Rancher's Life on the Border

Piers Morgan and the Pizza Guy

Fast-Talking Con Artist Colion Noir Joins NRA News

Coming Soon to NRA News: Colion Noir

Here's why I've nick-named him the Fast-Talking Con Man

Fairfax, VA --(Ammoland.com)- The NRA has announced that Colion Noir is going to be their newest contributor to NRA News.

If you’re part of the Youtube gun community at all you’ve certainly seen some of Noir’s videos where he breaks down gun arguments into easy to understand terms and cut through stereotypes.
Noir has over 82,000 subscribers on Youtube and over 6.7 million views on his videos.

We could not think of a better spokesman for the NRA to have right now.

Noir’s ability to cut through the BS and identify with younger gun enthusiasts should make him invaluable in the fight for our rights.

February Visits and Page Views

Mystery Still Shrouds Triple Shooting Deaths

Further to our earlier report

As other sensational shooting stories jammed early February’s news scene, such as Oscar Pistorius and a cop-killing Christopher Dorner case, the so-called double homicide, suicide in Calaveras County that left three former South Coast residents dead has faded from view for the moment.

The pathology and toxicology reports regarding the early February deaths of former airline pilot Phillip Marshall and his teen son and daughter reportedly are held up in a backlog in a Sacramento crime lab. However, published reports point to such notions as a twice-sanitized crime scene and the puzzling description of a right-handed man who shot a dog and his two children and then himself in the left side of his head.

3 Reasons Not to Trust the NRA

Cracked

#3. The NRA Doesn't Represent Most Gun Owners

The NRA claims to have around 4.5 million members, which sounds impressive until you consider that there are an estimated 50 million gun owners in America, and that's not counting the ones who scared pollsters off their lawns with shotguns. In other words, about 90 percent of gun owners aren't in the NRA. The Quiznos loyalty card program probably has a better subscription rate than that.

And while some NRA members are the sort of people who build survivalist compounds deep in the wilderness, others actually disagree with the organization on several issues. For example, a large majority of NRA members support criminal background checks on gun buyers, which goes against the NRA's stance of glancing at buyers to make sure they don't have "the crazy eyes." So sure, the NRA represents gun owners ... just not many of them.

David Keene Defends the Cuomo - Hitler Comparison

HANS PENNINK/REUTERS

The Daily News

The National Rifle Association’s President said Friday that he saw nothing wrong with protesters comparing Gov. Cuomo to Adolf Hitler at an Albany demonstration against the governor’s sweeping new gun control law. 

David Keene, one of the featured speakers at Thursday’s rally outside the state Capitol, said the protesters were trying to demonstrate what happens when a government disarms its citizenry. 

“Folks that are cognizant of the history, not just in Germany but elsewhere, look back to the history and say we can’t let that sort of thing happen here,” Keene said during an Albany radio appearance.

This is stupid beyond words. What do you think?

Please leave a comment.

The 7th Annual Oklahoma Full Auto Shoot and Trade Show

Piers Morgan on the Senate Hearings

Democratic congressman Keith Ellison on Hannity

Jon Stewart on the Situations on Italy

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Vigilante Gun Owner Shoots at Escaping Shoplifter

Local news with video

It started as a shoplifting incident inside the store on Veterans Memorial Parkway near Saxon Boulevard. A thief loaded up a cart of merchandise, and loss-prevention employees tried to stop him as he left the store, officials said.

Authorities said the shoplifter, identified as Eddie McKee, 42, knocked Ann Buongiorno to the ground as he ran out of the store.

Ann Buongiorno to the ground as he ran out of the store.

"I'm all still shaken up from all this," said Buongiorno. "I thought I was going to die. I was knocked down very hard, and I thought I got shot, and I was screaming at the top of my lungs."

An off-duty law enforcement officer saw McKee running for his car and ordered him to stop, but McKee fled.

Investigators said another man in the parking lot, who was identified as Jose Martinez, pulled out a gun and fired at least four shots at McKee. The back window of the car was shot out, and bullet holes were found in the trunk.

