posted by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
comments in () by the same
http://www.spw-duf.info
Oops, One Too Many: A would-be robber is dead after one of his alleged
victims fights back. It happened on North Street in Philadelphia's
West Oak Lane section early Sunday morning. Investigators say it
apparently never crossed the thief's mind that his victim just might
be armed. Police say it was the man's third robbery of the night. He
forced the victim up against a vehicle along the street and demanded
money. That's when shots rang out - but not from the alleged robber…
Aaron Wisher was listening to the radio in his West Oak Lane home just
after midnight when he heard a man on his cell phone quickly followed
by seven or eight gunshots… He called 9-1-1 and police responded to
investigate. As it turns out, the man who was being robbed had a
license to carry a firearm, and shot the alleged robber. Police say at
this time no charges are expected to be filed. (Journalism schools
need to start teaching the differences between theft, robbery and
burglary. In most states a crime is elevated from theft to robbery
when there is the use or threat of force. Burglary typically involves
entry of a structure or fenced land with the intent to commit theft.
Depending on the value of what is stolen, theft may only be a
misdemeanor but robbery and burglary are generally high-grade
felonies.)
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7058682
http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m10d11-Serial-robber-shot-in-self-defense-by-concealed-carry-permit-holder
---
Oops, Wrong House: What started early Thursday morning as a home
invasion has ended in the death of the alleged intruder. Just after 5
a.m., Bexar County [TX] Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene in
the 11400 block of South Foster Road. Deputies say 24-year-old Cardell
Deon Joseph broke through the front door of a home there, and that's
when the homeowner shot him once in the intruder's rib cage area. They
say the Joseph then ran from the house and drove away, but he then
crashed his vehicle a few blocks away. According to reports, the
suspect was still talking after the crash, and asked the homeowners
for help. But, Joseph later died at the scene. It's unclear whether
the crash or the gunshot wound was the major factor in his death.
Bexar County records show that Joseph was in trouble before. He was
arresed for evading arrest and possession of marijuana. The Bexar
County district attorney's office will review the case.
http://www.kens5.com/news/stories/KENS20091008-Foster-Road-Intruder.1f78f4e15.html
http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Texas-home-invader-shot-in-self-defense
---
What Was the Question?: In a recent four-week period, four local
residents who were threatened by armed individuals opened fire,
shooting the people who had allegedly drawn or fired the weapons
first. One incident left a would-be robber dead after a homeowner shot
and killed him inside his home. It's a recent trend that leaves police
torn between public safety concerns and law enforcement objectives.
"If your life is genuinely in danger ... I would expect people to
fight for their lives or their family's lives," said Dayton police Lt.
Patrick Welsh, a former prosecuting attorney. "But we also encourage
people to think, 'What can I do to avoid being placed in that
situation in the first place?' " None of the four people who fired in
the Dayton cases face any criminal charges. Ohio's Castle Doctrine
Law, which went into effect last year, allows residents to defend
their homes and occupied vehicles from invaders by any means
necessary, including lethal force… (It's not clear to me what
questions are being raised that are not answered in most courses that
may be required to qualify for a concealed-carry permit.)
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime/4-recent-self-defense-shootings-raise-questions-about-law-safety-343110.html
---
--
Jason Baird
214-495-9858
Monday, October 12, 2009
10-12-09
posted by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
comments in () by the same
http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by the same
http://www.spw-duf.info
Is Big Brother Still Walking the RKBA Tightrope?: Seven countries have
launched a campaign for the U.N. to start negotiations on a new treaty
regulating the global arms trade to help prevent the illegal transfer
of guns that kill and maim thousands every day. John Duncan, Britain's
ambassador for multilateral arms control and disarmament, said the
four-week meeting of the General Assembly's disarmament committee,
which started Monday, will be "pivotal" in deciding whether to launch
formal negotiations on a new Arms Trade Treaty… Whether President
Barack Obama's administration will now back negotiations remains to be
seen. Gun control is a hotly contentious issue in the United States,
where the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees
citizens the right to "keep and bear arms," and powerful lobby groups
routinely oppose almost every effort to restrict gun sales and
ownership - and usually win. Supporters of a new treaty stress that it
will not interfere with legal arms sales but will target illegal
weapons transfers. The U.S. statement to the disarmament committee,
delivered Tuesday by Ellen Tauscher, the undersecretary of state for
arms control and international security, focused on Obama's proposals
to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and move toward disarmament.
