Saturday, November 22, 2014

New Report on Adam Lanza - Race and Affluence are Factors



Seattlepi

A new report asks whether the race and affluence of Adam Lanza's family influenced decisions about how to care for his mental health problems in the years before he committed the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
Among the findings in the report, which was released Friday by the state office of Child Advocate, is that Lanza's his parents and educators contributed to his social isolation by accommodating — and not confronting — his difficulties engaging with the world.
The report said recommendations from Yale psychologists that he be medicated and undergo rigorous treatment as a child for anxiety and other conditions were rejected by his mother, who eventually took him out of school.
"Is the community more reluctant to intervene and more likely to provide deference to the parental judgment and decision-making of white, affluent parents than those caregivers who are poor or minority?" the report asks. "Would (Adam Lanza's) caregivers' reluctance to maintain him in school or a treatment program have gone under the radar if he were a child of color?"
Lanza's father is a financial services executive. The son and his mother lived in an exclusive neighborhood in the wealthy bedroom community, 70 miles north of Manhattan.
Research has found that upper-middle-class parents are far more likely to be resistant, defensive and even litigious when presented with treatment options suggested by school service providers, said Suniya Luthar, a professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, who has written extensively on the topic of affluence and mental health.

Disgraceful Laws in Washington Which Allow Convicted Felons to Get Their Gun Rights Back

Friday, November 21, 2014

CSGV Executive Director Josh Horwitz and Alex Zaitchik Discuss Larry Pratt, Tyranny and the NRA

No surprise here

Does he teach remedial reading or take it?

Meet Myron May - The Florida State University Shooter - Deceased



CNN

The gunman was identified by authorities as Myron May, a 2005 graduate of FSU. He graduated from Texas Tech University's law school in 2009, and practiced law in both Texas and New Mexico, according to Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo. May moved back into the area a few weeks ago.
The school canceled all classes and exams Thursday in the wake of the shooting, offering counseling services to those directly and indirectly affected.
Meanwhile, investigators are surveying the scene and interviewing witnesses -- trying to determine exactly what happened and for what reason. DeLeo, the police chief, hedged when asked whether May had fired at officers, saying investigators still have more witnesses to interview. He said is appears none of the victims were targeted for any specific reason.
"Mr. May had a written journal and videos where he expressed fears of being targeted and that he wanted to bring attention to this issue of targeting," DeLeo told reporters. "A preliminary review of these documents and videos demonstrate that Mr. May was in a state of crisis."

Greg Camp - Still Spinning and Twisting and Lying

Greg Camp's Weblog
In many discussions, there comes a point at which someone rejects not only interpretations based on judgements but facts as well. The facts about guns in the United States are mixed, leaving both sides the opportunity to have valid positions derived from their values–freedom or safety–without being compelled to choose one answer or another to be intellectually honest. For example, some 30,000 Americans die each year from gunshots, while something like 80,000 suffer non-fatal injuries. At the same time, hundred of thousands use firearms to defend their lives annually. 
When describing defensive gun uses, the gun-rights fanatics love to exaggerate in two ways.  First they inflate the actual count, then they call that exaggerated count, uses of "firearms to defend their lives." 

The truth is, these estimates include shootings at snakes and coyotes.  They include innumerable incidents of minor threats that in no way were life threatening. They also include many cases of property crime being thwarted in which no person was in danger at all.

That last link to a Slate dot com article is interesting. Here's a quote:
“Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million per year … in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008,” says the report. 

There are many estimates that come in under that 500,000 figure. Greg knows this, and in fact, has quoted them himself.  But in that typical exaggerating way of his, he selected this misleading article to make his point.

I'm afraid old Greg Camp hasn't changed much in these months since he disappeared from this blog. Some believe he's been commenting anonymously, but I'd like to take this opportunity to officially invite him back. Arguing with Greg never fails to make gun control look good.






In Oklahoma - Accidental Gun Shot Travels Through Wall, Injuring One

Local news reports

One man was treated for minor injuries after a person in an adjoining business accidentally discharged a gun.

Around 2:45 p.m., Owasso Police responded to a shooting at a Billy Sims BBQ. 


Police say that a person in a neighboring business was inspecting a firearm when it was accidentally discharged. The projectile went through the wall and debris or fragments struck a cashier in the restaurant.

The victim was treated and released by medics. Police officers are still on the scene investigating and will determine if any charges will be filed.

IF any charges will be filed???

