Saturday, April 13, 2013

Mitch McConnell Compared to Al-Qaeda


Unlike the Hitler and Pol Pot comparisons that the gun-rights fanatics like so much, this one makes perfect sense.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Ohio Man Arrested for Son's Accidental Shooting

 Local news reports

Delhi Township Police have arrested a man whose three-year-old son was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Thursday after an accidental shooting.

Police arrested Lorenzo McMullen on one count of child endangering and one count of having a weapon while under disability. Both are third-degree felonies.

They said the boy had a gunshot wound to his left bicep. He did not require surgery and is expected to be released later today.

Police said McMullen had a loaded .45 caliber handgun under his bed. The gun discharged when the boy reached under the bed to retrieve it.

I wonder what that "while under disability" means?  Maybe Kurt can tell us.

Alttona PA Gun Shop Owner Shoots Himself


 Local news reports with video

A well known Altoona businessman was shot inside the gun store he owns on Friday morning.

An active investigation is underway into what Police say appears to be an accidental shooting.   Reports of the shooting inside the long established gun shop drew a big response.

It was shortly before 10 a.m. on Friday when Altoona police, were called here, to the Pioneer Gun Store  in the 600  block of North Second Street  in the Juniata section of the city.    

Responding officers found the owner of business, Bob Bucannan had been seriously wounded when a gun he was repairing went off unexpectedly.  Because the gun shot hit the 82 year old Bucannan in the torso, responding officers said the business owner appeared to be seriously injured.   He was taken by ambulance to the Altoona Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Some people familiar with  Bucannan and his business were surprised to hear of what appears to be an accidental shooting because of his reputation for  knowing guns and how they should be handled.
I love the way gun lovers resist the concept of personal responsibility when one of their own is in the wrong.  The fact is pointing a loaded gun at yourself or someone else is gross negligence.

What's your opinion?

Community College Campus Shooting near Virginia Tech - 2 Wounded - Shooter Arrested


Officials say two women were shot at a community college section of New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, Va., on Friday.(Photo: Daniel Lin, AP)

USA Today

An 18-year-old community college student was charged with wounding two women with a shotgun at a mall branch of the school in southwestern Virginia Friday afternoon.

Just before the attack, writing from inside the school, he posted his intentions to an online message board, noting he was "10 minutes away from Virginia Tech."

Police said Neil Allen MacInnis, of Christiansburg, was subdued by an off-duty mall security guard and two officers shortly about 2 p.m. at the New River Valley Mall. He is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Jail.

Last year, MacInnis, who is enrolled at New River Community College, completed the Christiansburg Citizen Police Academy training, Police Chief Mark Sisson said at a Friday night news briefing.

GOP Proposal Would Broaden Background Checks But at a Price

Yahoo News

A conservative senator is proposing to greatly broaden the background check system for firearms purchasers but require no records of the transactions as the Senate braced for votes on amendments to gun control legislation next week.

The plan by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., was one of several proposals Republicans were discussing in preparation for debate. In response to December's elementary school attack in Newtown, Conn., which killed 20 children and six adults, the Senate is considering a Democratic bill backed by President Barack Obama that would expand background checks, strengthen laws against illegal gun trafficking and slightly increase school security aid.

The possible GOP amendments, described by aides and lobbyists, include one requiring states to recognize permits for carrying concealed weapons issued by other states. Many gun control advocates oppose the idea vehemently because some states' standards for issuing the permits are considered weak, and such a provision, if approved, might cause some to rethink support for the overall bill.

I suppose this is an example of compromise that some people are always talking about.  I oppose it outright.  In a discussion of which is the right thing to do, each item should be taken separately.

What's our opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Friday, April 12, 2013

4-Year-old Boy Accidentally Kills Tenn. Deputy's Wife Thanks to the Deputy's Incredible Negligence

 Yahoo reports with video

Authorities say a 4-year-old boy grabbed a loaded gun at a family cookout and accidentally shot and killed the wife of a Tennessee sheriff's deputy.

Investigators say Wilson County Deputy Daniel Fanning on Saturday was showing his weapons to a relative in a bedroom of his Lebanon home when the toddler came in and picked up a gun off the bed. Sheriff Robert Bryan says the weapon discharged, hitting 48-year-old Josephine Fanning.

She was pronounced dead at the scene. The child is not related to her or her husband.

