VA-ALERT: VCDL Update 10/19/14

[OakRidgeStars]

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Not yet a VCDL member? Join VCDL at: http://www.vcdl.org/join
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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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1. Reminders: Meetings in Charlottesville and Annandale this week!
2. Lobby Day is coming up on January 19th! Mark your calendars and plan on being there
3. Virginia Beach partially blinks on making a criminal out of gun owners who take “too long” to report a stolen gun
4. Clarification on Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club “fun day” coming up on the 25th
5. Hanover Commonwealth Attorney still not denying that he might prosecute someone using Tannerite targets as manufacturing explosives
6. Moveon.org going after open carry
7. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus stand their ground against “free speech zones” at campus [VIDEO]
8. Army Corps of Engineers in Idaho told by judge that ban on firearms is unconstitutional
9. Update: Newport News man arrested in shooting of ODU student
10. Va Tech crime alert
11. Arlington leaders: We have virtually no power to regulate private gun sales
12. Gifford's attack on pro-gun candidate backfires, hurts own image
13. Bloomberg can't find enough anti-gun candidates to support
14. How silencers actually work [INFOGRAPHIC]
15. MDA member fan of Dr. Joseph Goebbles - Nazi propaganda minister
16. States with the highest and lowest rates of gun deaths
17. Best states for concealed carry 2014
18. How common are school shootings?
19. [OH] Police say Ohio gas station clerk kills 2 robbers
20. [MO] Felon facing gun charge cites new gun law in defense
21. [GA] Police: Man was shot at Prado Target store during drug deal
22. [OK] Police: 11 year old shoots man stabbing her mom
23. [OK] Man beheads woman, stabs 2nd victim day after being fired from job
24. [FL] IF the Teacher had been Armed, I think the outcome would be different
25. [TX] Gun-toting pastor stops alleged thief [VIDEO]
26. How gun control made England the 'most violent country in Europe’

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1. Reminders: Meetings in Charlottesville and Annandale this week!
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21
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The next VCDL meeting in the Charlottesville Area will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 21st at the Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club (www.rrpc.org). We will precede the meeting with a potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed immediately by the meeting. Those of you who can bring a dish to share please do. The main course and drinks will be provided. If you can't bring a dish, please don't let that stop you from joining us for dinner...there is always plenty! ***If you are attending the dinner please be sure to RSVP with the number of people who will be eating!****

Our topics will be the upcoming legislative session, the recent ruling by the State Attorney General on the legality of Tannerite and other firearms related topics. This will be our final meeting in the area for 2014 so you won't want to miss it!

For those of you who have never been to RRPC, this is a great opportunity to check out the facilities. You need not be a member of RRPC or VCDL to attend this meeting. In fact, we encourage you to bring a friend.

Details:

When: Tuesday, October 21
Dinner 6:30 p.m.
Meeting 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Where: Rivanna Rifle And Pistol Club
Clubhouse
1570 Old Lynchburg Road
Charlottesville, VA

Directions: From Interstate 64, take exit #120 SOUTH (5th Street Exit). Travel 4 miles to range on right

RSVP: By email to Pat.Webb@vcdl.org
Include the number of people attending dinner (e.g. 10/21 meeting, 3 for dinner)
No need to RSVP if you are only attending meeting


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ANNANDALE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23
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VCDL will have its regular monthly meeting in Annandale on Thursday, October 23, at the Mason District Government Center.

U.S. Senate candidate Robert Sarvis (Libertarian) will speak at the meeting. There is an open invitation to Ed Gillespie and Mark Warner to do the same.

Fellowship starts at 7:30 PM and the meeting is called to order at 8:00 PM.

The meeting is open to the public, so bring along some friends and family!

Directions: http://vcdl.org/node/180


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2. Lobby Day is coming up on January 19th! Mark your calendars and plan on being there
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The anti-gun Democratic leadership in the Virginia Senate is out of power for the upcoming session, by a 21 to 19 Republican majority. This will be an important opportunity to get more of our agenda moved forward. Please plan on attending VCDL’s Lobby Day so we can once again flood the building with orange “Guns Save Lives Stickers” and push for new “Carry Anywhere” agenda to end gun-free zones.

NOW is the time to get the day off (if you don’t already have it off, as it is a federal holiday - Martin Luther King’s birthday, Monday, January 19). Lobby Day starts at 8:30 AM. At 11 AM we will have a rally at the Bell Tower on the southwest corner of the Capitol.

It’s a holiday, so you can park in the street without having to put money in the parking meters.


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3. Virginia Beach partially blinks on making a criminal out of gun owners who take “too long” to report a stolen gun
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Virginia Beach is backing down from its request that the General Assembly pass a law making it a crime if a person has their gun stolen and doesn’t report it within 48 hours of knowing. They have changed the proposed bill to make such a thing a civil penalty only.

VCDL still opposes the concept, as it is “piling on" a citizen who is already a victim of a crime. This is a solution in search of a problem.

I am quoted in the story below, which includes some video.

From wtkr.com: http://tinyurl.com/k23n7r8


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4. Clarification on Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club “fun day” coming up on the 25th
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RRPC "Fun Day" is only open to RRPC club members & their invited guests.

But we do need volunteers to help at the VCDL booth at the event. If you can help, contact EM Brandy Polanowski at: brandy.polanowski@vcdl.org

Location: Rivanna Rifle & Pistol Club
1570 Old Lynchburg Road
Charlottesville, VA

Directions: From Interstate 64, take exit 120 SOUTH and travel 4 miles to range on right


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5. Hanover Commonwealth Attorney still not denying that he might prosecute someone using Tannerite targets as manufacturing explosives
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Even after the Attorney General released a formal opinion to Chesterfield County that Tannerite is a legal substance in Virginia if used in its intended manner, the Hanover Commonwealth Attorney, Trip Chalkley III, told VCDL EM Pat Webb that he wouldn’t rule out possible prosecutions for its use.

In sort of a legal tap-dance, he said that he wouldn’t prosecute a case he couldn’t win and he probably couldn’t win a case with Tannerite being used as an exploding target. The implication was, of course, that he could still try to prosecute somebody in the future.

Pat is also in contact with the Hanover Sheriffs Department over the Tannerite issue.

VCDL continues to monitor the situation. If anyone in Virginia is harassed by Hanover or any other jurisdiction for the use of Tannerite in exploding targets, contact me about it immediately: president@vcdl.org.


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6. Moveon.org going after open carry
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Moveon.org thinks you have too much liberty here in Virginia and is making a push to prohibit open carry of firearms. Here is what they sent out to their followers:

Dear Virginia MoveOn member,

I'm K. Schröder, a MoveOn member in Richmond, Virginia, and I started a petition to the Virginia General Assembly and Governor Terry McAuliffe, which says:

Private citizens should not be allowed to carry firearms openly in public; this creates a provocative and intimidating environment for the general public. [PVC: Perhaps Moveon.org should be banned from being in public, as much of what they do is provocative and intimidating.]

