In The News

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Thursday, March 26, 2015

This article ran on KSL titled State investigators to determine if bar is liable in weekend crash on March 24th. While this is not firearms or 2nd amendment related, I do see a parallel. Please read the article before you read on.

Upon my first read I really started to feel this was another typical, blame everyone else for the actions of a few. Very quickly I started to realize that I was not alone in my angst towards a program called T.R.A.C.E. This is an investigative team that tracks the source of the alcohol consumed to determine what liability they may hold in a crash. The comments related to this article made be proud because everyone one of them I read, indicated that the sole person responsible for this accident was the driver. The person that decided to consume alcohol and then behind the wheel of a vehicle.

The parallel that I drew was with how we have taken responsibility for our own safety and obtained our permit to not rely on anyone else for personal safety. I will not get started on why anti-gun people argue to blame the gun for a shooting.

Maybe my next blog needs to be about how many people get killed falling of a trails while hiking in the mountains each year and the need to hand rails on all the paths. I jest but that’s how ridiculous programs like T.R.A.C.E. are.

VETERAN COP CHANGE HIS VIEWS ON CONCEALED CARRY

Monday, March 16, 2015

The Conversation That Made Veteran Cop Change His Views on Concealed Carry: ‘They Schooled Me’

Speaking before the Maryland Senate last week, a retired Maryland State Police officer and former commander of the Maryland State Police Licensing Division admitted that he once thought the prospect of many residents having concealed carry permits was “scary.” However, as he educated himself about gun owners, his opinion on concealed carry changed.

As the head of the Maryland State Police Licensing Division, Jack McCauley decided what would qualify as a “good and substantial” reason to obtain a handgun permit on a case by case basis. Maryland is a “may issue” state — meaning the ultimate decision on whether to issue a concealed carry permit is left to a government official.

During his remarks to legislators, McCauley described his past feelings towards “Second Amendment activists” and pro-gun advocates:

“These crazy people, these Second Amendment activists, they’re all going to want these, they’re trophies. They’re all going to want these permits, it’s going to be scary. Dangerous people are going to be getting guns. Just any Joe citizen is going to get a gun.”

However, McCauley said he started doing “research” and speaking with gun rights groups about reforming the “may issue” concealed carry legislation in Maryland.

“When I met them, they schooled me,” McCauley said of one specific gun rights group, AGC Gun Club. “They not only schooled me — they embarrassed me. They humbled me. I was wrong. I was completely wrong.”

Knowing that he had spent much of his career as a police officer worried that there would be “blood in the streets” if gun restrictions were loosened, the veteran cop made it his mission to thoroughly investigate the issue.

“When I say I studied it, I mean I slept two hours a night studying it,” he added. “And I found out some staggering information about handgun permits and what was going on. My fears were not justified.”

McCauley said there are over 11 million licensed handgun permit holders in the United States. According to a 10-year study on 2.5 million permit holders, just 168 people had their permit revoked for an offense involving a firearm, he explained. Most of the time, he added, the offense was carrying a firearm into a prohibited zone.

When he tried to discredit the study, McCauley said he failed. Since retiring, he has been vocal as a gun rights activist on the “may issue” law in Maryland.

Watch as McCauley explains why he feels the “good and substantial” guidelines on concealed carry permits in Maryland are a “nightmare” in his remarks below:

Maryland is currently considering a bill would clarify that “self-defense can qualify as a good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun for purposes of the issuance by the Secretary of State Police of a permit to carry, wear, or transport a handgun.”

ATF ANNOUNCES IT’S DELAYING AMMO BAN

Monday, March 16, 2015

ATF Announces It’s Delaying Ammo Ban After Getting Over 80,000 Comments…But Seems to Leave the Door Open

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Tuesday formally announced it would delay its proposed controversial ban on certain ammunition used in the popular AR-15 rifle.

