Saturday, November 10, 2012

Loughner's Sentencing

Arizona Gun Shop - Sore Loser

The Examiner

Is Ted Nugent Dead or in Jail Yet?

You remember when we posted this one right? At 1:40 he made that ridiculous pronouncement, which I suppose he and his supporters want to forget about now.

The comments on the original post showed plenty of support.  Has that changed now that we know he's also a child molester in addition to being a draft-dodger?  I doubt it because the one-issue gun nuts aren't interested in anything but guns.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Asheville Man Shoots Girfriend, Attempts Suicide, Gets Arrested

Local news reports

 

A city man who police say shot his longtime girlfriend had been charged with assaulting her at least twice before and was wanted by police at the time of the attack.

Regina Michelle Robinson, 31, was in critical condition Thursday at Mission Hospital after the attack at the Greyhound bus station on Tunnel Road. Police said Patrick Earl Holliday, 32, chased her onto a bus about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, shot her and later shot at a taxi cab driver who followed him.

Officers cornered and captured Holliday behind Innsbruck Mall after he pointed a gun at Asheville police Lt. Wally Welch and another officer, police said. After being surrounded by officers, Holliday put the .22-caliber revolver to his head and pulled the trigger several times, but the weapon had jammed, police said. He then pointed the gun at the officers.
This is the kind of restraint and responsible gun handling we need to see more of. Some of our trigger-happy castle-doctrine adherents need to take a lesson from these Asheville cops.

It's just too bad a guy like this was able to get a gun. His longtime girlfriend joins the ranks.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Shooting Range Suicide Calls for Background Checks to Rent Guns

Michigan Live reports

As family of Mark Sobie grieve his death after a self-inflicted gunshot wound last week at a Wyoming shooting range, they question why no laws prevented him from renting a firearm.

A background check, they say, would have shown the 43-year-old's felony bank robbery conviction, an offense that led him to serve 30 months in federal prison. The criminal record prevents him from purchasing or possessing a gun.

“We would have had a chance,” Sobie’s sister, Christine Jones, said Thursday, Nov. 8, a day before family were to gather for his funeral. “They could have called police.” 

Officers from the Wyoming Police Department responded to Silver Bullet Firearms Oct. 30 and found Sobie suffering from a gunshot wound. He could not be revived and was later pronounced dead. 

Sobie’s death marked the second at the range, 5121 South Division Ave., in four years. Both were ruled suicides.
Well that's two more we didn't know about. I hope Baldr is keeping count, I know no one else is. Yet, the pro-gun folks keep telling us how rare these things are. The truth is they have no idea how many there are.

In addition to the background check for renting a gun, which I agree is a good idea, there should be a 24-hour waiting period.  These two requirements would save lives.

What's your opinion?  Don't you get a little tired of the pro-gun objections to things that would save lives but inconvenience them a little bit?  I do?

Please leave a comment.

Jon Stewart on the California Vote

Tucson Victims Call for Gun Reform

CBS 5 - KPHO

The TV journalist sounded as stupid as the pro-gun guys. After a clear explanation of why we need to close the private sale loophole because 40% of guns sold are done so without a background check, she just said yeah, there are ways family members can prevent their nutty relatives from being able to pass background checks.

This is something that can change during Obama's second term. 

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Wisconsin Man Agrees to Plea Bargain in Friend's Death

Local news reports WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

At least he didn't get that plea deal which says, "no problem it was only an accident, now be more careful in the future."

These guys did things that many lawful gun owners do.  They drank while handling firearms.  They played stupid games with guns. This is a perfect example of why we need to take gun accidents more seriously. We shouldn't wait until someone gets killed.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Friday, November 9, 2012

George Carlin on "Rights"

Democratic Successes on the State Level

via Fuck Conservatives 


Notice she didn't mention gun rights in the list of important issues that will be affected. "Abortion rights, voting rights, union rights," is what she said. That must have been insult on top of injury for the single-minded, ego maniacal pro-gun folks who often trot out that silly old nag that the 2nd Amendment is what allows us to keep the 1st Amendment.

What's your opinion. Please leave a comment.

Slavery, Segregation, and Romney Voters

via Laci the Dog posting on Man with a Muckrake

 Still want to say it had nothing to do with race?  This is an interesting graphic to ponder.

Legalized Pot - What Will the Fed Do?

The Huffington Post
First came marijuana as medicine. Now comes legal pot for the people.

