn't know standing at his door. The resident says he told the intruder to leave, and when the intruder didn't, the resident shot at him. Law enforcement was told by the resident that the intruder left out the back door. Police say there was no blood trail or description of the intruder.
(TX) Pharr homeowner shoots intruder
Authorities are investigating a late Tuesday night shooting where a Pharr homeowner shot a man who broke into his home. It all happened at a home on the 900 block of East Marion Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators told Action 4 News that a burglar broke into a couple's home.
NH man confronts burglary suspect at gunpoint
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Police say a Manchester, N.H., man detained a burglary suspect when he saw the man acting suspiciously near his neighbor's house. The neighbor told police he was inside his own home when saw the man at the rear of his neighbor's home. He got his gun and walked over.
Police said he confronted the man inside the rear door of the home Tuesday. The man reportedly slammed the door shut on the neighbor, retreating inside the house. The neighbor ran to the front of the house and confronted the man as he fled out the front door.
(MS) Man shoots at burglars
HATLEY – A Monroe County resident reportedly took matters into his own hands Monday night when he got home and found someone had broken in. According to Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell, a residence on Parham Store Road a few miles north of Hatley was broken into, and when the homeowner arrived home, the alleged thieves ran out the back door. Cantrell said the homeowner grabbed a gun and shot at them as they ran into the woods.
(MT) Great Falls man claims self-defense in Fairfield shooting
A Great Falls financial adviser who allegedly fatally shot a man near Fairfield Saturday says the shooting was in self-defense as he pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of deliberate homicide at an arraignment in Teton County District Court. Donald Alan Kline, 52, was shot in the neck and face Saturday at a rural Fairfield residence. Teton County Attorney Joe Coble filed a single count of deliberate homicide against Martin Vincent Lau, 57, on Monday when Lau also made his initial court appearance. A woman who was in the home at the time of the shooting disputed the self-defense claim.
(OH) Caretaker at Dayton apostolic temple shoots burglar
DAYTON —
A burglar who broke into a church Friday night was shot by an armed caretaker who was staying in the edifice because of prior break-ins. The suspect was in surgery at Miami Valley Hospital and was expected to survive, Dayton Lt. Donald Burden told News Center 7. The man who fired the shotgun was taken in for questioning, Burden said at 11:30 p.m. Police did not release his name. The shooting occurred in the basement of the Santa Clara Apostolic Temple, 60 Santa Clara Ave., at Richmond Avenue, shortly after 10 p.m., Burden said .
(OR) UPDATED: Man trying to force his way into White City home shot dead
A man who tried to force his way into a home at 7898 Andrea Drive in White City this afternoon was shot dead by the home's resident, according to Jackson County sheriff's deputies.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Andrea Carlson said the victim had been knocking on several doors in the neighborhood and was trying to force his way into the yellow and white home when he was shot at about 1:25 p.m. Investigators are still trying to determine where the man was wounded and by how many bullets, but they came from a large-caliber revolver, she said.
Carlson said investigators would not release information about the victim until his next of kin had been notified. She did not identify the man who lived at the home but said he had been taken into custody for questioning.
Updated 3:35 p.m.: Friends have identified the alleged shooter as Norm Thomas, 66, a career military man retired from the U.S. Air Force who would not have shot "unless he had to."
(CA) Suspected Burglar Shot In Neck; Drives Self To Hospital
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A suspected burglar drove himself to the hospital after being shot in the neck by a neighbor while leaving the apartment, officials said. At about 11 a.m. Friday, Bakersfield Police Department officials said a neighbor saw someone coming out of his next door neighbor's apartment on Montaro Court . Police said the neighbor knew his neighbors were gone on vacation and that no one was supposed to be there. Officers said at that point, the neighbor pulled out a gun and shot the suspected burglar in the neck.
(NV) Man wielding sword in Dairy Queen dies after being shot by employee
A masked man wielding a sword tried to rob a central valley Dairy Queen on Sunday afternoon but was shot and killed by an employee, Las Vegas police said. Homicide Lt. Ray Steiber said that although rare, robbery attempts with swords have occurred in the Las Vegas Valley. "I've seen it before," Steiber said. "It's a deadly weapon in the right hands, and preliminarily, it appears he was using it as a deadly weapon."
(OR) Gun-buying enthusiasts crash firearms 'turn-in' event at Memorial Coliseum
David West behaved as a cattle buyer might when a prized bull entered the auction ring.
"One-hundred fifty for the revolver sir!" West shouted. "It's not too late!"
Alas, it was too late because the man with the pearl-handled revolver proceeded to turn over the firearm Saturday afternoon in exchange for a $75 Fred Meyer gift card. He chose that route rather than sell the gun for more money to West or any of a half-dozen men standing on a sidewalk between North Broadway Street and a parking lot north of Memorial Coliseum.
They were among a group of gun buyers who'd staked out periphery positions as a firearms "turn-in" took place inside the parking lot. The Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation conducted the turn-in for four hours. Gun owners could turn in a weapon to foundation volunteers, who were assisted by Portland police with handling the weapons for eventual destruction. In return for each operable gun, owners received the gift card.
"I believe the majority of people would not show up here today," said foundation volunteer Liz Julee, "if they did not want their gun removed from circulation."
But a minority clearly knew that the price point began at about $80 cash to sell their weapons to West or to a handful of other buyers on the sidewalk. The group did not venture into the parking lot to solicit potential sellers, having been instructed by Portland police at last year's event to keep their distance. West, 22, traveled from Medford. One of his first purchases of the day, a Remington Nylon 66 22-caliber rifle, was for $20. He immediately resold it for $100 to another gun buyer, Darren Campbell of Salem, who recognized the firearm as worth potentially triple what he paid.
This is political theater to delegitimize armed citizens. It only increases the demand for new guns while wasting valuable police resources and defrauding the ignorant.
