"We can't have law enforcement second guessing who should be able to carry a gun..."

Funny, especially in the light of all the stories about people who go around with CCW permits who probably should never have been issued with them in the first place...

Case in point:

Robert Taylor, one of two men who died Wednesday in a shootout after a driving altercation, had his concealed pistol license revoked for three years because of a drunken driving conviction.
Ionia County Prosecutor Ron Schafer today confirmed that Taylor lost his license in November 2006 after a drunken-driving conviction. He registered 0.18 on a portable breathalyzer.
But he obtained a new license in November 2010 after four years.

And we know what happened here...

Brilliant idea--don't let the cops deny permits to people who really shouldn't have them in the first place.

Forget pictures telling a story--here's the 911 tape...

This 911 call that was released on Friday that captures the panic and hysteria of Teri Pullum, the wife of one of two men who died after shooting each other at an Ionia car wash Wednesday evening following an alleged road rage incident.

Lawful California Gun Owner Shoots Through the Door During his Eviction - One Wounded

SF Gate

A 42-year-old man being evicted by Contra Costa County sheriff's deputies shot through the front door of a foreclosed home in an upscale gated community just outside San Ramon on Wednesday, hitting the property manager in the leg, before surrendering after a standoff, authorities said.

The incident began shortly before 2 p.m. at 3497 Ashbourne Circle in the Norris Canyon Estates development west of San Ramon, authorities said.

Sheriff's deputies, the property manager and a locksmith arrived at the home to evict the resident, but no one responded when the deputies repeatedly knocked on the door, said Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County sheriff's office, which patrols the unincorporated area.

As the locksmith began drilling out the lock, Lee said, someone fired shots through the closed front door of the five-bedroom, $1.6 million home, hitting the property manager in the leg.

More Sinister School-book Conspiracies Uncovered - This One in South Carolina

WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC

The Scourge of Online Gun Sales

Bloomberg

It’s not difficult to grasp how a man with a history of gun arrests and mental instability obtained the necessary firepower to commit a massacre at the Washington Navy Yard earlier this week. Buying a gun, or even an arsenal, is exceptionally easy in the U.S.

Even so, there are some people who both fail to meet the minimal requirements for purchasing a gun from a licensed dealer and whose relevant personal details are known to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Since 1998, the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System has stopped more than 2 million attempted gun purchases by felons, domestic abusers, drug addicts, the mentally ill and other prohibited persons.

Those blocked from making legal purchases from gun dealers, however, have an alternative marketplace -- online. As a report released this week makes painfully clear, that marketplace is growing in both size and danger.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, cofounded by New York City Mayor and Bloomberg LP founder Michael Bloomberg, found 83,000 ads for guns on Armslist.com, a site devoted to firearm sales. The number of criminals seeking guns on the site -- federal law requires no background checks or questions of any kind for in-state, nondealer transactions -- would be astounding if it weren’t so predictable.

So when Radcliffe Haughton was prohibited from buying firearms, he naturally turned to Armslist, where he found a willing seller while avoiding a background check or any other kind of scrutiny. Haughton bought a .40-caliber semi-automatic Glock handgun. The next day, he drove to his estranged wife’s workplace and murdered her along with two co-workers. Four others were injured before Haughton turned the gun on himself.

This is the “gun-show loophole” in action. Armslist is precisely the kind of lawless marketplace that the National Rifle Association champions and that the U.S. Senate this year mobilized to protect by scuttling background-check legislation. With the growth of online markets, there’s never a need to wait for a gun show; tens of thousands of guns are on sale every hour of every day.

Texas 3-Year-old Loses Lung in Accidental Shooting - Parents to Face Charges - Maybe

Local news reports

According to a news release from Horseshoe Bay Assistant Police Chief Rocky Wardlow, officers responded to a call at 7:16 p.m. in reference to a child accidentally shooting himself. The child was transported to Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin, where he was rushed into surgery.

Physicians removed the youth’s right lung. He remained in critical condition as of Sept. 20.

During the investigation, Horseshoe Bay officers accompanied the parents back to the residence, where police recovered a loaded handgun lying on the kitchen table, according to the release. The parents told officers the child picked up the gun and it went off.

When officers requested permission to search the residence, the parents refused, the release stated.

District Attorney Sonny McAfee and one of his investigators responded to the residence to assist. McAfee assisted officers in securing a search warrant.

During the course of the initial investigation, officers learned the gun found inside the residence wasn’t the one involved in the shooting, according to the release. Investigators received conflicting information regarding the weapon with one account suggesting the father hid the weapon in nearby brush and the other account suggesting the mother hid the gun along with other firearms in a neighbor’s home.