The open carrying of firearms on the streets and in places like restaurants, grocery stores, malls, playgrounds, parks and neighborhoods intimidates the public, wastes law enforcement resources, and increases the risk that someone will be injured or killed from the accidental or intentional use of firearms. Open-carry advocates create a potentially dangerous situation. When law enforcement is called to a "man with a gun" call, they are responding to a situation about which they have few details other than that one or more people are present at a location and are armed. Consequently, the law enforcement response is one of "hypervigilant urgency" in order to protect the public from an armed threat. [PVC: they have no facts to back up any of these assertions and imagined scenarios.]

All 50 states now have some form of concealed carry; open carry is no longer a necessary option. The carrying of unloaded rifles has absolutely no defensive utility other than to be used for the express purpose of intimidation. Simply because one has the "right" to do something does not make it the right thing to do. [PVC: Oh, that’s rich coming from the likes of Moveon.org. If Moveon.org deems someone else’s rights bothersome, they push to get that right banned?]

Thanks!

–K. Schröder


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7. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus stand their ground against “free speech zones” at campus [VIDEO]
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Free speech? What free speech? This is a college campus!

From theblaze.com: http://tinyurl.com/mknpbe7 [VIDEO]


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8. Army Corps of Engineers in Idaho told by judge that ban on firearms is unconstitutional
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This only affects Idaho at this time, but it is a good start.

From guns.com: http://tinyurl.com/qc95owe


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9. Update: Newport News man arrested in shooting of ODU student
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Who needs a gun around ODU?

Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:


From dailypress.com: http://tinyurl.com/ksqvfp9


UPDATE: Newport News man arrested in shooting of ODU student
Daily Press
October 13, 2014

UPDATE Oct. 13, 2014: A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the shooting of an Old Dominion University student on Sept. 20, Norfolk police said.

Roy M. Atkins, of the 100 block of Tyler Avenue in Newport News, was charged with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in commission of a felony, according to a news release.

Atkins was arrested in Williamsburg by police officers there working with the Norfolk Police Fugitive Squad, the release stated.

He was in the custody of the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail and being extradited to Norfolk, police said.

--

September 20, 2014 04:54 PM: A student at Old Dominion University has been hospitalized after being shot early Saturday morning near the school's campus.

According to an alert email sent to ODU students, campus police officers responded with Norfolk Police to the sound of gunshots on Killam Avenue at 43rd Street in Norfolk.

An ODU student was shot and transported to a local hospital with wounds that did not appear life-threatening, the alert said.

The Norfolk Police are leading the investigation.


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10. Va Tech crime alert
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EM John Wilburn emailed me this:

Who needs a gun at Virginia Tech? This guy acts eerily similar to Ted Bundy with the cast and all.


Email from VTPolice:
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2014 4:31 PM
Subject: Crime Alert

On September 20, 2014, at approximately 8:12 p.m., the following incident was reported to the Virginia Tech Police Department.

The victim stated that she was waiting at the bus stop located on West Campus Drive in the area of Litton Reeves Hall when she was approached by an unknown male. She reported that the man said he was not from the area and he was looking for directions to a party on Penn Street.

The victim provided him with directions, and the man then asked if she would ride with him to the location on Penn Street since he was not familiar with the area. The victim declined his request. The man asked her several times to ride with him and she continued to decline.

At some point the male put his hand on the victim's shoulder and the victim had to pull away to remove his hand from her shoulder. The victim was not injured.

This incident was reported as a simple assault in the Virginia Tech Police Department Daily Crime Log on September 22, 2014.

The victim reported no other use of force by the man, and he did not convey any other threats or coercion. When the victim indicated she was calling a friend, the man then left the bus stop and crossed West Campus Drive toward Harper Hall. The witness believes the man may have gotten into a dark colored sport utility vehicle when he left the area.

The man was described as Caucasian or Hispanic, approximately 5 foot, 6 inches, average build, with short brown hair. He was wearing shorts and a soccer t-shirt with the word "Portugal" printed on the back. He had a cast on one arm.

The Virginia Tech Police Department reminds all community members of the following general safety information. Note that this information is general in nature and does not necessarily relate to any specific incident.

* Victims are never responsible for the offenders' behavior.
* Trust your instincts. If you feel uneasy or sense something is wrong, do what you can to get out of that situation or call for assistance.
* Do not accept rides from, or leave in the company of, persons you do not know.
* Use and encourage others to have a companion or a safe means of getting home, i.e., a trusted friend, taxi, or Safe Ride if available.
* Be active in supporting a safe and respectful community. If you see others engaging in disrespectful, inappropriate or illegal actions, speak up and get involved, or contact someone else to assist. For more information, see: www.stopabuse.vt.edu/bystander.php.
* If you have imminent concerns for the safety of others, call the police to ask for assistance.
* CARRY A GUN FOR SELF-DEFENSE [PVC: Just kidding. That was my addition. Virginia Tech would never provide such a commonsense recommendation.]

The Virginia Tech Police Department offers a range of personal safety programs, including a Rape Aggression Defense course. For more information: www.police.vt.edu/VTPD_v2.1/selfdefense.html.


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11. Arlington leaders: We have virtually no power to regulate private gun sales
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I can hear the violins playing a sorrowful tune as I right this. The Arlington County Board of Supervisors doesn’t have the power to crush a gun dealer who has complied with all the laws - federal, state and local. Even Stalin would be depressed about such a sad state of affairs.

(As I have said for a long time - the worst tyranny I have seen is at the local level.)


Member Timothy Wise emailed me this:


From insidenova.com: http://tinyurl.com/q2n3nol


Arlington leaders: We have virtually no power to regulate gun sales out of homes
by Scott McCaffrey
September 22, 2014

Arlington County Board members on Sept. 20 said they were concerned about the sale of guns from a private residence in one county neighborhood, but because the property owner has complied with all federal, state and local rules, they had no power to intervene.

“The short answer would be ‘no’ – we don’t have much if any authority,” County Attorney Stephen MacIsaac said when asked by County Board members about the subject at the board’s first meeting since a two-month hiatus.

At issue is the sale of weapons from a home in the Fairlington community. The matter was first raised at a meeting of the Fairlington Civic Association, and was first reported by the Arlington Yupette blog.

Virginia localities largely are handcuffed by state and federal law from interfering with those who have received the applicable permits to sell weapons. “We can only do what the state tells us we can do,” said County Board member Libby Garvey, who lives in Fairlington.