Bryan says the shooting was a terrible accident and that within seconds of Fanning placing the gun on the bed, the toddler picked it up.

The gun was not Fanning's service weapon and the sheriff says the deputy's weapons are normally stored in a safe.

AmChar Gun Wholesalers Can't Account for Missing Guns



Democrat and Chronicle

I suppose this is just another example of the unfair paperwork requirements gun dealers have to put up with. With onerous rules like having to account for all the weapons in your inventory, anybody would be a criminal, right Kurt, right Greg?

Liberal vs. Conservative

Lawrence O'Donnell on Banning High-Capacity Magazines



On TTAG, Robert Farago called O'Donnell "insane" for this.  Here's my comment:

When faced with a compelling argument, you attack. The man is insane. Others you call troll. 

What he said about Loughner is exactly right and it’s one of the best arguments for prohibiting larger-capacity magazines. Lanza is another one. Holmes too.

Some of us have been saying this all along.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Jon Stewart on the Gun Debate

Jon Stewart on the Gun Control Debate and UN Arms Treaty

More on the "40% Figure"

PokitiFact has changed its rating of this claim from "Mostly True" to "Half True."

Yet, in their description it still seems mostly true to me. Others agree.

"It’s a fairly stable market. That is to say, gun stores have had their part, police supply stores have had their part, and then there are the gun shows and private dealings about which we know very little," said Robert McCrie, of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "To be sure, there has been this bump up in gun purchases, which we know from reports from gun stores and the companies like Smith & Wesson. There’s the knowledge that the market has been more vigorous and probably that higher vigor has been reflected in gun shows and private sales in tandem."
His take: "The 40 percent seems about right."


and

Jay Corzine has attended and studies gun shows in Florida. The University of Central Florida professor says that based on his observation, no more than 15 to 20 percent of sales at gun shows happen without a background check. But when you add in other private sales -- neighbors selling to neighbors, ads in the paper, etc. -- the 40 percent figure is "probably accurate" and "a very good figure to use."

It seems to me that PolitiFact is demanding proof where none exists and based on that lack of proof is downgrading the claim.

One thing is clear in all the quotes in the article and all the references to the 40%, and that's the fact that everybody seems to understand that the 40% refers to ALL private sales, not those limited to gun shows.  Only the agenda-driven liars among the gun-rights extremists have a problem with this.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

US Senate Opens First Gun Control Debate in Years

Volunteers place grave markers on the National Mall in Washington DC as over 3,300 crosses, stars of David, and other religious symbols are placed to remember those affected by gun violence 11 April 2013 
Gun control supporters have erected a temporary memorial for those killed by guns since a massacre at a Connecticut primary school in December

BBC

The US Senate has opened debate on a proposal to expand criminal background checks on gun buyers.

The bipartisan move marks the most serious consideration of gun control legislation in 19 years, though many hurdles remain before final passage.

Meanwhile, gun control advocates have gathered in Washington DC to make an emotional push for new restrictions. 

The powerful gun lobby vows to oppose new gun control measures, arguing the US Constitution forbids them.

Thursday's procedural vote to begin debate passed 68-31, with a handful of Republicans joining all but two Democrats, who have the majority in the chamber.

It is the furthest into the legislative process any gun control bill has moved since 1994, when an assault weapons ban passed.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

James Yeager Gets his Carry Permit Back


On TTAG they pretty much hate this guy.  I'm not sure I understand that.  They love Colion. The only thing I can think of is the commenters take their cue from Robert.

This one from Charles is fairly representative af the rest of the Armed Intelligentsia

The man (I use the term loosely) is an irresponsible, conceited smart mouth. The best thing he can do for the 2A cause is hike into the Tennessee mountains and stay there.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Colion Noir Still Lying to Advance His Agenda



He actually says that we say "40% of gun purchases are conducted by private sales at gun shows." That's not true at all and he knows it. He's not only a liar, but he's so arrogant that he thinks his ability to talk fast and be slicker than the rest will work. And, I suppose in a sense he's right.  Because he's preaching to the choir, for the most part, he's sure to receive wide-spread approval from his fellow gun-rights fanatics.

What we actually say is that 40% of gun sales are conducted privately and do not require background checks.  It's one thing to question the provenance of the stat and claim it should be lower, but claiming that we say this 40% takes place ONLY at gun shows is mendacious.