While a search of a nearby wooded area was unsuccessful, investigators located the neighbor and, upon getting permission to search the residence, they located three handguns and a lever-action rifle.

Investigators believe the shooting was accidental, but they do have concerns about why the parents attempted to hide the weapon involved in the incident, according to the release.

Once the investigation is over, Horseshoe Bay police will forward the information to the district attorney’s office for consultation on what charges could be filed.

"Gun deaths and injuries" is not equivalent to "crime"

Andrew Goddard (Colin's Dad)  Says:

OK folks, lets try to break one really bad habit: "gun deaths and injuries" is not equivalent to "crime". While many gun deaths and injuries are a result of crime or criminal acts, not all crimes are gun deaths and injuries. Crime rates, even violent crime rates, cannot be substituted in arguments for gun death or injury rates. GVP folks do NOT concentrate their efforts on crime, so why use that term in our arguments. Exit soapbox!

Another gun responsibility advocate responded:

I get that from the gun guys on my blog all the time. They try to send me links to articles about crime in general to prove some point. They don't get that we are talking about deaths and injuries. Or maybe they do. They just don't want to talk about that part of it.

Because if you add the "non-criminal" gun injuries and death--then the number skyrockets. It also puts paid to the things being "safe". But gun guys can't be serious saying that guns aren't dangerous/

Of course, some of the gun guys get the difference, but they don't have credible stats to use in their favour unless they stay with the broader "crime" category. On the other hand, people who want gun control don't give a damn if owning guns reduces bicycle theft or public graffiti etc. - it's the dead and injured that rile them!

Anyway, it's all semantics with the gun guys. Technically guns are not dangerous - if you put a gun in a metal cage it will sit there till it rusts away and never hurt anyone, so guns are not dangerous! Yes. that's a facile argument, because that is not how guns are used, but the gundamentalists will stand by that semantic argument.

The problem is that no matter how you want to try and change the topic: a firearm is a weapon with its purpose being to kill or cause serious bodily injury when used correctly.  If they were not lethal 9or at least harmful) there wouldn't be the power associated with the things.

Mass Shooting in Chicago - I Blame the Gun Rights Fanatics

FIGHT GUN CONTROL OR I'LL SHOOT YOU!

Another Eric Stamps Creation:

Illinois Man Accidentally Kills Himself at the Gun Range

Local news reports

A 49-year-old Riverside man died Tuesday evening after a possible accidental shooting at Midwest Gun Shop in Lyons that afternoon.

Michael Babinsky, 49, of the 300 block of Nuttall Road, was pronounced dead at 5:36 p.m. 

The Lyons Police Department responded to the gun shop at 1:55 p.m. Tuesday for a reported shooting and found Babinsky on the first floor of the gun range with a severe head injury. 

Lyons Police Commander Brian Kuratko said Wednesday that there was no other shooter involved and that the shooting is being investigated as an accident or misfire.

A misfire? An accident? What the hell are they talking about? He negligently pointed the gun at his head and fired it - allegedly. Why can't they report it like that?

You see, many gun owners are negligent in their gun handling.  It's not that they've never been taught or trained.  It's that these types are impervious to education as well as common sense. They're dangerous to themselves and others.

For whatever reason the press almost always refers to these negligent incidents as accidents. This softens the responsibility of the individual, which is something the gun-rights fanatics just love.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Lawful Virginia Gun Owner Accidentally Shoots Someone - Receives Slap on the Wrist

The Rotunda

According to a release from the Office of Public Relations, Battle was injured when her friend Richardson showed her his personal firearm and a bullet reportedly caused an accidental wound to her leg.

According to the police report released by Chief of Farmville Police Doug Mooney, “The investigation revealed that another Longwood University student, 21 year old Jacob E. Richardson, was inside a residence with the victim trying to unload the handgun when it accidently discharged.”

He was charged with Reckless Handling of a Firearm and was released pending a court appearance in Prince Edward County General District Court on Sept. 30 at 9 a.m.

Reckless Handling of a Firearm is classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor, according to the Virginia General Assembly Legislative Information System website.

The authorized punishment for a Class 1 misdemeanor is “confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both,” according to the Virginia General Assembly Legislative Information System website.

Naturally, according to the pro-gun folks, it was the system's fault that Aaron Alexis was able to buy a gun, but those same voices will approve of this young man continuing to be qualified to buy and own firearms.

My opinion: if you shoot someone accidentally you should never be allowed to own guns again.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

TTAG Responses to the "Suicide" Post

Robert published my satirical suicide post on his site last night. The responses were priceless. As expected they were disapproving, to put it mildly. They called me names and unabashedly expressed their negative feelings for me. But, interspersed among the universal outpouring of pro-gun hate, there were some forays into the land of comedy.