Those who have argued for decades that legalizing and taxing weed would be better than a costly, failed U.S. drug war have their chance to prove it, as Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow pot for recreational use.

While the measures earned support from broad swaths of the electorate in both states Tuesday, they are likely to face resistance from federal drug warriors. As of Wednesday, authorities did not say whether they would challenge the new laws.

Pot advocates say a fight is exactly what they want.

"I think we are at a tipping point on marijuana policy," said Brian Vicente, co-author of Colorado's marijuana measure. "We are going to see whether marijuana prohibition survives, or whether we should try a new and more sensible approach."
Will the federal government continue to resist this movement?  How could they justify such a thing? The people have spoken.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Friendly Fire - Cop Shot at Dog Hit Partner

Local news reports

Obama Shaping the Supreme Court

via The Huffington Post
President Barack Obama's election victory on Tuesday may give him the opportunity to deepen his liberal imprint on the U.S. Supreme Court.

A Harvard law graduate who taught constitutional law, Obama, a Democrat, named two liberals to the high court during his first four-year term.

With his re-election, the retirement of one or more justices in the next four years could preserve the present ideological balance or, more significantly, move the bench to the left.

The court's nine justices are selected for life and their appointments can rank among a president's most enduring legacies.

Four are in their 70s. Two - Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 79, and Stephen Breyer, 74 - are liberals. Two - Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy, both 76 - are conservatives. The biggest shake-up would come if either of the last two stepped down.
Chances are good that one of those 76-year-olds will be replaced with a liberal judge.  After that we'll see the changes we've needed for so long.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Louisiana Approves Gun Rights Amendment

SeattlePI reports
Louisiana voters have approved a constitutional amendment to strengthen already strong gun possession rights in the state. 

The amendment eliminates language in the Louisiana Constitution that allows passage of laws prohibiting concealed weapons. It also includes a requirement that any gun restriction laws be held to a tough judicial standard.
Whenever I'm not sure what a gun story is all about, I pop over to The Truth About Guns. Over there the thoroughness of coverage cannot be beat.  Of course, you have to wade through the spinning and all the rah-rah pro-gun nonsense, but you can get the facts for sure.

The facts in Louisiana seem to be that any and all restrictions on gun rights will now be subject to legal challenge, including convicted felons owning guns and places such as schools and public buildings declaring themselves gun-free zones.

What's your opinion?  The commenters over at TTAG, to a man, support these changes completely often expressing their support with ridicule that it might have been any other way.

What do you think? Will Louisiana, which already boasts of one of the worst records on gun violence in the country, be better off with these changes?

Please leave a comment.

Gun Stocks Soar - What Will Obama's Second Term Bring?

The Daily Caller

Gun maker stocks surged on early Wednesday morning as President Barack Obama’s re-election has stoked fears of tighter gun control measures in his second term.

Shares of the top two U.S. gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger exploded early Wednesday morning, reports Investor’s Business Daily.

“The re-election of President Obama should drive political firearm sales,” said Benchmark & Co analyst Mike Greene.

Obama has said he supports the right to bear arms in the past, but in the second presidential debate he said he would support an assault weapons ban if re-elected.

“The administration has not really lifted a finger in the last four years to tighten gun control legislation,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Rommel Dionisio. “There is a consumer fear that Obama will tighten gun control legislation, but whether or not they will do it this time I don’t know.”
I hope they're right this time. What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Gunloons Rush to Defend Ted Nugent, Child Molester

The weapons grade hypocrisy of gunloons is that they'll parrot anything the NRA tells them without question.   The NRA says that Obama is coming door-to-door with armed Commie Muslim Kenyans to take their guns and gunloons will open their wallets and give them whatever change they have from their mom's allowance.

Yet--if one suggests Ted Nugent is a child molester, the gunloons want video and DNA samples.

Of course, Ted Nugent is a child molester--he admits it.  During a 1998 VH-1 "Rockumentary, " Nugent admitted a taste for under-aged girls.  Pathetically, his own teenage children remember Nugent bringing home girls even younger than they were.

Courtney Love has admitted to servicing Nugent when she was 12.

From Wiki:

In 1978, Nugent began a relationship with seventeen-year-old Hawaii native Pele Massa. Due to the age difference they could not marry so Nugent joined Massa's parents in signing documents to make himself her legal guardian, an arrangement that Spin magazine ranked in October 2000 as #63 on their list of the "100 Sleaziest Moments in Rock".[28][29]
Of course, Ted Nugent--draft dodger, racist and child molester--embodies the NRA

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Illuminati celebrate election victory

Just in case you are truly demented, this actually comes from the Satirical Site, the Daily Mash.

