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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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1. Virginia Beach proposes a law to victimize gun owners who are already victims of theft
2. Gun-grabber laments VCDL’s effectiveness and free speech (except her own free speech, of course)
3. Gun store grand opening included free VCDL memberships for buying a Glock
4. The Demanding Moms war on Kroger
5. Who needs a gun at car company?
6. New celebratory gunfire law doesn’t deter all random shooters on July 4
7. Numbers are in: Enforcing Brendon's Law
8. Guns allowed on planes, if packed properly
9. 10 gun tips you need to know about flying with guns
10. Target respectfully requests no guns brought into stores
11. John Lott questions Everytown, Moms Demand Action’s latest report on safety
12. Bloomberg's gun control group has no influence, produces no results
13. U.S. school violence fast facts10. Salon claims tough gun control laws decrease crime
14. New report from CPRC shows 11.1 million Americans hold concealed carry permits
15. Murder rate drops as concealed carry permits rise, study claims
16. Google's war on guns
17. The hypocrisy that is the liberal left
18. [IL] Veteran with concealed carry permit shoots back
19. [IL] Police Superintendent: Chicago murders due to 'lax' gun laws
20. [IL] 14 dead, 82 shot: Happy Dependence Day, Chicago!
21. [CT] H.S. student kills girl who won't go to prom with him
22. [WA] Veteran unlawfully disarmed and arrested [VIDEO]
23. [TX] Who needs a gun at home?
24. [FL] Miami-Dade Police urge residents to arm themselves after possible budget cuts
25. [GA] Target's gun ban has unexpected results
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1. Virginia Beach proposes a law to victimize gun owners who are already victims of theft
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A Virginia Beach city councilman is proposing a law that would make a criminal out of a gun owner if he or she doesn’t report a stolen gun within 48 hours of learning it was stolen. Because this creates a crime, it can put gun owners in a mode of possibly having to show that they either didn’t know their gun was stolen or that they did report it within the required 48 hours.
Why do we need such a law? Gun owners are definitely going to report a stolen gun as soon as they are sure it was stolen.
I was interviewed for this story.
from wtkr.com: http://tinyurl.com/kqggw75
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2. Gun-grabber laments VCDL’s effectiveness and free speech (except her own free speech, of course)
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Ah, the antis. Always so entertaining! This one has VCDL confused with the NRA. She thinks that Old Salem Days should ban VCDL from their event. That’s a very common pattern and not the first time that antis have tried to “shut us up."
From m.roanoke.com: http://tinyurl.com/oer3azq
Letter: Olde Salem Days have turned into NRA lobbying days
In the Sept. 14 Roanoke Times, Matt Chittum wrote a great article on Olde Salem Days ("Olde Salem Days damp, cool, busy"). But one thing which was not mentioned is how the event has essentially become an annual lobbying event for the National Rifle Association.
I am very disappointed that those involved with the Salem Rotary Club and the event have allowed this to happen for a third straight year.
I can respect the fact that, though I strongly differ with their politics, Republican politicians such as Rep. Morgan Griffith and Del. Greg Habeeb want to have a strong presence at Olde Salem Days. But there are four major issues with the event becoming an annual opportunity for fervent gun people to hand out their dubious orange and blue "Guns Save Lives" stickers.
• It shows blatant disregard for the Virginia Tech students who were needlessly killed by one of their peers, who bought one of his guns at a Roanoke gun store.
• The argument that this is an example of free speech is hollow, as those of us who support tighter gun regulations have never been given a chance to hand out our own literature. [PVC: Yes, you are allowed to hand it out. But, nobody wants to take it!
]• By continuing to allow this, the organizers of Olde Salem Days open the floodgates for other right-wing groups to promote their causes at this once-nonpartisan family event.
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3. Gun store grand opening included free VCDL memberships for buying a Glock
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I attended the Triune gun store’s grand opening last week. The store was giving free VCDL memberships to anyone purchasing a Glock.
I tried out their shooting simulator, which has hundreds of scenarios, including “shoot, don’t shoot, ” which I particularly enjoyed.
The store is located at 571 Frost Avenue in Warrenton.
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4. The Demanding Moms war on Kroger
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Article by Jeff Knox:
http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/demanding-mo ... on-kroger/
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5. Who needs a gun at car company?
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Member Clayton Rhoades emailed me this:
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From nbc12.com: http://tinyurl.com/mkexoxq
Surveillance video shows Richmond hostage escape assailant with gun to head
by Kelly Avellino
July 7, 2014
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Explosive security video shows a terrifying robbery and abduction attempt at the Midlothian Motor Company, during broad daylight. The victim, a mechanic, managed to outsmart and overtake the attacker, who was holding a gun to his head.
The video shows a the suspect, a man wearing a red jersey, meandering through the parking lot of the auto shop, right off the Midlothian Turnpike. The armed gunman makes his way into the reception area, scoping out the register. Moments later, the he confronts the lone mechanic in the garage.
Owner Al Hosn watched the frightening scenario on his security cameras, following the scenario.
"(The suspect) pulled the gun from underneath his shirt and told the mechanic to come and get the cash register open for him," described Hosn.
The gunman ushered the mechanic into the office with his hands up. The suspect demanded the employee empty the register. Next, he ordered him to hand over his wallet. However, the employee only had a debit card.
The gunman forced the mechanic into the parking lot, and into a company Porsche. He ordered the employee drive to an ATM. However, what the mechanic did next potentially saved his life.
The mechanic pretended to have trouble driving the Porsche, so he wouldn't be forced to have to drive somewhere with the suspect, at gunpoint.
"The mechanic had an opportunity to get the gun away from him (after) jerking his clutch," described Hosn.
Security video shows the car jerking in the parking lot. Hosn says the mechanic was able to get the gun away from the attacker, and fight back.
"(The mechanic) pushed the gun away from his face and started beating (the assailant) with his left hand," continued Hosn.
However, the suspect viciously bit the mechanic's arm. Still, the victim was able to flee the car. The suspect also took off, appearing to hobble from the scene. He's still at large.
The mechanic is in the hospital with serious bite wounds to his arm.
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6. New celebratory gunfire law doesn’t deter all random shooters on July 4
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The Richmond Times Dispatch gets the new law on malicious wounding wrong - claims it is about celebratory gunfire. The bill that was signed into law earlier this year had nothing to do with celebratory gunfire. That language was totally removed and replaced with a bill dealing with malicious wounding. Virginia already had laws that deal with celebratory gunfire and VCDL had opposed that bill in its original form.
EM Robert Sadtler emailed me this:
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From timesdispatch.com: http://tinyurl.com/n8po38n
New celebratory gunfire law doesn’t deter all random shooters on July 4
by Mark Bowes
July 8, 2014
Chesterfield County police received eight calls of reported gunfire on July 4-5, shots made in apparent disregard of a new state law that toughens the penalty for wounding someone by celebratory gunfire.
Richmond police responded to nearly 50 reports of random gunfire during the same period.
A young boy’s death in Chesterfield last July 4 by a falling bullet — and stern police warnings that anyone caught firing a gun in celebration this year would be arrested and prosecuted — didn’t deter some people from popping off a few rounds in several county neighborhoods.
At least one of those rounds struck a house. A round hit a home in the 6300 block of Dorius Drive about 10:45 p.m. July 4, police said. No one was hurt.
“We were pleased that none of these calls came from the Brandermill area,” said Chesterfield police Maj. Kevin Smith, referring to the location of last year’s Fourth of July tragedy in which Brendon Mackey, 7, was fatally struck in the head by a stray bullet as he walked to a Brandermill fireworks show with his father.
In response, the Virginia General Assembly passed “Brendon’s Law,” which makes a conviction for celebratory gunfire in which a person is wounded a Class 6 felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
The location closest to Brandermill where police received a gunfire call was the 11300 block of Heartleaf Place in the Magnolia Green area. Other neighborhoods that reported gunfire between 6 p.m. July 4 and 6 a.m. July 5 were:
• the 8200 block of Trappers Creek Trail;
• the 4100 block of Mallard Landing Circle;
• the 9000 block of Lost Forest Drive;
• the 100 block of Rosegill Road;
• the 4400 block of Hopkins Road; and
• an area near Plum Street and Greatbridge Road.
