Gracie's Favorite Gun - Isn't She Cute?

via Packing Pretty where Gracie has this to say.

My favorite firepower system is not available for civilian procurement, it does not fit in a holster and can not be set beside the bed for home defense. Nope, my favorite gun literally has a plane built around it.

For those of you who don’t already know, I love a well armored bird. And the A-10 Thunderbolt II (also known as the Warthog) is my favorite firepower system.

I don't know what to think about the pretty one, Gracie, but I do know what to think about all the pro-gun guys who keep telling us that they are the bulwark protecting us against tyranny.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Mitt Romney - Draft Dodger and Racist

via Fuck Conservatives

Accidental Shooting of Michigan Toddler by Man Brandishing a Gun - Slap on the Wrist

mlive reports

A married Lansing man who accidentally shot his girlfriend's toddler son after she struck his vehicle with hers will serve probation.

Caralo Johnson, 34, was sentenced by Ingham Circuit Judge Paula Manderfield to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service.

 Lansing police said Johnson was being followed on the morning of Feb. 10 by Tiffany Davis, with whom he had had an affair. She was driving a vehicle with three children inside, following Johnson, who was a passenger in a vehicle with his wife.

After the collision, Johnson approached Davis in a parking lot near the intersection of South Cedar Street and East Mount Hope Avenue, according to police.

He brandished a gun and fired a round that went through the windshield and eventually struck the toddler, a boy, in the chest.

"It is believed that, in discharging the firearm, the alleged shooter did not intend to assault any person, but rather to repel an assault," Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said in a statement.

I figure he must have had a black judge. No self-respecting white judge in Michigan would let this guy get away with a slap on the wrist like that. I find it absolutely absurd that a guy with a gun can shoot a kid in those circumstances and get away with it. What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Boise man - No Charges

Local news reports

According to a Boise Police news release, the man involved in the shooting was taken to Saint Alphonsus regional medical center with non-life-threatening injuries.

While the incident is still under investigation, police spokewoman Lynn Hightower says the shooting was most likely accidental.

In other words, no problem it was only an accident. This disgraceful attitude is responsible for untold injuries and even death.

What's your opinion? Isn't it about time we started demanding that gun owners be more responsible?

Please leave a comment.

The Myth of Black on Black Crime

FBI Data from 2009 shows that cross-racial crime is rare not representative of the typical crime.

 

via Gather

In the arrogantly titled Highbrow Magazine, Edward Wyckoff Williams attempts to portray black-on-black crime as a myth. He believes that conservatives are using the "myth" of black-on-black crime to "deflect from the racism and racial profiling that precipitated his [Trayvon Martin] untimely death by referencing the broader social malaise of supposed "black-on-black violence." Williams supports his claims by referencing a recent comment made by George Will of the Washington Post, which was despite the Trayvon Martin tragedy, "150 black men are killed every week in this country," and "about 94 percent of them by other black men." Williams targeted Bill O'Reilly, who defended Wall Street Journal contributor Shelby Steele, who wrote in "The Exploitation of Trayvon Martin" that "black teenagers are afraid of other black teenagers, not whites."

Williams further asserts that white people are actually the ones committing most of the crimes, yet there is no call to end "white on white" violence. Williams states "The term 'black on black' crime is a destructive, racialized colloquialism that perpetuates an idea that blacks are somehow more prone to violence."

Williams sums up his argument with the following statement, "The myth of black-on-black violence has become a stain on the sociopolitical consciousness and indelibly imbues mindsets as well as public policy. At the heart of an increasingly violent society is not a subculture among blacks but the violence and criminality of many Americans, and whites in particular."

Where is all the talk about white on white crime?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Girls Gone Wild in the Military

Monica Bellucci and Proper Gun Handling

21st Century Chain Gangs

via Salon

Sweatshop labor is back with a vengeance. It can be found across broad stretches of the American economy and around the world.  Penitentiaries have become a niche market for such work.  The privatization of prisons in recent years has meant the creation of a small army of workers too coerced and right-less to complain.

Prisoners, whose ranks increasingly consist of those for whom the legitimate economy has found no use, now make up a virtual brigade within the reserve army of the unemployed whose ranks have ballooned along with the U.S. incarceration rate.  The Corrections Corporation of America and G4S (formerly Wackenhut), two prison privatizers, sell inmate labor at subminimum wages to Fortune 500 corporations like Chevron, Bank of America, AT&T and IBM.

These companies can, in most states, lease factories in prisons or prisoners to work on the outside.  All told, nearly a million prisoners are now making office furniture, working in call centers, fabricating body armor, taking hotel reservations, working in slaughterhouses or manufacturing textiles, shoes and clothing, while getting paid somewhere between 93 cents and $4.73 per day.

I suppose the death penalty lovers and all the those who disparage criminals as goblins and scumbags will have no problem with this. But, what do you others think?

Is this an indication of even deeper problems ahead of us with the private prison business? Wouldn't this kind of slave-labor damage the already fragile economy and increase the unemployment figures even further?

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Two Gun Control Laws I Can Live Without - and Eight Others I Can't

Updated from the original TTAG post


1. Prohibition of sound suppressors.
In some states, I understand it is illegal to own a sound suppressor for a gun. To me this makes no sense. I’d be happy to eliminate these laws. People who qualify to own guns should be able to own and use sound suppressors if they like.