Is it taken for granted that Jose had a concealed carry permit? Florida is one of the easiest states to get one and no one seems to have batted an eye at the fact that he had a gun on his person.

I say yes, he probably has a permit and like many other permit holders he was absolutely incapable of acting responsibly in a heated moment. Plus, the fact that it's not even mentioned by the authorities or the media means this is just another case in which it gets overlooked and doesn't become part of the statistics.

Lying gun-rights fanatics can keep telling us how few concealed carry guys break the law.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Teens Agree

 Yahoo News reports

In an effort to better understand how teenagers feel about guns, StageofLife.com, an educational resource and blogging community for teens and college students, asked over 7,000 students and teen bloggers the question, “Where do we go after the Newtown school shooting?” for its most recent national writing prompt. 

600 students fully completed the gun survey and over 350 submitted a personal essay on the gun debate issue. 

Before submitting their gun debate essays to StageofLife.com, teens and college students took a survey revealing the following statistics about teens' attitudes towards guns:

--10.1% of teens feel gun laws should be eased so that it's easier for law abiding citizens to own and carry guns both at home and in public. 

--13.4% of teens feel we should keep current gun laws "as is."

--56.4% of teens feel we should keep the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution in tact, but add new federal gun control laws to restrict the access to high-capacity ammunition clips or certain semi/automatic assault weapons, closing gun show loopholes, etc.

Unusual Accidental Shooting in Indiana

Stephen Gaskey

Local news reports

Preble County authorities said Thursday a shooting incident that injured a burglary suspect Tuesday evening near the Indiana-Ohio border was accidental.

Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson said Thursday morning neighbors who were attempting to detain Stephen Gaskey until authorities arrived became involved in an altercation with the burglary suspect when a gun fired, striking Gaskey in the leg.


“We don’t think it was purposeful,” Simpson said of the gunshot. “Based on what witnesses said, there was an altercation and there was an accidental discharge of the weapon.”


Neighbors on State Line Road noticed a suspicious vehicle driving up and down the street at about 9 p.m. Tuesday before they saw it parked at 3680 State Line Road.


When they went to check the residence, the neighbors noticed a flashlight shining inside the home, Simpson said.


“They waited for the suspect to come outside, and he was carrying property,” Simpson said. “One of the individuals was armed for protection, and they were attempting to detain the suspect when an altercation took place in the ditch across the street from the home.”

Accidental Shooting in New Orleans - 15-Year-old Arrested

Local news reports

The NOPD arrested a 15-year-old boy accused of accidentally shooting his 11-year-old brother in the leg Thursday night. The 15-year-old will be booked on a charge of negligent injuring, said officer Frank Robertson III, spokesman for the New Orleans Police Department. 

The two brothers were playing with a loaded pistol around 7 p.m in the 2700 block of Onzaga Street. The pistol was accidentally fired, shooting the 11-year-old, Robertson said. The child has been taken to the hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.

Don't you find it odd that no adult is held responsible?

Women's Basketball Star Chamique Holdsclaw Indicted on Gun Offense

Yahoo News via democommie

In November, former WNBA star Chamique Holdsclaw was arrested after a violent incident involving an ex-girlfriend.

According to reports, Holdsclaw followed Jennifer Lacy (her ex and teammate with the Atlanta Dream in 2009) in her car, smashed windows in Lacy's car with a baseball bat, and even fired a gunshot into the car while Lacy was still inside. It was an awful, disturbing story involving a woman who was once the biggest name in her sport.

 On Wednesday, Holdsclaw was indicted on charges related to this incident.

Generals and Admirals Demand a Plan

Sen. Dick Durbin Compares Professor's 2nd Amendment Stance To 'Suicide Pact'

The Latest Las Vegas Shooting

Watch More News Videos at ABC | Technology News | Celebrity News

More on the Swiss Shooting

Further to Laci's  post

A longtime employee opened fire at a wood-processing company in central Switzerland on Wednesday, leaving three people dead, including the assailant, in the country's second multiple-fatality shooting in two months, police said.