No arrests were made in any of the incidents, despite an increased police commitment to catch whoever was responsible for Brendon’s death.
“It’s difficult to catch the people, I’ll tell you that right now,” Smith said.
Smith said New Year’s Eve is traditionally the county’s biggest problem day when it comes to celebratory gunfire, “and we certainly will keep the location of the July 4 calls in mind” when police look to enforcement efforts this New Year’s Eve.
In neighboring Henrico County, police are investigating a July 4 incident in which a passenger in a late-model BMW was seen firing five rounds into the air in quick succession just after 8 p.m. as the vehicle exited Interstate 64 toward Glenside Drive.
In that case, which was reported to police by a Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter, the passenger rolled down a window and drew a silver and black semi-automatic handgun before cocking his arm at a 45-degree angle and firing. Henrico police searched the area July 5 for shell casings.
Richmond police responded to 49 calls of random gunfire between 9 p.m. July 4 and 2 a.m. July 5, and 16 calls during that same period on July 5 and 6. Some of the July 5 calls coincided with the RVA Fireworks on the James show at Brown’s Island.
“Those are the numbers of incidents that officers responded to,” said Richmond police spokesman James Mercante. “But officers were not able to determine through each of these events whether it was gunfire or whether it was fireworks or something else.”
Because weekend reports are still being entered into the department’s system, Mercante could not immediately say whether any arrests were made.
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7. Numbers are in: Enforcing Brendon's Law
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Here’s another example of the media not doing their homework. In this case a Richmond TV station claims the new malicious wounding law is called “Brendon's law.” It is NOT. Brendon's name was removed from the bill when the celebratory gunfire wording was stricken and replaced with malicious wounding wording.
The press in Richmond have my phone number to verify what they are reporting on firearms. Sometimes they use the number and, well, sometimes they don’t.
Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From nbc12.com: http://tinyurl.com/lzhva36
Numbers are in: Enforcing Brendon's Law
by Curtis McCloud
July 8, 2014
CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - With Brendon's Law, police are hoping to deter people from participating in celebratory gunfire.
They know they won't be able to stop it altogether but want people to understand the serious consequences they will face if a bullet does hit someone.
On July 1, the existing law for reckless handling of a firearm in Virginia changed, adding a new statute. That statute is Brendon's Law, named for Brendon Mackie, who died last year after being hit by celebratory gunfire.
"If you handle a gun dangerously and you injure someone in a way that causes serious and permanent physical injury, that is a felony. It caries up to five years in prison," attorney Steve Benjamin said.
On July 4 in Chesterfield County, 17 people called complaining about gunfire between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next morning. Nine of those calls were determined to be actual fireworks, eight police say were in fact gunshots.
No injuries were reported and no one was charged under Brendon's Law. Maj. Kevin Smith with Chesterfield Police says the number of calls appear to be similar to last year.
He's hoping with Brendon's Law, more people will think twice before firing off guns to celebrate.
"We've been telling people for years not to do it," he said. "It wasn't until Brendon's death that we had an actual victim to point to and say this is the result to celebratory gunfire," Kevin Smith said.
Smith says he and his team are using what they've learned from the Fourth of July to zero in on areas where they received the highest number of calls.
In Richmond, there were 49 reported calls of gunfire between 9 p.m. July 4 to 2 a.m. July 5. Richmond Police are still sifting through information and there are no reports at this time of anyone being charged under Brendon's Law.
No citations and charges were given over the weekend in Henrico County.
Maj. Smith says they have no problem enforcing the law. They first have to catch the culprits
"A lot of we rely on people who actually saw someone firing a weapon into the air," Smith said.
With the Fourth of July out of the way, Chesterfield Police will now shift their attention toward New Year's Eve, their biggest holiday for celebratory gunfire.
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8. Guns allowed on planes, if packed properly
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Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From roanoke.com: http://tinyurl.com/n7y5dn2
Guns allowed on planes, if packed properly
by Peter Bacque
July 8, 2014
You can bring a weapon when you fly on an airliner.
“We want people to know they can travel with firearms,” the Transportation Security Administration’s Lisa Farbstein said.
You just have to do it legally, the TSA spokeswoman said Tuesday at Richmond International Airport. “You can fly with weapons, as long as you pack it properly and check it with the airline,” Farbstein said.
However, a lot of people don’t.
“We’re seeing an increase in the number of firearms showing up at checkpoints,” Farbstein told local news media at the Richmond International Airport, demonstrating with dummy guns and sturdy cases how to secure weapons before bringing them to the airport.
Weapons confiscated at airport security checkpoints in the United States have almost doubled in number since 2009, according to TSA figures, reaching 1,813 last year. Just last month, TSA set a one-day record of 18 guns identified at checkpoints nationwide.
“We think that people are getting more lax the further we’re moving away from 9/11,” Farbstein said. “People tell us with great frequency that they forgot it was in their bag.”
The proper way travelers can bring their firearms with them when they fly is to unload the weapon, put it in a hard-sided case, lock it securely and then bring the case to the airline check-in counter, she said.
“They’ll make sure it’s … in the belly of the plane,” she said.
All firearms, ammunition and firearm parts are prohibited in carry-on baggage.
In the face of airliner hijackings, federal regulations since 1973 have required U.S. air carriers to inspect all carry-on baggage for weapons and dangerous objects, and scan every passenger with a metal detector, or pat them down, before boarding.
Concerns about airline security in a world marked by terrorism are still in the news.
Last week, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson directed the TSA to use “enhanced security measures” at some overseas airports with direct flights to the United States.
So far in 2014, the Transportation Security Administration has found four handguns at Richmond International Airport, six at Norfolk International, three at the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport and three at Lynchburg Regional Airport.
“Even one is too many,” Farbstein said.
The TSA says it recognizes that most passengers who carry prohibited items do not have any ill intent, and the TSA does not impose fines on most passengers who inadvertently carry prohibited items.
However, the federal agency can levy penalties of up to $11,000 on people bringing firearms through airports. For people caught with weapons, Farbstein said, “It’s going to be expensive.”
About 3.2 million airline passengers a year use Richmond International Airport.
When weapons are caught at security checkpoints, the airport police typically issue a summons to the offender, airport spokesman Troy Bell said. The usual charge, Bell said, is carrying a weapon in an air carrier airport terminal, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Conviction for a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia carries a penalty of up to a year in jail, a fine of not more than $2,500, or both.
The heightened security measures announced last week will be used at some overseas airports with direct flights to the United States.
Though all electronic devices are normally screened, security examination officers at overseas airports also may ask that owners heading to the U.S. power up some devices, including cellphones.
Powerless devices will not be permitted on board the aircraft at those overseas airports, the TSA said, and travelers also may be subject to additional screening.
The TSA said it will adjust security measures to ensure that travelers are guaranteed the highest levels of aviation security conducted as conveniently as possible.
Last week’s directive reportedly covers more than a dozen airports in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Officials are worried that terrorists can use electronic devices as a shell to build nonmetallic bombs that might slip through usual airport screenings.
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9. 10 gun tips you need to know about flying with guns
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Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From blog.beretta.com: http://tinyurl.com/lpvl9rc
10 Gun Tips You Need To Know About Flying With Guns
by Tom McHale
July 3, 2014
Here’s a bold statement.
When you fly the friendly skies, you’ll experience more invasion of privacy, groping and unwanted scrutiny when you walk through the TSA checkpoint than when you try to check guns in your baggage.
I fly enough that the majority of currently employed TSA agents are intimately familiar with every square inch of my body. But groping aside, I’ve found checking guns by following the rules to be a simple and straightforward process - as long as you carefully follow the rules.