Apparently, the individual – who has worked, so far unsuccessfully, to find a retail location in Arlington for the business – has complied with state and local regulations as well as local zoning and licensing requirements.

County Board Chairman Jay Fisette, who attended the monthly Fairlington Civic Federation meeting, said he commiserated with residents of the community.

“I completely understand the angst,” Fisette said. “I do not doubt for a minute that having that kind of activity in your neighborhood is unnerving.”


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12. Gifford's attack on pro-gun candidate backfires, hurts own image
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Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:


From breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/nhot8d8


GIFFORDS' ATTACK AD ON PRO-GUN CANDIDATE BACKFIRES, HURTS OWN IMAGE
by AWR HAWKINS
September 20, 2014

On September 17 Breitbart News reported that Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS)--the gun control group founded by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly--was running an ad attacking GOP Congressional candidate Martha McSally for defending the Second Amendment.

In the ad, family members who lost other family members to criminal misuse of a guns were paraded before the camera in an emotional plea meant to shame McSally into turning her back on gun rights.

On September 19 the Arizona Republic condemned the ad, saying it "waves the bloody shirt" by taking "the tragic death of two innocents" and trying to lay them at McSally's feet. The Republic says the ad's "base and vile" approach is hurting Giffords' image while leaving McSally untouched.

The Republic says the ad is "more than Hardball politics," it's the "[exploitation] of a family's tragedy to score cheap political points."

McSally is running against Representative Ron Barber (D-AZ) for the seat in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District. It is the same seat Giffords held when she was in Congress.

Barber supports placing more gun control on the American people. McSally says we don't need more laws, rather, we need enforcement of the laws already on the books.


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13. Bloomberg can't find enough anti-gun candidates to support
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All that money to throw at gun control and so few politicians that are eligible to take it. Poor Mr. Bloomberg, his life must be awfully hard. He’s being forced to support some candidates who are pretty much guaranteed to win without his help.

Member Mark Shinn emailed me this:


From washingtontimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/k7ahqxa


Bloomberg can’t find enough anti-gun candidates to support
Everytown for Gun Safety midterm elections endorsement list heavy on ‘safe’ Democrats
by David Sherfinski
September 25, 2014

Former New York Mayor MichaelR. Bloomberg’s gun control group announced a round of candidate endorsements this week, but his plan to pour $50 million into gun control efforts appears to be struggling to find campaigns to back in nationally watched races.

Everytown for Gun Safety released its inaugural endorsement list and named candidates from 28 states: 17 U.S. Senate candidates, 61 candidates for the U.S. House and 32 candidates for state offices.

The group also endorsed several Republican candidates for the U.S. House in safe GOP districts and Sen. Susan M. Collins of Maine, who also is expected to win re-election. Everytown also announced that it will run television ads supporting Oregon Gov. John A. Kitzhaber and Rep. Robin L. Kelly of Illinois, both Democrats in safe races.

The group is backing Democrats in close Senate races in Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina and elsewhere, but some key Democrats in such races aren’t on the list. In addition, more than half of the U.S. House candidates with endorsements are in districts that political analysts deem to be safely in Democrats’ hands, suggesting trouble finding high-profile candidates who could stand to benefit from Mr. Bloomberg’s help.

“These are candidates who have shown leadership in the fight to keep our communities safe from gun violence both on the state and federal level,” said Everytown President John Feinblatt.

With a potential budget of $50 million, Everytown has resources to pour into races, but financial support has been limited.

Recent spending includes $12,500 on behalf of Ms. Kelly for production costs associated with a Web video and $18,400 in support of Chuck Riley, a former state representative in Oregon running for state Senate.

Other spending by the group isn’t tied directly to races this year.

This month, it launched a six-figure ad campaign protesting supermarket chain Kroger’s policies permitting open carry of loaded firearms while prohibiting items such as skateboards. It also ran television ads in the District of Columbia, Arizona, Nevada and New Hampshire over the summer in an effort to raise awareness about domestic violence and guns.

Less than two years after the Newtown school shooting spree, the lack of focus on guns in the election campaigns is stark.

“It is not an issue Democrats are using in any general way,” said Floyd Ciruli, a Denver-based pollster. “There are obviously some exceptions, but not many.”

A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg said the stated $50 million figure is not necessarily meant for campaigns, but represents what he plans to spend on the issue through Everytown’s educational and advocacy efforts and through personal expenditures.

Spokesman Stu Loeser also said the former mayor is preparing more direct expenditures and additional contributions. He pointed to $2.5 million Mr. Bloomberg already has given this cycle to Senate Majority PAC and $2 million to a committee affiliated with the pro-choice abortion group Emily’s List.

Senate Majority PAC is the organization closely affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat. Emily’s List generally backs Democratic candidates.

The Senate Majority PAC has spent millions opposing Rep. Tom Cotton in the Senate race in Arkansas against Sen. Mark L. Pryor, who can hardly be counted as a Bloomberg ally.

Mr. Pryor released an ad confronting Mr. Bloomberg after the billionaire’s group, formerly known as Mayors Against Illegal Guns, went after the Democrat for voting against a measure to increase background checks for gun purchases in April 2013.

The Reid-affiliated PAC also is backing other Democratic candidates who have been at odds with Mr. Bloomberg’s agenda, such as Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska, who also voted against the background check legislation, and Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky, who aired an ad showing her firing a gun to prove her gun rights bona fides.

Some Democrats did tout the endorsements this week.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, running to replace outgoing Gov. Martin O’Malley, and Don Beyer, a Democrat running to replace retiring Rep. James P. Moran in a solidly Democratic district in Northern Virginia, expressed their delight at gaining Everytown’s backing.

“It appears as though [Mr. Bloomberg is] trying to buy himself some headlines by investing in only safe races,” said Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association.

Most recently, Mr. Bloomberg’s Independence USA political action committee spent $150,000 attacking Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, an outspoken gun rights advocate who narrowly won his Democratic primary last month.

Independence USA also gave $250,000 apiece to groups supporting incumbent Republican Sens. Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina in their primary contests, both of which involve beating back challengers supported by the tea party.

The Bloomberg group last year put about $2.2 million into supporting Ms. Kelly in a special election and more than $700,000 in support of Sen. Cory A. Booker New Jersey Democrat.

Another competitive race where Everytown is getting involved is Colorado’s Senate seat, where Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat, is trying to hold on against a challenge from Rep. Cory Gardner.

Two state-level Democrats in Colorado lost recall elections as a result of their support of Gov. John Hickenlooper’s push for gun controls in the wake of the December 2012 Newtown school shootings, making Mr. Bloomberg’s support controversial.

“Coloradans have repeatedly rejected Michael Bloomberg’s radical gun control agenda and they will reject Sen. Udall in November,” said Gardner spokesman Alex Siciliano.