Try not to be too disturbed by this, but most of the right wing ranting seems to sound like most of the stories printed at that site about US Politics.

After that disclaimer:

Illuminati celebrate election victory

Obama said his pyramidal hat was simply comfortable
BARACK Obama’s victory has brought the tyrannical New World Order a step closer, according to the Illuminati.

Just hours after his re-election, Obama was taken in a black helicopter to Illuminati headquarters where he was greeted with applause and a banner saying ‘Way to go, mind-control puppet!’
An Illuminati spokesman said: “This is a great moment for America, or as it will soon be known, Population Containment Area 2.
“With Obama back in power we can continue our secret project to enslave humanity and put Illuminati symbols in obscure places where they will only be noticed by conspiracy wingnuts.
“We’ll probably force everyone to be tattooed with a barcode too, although that’s less of an issue now that all their personal details are on Facebook.”
Obama has dismissed the Illuminati’s existence as “conspiracy theory nonsense”, saying he wanted to concentrate on real issues such as the economy, healthcare and compulsory microchips for all Americans.
He said: “My proposal to make ownership of tin foil a capital offence has nothing to do with its microwave-blocking properties. I just happen to think clingfilm keeps your sandwiches fresher.”
Democrat voter Carolyn Ryan said: “As a liberal, I’m a bit disappointed that a vote for Obama was a vote for a secret network of concentration camps to exterminate undesirable elements in society.
“Still, anything’s better than Romney. Four more years!”

Note; I am not taking any credit for this, you morons- 

Women's Issues Made the Difference

Moscow Workplace Shooting - 5 Dead

News 24 reports
"On the morning of 7 November 2012, the suspect came into the office of the pharmaceutical company he works for and fired numerous shots from Saiga and Benelli shotguns that he owns," the statement said.

"As a result, three men and two young women sitting at their desks died on the spot.  "One more man and another young woman were wounded, they are receiving medical help," it said.

The state RIA Novosti news agency, citing a source in the city's law enforcement agencies, said the attacker was suffering from unrequited love and that the woman he had been pursuing was among the victims.  "Because of that he drank for five days and today he came in and opened fire."

Access to firearms is restricted in Russia and shooting sprees are rare.
Did you get that final bit of brilliant reporting. Where guns are restricted, spree shootings are rare.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Jon Stewart on the Election

California Retains the Death Penalty

Salon.com:
California voters have decided to retain the death penalty for the state’s worst criminals, rejecting the argument that too few death row inmates are executed to justify the cost.

Nearly complete returns Wednesday showed Proposition 34 defeated with 52 percent voting against it. The initiative asked voters to repeal capital punishment in the state with the nation’s largest death row, with 726 inmates awaiting execution.

The initiative, backed by the ACLU, would have made life in prison without parole the state’s toughest sentence.

Proposition 34′s defeat comes despite its supporters outspending opponents by more than 5 to 1.
Supporters argued that ending the death penalty and shuttering California’s death row could save as much as $130 million a year. Opponents said it would allow the worst offenders to escape justice.
A sad day for California, that's what I say. Fear and vengeance have clouded their normally progressive vision.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Georgia Man Finally Charged with Daughters Death

Local news reports
A former soldier is now facing charges in the accidental shooting death of his young daughter. Joshua Henry was indicted by a Chatham County grand jury on three counts—contributing to the deprivation of a minor resulting in death, cruelty to a child second degree, and reckless conduct.
 
Cheyanne Henry was killed July 5th after investigators say she found a firearm in their Pooler home. The girl was just weeks shy of her third birthday at the time. All three of the counts against Henry allege that Henry that he failed to supervise the child, leaving her in the presence of and with access to a loaded and unsecured firearm, resulting in her death.
I realize this is Georgia, one of those backwards states, but what could have possible taken 4 months to charge this dangerous and unfit lawful gun owner.  He should have been disarmed and locked up the evening of July 5th.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

San Antonio Man Dead after Renting a Gun




San Antonio police are investigating a shooting that left a 37-year-old man dead at a local gun range.
The shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at A Place to Shoot located in the 13000 block of Pleasanton Road.

San Antonio pPolice Sgt. George Antu said the victim died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, but it was unclear if the man shot himself on purpose or if it was an accident.



"We don't know if he was clearing a jammed weapon, if he was trying to clean the weapon, or we don't know if he actually pointed the gun at himself and pulled the trigger," Antu said.
According to Antu, the man rented a gun and a stall on the range.