Be aware that there are always two sets of rules: those set by the TSA and those set by your airline. In a perfect world, they will be consistent with each other, but be aware, that doesn’t always happen.
Let’s review a checklist for hassle-free flying with guns.
1. Buy or borrow a lockable hard case.
Per the regulations, it can be a case with integrated combinations locks, but I prefer a case with multiple holes for heavy duty padlocks of my choosing. Do NOT use TSA locks on your gun case. This is a misunderstood area of the law and, technically speaking, it’s illegal for you to do so. Per the letter of the law, as discussed in the footnotes of this article, you alone must maintain possession of the keys or combination to open your gun case. You cannot lock it in such a way that others have access. By using TSA locks on your gun case, lots of people, just about anyone in fact, technically has access to your guns. TSA locks are NOT secure and not even TSA agents are supposed to have access to your case, once cleared, without you being present to unlock the case.
One more thing about cases. If you travel with a pistol, you might want to get a larger than necessary case, like this one. You can legally place other items besides your gun in the case, like cameras or computer equipment.
2. Check your airline’s website to review their policies.
While most are essentially the same, they don’t have to be. Print out the policy page to bring with you. With all that ticketing agents need to know, not every agent will have a complete understanding of their airline’s gun policy.
3. Review the TSA policy website for the latest information.
It can, and does, change. That’s your tax dollars at work folks. Print this out also, as different TSA agents have different understandings of their own policy. Really.
4. Unload your gun and magazine.
Complete this step while still at home! Check the chamber to make sure that’s empty. I like to pack my guns in the case with cylinder or action locked open so it’s very apparent the gun is in a safe condition. That’s not required, just good manners.
5. Weigh your gun case and ammunition.
Most airlines will allow up to 11 pounds of ammunition. And, like any luggage, you will be charged more for any baggage weighing more than 50 pounds. This sounds like a lot, but when traveling to the Crimson Trace Midnight 3 Gun competition last year, my case with shotgun, rifle, pistol and ammunition tipped the scale past the 50 pound mark.
6. You can pack ammo in the same locking case.
This is another area that’s misunderstood and full of internet myth. Your ammo just needs to be stored in some type of safe container and not loose. Technically, you can keep ammunition in magazines, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It meets the letter of the law storage requirement, but too many airline and TSA agents will give you grief. Use a plastic ammo box or original cardboard packaging and you’ll be fine carrying that in the same lockable case as your gun.
7. Carry your gun case in the closed and locked condition into the airport until you meet the ticketing agent.
You can’t do curbside check in, so be prepared to go inside to your airline counter. When checking in, calmly tell the ticketing agent that you have a firearm to declare. It helps if you don’t yell something like “I’VE GOT A GUN!!!” Unless you live in one of the Republik states, the agent won’t even bat an eye. They deal with this all the time. The agent will tell you what do to and when. Some airports call TSA straight to the counter. Others have an airline agent escort you to a TSA checkpoint with your luggage. Just do what they say and you’ll be fine. At some point, they will have you fill out an orange declaration card and place it in your gun case.
8. Hang out and chill for a bit.
Don’t rush from the ticket counter to the gate. Once your gun case leaves your possession, there is still a chance TSA will need you to re-open the case. Most airports will tell you to wait for a bit in case they page you. The subtle message here is to always be sure to arrive at the airport plenty early if you plan to check a firearm. Time is your friend and the whole process will be a lot less stressful.
9. Make sure you bring the padlock keys in your carry on luggage.
I left mine in the car once and dropped them in my checked baggage another time. Fortunately, I figured out my error in time to correct it, else TSA would have been more than happy to cut my locks off.
10. Be prepared for surprises.
Yes, TSA might clear your gun case upon your departure. Yes, some other TSA agent may cut your locks off somewhere between your departure gate and your final destination. They’re not supposed to without a really good reason, but it happens. Again, that’s your tax dollars at work. You can yell, scream and stomp your feet, but you won’t win that battle. Accept the cost of new locks as part of doing business. On the other hand, if your guns are missing, I personally would tell the airline and destination TSA agents that I was calling the FBI immediately to report an interstate theft of firearms. That ought to get you some attention.
I’ve flown many, many times with one or more firearms and have never had a serious issue. Yes, some airports act differently, but I’ve never lost a gun or had a serious run in with the G-men.
The key is preparation and attention to detail. If you do everything right, your trip will be uneventful for both your and your guns.
Some extra footnotes
Here are a few things to be aware of that you may or may not encounter.
First, some airports, like Bend, Oregon, violate federal law. That’s a harsh statement, but it’s true, or was, the last time I traveled through there with guns. The TSA folks asked for my keys so they could inspect my gun cases in a back room, secure, TSA area. I was not allowed to accompany them. According to the Code of Federal Regulations:
Title 49: Transportation, Part 1540 – Civil Aviation Security: General Rules, Subpart B – Responsibilities of Passengers and Other Individuals and Persons, 1540.111 (c) (iv) - The container in which it is carried is locked, and only the passenger retains the key or combination.
Title 49: Transportation, Part 1544 – Aircraft Operator Security: Air Carriers and Commercial Operators, Subpart C – Operations, 1544.203 (f) (iii) The container in which it is carried is locked, and only the individual checking the baggage retains the key or combination;
Basically, I, the owner, MUST not surrender my keys or combination to anyone. From a practical perspective, good luck with that. When fighting with the federal government over obscure details like this, you will not win in the short term. You may win in the long term, but odds are you won’t make your flight at the scheduled time. So choose your battles carefully. You can be right all day long and still not make it past the TSA checkpoint.
If you’re traveling with optics that you don’t trust to the baggage handlers, you can take those as carry on baggage. Obviously you have to remove it from your gun first! But it’s no problem carryon a scope onto the plane as long as there is no gun attached.
Avoid connecting through New York. Yes, this is another harsh statement, but too many folks have spent too many nights in jail and spent too many tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees not to mention it. If you are legally allowed to have a gun from your departure point, and legally allowed to have it at your destination, under federal law, you are supposed to be able to travel from point A to point B without interference. Unfortunately, some places, like New York, realize that they have more lawyers than you can afford, and choose to harass law abiding travelers anyway, knowing full well there's not much you can do about it. Most times, if you have a connecting flight through New York, you'll be fine. Your checked gun case will get moved on to the next flight and all will be well. The gotcha occurs when the travel gremlins arrive. If your flight is canceled or delayed, and you have to spend the night, now you are taking a gun from the airport baggage claim to the hotel then back to the airport again. And given ridiculous laws like the new SAFE Act, your gun is most likely illegal in New York. You may meet Officer Friendly when arriving at the airport the next morning. Welcome to the pokey and I hope you get along with your cell mate. I won't schedule an itinerary through there for exactly this reason. It sounds far-fetched, yes, but tell that to the folks who have been arrested and harassed. Unfortunately, it happens.
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10. Target respectfully requests no guns brought into stores
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Member John Wilburn emailed me this:
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This article gets it despite not seeing that Chipotles and Starbucks have the same thing.
From thewire.com: http://tinyurl.com/mx77ne9
Target Won't Actually Say Anything If You Bring a Gun Into Their Store
by Polly Mosendz
July 2, 2014
Target has nicely asked customers to refrain from carrying weapons in their stores. Interim CEO John Mulligan made the decision along with Target's executive leadership team, explaining their stance in a blog post on their website on Wednesday.
The debate has been looming for several weeks, as other national chains, like Chipotle and Starbucks, have banned weapons from their shops too. However, Target has not outright rejected weapons in their stores. They are "respectfully requesting" gun owners do not bring weapons into their shops, "even in communities where it is permitted by law."
Some gun rights activists took this wording as a loophole. Open Carry Texas posted on Facebook that they "we will continue to honor our months long policy of not taking long arms into Target stores or any other business." This is a very precise specification: long arms. Smaller weapons that fall under Concealed Carry laws will still be making their ways into Target stores. Concealed Carry permits allow gun owners to carry a hidden holster with a small weapon, generally a handgun, on their person. In some cases, it allows the weapon to be hidden within a car as well.