The ATF indicated it wasn’t scrapping the idea completely, and said it could revisit it later. Still, the announcement is at least a short-term victory for gun owners and Republican members of Congress who strongly opposed the ATF’s plan.

The ATF proposed a framework in February that was likely to lead to a ban on M855 cartridges. The ATF was mounting an argument that because these bullets can pierce armor in certain circumstances, they should be banned under a 1986 law aimed at protecting police.

But gunowners and Republicans in particular argued that the ATF had no legal right to take a step in this direction, which would have required a ban on a widely popular round that has been exempted from the ban for decades. The ATF itself indicated that there was widespread opposition to the idea in the more than 80,000 comments it received.

“Although ATF endeavored to create a proposal that reflected a good faith interpretation of the law and balanced the interests of law enforcement, industry, and sportsmen, the vast majority of the comments received to date are critical of the framework, and include issues that deserve further study,” the ATF said Tuesday.

“Accordingly, ATF will not at this time seek to issue a final framework,” it added.

The ATF did, however, say it would review the comments and that it could revisit the issue at a later date. “After the close of the comment period, ATF will process the comments received, further evaluate the issues raised therein, and provide additional open and transparent process (for example, through additional proposals and opportunities for comment) before proceeding with any framework,” it said.

The announcement does appear to take away any immediate threat of an ammunition ban by the ATF. The ATF was expected to take comments on the proposal until next week, and as the deadline loomed, Republicans were increasingly concerned about the proposal.

On Monday, for example, more than half of the Senate warned the ATF that its proposed ban would put the Second Amendment to the Constitution “at risk.”

Earlier this week, the ATF took steps to make it clear that there was no immediate ban on the ammunition in question, after a separate ATF publication indicated it might have already taken effect.

MAN STABBED WITH SCREWDRIVER DURING CAR BURGLARY

Thursday, February 5, 2015

I often use a car burglary as an example during class and found this news story related to the class.

SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City man was stabbed with a screwdriver after attempting to stop a car prowler from stealing a stereo out of a vehicle early Sunday morning, according to police officials.

At approximately 3 a.m., a man broke into a car in the Rose Park area of 1900 West and 700 North, according to Salt Lake City police. While attempting to take the radio out of the vehicle, the car alarm went off waking up a neighbor across the street.

Lt. Eddie Cameron, Salt Lake City Police Department, said the neighbor approached the alleged burglar.

“The neighbor told the guy to get out of the car,” Cameron said. “The guy told him to pound sand basically and he kept trying to take the stereo out…. The neighbor said, ‘No, really, you got to get out of the car’ and the suspect at that point got out of the car. He had a screw driver in his hand, stabbed our victim, which is the neighbor, in the stomach, and as the neighbor was trying to turn and run he got him again in the back of the head.”

The neighbor ran to his house and called police, while the suspect went back to stealing the stereo.

“Normally car prowlers when they are confronted they will run away, they will try to get away, this guy just kept on going–which is not common,” Cameron said.

The neighbor was taken to an area hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries after the stabbing. He was released and returned home later Sunday evening. The suspect was seen leaving the scene with an accomplice driving a black extended cab pickup truck with Texas plates.

“It drove up the street, and the suspect started to run after the truck, the truck stopped and backed up as if it was going to pick the suspect up, and it actually ran into the suspect and knocked him down, at which point he was able to get into the truck and he left,” Cameron said.

The suspect left with a $300 car stereo. The owner of the car, Keesha Calloway, said things could have been much worse.

The suspect was able to open the garage using the garage door opener, which was also in the car. Calloway believes if her neighbor didn’t step in, the suspect may have entered their home through the garage.

“I don’t even know his name, I never talked to them before, so I’m very happy he did that but he didn’t need to and I guess I appreciate that he did because it probably would have been one of us in the house,” Calloway said. “If one of us would have come out or found him in our house or something he would of definitely hurt us I’m sure.”