The defensive gun-rights folks keep telling us how rare these things are and how there's nothing we can do to prevent them.

That's wrong on both counts.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

NRA Leader and Child Molester Ted Nugent Commits Verbal Suicide


Allah apparently listens not to Ted, but talented guitarists.

NRA "All In"

American Terrorist Wayne LaPierre: "This is it. We're down to the wire. It's now or never, victory or defeat. The time for talking is over. On Election Day, Nov. 6 -- only a month from now -- Americans will vote either to defend or surrender freedom in the most consequential national decision in U.S. history."

Oh well.

But we all know ol' terrorist Wayne will be grifting from the clueless next week.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Patty Smith on Obama's Win



Raise the sky.
We got to fly over the land, over the sea.
Fate unwinds and if we die, souls arise.
God, do not seize me please, till victory.

Take arms. Take aim. Be without shame
No one to bow to, to vow to, to blame.
Legions of light, virtuous flight. Ignite, excite.

And you will see us coming, V formation, through the sky.
Film survives. Eyes cry.
On the hill, hear us call through a realm of sound.
Oh, oh-oh. Down and down.
Down and round, oh, down and round.
Round and round, oh, round and round.

Rend the veil and we shall sail.
The nail, the grail: That's all behind thee.
In deed, in creed, the curve of our speed.
And we believe that we will raise the sky.
We got to fly over the land, over the sea.
Fate unwinds and if we die, souls arise.
God, do not seize me please, till victory.

George Carlin on the Illusion of Choice

via Orlin Sellers

Bye-Bye Allen West

The Huffington Post reports
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) isn't coming back to Congress. 

After months of battling through one of the nastiest and most expensive races in the country, the Tea Party freshman was knocked out of his seat, barely, by Democratic newcomer Patrick Murphy.
It was a tight race all night, which paralleled the razor-thin margins polls showed between the candidates over the past few months. West and Murphy were competing for Florida's 18th Congressional District, an evenly split district that was redrawn in 2010.

West pitched himself as a military veteran who spent his first term in Congress voting to deregulate government, create jobs and overhaul Medicare as a way to preserve it. 

Murphy, a construction company owner who struggled for name recognition among voters, ran a campaign built almost entirely on the message that he is the antithesis to West's better-known reputation: that of a party extremist known for saying offensive things to or about Democrats.

Lawful Gun Owner Objects to Granddaughter's Boyfriend

The Modesto Bee 
Tuolumne County sheriff's officials on Sunday afternoon arrested a 71-year-old man suspected of firing a gun at a store in La Grange because he was upset about who his granddaughter is dating. 

James Wesley Kennedy was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. 

The confrontation began when Kennedy encountered a man whose son was spending time with Kennedy's granddaughter. Sheriff's officials said Kennedy objected to the relationship and a heated argument ensued. Kennedy fired a handgun, sheriff's officials said, but nobody was hit and no injuries were reported. 

After deputies conducted an investigation, they took Kennedy into custody.
You never know which one of the formerly lawful and responsible gun owners is going to lose his temper. When that happens people can get hurt.

Since it's difficult to identify these dangerous folks before they get caught doing something wrong, we must take their actions very seriously.  Any misuse of a firearm should result in the loss of gun rights.  No plea bargaining, no calling it an accident, no nothing. One strike you're out.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Alabama Gun Owners Plan "Victory Party"

The Washington Post reports
Alabama Republicans plan to hold their election night party at a gun range, where participants will be able to shoot a few rounds as returns come in.

The state Republican Party is inviting supporters to the 52,000-square-foot Hoover Tactical Firearms for a “victory party” Tuesday night.

Republicans are expecting GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to easily carry Alabama.
Backwoods Neanderthal racists, all products of the worst schooling in the country, are planning to whoop it up on election night. Sounds like fun.

Modesto Grandma Arrested for Lack of Cooperation and Lying to the Police

The Modesto Bee reports
The grandmother of a 1½-year-old Modesto girl who was shot Sunday afternoon has been arrested on suspicion of child endangerment.

Maria Elena Hernandez, 57, was booked at the Stanislaus County Jail late Sunday, hours after she brought her granddaughter to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto with a gunshot wound to the torso, said Modesto police Lt. Rick Armendariz.

Police responded to the hospital after family members told employees there that the girl was the victim of a drive-by shooting at their south Modesto home. However, detectives who went to the home on Stone Leaf Court found no evidence of a drive-by shooting and neighbors said they heard nothing. There were no shell casings in the street or bullet holes in the house. 

