Company Advertises Shoot-A-Gun-Control-Lobbyist Target With Picture Of Colin Goddard

Think Progress

A company that sells gun owners who fantasize about shooting their political opponents with bullets the opportunity to live that dream, is now using a picture of a mass shooting victim to promote its latest product. Zombie Industries specializes in target mannequins that bleed when shot. One of their newest targets is a “Gun Control Lobbyist Zombie,” which allows shooters to imagine they are mowing down undead supporters of universal background checks every time they squeeze the trigger.

A graphic promoting this product features the bleeding target superimposed on a picture of apparent actual gun safety lobbyists. One of the people standing in the background is Colin Goddard, a survivor of the Virginia Tech massacre who was shot four times during that mass shooting and still carries three bullets in his hip and shoulder.
 
On Twitter, Goddard asked the shooting target company to stop using his image to promote their product:

Colin Goddard @clgoddard

Hey @ZombieInd would u remove pic w/me off your ad 4 "Gun Control Lobbyist" shooing targets pls? Already been shot... pic.twitter.com/sSOAj0YXfQ

Zombie Industries recently redesigned an “ex-girlfriend” target to make it appear less human after it sparked outrage from women’s groups arguing that it “turns violence against women into a joke and promotes the idea that men should want to kill their ex-wives or ex-girlfriends.” They continue to market a shooting target which closely resembles President Obama.

Fairbanks Borough Rejects Armed Employees

Local news reports

Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly members have decided they don't want employees carrying guns on the job.

The assembly Thursday night voted 6-2 to reject an ordinance that would have allowed borough employees to carry guns if they completed a concealed carry handgun course.

Assemblyman Karl Kassel, the borough's former Parks and Recreation director, said he had supervised an employee who carried a gun before a 1996 rule prohibited them. Working with an armed co-worker made other employees uncomfortable, he said.

An accidental shooting was a bigger worry, Kassel said. Trained professionals have been affected by accidental shootings, he said.

"Over 600 are killed every year accidentally by firearms, way more than are killed from massacre situations," Kassel said. "That's a bigger risk and liability than some nut coming through the front door. I really don't think it's a good idea to add guns to the workplace."

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/07/12/2972392/fairbanks-borough-rejects-armed.html#storylink=cpy

Michigan Man Shoots Himself by Accident in the Bathroom

 Local news reports

A Warren building inspector was hospitalized Friday morning after accidentally shooting himself in the leg while on the job in city hall. 

The 62-year-old man was reholstering his .45-caliber handgun in the men’s bathroom about 10 a.m. when it accidentally fired and hit him in the hip, according to Warren Police Commissioner Jere Green. The bullet split in two in his leg and both fragments lodged in his knee area, Green said. He was taken to William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. 

“It was absolutely accidental,” Green said. “There was someone in the stall who said he came out and asked what happened, and he said, ‘Oh s---, I shot myself.’ He probably said some other things, too.” 

Two things: It sounds like this guy had a concealed carry permit but nothing was said about that.  That's one of the reasons for all the secrecy, it's not about privacy, it's about covering up the mistakes so they can claim unbelievably high safety records.

And, any gun owner who shoots himself, or another for that matter, by accident has proven his inability to safely handle firearms.  My theory is this is probably not the first mistake he's ever made.  If we took gun safety seriously and disarmed people every time they do something like this, the world would be a better place.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Nelson, Georgia - Intelligence Center of the Country

Yahoo News

A tiny Georgia city and a national gun control group are facing off in a legal battle over a city ordinance requiring gun ownership, with the constitutionality of the law and broader messages about gun rights taking center stage.

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in May filed a federal lawsuit against Nelson, a city of roughly 1,300 residents about 50 miles north of Atlanta, saying a recently adopted ordinance requiring heads of household to own a gun and ammunition is unconstitutional.

Here's the genius rationale behind the law:

"I am still firmly in favor of the law," resident Lawrence Cooper said. "I believe that if everyone had guns crime would disappear."

Zimmerman Jury in Deliberations

ABC

The jury considering murder charges against George Zimmerman deliberated for more than three hours today before adjourning for the night without reaching a verdict.

The jury of six women, who have been sequestered for more than three weeks during the trial, will resume their deliberations Saturday at 9 a.m.

The panel retired from the courtroom to begin their discussions about 2:30 p.m. and after a couple hours asked the court for a list of evidence. At 6 p.m. they quit for the night.