Game-maker must not sell real weapons, apparently
Electronic Arts takes pride in the realism of the Medal of Honor series. It appears, though, that the publisher might have made things a bit too real this time.
In response to negative feedback from press and consumers, EA has quit promoting sales of several real-world weapons that carried Medal of Honor branding and has removed a series of blog posts touting the products, which included a tomahawk and sniper rifle.
"The Voodoo Tomahawk has since been removed from our website because of the article ," executive producer Greg Goodrich told Eurogamer. "That was an effort to raise a lot of money for charity, and we were well on our way to raising a lot of money with that tomahawk, but I don't know what will happen with that now," he continued. "That whole effort, we've been working with those partners because we wanted to be authentic, and we wanted to give back to the communities. Every one of those partners, none of them paid a dime for product placement - all the money generated went to Project Honor."
Still, some viewed the move as being in poor taste, given concerns by some parties about the impact of video games on real-world violence. A piece written by Gameological openly questioned the morality of letting gamers buy real versions of the military-grade weapons they use in the game.
Goodrich, however, doesn't really see the fuss. "We're making a first person shooter and it fits," Goodrich said in defense of the products. "If we were doing Need for Speed we'd do something different. If I was doing FIFA it'd be something different. But we're making a first person shooter about the war fighter. If we partnered with another brand it wouldn't make sense and it wouldn't be authentic."
EA notes that it was not making any money from the sale of the weapons. It planned to donate its proceeds to Project Honor, an EA program connected to the Navy Seal Foundation and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provide support to fallen and wounded members of the military and their families.
Some weapons, such as the MoH branded SOG Knives Voodoo Hawk tomahawk, have been pulled from sale, though it's less clear if the McMillan C5 Sniper Rifle is also off the market.
(Australia)John Lott Dissects Gun-Crime Article
(GunAuction) -- John Lott, writing on this personal blog johnrlott.blogspot.com, commented that there has been a lot of discussion about Australia's gun control laws. He cites a piece at the Huffington Post.
A decade-long examination of the program in the journal "Injury Prevention" concluded that "chances of gun death in Australia dropped twice as steeply" after the program was implemented. A study by Harvard University in the Spring of 2011 suggested that the program helped reduce, either causally or directly, firearm deaths, gun-related suicides and accidental shootings. The Washington Post, summarizing many of the studies, concluded that there was "strong circumstantial evidence for the law's effectiveness." . . .
Lott says, "Of course, the Huffington Post ignores that more sophisticated research finds no benefit from these laws. A paper by Lee and Suardi in Economic Inquiry in 2009 does an excellent job of looking at the issue.
"Here is the actual data from Australia. First note that homicides didn't fall until eight years after the laws. It is not clear what theory they have for why the long delay would occur. Nor can I even find an acknowledgment of that long lag in the cited literature."
Crime can change for lots of reasons besides changes in gun control laws, Lott said. "One way to get a handle on this is to see how Australian homicides are changing relative to other crime rates. A single continuous crime data series isn't available, but the two diagrams below show how homicides is falling almost continuously as a fraction of violent crime. If anything, the drop in homicides relative to overall violent crime was biggest in the 1970s," he wrote.
Some notes on claims about Australia's crime rates can be found here.
(NC)Deputies: Woman, 87, scares off burglars with 9 mm gun
HENDERSONVILLE, NC (FOX Carolina) - Two burglars were scared off by an 87-year-old woman armed with a 9 mm handgun Thursday morning, deputies said. The woman called 911 after seeing two men break into her Highland Lake community home and said she scared them off when she got out her gun, Henderson County deputies said.
(KS)Wounding of home invasion suspect leads to 4 arrests
Defensive action taken by a victim of an armed home invasion appeared to help lead to the arrests of four people when an eventual suspect turned up at a hospital with a gunshot wound shortly after the crime. Topeka police Capt. Brian Desch on Wednesday said a man suffering from a gunshot wound arrived by private vehicle early Tuesday at a local hospital while officers were en route to the 1300 block of S. Kansas Avenue on a report of an armed break-in by three white men. That man, along with a woman who went to the hospital with him, subsequently were taken to the Law Enforcement Center to be questioned about the break-in, Desch said. "Investigation led to the names of the others involved," he said.
(FL)Carjacking Suspect Shot by Victim in Hialeah: Cops
Police say a would-be carjacking ended with a twist in Hialeah Wednesday night when the victim turned the tables on the alleged suspect. Some time before 10:30 p.m., officers say 41-year-old Orlando Garcia told them he was chasing someone who stole his car. The two caught up near 16th Avenue on Okeechobee Road, stepped out of cars, and got into a fight.
2 Men Rob, Carjack Woman at ATM: Cops
"There's a confrontation between these two men," said Hialeah Public Information Officer Eddie Rodriguez. "That's when one man arms himself with a handgun and fires."
(TX)HPD: Homeowner shoots burglary suspect
HOUSTON - A southwest Houston homeowner fired at burglary suspects who broke into a neighbor's house Wednesday, police said. Houston police said the shooting happened at 11:15 a.m. in the 11200 block of Leawood. "A neighbor witnessed three males bringing property out of his neighbor's house," Sgt. K. J. Morgan said. "He went back inside, retrieved a pistol, came outside, confronted them. One of them reached toward his waist like he was pulling a gun. The homeowner fired three shots." Witnesses said they saw the wounded man about a block away from the scene. They said he claimed to be an innocent victim. "He was just hollering, 'Help me. Help me. I'm going to die,'" witness Audrey Pavelka said.
(AL)Woman forced to shoot intruder to protect herself and children
WALKER CO. - A Walker County woman was forced to shoot an intruder to protect herself and her children. It happened Tuesday morning on Sellers Hollow Road in the city of Dora. Martha Lewis says she immediately called police and woke up her daughters. Lewis says she gave the intruder several warnings before shooting, but he wouldn't listen. Police say Lewis will not be charged, since she was defending herself. "It wasn't like, oh can I pull the trigger? It was like when should I shoot? When will he be close enough that I know I won't miss him? That's one of the things that was going through my mind," said Lewis.