On the other hand, isn’t it possible that some people might misuse them to better commit their crimes? Aside from the Hollywood stereotype of mafia hit men and James-Bond type killers, isn’t it possible that your run-of-the-mill bad guys might benefit from such an accessory? Yes indeed, however, just like your run-of-the-mill bad guys can misuse guns, and total prohibition is not the answer to that, outright bans on sound suppressors is not the answer to this either.

Here are gun control laws that I do support, the explanations for which I’ve written frequently and will forego here since I wanted to focus on any gun control laws I might be comfortable doing away with.

2. Waiting periods for gun purchases.
With a slight modification I would be willing to fore go this one too. New, first time purchasers have to wait, all others can collect their weapons immediately after paying for them

3.  Prohibition of extended magazines for pistols.
I was on the fence about this one but the convincer for me was the Jared Loughner shooting. No need to rehash it here, but it proved to me that high-capacity magazines help to kill people who otherwise might not be killed. The only argument for them that makes any sense to me is that the Jared Loughner-type shootings are extremely rare. Nevertheless, a law prohibiting this particular accessory works for me, as do the following:

4. Gun free zones.
5. Requiring permits for concealed carry.
6. Licensing of gun owners.
7. Registration of guns.
8. Background check requirement for private sales.
9. Loss of gun rights for every negligent gun offense.
10. Assault Weapons Ban.
I realize there are problems with describing the proscribed weapons, but I can’t quite bring myself to oppose it. Perhaps the California version would work.

Again, there are two gun control laws I could live without: the ban on suppressors and the waiting period for those who already own guns. Does that make me a fanatic or an extremist? I don’t think so. What do you think?

I’d especially be interested if you can come up with any other gun control laws I might agree are not needed. I can’t think of any.

Accidental Shooting of Shreveport Man - No Charges

The Shreveport Times reports

Shreveport police are at the scene of an accidental shooting in the 100 block of West 77th Street near St. Vincent.

Two brothers were hanging out when a firearm discharged and hit one in the leg. He was taken to LSU Hospital by private vehicle for treatment.

No one was charged in the incident, but police detained some people for questioning.

Isn't Brad Kozak from Shreveport? 

Dear God in heaven, please let it be him.  You can see the humor in that, can't you Lord? If you grant me this favor, I promise I won't rub it in too much on The Truth About Guns and I will always be your faithful servant, Michael. I ask you this in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Port Arthur Toddler's Dad Speaks Out for Gun Safety

We talked about this one the other day. Now the negligent and irresponsible dad is putting his face on the news. What's your opinion? How about for guys like this, 30 days in the pillory with a sign reading, "I lost my gun rights for being a stupid and irresponsible ass."

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Florida Man - He's Dead

Tampa Bay Online reports

A Lithia man who thought a gun was not loaded accidentally shot himself in the head and died early Thursday morning.

Taylor J. McKenna, 19, was socializing with friends at home about 2 a.m. when an unloaded handgun was being shown to the group.

Later, unaware that someone loaded the gun, McKenna picked up the weapon and shot himself in the head.

Florida just keeps on coming, doesn't it?

Florida Woman Commits Attempted Murder and Suicide

Local News reports

Maitland police said they responded to a home after neighbors reported that a man was shot in the neck by his girlfriend, who then went back inside the home on Ridgewood Avenue and Orange Place, where another gunshot was fired.

I wonder if the number of these incidents in which the principle actor is a woman is increasing in the same proportion that female gun owners are increasing. What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Scituate Rod and Gun Club Loses Legal Battle

boston.com reports

A group of Scituate neighbors has won a big victory in a long-running legal battle, after a judge prohibited any rifle or pistol shooting at the Scituate Rod & Gun Club. 

The club has been in litigation with neighbors over the rifle and pistol ranges since early 2009, when stray bullets allegedly were found on nearby propeties.

In a decision issued earlier this month, Superior Court Judge Charles J. Healy permanently barred any person from firing a rifle or pistol on the club premises until certain safety modification can be made.

In addition, damages ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 were awarded to several neighbors.

Archery, skeet shooting, and other activities are still allowed at the club.

‘‘It’s a win; there’s no doubt about that,’’ said Dan Dwyer, an attorney at Murphy & King who is representing the neighbors. ‘‘The lawsuit was about safety, and they got a permanent injunction.’’

Why is it so difficult? Shouldn't this be the first thing that happens after stray bullets leave the area? What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Volunteers of America - The Jefferson Airplane

Another Spate of Gun Violence in Chicago

The Chicago Times reports

Chicago police discover a man shot dead within a block of a Southwest Side high school and six others were wounded in separate shootings that occurred across the city in less than 12 hours.

The gun-rights folks pretend it makes no sense when I blame them for this. I don't know what could be more clear than the fact that every weapon used in these Chicago shootings started out the legally owned property of a lawful gun owner.

Pro-gun attitudes against simple, non-intrusive legislation that would help, is what's to blame. This is backed by the NRA and gun manufacturers for the obvious monetary interests that they have. The results are inevitable and disasterous.