Family members continue to provide conflicting statements and have been reluctant to explain the circumstances that led to the shooting, Armendariz said.

Hernandez was arrested because of her conflicting statements and unwillingness to explain how the child was injured while under her care, police said. The child's mother was at work at the time of the shooting.

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2012/11/05/2443134/toddler-shooting-grandmother-arrested.html#storylink=cpy
You can accidentally shoot kids all you want, but what you cannot do is lie to the cops and be uncooperative. Negligent shootings of kids are forgiven every day, but don't mess with the cops or you go to jail.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Cenk Uygur Before the Election

Accidental Shooting at Texas Gun Range - Dad Shot Son - No Charges

Local news reports
Comal County Sheriff’s Office investigators say a father and son had been at the gun range on Sunday firing weapons and were packing up for the day when the father attempted to clear a handgun that he believed was already unloaded. 

But the weapon fired a single round which struck the 14-year old boy in the abdomen. 

Comal County Sheriff’s Office officials say the shooting was accidental and no charges are expected to be filed against the father. But they also urged all weapons owners to be cautious with firearms, and always treat a gun as if it’s loaded.
I've got an idea. Let's call this criminal nonchalance. Every time a police department responds to a negligent discharge like this, they should be charged with a crime.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Fresno Multiple Shooting - 3 Dead


The death toll now stands at three from this morning's workplace shooting at a Fresno, Calif., meat processing plant.

Police say Lawrence Jones, 42, a discharged parolee shot four coworkers before shooting himself about 8:30 a.m. at Valley Protein, which makes poultry products.

Two victims and the gunman have died. Two others remain hospitalized.

"We're still trying to determine what provoked these actions," Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters at a news conference.
Gun-rights fanatics want to make it easier for men like this to get guns. Oh, wait, that's not exactly right.  Gun-rights fanatics want to make it easier for themselves to get guns and the side effect is that guys like Lawrence can get them more easily too.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Ever Notice Gunloons Have Really Bad Teeth?

Ever notice the NRA and the John Birch Society employ the same arguments?

Obama Wins!!!

Another defeat for NRA.

Not really, though.  They have a bunch of gunloon money so they're pretty happy.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Handguns - Number 1 Killer of Kids in California

Vote for Obama Today - Here's the Main Reason Why


You know what's going to happen today? Millions of conservative Republican women, many of whom won't be able to admit it openly, will vote for Obama. The result, Obama by a landslide.

Those Crazy Georgia Gun Owners

Local news reports
A dangerous situation was diffused by Newton County deputies Saturday evening after two teens were caught by a property owner riding 4-wheelers without permission on his property, according to the Newton County Sheriff's Office. 

Public Information Officer Deputy Courtney Morrison said the NCSO first became involved when one of the teens notified his mother that he and his friend were being held at gunpoint by the property owner. Both of the boys are 15-years-old. 

"The mother calls 911 dispatch and then grabs her handgun and goes to the scene. On the way, she picks up a friend. When they arrive, they see a man pointing a rifle into the woods," Morrison said. "The mother then points her handgun at the man and tells him to drop his gun which he refuses to do. They then engage in a physical altercation and the female fires two rounds off into the air. The man then took the gun from her, knocking her to the ground." 

Morrison said at that point, the mother and her friend run into the woods where they join the two boys and stay there until deputies arrive. 

Deputies determined the man to be the "primary aggressor." Arrested was Damus Oscar Mullinax, 77, of 851 Cochran Road who was charged with pointing a gun or pistol at another and simple battery. 

Josh Horwitz on The Confederacy of Dunces (Traitors)

via The Huffington Post

I was reminded of America's "disloyal opposition" two weeks ago when my organization, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, received a disturbing tweet from a pro-gun activist in Illinois by the name of Kurt Hofmann. Hofmann, a former member of the Army's 319th Field Artillery Regiment, was disabled after a serious automobile accident in 2002 and is now confined to a wheelchair. Since January 2009, he has been blogging as the "St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner" with Examiner.com. In his tweet, Hofmann directed us to a blog he published there in March entitled, "Perhaps There's Something to the Claim that Guns Alone Cannot Rein in Government." 