They were given the case after an impassioned final round of arguments in which Zimmerman's lawyer insisted he did not commit a crime when he shot Trayvon Martin, and a prosecutor said Zimmerman "had hate in his heart" when he fired his gun.

I think it's possible that they'll convict him of manslaughter. Earlier I thought not,  but now I figure it could go either way.

What do you think?

Gun Rights Activist Adam Kokesh Arrested on Firearms and Drug Charges

Guns.com

The U.S. Park Police SWAT team showed up at the home of libertarian activist Adam Kokesh on Tuesday night and carried him away in handcuffs. The rather predictable raid followed Kokesh posting a video to YouTube on Independence Day that showed him loading shells into a shotgun in Washington D.C. as part of a personal protest against gun control.

Officers ransacked the home, but it is unknown if they found the gun Kokesh possessed while filming the video. His housemates also claim that officers used unnecessary force during the raid.

Kokesh was charged with possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms while possessing a firearm and awaits an arraignment scheduled for Thursday morning.

George Zimmerman Explodes the NRA Fantasy of the Armed Citizen

 Huffington Post

Zimmerman says that Martin reached for Zimmerman's gun. Since no one is claiming Martin set out that evening for anything other than Skittles and an iced tea -- certainly not to kill someone he'd never met before -- even if we believe Zimmerman's story, that story tells us that the presence of a gun helped turn a fist fight into a killing. Without the gun, the encounter might never have happened, since Zimmerman would have been a pistol's-worth less confident about getting out of his car and following Martin.

Illinois Enacts Nation's Final Concealed-gun Law

Bloomberg Businessweek

The last holdout on allowing the public possession of concealed guns, Illinois joined the rest of the nation Tuesday as lawmakers raced to beat a federal court deadline in adopting a carry law over Gov. Pat Quinn's objections.

Massive majorities in the House and Senate voted to override changes the Democratic governor made just a week ago in an amendatory veto.

Some lawmakers feared failure to pass something would mean virtually unregulated weapons in Chicago, which has endured severe gun violence in recent months — including more than 70 shootings, at least 12 of them fatal, during the Independence Day weekend.

"This is a historic, significant day for law-abiding gun owners," said Rep. Brandon Phelps, a southern Illinois Democrat who, in 10 years in the House, has continued work on concealed carry begun by his uncle, ex-Rep. David Phelps, who began serving in the mid-1980s. "They finally get to exercise their Second Amendment rights."

For one thing, carrying concealed is not protected by the 2nd Amendment. Recent Supreme Court rulings made it clear the 2A only covers guns in the home. At least that's how the law stands now.

For another thing,  this new law in Illinois will have absolutely no effect on the violence in Chicago.  Almost all of that headline-grabbing activity is gang and drug related.  Both perpetrators and victims are involved in drugs and crime.

The law will however make the rest of the state much less safe. Contrary to what the gun-rights fanatics keep saying, more guns means more violence, not less.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Gun Geo Marker - New App to Locate and Mark Dangerous Gun Owners

 Fox News

Sometimes it seems the pro gun folks are against anything that might increase gun safety.  They oppose it first, then come up with reasons why. For example, first they might say this.

“This is dangerous and invasive,” wrote Levi Russell in a review of the app. “Dangerous because it allows criminals to determine where they might steal firearms….you are an accomplice to any firearm theft that will occur due to the existence of this app.”

Then they might say this.

Whether an app or online, publishing the addresses of gun owners is a risky proposition, experts warn.

“This makes those who don't have guns an easier target for criminals. It’s a safety issue,” John Lott, gun expert and author of the book "More Guns, Less Crime," told FoxNews.com.

It doesn't much matter if the objections make sense or even if they contradict each other.  Objecting is what's important.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Opportunity - Joan Armatrading

He owned a gun
the caliber escaped me
but I noticed straight away
it made me itch

Florida 15-Year-old Takes Dad's Gun Goes on a Shooting Spree - 2 Dead

Konrad Schafer, 15. / Osceola County Sheriff's Office 

Local news reports

A 15-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man were arrested in Osceola County, Fla. in connection with a recent shooting spree that left two people dead, and officials say they did it for "fun." 

Konrad Schafer, 15, and David Damus, 20, are accused in a total of 14 shootings, including the deaths of 17-year-old David Guerrero and 22-year-old Eric Roopnarine.