And the entire time the gun guys are feigning innocence by saying it's not their fault and they have nothing to do with it.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Connecticut Abolishes the Death Penalty

The Guardian reports

 Connecticut has abolished the death sentence for all future cases, becoming the fifth state in five years to repeal the ultimate punishment as the abolition movement gathers steam across America.

The governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy, described the death penalty as one of the "most compelling and vexing issues of our time", as he put his signature to SB280, rendering his state the 17th in America to make a break with judicial killings. The bill replaces the death sentence with life without parole for all new cases.

You know what's funny. Neanderthal gun-rights laws are coming faster than we can keep up with them, The Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground, for example, while examples of enlightened legislation like the abolition of capital punishment are few and far between.

What's your opinion. Is Connecticut doing the right thing?

Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Port Arthur TX 3-Year-Old - No Charges Yet

The Beaumont Enterprise reports

A 3-year-old Port Arthur boy is recovering at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston from serious wounds he received during an accidental shooting on Tuesday.

"It looks like it's just a tragic accident," said Shari Pulliam with Child Protective Services. The state agency is investigating the shooting alongside Port Arthur police officers.

Major Raymond Clark with the Port Arthur Police Department said the gun did not have a safety to keep it from firing.

Clark said the boys' father left the gun in the seat of a truck while the boys were playing in the front yard. Clark added that when the boys' father went back inside the house to get something, the younger brother got the gun from the truck.

What's your opinion? Is the fact that the gun had no safety of any significance? Doesn't that pale when compared to the negligence of leaving a gun available to toddlers?

How much you want to bet this gun-owning dad had already instructed his boys to not touch daddy's gun?  On pro-gun blogs they can't get enough of the idea of teaching kids gun safety at a very young age, they call it gun-proofing the kids.

I say it doesn't work.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of NC Youth - One Arrest

Local News reports

The mystery of an accidental shooting back in March has been solved.

Deputies with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office say it happened March 15th when they responded to a report of a juvenile victim with a gunshot wound. Fortunately, the victim's injuries weren't life threatening.

Deputies discovered a .25 caliber semi-automatic  handgun during a search of the home.

It appears that the juvenile found a handgun in his residence, began playing with it, and it discharged sending a bullet through the victim’s hand and into his leg.

40-year-old Bartolo Castillo Mondragon was charged with Failure to Store a Firearm to Protect a Minor. He placed in the Beaufort County Detention Center on an $8,000.00 secured bond.

Now, what's so difficult about that? What's wrong with making that the normal response to these types of incidents? Gun-rights activists are against it, don't ask me why. What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Armed and Dangerous (Dangerously Inept) while Old and White, Flabby and Crabby - 6

Again from Penigmahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

The demographic for gun nuts, as reflected in the NRA membership, is old and white, flabby and crabby. My impression of a lot of these gun owners is that they are compensating for their lack of physical fitness as well as reflecting a more commonly right wing unreasonable fear and suspicion of the world. These individuals don't strike me as the optimum candidates to be entrusted with lethal weapons, no matter how often they claim they are safe. We have far too many incidents which suggests this is a correct assessment, that these people are a disaster, deliberate or accidental just waiting to happen. There may from time to time be variation in one or more of the characteristics, but overall, it seems a great rule of thumb to identify people we should not be allowing to arm, least of all permitting them to be armed in public, because they are a danger to themselves and to the rest of us. In that context, any and all 'Shoot First' laws should be repealed, effective immediately. We do not need these extra homicides or injuries from gun nuts shooting people. We need to return to the same premise in law that is respected in the rest of the world (the parts where they don't have only the tiniest fraction of the shootings we have ) of duty to retreat, a premise that it is better to let law enforcement do whatever shooting needs to be done, and that private individuals should only do so when there is no other alternative - and when they can do so safely without injuring an innocent victim.
Here is the latest:
Man shoots himself and wife -- at gun safety class
The Roanoke Times
April 24, 2012
By Duncan Adams
BEDFORD COUNTY
A firearms safety course went awry in Bedford County on Saturday afternoon when a participant shot himself in the hand with a .45-caliber handgun and the bullet passed through his hand and struck his wife, seated next to him, in the leg.
Shot were Michael L. Deel, 54, and Michelle K. Deel, 49, both of Roanoke. Emergency dispatchers in Bedford County received a call at 12:25 p.m. reporting a shooting on Chapel Woods Drive. The Bedford County Sheriff's Office said county rescue units and deputies responded.
The Deels were attending a firearms safety class being taught and hosted by Thomas Starke, 57, according to the department.
The sheriff's office said Starke told deputies that he had left the room, heard a shot and returned to find the Deels had been shot.
The couple was taken by ambulance to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The shooting remains under investigation.