Still, there have been several high-profile incidents over the years, including the killing of 14 people at a city council meeting in Zug, not far from Lucerne, in 2001. And in early January, a 33-year-old man killed three women and wounded two men in a southern Swiss village.

This post is in response to the comment left by Retired Mustang to Laci's post entitled "Breaking News--Another Swiss Mass Shooting" 

"Another" one? How many were there previously?

You see, this is one of the common pro-gun tricks,  ask a seemingly legitimate question which implies that the person was lying or making things up.

As I often say, if these gun-rights folks really had a good argument they wouldn't have to resort to so many shabby tricks.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Don't Believe the Republican Propaganda

Penigma 

In Alabama - Accidental Discharge - Cop Injured - Man Arrested

Local news reports

A New Crane man has been charged with a violation of the state firearms act after Birmingham police said a gun he did not have a valid permit for discharged and injured an officer this morning.

Officers saw Michael Edward New, 48, and another man running with guns. The officers stopped them and was told they were chasing someone who had broken into a nearby business.

One officer attempted to unload one of the weapons in an effort to make it safe. 

"During this time, the weapon cylinder fell from the weapon striking the ground. As the cylinder hit the ground, a bullet discharged striking the officer in the leg," Sgt. Johnny Williams said in a prepared statement. 
 
Only one of the two men had a valid permit for his weapon. New, who did not, was arrested. 

Accidental Shooting in Wisconsin - 2 Injured - No Charges

Local news reports

Two people were injured Tuesday afternoon in an accidental shooting in the Eau Claire County town of Washington.

A 21-year-old man was attempting to place a loaded handgun in a cardboard storage box when the gun discharged, striking the man in the left hand and a 22-year-old woman sitting next to him in the right arm.

Both of the injured were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Accidental Shooting in Atlanta High School - 17-Year-old Arrested

  Local news reports

A 17-year-old student shot herself in the upper leg Wednesday morning on the grounds of Grady High School, in what police are calling an accidental shooting.

The shooting occurred on the Grady High School campus in the courtyard outside the buildings.
Police identified the student as Morgan Tukes. She faces charges of Carrying Weapons within a School Safety Zone, Reckless Conduct, Possession of a Pistol by a Minor and Disruption of a Public School.

Connecticut Marches for Good Gun Laws

A march for gun control in Hartford, Conn., on February 14. (Photoshop.com/Into_the_woods)

Waging Non-Violence

The measures they are promoting (along with Connecticut Against Gun Violence) have been characterized as sweeping, comprehensive, harsh, drastic (and probably lots of other more profane things). Here are a few:

• Strengthen the assault weapons ban by requiring that all weapons having military features be banned and that existing weapons defined as assault weapons be destroyed, turned in to law enforcement or removed from the state.
• Ban large capacity ammunition magazines of more than seven rounds and that existing magazines of more than seven rounds be destroyed, turned in to law enforcement, or removed from the state. New York State has just adopted a law that established the seven-round limit.
• Require permits and universal background checks on all sales and transfers of guns, including long guns.
• Require registration of handguns with annual renewal. Require an annual fee and annual background check for all handguns owned; require that the owner stipulate that the guns are still in their possession or explain how the gun was transferred to another person; require safety inspection every three years.
• Make gun owners liable for negligent storage if any person gains access to firearms and injures himself or another person or causes damage to property. The violation would be a Class D felony.
• Ban the right of way for transportation of firearms and ammunition bought over the Internet.
• Tax ammunition sales and require a license or permit to purchase any gun or ammunition.
• Restrict handgun sales to one gun per month.

That's pretty much what I've been saying right along.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Josh Horwitz on the Bogus Application of the 2nd Amendment: Insurrectionism

This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee will conduct an important hearing to consider the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, legislation introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein that would take military-style firearms off the civilian market and ban high-capacity ammunition magazines. Undoubtedly, claims will be made by some Senators on the committee that assault weapons are merely "scary-looking pieces of plastic" that are functionally equivalent to your grandfather's hunting rifle.