It made no mention of conventional weapons or an Arms Trade Treaty. A
U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to speak publicly, said the administration was still
reviewing its position on a treaty…
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1078885&lang=eng_news
---
The Beat Winds Down?: Don Parsons stocked up on cases of bullets and
shells Sunday at the Texas Gun & Knife Association show in the Abilene
Civic Center. "I sure am glad those prices have gone down a bit," he
said as he prepares to guide deer hunters on his land north of Abilene
when open season starts the first Saturday of November. "It was pretty
bad there for a while." Ammunition prices shot up after President
Barack Obama's election in November, which sent gun enthusiasts who
had enjoyed eight years of Repulican rule rushing to stores to stock
up on ammunition before any gun control laws could take effect. "The
first six months of this year, I couldn't even get the products from
my suppliers because they were all out," said Greg "Red" Riggins,
owner of the Frontier Sportsman booth at this weekend's show. While
Second Amendment activists are still skittish, vendors such as Riggins
are glad the ammo market has mellowed… (The supply of ammunition looks
as though it may be stabilizing in fits and starts. Reports from some
areas suggest that some gun stores are paying retail price at local
Walmarts in order to be able to maintain some stock on their shelves.)
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/oct/11/vendors-glad-ammo-is-back/
---
California Governor Signs Draconian Ammunition Bill: "To the Members
of the California State Assembly: I am signing Assembly Bill 962. This
measure would require vendors of handgun ammunition to keep a log of
information on handgun ammunition sales, store ammunition in a safe
and secure manner, and require the face to-face transfer of ammunition
sales. Although I have previously vetoed legislation similar to this
measure, local governments have demonstrated that requiring ammunition
vendors to keep records on ammunition sales improves public safety.
These records have allowed law enforcement to arrest and prosecute
persons who have no business possessing firearms and ammunition: gang
members, violent parolees, second and third strikers, and even people
previously serving time in state prison for murder… Moreover, this
type of record keeping is no more intrusive for law abiding citizens
than similar laws governing pawnshops or the sale of cold medicine.
Unfortunately, even the most successful local program is flawed;
without a statewide law, felons can easily skirt the record keeping
requirements of one city by visiting another. Assembly Bill 962 will
fix this problem by mandating that all ammunition vendors in the state
keep records on ammunition sales…" (Ahnold apparently thinks it is no
intrusion on the law-abiding to place limits on quantities of
ammunition purchased or to ban online or mail-order purchase of
ammunition that may not be available in the local gun shop. I have
rarely found my first choices in defensive ammunition sitting on
dealer shelves. As a sop, it appears that he vetoed the bill that
would have banned gun shows at the Cow Palace, south of San Francisco
[http://cbs13.com/politics/water.deal.deadline.2.1241623.html].)
F Troop Responds to Bloomberg Videos: Smile, gun show dealers: You
were on hidden camera, and the federal government may be coming after
you. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
is looking into Mayor Bloomberg's gun show sting project and may take
action against the dealers involved. The city had private
investigators pose as buyers in three states - Tennessee, Ohio and
Nevada - to highlight how easily they obtained weapons at gun shows
even after stating they could never pass a background check. "ATF did
not participate in the operations conducted at the gun shows
highlighted in the report, but will assess the need to initiate any
criminal investigations," the bureau said in a statement… (After the
Rodney King incident flared, cops were advised to assume that
everything they said was being recorded and everything they did was
being videotaped. With such a large proportion of the population
carrying cell phones with integral video cameras, everyone needs to
make that assumption these days. Illegal sales of firearms are
generally not an effective way to protest infringements of the RKBA.)