Armed While Old and White, Flabby and Crabby 4

Reposted from Penigma:

One of the testosterone replacement guys

There is a very distinctive NRA demographic, old and white, and grumpy, and well........lets just say old or not so old, they are typically not aging like the legendary fitness figures the late Jack LaLanne or Charles Atlas or guys like these who model for testosterone replacement therapy (a side note - testosterone levels are often synonymous with baldness):

another hormone replacement old guy

No - HERE is the reality of the NRA loving gun nuts, below:

courtesy of mikeb302000 blog

These people have to have them their guns because they feel inept, impotent, incapable of dealing with a world around them which frightens them disproportionately to any real danger. It's not like they're going to outrun someone. They're looking for the proverbial magic bullet to make them powerful. Except that given their temperamental infirmities, it mostly makes them something else. In the absence of anyone caring about them one way or the other, much less being important enough to rob or otherwise pay attention to them, we see the usually white and old, flabby and crabby crowd doing things like this, to lash out at the world for their lack of importance; yup, that'll learn 'em!
Seriously - who let Grandpa out in his night shirt, apparently barefoot, with a gun? And if grandpa can't shoot straight enough to hit something at pretty much point blank range.....maybe it is past due to take away his car keys as well as his ammo and firearm. Getting grumpy gramps here some happy pills to aid his temperament and judgment doesn't seem amiss either.
from Aol News:
Video: Elderly Man Shoots Unmanned Police Vehicle In Santa Fe, N.M.



Police say only 3 of 5 shots hit from distance of 10 feet
Police officers in Santa Fe, N.M. recently started using unmanned speed-enforcement vehicles to ticket heavy-footed motorists. It hasn't exactly been a popular endeavor.

One disgruntled man took his dissatisfaction to another level in the wee hours of Wednesday, April 11, firing at least five rounds from a handgun at the vehicle, which sustained minor damage.

Video cameras inside the police SUV captured the incident. Upon examination, the tape showed an elderly gentleman with a flowing mane of white hair, wearing what appears to be a nightgown of some sort, approach the vehicle.

As he fires his weapon from approximately 10 feet away, he mutters something inaudible, then gets back into his own vehicle, believed to be an Audi SUV or wagon. Police say only 3 of his 5 shots hit the vehicle.

The victim vehicle, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports, had been left overnight on Bishops Lodge Road, north of downtown, and is out of commission while being repaired.

Many critics have complained about "Big Brother" recording their whereabouts as well as inaccurate tickets with high fees. Police are hoping release of the video results in the assailant's arrest. He'll be on the hook for something more serious than a speeding ticket.

Police say only 3 of 5 shots hit from distance of 10 feet
Police officers in Santa Fe, N.M. recently started using unmanned speed-enforcement vehicles to ticket heavy-footed motorists. It hasn't exactly been a popular endeavor.

One disgruntled man took his dissatisfaction to another level in the wee hours of Wednesday, April 11, firing at least five rounds from a handgun at the vehicle, which sustained minor damage.

Video cameras inside the police SUV captured the incident. Upon examination, the tape showed an elderly gentleman with a flowing mane of white hair, wearing what appears to be a nightgown of some sort, approach the vehicle.

As he fires his weapon from approximately 10 feet away, he mutters something inaudible, then gets back into his own vehicle, believed to be an Audi SUV or wagon. Police say only 3 of his 5 shots hit the vehicle.

The victim vehicle, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports, had been left overnight on Bishops Lodge Road, north of downtown, and is out of commission while being repaired.

Many critics have complained about "Big Brother" recording their whereabouts as well as inaccurate tickets with high fees. Police are hoping release of the video results in the assailant's arrest. He'll be on the hook for something more serious than a speeding ticket.

Police say only 3 of 5 shots hit from distance of 10 feet

Police officers in Santa Fe, N.M. recently started using unmanned speed-enforcement vehicles to ticket heavy-footed motorists. It hasn't exactly been a popular endeavor.

One disgruntled man took his dissatisfaction to another level in the wee hours of Wednesday, April 11, firing at least five rounds from a handgun at the vehicle, which sustained minor damage.

Video cameras inside the police SUV captured the incident. Upon examination, the tape showed an elderly gentleman with a flowing mane of white hair, wearing what appears to be a nightgown of some sort, approach the vehicle.

As he fires his weapon from approximately 10 feet away, he mutters something inaudible, then gets back into his own vehicle, believed to be an Audi SUV or wagon. Police say only 3 of his 5 shots hit the vehicle.

The victim vehicle, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports, had been left overnight on Bishops Lodge Road, north of downtown, and is out of commission while being repaired.

Many critics have complained about "Big Brother" recording their whereabouts as well as inaccurate tickets with high fees. Police are hoping release of the video results in the assailant's arrest. He'll be on the hook for something more serious than a speeding ticket.

Jon Stewart on Romney's Vice President

Accidental Shooting of OR Turkey Hunter - No Charges

The Ashland Daily Tidings reports

Richard Kidd, 44, of Portland, received shotgun pellet wounds to his legs when his 60-year old hunting partner, David C. Brant, also of Portland, fired at a turkey that flew out of its roost in a tree. The two were hunting around sunrise in the Wimer area when the accident happened, OSP said in a news release.

Kidd and Brant were about 70 yards apart and were wearing camoflauge clothing. Lighting and terrain also limited visibility, officials said.

We just had another case of a turkey hunting accident. Imagine the ones we don't hear about.

Why would hunters rear camoflauge clothing while hunting?  Is that to fool the animals?  Aren't they supposed to rear bright reds and yellows to avoid this very danger?

What could possibly be the justification for shooting such magnificant animals? Are turkeys out-breeding their environment and the turkey hunters doing a humanitarian service in killing them? Or is this just another sick and cruel activity which real men with guns like to participate in?