But what are assault weapons really for? Please click here to access the written testimony I submitted for the hearing which comments on the intersection between support for assault weapons and insurrectionist ideology. In this testimony I make two primary assertions: Semiautomatics AR-15s are now the weapon of choice for violent insurrectionists in the United States. Contrary to the assertions of the gun lobby—the taking up of arms against our government by individuals (or armed mobs) has always been considered treason. One doesn't have to look hard to find evidence of the true purpose of assault weapons. Right-wing academic David Kopel—who recently testified before the committee—has written that since “resistance to tyranny or invasion would be a guerrilla war…‘assault weapons’ would be useful and citizen resistance might well prove successful." And none other than NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre told Senate Judiciary Members that the Second Amendment was drafted to allow civilians to fight back against police, the military, and other government officials. Such radical ideology had little standing with our Founders, who made it clear in the Constitution that the role of the Militia was to "suppress Insurrections," not to foment them. But it has proven far more successful in generating profits for the gun industry through a decades-long fearmongering campaign warning Americans about the dangers of forcible gun confiscation and even enslavement by our democratic government. It's time for an honest debate about the role assault weapons play in our politics and culture. I hope my testimony can contribute to that dialogue.

Breaking News--Another Swiss Mass Shooting

 From the BBC

Three people have been killed and seven injured during a shooting at a factory in the town of Menznau. Shooting broke out in the canteen at the Kronospan wood processing plant at around 09:00 (08:00 GMT).

According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Switzerland ranks third in terms of gun ownership, behind the United States and Yemen. there are more domestic homicides and suicides with a firearm in Switzerland than virtually anywhere else in Europe except Finland.

Sound familiar?

St. Gabriel Possenti, Pray for Us

 ST. GABRIEL POSSENTI, patron saint of handgunners

Colorado Says Concealed Carry is not Protected by the Second Amendment

Find Law

Owning a gun is a right protected by the Second Amendment, but it doesn’t include the right to a concealed carry permit, according to a federal court.

The case started with a Washington man, Gray Peterson, who was denied a concealed carry permit in Colorado. The state only issues those permits to certain people, a policy that Peterson claimed violated his Second Amendment rights.

His complaint was initially dismissed by a federal district court judge and Peterson appealed the decision. But with Friday’s decision, it looks like he was unsuccessful.

Peterson has a concealed carry permit in his home state of Washington and in Florida, according to The Associated Press. He wanted one for Colorado since he travels to Denver often.

But the state of Colorado doesn’t honor concealed carry permits from Washington. The reason? Washington won’t honor Colorado permits.

Peterson also can’t get a Colorado concealed carry permit because he isn’t a state citizen.
Many states follow that pattern of only honoring permits from states that return the favor. But Peterson said it was more than a political decision.

He claimed it was a violation of his rights. Unfortunately for him, the three-judge panel didn’t agree.

Owning a gun is a right protected by the Second Amendment, but it doesn’t include the right to a concealed carry permit, according to a federal court.
The case started with a Washington man, Gray Peterson, who was denied a concealed carry permit in Colorado. The state only issues those permits to certain people, a policy that Peterson claimed violated his Second Amendment rights.
His complaint was initially dismissed by a federal district court judge and Peterson appealed the decision. But with Friday’s decision, it looks like he was unsuccessful.

Peterson has a concealed carry permit in his home state of Washington and in Florida, according to The Associated Press. He wanted one for Colorado since he travels to Denver often.
But the state of Colorado doesn’t honor concealed carry permits from Washington. The reason? Washington won’t honor Colorado permits.
Peterson also can’t get a Colorado concealed carry permit because he isn’t a state citizen.
Many states follow that pattern of only honoring permits from states that return the favor. But Peterson said it was more than a political decision.
He claimed it was a violation of his rights. Unfortunately for him, the three-judge panel didn’t agree.

Arkansas Guns on Campus Debate

Further to our report at the time of the incident

9-Year-old Wounded by Stray Bullet

ABC

 

More on the 9-Year-old Accidental Shooting Victim in Ohio - He Died in the Hospital

Further to our original report:

Authorities say a 9-year-old boy has died after being accidentally shot in the head.

The Hamilton County coroner's office confirmed that Sebastian Schwartz of the southern Ohio village of Decatur in Brown County died Tuesday at a Cincinnati hospital.