According to the station, officials say Roopnarine was tricked into thinking he was going to have sex with Rios in the early hours of July 4, but was ultimately ambushed by the group in an attempted robbery. Damus allegedly shot Roopnarine in the face in Roopnarine's Poinciana home and Schafer allegedly slit his throat.

Police say the second fatal shooting in which Schafer and Damus are accused took place in late June. 

Guerrero was walking to a bus stop when he was gunned down, police say, according to the station.

"[Schafer] thought it would be fun to shoot Mr. Guerrero," Kissimmee Police Chief Lee Massie said, according to the station. 

Police say a .45-caliber gun was linked to the deaths of Roopnarine and Guerrero. Upon further investigation, detectives learned that a .45-caliber Hi-Point carbine had been sold on June 24 to Schafer's father. Police reportedly believe Konrad Schafer took the gun from his father. The father has not been charged.

Police say Schafer and Damus are also linked to four other shootings in Kissimmee, three in St. Cloud and six in Osceola County.

The father has not been charged.  Of course, this is Florida where it's perfectly acceptable to allow your 15-year-old mental case of a son access to your guns.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

The Prosecution's Closing Arguments

 
George Zimmerman leaves the courtroom after the state's closing arguments during his trial in Seminole circuit court in Sanford, Florida July 11, 2013. 

Reuters


 "Wannabe cop" George Zimmerman wrongly profiled Trayvon Martin as a criminal, followed him with a gun and provoked him into a fight that resulted in the shooting death of the unarmed black teenager, a prosecutor said on Thursday.

"A teenager is dead," Florida state prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda told the jury in closing arguments of Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial. "He is dead through no fault of his own. He is dead because another man made assumptions. Because his assumptions were wrong, Trayvon Benjamin Martin will no longer walk on this Earth."

Sounding indignant, de la Rionda portrayed Zimmerman as a predator, not the good citizen who, as portrayed by the defense, was attacked by a 17-year-old whose actions led to his own death.

Gunloons Killing Off Next Generation of Gunloons

Read this sobering article from the NY Daily News:

“You don’t need a mass shooting if you want to see kids injured by guns,” said Angela Sauaia, a trauma researcher at the University of Colorado. “A good proportion of these injuries are caused by the children themselves. Injuries caused by firearms are much more likely to be self-inflicted than any other injuries.”Experts on both sides of the gun debate say these deaths are completely avoidable. But statistics show they occur time and time again, with the youth gun death rate staying steady for the past 15 years.


Look, it's not as if gunloons are reproductive dynamos; indeed, the vast majority of gunloons are gunloons because they are socially arrested and have as much chance of gaining a female companion as NRA hero George Zimmerman beating Usain Bolt in a 100m race.  It appears that the few gunloons who accidentally procreate are systemically killing their offspring.

Jury Trial Cartoon

Pennsylvania Concealed Carry Permit Holder Drops Gun and Shoots Himself while Picking it Up - No Charges

The Centre Daily Times

What police called an accidental shooting Tuesday in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart store along North Atherton Street in State College sent a man to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand.
The outcome could have been much worse.

We’re glad the man’s injuries were not serious. And we’re especially glad no one else was hit by the stray bullet.

Although the man had a permit to carry a firearm, we find his handling of the weapon to be reckless and irresponsible.

Clearly, his actions were dangerous to himself and others.

Patton Township police said the man shot himself when he attempted to pick up a gun that had fallen out of his holster as he hustled through traffic.

The man had been carrying bags of merchandise across the parking area when the gun fell, and he shot himself while shifting bags in his hands after picking it up.

The bullet went through his hand and into the pavement. He was treated for his injuries at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Lawful gun owners and even concealed carry permit holders do this kind of reckless shit all the time.  Every single day there are stories of their bumbling unfitness. The problem is they are not held accountable.  Even in cases like this one in which someone is hurt, they are not held accountable.

Naturally the cases in which a bullet goes whizzing past someone's ear or harmlessly into the floowboard go unreported and ignored.

That's why gun owners pose as much of a threat than criminals do.  It's time we heightened the screening and qualifications for gun ownership and especially for concealed carry.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2013/07/11/3684180/our-view-reckless-handling-of.html#storylink=cpy

Alaska Woman Shot by Accident - No Charges

Local news reports

Alaska State Troopers say Shawn Strauss on Sunday afternoon was flown from Danger Bay logging camp to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center.