 I think it's the latter.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of 8-Year-Old CA Girl - Possible Charges Pending

The Daily News reports

The victim, whose name was withheld, was shot in the arm by a 20-gauge shotgun.

The shotgun had been left loaded and propped against a wall of the dining room with the butt of the gun on a small wicker chair when it fell and discharged a load of birdshot into the living room, the release said.

Pellets went through the arm of one of the couches and struck the victim in her bicep and abdomen causing major injuries.

The 8-year-old victim and her 7-year-old friend were watching television alone in the living room when the gun went off.

I think something's wrong with the reporting of these stories. Pro-gun folks keep quoting stats which show how few gun accidents there are. Yet, every single day I see four or five stories which make the main stream news. That alone would be 1,500 incidents each year and that's just what pops up on Google. The true figure must be ten or twenty times that.

What's your opinion? Isn't the argument that there are relatively few accidents with firearms a shabby argument anyway? Isn't that a calous approach to a problem that is easily corrected?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of VA Couple During Gun Safety Class - No Charges

Local Fox News reports

A Virginia man and his wife are recovering after an accidental shooting during a firearms safety class. 

The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office tells media outlets that Michael L. Deel, of Roanoke, shot himself in the hand with a .45-caliber handgun. The bullet also struck his wife, Michelle, in the leg as she was sitting beside him.

The incident occurred Saturday during a firearms safety class at a home. The instructor, Thomas Starke, told police he’d left the room and then heard a shot.

The Deels were taken to a local hospital where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Michael Deel says the shooting was a “stupid accident.”

Of course there are no charges, it was only a "stupid accident."

Michael Deel and his wife and his irresponsible gun instructor should lose their gun rights before they do some real damage.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Armed while Old and White, Flabby and Crabby - 5

Again reposted from Penigma:

Because gun nuts are just so fanciful, you couldn't make them up, and because they live (and sometimes kill) to prove that fact continues stranger than fiction.
In aid of demonstrating that despite their loud and repetitious rhetoric that they live each and every day, safely handling their firearms, in order to protect themselves and the rest of us --- they are who we need protecting from, but they will never admit it, no matter how obvious.
The problem of course is that saying your safe doesn't make it true. Having RECENTLY seen a hog in a certain vicinity is not the same as following safe firearms procedures where you KNOW where the bullet is going, and you KNOW what you are shooting at. Which is why this qualifies for another 'Armed while Old and White, Flabby and Crabby'. 'Minutes before' isn't even close to being good enough to qualify as safe shooting. But these are the guys who loves them their gunz, and the larger, heavier the firepower the better - because they are using guns to cope with their inadequacies - although not very well. This is why not everyone who wants a gun, especially to carry in public, should have one, much less more than one. EVER. Anywhere.

It is not surprising that it is in Florida, the Gunshine state this occurred...
The man in the video at the end is the antithesis of the typical NRA gun loon who is armed while old and white, flabby and crabby; he is the safe, competent, doesn't need a gun to compensate for his deficiencies kind of gun guy.
From the HuffPo News of the Weird:

Hog Hunter Accidentally Shoots Girlfriend In Florida: Steven Egan Fires At Lisa Simmons
The Huffington Post | By Andy Campbell Posted: 04/23/2012 10:12 am Updated: 04/23/2012 10:12 am

Steven Egan mistakenly shot his girlfriend Lisa Simmons on a hunting trip, because he thought she was a wild hog.

A Florida hunter accidentally shot his girlfriend thinking that she was his target -- a wild hog.
Cops said that Brandon man Steven Egan, 52, was hunting from a tent in Flagler County on Saturday when Egan heard a noise that he thought was similar to that of his prey. He took a shot at it, not realizing his significant other wasn't in the tent with him, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The shot sent a .30-caliber rifle bullet through both of 52-year-old Lisa Simmons' legs. Simmons was airlifted to the hospital where she was recovering from surgery on Sunday, the News-Journal reported.
Egan maintained that he fired in the first place because he had seen a real hog just minutes before the accidental shooting, WFTV reported. No charges were filed.

How to Go Rifle Hunting

Andy Warhol's Guns

Josh Horwitz on the NRA Blood Money

via The Huffington Post

Why Would Dems Take Money from an Organization That Wants to Behead Them?

Even before NRA Board Member Ted Nugent went on a violent rant at the organization's 2012 convention and threatened the life of President Obama, the gun lobby was well known for material support for Republicans and dangerous invective against Democrats.

But Nugent took things to a whole new level when he declared, "If Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year."  It is unthinkable that an NRA leader would even consider saying something like this publicly just one year after Congresswoman Gabby Giffords barely survived an assassination attempt in Tucson.

It's now time for some Democrats to take a long look in the mirror and determine how much they really like their NRA blood money. Because now, whether or not they're concerned about us, the bullseye is on them.

Rachel Maddow on the Death Penalty Reverse Trend

via Fuck Conservatives

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

Accidental Shooting of Alabama Boy by Himself - No Charges

Local Fox News reports

Mobile Police Department Cpl. Chris Levy said a 12-year-old was injured by an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg. 

Authorities said the .357 magnum handgun belonged to the child's father. No charges have been filed.

Levy said the 12-year-old found the gun on the top shelf of a closet and was inspecting it when the gun discharged.