Brown County Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger said the shooting happened Feb. 18 at the boy's home. Wenninger said the boy got his father's gun from the bedroom and was playing with it when his sister tried to take it away.

Authorities say the gun discharged, hitting the boy in the head.

Sheriff's Lt. Tammy Dillinger says results of the investigation were turned over to prosecutors who will probably submit it to a grand jury to determine if any charges should be filed.

George Carlin on The Death Penalty

America Bless God

"The culture of liberalism spits in the face of God." Is that true?

The Newtown Action Alliance

CSGV   Today, dozens of Newtown residents organized by the Newtown Action Alliance—including survivors of the town's mass shooting tragedy—traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend tomorrow's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013. They have come to remind lawmakers why we need a renewed ban on assault weapons. For them, the issue is deeply personal. The shooter who brutally murdered 20 elementary schoolchildren and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary used a Bushmaster XM15 assault rifle.

Along with other gun violence prevention groups, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is pulling out all the stops for a strong showing at tomorrow’s hearing.  We’ve worked behind the scenes to help bring these Newtown residents to Washington. We briefed them today on the different gun policy reform proposals being considered by the Senate. And we’re accompanying them to meetings with Members of Congress to augment their impact on Capitol Hill. I’m also preparing hard-hitting testimony for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing linking support for assault weapons to insurrectionist ideology, which I will share with you tomorrow. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013—which would take military-style firearms off the civilian market and ban high-capacity ammunition magazines— will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, February 27th at 10:00AM EST and can be viewed live at the  C-SPAN website.

The Ballard Brothers

Legitimate DGU in North Carolina

The VA Letter about Gun Rights

The Gateway Pundit

This must be Barack Obama’s way of thanking our veterans for serving.
US veterans are receiving letters from the government informing them that they are disabled and not allowed to own, purchase or possess a firearm. If the veteran does decide to purchase a firearm he will by fined, imprisoned or both.
This comes on page 2 of the VA letter.



First of all, when you say, "veterans are receiving letters," it sounds like ALL veterans are receiving them or that random veterans are. That's the tip-off right there.  Pro-gun arguments that need to resort to that sort of exaggeration or mendacity are usually bogus.

Secondly, don't we have an alarming suicide problem among former military? Isn't it about time someone tried to address that?

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Pro-Gun Discussion

More on the Houston 4-Year-old

As we reported yesterday, this accidental shooting resulted in the death of a 4-year-old. What's come out today is that the gun was stolen and the gun owner had drugs in the house. The distraught dad was nearly hysterical with grief claiming that he'd told the boy never to touch the gun.

My question is what's the difference between this case and those in which a lawful gun owner experiences a similar tragedy.  Answer: not much, not much at all.

Criminal gun owners love their children just like their lawful counterparts do.  They teach the kids about gun safety the same way.  They cry when their kids get hurt too.

Lawful gun owners and criminal gun owners are birds of a feather. This kind of thing does not happen to gun control folks.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting in Iowa - 13-Year-old Injured - Charges Possible

Local news reports

A boy is recovering after Des Moines police say his friend accidentally shot him in the shoulder.

Police say they were playing with a handgun at the time of the incident. 

Police say both boys are 13 years old. 

The boy who was hurt, Alec Osborn was initially listed in fair condition. At this time there is no update concerning his condition.

Police seized eight guns from the home where the incident happened. 

Prosecutors are considering pressing charges against gun owner, Dennis Yohe who gave boys access to the guns.

Young Kentucky Man Kills Brother by Accident - Commits Suicide

Local news reports with video

Six people were inside the home where one young man accidentally shot his brother before turning the gun on himself. WKYT has learned more about the tragedy that took place on Sunday morning.

Police say that Kody and Kyle Thacker were staying at a friend's house when Kody picked up a shotgun that accidentally discharged and hit his brother Kyle. 

Police told us that Kody was overcome with grief at the accident, and took his own life.