LINK TO STORY

THE NANNY STATE

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Police in Small Wisconsin City Want Residents to Volunteer to Have Their Homes Searched for Guns

Police in Beloit, Wisconsin, want residents to volunteer to let officers search their homes for firearms as part of a new initiative that officials believe will help reduce gun violence.

Beloit Police Chief Norm Jacobs told Wisconsin Public Radio that officers will mostly be looking for guns in homes that residents might not even be aware of.

“That’s really what we’re looking for. Maybe we’ll find a toy gun that’s been altered by a youngster in the house — and we know the tragedies that can occur there on occasion,” he added.

Jacobs also told WPR that “gun violence is as serious as the Ebola virus.” The home searches, he argued, are similar to a vaccine to strengthen the city’s immune system, the report stated.

That being said, the police chief admitted he isn’t anticipating a stampede of residents eager to have their homes searched.

In 2014, there have reportedly been seven gun-related homicides in Beloit. Most have victims have been teenagers or men in their 20s.

ANOTHER ARTICLE

Beloit Police Ask Residents To Volunteer To Have Their Homes Searched For Guns

Chief Of Police Says He Hopes Initiative Can Help Residents Begin Thinking Differently About Guns

Friday, December 5, 2014, 8:45pm

Police in Beloit are launching a new effort to reduce gun violence in which they’re asking city residents to volunteer to have police search their homes for guns.

Police Chief Norm Jacobs said he doesn’t expect the phone to be ringing off the hook with requests for police to search their homes. He nevertheless hopes the program will encourage people to think about gun violence as an infectious disease like Ebola, and a home inspection like a vaccine to help build up the city’s immune system.

“Gun violence is as serious as the Ebola virus is being represented in the media, and we should fight it using the tools that we’ve learned from our health providers,” he said.

Jacobs said he hopes some searches will result in the discovery of guns they didn’t know were in their own homes. He said that there’s also a chance they’ll find guns linked to crimes.

“That’s really what we’re looking for,” he said. “Maybe we’ll find a toy gun that’s been altered by a youngster in the house — and we know the tragedies that can occur there on occasion.”

There have been seven gun homicides in Beloit this year. Four of the victims were teenagers or young men in their 20s — like Melisha Holloway’s 20-year-old son Raymond, who was killed in April. Holloway said too many young men have given up on school.

“Pretty much all those kids and young men just need to be is educated,” said Holloway. “You have a lot of them that barely read at a fifth-grade level yet they’re 25 year-old-men. But they know how to work a gun. There’s something wrong with that picture.”

This week, 20-year-old Jajuan Logan was sentenced to 12 years in prison for Holloway’s murder.

PANEL SAYS STATE CAN’T INTERVENE IN CONCEALED-WEAPON APPEAL

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

A federal appeals court decided Wednesday that California has no legal right to challenge a ruling that prevents counties from imposing strict requirements on carrying concealed weapons in public.

The decision was another victory for gun rights advocates, but it may not be the last word. The state can appeal. If the state and other groups ultimately lose, counties throughout California will be required to issue permits for concealed weapons to residents who meet background checks and want the weapons for self protection.

In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied an attempt by Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris, a gun control group and law enforcement associations to intervene in a case that struck down San Diego County’s policy of tightly restricting the carrying of concealed guns.

The panel that issued Wednesday’s decision was the same one that ruled 2-1 in February in favor of gun owners.

State law permits county law enforcement agencies to set rules that limit permits for concealed guns, but the 9th Circuit panel said the rules should make it possible for any law-abiding residents to carry guns.

The state and the advocacy groups tried to intervene after San Diego Sheriff William D. Gore decided he would not appeal the February ruling.

But Judges Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain and Consuelo M. Callahan — considered the most conservative jurists in the circuit — said Wednesday that their ruling did not question the constitutionality of a state law, only the way San Diego County chose to regulate guns.

But legal analysts said February’s ruling, if upheld, would lead to relaxed requirements statewide for carrying concealed guns.