There were those who actually considered it could be serious.

Ninja what? says:

September 19, 2013 at 16:12

If its real, I’m sorry the guy lost his mind. If its his idea of a joke then the guy has some issues he needs to deal with.

S_J says:

September 19, 2013 at 16:13

If Mike’s still alive and this is just his sick idea of a joke: Don’t feed the troll. I’m sure tasteless responses celebrating his death are perfect fodder for his blog.

If it’s not a joke: Save the celebrations for Feinstein.

William Burke says:

September 19, 2013 at 16:21

Mikey’s blog has posts dated today. Go and check it out for yourselves. Is he posting from Gun-Free Nirvana? I don’t think so. This is a sick joke.

Those who couldn't tell I used a 3 Euro toy gun.

MojoRonin says:

September 19, 2013 at 16:29

is it me, or does that pistol seem…photoshopped?

Will says:

September 19, 2013 at 17:26

A few things.

3. What kind of gun is that? SVI/Infinity?

And the best of all, this genius who combined both.

Rob.G says:

September 19, 2013 at 16:08

That really is sad to hear.

So, where did he get the gun that he was so vehemently opposed to?

The Death of a Gun Control Blogger (satire)

Associated Press reports:

MikeB, well known gun control blogger committed suicide today. His blog, Mikeb302000 has received millions of page-views and is known for being one of the few gun control blogs that accepts comments. He posted a picture of himself on Facebook moments before taking his life. The following suicide note was attached.

I want to apologize to all my supporters, friends, family and everyone in the gun control movement. Our collective failure to achieve even the slightest headway was no problem for me.  Nor was the failure of Congress to pass comprehensive background checks, the recall of heroic State Senators in Colorado, the ridiculous gun bans in Maryland which allowed the gun nuts to stock up before taking effect, the blind concealed carry permit holders in Iowa, none of it really got me down. Even the most recent massacre in the Washington Navy Yard didn’t phase me.

But when I donned The Truth About Guns hat I knew what I had to do. What came crashing into my consciousness was the incredible abuse with which I was treated when I used to post comments there. Some of those comments generated a hundred responses, the major part of which were personal attacks against me. And why? That’s the question that kept me up night after night. In the end I had to stay away, my physical health demanded it. 

Those terrible months came back to me in a way that was both overwhelming and hopeful, in a dark way. I finally had a way out.

I know many of you among the Armed Intelligentsia, when reading this, will want to blame yourselves. Please don’t. It’s not your fault. Thanks to you I feel I’m going to a better place now.

MikeB, whose real name is Michael Bonomo, is survived by three siblings, a wife and two ex-wives, 13 children and 7 grandchildren. He was 60 years old at the time of his death.

Good Guys With Guns

...doing what gunloons do:

Ionia residents James Pullum, 43, and Robert Taylor, 56, were pronounced dead at Sparrow Ionia Hospital soon after they engaged in a shootout with each other, according to the Ionia Department of Public Safety.
Police responded to reports of shots fired just before 7 p.m. at Wonder Wand Car Wash in the 400 block of South Steele Street.
An initial police investigation showed the men turned into the car wash's parking lot after a road rage incident, authorities said. They reportedly exited their vehicles, drew handguns and exchanged fire.
The men were discovered by police at the scene with gunshot wounds.
They both held permits to carry concealed weapons.

Didn't InstaCracker, Glenn Harlan Reynolds once assure us an "armed society is a polite society?"

So, we have these two NRA douchenozzles--who have problems driving--decide they're going to 'show' the other who's
boss only to find out each other have guns. Darwinism takes over.

Look, despite what gunloons tell you, CCW is not about rights or self-defense.  It's about enforcing your beliefs on others.

And I think we can put the myth about CCW holders being "law-abiding"--turns out one of the NRA douchenozzles liked to have a few while carrying around his manhood surrogate.

John J Donohue III Talking about Lott and Kleck - Old but Still Relevant

Rachel Maddow Charts the Increasing Frequency of Mass Shootings

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

Batty Secession Schemes Gain a Foothold Among Rural Conservatives

Tea Party member Greg Hernandez, of Quicksburg, Va., wearing a tri-corner hat replete with tea bag. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Bill Moyers Journal

Conservative activists in five rural Maryland counties are fed up with what they see as the tyranny of a democratically elected state government they don’t control. They’re so frustrated that they want to secede and form their own deep red state.