Newark Couple Arrested for Child Shooting

The children's mother, 33-year-old Catrease Thomas, is charged
The children's mother, 33-year-old Catrease Thomas, is charged with child endangerment and illegal weapons possession stemming from the weekend shooting. (November 17, 2014 6:12 PM)

Local news reports

A mother has pleaded not guilty in connection to the accidental shooting of a 9-year-old girl by her 12-year-old brother.

As News 12 New Jersey previously reported, police say the girl was accidentally shot by her brother with a stolen gun. The boy was playing with the unsecured gun Saturday at a home on Renner Avenue in Newark.
The children's mother, 33-year-old Catrese Thomas, is charged...

Sabeer Brumson's gun was allegedly used by a
Sabeer Brumson's gun was allegedly used by a 12-year-old boy to accidentally shoot his 9-year-old sister.

Police have arrested a man in connection with the accidental shooting of a 9-year-old.
Authorities say Sabeer Brumson, 33, was taken into custody in Moorestown.
Police say a 12-year-old boy found the gun in their Newark apartment on Renner Avenue last weekend and accidentally shot his 9-year-old sister.
Police say Brumson is the boyfriend of the children's mother, who faces child...

Quote of the day

“Our crumbling infrastructure and soaring gun violence are a good start, but much work still needs to be done,” he said. “When Americans start leaving the country, we’ll know that we’re on the right track.”

Thursday, November 20, 2014

School Shooting - Florida State University

FSUShootingInternal640.jpg

Fox News

BREAKING NEWS: At least two people were shot in a library at Florida State University as a school alert message urged people to take shelter in a "dangerous situation."
FSUNews.com reported that the shooting occurred at around 12:30 a.m. local time on the first floor of the Strozier Library. The site reported that at least four gunshots were heard and approximately 30 police officers responded to the scene. 
A nursing supervisor at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital told the Associated Press that the hospital was treating two people for gunshot wounds early Thursday. The supervisor did not disclose the patients conditions or whether they were students. Hospital officials had no information about whether they could expect more patients.

Florida Man Gets Probation in 3-Year-old Daughter's Death



Local news reports

A local father plead guilty in his 3-year-old's accident shooting death today. Thomas Chambers made a terrible mistake that cost his 3-year old daughter her life.  

Should he go to jail, or has he suffered enough? 

That was the dilemma in the case of Thomas Chambers, who on Tuesday, appeared in court to plead guilty in the death of his daughter Zuri.  

Chambers sobbed and wiped away tears at times during the hearing.   Zuri was killed in February at the family’s home in Lake Worth.  Chambers was getting ready for work, and left his gun, loaded, on a table by the front door. Zuri found the weapon and accidentally shot herself.

In a video made shortly after the tragedy, Chambers told detectives, “I didn't think she was strong enough to…  pull that."

It came out in the investigation that Zuri had picked up her parents’ guns before--  one of the factors leading to criminal charges against Chambers. In a deal struck with prosecutors, Chambers avoids jail time, but will serve up to 10 years of probation.

“There really isn’t anything, any penalty, that you could craft that is worse than what he has to live with for the rest of his life,” said Suskauer.

Jon Stewart on the Hypocrisy of Nancy Pelosi

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn speaks Out - The True Threat



"We've got large numbers of high-capacity quality firearms in the hands of remorseless criminals who don't care who they shoot."

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Quote of the day

If you are going to look back to Rome as an example of how Europe should be (or Europeans in general):
The Roman Empire was one of history's most successful melting pots. In comparison to some of history's more recent super-powers, Roman society was relatively tolerant of foreign cultures and religions, provided they did not disturb the peace. Issues of skin color and physical characteristics, as far as can be told, were of little or no importance in the Empire, presumably due to the cosmopolitan nature of its major cities from the early Republic.
By the 1st Century AD, inscriptions and historic writings attest to the many cultural and national groups represented amongst the political and military elites of the Roman Empire. Gaulish chieftains were serving in the Senate at least as early as the reign of Claudius. Jews, Greeks, and Syrians were holding military commands from Egypt to Britain. Some of the most rich and powerful men in 2nd Century Rome were Africans and Spaniards, many of whom still spoke their Latin with Celtiberian or Punic accents.
It's not surprising that, by the 2nd Century, most of the Caesars were not even Romans - if one defines a "Roman" as being an Italian born in Rome or in the traditional Roman territories of Italy. In fact, most of the Emperors after the Julio-Claudians were provincial, or at best non-Roman Italian in origins.