The Wire reached out to Target to explain the details of this statement, and Target's stance on Concealed Carry. "This isn't a policy change, this is a position," said Molly Snyder, a member of Target's public relations team, in a phone interview. "We are requesting that people do not carry any firearms in our stores, including concealed carry. We will continue to follow local laws, however, concealed weapons are included in our position." Target also confirmed that they have not sold any guns or gun paraphernalia in their stores since the early 1980s, and have not sold realistic toy guns since the 1990s.
While Target is "respectfully requesting" customers not bring weapons of any kind into their stores, they won't actually force customers to leave if they do so. When asked if Target will ask a gun toting customer to leave, Snyder told The Wire, "Because this is a request and not a prohibition, we do not plan to communicate with our customers at this time."
The store won't be kicking out any customers who don't honor their respectful request, but those found carrying long arms into Target stores will feel the heat from Open Carry Texas and the NRA. Open Carry Texas has been criticized by some gun owners through social media, who blame the group's radical actions for the corporate push back against weapons in their establishments.
Dan Boggs wrote on the OCT Facebook, "It was without a doubt OCT that got guns, concealed or not, banned from Target, as well as a number of other stores. You guys forced...Target to take a stance on the issue and they have to protect their family friendly image." Even a local NRA called the practice of bringing long arms into establishments of this sort "weird," though they later retracted this statement.
However, Mr. Boggs and members of OCT can technically continue to carry whatever they please into Target stores, as long as the local law allows it. They will just be disrespectfully declining the CEO's request.
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11. John Lott questions Everytown, Moms Demand Action’s latest report on safety
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From guns.com: http://tinyurl.com/prlvm9b
John Lott questions Everytown, Moms Demand Action’s latest report on safety
by Jennifer Cruz
July 3, 2014
Last week, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action Against Gun Sense in America published a report exploring accidental shootings involving children and suggested means of reducing these accidents in the future.
Dr. John Lott, President of the Crime Prevention Research Center and author of “More Guns, Less Crime,” spoke out about the report and the problems surrounding it. While Lott agrees that accidental shootings, especially those involving children, are no doubt tragic, he also indicates that the information provided by the Everytown report is misleading and the focus too broad.
According to Lott, using reports from the media is a notoriously unreliable source to collect data. Oftentimes, news stories do not include all of the details of an incident — or include inaccurate details – therefore misconstruing the end results. In addition, more often than not, accidents are reported by the media before the investigation has concluded.
In fact, of the accidents listed in the Everytown report, nearly 20 percent are lacking significant details – such as whether or not the firearm involved was legally owned – and as Lott explained, these details are important to accurately view the big picture.
Nonetheless, a large portion of the report centered around safe storage – keeping firearms locked and unloaded with ammunition locked and stored in a different location. Everytown and Moms Demand Action believe this is a key factor to reducing future accidents.
Lott, however, disagrees, but said it’s not quite that simple either.
“You have to look at the net effect of guns in the home,” Lott told Guns.com.
“Bad things can happen, but they’re very rare,” he added.
According to statistics from the CDC, “rare” is right. While unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and 15, fatal injuries resulting from accidental gunshot wounds make up less than 10 percent of these, at best. In fact, when the causes of unintentional injuries are further explored, it’s revealed that children are more likely to die from suffocation, drowning, or in a car accident than they are to be killed by accidental gunfire.
According to Lott, locking unloaded guns away with ammunition stored separately actually causes more harm than good and passing legislation mandating such does little – if anything – to reduce accidents involving children and teens.
Lott said passing such laws “scare law-abiding homeowners into either not owning guns or into locking up their guns so that most guns are not going to be readily accessible for people to use defensibly.”
Furthermore, “When you have these laws… criminals become embolden to attack people in their homes,” he said, adding, “And they’re also more successful.”
In other words, violent crime – including murder – actually increases with these laws in place, Lott found in a previous study.
The only consistent impact of safe-storage laws is to raise rape, robbery, and burglary rates, and the effects are very large. Our most conservative estimates show that safe-storage laws resulted in 3,738 more rapes, 21,000 more robberies, and 49,733 more burglaries annually in just the 15 states with these laws. More realistic estimates indicate across-the-board increases in violent and property crimes. During the 5 full years after the passage of the safestorage laws, the 15 states faced an annual average increase of 309 more murders, 3,860 more rapes, 24,650 more robberies, and over 25,000 more aggravated assaults.
He also points out the obvious: It’s the law-abiding citizens who are most affected by this type of legislation, as criminals – including those who illegally possess guns in the first place – aren’t generally concerned with obeying the law.
Nonetheless, Lott still understands the desire to save lives, but poses an equally important question.
“I understand … if a law can save one life, but that makes about as much sense as me saying if a law costs one life we shouldn’t have it,” he said. “The question should be what’s the net impact?”
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12. Bloomberg's gun control group has no influence, produces no results
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Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/n9noxpa
Bloomberg's gun control group has no influence, produces no results
by Awr Hawkins
July 7, 2014
On July 7, CNN's John King told the Associated Press's Julie Pace that Michael Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety has demonstrated "no influence" in the coming November elections.
Pace concurred, saying Bloomberg's gun control efforts have yet to garner results.
The two spoke on Inside Politics, where King said:
The NRA is a powerful force, often in mid-term elections where turn out is low because they can motivate a smaller segment [of voters]. This is will be interesting to see. At the moment we've seen no influence, that this Everytown USA group is changing a race out there. But [there are] 120 days until the elections so we'll keep an eye on this.
Pace agreed, saying that if it could be done Bloomberg should be able to do it because he "has a lot of money [and] is a well known figure." But "the results simply haven't been there for him.”
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13. U.S. school violence fast facts
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Member Bill Hine emailed me this:
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From cnn.com: http://tinyurl.com/kmozdet
U.S. school violence fast facts
by CNN Library
July 15, 2014
(CNN) -- Here is a list of incidents of random elementary, middle and high school (excludes colleges and universities) violence with fatalities, from 1927 to the present. This list does NOT include suicides, gang related incidents, or deaths resulting from interpersonal conflicts.
U.S. Timeline (selected only)
[SNIP]
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14. New report from CPRC shows 11.1 million Americans hold concealed carry permits
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Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From crimepreventionresearchcenter.org: http://tinyurl.com/nx5hnex
New report from Crime Prevention Research Center Shows 11.1 million Americans hold concealed carry permits
by John R. Lott
July 9, 2014
The Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) today released a report, Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States, revealing that 11.1 million Americans hold concealed carry permits up from an estimated 4.6 million in 2007.
The last comprehensive report on the number of concealed carry permit holders was completed three years ago by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and showed that 8 million Americans held a concealed carry permit. These numbers show that the number of permits is not only increasing, but they are growing at faster and faster rates.
The report also notes:
Three states (South Dakota, Indiana, and Alabama) now have over 10 percent of their adult populations with permits, and 10 states have at least 8 percent of their adult populations with permits.
The number of concealed carry permit holders is likely much higher than 11.1 million.
Between 2007 and the preliminary estimates for 2013, murder rates have fallen from 5.6 to 4.4 per 100,000 – a 22 percent drop in the murder rate at the same time that the percentage of the adult population with permits soared by 130 percent. Overall violent crime also fell by 22 percent over that period of time.
News coverage of report.