And then, ironically indicting himself he says, "having an agenda in and of itself isn't evil, but lying to advance it ..." and "if your proposed measures were such common sense and blatantly effective you wouldn't have to lie and pander to our emotions"

The Manchin - Toomey Compromise


Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., right, accompanied by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., announce April 10 a bipartisan deal on expanding background checks to more gun buyers.(Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)


USA Today reports with video

Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., announced a compromise bill Wednesday that would expand background checks for gun buyers, possibly paving the way for votes this week on a key piece of legislation aimed at reducing gun violence.

They announced the deal as the Senate gets ready for its most intense debate on gun control since 1994.

"I don't consider criminal background checks to be gun control. It's just common sense," Toomey said at a Capitol Hill news conference. "If you pass ... you get to buy a gun. It's the people who fail that we don't want having guns." 

The deal would expand background checks to purchases made at gun shows and online sales of firearms. It would impose penalties on states that do not add records of felons and the mentally ill to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. 

The agreement would not require private citizens to keep records of gun sales. It would specifically ban "the federal government from creating a national firearms registry" — a key sticking point for the pro-gun rights community.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Mass Stabbing - Zero Deaths

Final Push in the Senate - Message from Josh Horwitz

 
Earlier today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) indicated that he will move gun violence prevention legislation to the floor of the Senate for consideration on Thursday, April 11th. We are happy to report that it appears that Senator Reid now has the votes needed to break a filibuster on the legislation planned by 14 Republican Senators.
 
Now we need YOU to contact your Senators and tell them to vote YES on universal background checks, the assault weapons ban, and tough new criminal penalties for gun traffickers. You can reach your two Senators at (202) 224-3121. If you do not know who they are, click here.
 
DON’T SIT ON THE SIDELINES. Pick up your phone and call your Senators now! It only takes a few minutes.

Because of your hard work, we are beginning to see this issue break our way. I am convinced that if we sustain constituent pressure on Senators in the hours before these critical votes, we will see meaningful gun reform legislation approved this week. Then we will move this battle to the House of Representatives.
 
Let's work together to and get the job done in the Senate. Thank you so much for your support!
 
Josh Horwitz
Executive Director
 



Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

1424 L Street NW, Suite 2-1, Washington, DC 20005
202-408-0061 | csgv@csgv.org | www.csgv.org
 
 

Dom Raso, NRA Spokesman


Did you catch the fact that he was in the military? How about how tough he is and well trained? 

I thought Colion was bad.  But this guy is spouting all the same biased nonsense along with fifteen self-aggrandizing references. It's really hard to listen to.

What do you think?

6-Year-old Toms River, New Jersey Boy Killed by a 4-Year-old with Daddy's Rifle

brandon-holt.jpgBrandon Holt, who died earlier today after being shot by a neighbor, in a Facebook photo.

NJ.com

The 6-year-old boy accidentally shot in the head by his 4-year-old neighbor has died, authorities said.
Brandon Holt died tonight at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

Authorities said today Brandon and a 4-year-old neighbor were playing in the younger boy’s backyard Monday night when the pre-schooler went in his house, brought out a loaded .22-caliber rifle and shot the older boy in the head.

Another neighbor said police removed several other weapons from the younger boy’s home.
Police were investigating, among other things, whether the adults in the house were legally permitted to own the rifle.

No charges have been filed but the investigation continues. The case has been transferred to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office because of a potential conflict of interest with a relative of the 4-year-old boy having a job in Ocean County law enforcement, authorities said.
It's hard to understand why an investigation would need to continue. The homeowners who were responsible for those guns should already be in the slammer.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.


The Gun Epidemic

Asbury Park Press

Most victims of gun violence in 2010 were not on a battlefield or remote hillside in the Middle East fighting in a war. They were, like 6-year-old Brandon Holt, children and teenagers in America, according to the Children’s Defense Fund.

Holt was shot in the head by his friend and neighbor, an unidentified 4-year-old boy, on Monday night. He is now also a statistic of gun violence.


In 2010, 15,576 children and teenagers were injured by firearms — three times more than the number of U.S. soldiers injured in the war in Afghanistan, according to the defense fund.