Pastor Stanley Wilkinson Pleads Guilty - He Mistakenly Shot his Granddaughter

Local news reports

61-year-old Stanley Wilkinson was charged in January with one count of dangerous weapons – intentional discharge of firearm that endangers safety.  He pled guilty today in Olmsted County District Court to the charge.  The charge stems from an incident on December 10^th.  

At the time, Wilkinson told police that he heard a noise outside his home and grabbed his pistol.  He fired two rounds after he saw someone trying to open the door.  The person turned out to be his granddaughter who was struck in the neck.  She was hospitalized after the shooting.  Wilkinson will be sentenced on April 15 at 1:30.

As we mentioned at the time of the incident, guns do more harm than good. The fear-driven and foolish decision to have a gun in the house turned into a tragedy for this man and his family.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Teaching Kids to Shoot

Wild Scene at Houston Gun Range

Local news reports

A 50-year-old customer returned to find a 21-year-old man that he didn't know inside his van. 

It's unclear whether the man was attempting to steal the vehicle or burglarize it. 

The customer attempted to detain the man and the two became involved in a struggle, before the suspect broke free and ran toward the street. 

A good Samaritan in the parking lot spotted the suspect running and chased him down before those two became involved in fight. Fearing for his life, the good Samaritan stabbed the suspect in the chest with a pocket knife. 

Witnesses told investigators that a second suspect then appeared, armed with a gun, and struck the good Samaritan in the head with the weapon. The good Samaritan was also injured and is expected to be OK.

Other shooting range patrons then exited the business and were able to detain both suspects, and another man and woman suspected of being with the pair while authorities arrived to the scene.

Charges of burglary of a motor vehicle are pending against him, Escobar said. 

Authorities also charged the 21-year-old man with aggravated assault, a 20-year-old man with unlawfully carrying a weapon and 21-year-old woman also with the group with burglary of a motor vehicle.

Oregon Hunter Gets Away with Manslaughter

USA Today reports

Eugene Collier admits he was shooting to kill when he fired the .270-caliber bullet that caused Christopher Ochoa's death on Oct 21, 2011.

But he thought he was shooting at a bear.

He was certain, he told a jury Friday, that the dark figure "on all fours" at the edge of his family's property where he was hunting that evening was a bear.

That jury agreed with him, acquitting him of a charge of second-degree manslaughter. The jury returned its verdict after about two hours of deliberations.

The 12-person jury decided that Collier was not reckless in the shooting death of the 20-year-old Ochoa, a marine reservist from California who had traveled to Oregon to help his friend, Raymond Westrom. The two of them set out to see the South Falls at Silver Falls State Park the night Ochoa was shot.

Usually they don't even bother to charge these guys. When they do, this is often the result.

Accidental Shooting

Bronx 5-Year-old Accidentally Shoots Himself - Dad Arrested

A Bronx father is being held on $100,000 bail after police say his 5-year-old son accidentally shot himself in the arm. 

Denny Pantoja Sr. was arraigned Saturday night on charges of weapons possession and endangering the welfare of a child. 

Authorities say Denny Pantoja Jr. accidentally shot himself Friday inside their apartment at the St. Mary's Park Houses in Morrisania.
Police say Pantoja Sr. stashed the gun in a car before he took the wounded boy to the hospital. 

Sources say Pantoja Sr. first told police that his son had been shot in a robbery, but later admitted he heard the gun go off inside his home.

In New York chances are you can't get away with allowing your kid to shoot himself, but to make sure, Mr. Pantoja owned the gun illegally and lied to the police too.

Houston 4-Year-old Dead in Accidental Shooting - Dad Arrested

Local news reports with video

It’s the kind of story no one ever wants to hear.

Houston Police are investigating the death of a child in northwest Houston.

Apparently 4-year-old Jaiden Pratt was spending the weekend at his dad’s apartment on Northborough Drive off west Rankin Road when he accidentally shot himself in the stomach.
His dad, 23-year-old Marquez Pratt, is now facing some pretty serious charges.

Homicide Detective Fil Waters with the Houston Police Department said the police found the father carrying the child outside after the incident. At this time, police are not entirely sure about all of the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Tensions ran high as crowds gathered in the apartment complex, trying to understand what happened.
One thing’s for sure, it’s a heartbreaking story without a happy ending.