Troopers tell the Kodiak Daily Mirror that Strauss and fellow Evergreen Timber employee Ricky Aschenbrenner took a logging road about 30 miles from the camp for a beachcombing trip.

They were carrying a shotgun for protection from bears.

As Aschenbrenner tried to remove gun from the driver's side of the vehicle, the gun became stuck.

Aschenbrenner tried to free the gun and it fired, striking Strauss.

People who break the safety rules resulting in a negligent discharge, even if they try to blame the gun or the vehicle, should lose their gun rights.  These people have proven to be unfit. In almost all cases these incidents that make headlines are not the very first infraction.

Noisemakers work better than shotguns for bear protection, anyway.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Missouri 15-Year-old Dead - No One Held Accountable

 
Logan Allen

Local news reports

Logan, 15, died early Wednesday morning at University Hospital in Columbia as the result of a gunshot wound. He was shot in the back of the head around 2 p.m. Tuesday at a home on West Jackson Street in Edina. He was airlifted to the Columbia hospital. 

The incident is being investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control. Investigators have not released any information about the incident. 

No details, but we can figure on a few things.  In Missouri people don't like to be told what to do with their guns.  They don't want to be told whom they can sell them to or how they have to be stored.  They raise their kids with all the gun safety information they need.

But, when it goes horribly wrong, do they take responsibility for the mess?  No, they don't.  They call it a tragic accident.  They tell us how statistically rare it is.  And they go on their merry way.

The owner of the gun should be in jail for failure to secure the weapon properly.  It's that simple.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Judge Debra Nelson's Strange Behavior

Fox News




The judge is not stupid. She knows the trial is not only going to be reviewed later but that it's being televised live. Nothing she says or does is by mistake. So why on earth would she do and say things like this?

I think she's purposely giving Zimmerman's team grounds for appeal in the unlikely event that he is convicted.

What else could explain such bizarre behavior?

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Zimmerman Trial Highlights

The Defense Rests

Yahoo News

Lawyers for George Zimmerman rested their case on Wednesday without calling the former neighborhood watch volunteer to testify, setting up the final stages of his closely watched murder trial for the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.

"After consulting with counsel, (I have decided) not to testify, your honor," Zimmerman said in response to questions from Seminole County Judge Debra Nelson.

Curiously, the defense opted against introducing evidence that Martin had a trace amount of marijuana in his system at the time of his death, after fighting hard for the right to admit it. Defense attorney Don West declined to say why.

The refuge of all guilty people who hope to get off on a technical interpretation of the "reasonable doubt" requirement is not taking the stand.  Innocent people are unafraid to speak the truth.

Interestingly, the defense understood that trace amounts of marijuana in the blood do not substantiate the absurd claim that Trayvon Martin looked like he was on drugs. That little bit of racial profiling along with the hateful observation that "these fucking punks always get away with it," should be enough to convict Zimmerman, but it probably won't be.  The defense threw enough shit on the wall, some of it will stick.

What's your opinion? Guilty or innocent, convicted or acquitted?

Please leave  a comment.

For the Semper Paratus (Paranoid Lunatic) Crowd

Los Angeles, CA --(Ammoland.com)- CampCo, an official licensee and distributor of UZI gear, is proud to announce that it recently began distribution of the newest models of the UZI Tactical Defender Pen.

The UZI’s attractive, solid design and affordable price have made it one of the best-selling and highest value tactical pens in the personal defense and law enforcement markets for the past five years.

Key Product Specs of both models:

• Lightweight aircraft aluminum
• Black and Gun Metal colors.
• Glass breaker on the tip
• Compatible with standard and Fisher Space Pen refills
• Item numbers: UZI-TACPEN7 and UZI-TACPEN8
• List price: $29.95

According to CampCo CEO Motti Slodowitz, “Tactical pens in general, and the UZI pen in particular, have become very popular in past years due to their unique ability to serve as an inconspicuous self-defense tool and stylish and practical accessory.”

Practical and Useful Advice for Would-be Assassins

Another Boy Dies in Ohio, America’s Capital of “Accidental” Child Shootings

In this file photo, a young student displays a sign referring to handgun violence during a public rally sponsored by the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence outside the Kluczynski Federal Building on Oct. 20, 2004, in Chicago. Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Slate article by Justin Peters


On Saturday, the New York Daily News reported that, since Newtown, at least 40 children 12 and under have died in “accidental” shootings—ones in which the child either shot himself or was shot by another child. Make that 41: On Sunday night a 4-year-old Ohio boy apparently shot and killed himself with an unsecured gun while his 1- and 5-year-old siblings watched. Police report that three handguns were found in the room where Raytwon Briggs was shot. It’s not yet clear who owned the guns, or how they were stored, or whether anyone will be charged in the matter. 