Larry Pratt Embarrasses Himself on Tyranny and The UN Arms Treaty

Media Matters

Wow, I like this map of Europe animation better than the other one

Next time some person who thinks Europe is better than other cultures shows up--show them this! It's still somewhat truncated, but it does a better job of showing how other cultures (e.g., Asian and Arabic) influenced European Culture. Not as much illustration of how Africa influenced Europe as I would like, but you can't have it all.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Rap Battle

Compensating for something???


Quote of the Day

The sacrifice of the Spartans at Thermopylae had greatly inspired other Greeks insofar as it was believed that these soldiers had given their lives to defend Greece as a nation, disdaining narrowly Spartan interests. When offered the crown of Greece by a Persian messenger, Spartan King, Leonidas answered, "If you knew what is good in life, you would abstain from wishing for foreign things. For me it is better to die for Greece than to be monarch over my compatriots." In this sense, the Battle of Thermopylae is often described as the birth of Greek nationalism, and thus of nationalism generally.

Lead in the Environment

shotgun_pellets

Does anyone know how many shotgun shells are fired each year in the US? And, as you're pondering that, tell us again how this doesn't harm the environment.

Guns Don't Kill People

Texas Gun Expert Accidentally Kills Himself at the Range


Gary Dooley

Local news  reports


Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, from the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office stating that they had received a 911 call regarding a man accidentally shooting himself at 31 West Shooting Range at 16934 Texas Highway 31 west.
The man, identified as Dooley by Tankersley, died at the scene. 
Sheriff officials said the shooting death remains under investigation early this morning. 
“He has a lot of guns and just loved shooting. He was certainly not a novice and knew his way around guns,” he said. “He would go out to the range all the time and just shoot.”

Monday, November 17, 2014

Quote of the day!

Not sure if this is real, but these are to try and get discussion going.

A Hunter Explains

My big Buck "Megatron Loyd 4"

Ammoland

These big bucks are smart, darn smart. I am pitting my mind as a human against the best of the species. This chess game is addicting. It is the ultimate way to stay in touch with our primal senses. I am connected to the pulse of life and understand just how quickly life can be taken.

North Carolina 13-Year-old Shot and Killed - Shooter Arrested Immediately

Fifth grade photo of Nathan Clark from the 2012 Lewisville Elementary School yearbook.
Fifth grade photo of Nathan Clark from the 2012 Lewisville Elementary School yearbook.(Photo Courtesy: Winston-Salem Journal)

Local news reports

Police say a 13-year-old boy is dead after a gun discharged in a hotel room and the bullet went through a wall into another room, hitting the teen.

It happened around 11 p.m. Friday at the Comfort Suites hotel at 1309 Corporation Parkway.

Randall Louis Vater, 42, of Knightdale has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

The victim has been identified as Nathan Andrew Clark, of Lewisville, N.C. 

Pennsylvania 10-Year-old Shoots Himself in the Face with Dad's Unsecured Gun - No Charges (Yet?)

Local news reports

A 10-year-old boy continues to recover after authorities say he shot himself in the face with his father's gun while sitting inside an SUV in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

The shooting took place in a black SUV parked in an industrial park along the 1400 block of Calcon Hook Road in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, police said.

The boy was waiting with his sister in the vehicle, outside an auto repair shop, when he found his father's .357 caliber revolver and it went off, police told NBC10. The father was inside the shop. The mother had just dropped the children off.

Prosecutors are currently deciding whether the boy's father should be charged.

The investigation is ongoing.


Sunday, November 16, 2014

Molon Labe!

Of course, I think these people would prefer if you bought them rather than took them.

Right-To-Carry Gun Laws Linked To Rise In Violent Crimes: Study

Huffington Post

Laws in all 50 states permitting people to carry concealed firearms in public have been connected to a rise in violent crimes, according to a new report from researchers at Stanford and Johns Hopkins universities.
The report, published in September and issued as a National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper last week, adds to a series of studies over the last decade tending to discredit the "more guns, less crime" hypothesis, which argues that right-to-carry laws serve as crime deterrents by allowing ordinary Americans to better protect themselves.
The new findings suggest that right-to-carry laws are "associated with substantially higher rates" of aggravated assault, rape and robbery, Stanford law professor John J. Donohue III, one of the study’s three authors, explained in a press release on Friday. Stanford law student Abhay Aneja and Johns Hopkins doctoral student Alexandria Zhang co-authored the report.
Among violent crimes, the most significant increase came in aggravated assault, which may have risen by nearly 33 percent, according to the report. The researchers also found that from 1999 to 2010, murder rates rose in eight states that adopted right-to-carry laws.