Fox News: “Murder rate drops as concealed carry permits rise, study claims“
Washington Times: “Chicago crime rate drops as concealed carry applications surge“
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia): “Concealed gun permits way up in W.Va. over five years“
Herald-Dispatch (Huntington, West Virginia): “Concealed weapons permits quadruple“
Logan Banner (Logan, West Virginia): “Concealed weapons permits quadrupled in West Virginia“
Coal Valley News (Madison, West Virginia): “Concealed weapons permits quadrupled in West Virginia“
Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, West Virginia): “Number of concealed carry permits shoots up in W.Va.“
Journal-News (Martinsburg, West Virginia): “Permits quadruple: Concealed weapons licenses up throughout state“
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15. Murder rate drops as concealed carry permits rise, study claims
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Member Matthew Thexton emailed me this:
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From foxnews.com: http://tinyurl.com/mdom7n3
Murder rate drops as concealed carry permits rise, study claims
by FoxNews
July 9, 2014
A dramatic spike in the number of Americans with permits to carry concealed weapons coincides with an equally stark drop in violent crime, according to a new study, which Second Amendment advocates say makes the case that more guns can mean safer streets.
The study by the Crime Prevention Research Center found that 11.1 million Americans now have permits to carry concealed weapons, up from 4.5 million in 2007. The 146 percent increase has come even as both murder and violent crime rates have dropped by 22 percent.
“When you allow people to carry concealed handguns, you see changes in the behavior of criminals," said the center’s president, John R. Lott, a Fox News contributor. “Some criminals stop committing crimes, others move on to crimes in which they don’t come into contact with victims and others actually move to areas where they have less fear of being confronted by armed victims.”
Increasing gun ownership, litigation and new state laws have all contributed to the rise in concealed carry permits. In March, Illinois became the 50th state to begin issuing concealed weapons permits. But the cost and other requirements for obtaining the permits varies greatly, from South Dakota, where a permit requires $10, a background check and no training, to Illinois, where the cost of obtaining a permit comes to more than $600 when the fee and cost of training programs are taken into account.
Six states don’t require a permit for legal gun owners to conceal their weapons, and Lott notes those states have some of the lowest violent crime rates in the nation.
The real measure of the deterrent effect of concealed carry permits, according to Lott, is not laws on the books, but the percentage of a given state’s population that holds the permits. In 10 states, more than 8 percent of adults hold concealed carry permits, and all are among the states with the lowest crime rates. Lott claims his group’s analysis shows that each one percentage point increase in the adult population holding permits brings a 1.4 percent drop in the murder rate.
“We found that the size of the drop [in crime] is directly related to the percentage of the population with permits,” Lott said.
Between 2007 and the preliminary estimates for 2013, murder rates have fallen from 5.6 to 4.4 per 100,000.
Tod Burke, a former police officer and a professor of criminal justice at Radford University, in Radford, Va., said he doesn’t buy the idea that gun permits are driving the reduction in crime. Burke said several factors, including smarter, “data-driven” policing and increased incarceration of violent criminals likely play a bigger role.
“I think we have to be cautious about having a causal relationship between gun permits and a decrease in crime,” Burke said. “[Lott’s] theory is one to consider, but not to the exclusion of others.”
The report is the first tally of concealed carry permit holders since a survey in 2011 by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that 8 million Americans held them.
The total of 11,113,013 Americans who currently hold concealed carry permits represents 4.8 percent of the total adult population. But the center stated that the number of concealed carry permit holders is likely much higher, because numbers are not available for all states that issue permits, such as New York. Additionally, four states and the majority of Montana do not require that residents have a concealed handgun permit to carry within the state, so the number of residents who carry a concealed weapon is not recorded.
Florida has the most active concealed carry permits, at nearly 1.3 million. Texas is second, at just more than 708,000, while Hawaii, at 183, has the fewest of states whose data was available.
Earlier this year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that California must allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms in public, striking down the core of the state's permit system for handguns. The judges found in a 2-1 holding that San Diego County’s rule that residents must show "good cause" -- and not merely the desire to protect themselves -- to obtain a concealed-weapons permit, violated their constitutional rights.
That ruling is awaiting an en banc review by the entire circuit.
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16. Google's war on guns
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Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From thenewamerican.com: http://tinyurl.com/ny5lxn9
Google's war on guns
by Selwyn DUke
July 4, 2014
While its corporate motto is “Don’t be evil,” its critics might say “Don’t be Google.” And this is especially true now that Google is saying “Don’t buy guns.”
The search giant has announced that, starting in September, it will ban advertising of firearms, ammunition, and gun paraphernalia. As Google Support writes on its “Dangerous Products or Services” page, “Our policy: We want to help keep people safe both online and offline, so we don't allow the promotion of some products or services that cause damage, harm, or injury.” Consequently, the ad ban will include, explains the company:
Functional devices that appear to discharge a projectile at high velocity, whether for sport, self-defense, or combat
(Note that we err on the side of caution and apply this policy to sporting or recreational guns that can cause serious harm if misused, or that appear to be real guns.)
Examples: Handguns, rifles, shotguns, hunting guns, functioning antique guns, airsoft guns, paintball guns, bb guns
Any part or component that's necessary to the function of a gun or intended for attachment to a gun
Examples: Gun scopes, ammunition, ammunition clips or belts
But it isn’t just that, to Google, love is not a warm gun. It will also ban ads relating to other weapons, such as tactical, fighting, and military knives; throwing axes; throwing stars; brass knuckles; and crossbows. So we can now all rest assured that the next throwing-star massacre will be averted.
This move by Google is the latest example of an effort to advance gun control via non-legislative means, a movement born of the fact that anti-Second Amendment sentiment has not followed the U.S.' overall leftward lurch, becoming noticeably less prevalent during the last 25 years. In fact, ever since former vice president Al Gore’s 2000 presidential election loss to George W. Bush — which many observers partially attributed to Gore’s anti-Second Amendment positions — Democrat politicians’ support for gun control has been muted. And when they do occasionally advocate it, the consequences can be severe. Last year, for instance, two Colorado legislators were recalled and one was forced to resign after helping to pass gun restrictions in their state.
So different tactics have been embraced. Former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and others attempted to damage firearms manufacturers through lawsuits, but this was blunted legislatively by the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. More recently we learned of the exercise of executive power, with the Department of Justice using “Operation Choke Point” to compel banks and third-party payment processors to stop doing business with companies dealing in guns and their accessories. And Google’s move will have a similar effect, hobbling the firearms industry’s capacity to engage in commerce.
How effective can this be? Consider that as with “Xeroxing,” the genericized term “googling” says about the tech giant’s dominance what statistics confirm. Forbes estimated last year that the corporation accounted for 40 percent of all Internet traffic, while eMarketer.com wrote, “Google earned more than half of the $8.8 billion advertisers worldwide spent on mobile internet ads last year, helping propel the company to take in nearly one-third of all digital ad dollars spent globally.” The company also accounts for 65 percent of all worldwide searches. And note that if only the United States is considered, Google’s dominance should be greater still.
In other words, if the three most important factors in business are location, location, and location, Google would the Miracle Mile strip. And being banned from it is perhaps akin to being relegated to one-horse towns.
Thus is the power of Google. And while the company has a “Take Action” page on which it states “A free and open world depends on a free and open web,” it has long practiced censorship. Google once banned conservative sites such as the New Media Journal, the Jawa Report, and MichNews.com from its news search for being critical of Islam. It has also nixed ads for conservative books and causes while accepting those for liberal ones; it has pandered to the Marxist Chinese regime in allowing the blocking of “‘objectionable’ search terms such as ‘democracy’”; and it “came under fire for an editorial decision to rank news articles in search results by ‘quality,’ giving preferential placement to large and predominately liberal media outlets such as CNN and the BBC over conservative news sources, even if they are more recent or pertinent,” wrote WND.com in 2006. And this behavior gives, remarked NewsBusters’ Noel Sheppard at the time, “one relatively small technological corporation (when measured by the size of its workforce) a degree of political might that frankly dwarfs its current financial prowess.”
That prowess and might have grown in the last eight years, but the tide may be turning a bit as it was reported in 2013 that Google’s share of unique searches had finally dipped slightly. Yet the problem goes beyond Google. As John E. Dunn at PCWorld.com observed in 2010, while “Google has quietly and relentlessly turned itself into the first super-carrier of the Internet era,” the fact is that “the Internet is being moulded by a small and decreasing number of super-carriers.”