A Shooting and Media Silence
Yesterday, a gunman opened fire at the conservative 501(c)3 Family Research Council, an organization dedicated to standing up for traditional values, particularly with regard to marriage. The gunman was posing as an intern; only an alert security guard stopped the suspect from committing mass homicide, in all likelihood.
The suspect was reportedly carrying a Chick-fil-A bag; Chick-fil-A is, of course, the restaurant chain most prominently linked with the traditional marriage cause, and an organization that has come under assault from the organized left, including Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel and Mayor of Boston Thomas Menino. He began shouting about the politics of FRC, then began shooting.
The security guard on duty asked the man whom he was visiting; the man opened fire, wounding the guard in the arm. The security guard disarmed him; the man then said, "Don't shoot me, it was not about you, it was what this place stands for."
Who was the suspect? According to new reports, his name was Floyd Lee Corkins II, and he was a volunteer at a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender center.
It took the media hours to report on the shooting. As of this writing, some hours later, it is not on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. It isn't on the front page of the New York Times. It's nowhere to be found.
Now, imagine that an enraged Christian man had entered the headquarters of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation wielding a backpack full of ammunition. Imagine he began shouting about the sin of same-sex marriage. Imagine he'd shot a guard.
Is there any doubt it would have made the front page of every newspaper in the country? Is there any doubt at all that Democrats would immediately have accused Republicans for inciting this man, blamed churches for indoctrinating him, and called for regulation of "offensive hate speech"?
Most of all, wouldn't the White House immediately call for an exponential increase in the amount of funding for their anti-bullying program, headed up by Dan Savage, and focusing in large measure on preventing bullying of gay kids?
But when a gay activist shoots up a traditional values center, nobody has anything to say.
(TX)Owner of online gun store helped capture carjacking suspect
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - At the corner of Champions Forest and FM 1960, a north Houston crime spree came to an end.
After a short pursuit and subsequent crash of a stolen vehicle, Harris County Precinct 4 County Constables captured three adults and a juvenile accomplice.
Investigators believe the suspects committed a half dozen violent carjackings in a matter of six hours.
"If you want a definition of why we build prisons in Texas, it's because of these four individuals. These guys are violent individuals," said Chief Mark Herman.
Aiding in the apprehension was Ryan Hansen, a civilian fire arms instructor who witnessed the crash and watched the occupants flee.
"I realized suddenly that they were being chased," said Hansen.
That's when Hansen decided to put the concealed carry lessons he teaches at the range into real-life practice.
"As I was running after him, I was able to draw my weapon and get him to the ground and hold him there until a police officer could come and grab him," said Hansen.
(VA)Gun supporters protest Richmond library rule with "open-carry" read-in
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - The Richmond Public Library was inundated with guests carrying guns Wednesday evening. You could call it a silent protest (in a library, it'd have to be).
The read-in protest was against one of the rules recently changed on the library's website. The rule reads, "Carrying concealed weapons is prohibited, except as permitted by law." In the Richmond Public Library, it is legal to openly carry a gun without a permit, or to carry one concealed with a permit.
Gun supporters say that the wording of the rule is confusing and discourages people from exercising their 2nd Amendment right to carry a firearm, even in a quiet place like the library. More than two dozen people, like Samantha Downing, opened books while openly carrying guns.
"I'd really like to bring awareness to the fact that it is perfectly legal to carry in places like the library," said Downing
(TX) Shipley documents point to more government-sanctioned gunwalking
Documents made available to Gun Rights Examiner this week from a source close to the case of FBI agent John Shipley, convicted of dealing in firearms without a license, bolster defense claims that he was merely an active collector, and further reveal evidence of guns being smuggled to Mexico following ATF-directed deals by suspects under extended surveillance. A mysterious receipt for a gun sale to a Mexican resident, reports of investigation that include suspect interviews, trial transcripts, government press releases, Mexico weapons recovery pictures and the indictment of a trafficking suspect all lend credible support to concerns that the government itself engaged in wrongdoing.
The volume of documents and the many dimensions they contain preclude effectively presenting and analyzing their contents in one report, so they will be broken down into a series of exclusive installments to be presented in this column for the remainder of the week.
(TX)Houston homeowner opens fire on four burglary suspects
HOUSTON – A homeowner in southwest Houston is being called a hero by his neighbors after opening fire on four burglary suspects. Omar Monterrosa told police he saw the men carrying a TV, laptop and other items from the house across the street. He said he was worried about the two women who live in the house so he went inside and grabbed a gun.
Monterrosa confronted the suspects and ordered them to get down on the ground.
"One of them reached towards his waist like he was pulling a gun, the homeowner fired three shots," said HPD Sgt. Kevin Martin.
One bullet hit a suspect in the back. He ran to a nearby apartment complex where Audry Pavelka was standing outside with a friend.
(GA)Armed citizen defends against car burglar
An alleged criminal is in the hospital after the would be victim takes actions into his own hands.
Jami Gaudet with the Macon Police Department tells NewsCentral an Academy Sports employee got to his car after work to find a man inside.
The two men began fighting and the employee used his gun and shot the suspect, fifty one year old Charles Stinson Junior.
The suspect fled the scene, but later officers found the suspect being treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound to the jaw. The Academy employee has not been charged in the shooting.
video at the Source
CO: Man wrongly cited for openly carrying gun at Pride Fest
"Colorado Springs police say an outdated 'cheat sheet' for police officers on city laws may have led to the mistaken arrest of a 24-year-old man for openly carrying a 40-caliber gun at Pride Fest on July 21. According to city and state law for almost a decade, people are allowed to openly carry guns in city parks. 'He was right and we were in the wrong, definitely,' said Barbara Miller, police spokeswoman. That admission doesn't mean much to James Sorensen, who says he's looking for a lawyer after he was detained by police for more than an hour that day when police spotted his gun at his side."