Arizona 9-Year-old Shoots Himself while Hunting with Granddad - No Charges

Local news reports

A 9-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the leg Sunday morning, while hunting with his grandfather. 

According to Carol Capas with the Cochise County Sheriff's Department, the boy was airlifted to UAMC with non-life threatening injuries.

Capas says the boy was climbing over a fence near Cascabel Road and Farnsworth Field northeast of Benson, when his rifle accidentally discharged. 

The boy is currently in surgery as a result of the injuries.

This is a case of disgraceful negligence and stupidity on the part of granddad. He's a danger and should never be allowed around kids or guns again.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Three Nevada Teens Playing with Guns - One Dies - No Charges

Local news reports

Officers from the Winnemucca Police Department and Humboldt General Hospital Emergency Medical Service were dispatched to a McCoy St. residence on Saturday (February 23) around 7:30 pm,  for a report of an accidental shooting.

First responders found a 15 year old teenage boy with a single gunshot wound to the right hip/abdominal area. The young man was transported to HjGH for medical treatment. He was rushed into surgery in critical condition before being transported by Care Flight to Renown Hospital in Reno. The young man died en route.

Preliminary information on scene established three teenage boys had been handling fire arms when one of the firearms was accidentally discharged striking the teenage victim at a short distance.

This investigation is still ongoing.

Yeah, an investigation in gun-friendly Nevada, that's sure to turn up a guilty party. Here's a bit of irony.  The fanatics for gun-rights often accuse us of blaming the gun.  But, in reality they are the ones who do that when it's convenient.  In this case, "one of the firearms accidentally discharged." And you can bet no human person will be held accountable.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

A day late...

I've mentioned this group before...
  
The White Rose, who were executed 70 years ago yesterday. True Heroes.

The White Rose, was formed by students at the University of Munich in 1941. It is believed that the group was formed after August von Galen, the Archbishop of Munster, spoke out in a sermon against the Nazi practice of euthanasia (the killing of those considered by the Nazis as genetically unsuitable).

Members of this anti-Nazi group included Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, Inge Scholl, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf and Jugen Wittenstein. Kurt Huber, a philosophy teacher at the university, was also a member of the group.

The group decided to adopt the strategy of passive resistance that was being used by students fighting against racial discrimination in the United States. This included publishing leaflets calling for the restoration of democracy and social justice. These were distributed throughout central Germany and the Gestapo soon became aware of the group's activities.

Several members had served in the German Army before resuming their studies. This provided them with information about the atrocities being committed by the Schutz Staffeinel (SS). Willi Graf had served as a medical orderly in France and Yugoslavia in 1941 whereas Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell had seen Jews being murdered in Poland and the Soviet Union. When Scholl and Schmorell returned to Munich in November, 1942, they joined up with Graff and began publishing leaflets about what they had seen while in the army.

The leaflets were at first sent anonymously to people all over Germany. Taking the addresses from telephone directories, they tended to concentrate on mailing university lecturers and the owners of bars. In Passive Resistance to National Socialism , published in 1943 the group explained the reasons why they had formed the White Rose group: "We want to try and show them that everyone is in a position to contribute to the overthrow of the system. It can be done only by the cooperation of many convinced, energetic people - people who are agreed as to the means they must use. We have no great number of choices as to the means. The meaning and goal of passive resistance is to topple National Socialism, and in this struggle we must not recoil from our course, any action, whatever its nature. A victory of fascist Germany in this war would have immeasurable, frightful consequences."

The White Rose group believed that the young people of Germany had the potential to overthrow Adolf Hitler and the Nazi government. In one leaflet, Fellow Fighters in the Resistance, they wrote: "Germans! Do you and your children want to suffer the same fate that befell the Jews? Do you want to be judged by the same standards as your traducers? Are we do be forever the nation which is hated and rejected by all mankind? No. Dissociate yourselves from National Socialist gangsterism. Prove by your deeds that you think otherwise. A new war of liberation is about to begin." The group also began painting anti-Nazi slogans on the sides of houses. This included "Down With Hitler", "Hitler Mass Murderer" and "Freedom". They also painted crossed-out swastikas.