So what does this mean for legitimate Internet freedom? When Google speaks of a “free and open web,” it refers to freedom from direct government intervention. But some may wonder how much of a difference this makes if large Internet companies are so few and so intertwined with big government, crony-capitalist style, that their policies and interests start to become virtually indistinguishable.
Internet users do have some recourse, however. First, spread the traffic wealth around. You can use other search engines, at least part of the time, such as Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, and Blekko. There is also DuckDuckGo, which doesn’t store IP addresses or log user information; and, in the same vein, Ixquick, which bills itself as “the world’s most private search engine” and was awarded the very first European Privacy Seal in 2008.
And if you must use Google, remember that 96 percent of its revenue comes from advertising. So a good way to hit the company in the anti-gun pocketbook is by not clicking on its ads; instead, scroll down a bit and click on the website you wish to visit in the regular search results. This enables you to use Google without Google using you. The power is in your consumer hands.
But, hey, whatever you do, don’t be evil. Google may ban you, too.
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17. The hypocrisy that is the liberal left
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Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From gunnews.com: http://tinyurl.com/pg6opnj
The hypocrisy that is the liberal left
by Tom Hudson
July 9, 2014
My sole purpose of the article is simply to expose the liberal left for the hypocrites that they are. I have utter disdain and contempt for the liberal left in this country. I have had readers on this site chide me for calling them anti-gunners, liberals and leftists. I have been told that we cannot call them names because we want them to come to our side in the gun debate.
This is more than wishful thinking; this is deluded thinking. I am not looking to convert liberals. They are beyond help. I am looking for those undecided that may own guns or are considering owning a gun. These are the people that must be converted to our side in the gun debate. This article will help to illuminate the hypocrisy of the liberal left in dealing with gun rights in the political narrative. I will use a very simple example.
This example will show how the left treats guns as the culprit and cause of mass killings, all the while, treating alcohol as a tool and blaming peoples’ misuse of it as a problem.
The obvious correlation is that alcohol does not force itself down a person’s throat and then make them get into a car and drive any more than a gun is the cause of the mass shootings and killings. Both alcohol and firearms, when used responsibly, are perfectly acceptable ways of relaxation and enjoyment. The liberal left does not view any use of firearms as responsible and never comes out against the abuse of alcohol like they do with firearms.
Santa Barbara Stabbings and Shootings
This event cost three people their lives. The first three were stabbed and the remainder were shot. This event sparked proposed laws in the state of California. One of these laws will enable the police to confiscate firearms from anyone who is reported to the police as a danger to themselves or others. This law would suspend due process as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment and infringe upon the Second Amendment.
Olivia Culbreath of Fontana, California had had her license reinstated after being convicted of driving under the influence as a teenager. She was 17 the first time that she was caught driving under the influence. On February 9th of this year, Culbreath was driving under the influence of alcohol when she drove the wrong way down a freeway at 100 mph and collided with an oncoming car. The result of the crash was six fatalities — two in her car and four in the car that she hit.
The Hypocrisy
After the Santa Barbara killings, President Obama said, “The President and First Lady’s thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends who lost a loved one as a result of the horrific shooting.”
After the murder of six people by Olivia Culbreath, Obama said, “…” That’s right—nothing.
Obama on gun control: “Our levels of gun violence are off the charts. There’s no advanced, developed country on Earth that would put up with this. Now, we have a different tradition. We have a Second Amendment.”
Obama on drunk drivers murdering innocent people, “…” Again, nothing.
If a person is convicted of a crime of violence, that person is prevented from owning a gun. All gun purchases made at a licensed dealer must also include a background check of the buyer.
A person convicted of DUI can continue to buy alcohol and drive whenever they please while never undergoing a background check. If the liberal left were honest and consistent, they would require a background check on all alcohol purchases, since alcohol is contributing to mass killings. They would also limit the amount of alcohol that a person can purchase in a given month, just like they have done with firearms in Washington DC and are attempting to do in other areas.
According to Obama, regarding mass shootings, “We’re the only developed country on Earth where this happens. And it happens now once a week. And it’s a one-day story. There’s no place else like this. A couple of decades ago, Australia had a mass shooting similar to Columbine or Newtown. And Australia just said, well, that’s it—we’re not seeing that again. And basically imposed very severe, tough gun laws. And they haven’t had a mass shooting since.”
How many days was the story of the 6 people murdered on a California Freeway? On a state level, one day. On a national day—zero days. When was the last time Obama gave an interview talking about the terrible tragedy that is vehicular homicide? He has never given a speech, interview, or radio address about it, and he never will.
I am not against alcohol. I am for personal accountability. The liberal left is for excuses. Guns are not the problem, people are the problem. The left refuses to accept this. The left wants to blame the guns, while making excuses for the culprit. They want to punish the law-abiding citizens while giving the criminals a pass. Conservatives believe in accountability. If you commit a crime, then you must be punished, regardless of your excuses. The liberals do not believe this, and the proof is in Olivia Culbreath. She was convicted of an alcohol-related driving offense and was given her driver’s license back by the liberal State of California. Had Culbreath used a gun in the commission of a crime, she would never be allowed to own again.
Just this past weekend, another drunk driver killed three people in a single crash on a Utah highway. All people killed were from the same family, including an infant. Did President Obama comment on this killing? No, and he won’t. He won’t comment, because he doesn’t care and it doesn’t fit in his agenda.
The reason that the liberal left focuses on guns is because this is their political agenda. A disarmed citizenry is much easier to control than an armed one. If you don’t believe that, ask the German Jews from the 1930's or the Poles from the late 1930's and 1940's. They don’t go after alcohol because they know that they cannot create unwarranted fear with an alcohol campaign like they can with an anti-gun campaign. They know exactly what will happen if they attempted to make liquor laws stricter. Let’s be honest — they also like the tax revenue that alcohol provides them. I am also fairly sure that one would be able to find all kinds of alcohol within the White House, and they don’t want to tread on their own rights.
Liberals claim that they pass gun control laws for our “safety” — and yet, drunks are allowed to continue driving and purchasing alcohol without penalty, and if there is a penalty, it is negligible. Are liberals really concerned with loss of life? If so, then why are they silent when a drunk kills multiple people, but are pulpit pounding when a gun is used to accomplish the same results? Simply because they are hypocrites.
This article is not about alcohol. It is about two items that are inanimate and not capable of doing anything themselves. One is demonized while the other is ignored. The people who use one of these items (alcohol) to kill people are given light-to-no jail sentences, and are still allowed to possess their weapon of choice, while a firearm offender is restricted from ever owning a firearm again. This is the height of liberal hypocrisy.
The left needs to be called out on their hypocrisy. The Second Amendment is part of the Constitution, whether they like it or not. It is up to us to protect it from people like Obama. The mid-term election is fast approaching, and we need to do our part in getting rid of Obama’s enablers.
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18. [IL] Veteran with concealed carry permit shoots back
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Illinois’ new CHP law is already paying dividends.
From news.yahoo.com: http://tinyurl.com/nx8l9ab
Veteran With Concealed Carry Permit Shoots Back At Chicago Gunman
The Daily Caller
July 6, 2014
One of the spate of shootings that took place in Chicago, Ill. over the July 4th holiday weekend involved a veteran with a concealed carry permit who was forced to a shoot a man who began firing on him and a group of friends.
The incident occurred Friday night, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The veteran and three of his friends were leaving a party on the city’s south side. When the group reached their vehicle, a container with liquor was sitting on top of it. A woman from the group asked another group gathered next door who the liquor belonged to and removed it.
The move angered 22 year-old Denzel Mickiel, who approached the veteran and his friends shouting obscenities. The man then went into his residence and returned with a gun.
As Mickiel opened fire on the group, the veteran took cover near the vehicle’s front fender, according to assistant state attorney Mary Hain, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The veteran fired two shots, hitting Mickiel both times.
Two of Mickiel’s friends also began shooting at the group, which was able to flee the scene in their vehicle.