(TX) CCW holder disarms knife wielding attacker
DENISON, TX-Bystanders rushed to the aid of a Denison woman who was stabbed during an altercation Monday afternoon.
The names of both people involved in the stabbing have been released.
Denison police say 64-year-old James Livingston of Sherman allegedly stabbed 31-year-old Sarra Armstrong of Denison. Investigators said bystanders got involved in the incident trying to protect Armstrong from further injuries.
It was a typical Monday afternoon for John Polonchak until someone ran into his automotive store saying a woman had just been stabbed.
"I had a concealed carry permit so I grabbed my weapon, ran down the road, saw a man down the street waving a bowie knife around chasing people," he said.
Polonchak, along with several bystanders rushed to the woman's aid and worked to disarm the man.
"I kicked the knife out of his hand, kicked him in the face, pinned him to the ground and some other people helped me hold him there til the cops got there," he said.
Central Fla. man fatally shoots intruder
OCOEE, Fla. —
Authorities say a central Florida man shot and killed an intruder who tried to rob him at his home.
Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Angelo Nieves says the homeowner was either the current or former landlord of 41-year-old Luis Angel Rivera. Nieves says Rivera was armed with a knife when he rang the doorbell and demanded money at the Ocoee home Monday.
According to the Sheriff's office, the homeowner fired a warning shot as Rivera entered the home. He shot him again when Rivera didn't stop.
Plastic gun snaps in half: "There is a case to be made for traditional metal weapons over newer, polymer technology. Example A is provided by The Loadout Room, a subset of SOFREP.com (the special operations forces report). It reports the following photos come from a border patrol agent who fell off his ATV while training. The short visit to the hospital by the agent wasn't the only collateral damage of the fall, though. His P2000 handgun snapped at the handle. "It is believed that his CBS, given the location behind the gun, may have created the torque necessary for this result," an anonymous field training officer said according to The Loadout Room report. The most important lesson here, according to the Loadout Room, is that "there's a value in all metal guns that take a licking and keep on ticking."
'Nanny State' Wants No Firearms for Russians
In December 1917, weeks after coming to power, the Bolsheviks launched a drive to confiscate all firearms from the hands of the Russian populace. They never gave them back.
Old habits die hard, and Russia's restrictive gun legislation was never seriously softened over the past 100 years, despite regular calls to the purpose, the latest of which came last week from a pro-Kremlin senator.
Those who oppose firearms are wary of the temperamental populace, predicting shooting rampages and an increase in murder rates.
But some skeptics claim the real reason the Kremlin is not allowing the public to own firearms is fear that armed citizens will turn their guns on the country's notoriously corrupt bureaucrats.
"They'll just start killing off officials," said Mikhail Pashkin, head of the Moscow Police Labor Union.
(KY)Police: Allen homeowner kills intruder in invasion
UPDATE - Kentucky State Police have released the identity of an intruder who was shot and killed Thursday during a home invasion in Scottsville. Steven Dale Cole, 58, of Smiths Grove was shot to death. The homeowner, Gary L. Cole, 58, was shot when the two exchanged gunfire. The men are related but are not brothers. Police declined to elaborate. Gary Cole is listed in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
Shotgun robber no match for victim with handgun(TX)
Police say an armed robber got more than he bargained for Friday night when he targeted the wrong victim.
Just after 10 p.m. a 36-year-old man was confronted by a robber with a shotgun in the parking lot of the Walgreens located in the 3600 block of College. The man said the robber held the shotgun to his head and demanded money.
The man, a concealed handgun license holder, was able to get his handgun and fired one shot at the would-be robber. The robber dropped his shotgun and took off running fleeing south behind the store. The intended victim was not injured during this confrontation and he did not lose any property.
UPDATE: Arrest warrants issued for 2 surviving suspects after attempted burglary in Belvedere(SC)
BELVEDERE, S.C. -- News 12 has learned warrants have been issued for the two surviving suspects in the attempted burglary at Guns and Ammo Gunsmith.
The Aiken County Sheriff's Office says Eddie Stewart and Franklin Robinson will be charged with burglary 1st, grand larceny and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Both suspects are still in the hospital and will be taken into custody once they are released.
The Aiken County coroner says the third suspect, 20-year-old K'Raven Goodwin of Eastover, S.C., died from multiple gunshot wounds on Thursday morning.
Investigators say a vehicle crashed into the store to break in around 3:30 a.m.
The business owner, Stephen Bayezes, says he was asleep in his home behind the store when the alarm started going off. He woke up and ran to the store where he saw three men loading guns into the van. One of the men yelled, "Shoot the (explicative)," so Bayezes started shooting. He hit all three of the suspects, killing one as the other two fled.
Source with pictures
GA: Gunshop owner shoots three invaders: "At least one person is dead and two have been injured after the owner of a gun store was robbed early this morning and shot at the intruders during the break-in, officials said. The victim has been identified as 20-year-old K'Raven Aude Goodwin [Above] of Eastover, S.C. According to officials, Goodwin died from multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at the Georgia Health Sciences Medical Center in Augusta, Ga. The business owner, Stephen Bayazes Jr., who reportedly lives in the rear of the business, reportedly heard a loud crash and the store alarm went off, police said. He then went to check on the store, and said he found three males in the store, police said. "That's when there was gunfire," Feemster said. Feemster said Bayazes advised police that one of the suspects verbally threatened him with death when they saw him, and Bayazes stated he then began shooting at the suspects. The business owner was not injured, he said."
Posted by jonjayray at 8/12/2012 09:11:00 AM 1 comment: Links to this post
Clerk fires shot, scares off armed robber(VA)
ROANOKE, VA --
Roanoke City Police are searching for a would be robber, who was scared off by an armed clerk.