And while the number of gun injuries has steadily dropped nationwide, firearm deaths among youths in New Jersey increased between 2000 and 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, New Jersey has the sixth-lowest rates for gun deaths among children, according to the defense fund.


Nationally, guns still kill twice as many children and young people than cancer, five times as many than heart disease and 15 times more than infection, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

“We see guns as much of a threat in their life as we used to see bacteria and viruses,” said Dr. Judith S. Palfrey, a past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the co-author of the New England journal report. “If you look at what’s actually killing children and disabling children, guns is one of the major things.”

Lawful Utah Gun Owner Goes Berserk Kills Infant Son

Washington Post reports

A 21-year-old father was upset when his girlfriend broke up with him and plotted for a month before killing his infant son with a rifle, authorities said Monday.

Joshua Petersen of American Fork was denied bond and ordered held as prosecutors prepare formal charges, which are expected next Monday

Sgt. Gregg Ludlow broke down when he described how Ryker Petersen died of a gunshot to the head, and how Petersen revealed to investigators that he had planned the killing, Johnson said.

A booking statement said Petersen sat his son down on a sofa in the basement, left the room to load his rifle, and returned to shoot the boy in the forehead.

Petersen then sought to turn the .22-caliber rifle on himself but was stopped by a family member, police said. He likely faces a charge next week of aggravated murder, which could bring the death penalty if he’s convicted, Johnson said.

Family members tell Utah news outlets that Petersen was suffering from lifelong depression and also was hurting over the breakup of his relationship with the boy’s mother.
You never know when one of the supposedly responsible and sane law-abiding gun owners is going to lose it. One minute before the crime, they all look alike.

The solution is obvious: stricter gun control.  Gun owners need to be better qualified.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Republicans Will 'Have A Lot Of People To Answer To' If They Don't Support Gun Control

Chris Murphy Connecticut gun control 
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) (Brett LoGiurato/Business Insider)

Business Insider

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) thinks Senate Republicans are lying when they say they don't support a new gun legislation.

After all, he said, pointing to a recent Public Policy Polling survey, even a plurality of Georgia voters support a ban on assault-style weapons. 

So if certain gun control legislation comes up for a vote in the Senate this week, Murphy expects some Republicans to shift their positions, especially on a universal background check measure that polls consistently show has the support of more than nine in 10 Americans.

"Otherwise, they're going to have a lot of people to answer to," Murphy said here at an event where President Barack Obama delivered forceful remarks on the legislation he is urging Congress to pass.

Biden Mocking the Black Helicopter Crowd

Michelle Malkin Blog



“Kinda scary man, the black helicopter crowd is really upset,” Biden said, criticizing the National Rifle Association for promoting a “misinformation campaign” on background checks.

Biden insisted that there would be no central registry for background checks allowing government to keep records on gun owners.

I suppose Michelle is posting this in some attempt to discredit the Vice President.  I don't see it, myself.  In this one he seems to be right on the mark.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

The Background Checks Situation



Senator Joe Manchin, D-W. Va

Yahoo News

Talks between two influential senators have emerged as the most promising route for a bipartisan breakthrough on expanding federal background checks for gun buyers, a pivotal part of President Barack Obama's plan for combating gun violence. 

One possibility being discussed by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., would involve expanding background checks to gun show sales and firearms transactions online, Senate aides said. Sales between close relatives and temporary transfers between hunters may be excluded, but an agreement along those lines could give Obama's guns agenda a significant boost and would be a major expansion of the current system, which covers only sales handled by federally licensed gun dealers. 

I suppose this would be better than nothing, but not much.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Double Murder - Suicide in Tennessee

WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

60 Minutes

This is the Beginning of the Change - It's a Process

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

President Obama in Connecticut

 President Barack Obama looks at Nicole Hockley and her husband Ian, right, after she introduced him at the University of Hartford in Hartford, Conn., Monday, April 8, 2013. The Hockley's lost a child in the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtoen, Conn. Obama said that lawmakers have an obligation to the children killed and other victims of gun violence to act on his proposals. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)Associated Press/Susan Walsh - President Barack Obama looks at Nicole Hockley and her husband Ian, right, after she introduced him at the University of Hartford in Hartford, Conn., Monday, April 8, 2013. The Hockley's lost a child in the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtoen, Conn. Obama said that lawmakers have an obligation to the children killed and other victims of gun violence to act on his proposals. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) 

Yahoo News

With time running out on the chance to pass gun control legislation, President Barack Obama on Monday warned Congress not to use delaying tactics against tighter regulations and told families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims that he's "determined as ever" to honor their children with tougher laws.