Bizarre as it seems, the effort is part of a trend. In Colorado, up to 10 rural counties want to break off and form a new state called Northern Colorado. A handful of counties in Kansas and Nebraska are reportedly thinking about joining them. Several counties in Northern California are hoping to combine with a chunk of Southern Oregon to form the state of Jefferson – an old idea that apparently hasn’t gone out of fashion. And folks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula fed up with Lansing have also been kicking around the idea of cutting loose.

The media have framed these stories as a symptom of a growing rural-urban divide, and that’s true. Gun safety laws enacted after the Sandy Hook shootings sparked the move in both Colorado and Maryland. Marriage equality for gays and lesbians, and differences over energy policy, immigration (over which state governments have little control) and taxes are often cited as “irreconcilable differences” by these secession advocates.

The Original Intent of the Second Amendment was to Protect Slaveholders

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Civil War reenactors prepare to reenact the Battle of Manassas/Bull Run. In slave states, militias served not only as military forces, but also as slave patrols.

MinnPost

The right to bear arms was not part of the original Constitution. The Constitution did, without mentioning the word “slavery,” build in a number of protections for the institution in the South. Many of the northern framers were anti-slavery, but it was clear that there would be no union unless the slave states felt assured that the new, more powerful national government was not empowered to abolish slavery.

When the draft went to the states for ratification, one of the big battles was in Virginia, where men of towering reputations stood on both sides of the issue. The leader of the pro-ratification forces was James Madison, whose role in the story is so large that he is known as the Father of the Constitution. The noisiest opponent was the fading but famed orator Patrick Henry (whose famous line as a revolutionary was “give me liberty or give me death” and who had been the first post-colonial governor of Virginia). Henry made many, many arguments about the dangers to individual liberty and to the sovereignty of the Commonwealth of Virginia of this powerful new federal government.

Bogus emphasizes that many of the arguments dealt with “militia” issues. But Bogus adds a fact that wouldn’t necessarily occur to you. In the slave states, the militias also served the function of slave patrols. The militia was available for military operations, but its biggest function was to police the slaves, intimidate the slaves and make clear to the slaves that any effort at a slave rebellion would be met with overwhelming deadly force — armed force — gun force.

No wonder the fanatics have such an aversion to the first four words of the sacred amendment.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Texas Parents Freak Out over the Mention of the M Word in a School Book

Sean Getts has a daughter who is a junior at Guyer High School. She noticed the wording of the amendment and alerted him. (Sean Getts)

Fox News

Parents at a high school near Dallas say the authors of a book on U.S. history misfired when they defined the Second Amendment -- and now one of the book's co-authors says the book is being revised.

The work book used at Guyer High School in the city of Denton, "The United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination," includes the "summary" definition of the Second Amendment to include the right to "keep and bear arms in a state militia."

The edited definition is seen by gun-rights advocates as an affront to the Second Amendment, which states in full: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Parents at the school criticized the book for distorting the definition of the Second Amendment in favor of those opposed to gun rights.

Isn't it a riot that one of the dads looks like this guy and loves to pose for pictures with his beloved assault weapon.  Of course he would take umbrage at the mere mention of militia.

Gun-rights fanatics have an unwritten rule - the first four words of the sacred amendment don't matter, never have and never will.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Gun Control "Punishes Law-Abiding Citizens"

Setting aside the fact that "law-abiding citizen" means that you can be convicted of: indecent exposure, assault, theft, drug use/possession/trafficking, battery, criminal misconduct, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, filing false police reports, resisting arrest, stalking, prostitution, trespassing, fraud, forgery, various traffic offenses including DUI, harassment, domestic violence, burglary, etc. and various assorted misdemeanor crimes.

In fact, so long as you stay away from felony convictions--you are a "law-abiding citizen" in the eyes of the NRA and entitle to buy and carry just about any firearm you wish.  And let's not forget that most DAs will accept plea bargains which reduce felony crimes to misdemeanors.  It saves money, time, and preserves conviction rates.

So, we've established the "law-abiding" aren't as "law-abiding" as the gunloons would have you believe.

So...how is gun control "punishing" these so-called "law-abiding citizens?"

Well, apparently, gunloons believe background checks are just a horrible, terrible ordeal to be subjected to.  IOW, gunloons who believe they could easily respond to and prevent mass murders believe a check into whether they are a convicted felon or mentally ill is simply beyond the pale of human endurance.

The mentally ill?  Well, this, per NRA strictures, means someone who has been involuntarily committed to a mental institution.  In some states, annual involuntary commitments are zero.  Folks like Ted Kacszynski and John Hinckley and Seung-Hui Cho never made the cut to be involuntarily committed.

It's an embarrassing fact for gunloons:  Their idea of "punishment" seems to be ascertaining whether of not they are a convicted felon (though they can have an extensive criminal background) and/or whether or not they so are so crazed as to be able to function--or semi-function--in society.