According to police department spokeswoman Aisha Johnson, a man walked into Anwill Grocery in the 200 block of 24th Street on Tuesday, August 7th, just before midnight. The clerk said the man took out gun.
Johnson said the clerk told officers that he took out a gun himself, and fired a shot. That scared off the would be robber, who ran out of the store.
Minnesota Man Fights for His Life in Brutal Deer Attack, Shoots Crazed Buck
Guns have two main purposes: self-defense and entertainment such as hunting and shooting competitions. You don't typically see a lot of overlap between the worlds of self-defense and hunting. You'd probably get arrested if you tried to carry your shotgun or hunting rifle around town so that you could use it for self-protection, and bringing your compact pistol out into the woods for a day of hunting is a little bit silly.
In rare cases, however, the worlds of hunting and self-defense clash with bruising force. Such was the case in Fertile, Minnesota, where 66-year-old Mark Christianson had a close encounter with a wild buck.
It all started two days before the incident, Grand Forks Herald reports. Christianson was near his shed when he spotted a male deer. Christianson recalled, "He was 8 feet away, and instead of being scared he came right up to me. I went inside, and he stuck his nose right up against the window. Then he banged his antlers against the wall."
Christianson tried to retreat back his house but the deer followed. Christian dove into a 1992 Bonneville that he kept in his yard and waited for the deer to wander off.
That was odd encounter, certainly, but it wasn't something that was worth worrying over. Deer are a fairly common sight on Christianson's property, so he and his wife brushed it off as nothing. "We sometimes have 17 or 18 deer in the yard here," Christianson's 65-year-old wife, Judy, said, "but we have a hard time getting a picture. You open the door a little and — phfft — they're gone. They're usually so sensitive."
But that wasn't the last they would see of this pugnacious deer. The next day, Judy went out to hang clothes and saw the buck feasting on their crabapple tree.
The third day was when the antlers hit the fan, so to speak.
The Eternal Struggle of Man vs. Nature
Christianson went out to spray his soybeans when he had another encounter with the deer -- thiis time, the deer meant business. The deer charged at Christianson and struck him with its hooves.
Christianson described the battle, "He was pummeling me, standing on his hind legs and hitting me with the front ones. He hammered me good, rapid fire, and I thought, 'Well, this isn't good.' I wasn't winning, so I grabbed him and tackled him and we both went down on the ground."
Man, what a guy. A lot of people in that situation would probably think, "I gotta get outta here!" Christianson is made of tougher stuff than that – his first reaction was to wrestle with it.
Mark Christianson the Deer Wrestler managed to disentangle himself and make a break for the house. "He got me! He got me!" he yelled to his wife.
Judy was understandably terrified and confused: "Mark was dripping blood all over, and his ear looked like it had been tore off. He was shaking and trying to load bullets into his gun. I didn't know what to think."
Christianson came back for round two, but this time he was fully armed. "I gut-shot him where he was, then saw he went down at the edge of the hill over there," he said, indicating a copse of nearby of oak trees. "I got him a couple more times there."
A Mad Deer?
Christianson claimed that the deer sounded sick, so the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Norman County Sheriff's Office shipped the deer's corpse off to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to give it an autopsy. They ruled out rabies and Lyme disease, but they did find a few parasites in its liver.
Blane Klemek, the wildlife supervisor, said, "but it's unclear whether that would explain the animals unusual behavior. It's an odd one. Deer are normally afraid of people."
You know, it's possible that this deer wasn't sick at all. Maybe it was a Jeffrey Dahmer of the deer world and just wanted to beat the crap out of some humans. Well, it definitely shouldn't have picked a fight with Mark Christianson, gun owner and undefeated deer wrestling champion.
The deer has learned its lesson out of the ordeal (a little bit too late for it to matter), and so has Christianson. When asked how he would handle another aggressive animal on his property, Christianson responded, "I wouldn't wait three days to get my rifle."
Video shows armed clerks scaring off masked robber(FL)
DADE CITY, Fla. - Authorities say they are dealing with a serial robbery case. They say they have seen similar incidents in Pasco County, Hernando County, even Sumter County.
They say the men are armed and dangerous. Although yesterday, at a store in Dade City, the clerks were ready for that danger.
In a matter of seconds a quite night at the Kwick Pick Food Store turns into in a shoot out.
Surveillance video shows a masked man walking in, pointing a gun at the two guys working behind the counter.
But what the would-be robber didn't expect, both of the clerks had guns of their own.
Police: Homeowner shoots home invasion suspect(NV)
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
Metro police are investigating the shooting of a possible home invasion suspect on El Camino Road, near Russell Road and Jones Boulevard.
According to police, a homeowner fired on a suspect just before 3 p.m. Tuesday from the yard of his home, striking the suspect in the buttocks. There may have been another suspect with the injured suspect.
1 dead, 2 wounded after breaking into gun shop(SC)
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. --
Authorities say one man is dead and two others hospitalized after they crashed a van into a North Augusta gun store to steal weapons and were shot by the owner, who lived behind the business.
Saudi girls demand to carry weapons for self-defense
The increasing crime rate especially with the remarkable rise in the number of illegal manpower and the consequent frequency of armed burglaries drove Saudi girls to demand the right to carry weapons and get the necessary training to use them for self-defense.
"I call upon officials to establish training centers that teach girls shooting in summer vacations and over weekends," said university student Nora al-Asmari.
For teacher Yusuf al-Baheesh, there is no problem if girls learn how to use guns in order to defend themselves.
"Women at the time of the Prophet used to take part in wars both as fighters and nurses," he said.
Retired army officer Mohammed Zafer argues that shooting training centers should not be confined to women since men too need to learn the art of self-defense.
"Men from young generations do not know anything about the art of shooting and this is a skill that is recommended in Islam," Zafer said.
Teacher Nadia al-Salem agreed with Zafer and said that many thefts take place because the victims are unable to defend themselves, especially when burglars break into their houses.