If you read this blog often, you know what’s coming next. All together now: Accidental child shootings are almost never accidents. 

I know I say this every week, and I’m sorry to be repetitive, but what can I do—people keep making the same mistakes. When it comes to firearm safety, negligent gun owners create their own bad luck. It’s my contention that these sorts of shootings often constitute criminal negligence, and that the relevant parents and guardians ought to be prosecuted, if only to send the message that society will not and should not stand for a cavalier approach to gun safety when children are involved.

Texas Man Accidentally Shoots and Kills his Friend - No Charges

 Local news reports

A 24-year-old North Richland Hills man was fatally wounded Saturday night after a shotgun being handled by a friend accidentally discharged, sheriff’s officials said.

Ryan Madson had been in another room of the residence when a pellet from the buckshot traveled through the room’s sheetrock, striking him in the head, said Terry Grisham, a spokesman with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.

Grisham said several people were at the residence in the 7700 block of Peden Road in unincorporated Tarrant County when the shooting occurred about 8 p.m. 

Grisham said statements were taken from several witnesses but no arrests were made.

“All witnesses were in agreement that the shooter and victim were in separate rooms of the dwelling,” Grisham said. “We don’t believe at this point there was any criminal intent. Right now we don’t expect charges to be filed.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/07/08/4988229/north-richland-hills-man-dies.html#storylink=cpy

Cleveland Dog Shooter Sentenced to 23 Years

Raymone "Ramone" Clements

Cleveland.com reports

A Cleveland man accused of shooting a dog tied to a tree in Cleveland Heights was sentenced today in federal court to almost 23 years in prison on related firearms charges. 



At the end of a four-day trial in April, a jury took 45 minutes to convict the 42-year-old tattoo artist of being a felon in illegal possession of a gun and ammunition. 


The two firearms charges stemmed from accusations that Clements tied a bullmastiff to a tree in a Cleveland Heights park last November and then fired four shots at the dog, striking the animal twice.


At today's hearing, Clements denied that the gun and ammunition belonged to him and blamed a friend for shooting the dog.

Clements has spent 16 years in prison for two rapes, aggravated robbery, drug trafficking, drug possession and receiving stolen property. 

Maybe we should give this guy the same benefit of the doubt many people are giving George Zimmerman. After all those years in prison, perhaps he's learned his lesson. Maybe his friend really did shoot the dog. And let's face it, no one should be punished for exercising his god-given, basic-human, 2nd-amendment-protected right to own a gun.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Privacy Fears Grow as Obama Weighs Expanded Gun-buyer Database

Yahoo News

Mental health advocates are worried that the privacy of people who have received treatment for their illnesses could be jeopardized by a White House push to expand a database used to run background checks on gun buyers.

President Barack Obama said he wants to see state governments contribute more names of people barred from buying guns to the database, part of a sweeping set of executive actions he announced after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December.

States are encouraged to report to the database the names of people who are not allowed to buy guns because they have been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital, or have been found to have serious mental illnesses by courts.

Many states do not participate. So the administration is looking at changing a health privacy rule - part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) - to remove one potential barrier.

The Health and Human Services Department has not released a detailed proposal outlining possible changes to HIPAA. When it asked for comments on the idea, it was flooded with more than 2,000 letters and e-mails.

Many of the comments were from gun rights advocates, but a surprising number were from mental health professionals and advocates.

Health care professionals are sympathetic to Obama's goal of reducing gun violence, but worry that the privacy rule proposal could discourage people with mental illness from seeking treatment.

There are two problems.  Some people may be discouraged from getting the help they need, even though the reporting affects those involuntarily committed not those seeking help on their own.  And, there may be some cases of formerly ill people who have recovered and no longer pose a threat.

My opinion is we'll just have to work around those two problems, the first one through education. The second one may just be the cost of doing business.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Zimmerman Has a Good Day in Court

USA Today videos 

As expected, the defense team is producing witnesses that will further the chances of a Zimmerman acquittal.