What a horrible, terrible "punishment."

Of course, this doesn't account for the makority of gunloons who are simply untrained and unqualified to use anything more than a spork.

My Day At The Washington Navy Yard - Part 3

Much of the day was spent responding to calls from friends, families and colleagues.  Since nobody could go out for lunch, those who hadn't brought lunch offered to share.  There were communal piles of ramen noodles, soup, cereal, oatmeal, etc. for those who wanted them.

We were all pretty much resigned to staying put for the night.  But at about 1630, we were told to quickly evacuate through an entrance away from 197.  Each of us were greeted by FBI or Metro Police who did a quick interview: who are you? Where do you live? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you came in?

We weren't permitted to retrieve our cars; I had actually parked in a garage directly across from 197 and it was regarded as a crime scene.  A co-worker asked if I'd walk her to the Metro and off we went.  M Street in from of the Navy Yard was packed with police cars, humvees, ambulances, tactical vans, fire engines for about 6 blocks in front of the Navy Yard.  Beyond this point, behind police barricades was the news media.  About two city blocks full of media.  I had requests for interviews from Politico, Faux News, a local station, AFP, and a number of outlets I could only guess were blogs or freelancers.  I offered a polite "no comment" to each but did tell Faux News they could go to hell and asked the kid from Politico how it felt to be working for 'TigerBeat on the Potomac.'

Today, I was able to get my car but not return to work.  The media had taken station in a public parking lot across from the Navy Yard.  The Yard was closed to traffic (save for retrieving auto and departing).  At the gates my ID was checked twice and a Navy MP was handing out contact cards for those who might be suffering emotional distress ('Need to talk?')  Surprisingly, the police presence wasn't much heavier than most days, although, there were FBI agents walking around the garage where I'd parked.  In front of 197 was a heavy police presence with various police vans and vehicles.

The Next Mass Shooting

From The Atlantic:

The next mass shooting will take place on February 12, 2014, in Spokane, Washington. It will be committed by an emotionally disturbed, 38 year-old white man who will kill seven people and wound six more at a place he used to work using a semi-automatic handgun he purchased legally in the state.

It's important to note the US has sunk so far deeply into gun violence--with the invaluable assistance of a terrorist organization, the NRA--that we are able to make such predictions.  Just like we can predict the frequency of hurricanes.  More:

Our sincere hope is that every prediction we made is wrong because no mass killings should happen again. The probability of that happening is not statistically significant. 

Reports of the demise of The Civic Right interpretation of the Second Amendment are wrong.

Justice William O. Douglas was on the court at the time of US v. Miller, which is noted at the end of that decision.  This is his explanation of that decision from his dissent in Adams v. Williams, 407 U.S 143, 150 -51 (1972):

He also said in the same opinion that:

"There is under our decisions no reason why stiff state laws governing the purchase and possession of pistols may not be enacted. There is no reason why pistols may not be barred from anyone with a police record. There is no reason why a State may not require a purchaser of a pistol to pass a psychiatric test. There is no reason why all pistols should not be barred to everyone except the police."

This is from John Hockenberry's interview with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg:

"My view of the 2nd Amendment is one based on history. The 2nd Amendment has a preamble about the need for a militia. Because there was a need to be at the ready, the right to keep and bear arms must be secured. Historically, the new government had no money to pay for an army, so they relied on the state militias, and the states required men to have certain weapons, and they specified in the law, what weapons these people had to keep in their home, so that when they were called to do service as militiamen, they would have them. That was the entire purpose of the 2nd Amendment. But when we no longer need people to keep muskets in their home, then the 2nd Amendment has no function. And my answer would be, yes, the 2nd Amendment is outdated in the sense that its function has become obsolete. And in my view if the court had properly interpreted the 2nd Amendment, the court would have said that Amendment was very important when the nation was new, it gave a qualified right to keep and bear arms, but it was for one purpose only - and that was the purpose of having militiamen who were able to fight to preserve the nation."

From my own research, I have found these to be an accurate description of the law.  I should also add that Justice Stevens followed the Civic Right interpretation in his dissent to DC  v. Heller.

While you may question my legal qualifications, I know of other legal scholars with impeccable qualifications who do follow the civic right interpretation.

My question to you: why should I change my opinion about the civic right interpretation based upon the unsupported, or incorrectly based, opinions of people on the internet whose qualifications I do not know?