"If both men and women learn how to defend themselves, there will be a remarkable drop in the number of crimes we hear about all the time in the papers and in TV," Salem noted.
Fatima al-Qassim, an 80-year-old widow, said she had learnt to use guns 60 years ago from her father and was also able to assemble and dismantle parts of the gun.
"I worked in herding and this necessitated carrying a weapon especially that I was on my own in the deserts and mountains, Qassim said."
According to Ali al-Shamri, psychologist and member of the Social Protection Committee in Jeddah, it has become necessary to establish training centers that teach girls how to use weapons.
"This training will give the girl self-confidence and will reverse the stereotype that she is weak and unable to deffend herself," he told the Saudi newspaper al-Sharq.
It is important, he added, that those centers focus on the use of weapons as an act of self-defense to be used in case of attacks only.
"Trainees have to learn that they should not infringe on other people's rights and trainers should point out the difference between violence and self-defense."
Shamri also recommended that girls learn other means of self-defense like martial arts.
"They should also acquire the mental skills needed to react to dangerous situations," he said.
Askar al-Askar, researcher in Islamic affairs and counter-terrorism, said there is no contradiction between teaching girls self-defense and Islamic teachings.
"As long as the training does not violate Islamic laws and social norms and girls-only training centers are established, there is no problem," he said.
Mohaya al-Suhaima, head of the Prisons Authority in the Medina region, said that carrying and using weapons is confined to men in Saudi Arabia.
"Even women who work in airports and prisons are only trained on basic first aid skills," she said.
He added that there isn't an established system that allows girls to learn shooting and argued that it is not as necessary in Saudi Arabia as it could be in other places.
"Our country is safe and we are not like other countries with high crime rates," she added.
Prominent Attorney Arrested for Legal Gun Carry
Forty-six-year-old Sung H. Hwang maintains he had a right to bring a loaded gun into a movie theater. No one was injured during the incident.
A 46-year old man and a licensed attorney was arrested Tuesday night in New Haven after police say he brought a loaded gun concealed in his waistband into a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises."
Sung H. Hwang's lawyer Hugh Keefe told the Associated Press today that his client's arrest at Criterion-Bow Tie Cinemas at 86 Temple St., where he was found with a loaded gun in his waistband, was "baseless." Hwang is a well-known lawyer in New Haven and heads the Law Offices of Sung-Ho Hwang LLC at 1 Audobon St., New Haven. He is also an officer with the New Haven Bar Association.
Hwang was charged with breach of peace and interfering with police. He was released last night on a promise to appear in court.
Keefe told the AP that his client had a right to carry his gun into the movie theater – Hwang has a valid state of Connecticut permit to carry a pistol.
An earlier Associated Press article stated that Hwang is a Branford resident but New Haven Police maintain that he is a New Haven resident. Hartman said it is possible that he could have an additional home in Branford. That has not been confirmed by Patch.
Note: I wonder how much this will cost the city for a settlement.
Canada makes visitor feel unsafe
I recently visited Calgary from Michigan. As a police officer for 20 years, it feels strange not to carry my off-duty hand-gun. Many would say I have no need to carry one in Canada.
Yet the police cannot protect everyone all the time. A man should be al-lowed to protect himself if the need arises. The need arose in a theatre in Aurora, Colo., as well as a college campus in Canada.
Recently, while out for a walk in Nose Hill Park, in broad daylight on a paved trail, two young men approached my wife and me. The men stepped in front of us, then said in a very aggressive tone: "Been to the Stampede yet?"
Herald columnist Naomi Lakritz: Officer's comments reflect cultural divide between Canada, U.S.
We ignored them. The two moved closer, repeating: "Hey, you been to the Stampede yet?"
I quickly moved between these two and my wife, replying, "Gentle-men, I have no need to talk with you, goodbye." They looked bewildered, and we then walked past them.
I speculate they did not have good intentions when they approached in such an aggressive, disrespectful and menacing manner. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ they did not pull a weapon of some sort, but rather concluded it was in their best interest to leave us alone.
Police: Man with gun shot after threatening home occupants(FL)
SARASOTA, FL. - Sarasota Police are investigating the shooting death of a Sarasota man.
27-year-old Christian Robinson of Sarasota was shot around 2 a.m. Tuesday inside a home on the 1400 block of 21st Street.
According to police, Robinson entered the home on 21 Street uninvited, and began to wave a gun at three occupants of the home and telling them to get out of the house.
One of the occupants of the home, 22-year-old Frank Lee Green, says he pulled a handgun from his pocket and shot Robinson.
Fast And Furious Whistle-blower Reaches Agreement Over Retaliation Claims
Peter Forcelli, an ATF agent who blew the whistle on management lapses in the gun trafficking scandal known as Fast and Furious, has reached an agreement with the bureau over his retaliation claims.
A lawyer for Forcelli declined to disclose the terms of the settlement because it was the product of a confidential mediation process.
"We can't reveal the details but Mr. Forcelli's smile could not be broader," lawyer Tom Devine, of the Government Accountability Project, told NPR in an interview. "This outcome was a 180 degree reversal by new management... This dispute is over."
Forcelli appeared in Congress in June 2011 to blast his supervisors and the U.S. attorney in Arizona for failing to oversee a law enforcement operation that lost track of as many as 2,000 guns along the Southwest border.
"What we have here is actually a colossal failure in leadership from within ATF, within the chain of command involved in this case, within the United States attorney's office and within DOJ as to the individuals who were aware of this strategy," Forcelli testified.
Forcelli said he never understood the strategy behind the ATF operation. To watch guns walk across the Southwest border, he said, was a recipe for disaster.
"We weren't giving guns to people who were hunting bear. We were giving guns to people who were killing other humans," he said.
Pro-Gun Activists Go on the Offensive; Look to Counter Mainstream Propaganda
Amid the latest furor, caused by a shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, John Lott, author of the book More Guns, Less Crime, asked a most telling question. "Would you feel safer with a sign in front of your home that said: 'Gun-Free Zone'?"