In the piece, Hofmann pushes back against pundits who mock modern-day insurrectionists by pointing out that "against a military superpower such as the U.S. ...citizens with their private small arms would not stand a chance." For example, Hofmann quotes Jenna Myers Karvunidis, who opines, "If it just came down to a battle of arms between you and the government, you are not going to win that one. It would be like playing road chicken with a tank." Responding to these criticisms, Hofmann makes it clear that firearms are not the only weapon at the disposal of Americans who hate their government. "It cannot be denied that for some Constitutional militia applications, weapons heavier than those found in most gun safes would be very useful," he writes.
That's why I suggest that readers download Army Technical Manual 31-201, the Improvised Munitions Handbook. Other possibilities include Kitchen Improvised Explosives, Parts One and Two... The reality... is that the country is best served when oath-breaking public officials like [U.S. Senator Dianne] Feinstein are terrified of the wrath of the people. If knowledge of improvised explosives in the hands of every potential militiaman in the country helps foster that fear, so much the better.
Hofmann obviously forgot to read the Constitution, which states that the Militia's purpose is to "suppress Insurrections," not foment them.

It would be tempting to dismiss Hofmann as an aberration -- an isolated extremist with little ability to inspire actual acts of violence -- except for two important factors. The first is that Hofmann's disturbing call to use IEDs against American service members has been defended by a broad swath of the pro-gun movement. This includes statements of support from "The War on Guns" blogger David Codrea, "No Lawyers -- Only Guns and Money" blogger John Richardson, the pro-gun Calumet Foundation, "Gun Free Zone" blogger Miguel Gonzalez, "Guns Save Life" blogger John Boch, "Days of Our Trailers" blogger Roy Kubicek (AKA "Thirdpower"), "Shall Not Be Questioned" blogger/NRA election volunteer coordinator Keith Milligan (AKA "Sebastian," "SnowflakesInHell") and "Of Arms & the Law" blogger David Hardy, among others.

Utah Lawful Gun Owner and Possible Concealed Carry Permit Holder Fires Shots in the Air

Local news reports
A Uintah County man fired multiple shots during a weekend party in an effort to drive off a group of party crashers, according to sheriff's deputies.

Deputies responded to a house in the area and found a large party under way. They questioned people in the house and learned that several individuals at the party had not been invited and had been told to leave by the homeowner, Donny Mendoza.


"After numerous attempts to get these people to leave, Mendoza retrieved a pistol and fired multiple shots in the air as intimidation," Cheshire said.  

Deputies estimate there were 30 people inside the house and on the property at the time the shots were fired. Alcohol use was a factor in the incident, Cheshire said.

Mendoza, 29, was arrested and booked into the Uintah County Jail for investigation of multiple weapons violations.
 
We can presume this guy was a lawful gun owner right up until the time he did this reckless and stupid behavior. But, did he have a concealed carry permit?  No one knows because it has nothing to do with anything. 

You see, committing a crime with a gun counts regardless of whether you have a permit to carry concealed or not. That's why they don't check and that's why whenever the pro-gun crowd tell us how statistically safe the concealed carry permit holders are it's a lie.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Iowa Concealed Carry Permits Surge - Criminal Shootings Surge Too

Local news reports
It's been nearly two years since Iowa became a "shall issue" concealed weapons state. As a "shall issue" state, county sheriffs can only deny concealed weapons permits for specific reasons like alcoholism, mental illness or past felony convictions. 

Since then, concealed weapons permits have surged. According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, in 2010, 40,747 Iowans got permits to carry a gun. Last year, the first year under shall issue, that number skyrocketed to 102,729 Iowans. 

Cedar Rapids police statistics show another alarming change; a jump in gun incidents. In 2011, there were a dozen gun-related police reports in Cedar Rapids. And so far this year, there have been 52 shootings including shot-up buildings, suicides and murders. 

 But, a records search shows not one of the known offenders had a gun permit. It’s no surprise to gun shop owner Ernie Traugh. “The violence isn't coming from the ppl with permits, we don't have to worry about that,” said Cedar Valley Outfitters Owner Ernie Traugh.
That's even a bigger lie than we usually hear about the concealed carry guys being safe. It's funny how the pro-gun crowd will suspend all common sense and reason in order to claim belief in the most absurd statistics.

I cannot believe that the increase in concealed carry permits has had only an indirect affect on the increase in criminal gun incidents. I would imagine it's more direct. An indirect affect might be having their guns stolen or transferring their guns to unfit people without doing background checks.  A direct affect would be when one of the concealed carry holders actually does something wrong.