In Arizona, Everytown has endorsed Rep. Ron Barber, an Arizona Democrat who was shot by a deranged gunman in the same January 2011 spree that killed six people and wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Ms. Giffords’ own super PAC, Americans for Responsible Solutions, has raised $17 million this year and is working to boost candidates who support gun control efforts.

But Everytown has devoted much of its resources this year to state-level initiatives. It has given $1 million to the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, which is pushing a ballot initiative to tighten background checks for gun purchases in the state.

The group also has contributed more than $130,000 to an unsuccessful campaign against a ballot initiative in Missouri to reaffirm state residents’ Second Amendment rights.


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14. How silencers actually work [INFOGRAPHIC]
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For those who like technical stuff.

Member James Durso emailed me this:


From businessinsider.com: http://tinyurl.com/lhm6ssx


This Awesome Infographic Shows How Silencers Actually Work
by Jeremy Bender
September 23, 2014

Silencers are a greatly misunderstood component of firearms, due in large part to their portrayal in video games and actions movies.

Although silencers can greatly reduce the noise of a firearms, they do not eliminate the sound of a gunshot completely. Instead, silencers limit the noise to a hearing-safe level, keeping a firearm's burst below 140 decibels.

A pistol equipped with a silencer, for example, is slightly louder than a thunder clap — while being a tad quieter than a dish breaking.

The main benefit of silencers isn't in the element of surprise, but in helping to reduce hearing damage. Hearing loss is the most common disability claimed by veterans.

The following infographic from SilencerCo helps clarify some basic facts about firearm silencers.


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15. MDA member fan of Dr. Joseph Goebbles - Nazi propaganda minister
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At least it explains this person’s attraction to Moms Demand Action.


From homeguntraining.wordpress.com: http://tinyurl.com/q3h4gow


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16. States with the highest and lowest rates of gun deaths
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Member Bill Watkins emailed me this:

Hey DC! How's that gun control thingy working out for you?


From cbsnews.com: http://tinyurl.com/mvq9yhg


States with the highest and lowest rates of gun deaths
by Mary Elizabeth Dallas
September 19, 2014

Hawaii has the lowest rate of gun deaths in the United States, while the District of Columbia has the highest, according to new research.

Over the past decade, deaths from gun-related violence -- including murders, suicides and unintentional shootings -- varied widely across the United States, the study revealed. Hawaii's rate was roughly three per 100,000 citizens. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the District of Columbia had the highest rate of gun deaths, with about 22 per 100,000 citizens.

Aside from geography, race/ethnicity also played a role in gun death rates. The national rate of gun deaths was twice as high among black people as it was among whites. The researchers noted, however, that the number of black people killed as a result of gun violence fell in seven states and the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, gun deaths involving white people fell in only four states.

Gun deaths among Hispanics also declined in four states, while gun deaths involving non-Hispanics increased in nine states, according to the study published online Sept. 18 in BMJ Open.

The research, led by Bindu Kalesan, an assistant professor at Columbia University in New York City, examined all recorded gun deaths in the United States between 2000 and 2010.

The study also found that gun-related deaths increased in both Florida and Massachusetts. In these states, there were more gun deaths among whites and non-Hispanics. These states also reported an increase in gun-related murder rates.

The researchers pointed out these trends do not seem to reflect gun-control efforts and law in individual states. For example, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence ranked Massachusetts the third most restrictive state for firearm legislation in 2011.After Massachusetts passed a tough law restricting gun use in 1998, gun ownership rates dropped sharply, but violent crimes and murders increased. The influx of firearms from nearby states with weaker firearm laws could be to blame, the researchers suggested in a journal news release.

Meanwhile, in 2011 the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence ranked Florida the 40th most restrictive state for firearm legislation. Although Florida gun deaths increased, the state had an overall drop in violent crime from 2000 to 2010.

The study authors concluded that curbing gun violence may require reducing access to firearms and strengthening interstate border controls to prevent the transport of guns.

Aside from D.C., states with fewer gun-related deaths over the decade include: Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New York and North Carolina.

The drop in firearm death rates in California was largely the result of a decline in the number of gun-related suicides. Across the United States, however, the number of gun-related murders and suicides did not change between 2000 and 2010. Nationally, deaths resulting from unintentional shootings dropped significantly, the study found.


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17. Best states for concealed carry 2014
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Virginia is #10 on the list.

Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:


From gunsandammo.com: http://tinyurl.com/pxrt5me


Best States for Concealed Carry 2014
by G&A Staff
September 24th, 2014

It has been nearly 30 years since Florida started the CCW ball rolling across the nation and the modern concealed carry revolution began. Since that time, the national pendulum has swung to the point of shall-issue carry laws being the rule rather than the exception. Even Illinois has joined the ranks of Right to Carry states, and it’s possible that we could see permits issued in D.C. before the year is out. Things are good and looking even better for Americans who exercise their right to self-preservation by means of carrying a concealed firearm. At this stage, shall-issue is the most common method of issuance, with 40 states offering licenses without discretion as long as an applicant meets distinct criteria stated in the law. States with unrestricted concealed carry, other than Vermont, also issue permits on a shall-issue basis. Individuals can travel out of state and legally carry a concealed handgun in states with reciprocal agreements. Merely declaring a state as having Right to Carry does not mean that all things are perfect. The devil is often in the details, and all CCW laws are most certainly not created equal. As in “Best States for Concealed Carry 2013,” we are ranking each state with updated legislative data to evaluate the places with the best and worst carry laws. To determine the best concealed carry states in 2014, we examined the following criteria and assigned numerical values to each category for a maximum of 95 points. In the event of a tie, we made determinations based on factors such as prohibited locations and transport laws. Keep in mind that we are specifically focusing on concealed carry rather than open carry.

Method of Issuance: Permitless/Unrestricted = 25 Points - Also commonly known as Constitutional Carry, individuals can carry a concealed firearm without obtaining a license or permit. Shall-Issue = 20 Points - Permits are required to carry a concealed handgun, but the granting authority has no discretion over the issuance of permits. The granting authority shall issue a permit if an applicant meets distinct criteria in the law. May-Issue = 5 Points - The granting authority may issue a permit at its discretion and usually requires “good cause” or a “significant reason” to carry a firearm. No-Issue/Restricted = 0 Points - Individuals cannot obtain a license to legally carry a concealed firearm.