This is the area's third shooting incident in the past two weeks, including one on Gravine Island that has left 17-year-old Summer Moody in critical condition after she was shot in the head on April 15.

On April 19, police said 17-year-old Christopher Smith shot his step-siblings in Fairhope while handling a high-powered rifle. In that incident , 5-year-old Teela Murphy was shot in the head and killed and a 3-year-old boy was wounded.

The thing about these "accidental shootings" is not whether they are numerous enough to worry about, but the fact that they are totally preventable.

The pro-gun crowd keeps pointing out that compared to the total number of guns, these incidents are relatively few. I say, "so what?" What does that have to do with the fact that with some changes in the law, particularly about holding the gun owners responsible, many of these tragic incidents could be eliminated.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Wichita Teen by Himself - No Charges

Local Wichita news reports

A teenager is recovering from injuries after accidentally shooting himself in the knee.

A 16-year-old boy was showing off a .38 revolver to an 18-year-old friend. The gun fired as the boy was hiding the weapon under a mattress. A bullet hit the teenager in the knee. 

The boy was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated and released. 

Nolte said it is unclear whether the boys' guardians knew he had a gun.

You know what else is unclear, whether this boy had been taught gun safety? I would imagine he had been. Don't you think most kids growing up in homes with guns are taught the basics?

The problem is teaching kids gun safety does not work.  What works is parental supervision or locking up the guns so the kids don't have access. That's why gun owners should be held responsible for what happens with their guns if they don't secure them properly.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Florida Woman Whose Boyfriend Mistook her for a Wild Hog

The Huffington Post reports

A Florida hunter accidentally shot his girlfriend thinking that she was his target -- a wild hog.

Steven Egan, 52, was hunting from a tent in Flagler County on Saturday when Egan heard a noise that he thought was similar to that of his prey. He took a shot at it, not realizing his significant other wasn't in the tent with him.

The shot sent a .30-caliber rifle bullet through both of 52-year-old Lisa Simmons' legs. Simmons was airlifted to the hospital where she was recovering from surgery.

Egan maintained that he fired in the first place because he had seen a real hog just minutes before the accidental shooting. 

No charges were filed.

What do you think? Aside from being a funny story, there are some serious aspects to it.

A guy who is that reckless should never be allowed to touch another gun for the rest of his life. That's what one-strike-you're-out means.

Is it too harsh? Perhaps, but would you want to entrust your life to someone who has shown the ability to do something like that? Would you want a guy like that hunting near your property or near your kids' school?

No, of course not.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Summer Moody Shot for Practically No Reason

al.com reports

Two men staying at a camp on the back side of the island heard a door being broken. One of the men, according to Mack, was a caretaker of the property, knew of several recent break-ins and went to investigate. 

The men discovered intruders and fired once each, Mack said. 

Apparently, he said, Moody was hit by one of those shots. He said that a bullet from a small-caliber rifle struck her "toward the back of the head." 

Mack said investigators believe that Moody was outside some feet away from one of the camp houses, although her exact location and exactly what she was doing had not been determined.

What's your opinion? They're comparing this to the Trayvon Martin case, but I don't really see the similarity. In this case there was no hint of aggression on the part of the teenager, in fact, I can see no reason at all for shots to have been fired.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Houston Man Killed While Chasing Burglar

The Houston Chrinicle reports

A 20-year-old man was shot to death after he and his friends tried to stop two men from burglarizing his girlfriend’s car at an apartment complex in north Harris County.

You see, the reporting of this story is immediatley slanted in favor of the "victim." Here's what really happened.

Officials said deputies who were dispatched to the scene found the man shot death along the road. They said the victim was shot after chasing two men who had been breaking into his girlfriend’s car.

The victim’s brother told investigators that he, the victim and several of their friends were at the victim’s apartment when they saw two men breaking into the car. They went outside and confronted the would-be burglars, who ran away in separate directions. The men chased the would-be thieves and at some point the victim was separated from his friends and brother. Later the Good Samaritans said they heard several gunshots and found the man dead.

Now, that's a little different than getting killed trying to STOP a burglary.

What's your opinion?  Is it right to chase criminals once they've stopped doing whatever they were doing?

Please leave a comment.

Pastor's Mother Shot and Killed During Church Service

Local news in Aurora Colorado reports




This could have been one of those mass shootings which a good guy with a gun stopped. Or, it could have been a case of an unfit and dangerous guy with a gun killing people.

The first one is only possible, the second one is definite.

Gun availability is the problem, tighter restrictions is the solution.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Andrew Breitbart. Still Dead.

According to NRA/ Breitbart fans--who probably number in the high, high teens--their hero was killed by President Obama using a "heart attack gun."

Hmmmm.  Does the Second Amendment protect the right of all overweight white men who live with mom to own a "heart attack gun?'

Inquiring minds wish to know.

The Wire Season 1 - A Chess Lesson

The brilliant dialogue of this scene is absolutely electric, as is the interaction between the three, their facial expressions and looks, but my favorite part is how Bodie identifies with the pawns.

"Unless they some smart-ass pawns."

Jared Loughner to Continue Medication - Competency Expected

CNN reports

A federal judge determined Monday that the man accused of killing six in an Arizona shooting rampage is "getting better," further ruling that the suspect should continue to take anti-psychotic medications as his appeal works its way through the courts.