Related Commentary:
Campus-Carry Struggle in Georgia: Students For Concealed Carry On
Campus is fighting to change Georgia law. The group wants to make it
legal for students at all universities across the state to carry guns
or knives on campus. "Currently it is a felony for a student to have a
weapon on campus. This is our second amendment right this is what we
are guaranteed by the constitution and somewhere along the way people
decided stripping that right would make us safer and it hasn't it has
made us targets," said Matt Lewis with Students For Concealed Carry On
Campus. This year there has been a rash of crimes against Georgia Tech
students on and off campus. Between May 4 and June 21, at least six
Georgia Tech students were the victims of crime on or near the Georgia
Tech campus. In one of those attacks the first week of May, Georgia
Tech student Patrick Whaley was carjacked and shot leaving the Tivoli
10 Side Apartments. Lewis said he believes students shouldn't have to
wait for help to arrive to defend themselves…
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/21261206/detail.html
---
Texas School District Scraps "Zero Tolerance": "Zero tolerance" is
officially a thing of the past as Waco schools make it policy to
consider mitigating factors such as self-defense when doling out
punishment to students. The Waco Independent School District board of
trustees recently approved the 2009-10 Code of Conduct, which includes
the requirement that district staff consider certain factors when
issuing out-of-school suspensions and expulsions and when making
placements to the disciplinary alternative education program. Those
factors include: self-defense, student disability, student's
disciplinary history and intent or lack of intent at the time the
student engaged in the conduct. Previously, it was a recommendation
rather than a requirement to consider these factors… (I have been
waiting for a report of a student being disciplined for bringing a
Massachusetts quarter to school – after all, it depicts a minuteman
holding his musket and many schools prohibit even images of a weapon.)
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/10/11/10112009waczerotolerance.html?imw=Y
---
Oops, One Too Many: A would-be robber is dead after one of his alleged
victims fights back. It happened on North Street in Philadelphia's
West Oak Lane section early Sunday morning. Investigators say it
apparently never crossed the thief's mind that his victim just might
be armed. Police say it was the man's third robbery of the night. He
forced the victim up against a vehicle along the street and demanded
money. That's when shots rang out - but not from the alleged robber…
Aaron Wisher was listening to the radio in his West Oak Lane home just
after midnight when he heard a man on his cell phone quickly followed
by seven or eight gunshots… He called 9-1-1 and police responded to
investigate. As it turns out, the man who was being robbed had a
license to carry a firearm, and shot the alleged robber. Police say at
this time no charges are expected to be filed. (Journalism schools
need to start teaching the differences between theft, robbery and
burglary. In most states a crime is elevated from theft to robbery
when there is the use or threat of force. Burglary typically involves
entry of a structure or fenced land with the intent to commit theft.
Depending on the value of what is stolen, theft may only be a
misdemeanor but robbery and burglary are generally high-grade
felonies.)
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7058682
http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m10d11-Serial-robber-shot-in-self-defense-by-concealed-carry-permit-holder
---
Oops, Wrong House: What started early Thursday morning as a home
invasion has ended in the death of the alleged intruder. Just after 5
a.m., Bexar County [TX] Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene in
the 11400 block of South Foster Road. Deputies say 24-year-old Cardell
Deon Joseph broke through the front door of a home there, and that's
when the homeowner shot him once in the intruder's rib cage area. They
say the Joseph then ran from the house and drove away, but he then
crashed his vehicle a few blocks away. According to reports, the
suspect was still talking after the crash, and asked the homeowners
for help. But, Joseph later died at the scene. It's unclear whether
the crash or the gunshot wound was the major factor in his death.