Reciprocity: The number of states honored in the issuing state were counted and assigned a maximum of 10 points. Next, the number of states where the issuing state’s permit is honored were counted and assigned a maximum of 10 points. The two totals were then added together for a maximum of 20 points. reciprocity

Training Time: Training time was scored based on the minimum number of statutory training hours required, for a maximum of 10 points. States with unrestricted carry automatically earned the maximum number of points. training

Application Fee: Application fees were scored with a maximum of 5 points based on the statutory annual cost paid by civilians to their state of residence to obtain the permit. In the past, fees were scored based on the total initial cost, but that was not a fair comparison since the duration of permit validity varies significantly from state to state. Fees were not scored based on renewal or out-of-state permit costs, military/law enforcement/veteran rates or senior citizen discounts. Fees also do not include the cost of any necessary training course(s). States with unrestricted concealed carry automatically earned the maximum number of points. app-fee

Stand Your Ground/Castle Doctrine: States’ scores were determined based on their laws are regarding self-defense in and out of the home and whether you’re immune from civil prosecution in a self-defense situation. These scores reflect the same point values as the “Best States for Gun Owners 2014” unless the law has changed since that article was published. Maximum of 10 points.

“Best States for Gun Owners 2014”: To determine how generally gun friendly a state is, each was awarded up to 10 points based on their overall rank in our “Best States for Gun Owners 2014.” best-states-gun-owners-ranking

Duty to Inform: States were awarded points based on whether individuals who are legally carrying are required to immediately inform a law enforcement/peace officer that they are carrying a gun upon initial contact. 5 points = Not required to immediately inform a law enforcement officer. 0 points = Required to immediately inform a law enforcement officer.

Preemption of Home-Rule: States were awarded points if state laws preempt local governing bodies from crafting their own legislation regarding concealed carry. In most states, preemption does not include local laws regarding the discharge of firearms within city limits. 5 points = State laws preempt local governing bodies from crafting their own laws. 0 points = Local governing bodies can make their own laws and are not subject to state preemption.

Nonresident Permit Issuance: States earned points based on their method of issuance to nonresidents. 5 points = Permits are issued on a shall-issue basis to nonresidents. 2 points = Permits are issued on a may-issue basis to nonresidents. 0 points = Permits are not issued to nonresidents.


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18. How common are school shootings?
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There is a cheaper way to protect schools: allow CHP holders to carry there.

Member Timothy Wise emailed me this:


From cato.org: http://tinyurl.com/lze2r62


How Common Are School Shootings?
by Jason Bedrick
September 22, 2014

Schools are stocking up on M16s and modified grenade launchers and holding drills involving shooting blanks in middle and high school hallways, but is the risk really worth the expense and possibility of preemptively traumatizing children?

Groups like Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety argue that our nation’s schools are dangerous, claiming that there have been 74 school shootings since the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012 in an infographic that went viral earlier this summer. But a closer look at their numbers revealed that they artificially inflated the statistic by including suicides, accidents, incidents related to criminal activity (e.g. - drug dealing or robbery), and incidents that took place outside of school hours or were unconnected to members of any school community. Moreover, half of those incidents took place on college campuses. Since Sandy Hook, the actual number of K-12 school shootings in which the shooter intended to commit mass murder has been ten—a far cry from the “one school shooting per week” that President Obama claimed back in June.

Surely even one such incident is too high, but with nearly 106,000 public and private schools in the U.S., there were shootings at only 0.009% of schools since December 2012. According to the National Center for Education Statistics’ 2013 “Indicators of School Crime and Safety” report, from the 1992-93 school year until the 2010-11 school year, there were between 11 and 34 homicides of youths ages 5-18 at schools each year (including attacks with weapons other than firearms), with an average of about 23 homicides per year. Comparing that to NCES’s enrollment statistics, about 0.000044% of public and private K-12 students were killed at school per year between 1992-93 and 2010-11. That’s about one out of every 2,273,000 students per year. By contrast, the odds of being hit by lightning in a given year is one out of 700,000 according to National Geographic.

School Year K-12 Student Homicides Fall Enrollment (thousands) % Homicides
1992-93 34 48,500 0.000070%
1993-94 29 49,113 0.000059%
1994-95 28 49,898 0.000056%
1995-96 32 50,759 0.000063%
1996-97 28 51,544 0.000054%
1997-98 34 52,071 0.000065%
1998-99 33 52,526 0.000063%
1999-00 14 52,875 0.000026%
2000-01 14 53,373 0.000026%
2001-02 16 53,992 0.000030%
2002-03 18 54,403 0.000033%
2003-04 23 54,639 0.000042%
2004-05 22 54,928 0.000040%
2005-06 21 55,224 0.000038%
2006-07 32 55,524 0.000058%
2007-08 21 55,762 0.000038%
2008-09 17 55,966 0.000030%
2009-10 19 56,186 0.000034%
2010-11 11 56,480 0.000019%

Maximum: 0.000070%
Minimum: 0.000019%
Average: 0.000044%

It makes sense for schools to take precautions and have contingency plans, but they should keep a sense of perspective. School shootings, especially the mass casualty incidents like Sandy Hook, are exceedingly rare. Schools should dispense with the M16s, grenade launchers, and armored vehicles.


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19. [OH] Police say Ohio gas station clerk kills 2 robbers
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Robbing a law-abiding gun owner is dangerous, as two thugs found out the hard way.

Member Ruslan Ketenchiev emailed me this:


From wavy.com: http://tinyurl.com/lxp9eot


Police say Ohio gas station clerk kills 2 robbers
By The Associated Press
September 24, 2014, 9:52 am

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Police say two men were killed by a gas station clerk during an attempted robbery Monday night in northeast Ohio that left the clerk wounded in both legs.

Authorities say three armed, masked men rushed into a Marathon gas station in Canton shortly before 9:30 p.m., triggering a shootout. Officers found two of the men lying on the ground near the station. They were later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police have identified the two men as 23-year-old Antonio Gracia, of Canton, and 21-year-old Ronnie Lawson. Police are looking for the third man in the robbery.

Canton police Capt. Dave Davis says the clerk’s wounds were not fatal. His name has not been released.

Davis says detectives are examining recordings from a surveillance camera at the station.


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20. [MO] Felon facing gun charge cites new gun law in defense
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Member Bill Watkins emailed me this:

This should be a fascinating case to follow. I can't wait to hear the outcome. [PVC: The question is, “should NON-VIOLENT felons lose their gun rights forever?” VCDL’s position is that anyone who is convicted of a non-violent felony should get their gun rights back as soon as they complete whatever sentence they were given and pay whatever fines they were charged by the Court. And we oppose any misdemeanor, including misdemeanor domestic violence, taking away someone’s gun rights at all.]


From news-leader.com: http://tinyurl.com/npfgzaf


Felon facing gun charge cites new gun law in defense
by Stephen Herzog
September 22, 2014

A Springfield felon facing new gun charges is asserting as his defense a new voter-approved constitutional amendment that reinforced the right to bear arms in Missouri.