The state may ask the 9th Circuit panel to reconsider the decision or ask an 11-member panel to allow it to intervene.

A spokesman for Harris said her office was still reviewing the decision.

Gun owners and Harris are on opposite sides of the case, but the gun lobby did not strongly fight California’s attempt to appeal the February ruling. Gun groups think they can win in the U.S. Supreme Court and would like the case to reach the high court.

“The attorney general can now decide whether the … case ends here,” said Chuck Michel, a lawyer who represented gun owners in the case.

Jonathan Lowy, director of legal action for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said his group believes the court misinterpreted the law when it denied California and his group and others the right to challenge the February ruling.

“We are now considering our options,” he said.

WHAT AMERICANS ARE SAYING ABOUT GUNS

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Guess What Twice as Many Americans Are Saying About Guns Now as Compared to 10 Years Ago

“Having a gun in the house — safer or more dangerous?”

If you asked Americans that question 10 years ago, the majority would have answered, “More dangerous,” but in 2014, the tables have turned.

According to a Gallup poll released Friday, nearly two-thirds of Americans say that having a gun makes a home safer — almost twice the percentage that said guns made homes safer in the year 2000.

In 2000, a mere 35 percent of Gallup respondents said guns made a home safer, but in the newest poll, 63 percent of respondents said guns boosted home safety.

Republicans were more likely to say guns improved home safety than independents or Democrats — though Democrats were the only political group to have a majority say guns made a home less safe — and people in the Midwest and South were more pro-gun than those living on the coasts.

White men were among the most gun-positive groups, though the majority of women and non-white groups also claimed guns kept a home safe

Who actually owns guns? Slightly less than half of the country, with white men again topping the charts and women and non-whites reporting lower rates of gun ownership.

OPEN CARRYING A GUN AT A POLLING PLACE

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

This Guy Was Arrested in Alabama for Carrying His Gun at a Polling Place, and He’s Not Sorry: ‘I Was Not Going to Surrender a Right’

Robert-Kennedy-Source-Shelby-County-Sheriffs-Office-e1415201003536 — Robert Kennedy Jr. (Image source: Shelby County Sheriff’s Office)

After he walked through the doors at an Alabama polling place Tuesday morning, open-carry activist Robert Kennedy Jr. had a choice to make: Turn around and put his loaded .357 Magnum Taurus revolver in his vehicle or get arrested.

Chatting with a sheriff’s deputy in the lobby of Pelham’s First Baptist Church Annex, Kennedy chose the handcuffs.

“I was not going to surrender a right to exercise a right, and they’re grasping at straws to find something to arrest me for because people all over the state carried into the polls with their open-carry firearms to vote, and only in Shelby County is it an issue,” Kennedy, 58, told AL.com after his release from jail Tuesday.

Kennedy, a founding member of BamaCarry, was turned away at the polls for the June primary election but wore a firearm when voting in the July runoff and wasn’t arrested, AL.com reported.

Still he faces two misdemeanors after Tuesday’s drama, AL.com said: voting obstruction and possession of a firearm at a demonstration, according to jail records. Kennedy’s bond was set at $1,500, WBRC-TV reported.

“I knew I had not done anything wrong or violated any laws,” Kennedy told AL.com. “What’s he going to arrest me for? I threatened no one. I did not obstruct anyone. I did not intimidate anyone. I did not coerce anyone. I did not interfere with anyone’s right to vote.”

Kennedy recorded his conversation with the deputy on his cellphone, which AL.com described as “easygoing.”

“I know you’re BamaCarry,” the unnamed deputy said to Kennedy, AL.com reported. “I know who you are. … How do you want to do this, sir? Let’s just talk for a second first.”

The deputy told Kennedy he was violating state law by bringing a firearm into the polling place and gave him the option of taking it back to his vehicle, AL.com reported: “You’re not allowed to carry that in to vote. … Once you get inside here or continue to go the rest of the way, then I’ll have to place you under arrest today.”