And even if you want to pull the rewritten Second Amendment from Heller-McDonald, there is no excuse for not enacting some form of gun control:

Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. From Blackstone through the 19th-century cases, commentators and courts routinely explained that the right was not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose. See, e.g., Sheldon, in 5 Blume 346; Rawle 123; Pomeroy 152–153; Abbott 333. For example, the majority of the 19th-century courts to consider the question held that prohibitions on carrying concealed weapons were lawful under the Second Amendment or state analogues. See, e.g., State v. Chandler, 5 La. Ann., at 489–490; Nunn v. State, 1 Ga., at 251; see generally 2 Kent *340, n. 2; The American Students’ Blackstone 84, n. 11 (G. Chase ed. 1884). Although we do not undertake an exhaustive historical analysis today of the full scope of the Second Amendment, nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. Heller at 54-5

Which has as a footnote (26):

We identify these presumptively lawful regulatory measures only as examples; our list does not purport to be exhaustive.

Better yet:

But the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table. These include the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home. Heller at 64

From McDonald:

It is important to keep in mind that Heller, while striking down a law that prohibited the possession of handguns in the home, recognized that the right to keep and bear arms is not “a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” 554 U. S., at ___ (slip op., at 54). We made it clear in Heller that our holding did not cast doubt on such longstanding regulatory measures as “prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill,” “laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” Id., at ___–___ (slip op., at 54–55). We repeat those assurances here. Despite municipal respondents’ doomsday proclamations, incorporation does not imperil every law regulating firearms. McDonald at 39-40

The mass shooting template

Let's face it mass shootings have become so commonplace in the US that they don't get much coverage unless it is something seriously horrific or shocking.  In fact, I've has my suspicions confirmed that the numbers have been twiddled since there are so many of them:

The FBI defined mass murder to distinguish it from serial murder. That definition provides the basis for the unofficial definition of mass shooting that has gained use in recent years. Mother Jones explained the definition in an extensive "Guide to Mass Shootings in America," writing that mass shootings typically involve a single episode in a single location, usually a public place. The Mother Jones definition of mass shooting matches the FBI definition of mass murder in that it includes single incidents that kill at least four victims.
Over on Reddit, the Guns Are Cool community has compiled a list of every mass shooting in the United States this year. The moderators of the subreddit, which doesn't actually appear to be of the belief that guns are cool, use an expanded definition of mass shooting, listing every event in which "four or more people [including the shooter] are shot in a spree." Under the Reddit definition, a shooting spree that wounds at least four people, but doesn't kill them, is still a mass shooting.
Including Monday's mass shooting, the Reddit list for 2013 is nearing 250 incidents. That's an average of one mass shooting almost every day.
With so many mass shootings, even those that fit the frequently used definition rarely prompt a presidential response. Perhaps it's not surprising that many of the violent acts cataloged by Reddit escape national attention.

Let's just make it easy for ourselves, and use this template from now on.

If the above doens't work for you, there's always this one:

Meet Ned Kelly

When John Oliver went to Australia, he left out that the Aussies had their own "wild west"/Cowboy culture. This is exemplified by Ned Kelly and the rest of the bushrangers.

In fact, as the Oliver clips point out Aussie gun culture was amazingly like the US (without fear of Indonesian Invasion), yet they managed to get gun control and the world didn't fall apart.

Of course, we can enjoy the freedom that we have in Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan with more guns. In fact, In order to find nations similar to the United States and Mexico on guns, you have to allow every country in the world into the data set, even ones with ongoing wars:

Starbucks Finally Comes Out and Says It

ABC

Starbucks says guns are no longer welcome in its cafes, though it is stopping short of an outright ban on firearms.

The fine line that the retailer is walking to address the concerns of both gun rights and gun control advocates reflects how heated the issue has become, particularly in light of recent mass shootings.

Most states allow people to openly carry licensed guns in some way and many companies do not have laws banning firearms in their stores. But Starbucks has become a target for gun control advocates, in part because of its liberal-leaning corporate image. In turn, gun rights advocates have been galvanized by the company's decision to defer to local laws.

In an interview, CEO Howard Schultz said the decision to ask customers to stop bringing guns into stores came as a result of the growing frequency of "Starbucks Appreciation Days," in which gun rights advocates turned up at Starbucks cafes with firearms.

Schultz said the events mischaracterized the company's stance on the issue and the demonstrations "have made our customers uncomfortable."

Lawful Indiana Gun Owner Shoots 3-Year-old Boy Unintentionally - He's Charged with Reckless Homicide

Local news reports

Is a trailer park allowed to deny firearms to its residents? That doesn't sound right to me, especially in Neanderthal-country.

In any case, here's another in the never-ending parade of idiot gun owners who obviously should never have been allowed to own guns in the first place.