The man is asking for his weapons charges to be dropped because he says the recently passed statewide amendment gives him a right to own guns, even though he's a felon.

David L. Thomas, 63, is charged in Greene County with five counts of unlawful possession of a firearm on the basis that he was previously convicted of felonies.

Earlier this month, Thomas, through his public defender Dewayne Perry, filed a motion to have the charges dropped, based on the passage in August of Amendment 5.

He cited language in the amendment that says "nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the general assembly from enacting general laws which limit the rights of convicted violent felons." The motion emphasizes the inclusion of the word "violent."

Thomas' defense is latching on to that language to argue the legislature cannot pass laws to restrict the rights of non-violent felons.

Thomas' felony convictions were for driving while intoxicated and driving while revoked. He says those crimes cannot be considered violent.

"Since the voters expanded the right to keep and bear arms and made 'convicted violent felons' the only felony exception, the defendant can no longer be prosecuted for these offenses as his convictions are not violent felonies," the motion says.

Prosecutors have not filed a response to the motion.

Before the amendment passed, some experts predicted it would increase the level of legal scrutiny of charges based on older gun laws, and the laws themselves. Firearm regulations now have to withstand "strict scrutiny" — the highest level of review.

Jefferson City attorney Chuck Hatfield told the News-Leader earlier this year that public defenders in particular would be ethically obligated to challenge every gun law. Thomas' case raising the defense is the first the News-Leader has noticed in Greene County.

Thomas has had other run-ins with the law.

He was charged in late 2012 with conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree domestic assault after police say he attempted to hire someone to kill his ex-wife. However, the February 2013 trial resulted in a hung jury, meaning jurors could not decide guilt or acquittal. At the time, prosecutors said they intended to retry the case. No new trial date has yet been set.

In the conspiracy case, Thomas was accused, with his girlfriend, Diane Greer, of attempting to hire a "hit man" to kill his ex-wife. Greer, who eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy, actually spoke to an undercover officer who then faked the death of Thomas' ex-wife, records say.

Thomas has been in the Greene County Jail since late 2012. He was in prison during the conspiracy crime for which Greer was convicted.


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21. [GA] Police: Man was shot at Prado Target store during drug deal
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Crime happens in parking lots and people need to be able to defend themselves there. While Target doesn’t ban guns, they shouldn't be discouraging carry by good guys, either.

From ajc.com: http://tinyurl.com/m52heeg


Police: Man was shot at Prado Target store during drug deal
By Mike Morris
September 22, 2014

Sandy Springs police have arrested a 28-year-old Milwaukee man in connection with a Sunday evening shooting at a Roswell Road shopping center.

Mario Ross, 27, was shot around 6 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Target store at The Prado.

Ross was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, and was in stable condition late Monday morning, according to Sandy Springs police Capt. Steve Rose.

Larry J. Walls, who Rose said was a passenger in the car with Ross when the shots were fired by two other suspects, was arrested on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. He was booked into the Fulton County jail Monday and scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning, Fulton sheriff’s office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said.

“Investigators learned that Ross and Walls were part of a drug deal that was taking place in the parking lot,” Rose said late Monday morning. “Detectives continue to work on finding the identity of the other men who were part of the drug transaction and responsible for the shooting.”

Rose said police were still looking for Ross’s vehicle, a black 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer with Georgia license tag BNE7598.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Detective M. Tuvlin at 770-551-3312.


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22. [OK] Police: 11 year old shoots man stabbing her mom
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Yet another example that kids and guns can mix quite well.

Member Mark Shinn emailed me this:


From okcfox.com: http://tinyurl.com/kmxzrx3


Police: 11-year-old shoots man stabbing her mom in SE Oklahoma City
By: FOX 25 newsroom staff
September 24, 2014

The Oklahoma City Police Department says an 11-year-old girl shot a man who got into a fight with the child's mom at a SE OKC mobile home Wednesday morning.

Police say they were called to a mobile home near Burntwood Blvd. and SE 89th Street around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

According to police, five children were inside the home when the incident happened. The report says 25-year-old Leonard Demon Henry broke in through the glass door and began attacking his ex-girlfriend and stabbing her. Police say the children's mother was stabbed multiple times.

That's when police say the victim's young daughter shot him twice. Police say when they arrived, the found him running from the home with a gun shot wound.

According to police at the scene, they believe the man is a former boyfriend of the woman and came over to the house to confront her for an unknown reason.

Police say one of the children then called 911. Both Henry and the victim were taken to a hospital. Police say the man's condition is serious and woman is stable.

Lataisha Lewis lives nearby and says the man has been in the home before.

"The guy has been coming around here," Lewis told Fox 25 Danielle Dupuy. "He's been going around her trailer and going to her door, knocking on her window and beating real hard. Ran up his vehicle motors and things like that. And then this morning we hear the boom boom and the commotion and the breaking of the glass and come outside and see what's going on."

The victim had filed a protective order against Henry in Cleveland County, alleging that he abused her kids.

Both the suspect and victim are in the hospital, and expected to recover. The children are now in protective custody.


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23. [OK] Man beheads woman, stabs 2nd victim day after being fired from job
**************************************************

And a gun owner stopped the bad guy from killing more people by shooting him.

Member Ed Summers emailed me this:

From nydailynews.com: http://tinyurl.com/ofvj89g


Oklahoma man beheads woman, stabs 2nd victim during workplace fight day after being fired from job
by Kristi Eaton, Corinne Lestch, Corky Siemaszko
September 26, 2014

An Oklahoma twister took her house and a local maniac took her life.

Colleen Hufford, the 54-year-old woman who was savagely beheaded by a deranged co-worker, was working at Vaughan Foods when a deadly tornado tore through Moore, Okla., last year and flattened her home.

But the food plant proved to be no sanctuary Thursday when Alton Nolen stormed inside and attacked Hufford, the first person who crossed his path.

“I just can’t imagine that,” said Deb Martin, 63, who was Hufford’s neighbor before the tornado struck. “Every time I saw her, she had a smile on her face. She was a really jolly and upbeat person.”

The FBI is now investigating the outbreak of Islamic State-like terror in the heartland because Nolen recently converted to Islam and had been trying to convert others.

Martin, who rebuilt after the 2013 twister that killed 24 Moore residents, said she immediately thought of ISIS and their videotaped beheadings when she heard what happened to her old neighbor.

“I know you read about it in other parts” of the world, Martin, 63, said. “But here in Moore? At Vaughan’s Foods? And she is the first person he sees? It sounds like ISIS.”

Police said there was no evidence that Nolen’s newfound faith figured in the grisly attack on Hufford and another woman who worked at the plant.