What's your opinion?  Mine is that George Zimmerman is guilty of manslaughter.  He pursued Martin against the advice of the police dispatcher, thereby initiating the fight.  He started getting the worst of it and pulled out his trusty gun, killing an unarmed man. I don't believe his life was in danger or that he believed it was.  He did what any fear-driven, insecure, wannabe tough guy gun owner would do in a similar situation.

That's why these guys are dangerous and should be much better screened and qualified.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

West Virginia Grandma to be Held Accountable for the Death of her Grandson

 The Daily Mail

Harrison County Prosecutor Joe Shaffer said Tuesday he will seek criminal indictment of a Jarvisville woman who shot her 11-year-old grandson to death while firing a weapon in the dark at suspected intruders.

One of the bullets from the .40-caliber handgun pierced the wall of her son's home about 200 yards away, striking William Owens in the chest as he lay in bed.

Shaffer said it was a difficult but necessary decision in a case that could have resulted in injuries to people other than the child. He said he will ask a grand jury to consider charges against 57-year-old Tina Owens when it meets in September.

"It's an important public issue, particularly concerning the responsibility that comes along with exercising your Second Amendment rights," Shaffer said. "I would like 16 Harrison County citizens to consider that."

How much you wanna bet this is bargained down to a near nothing and grandma keeps her precious guns?  That's my bet.

Interview with Paul Helmke

New Mexico Gun Owner gets Unsupervised Probation (slap on the wrist) for Shooting a Police Van

 

Local news reports

A man who shot a city speed-enforcement van last year pleaded no contest in court Wednesday to charges connected to the shooting and a subsequent police chase around downtown Santa Fe.

Scott Powell, 65, will serve about 18 months of unsupervised probation, after which he can receive a conditional discharge, which would erase the convictions from his record, according to a copy of the plea agreement. The charges to which he pleaded are criminal damage to property; resisting, evading or obstructing an officer; and careless driving. The plea took place before state District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer.

Even when gun owners are arrested and charged for their crimes, they often plead to lesser charges and make deals like this one. This ensures that they will be able to keep their precious guns and misbehave another day.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

About Zimmerman's Weight

Yahoo News

The defense also called a gym owner, Adam Pollock, who told the jury Zimmerman was "soft" and lacked proficiency in fighting after taking classes in grappling and boxing for a year.

Although Zimmerman lost 50 to 80 pounds (22 to 36 kg), he lacked the muscle or fighting skill to train against an opponent in the ring, he said.

The testimony could be helpful in explaining how Zimmerman, at around 200 pounds (90 kg), could have lost a fight to Martin, who weighed 158 pounds (71 kg) at his autopsy. Since his arrest, Zimmerman has ballooned to more than 300 pounds (136 kg) due to what his lawyer called the stress of going on trial.

Many gun owners, especially the wannabe-cop types, figure there's no need to stay in shape. The gun gives them all the protection they need.  There's a reason for the stereotype.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Judge Allows Evidence that Trayvon Martin was Suffering from Reefer Madness

 Yahoo News

In a defeat for the prosecution, Judge Debra Nelson ruled that defense lawyers can introduce evidence that Martin had the active ingredient of marijuana in his system when he was killed.

Toxicology tests showed a THC in Martin's system, and Zimmerman told a police operator just before the shooting that Martin "looks like he's on drugs."

The prosecution argued the evidence was prejudicial, and the defense countered that it was relevant given Zimmerman's observation that Martin could be on drugs.

Medical Examiner Shiping Bao initially reported the THC level was too slight to affect Martin, but Bao testified outside the jury's hearing last week that his further research in preparation for the trial indicated the drug might have had a slight but unknown effect.

Wimbledon Champion Recalls Surviving the Dunblane Massacre

 

London Evening Standard

Andy Murray has spoken publicly for the first time about narrowly escaping the Dunblane massacre, and said he hoped his success has helped the town to recover from the tragedy.

He said the incident had affected him deeply, but hoped his triumphs on the tennis court had had a positive influence on the town.

“At the time, you have no idea how tough something like that is, as you start to get older you realise,” he said.

“It’s something I’ve never really spoken about since I went on tour, since I began getting asked a lot about it by the press, because it’s something that was obviously for all of my family, and the town.

Murray, and elder brother Jamie were pupils at Dunblane Primary School where Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and one teacher on March 13, 1996, opening fire on a class of five and six-year-olds in the gymnasium with four handguns.

Murray had been walking to the gym when the shootings had begun.