"If there's even one thing we can do to prevent a father from having to bury his child, isn't that worth fighting for?" Obama asked.

Obama's speech was interrupted repeatedly by standing ovations from the packed gymnasium. At one point, the room erupted with chants of "We want a vote!" Audience members, many wearing green ribbons in support of the victims, were stomping their feet on the bleachers and clapping their hands in unison with the chant.

"This is not about me. This is not about politics. This is about doing the right thing for all the families who are here who have been torn apart by gun violence," Obama said, his voice rising with emotion as he shook his finger in the air.
As Jim Carrey said, only heartless motherfuckers like the gun-rights fanatics could respond with cynicism to this.

 Go on, let's hear it, boys.

Monday, April 8, 2013

More States are Weakening Gun Restrictions than Strengthening Them

WSJLegislation relating to gun restrictions

Fox Discussion on the State of the Gun Debate

Missouri 4-Year-old Dead - It was Simple Negligence - No Charges

As we reported at the time of the incident, no charges were filed. Now it's official.

KCTV5

It seems to me the difference between simple negligence and criminal negligence is a completely subjective one. What it amounts to is the prosecutor only takes some of the cases like this serioulsy, others get a pass.

Hidden Criminal in California Shoots Himself - Could Face Charges


A man accidentally shot himself outside a mall in El Cajon late Saturday night, police confirmed.

Sgt. Maxwell says a man in his early 20s was in a parked car outside the mall’s Bob's Big Boy Restaurant with at least two friends when he began messing with a handgun and accidentally shot himself in the hand and leg.

Sgt. Maxwell says the bullet went through the man’s left hand and then struck his leg, leaving large amounts of blood in the vehicle. 

Officials believe the man didn’t realize there was a bullet in the chamber of his weapon.

Sgt. Maxwell says officers recovered the gun, as well as two full magazines inside the car. Alcohol was also found inside the vehicle, though police could not confirm whether alcohol played a role in the accidental shooting.

Sgt. Maxwell says the man did not have permits to carry a gun in public. As a result, he could face charges of carrying a concealed weapon, pending the ECPD’s investigation.

James Schiliro, MAIG Mayor of Marcus Hook PA


I suppose if we're going to judge the NRA by some of it's board members, we have to accept this story as a criticism of the MAIG.

What do you think?

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Mentally Ill James Holmes to Face Death

No plea: Accused Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes listens with public defender Tamara Brady at his arraignment in Centennial, Colorado on March 12
Accused Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes listens with public defender Tamara Brady at his arraignment in Centennial, Colorado on March 12

The Daily Mail

'I want to watch him die': Victims of Colorado movie theater massacre applaud death penalty decision and say they want James Holmes dead

  • Holmes' parents held hands tightly as decision was announced
  • Father nodded head and put his arm around wife
  • DA said the only justice in the case is death
  • Holmes swiveled back and forth in his chair as trial date discussed

Rand Paul's Filibuster

Rand Paul is pictured. | Reuters
 Paul is renewing his vow to try to block the gun-control measure. | Reuters

Politico

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s threat to filibuster any new gun restrictions is gathering steam, as a dozen of his Republican colleagues have now signed onto his plan.

The Kentucky Republican and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) first wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late last month to warn him of their intention to try to tie up the Senate if, as planned, Reid moved forward with legislation that would expand background checks and attempt to crack down on interstate gun trafficking.

Reid is expected to bring a gun-control bill to the floor as early as next week, or perhaps the following week, and Paul is renewing his vow to try to block the measure. Paul’s follow-up letter, obtained by POLITICO, bears Monday’s date and is signed by 13 Republicans, including fellow potential 2016 presidential aspirant Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — who signed on shortly after Paul’s first threat was issued — and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jerry Moran of Kansas.
All right, here's what's going to happen. Regardless of what gun control legislation passes this year, there will be a gradual tightening up of gun regulations over, say the next five or ten years. Those politicians who fail to support them, and especially those who fanatically oppose them with tricky stunts like filibuster, will pay in the polls. With each election fewer and fewer of them will be re-elected, making the chances of better laws more and more possible.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.