“This suspect was angry about some sort of incident that happened at the business,” Sgt. Jeremy Lewis of the Moore Police Department said. “These women really had nothing to do with that. He was just acting out against them. They are the first people he came in contact with.”

But NewsOK, the web operation of The Oklahoman newspaper, snagged a Facebook statement from a woman they believe is Nolen’s sister. They did not identify her.

“He is alive and doing well,” the message read. “Thanks to all praying warriors out there friends and family. To god be the glory! My bro is alive and just know that the devil is a lie. Please continue prayers.”

The Islamic Council of Oklahoma said they had not heard of Nolen before the deadly attack.

“He was not known to any of the leadership in Oklahoma mosques,” said Sheryl Siddiqui, the group’s flack. “We do not have any confirmation of his conversion either in prison or out in the community.”

But local mosques were taking security precautions just in case.

“They have this ISIS thing on their minds and now this guy has brought it to America,” Saad Mohammad, a spokesman for the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, told NewsOK.

Nolen, 30, went on a rampage not long after he was fired, Lewis said. It was not immediately clear why he was sacked or how long he had worked for the company.

Around 4 p.m. Thursday, Nolen arrived back at the plant, clipping a car with his SUV, and barged into the front office where he attacked Hufford.

With a knife, Nolen stabbed the poor women in the neck so hard he severed her head, Lewis said.

Then Nolen went after 43-year-old Traci Johnson, stabbing her repeatedly with the same knife. She was in stable condition at a local hospital.

Alerted by the screams, Vaughan Foods chief operating officer Mark Vaughan shot Nolen and ended his rampage.

“He’s a hero in this situation,” Lewis said. “It could have gotten a lot worse.”

Vaughan built the company with business partner Herb Grimes and stayed on as COO after they sold the firm in June.

“You can’t help but be proud of him,” Grimes told the Daily News. “Mark was a Boy Scout. I think he’s still very active in the Boy Scouts ... If he didn’t stop him, this guy would have continued stabbing people.”

In various interviews Vaughan described himself as an active sportsman who goes quail hunting, backpacking and hiking.

“I also love watching my kids’ sporting events,” he said, noting his son Tyler plays baseball and football, and his daughter, Anica, plays basketball and volleyball.

Less was known about Nolen, who was recuperating at a nearby hospital and had not yet been charged with a crime. But he has had several run-ins with the law since 2011.

Among other things, Nolen’s rap sheet includes arrests for possession of a controlled substance, assault and battery on a police officer, and escape from detention.

Citing local Corrections Department records, NewsOK reported that Nolen has tattooed on his abdomen “as-salaamu alaikum,” which is Arabic for “peace be with you.”

But Nolen also has a “Jesus Christ” tattoo on his chest, “Judah” tattooed on his left arm, and a pair of praying hands inked on his right arm, according to NewsOK.

Vaughan Foods reopened Friday and most of the 300 workers were back at their jobs.

---

Transcript of 911 calls, according to KFOR-TV:

911 Caller: “Shut the door, shut the door!”

Dispatcher: “Moore 911, where is your emergency?”

911 Caller: “Vaughan Foods, Moore, Oklahoma, 216 N.E. 12th St. We have..”

Dispatcher: “What’s going on there?”

911 Caller: “We have someone attacking someone in the building. I was just informed. I’m in the..”

Dispatcher: “Okay, where are they at?”

911 Caller: “Inside, are they in the office? They’re in the office, front office of the building. Yeah, we can hear a lot of screaming. We’re actually in a different office but someone just came in here yelling.”

Dispatcher: “315. Okay, do you know where they’re at in the building?”

911 Caller: “In the front of the building, there’s our main entrance.”

Dispatcher: “Okay, do you know where he is at in the plant?”

911 Caller: “We know that he’s loose. He has stabbed someone.”

Dispatcher: “Yeah, we’ve got medical en route for them.

911 Caller: “Okay.”

Dispatcher: “Is anybody with him or do you know?”

911 Caller: “Hold on, my (garbled.)

Dispatcher: “Respond on lacerations. Vaughan Foods, 216, go ahead sir, N.E. 12th.”

911 Caller: “I’m going to put you on speakerphone for one second, okay?”

Dispatcher: “Standby on a map. Page 1608, time out.”

911 Caller: “Okay, so we don’t know where the person went and he went through our front office, went through the shipping office and stabbed a woman in our customer service department.”

Dispatcher: “Okay, did he know her? Do you know, is that who he was arguing with? Is she an employee?”

911 Caller: “She is an employee, yeah.”

Dispatcher: “Okay, thank you.”

911 Caller: “Lock that door.”

Dispatcher: “Yeah, go ahead lock everybody in there if you can.”

911 Caller: “Yeah, we’re trying. Okay, can you hear this in the background?”

(yelling)

Dispatcher: “Is that him? He’s back?”

911 Caller: “Yeah, it sounds like he’s running around out here.”

(loud bangs)

911 Caller: “And that, that’s a gun shot.”

Dispatcher: “Got a gun shot. Units responding to Vaughan Foods, be advised we do now have gunshots. Okay, do you know where he’s at now?”

911 Caller: “He’s in the hallway, outside of the center of the building.”

Dispatcher: “Maybe in the hallway in the center of the building. And how many more shots have you heard?”

911 Caller: “We’ve heard three.”

Dispatcher: “Three shots?”

911 Caller: “Now I’m hearing somebody yelling in the hallway, stay down.”

Dispatcher: “There’s another subject yelling in the hallway. Units be advised that there’s another subject yelling in the hallway. Still same amount of injuries.”

911 Caller: “Stay down, stay down.”


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24. [FL] IF the Teacher had been Armed, I think the outcome would be different
**************************************************

From dailymail.co.uk: http://tinyurl.com/pap55f5


Student 'raped teacher at high school after he body-slammed her and choked her until she passed out'
by Michael Zennie
September 23, 2014

A Miami high school student brutally raped at female teacher at his school after choking until she passed out, police say.

Victor Marshall Nash, 18, is charged with attempted first degree murder, sexual battery, robbery and grand theft for the alleged attack on his teacher at South Dade Senior High School on Friday.

Detectives say two hours after the last class ended, Nash approached the teacher and put his arm around her. When she told him 'No, stop,' he body-slammed her to the ground and smashed her head against the floor.

The 6-foot-1, 200lb teen then choked the teacher until she passed out. While she was unconscious, he raped her and left the used condom in her purse, police say.

The teen then threw his victim's cell phone in the garbage and stole her car keys. When the teacher came to, Nash was gone.

Police found him five hours later driving the teacher's car nearby.

Officers say Nash confessed to the crimes.

The teachers union confirmed that Nash had attacked at teacher and said in a statement: 'We are shocked and dismayed by the event reported at South Dade Senior High.