Trayvon Martin's Mom, Sabrina Fulton, on the Stand

Idaho Man Arrested in Connection to Accidental Shooting - Race and Appearance had Nothing to do with It

 

Local news reports

Twenty-one-year old Luis Sanchez was arrested around 10:30 Wednesday night and charged with felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Clark County Sheriff Bart May says Sanchez and the 17-year-old minor had gotten off work around 4:00 Tuesday afternoon when he pulled a .22 caliber rifle out of the van, pointed the rifle which he was thought was unloaded towards the boy and pulled the trigger. The rifle fired and a round struck the boy.

The juvenile sustained non-life threatening injuries and remains at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in stable condition.

Sanchez was booked into the Clark County Jail and has a bond of $20,000.

Cenk Uygur - Remember Who Lied to You

Insurance Companies Agree

 USA Today

A new Kansas law allowing gun owners to carry weapons in public buildings, including schools, has thrust a major Des Moines-based insurer into the national gun control debate.

The EMC Insurance Cos. insures 85 percent to 90 percent of all Kansas school districts and has refused to renew coverage for schools that permit teachers and custodians to carry concealed firearms on their campuses under the new law, which took effect July 1. It's not a political decision, but a financial one based on the riskier climate it estimates would be created, the insurer said. 

"We've been writing school business for almost 40 years, and one of the underwriting guidelines we follow for schools is that any on-site armed security should be provided by uniformed, qualified law enforcement officers," said Mick Lovell, EMC's vice president for business development. "Our guidelines have not recently changed." 

In the gun-rights debate it's really difficult to find an objective opinion.  But here's one.  These guys have no stake in the debate, per se.  They're only interest is making money and they understand that concealed carry teachers and custodians would make for a "riskier climate."

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Analysis: George Zimmerman Probably Won't Be Convicted of Murder or Manslaughter -- Here's Why

US News | George Zimmerman Trial | More ABC News Videos

NRA Conflict Resolution Shop

Adam Kokesh Arrested

A Park Police officer, right, arrests Adam Kokesh of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2006, in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, after he put up anti-war posters. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

MSNBC

Adam Kokesh–self-described “libertarian propagandist,” Iraq war veteran, and host of the online show Adam vs. The Man–seems to have carried out his promise to buck Washington D.C.’s gun laws and load a shotgun in the district’s Freedom Plaza during an apparent one-man July 4th protest against the government.

In a video titled, “Open Carry March on DC a Success,” posted on Kokesh’s YouTube account Thursday, the 31-year-old packs bullets into a shotgun while simultaneously reciting the last few lines of his “Final American Revolution Pledge of Resistance,” posted on his blog.

“We will not be silent, we will not obey, we will not allow our government to destroy our humanity,” says Kokesh. “We are the final American Revolution. See you next Independence Day.”

North Dakota Man - Lawful Gun Owner - Shoots Himself by Accident - No Charges (Yet?)

 Local news reports

A man suffered minor injuries shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday when he fell asleep on his back porch with a loaded handgun and accidentally shot himself in the midsection, authorities say.

According to the Mitchell Police Division, the 34-year-old man was sitting alone in a lawn chair on the back porch of his residence, located in the 400 block of East Ninth Avenue, when a family member turned on the porch light and opened a nearby door. Startled by the light and noise, the man woke up and unintentionally pulled the handgun’s trigger and shot himself.

You see, this is what we've got out there.   Among the huge group of people called lawful gun owners many of them think like this guy.  He thought it's perfectly all right to sit on the back porch, gun in hand, FINGER ON THE TRIGGER, and fall asleep.

Once a guy proves that he is not able to or not willing to follow the basic safety rules he should be disarmed permanently.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Zimmerman Trial Week 2 Highlights

HOW LONG DID MARTIN LIVE?

Associate Medical Examiner Shiping Bao told jurors Friday that Martin was alive from one to 10 minutes after he was shot in the heart by Zimmerman. Later, he conceded that his testimony was different from a deposition he gave last year in which he said the teen lived one to three minutes after the gunshot. During a prickly cross-examination, Bao said it was possible Martin may have been able to move after being shot. That is important because Martin's arms are positioned differently in a photo than the way Zimmerman described them being after he fired the shot.

Zimmerman lied about almost everything. Innocent good guys who are forced to defend themselves don't do that.  Guilty vigilante-minded killers who are also stupid do.

My prediction: he'll be acquitted just like O.J. Simpson.