Members also began leaving piles of leaflets in public places. On 18th February, Sophie Scholl and Hans Scholl began distributing the sixth leaflet produced by the White Rose group. It included the following: "The day of reckoning has come - the reckoning of German youth with the most abominable tyrant our people have ever been forced to endure. We grew up in a state in which all free expression of opinion is ruthlessly suppressed. The Hitler Youth, the SA, the SS, have tried to drug us, to regiment us in the most promising years of our lives. For us there is but one slogan: fight against the party! The name of Germany is dishonoured for all time if German youth does not finally rise, take revenge, smash its tormentors."

Jakob Schmidt, a member of the Nazi Party, saw them at the University of Munich, throwing leaflets from a window of the third floor into the courtyard below. He immediately told the Gestapo and they were both arrested. They were searched and the police found a handwritten draft of another leaflet. This they matched to a letter in Scholl's flat that had been signed by Christoph Probst.

The three members of the White Rose group appeared before the People's Court judge, Roland Friesler, on 20th February. Found guilty of sedition they were executed by guillotine a few hours later. Her cell-mate, Else Gebel, said Sophie's last words were: "It is such a splendid sunny day, and I have to go. But how many have to die on the battlefield in these days, how many young, promising lives. What does my death matter if by our acts thousands are warned and alerted." Just before he was executed Hans Scholl shouted out: "Long live freedom!"

Inge Scholl and her parents were also arrested and imprisoned. Over the next few weeks Kurt Huber, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, Jugen Wittenstein and over eighty others suspected of being members of the White Rose group were taken into custody. Huber, Graff and Schmorell were all found guilty of sedition and were executed.

Copies of this leaflet made their way to Allied territory and were republished and dropped by airplane on Germany.

(BTW, I believe one of the White Rose members had a gun when he was arrested).

The Newest NRA Lie - Background Checks Lead to Registration

NRA executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre speaks on universal gun registration. (Photo: NRA)

The Blaze

National Rifle Association executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre continued speaking out against President Obama’s recent gun control proposals Saturday night, zeroing in on “the real consequences of background checks.”

The organization has been targeted by many on the left in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary last December.  While the NRA argues that more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens creates a safer community, many in the administration and on the left disagree, saying it leads to more gun violence and accidental deaths.

Most recently, the NRA has been publicizing a memo it by from the Justice Department that says the success of universal background checks would depend in part on “requiring gun registration,” and says gun buybacks would not be effective “unless massive and coupled with a ban.”

I agree that background checks should be combined with licensing and registration in order to be optimally effective, but who says the one necessarily leads to the other?

Well, obviously the Supreme Spin Doctor La Pierre says so and for the same obvious reasons he lies about other things like "jack-booted thugs" will come to your house.  He wants to increase the fear-driven resistance to reasonable gun control laws.

The fact is most gun owners are law-abiding and would continue to obey whatever laws are implemented. There are exceptions of course, but since most would cooperate, it would be that much harder for criminals and mentally ill people to get guns.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains: The Nation’s Silent Mass Disaster

National Institute of Justice

If you ask most Americans about a mass disaster, they’re likely to think of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Hurricane Katrina, or the Southeast Asian tsunami. Very few people—including law enforcement officials—would think of the number of missing persons and unidentified human remains in our Nation as a crisis. It is, however, what experts call “a mass disaster over time.”

The facts are sobering. On any given day, there are as many as 100,000 active missing persons cases in the United States. Every year, tens of thousands of people vanish under suspicious circumstances. Viewed over a 20-year period, the number of missing persons can be estimated in the hundreds of thousands.

Pro-gun folks love to demand statistics and proof. Well, how about this? I'd say we can easily double or triple the gun violence statistics if we include missing persons. If only a small percentage of these cases involved gun play, and I would think it's more than that, then the well-know stats of 600 accidental firearms deaths and 15,000 firearms murders a year are woefully under-reported.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.