Bexar County records show that Joseph was in trouble before. He was
arresed for evading arrest and possession of marijuana. The Bexar
County district attorney's office will review the case.
http://www.kens5.com/news/stories/KENS20091008-Foster-Road-Intruder.1f78f4e15.html
http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Texas-home-invader-shot-in-self-defense
---
What Was the Question?: In a recent four-week period, four local
residents who were threatened by armed individuals opened fire,
shooting the people who had allegedly drawn or fired the weapons
first. One incident left a would-be robber dead after a homeowner shot
and killed him inside his home. It's a recent trend that leaves police
torn between public safety concerns and law enforcement objectives.
"If your life is genuinely in danger ... I would expect people to
fight for their lives or their family's lives," said Dayton police Lt.
Patrick Welsh, a former prosecuting attorney. "But we also encourage
people to think, 'What can I do to avoid being placed in that
situation in the first place?' " None of the four people who fired in
the Dayton cases face any criminal charges. Ohio's Castle Doctrine
Law, which went into effect last year, allows residents to defend
their homes and occupied vehicles from invaders by any means
necessary, including lethal force… (It's not clear to me what
questions are being raised that are not answered in most courses that
may be required to qualify for a concealed-carry permit.)
Gunfight in Ohio Bar – More Details: …Some physical commotion is not
uncommon at evening establishments where alcohol is served. But it's
what happened next on Thursday evening inside the Route 66 Kitchen in
West Toledo that has unsettled some Toledoans… With surveillance
cameras rolling, several figures pulled out handguns and engaged in a
shootout that raged inside and outside the bar for several minutes.
Seventeen shell casings littered the floor or ground before the gun
battle petered out, leaving a front door riddled with bullet holes and
scenes of lawless mayhem preserved on video. Amazingly, no one was
hurt… Dan Wagner, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman's
Association, said he also believes acts such as the one in the West
Toledo bar are consequences of criminals feeling that law enforcement
has its guard down. "People have become more violent because they feel
more comfortable because there's not enough officers out there on the
street," Mr. Wagner said yesterday, noting the Route 66 Kitchen at 406
North Westwood Ave. is just blocks away from the department's Scott
Park substation. "When someone feels more comfortable pulling a gun
out rather than fistfighting, it shows you that they're not afraid of
the law being there." However, Deputy Chief Don Kenney cautioned
against drawing such conclusions from Thursday's gunfight. "The
reality of it is we have shots fired every day in the city," Chief
Kenney said. "Right now we can't put the blame anywhere until we have
a clearer idea of what happened and who the participants were." … (For
those who may not have been able to view the video in yesterday's
link, it is embedded in this article.)
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091011/NEWS02/910110335
---
Florida Range Mishap – Details Emerge: … Since Thourot's gun
accidentally discharged last weekend at Saddle Creek Shooting Range in
Lakeland, Thourot says he became a target of unlikely criticism; he
was condemned for not following safety procedures, something he says
he has done all his life. Detectives now say it was not Thourot, but a
malfunction in his Jennings 9 mm semi-automatic pistol that caused the
Oct. 3 shooting that injured Thourot, his wife and an Irish tourist,
who was in Polk County visiting friends and was with them at the
range. Thourot, 47, who lives in Tampa but comes to Polk County
because he likes the county-run shooting range, had just set down the
handgun about 10:30 a.m. when it went off, puncturing his wife
Sherri's left armpit, striking 29-year-old Gary Flynn's shoulder and
throat, and slicing through Thourot's left hand. Another bullet had
just grazed his stomach when the gun jammed. "Thank God," he said.