To claim that not one single person committed a gun crime is absurd. The "records search" is total nonsense, for one reason, because no one is checking. When someone kills himself or another, or commits some other gun crime, no one is checking if he has a concealed carry permit unless it comes up by accident and makes the news.  So, the truth is, we have no idea how many of these licensed gun owners are becoming criminals.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting in Indiana - Naturally No Charges

Local news reports
Two men were trying to disassemble a handgun Saturday at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore when the gun fired, striking one of them behind the knee.

The wounded man was taken to Porter Regional Hospital, where he underwent surgery Saturday night to remove the bullet, said Bruce Rowe, spokesman for the National Lakeshore.

The shooting, which occurred about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, remains under investigation, Rowe said.
As of Monday afternoon, no charges had been filed in connection with the shooting.
This sounds like the old "forgetting there's one in the chamber" mistake.  I suppose it could have been a revolver for all we know.  One thing for sure is the gun was not pointed in a safe direction.

What's your opinion?  Do you feel safe with bumbling gun owners like this?  I certainly don't. Is it any wonder people who don't own guns don't want to be around those who do?

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Monday, November 5, 2012

The Answer to Anarchy

via Criminal Wisdom

The Issue of Gun Control and Mass Shootings

Another Gun at the Airport - Chicago

The Chicago Tribune reports
A Kansas man was arrested and charged with trying to board an aircraft with a gun after a loaded handgun was found in his carry-on luggage at O’Hare International Airport on Saturday, authorities said.

Dean Bieker, 54, faces a felony charge of trying to bring a loaded gun onto a plane, according to Cook County Jail records.
What could he possibly have been thinking?

Murder - Attempted Suicide in Los Angeles

The LA Times reports
A man was in critical condition after he shot and killed woman outside a San Pedro home then turned the gun on himself, Los Angeles police said Saturday.

The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. Friday in the 3100 block of Almeria Street, according to a police officer at the LAPD’s Harbor station.

The suspect, described only as a man in his 40s, chased a 45-year-old woman out of the home and fired two shots at her, striking her in the head. The suspect then called 911 and reported the shooting.

Arriving officers cleared the home and found the man with a single gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. 


Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene.
There's no doubt that guns are bad news for women when it comes to domestic violence. The pro-gun response is usually one of two things.  Either they say the women should be armed to protect themselves, which of course is typically short-sighted as the Meleanie Hain case illustrated, or they say women also abuse men in domestic disputes.  That one is so defensive and stupid we don't even respond to it.

The fact is that most of these cases of domestic abuse, male-on-female, with a gun are carried out by so-called law-abiding gun owners. These are hidden criminals, assuming this is not their very first time acting as abuser, and they are covered in the Famous 10% under at least one category.

Men like that are not qualified to own guns, yet the ranks of lawful-gun owners are generously sprinkled with these unfit examples.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Romney on Waterboarding

via Same Facts

Just in case there was any doubt, here’s the audio.
I can’t make out every word, but I could make out the gist:
Q: Waterboarding: do you think it’s torture?
Romney: I don’t. … We will have a policy of doing what we think is in our best interest. We’ll use enhanced interrogation techniques that go beyond what’s in the military handbook right now.
Of course waterboarding – repeated partial drowning – is torture. It’s war crime under inernational law; as John McCain once said, we hanged a couple of Japanese admirals for it. It’s also a felony under the laws of the United States.

Barack Obama banned it. And W. Mitt Romney wants to use it.

Any questions?

Multiple Shooting at Georgia Fair

USA Today reports
A shooting erupted at a crowded fair in Savannah and at least six people were taken to a hospital. Police said they detained several people for questioning.

None of the wounded appeared to have life-threatening injuries, said Julian Miller, spokesman for Savannah Chatham-County police. Few other details were immediately available.

A large crowd had gathered at the Coastal Empire Fair, located on Savannah's suburban south side, when witnesses heard gunshots about an hour before the fair's 11:30 p.m. closing time.
This is what happens when too many law abiding gun owners gather together.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting in Georgia - Woman Dead - Husband under Investigation

Local news reports
Dalton Police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are probing the gunshot death of a 47-year-old Dalton woman at her home on Sunday afternoon.

At approximately 1 p.m., officers from the Dalton Police Department responded to a report of an accidental shooting at 1807 Shadow Lane, Apt. 2. When they arrived, officers found Tammie Elizabeth Hammock with a gunshot wound to her head. She was transported by EMS to Hamilton Medical Center, but later died of her injuries.