Mickiel was transported to the hospital and is in critical condition. A woman in the veteran’s group was hit twice – once in the arm and once in the back – but was stabilized and taken to the hospital.
Mickiel is charged with attempted murder and will be held on $950,000 bond.
Had Friday’s shooting occurred a little more than a year ago, the veteran would not have been legally permitted to conceal carry his firearm.
Illinois was the last U.S. state to allow citizens to carry concealed weapons with a permit, finally passing a law on July 9, 2013. The state began issuing conceal carry permits in February.
Seven people died and approximately 50 were injured in shootings that took place in Chicago over the weekend. The city has among the highest violent crime rates among major U.S. cities.
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19. [IL] Police Superintendent: Chicago murders due to 'lax' gun laws
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Chicago police superintendant, not wanting to take the heat for all the murders in Chicago, blames “lax” gun laws. Oh, yeah, Illinois has “lax” gun laws.
Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/kynls4h
Police Superintendent: Chicago murders due to 'lax' gun laws
by Awr Hawkins
July 7, 2014
On July 7 Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said the ongoing gang violence in Chicago is due to "lax state and federal gun laws."
According to CNN, 60 people were shot and 9 killed in Chicago during the long July Fourth weekend.
There were "24 shooting incidents on [July 6] alone."
McCarthy said:
Everybody asks me what's different about New York and Chicago. I can tell you very simply: proliferation of firearms... And something that I've learned over the course of the last three years, being on patrol... [with police officers] who put their lives on the line every single day, is that there's a greater sanction for the gang members to lose that firearm from a gang than there is to go to jail.
He said that when he chased armed suspects in New York they tried to lose the gun, but in Chicago the suspects "keep the guns" and "turn on... officers.”
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20. [IL] 14 dead, 82 shot: Happy Dependence Day, Chicago!
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Member James Durso emailed me this:
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From townhall.com: http://tinyurl.com/qaalfww
14 dead, 82 shot: Happy Dependence Day, Chicago!
by John Ransom
July 8, 2014
Wow, they really know how to celebrate Dependence Day in Chicago. Since the start of the holiday weekend, 14 people have been killed and 82 shot according to the Chicago Tribune. In other circumstances a death toll like that would be considered a mass shooting.
But since the dead just included minorities, mostly black on black crime, Democrats are eager to cover it up, ignore it, and just hope it’s a problem that dies on its own.
They can’t pander to it for gun control now that courts have forced the city to issue weapons permits; all they can do is try to prevent law-abiding citizens from taking the initiative and protecting themselves.
“A Gresham man fired on a group of people leaving a party,” says the Tribune, “only to be shot himself by one of the victims, a military service member with a concealed carry permit, authorities said.”
It was one bright spot for the law abiding in an otherwise very dependent Dependence Day weekend in the Windy City.
Because still, the city continues to stonewall issuing concealed carry permits. the paper reports. Meeting in secret, with no minutes, and no accountability, the review board in charge of issuing permits has rejected 800 applications with no reason given.
One rejected permit belonged to Michael Thomas, a black man, who routinely carried weapons in the military and has no criminal record.
“After taking a firearms training course, paying a host of fees, and submitting fingerprints for a background check that he ultimately passed, Michael Thomas was puzzled when he was notified earlier this year that a special review board had denied his application for a concealed carry license,” reports the Trib.
And make no mistake, it’s because he’s black that the permits have been denied in Chicago. And that’s because blacks in Chicago typically vote for Democrats, one of the vilest, most racist, most soul-killing expression of politics in our history.
And whatever else may be said about Democrats and Republicans when it comes to issues of race, I for one, am not willing to ignore the holocaust going on in the black communities in Chicago, or in other urban areas.
The holocaust’s most obvious expression is in the mass casualty events that happen daily in cities like Chicago and Detroit. But the holocaust isn’t confined to just the obvious.
It also resides in black unemployment, which is almost 11 percent. Compare that to 5.3 percent unemployment in white communities, 5.1 percent in Asian communities and 7.8 percent in Hispanic communities. Were it not for part time work and those who dropped out of the labor force, the unemployment numbers in black America would rival those of the Great Depression.
Hey, things are great for white folks, the Democrats seem to be saying, so what the heck?
The statistics tell a similarly miserable story when it comes to education and learning, life expectancy, male incarceration rates, and income inside the black community.
When it comes to quantifiable ways of comparing black communities to their peers, Democrat policies are failing, if not at the polls, then certainly in the actuarial tables.
In fact, the party on the left has built that failure directly into the system.
The Democrats ban guns, which means that only criminals have guns, yet citizens can’t rely on the police to protect them.
That’s because the city is too busy paying the constitutionally protected union benefits of government workers to be able to pay for proper policing.
Instead, the city is sending in cops on bikes. Yes, cops on bikes now patrol the worst of the worst of the city's neighborhoods to prevent crime.
What black people in Chicago need is their very own Tea Party.
And a Republican Party that has just a hint of imagination when it comes to helping the historic black constituency that it was first formed to protect.
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21. [CT] Who needs a gun in a school?
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If the witness, a school staff member, had been armed, perhaps the young girl would be alive today.
Member Bill Hine emailed me this:
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From cnn.com: http://tinyurl.com/lec8d3r
Teen girl killed in Connecticut high school; male classmate arrested
by Lena Jakobsson and Greg Botelho
April 26, 2014
(CNN) -- A 16-year-old girl, described by her family as "a bright light full of hopes and dreams," died inside her Connecticut high school on Friday after being slashed in her neck, chest and face, authorities said.
The alleged assailant, a 16-year-old male classmate, was removed by staff members at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Connecticut, that town's police said.
He's being held at a local medical facility and a murder charge is pending, officials said. He'll be arraigned on this charge next Monday in a juvenile court in New Haven, though police note that courts will decide later if he will be tried as an adult.
The incident began around 7 a.m. in a stairwell at the school, and was witnessed in part by at least one school staff member.
The victim -- Maren Sanchez, a junior -- suffered "multiple lacerations" and investigators "recovered a knife at the crime scene," police said. The Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner's Office has yet to officially determine a cause of death.
School staff members and emergency technicians attempted "life-saving measures," according to Milford Police Chief Keith Mello, but Sanchez was pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital at 7:43 a.m.
Addressing reporters on Friday, the police chief didn't provide a motive but said investigators are looking into rumors a boy was angry because Sanchez had declined to go to the prom with him.
The prom, scheduled for Friday night, has been postponed. All students were sent home, and Milford Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Feser said counseling services will be available to them throughout the weekend.
The slain girl's cousin, Edward Kovac, read a statement from her family lamenting what they called an "unprovoked attack" that ended the life of a young woman who had "her future at her fingertips."
"Maren should be celebrating at her prom this evening, with her friends and classmates," the family said, via Kovac. "Instead, we are mourning her death, and we are trying as a community to understand this senseless loss of life."
The family statement recalled other cases of school violence, saying "we can never forget the lessons ... from this" and other incidents. One of those incidents happened about 22 miles away, in December 2012 in Newtown, when a lone gunman shot his mother to death, then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 people, including 20 children, before taking his own life.
"We need to ensure that more young children are protected from violent attacks at school," the family said.
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22. [WA] Veteran unlawfully disarmed and arrested [VIDEO]
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Member Jason Ward emailed me this:
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From thefreethoughtproject.com: http://tinyurl.com/mwf3ueu
Warning: infuriating video. Veteran unlawfully disarmed and arrested
by Matt Agorist
July 6, 2014
Mack Worley is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He honorably served his country for almost 6 years before being medically retired.
On June 29, 2013 Worley was unlawfully detained, disarmed and arrested for legally open carrying his rifle in Vancouver, WA.
He was charged with trespassing, despite being on a public sidewalk. He was also charged with “displaying a weapon” even though open carry is legal in the state of Washington.
Worley is currently fighting these charges.
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23. [TX] Who needs a gun at home?