Kennedy inquired about “constitutional immunity” he said the law afforded him, AL.com said: “Except for felony, breach of peace or trespass, I’m entitled to immunity when I come to vote, so you’re going to jeopardize your ownself placing me under arrest? You’re a constitutional officer, too.”

open-carry-e1415201103730 — Kennedy, in yellow long-sleeve shirt, being patted down. (Image source: AL.com)

open-carry-2-e1415201188846 — Image source: AL.com

open-carry-3-e1415201242113 — Image source: AL.com

“Well, the district attorney and the sheriff have already gone over all this,” the deputy replied. “I’m sure you’ve had your attorneys go over all it also. I’m going to lay it like this, sir: If you want to continue to go in, you’re going to be placed under arrest.”

“So go ahead and go arrest me,” Kennedy answered, AL.com noted.

“So you’re saying you’re going to do it right now? … All right, I guess take a step that way and we’ll do it,” the deputy told Kennedy.

The two men are seen on video conversing in the lobby and then walking outside, both of them smiling, to the deputy’s patrol vehicle.

Kennedy openly wore a holstered pistol in the First Baptist Church Annex polling place for the July 15 primary runoff, AL.com reported, adding that he spoke with law enforcement members in the parking lot after casting his ballot.

But last week the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office gave notice that guns at polling places wouldn’t be tolerated, according to an earlier AL.com story.

“Each polling location in Shelby County will have a ‘No Firearm’ sign posted at the entrance of the precinct, at the requests of the private property owner or governing body of the property,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “This will be enforced in accordance with Alabama law.” A sign stating “no firearms” was posted at the First Baptist Church annex’s entrance, WRBC said.

“Our goal is to allow every registered voter in Shelby County the right to vote in an influence-free environment,” Sheriff Chris Curry said in the statement. “Voting is a constitutional right and it is our job to facilitate the process effectively and efficiently.”

Kennedy didn’t cast a ballot in the general election, AL.com reported, and is awaiting a Dec. 8 court date for the two misdemeanors.

Here’s a clip of the arrest:

DC LEADERS PROPOSE CONCEALED HANDGUN PERMITS

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) – Residents of the nation’s capital will be able to get a permit to carry concealed handguns outside the home, but only after they provide a specific reason for needing one, officials said Wednesday.

Mayor Vincent Gray and other city officials said they plan to propose legislation that would make the District of Columbia similar to a half-dozen states, including Maryland, where residents can be denied a concealed-carry permit if they can’t show a need for one. The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to Maryland’s law last year.

In July, a federal judge struck down the District’s ban on carrying handguns outside the home. The judge put his ruling on hold to give the city time to rewrite its gun laws.

The District is seeking to let the police chief decide whether people have a reason to carry a concealed firearm, and officials said living in a high-crime neighborhood would not be a sufficient reason to obtain a permit. People who’ve received death threats or have been the victims of domestic violence are among those who could be granted permits.

“It has to be personalized. It has to be something specific,” D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan said.

Alan Gura, an attorney for plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said the proposal did not comply with the judge’s order.

“In America, the police don’t determine what rights we have good reason to enjoy,” Gura said. “You don’t need a good reason to speak, to worship, to vote or to carry a gun for self-defense.”

In 2008, the Supreme Court struck down the city’s 32-year-old ban on handguns. Since then, the District has required gun owners to register their firearms every three years, complete a safety course and be fingerprinted and photographed, among other requirements.

The concealed-carry requirements, which the D.C. Council will vote on next week, would be even more restrictive. Those seeking a concealed-carry permit would have to complete a “more extensive” safety course than what’s required for gun owners. Non-residents would also be able to get licenses if they meet the same standards. Open carrying of firearms would remain illegal under the proposal.

Gray, a Democrat and a member of the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, made clear that he was establishing the concealed-carry program reluctantly, citing last year’s mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard and the street violence in Chicago as examples of the need for stronger gun laws.