Ms. Hammock’s husband, 47-year-old Otis Hammock, told officers that the gunshot was an accidental discharge that happened as she was handing his handgun to him in their apartment.
This one requires a lengthy investigation while others result in immediate arrest. Why?

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting in Ohio - Gun Owner Arrested

Local news reports
Police in northeast Ohio say a man accidentally shot his father in the leg while trying to show a gun to someone else and render it safe. 

The Vindicator in Youngstown reports the semi-automatic gun discharged in their garage in suburban Boardman on Saturday night, shortly after the family finished distributing candy to trick-or-treaters. The 51-year-old man who was shot was taken to a medical center's trauma unit with a thigh injury that wasn't believed to be life-threatening.

Police said his 24-year-old son was charged with misdemeanor negligent assault and was being interviewed by authorities.
I'm surprised they arrested him. Is he black? Did he lie to the police and hide the gun? What gives?

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Open Carry in Oklahoma

 The New York Times reports
Two dozen men with guns entered an Oklahoma City diner promptly at midnight on Wednesday, intent on inaugurating a pernicious new law allowing the state’s 142,000 citizens with concealed-handgun licenses to begin wearing their loaded weapons publicly. “I just feel more secure and safe,” Joe Wood, an aircraft mechanic, told The Oklahoman newspaper, his Taurus PT145 pistol ready for action against any sudden attack by the eggs and burgers.


Other Oklahomans’ sense of security and safety was not on the midnight menu, though law enforcement officials made their objections clear when “open carry” was signed into law in May by Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican. A previous version was vetoed in 2010 by Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, over such questions as how to sort out licit gun wielders from perpetrators at a crime scene. 

Statehouse proponents, ever obeisant to the gun lobby, contend that anyone with a handgun license has to pass a strict state check of criminal and mental health records. The dangerous loophole here is that Oklahoma is grossly delinquent in such oversight, submitting fewer than four cases last year to the federal mental health watch list.
Poor reporting on the mental health records makes the claim that concealed carry permit holders are safe and responsible a lie. The same kind of poor reporting happens when they do wrong. No one is keeping track of how many of them actually commit crimes.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Cenk on Bloomberg, Warren and Brown

Utah Man Killed During Target Practice - No Charges

Local news reports
A 24-year-old Salt Lake City man was accidentally shot and killed while target shooting Saturday afternoon with family members. 

Joshua Pratt Hooper was target shooting in Manning Canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains in west Utah County with three other family members when a rifle being held by another family member appears to have unexpectedly fired according to Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon. 

A person who was preparing to take a shot had an "unexpected incident" and accidentally shot one of the other members of the group, he said. According to the Utah County Sheriff's office there doesn't appear to be anything suspicious about the circumstances and Hooper's death appears to be because of the rifle firing unexpectedly.
No problem then. The rifle fired unexpectedly. That explains everything.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Boy by Man - It was Just an Accident - No Charges

Local news reports NBC Right Now/KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | What kills me is the nonchalance with which the police respond to stuff like this. This guy is another lawful gun owner who is DANGEROUS. What further proof is needed to declare someone like that unfit to own guns? This situation merits more than a mild suggestion that folks treat all guns as loaded.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting in Colorado - 14-Year-old Shooter Arrested Not the Gun Owner

SF Gate reports
A 14-year-old boy is being held at a juvenile detention center after police say his 12-year-old relative was accidentally shot at a Lakewood home.

The older boy is being held for investigation of theft and possession of a gun by a minor.

Police Detective Ryan Mckone says the boys found a handgun in the home, and the older boy accidentally fired a shot while the two were playing with the weapon. Mckone added that it appears adults were in the home at the time.
What do you suppose that means, the adults were at home? Are they saying that because they were in the home at the time it doesn't count for leaving the kids alone with an unsecured gun?

You see, this is one of the big problems in places like Colorado. Gun owners are not held responsible for the security of their weapons.  When kids get hurt, the kids are blamed, which by the way puts the lie to all the talk of education and demystifying the firearms.

So, yes, I blame the parents or the gun owner.  But you know who else is at fault here?  It's the gun-rights fanatics who continually say things like, "there's nothing more useless than an unloaded gun," or, "when seconds count the police are minutes away." 

These paranoid ideas encourage the more frightened and insecure folks to keep guns loaded and easily accessible. To their way of thinking, you never know when a band of escaped murder-rapists is going to smash in your front door leaving you only a few seconds to defend yourself.

Guns need to be safely stored under lock and key. Whenever a kid gets hurt with a gun, an adult should be in jail.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.