U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns said in a motion issued Monday that there was a "substantial probability" that Jared Lee Loughner will be restored to competency and be able to stand trial for his role in a mass shooting in January outside a Tucson supermarket. He refused to alter Loughner's current mental health treatment plan, pointing to his observations that the suspect has improved in recent months.

"There is overwhelming evidence that the defendant is getting better, not the least of which is the noticeable improvement in his appearance, demeanor and behavior since he was last in court," the judge said in his six-page order.

Straight to the mental hospital and if he ever does recover, life without parole in prison. That's what I say.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Making America Safer

via Fuck Conservatives 

Ted Nugent - The Method Behind the Madness

Jimmy Zuma writing for Salon

Ted Nugent just said some really crazy stuff. But he has a very important reason to get himself in the news. He’s launching his own line of Ted Nugent brand ammunition.

Despite his nutty ranting, you actually have nothing to fear from Ted Nugent. In Nugent-world he’s a brave man because he won’t leave home without a gun hidden way up under his shirt. But being afraid to go outside without a gun isn’t a sign of bravery; it is decisive evidence of cowardliness. The vast majority of Americans prove that every day (including the vast majority of gun owners.)

Of course the gun hiders don’t want you to know that little secret. Heck, they don’t even want to admit it to themselves. But that’s the long and short of it. These guys bloviate and hide guns up under their skirts… I mean shirts… for the same reason. They are afraid of the big, bad world outside of the castle walls. It’s all smoke and bluster – underneath is a scared little boy terrified he’ll get eaten by a dragon.

What's your opinion? Could Ted Nugent be that manipulative? It seems to me he loves to mouth off and be in the spotlight anyway, but even for him this seemed over the top. Could the reason have been ammo sales?

 What do you think about the idea Zuma puts forth about the motivations of gun owners who want to carry concealed? I think it's spot on.

 Please leave a comment.

More Guns in Fewer Hands

Jill Lapore writing in The New Yorker

The United States is the country with the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world. (The second highest is Yemen, where the rate is nevertheless only half that of the U.S.) No civilian population is more powerfully armed. Most Americans do not, however, own guns, because three-quarters of people with guns own two or more. According to the General Social Survey, conducted by the National Policy Opinion Center at the University of Chicago, the prevalence of gun ownership has declined steadily in the past few decades. In 1973, there were guns in roughly one in two households in the United States; in 2010, one in three. In 1980, nearly one in three Americans owned a gun; in 2010, that figure had dropped to one in five.

Men are far more likely to own guns than women are, but the rate of gun ownership among men fell from one in two in 1980 to one in three in 2010, while, in that same stretch of time, the rate among women remained one in ten. What may have held that rate steady in an age of decline was the aggressive marketing of handguns to women for self-defense, which is how a great many guns are marketed. Gun ownership is higher among whites than among blacks, higher in the country than in the city, and higher among older people than among younger people. One reason that gun ownership is declining, nationwide, might be that high-school shooting clubs and rifle ranges at summer camps are no longer common.

Is the suggestion of more guns in fewer hands so inconceivable? The pro-gun folks laugh at it.

Of course their reason for dismissing the idea is based on anecdotal evidence. I've asked them how many guns do they own today compared to five years ago.

Those who bother to answer support the theory that there are in fact more guns in fewer hands, a higher concentration in the hands of a small percentage.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Proposed Ohio Gun Laws Not Popular with Police

Middletown Journal reports

Five bills currently pending in the Ohio General Assembly would allow permit holders to carry their weapons in state-owned parking garages — such as below the Ohio Statehouse — loosen permit renewal requirements, eliminate required gun safety training and background checks and automatically expand the system for recognizing CCW permits issued by other states. 

 

After reviewing the current bills being proposed in Ohio, law enforcement have said some of the bills are “scary,” pointing to House Bill 256 and House Bill 422 — as particularly troublesome. 

HB 256 would eliminate background checks and gun safety classes required for concealed carry permits, while HB 422 would repeal the requirement that a permit holder who is pulled over in a traffic stop alert law enforcement that he or she has a loaded weapon.

Haven't we been told by the pro-gun folks that your regular cops are on their side of the argument about concealed carry, and it's the Police Chiefs and other top brass who oppose it?

Supposedly, the street cops recognize the clear and obvious benefits of arming the good guys, and the top cops, who are more like politicians don't.

That doesn't seem to be the case in Ohio. I suppose the explanation is that, like so much else in the gun-rights argument, this particular point was non constrained by the truth.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Arkansas Cop Kills a Guy for Practically Nothing

The Cabot Star-Herald reports

Cpl. Jack Fitzhugh has been placed on paid administrative leave after his involvement in the fatal shooting of Dustin R. Williamson, 32, of Lonoke on Arkansas Highway 294 on Thursday morning.

According to a statement issued by the State Police:

"About 9 a.m. today (Thursday, April 19, 2012) law enforcement authorities were notified by the public of an individual standing along [Arkansas] State Highway 294 between Jacksonville and Furlow exhibiting erratic behavior and swinging a large piece of iron railing.