The answer is in my number 1 gun control law, which includes a may issue policy for gun ownership. Many of these genius gun owners would be denied right off the bat.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Lawful Alabama Gun Owner Shoots his Wife and Child with One Round - No Charges It Was Just an Accident

Local news reports

An accidental shooting late Saturday night resulted in a 25-year-old Jemison female and her 3-year-old child being hospitalized in Birmingham from a single gunshot wound.

Once on the scene, [Chilton County Sheriff Kevin] Davis said officers from the Jemison Police Department along with deputies from the sheriff’s department and an off-duty police officer who lives in the neighborhood found the female and her 3-year-old child suffering from a single gunshot wound after the male, 27, accidentally shot them while cleaning his gun in the family living room.

Davis said after two investigators from the Criminal Investigation Unit with the sheriff’s department responded to the scene, they determined that Charles Martin accidentally shot Debra Martin and their child.

“He [Charles] told authorities that he had just completed cleaning his handgun, was in the process of reloading it and had an accidental discharge of the gun,” Davis said. “A single bullet struck the wife, exited the wife and struck the child. One shot was fired and that one shot struck both the wife and the child.”

Piers Morgan on the Navy Yard Shooting

Connecticut Man Sees Gun, Thinks Bank May Be Robbed, Gets Arrested Himself

The Courant

A man who became alarmed when he saw a man carrying a gun inside the TD Bank at 2461 Main St. last Thursday afternoon was himself charged with breach of peace because he shook up bank staff.

Robert Gursky, 50, of Cavan Lane, was in the bank transacting business when he saw a person with a handgun. The person he saw was legally carrying the firearm and had no ill intent, police said.

Gursky, however, was concerned and tried to convey what he saw to a bank teller.

"He was trying to relay to the teller someone had a gun," Glastonbury Agent Kevin Szydlo said. Gursky was trying to write a note to the teller, and also said "gun." Gursky then completed his transaction and left the bank. He also tore up the note he was writing and threw it away.

The teller and other bank staff became alarmed, activated their robbery protocol and called police, Szydlo said. Police figured out who had the gun and determined he possessed it legally. They also tracked down Gursky, interviewed him, then charged him with breach of peace.

Aaron Alexis - Lawful Gun Owner

ABC

The gunman in the mass shootings at the Washington Navy Yard, Aaron Alexis, had a history of violent outbursts, was at least twice accused of firing guns in anger and was in the early stages of treatment for serious mental problems, according to court records and U.S. law enforcement officials.

But Alexis apparently managed to exploit seams in the nation's patchwork of complicated gun laws designed to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people. He was able to buy a shotgun in Virginia with out-of-state identification, even though that would have prevented him from buying a handgun.

It is illegal for gun dealers to sell handguns to such out-of-state buyers, but the Firearms Owners' Protection Act, passed by Congress in 1986, opened up interstate sales for shotguns and rifles. Virginia gun laws require only that an out-of-state buyer show valid identification, pass a background check and otherwise abide by state laws in order to buy a shotgun in the state. Alexis was never prosecuted for the two misdemeanors involving guns.

Alexis bought the shotgun at Sharpshooters Small Arms Range in Lorton, Va. on Saturday, according to a statement from the attorney for the gun range.

Michael Slocum said in an email that Alexis rented a rifle, bought bullets and used the range before buying the shotgun and 24 shells. Slocum said Alexis passed a federal background check.

Law enforcement officials visited the range Monday, reviewing the store's video and other records.

"What the 1986 Firearms Owners' Protection Act did was it made it more convenient for gun buyers," said Kristen Rand, the legislative director at the Violence Policy Center. "That's the road we've been on for a while: The convenience of gun owner always seems to trump the right of victims not to be shot."

Federal gun laws bar the mentally ill from legally buying guns from licensed dealers. But the law requires that someone be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility or declared mentally ill by a judge, and that information must be reported to the FBI in order to appear on a background checks. In the wake of the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech, state authorities changed state laws to make it tougher for the mentally ill to buy guns there.

But like other recently accused mass shooters, Alexis was never declared mentally ill by a judge or committed to a hospital. He was being treated by the Veterans Administration as recently as August, according to two law enforcement officials, but the Navy had not declared him mentally unfit.

Active Shooter Incident and Carrying a gun

This is a picture from the Naval Yard shooting:  note the people with their hands up.

The active shooter protocol:  Police response and you:

•  Police will quickly respond to the area in which shots were last heard and attempt to immediately engage/contain the active shooter
•   First arriving officers will not stop to assist the injured, or evacuate personnel
•   Remain calm
•   Do exactly as police tell you
•   Keep your hands empty and visible at all times
•   If you know where the shooter is, quickly tell the officers
•   DO NOT get in the way of officers

Note:  "Keep your hands empty and visible at all times"

Now what would happen if some idiot is wandering around with a weapon who wasn't part of the Law Enforcement effort?