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Determined to commit murder, the bad guy dressed as a Fedex delivery man to do so.
Member Paul Kent emailed me this:
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From wtop.com: http://tinyurl.com/o8h4lau
Gunman demanded to know ex-wife's whereabouts
by Michael Graczyk
July 11, 2014
SPRING, Texas (AP) -- A man charged with killing four children and their parents forced his way into the family's suburban Houston home, tied them up and shot them in the back of the head when they refused to tell him where his ex-wife was, authorities said Thursday.
The lone survivor of the attack, the slain couple's 15-year-old daughter, suffered a fractured skull when a bullet grazed her head. She played dead and called 911 after Ronald Lee Haskell left the house, prosecutors said at a court hearing.
A day after the slayings, investigators slowly built a picture of Haskell, who was the couple's estranged brother-in-law.
The 33-year-old man is accused of killing his ex-wife's sister, Katie Stay, and her husband and the children, ranging in age from 4 to 14, after binding them and putting the family face-down on the floor of their home.
Haskell had a handful of previous run-ins with law enforcement in Utah, where he had lived with his wife. Neighbors said Haskell's marriage was so rocky that Stay went to Utah last fall to help her sister escape the relationship and start a new life in Texas.
Stay "was very instrumental in helping her sister get here so she could have a fresh start. Katie's a spitfire. She has energy to stand up for what she believes is right and true," said Verena Beckstrand, a neighbor who choked back tears as she talked about the family.
Haskell had previously been jailed in 2008 in Logan, about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City, on charges of assault and domestic violence. His wife told police he dragged her by her hair and struck her in the head in front of their children.
Those charges were later dismissed as part of a plea deal, according to information released Thursday by Logan authorities.
Haskell was also served last year with a protective order from his ex-wife. It was dismissed in October after the couple filed for divorce, online court records show.
By Thursday morning, a small memorial with three candles and a plant had been set up at the front door of the family's two-story white-brick and brown wood-trimmed home. A couple with a child left a framed photo of the family with the inscription "Faith, Hope, Love."
"I don't think any of us will ever be able to see that house the same again," said Viri Palacios, who lives across the street. "I just want the word to get out they were a really, really good family."
The father, Stephen Stay, was a real estate broker. The mother was a helpful presence around the neighborhood, planning Halloween and Christmas parties for children, Palacios said.
A few blocks from the home at Lemm Elementary School, Principal Kathy Brown tied multi-colored ribbons around trees in front of the building and encouraged parents to do the same.
"It's to have positive bright thoughts about the family," Brown said, noting that two of the slain children had attended school there and a third had graduated from Lemm.
Documents from Thursday's preliminary court hearing say that the daughter who survived attempted to close the door after telling Haskell her parents were not home. But he allegedly kicked it in. The teen remained in critical condition in a Houston hospital.
In a statement, issued Thursday through the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Katie Stay's father, Roger Lyon, said his 15-year-old granddaughter "is expected to make a full recovery."
When the badly wounded daughter contacted authorities, she told them the gunman was planning to shoot other relatives, Harris County Constable Ron Hickman said. Police located Haskell's car and took him into custody after a three-hour standoff.
"We are grateful for this miracle," Lyon said in his statement. "We are in awe of her bravery and courage in calling 911, an act that is likely to have saved all of our lives. She is our hero."
Haskell was wearing a FedEx shirt at the time of the attack, but authorities seemed uncertain whether it was a deliberate attempt to deceive.
Hickman initially said Haskell showed up at the Stay home "in the guise of a FedEx driver."
But he and other officials later declined to say whether Haskell used the uniform to gain access to the home. Hickman said investigators were not sure whether the suspect would have needed a disguise to get in the house, or if the children knew him.
Haskell had once done work for FedEx but not since January, the company said in a statement.
Online jail records did not list an attorney for Haskell, who was initially misidentified by authorities as the slain children's father. Police did not explain the mistake.
A divorce decree issued in February shows Haskell and Melanie Kaye Haskell were married in 2002 in Orange County, California. They separated in June 2013.
A judge granted joint custody of the couple's four children, ranging in age from 3 to 11, with Haskell's wife getting primary custody.
At the time of the divorce, Haskell was making $2,300 a month, although the records do not say what kind of work he did. He was ordered to pay $773 per month in child support. His wife was given the house, valued at $190,000, in the small town of Smithfield, Utah, just outside Logan.
On Thursday, the sheriff's office in San Diego County, California, said that Haskell's mother reported an argument with her son July 2 at her home in San Marcos, California. A statement from the sheriff's office says at one point Karla Haskell tried to leave the house to call for help, but her son physically restrained her and kept her from leaving. Ronald Haskell finally left after a few hours, and his mother contacted 911, the statement says. She later obtained a restraining order against her son.
That case is still under investigation, according to the statement.
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24. [FL] Miami-Dade Police urge residents to arm themselves after possible budget cuts
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Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
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From truthrevolt.com: http://tinyurl.com/m3wcrf3
Miami-Dade Police urge residents to arm themselves after possible budget cuts
by Yehuda Remer
July 10, 2014
John Rivera, president of the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association, has warned Florida residents to arm themselves because the police are not coming.
Speaking to WSVN News, Rivera said, “If the mayor’s not going to provide security, then my recommendation, as an experienced law enforcement officer for nearly 40 years, is either buy yourself an attack dog, put bars on your windows and doors and get yourself some firearms because you’re going to have to protect yourselves.”
The comments were made after Mayor Carlos Gimenez decided to cut $64 million from his 2014-2015 budget resulting in a possible loss of 600 police jobs to the county.
Miami-Dade is the largest local law enforcement department in the state, and one of the top ten in the country, serving 2.5 million people.
Guns.com reports, “Several specialized units including the Incident Management Team, Sport Unit, Tactical Narcotics Team, and one of the three Special Response Teams in the city would be disbanded. The department would be forced to shutter one of its nine stations, specifically the Midwest District Station, as well as closing the Corrections Department’s “Boot Camp” rehabilitation program for young inmates.”
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25. [GA] Target's gun ban has unexpected results
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Member Clayton Rhoades emailed me this:
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From inquisitr.com: http://tinyurl.com/oj88qys
Target's gun ban has unexpected results as assailants attack stores' unarmed customers
July 9, 2014
Three days ago, Target enacted a new policy in which they asked customers to politely leave their guns at home or not bring them on the premises of any Target store. This was probably decided after a loaded gun was found in the toy aisle of one of their stores as reported here on The Inquisitr. [PVC: A felon planted that gun and was caught after an investigation by the police.]
Unfortunately, their gun ban policy is proving to be problematic as numerous reports are coming in about Target’s customers getting robbed at gunpoint.
According to reports, including one in the Gainesville Times, Target shoppers at two different stores in Georgia have been robbed by armed assailants since the discount retailer announced the policy on July 2, 2014.
Perhaps as a reaction to the robberies, Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said that there was no ban on guns, and it was just a “request” that the company hoped customers would honor. She said there would be no signs banning guns nor would customers with a gun be asked to leave.
Unfortunately, similar incidents have taken place at other Target stores. This includes a woman having her purse and car stolen by an armed assailant at a Target in Atlanta, and a man who was robbed of $500 at gunpoint at a Target on Shallowford Road, which is about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
It is possible Target didn’t understand that many gun-related crimes occur in gun-free zones, and their statement, though technically not banning guns, may have been enough to give the perception that their stores are easy pickings for would be criminals.
Jerry Henry, executive director for the website GeorgiaCarry.org, had this to say about Target:
“That’s what happens in gun-free zones. They actually should be called victim-enrichment zones because that what they are. If anyone want to commit a crime with impunity, take your gun where there are no guns. You can do what you want, get in and get out and there’s nobody to stop you.”
Prior to the incidents, the policy was getting both positive and negative feedback, especially on the Denver Post. What is unknown right now is if reports of Target customers being robbed at gunpoint will make the store reword or rethink their policy.
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VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]