"Upon the arrival of a Lonoke County Sheriff’s Deputy the man reportedly struck the side of the patrol car and window glass with a piece of metal believed to be the base of a vehicle lift used to change a flat tire.

"The deputy fired his sidearm striking the individual who was later pronounced dead.

"The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division will prepare an investigative file that will be turned-over to local prosecuting attorney for consideration."

Tasers, batons, a little ingenuity, anything would have been better than shooting the guy to death. This is police brutality at its worst, abuse of power, literally.

I often suspect in cases like this what the guy really got killed for was disobedience.  Cops on power trips don't loke to be disobeyed, they get furious at that, and sometimes they kill for it.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Big Shootout in Chicago - 2 Dead, 2 Wounded

The Chicago Tribune reports

Two men were shot to death and two others wounded following a dispute that started in a Calumet City nightclub early Saturday and ended with gunfire outside, police said.

Family members said they believe the man shot to death is Archie Lee Chambers Jr., 20, who had been shooting in the air before being shot by police.

Friends told Chambers’ sister, Arshanette Chambers, 21, that Chambers and other friends had been at a car club party at What’s Up about 1:30 a.m., when a fight started inside the club and someone began shooting outside the club, killing Chambers' friend and bringing Chambers outside.

Police "did engage the shooter," but the chief did not say that Chambers was the one who had shot the others. White and Chambers were not shot by the police

What's your opinion? Is the solution to arm more of the good guys and let them carry guns in bars? That's the recommendation of the gun-rights crowd.

 For me the solution is obvious. Tight restrictions on guns, laws which would choke off the continual gun flow from legitimate gun owners to the young gangsters.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Private Prisons

via Fuck Conservatives

Accidental Shooting at the Metropolitan Museum - No Charges

The New York Times reports

Shortly before 3 p.m., a single shot rang out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Not in the Russell B. Aitken Gallery of firearms, where the 16th-century double-barreled wheellock pistol made for Emperor Charles V and the 17th-century gilded French flintlock are housed.

It was down in a basement locker room, where a security guard cleaning his .38-caliber Colt accidentally shot himself in the leg.

The guard, whose injuries were not life-threatening, is one of a limited number at the museum authorized to carry weapons, said Harold Holzer, a spokesman for the museum. They are not allowed to take them out of the building, Mr. Holzer said, so they maintain and clean them on the premises.

I can just hear Michael Corleone yelling, "WHERE MY WIFE SLEEPS, where my children come to play with their toys." I would have said, "WHERE REMBRANDT'S PAINTINGS HANG, where my children come to visit on summer vacations."

You know what the story tells us, don't you. No place is safe. Too many lawful gun owners, even professionally trained men, actually turn out to be unfit and dangerous.

Yet, the gun-rights fanatics resist at every turn the simple restrictions which would weed out some of the worst of these characters. And to make matters worse, they just love to issue nothing more than a slap on the wrist when one of them does demonstrate negligence.

What's your opinion? I can't repeat it enough. One-strike-you're-out is the appropriate response to any incident of negligence. Gun rights must be removed from the unfit and irresponsible.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity

via The Maddow Blog where you'll find a wonderful list of Romney lies and deceptions.  I was most interested in the first three.

1. Speaking to the NRA, Romney said, "The Obama administration has decided that it has the power to mandate what Catholic charities, schools, and hospitals must cover in their insurance plans.... Here we are, just getting started with Obamacare, and the federal government is already dictating to religious groups on matters of doctrine and conscience."

In Massachusetts' governor for one term, Romney took the same position Obama has adopted. He somehow forgot to mention this.

2. Romney also told the NRA audience, "We need a president who will enforce current laws, not create new ones that only serve to burden lawful gun owners. President Obama has not, I will."

The grammar in this sentence makes it hard to understand, but the implication seems to be that Obama has created new restrictions on gun laws. That's a lie.

3. Romney also claims to be a "lifetime" member of the NRA.

In reality, Romney used to oppose the NRA, but became a "lifetime" member fairly recently by buying the honor from the group.

Those poor racist Obama haters, I almost feel sorry for them.

What's your opinion?  Does old Tricky Mitt even stand a chance?

Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Yakima Man by Himself - Several Charges

The Yakima Herald reports

According to court records, two women told police Castilleja had been playing with a revolver before placing bullets in the cylinder. Then while spinning the cylinder and pointing the weapon at his chest, he inexplicably pulled the trigger, discharging a round, police said.

Since convicted felons aren't supposed to have guns, Castilleja was arrested after the April 7 incident and charged with felony charges of illegal possession and possession of a stolen firearm. Court records did not indicate how seriously Castilleja was hurt, but he was apparently well enough to appear in court within five days.

However, in a second display of self-inflicted pain, authorities allege that Castilleja phoned friends asking them to contact the witnesses to have them tell police that he'd been shot in an attack.

Problem was, calls from jail are automatically recorded, detectives said. As a result, they are now asking that charges of witness tampering be added to the firearms charges.

Now he sounds like a real genius. Good thing there are no lawful gun owner like that. What do you think? Was he playing Russian roulette to show off for the girls? And that call from jail, everybody knows those calls are monitored. What's wrong with this guy?

I say again, thank goodness the gun owners in America are divided neatly into two distinct groups, the criminals ones and the lawful ones.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.