“I happen to be one that really does not support having people walking around with guns, concealed or otherwise,” Gray said.

Permit holders would also be barred from carrying guns in locations including government buildings, public transportation, bars and restaurants, stadiums and places where public officials need to be protected.

Earlier this year, a federal appeals court struck down California’s requirement that residents must show they faced a “clear and present danger” to receive a gun permit, although the ruling is on hold pending an appeal. Gura said the judge in the District’s case followed the logic of that ruling, which found that residents only need to show a desire for self-defense.

The other states where residents must show a reason to get a permit are Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

NBC’S 3 STEPS FOR HOME INVASION DEFENSE

Saturday, September 13, 2014

NBC’s 3 Steps for Home Invasion Defense: Use Wasp Spray Illegally, Treat Invader ‘Like Royalty’ and Don’t Own a Gun

[IGNORANCE IN THE MEDIA NEVER CEASES TO AMAZME ME.]

According to FBI crime statistics quoted by NBC’s TODAY Show, home invasions in America are happening at the alarming rate of 135 per day.

That frightening fact combined with some recent, high profile invasions at the homes of Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock and NBA star Ray Allen prompted reporter Jeff Rossen to produce a segment titled, “How to protect your family from home invasion.”

For a large part of the four-minute story, Rossen spoke with Wallace Zeins, a retired NYPD detective and former hostage negotiator. The law enforcement veteran shared his tips for thwarting home invasions. However, many Blaze readers will notice something missing from the segment. This would also be something they consider the first and best option for dealing with intruders — firearms.

The option of using a gun to protect yourself in a home invasion is never mentioned during the TODAY Show story.

NBC’s advice seems to contradict suggestions made by Vice President Joe Biden. On more than one occasion, Biden has told Americans (including his wife) that a shotgun is the best tool for frightening off would-be intruders.

Over 18 months ago, the vice president shared his “get a double-barrel shotgun” advice with Parents magazine.

During a 2013 town hall meeting in California, Biden again advised people to choose a shotgun — this time over a semi-automatic AR-15, stating, “Well, you know, my shotgun will do better for you than your AR-15, because you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door.” (Biden’s thoughts on a shotgun being better protection than an AR-15 were refuted by gun experts.)

What tips did NBC’s segment give viewers to block the bad guys?

The TODAY Show expert told viewers to prepare themselves for intruders by having two items next to their beds:

Car keys
Wasp Spray
How can car keys keep you safe? The former NYPD detective suggested keeping car keys on the night stand for easy access to an alarm. In case you hear someone breaking in, Zeins advises pushing the alarm button on the key fob. He did not mention a solution for high-rise apartment dwellers or those who their park cars beyond the normal range of the key fob transmitter (some of these key fob remotes become useless beyond 20-30 feet).

The second intruder defense item the TODAY Show suggests you keep close to your bed — wasp spray.

Zeins claimed that wasp spray is as effective as pepper spray.

A Seattle family would argue that Zeins’s advice was wrong. In December of 2013, Ken Boonstra tried using wasp spray to fend off a man who had broken into their home and was attacking his wife. The spray did not stop the attack; only a well-placed and very sharp steak knife was effective in ending the conflict.

TheBlaze found several “prepper” websites and online stores that sell “prepper” supplies that advise against using wasp spray or bear spray. These groups state that bug spray is rarely as useful as pepper spray and there are also possible legal complications involved in using wasp spray as a weapon.

Spraying an intruder with a neurotoxin-laced bug spray is a violation of Federal law. Additionally, Spectracide’s “Wasp & Hornet Killer” tells the consumer, “Never use indoors.” These two warnings are printed at the very top of cans of wasp spray.

Should a beeping car alarm or wasp spray fail to prevent a home invasion, the NBC report suggests being polite and directing the bad guys to your cash and valuables. The former detective told Rossen, “You want to treat them like royalty.” He added, “On top of that, you don’t want to lie to them.”

Watch the segment

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