During a July 25 interview with this writer, Lott expanded on this notion.
"Guns were banned from the movie theater where that shooting took place," said Lott. "So, law-abiding citizens obeyed, but the criminal didn't. Obviously, these gun-free zones make it easier for lawbreakers to engage in this type of violent behavior, producing the opposite effect of what we want to see happen."
"The bottom line is: If you wouldn't put one of these signs in front of your home, why place them in front of movie theaters or schools?"
Lott illustrated another under-reported element of the story: "4% of Colorado residents have concealed carry permits, but none could have taken his gun into that Aurora theater. Why do we so rarely see news reports about how often these events take place in gun-free zones? The media refuses to do it. Also, these same people in the media constantly tell us how bad guns are, but how frequently do we hear good stories about the defensive measures associated with guns? Primarily, they want to disarm law-abiding citizens."
Alan Korwin, the author of nine books, who has twice presented oral arguments before the Supreme Court and is a national TV guest, couldn't agree more with Lott's analysis.
During a July 25 interview, Korwin told AMERICAN FREE PRESS: "Gun control is a euphemism for disarming the public. This entire issue pits those who are pro-rights against those who are anti-rights. It's not even a debate. The anti-rights crowd asks: What guns can we outlaw from private hands? They'll talk about only banning one type of weapon, but once the bill comes out it's 16 pages long and bans everything in sight."
Korwin shifted the parameters of this argument: "We should be looking at the behavior and cultural side of this problem," he said. "When I grew up, kids didn't randomly shoot up schools. It was unfathomable. Yet guns were more available then. There was no paperwork and no FBI background checks, and you could buy guns via mail order. What changed in America? Kids used to bring guns to school for show and tell, plus there were high school rifle teams. Availability of guns isn't the problem."
Instead, Korwin insists other factors must be considered: "Imagine the irony of that Batman film," he said. "Those people got to experience mass murder firsthand while waiting to watch gratuitous mass murder on a movie screen."
Korwin turned his attention to demographics: "Here is what no one will tell you," he said. "Of the 30K gun deaths per year, over half of them occur as elder suicides. It's not a firearms issue; it's a medical issue. Some 90% of the other half of gun deaths result from black-on-black murders in the ghetto. They're gang-and drug-related. But liberals have a skewed perspective on guns. They won't talk about how blacks are angry and hostile and own illegal weapons. They're people without hope. So, it's not about the presence of legal firearms, but a socioeconomic problem in the ghetto."
According to Korwin, talking heads on TV bear much of the blame for anti-gun hysteria: "80 people die in car accidents every day, while 12 people died in that movie theater," he said. "But the media is still obsessed over this shooting. They have a fetish and a rampant hatred of guns. It's called 'hoplophobia'—a morbid fear of guns. This so-called political problem is actually a medical condition. The anti-rights crowd is afraid that if they had a gun, they'd shoot someone. So, they psychologically project this fear onto everyone else. Because they don't trust themselves, they don't trust their fellow man."
Korwin feels that more citizens should be armed: "Chicago and Washington, D.C. had strict gun laws, but it didn't lower crime," he said. "In fact, there's an inverse relationship. When the public is allowed to protect itself, criminals are at a disadvantage. We live in a safer world now than when there were no guns. A perfect example is the reign of Genghis Khan. If all guns were ever taken away, the good guys would have to reinvent them. The most important purpose of owning a weapon is to protect and defend oneself."
Korwin agreed with Lott in regard to gun-free zones: "They're a cruel hoax," he stated. "They don't work, and it's dangerous, reckless and negligent of those who promote them. In 1991 during the Killeen, Texas massacre, the restaurant where it occurred was a gun-free zone. A woman dining there intentionally left her weapon in the car because it was illegal to bring it inside. She could have stopped that rampage before it got any worse."
George Hennard killed 23 people and wounded 20 more that day at a Luby's restaurant in Killeen, firing repeatedly at customers, without fear, because every law-abiding citizen was required to leave his handgun outside the restaurant.
In this light, Korwin has proposed a Gun-Free-Zone Liability Act in Arizona, where any business that establishes a gun-free zone would be fully liable for the harm it causes.
Note: Alan Korwin is a personal friend. I believe he was misquoted int the article where it says that "Some 90% of the other half of gun deaths result from black-on-black murders in the ghetto." It should have been 50%.
Intruder shot dead at Oakland grow house(California)
An armed intruder was shot and killed early Monday morning after reportedly breaking into a downtown Oakland home where marijuana was being grown, police said.
Officers who responded at 4:40 a.m. said they found the mortally wounded intruder as well as an unspecified number of marijuana plants growing in the house.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Intruder-shot-dead-at-Oakland-grow-house-3765851.php#ixzz22riGONf2
Home Invasion Thwarted by Quick-Thinking Home Owner (Video)(TX
A home invasion was thwarted by a quick-thinking homeowner who managed to find his gun and shoot the intruder, who is now in police custody. The would-be robbery occurred in Plano on Tuesday morning. The burglar first pounded on the door in Plano, and presumably the thief figured that nobody was home, so he climbed onto the balcony and broke the window in order to gain access. The homeowner heard the glass shattering and went for his weapon and called 911. What would have happened if the homeowner was unable to defend himself against the thief? There will be no charges filed against the homeowner, thankfully.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Book Review: A Hero At The End Of The World
by Undie Girl	| Posted on October 13, 2014 December 18, 2014
Last year I wrote an article fangirling over Big Bang Press, an indie publisher that set out to publish original fiction by fan fiction authors. They blew past their Kickstarter funding goal at the end of last year, and since then they have been working towards publishing three novels by well-loved fan fiction authors. Their hard work is about to pay off because the first novel, A Hero at the End of the World (written by Erin Claiborne, with illustrations by Jade Liebes) will be released on November 11, 2014. A Hero at the End of the World is super fun and an insightful look at the ever present "chosen one" narrative – it's a brilliant way to begin your love affair with Big Bang Press.