'Our schools should be a place of safety and serenity, not only for students, but the adults who work there as well.’ [PVC: Well, then, you need to support allowing permit holders to carry in school, including teachers and staff.]

Nash's father, Victor Marshall Nash Sr., is a convicted sex offender who has also been arrested in the past on child abuse charges.

He told WVSN-TV that he was 'shocked' to hear his son had been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a teacher.

'When me and his mother were together, we tried to raise him, I guess you can say, as both loving parents,' the elder Mr Nash said.

He said he doesn't think his son knows about his father's arrest.


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25. [TX] Gun-toting pastor stops alleged thief [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Do NOT try this Texas trick in Virginia! You CANNOT use DEADLY force to protect property here.


From abcnews.go.com: http://tinyurl.com/llvxgej


Gun-Toting Pastor Stops Alleged Thief
by Gillian Mohney
September 20, 2014

A gun-toting Texas pastor laid a trap for whoever was stealing packages from his front porch, and police say the 52-year-old grandmother he caught is suspected of pilfering packages from homes throughout the neighborhood.

Benny Homes, a pastor of The Church of New Beginnings in Baytown, Texas, was frustrated after losing two mailed packages, according to Holmes' wife Pat Holmes.

"I'm going to sit here and I'm going to pull guard duty. I'm going to be a watchman on the wall," Pat Holmes recalled her husband saying.

Holmes said her husband then put out two dummy packages on the porch and waited to see if anyone would stop.

Months earlier the couple had seen a woman on surveillance cameras twice appearing to take packages from their doorstep.

In footage released to the public, a woman can be seen allegedly calmly walking up to Holmes' porch and taking a package and putting it in her red car. In at least one instance there were two children in the backseat.

Pat Holmes said the day her husband laid out the bait, he waited hours to see if could catch the woman responsible for taking the packages.

Eventually, the woman allegedly turned into his driveway and started to walk over to the porch on the side of the house.

This time Holmes met the woman with his handgun drawn and told her to lie down on the ground while he called the police.

After stopping her, Holmes recognized the suspect as a woman he had stopped two years earlier when she walked by the side of his house claiming she was looking for a missing dog. This time Pat Holmes said the woman again claimed she was looking for her dog.

"I guess she uses that every time she gets caught," Pat Holmes said. "This time he replied, 'You found him, bow wow.'"

The Baytown Police Department in Baytown, Texas, identified the suspect as Laurie Ferguson, 52, and said she was arrested on a charge of theft, though more charges are possible.

Detective Luzette Watkins of the Baytown Police Deparment said they suspect Ferguson of being a habitual thief who took packages from the front doors of her neighbors.

Ferguson had not sold any of the items she allegedly took and police found at least 30 items in a closet in her home, Watkins said.

Pat Holmes said she has already gotten a gift for Ferguson, a cap that reads "forgiven."

Calls to numbers listed to Ferguson or her family were not answered.

Watkins said Holmes would face no charges for pulling out a gun and detaining Ferguson.

"Here in Texas you're allowed to protect the property," Watkins said.


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26. How gun control made England the 'most violent country in Europe'
**************************************************

Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:


From breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/obw4c7x


HOW GUN CONTROL MADE ENGLAND THE 'MOST VIOLENT COUNTRY IN EUROPE'
by AWR HAWKINS
September 24, 2014

Gun control in Britain passed in stages, beginning just after World War I and continuing in a reactionary fashion with increasing strictness through the 1990s.

When the final stage arrived in 1997, and virtually all handguns were banned via the Firearms Act, the promise was a reduction in crime and greater safety for the British people. But the result was the emergence of Britain as the "most violent country in Europe."

Britain began placing restrictions on gun ownership after World War I with the Firearms Act of 1920. The passage of this act was emotionally driven, based in part on the public's war-weariness and in part on the fear that an increased number of guns--guns from the battle field--would increase crime.

The Firearms Act of 1920 did not ban guns. Rather, it required that citizens who wanted a gun had to first obtain a certificate from the government. We see this same stage taking place in various places in the United States now, where a person who wants a firearm has to get a Fire Owner Identification Card (Illinois) or has to be vetted by police (Massachusetts) or both.

Thirteen years after the passage of the Firearms Act, British Parliament passed the Firearms and Imitation Firearms Bill, making the possession of a replica gun or a real one equally punishable unless the owner of either could show the lawful purpose for which he had it. (Sounds like California?) This was followed by the Firearms Act of 1937, which author Frank Miniter says "extended restrictions to shotguns and granted chief constables the power to add conditions to individual private firearm certificates."

In the U.S., police departments in Massachusetts play the role Britain's chief constables played and have final say on who can or can't own a firearm. On July 25, Breitbart News reported that that Massachusetts police were pressing for "sole discretion" on who could own a long gun; they already had such discretion over who could own a handgun. On August 1, they received the power they sought.

Britain continued to issue firearm certificates as World War II set in. But by the time the war was over, the gun control mindset had permeated society to a point where self-defense was no longer a valid reason to secure a certificate for gun ownership.

Guns were simply for sport or for hunting.

In 1987, Michael Ryan shot and killed sixteen people in Hungerford, including his mother. He wounded fourteen others, then killed himself. According to the Library of Congress, Ryan used "lawfully owned" rifles to carry out the attack. Nevertheless, his attack prompted the passage of more laws in the form of the Firearms Act of 1988. This act "banned the possession of high-powered self loading rifles" and "burst-firing weapons," and imposed "stricter standards for ownership" to secure a government certificate to own a shotgun.

In 1996, Thomas Hamilton walked into an elementary school in Dunblane, Scotland, and shot and killed "sixteen small children...and their teacher in the gym before killing himself." He brought two rifles and four handguns to carry out the attack. All six guns were legally owned: Hamilton had fully complied with gun control statutes.

The Firearm Act of 1997 was passed while emotions ran high. Gun control proponents push for an all-out ban on private gun ownership, in the much the same way that Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) reacted to the heinous crime at Sandy Hook Elementary by trying to ban approximately 150 different guns.

Yet the Firearm Act did not ban all guns, "but served to essentially prohibit the ownership of handguns in Britain" and to make the acquisition of certificate to possess a long gun an onerous and time-consuming one. Much the same as the onerous and time-consuming process now burdening law-abiding DC residents seeking a gun in the home for self-defense.

And what has been the outcome of passing more laws in Britain to remedy the fact that other laws were ignored or broken? It has not been good.

In 2009, twelve years after the Firearms Act of 1997 was passed, Daily Mail Online reported that Britain was "the most violent country in Europe." They also reported that Britain's home figures showed "the UK [had] a worse rate for all types of violence than the U.S. and South Africa."




***************************************************************************
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/]