"The next bullet probably would have killed me." … After he was
released from the hospital, Thourot researched the Jennings 9 mm and
discovered that many have experienced similar malfunctions. Design
flaws in the original Jennings are well-documented in news reports,
and an accidental discharge and the ensuing lawsuit caused the gun's
original manufacturer, Bryco Arms, to file for bankruptcy in 2003. The
latest incarnation of the company, Jimenez Arms, now manufactures in
Nevada… (Jennings and the related "ring of fire" brands are the
quintessential "POS" handguns and it's tragic that Thourot did not
recognize that. The lawsuit mentioned, however, did not involve an
actual mechanicla defect but the absence of a loaded-chamber
indicator, in an incident involving precisely the lesson that Thourot
had taught his daughter. On the plus side, the demonstration that
Thourot gave his daughter is an outstanding one for educating both
children and adults about the need to visually and tactilely verify
the empty-chamber status of firearms.)
http://www.theledger.com/article/20091010/NEWS/910105066
---
Pastor Who Gave up Ministry Speaks: The Kentucky pastor who drew
notice earlier this year for hosting a God-and-guns event at his
church is giving up his flock for his Glock. Pastor Ken Pagano
resigned his post last month at the New Bethel Church in Louisville,
Ky., after nearly 30 years in the ministry, saying he wants to focus
on Second Amendment and church-security issues. "Thirty years was a
good, long run, but it's time for a change," Mr. Pagano said in an
interview with The Washington Times. "If I can write my own ticket, I
want to get involved more in Second Amendment issues as they affect
the church, and I can do more from outside the pulpit than from behind
it." … "Churches are very soft targets and very vulnerable to attack
from terrorists and other homegrown, disgruntled individuals," Mr.
Pagano said. "Unfortunately, most religious leaders are living in
denial." The number of high-profile attacks on churches has spiraled
in the past decade. This year's church violence includes the deadly
shooting of a late-term abortion provider in Wichita, Kan., a fatal
attack on a pastor shot midsermon in Maryville, Ill., and the killing
of a female parishioner by her estranged husband in a church parking
lot in Silver Spring, Md…
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/12/ky-pastor-drops-flock-for-his-glock/
---
This Story Sounds Familiar: In the chaos of an early morning assault
on a remote U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Erich
Phillips' M4 carbine quit firing as militant forces surrounded the
base. The machine gun he grabbed after tossing the rifle aside didn't
work either. When the battle in the small village of Wanat ended, nine
U.S. soldiers lay dead and 27 more were wounded. A detailed study of
the attack by a military historian found that weapons failed
repeatedly at a "critical moment" during the firefight on July 13,
2008, putting the outnumbered American troops at risk of being overrun
by nearly 200 insurgents. Which raises the question: Eight years into
the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, do U.S. armed forces have
the best guns money can buy? Despite the military's insistence that
they do, a small but vocal number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq
has complained that the standard-issue M4 rifles need too much
maintenance and jam at the worst possible times… (It seems as though
just as the M16 was getting straightened out, a large portion of our
troops switched to the shorter M4. The shorter gas tube of the M4
seems to make the carbine less tolerant of heavy-volume rapid fire,
according to some reports.)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091011/D9B8SUPO0.html
---
Tangentially Related: A Tempe [AZ] woman's 911 call has uncovered
widespread use of a police database that flags addresses across the
Valley as hazards without ever consulting the people living in the
houses. Local and national law-enforcement agencies use the database
to collect information about Valley residences. The information, filed
into a computer-aided dispatch system, can include prior emergency
calls to a home, as well as criminal activity or threats tied to an
address… Holguin's fight with Tempe had begun months before that 911
call. Earlier in the year, she had criticized Police Chief Tom Ryff in
an unrelated matter, going so far as to say he should resign. Then in
August, she found her elderly father on the floor and called 911. As
paramedics cared for her father, two Tempe police cars showed up.
Holguin said a paramedic said he wanted to speak to her and an officer
outside. She said the paramedic asked if she had recently moved to the
address or if she knew of any reason why her house would be "put on a
hazard file." …Holguin said the paramedic told her that "whenever we
get that (hazard) dispatch on our call log it means we're possibly
going into a hostile situation. That could mean other things like you
could be on some terrorist list." Holguin was dumbfounded. Then, she
recalled the complaints she made against Ryff…
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/10/12/20091012hazard1012.html
---
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