A Hero at the End of the World stems from a simple enough idea: what if the Chosen One didn't do what he or she was chosen to do? Imagine if Harry Potter, Percy Jackson or Neo froze up right when the moment of destiny was upon them, and while they were frozen, their best friend jumped in and killed the bad guy before they got the chance to try. Talk about awkward! Well, that's what happened to Ewan Mao, the former slayer of Duff Slan. Five years after his destiny was stolen from him, Ewan is working in a minimum wage job while his ex-best friend Oliver is rising through the ranks of the Serious Magical Crimes Agency.
Things are not going all that well for Ewan and they get decidedly worse as the novel progresses. I don't want to give it all away, but it involves giant chickens, a magical cult, a disco ball, the destruction of the universe, and a coffee shop.
I've always been an advocate for the support of fan-produced projects, so I was already inclined to enjoy A Hero at the End of the World even before I began reading it. That said, I don't usually read books with male protagonists. So although I wanted to love this book, and though I was definitely intrigued by the premise, the lack of female characters meant that it needed a little something extra to really get me involved. I'll admit that for the first third of the novel I wasn't sure I'd actually get there. These boys whine A LOT, and while Sophie Stuart is an awesome addition she was still essentially the lone women in this battle to save the universe. Fortunately the story really picks up towards the middle and I literally couldn't put it down during the final third (which resulted in a mad dash to find a powerpoint when my iPad almost died on me in the middle of the library).
This story does have a lot to offer, even without a bunch of girls to get the job done. There is a queer romance and two of the main characters are POC. I have to admit that I ended up shipping the wrong thing again (because I never ship what I'm supposed to) but I just have a thing about estranged best friends that end up fighting on opposite sides, okay? That said, this book isn't a romance, although the couples are presented quite well (in fact the same-gender pairing gets more development than the heterosexual couple). But I do hope it inspires its own fan fiction, because I can think of a lot of things I would like to see these characters get up to.
Do bare in mind that this book tends towards the younger side of Young Adult. And anyone that saw the fan fiction connection and assumes this is some 50 Shades of Grey – bad pornography – will be disappointed. But the good news is that it is perfect for younger readers 12 and up, especially boys who could use a little racial and sexual diversity in the sea of straight white male heroes they look up too. That's not to say that older readers won't find anything to love, because the Douglas Adams-esque satirical style will be enjoyable for anyone that has ever encountered the "Chosen One" narrative (which is basically everyone).
Despite the lack of girls, A Hero a the End of the World won me over with a quirky concept, a queer protagonist, and a fabulous twist. It's also hilarious; I laughed out loud a number of times. I'm no good at the star rating system so I won't bother with it – all I will say is that I very much doubt that anyone who picks up a copy of A Hero at the End of the World will end up regretting it.
You can pre-order A Hero at the End of the World at the Big Bang Press website.
Author: Undie Girl
Undie Girl (aka Von) has a BA (Hons) Major in Cultural Studies. The title of her honours thesis was "It's just gay and porn": Power, Identity and the Fangirl's Gaze. She's currently pursuing a Masters of Media Practice at University of Sydney. Von's a former contributor The Backlot's column The Shipping News and a current co-host of The Geekiary's monthly webcast FEELINGS… with The Geekiary.
Books Fan Works Indie/Small PressA Hero at the End of the World Big Bang Press Erin Claiborne
Trying to "Save Him" with author Rex Roy!
'Paraíso' by Gordon Chaplin Is a Story about a Bond Between Siblings
Review: "Captive Prince" by C.S. Pacat


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Q: Can't get app to unlock keyboard programatically [None of existing solutions work!] I have read through about 10-15 posts on Stackoverflow and all of them seem to have answers that resolved the questioner's issues but I can't seem to get those solutions to work for my case.
I have an app which allows for setting an alarm and the app should wake the phone up (which it does) --> unlock the device (which it doesn't) --> show a dialog (which it does once manually unlocked)
I have the following code in the OnCreate() of the Activity which is started by the AlarmReceiver
KeyguardManager keyguardManager = (KeyguardManager) getApplicationContext().getSystemService(Context.KEYGUARD_SERVICE);
    KeyguardManager.KeyguardLock keyguardLock = keyguardManager.newKeyguardLock("TAG");
    keyguardLock.disableKeyguard();

    final Window win = getWindow();
    win.addFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_DISMISS_KEYGUARD);
    win.addFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SHOW_WHEN_LOCKED);
    win.addFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_TURN_SCREEN_ON);

And within the OnReceive of the AlarmReceiver class I call the WakeLocker.acquire() method which is a static method with the following code :
public static void acquire(final Context ctx) {
    if (wakeLock != null) wakeLock.release();

    final PowerManager pm = (PowerManager) ctx.getSystemService(Context.POWER_SERVICE);
    wakeLock = pm.newWakeLock(PowerManager.FULL_WAKE_LOCK |
                              PowerManager.ACQUIRE_CAUSES_WAKEUP |
                              PowerManager.ON_AFTER_RELEASE, "TAG");
    wakeLock.acquire();
}

My AndroidManifest.xml contains the following permissions
android.permission.WAKE_LOCK
android.permission.DISABLE_KEYGUARD

I am using a WakefulBroadcastReceiver class to receive the broadcast and inside the onReceive i start the activity with a dialog.
I have a samsung S3 with a 4.4.4 android. I am not sure if this is an API issue but I just can't get this thing working.
The phone lights up and shows the lock screen, but it waits on me to unlock it before showing me the dialog.
Thanks for any help in this regard.

A: I changed the theme of my app from a Dialog.ALert to DeviceDefault.NoActionbar and suddenly it started to work the way I wanted to.
I probably think that showing a dialog activity on top of the keyguard is not allowed and hence the error in my case.

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