My Day At The Washington Navy Yard - Part Two

Being in lockdown--no one could leave or enter the buildings--is no fun.  Meetings and events were cancelled and everybody pretty much settled in, fielding calls and emails asking if we were ok.  We all monitored email from the Admirals who had vacated 197 and set up a command post behind my building.  They did a good job keeping us abreast of what was happening and we usually got news well ahead of what was being reported on the media outlets.

Regardless, rumors swept through the office quickly and often.  We heard the gun man was pissed about sequestration, that it was a terrorist attack, that it was a white separatist group.  We heard the gun man got in using someone else's credentials, that there were shootings 5 blocks away from the Navy Yard and at an Air Force base nearby.  That Capitol Hill had been attacked.  We heard the shooter(s) were wearing military uniforms.  One was white wearing khakis and a beret.  One was black, in his 50s. That one had an assault weapon, one a handgun, etc.

IOW, nobody knew much of anything.

Which raises an obvious point: those claiming some fat, untrained gunloon could have made the situation better by allowing him to run around waving his piece is simple lunacy.  Moreover, where the gunman did most of his killing is not an area conducive to throwing around a lot of lead.  Government offices are generally pretty cramped with a lot of people jammed into not a whole lot of space.

Continued...

Thomas Jefferson on Constitutional change

My Day At The Washington Navy Yard

I work at the Washington Navy Yard.  I work across the street from Building 197 where the horrific mass gun murder took place.

Yesterday, I got to work at about 0620--my usual time.  My office is located less than 100 yards away from the atrium where most of the gun murders took place.  We had our daily staff meeting at 0730; one hot button issue and a minor one.  So, I began chasing down the way forward for the major issue.  At about 0820, the fire alarm began to sound.  Fire alarms are not necessarily an unusual thing at the Navy Yard; the Yard is an older facility and workman are always renovating or repairing something and most alarms are accidentally set off by workman.  We'll usually get an announcement shortly after to disregard the alarm.

Yesterday was no different but very much so.

After the initial alarm went off and announcement followed to disregard the alarm.  But shortly after there was an announcement saying there had been a shooting on the fourth floor and that all personnel should seek shelter in an interior office.  I wasn't overly concerned about my safety; I work in a restricted access area so most folks who have access elsewhere can't get in.  We figured it was merely someone going postal on a boss.

I had to conduct emergency musters for people under my supervision and account for their whereabouts.  I soon had accounted for all my folks.  As time passed, the emails grew more ominous--the number of conformed killed rose from 1 to 2 to 4 to 8 to 12.  And we were told there were at least two, possibly three, shooters which implied this wasn't an incident involving a gun crazy having a bad hair day.

The emergency response was fast and overwhelming; virtually every law enforcement was represented in force.  FBI, NCIS, Metropolitan and Capitol Hill Police, NDW Police, Navy MPs, Marine MPs--I'm sure there others.  The small street separating my building from 197 was jammed with ERT vehicles, Tactical carriers, Ambulances, fire trucks.  Overhead circled helicopters which were used to place snipers and ferry away victims.

Continued...

Aaron Alexis Was the Good Guy with a Gun - No Criminal Convictions

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The United States is a Christian nation????

The US's new religion: Gundamentalism (statue created by Eric Stamps).  It's not really Christianity, but it is a perverse aberration of that religion.

The Universal Soldier

From the Trenches

Meet Aaron Alexis - Washington Navy Yard Shooter

Huffington Post

Aaron Alexis has been identified by police as the dead Washington Navy Yard shooter, NBC News reports.

Alexis, 34, originally of Fort Worth, Texas, recently began working at the Navy yard as a civilian contractor, the station reported. The FBI confirmed his identity in the afternoon.

Alexis was armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, two law enforcement officials tell the Washington Post. One of the sources said he also had a shotgun. All the weapons have reportedly been accounted for. His aunt, Helen Weeks, told the paper that he grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his mother, Sarah, and father, Anthony.

At least 13 people were killed -- including Alexis -- and more were wounded at the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters building after at least one gunman opened fire after 8:20 a.m. Monday, a Defense Department official said.

UPDATE: At a 10 p.m. Eastern press conference on Monday, Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that law enforcement has "the single and sole person responsible" for the shooting in custody, dispelling rumors that a second suspect is still at large. 

Reports Of Gun-Control’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

The Left Call

Over on The Atlantic, Molly Ball has announced “The Death of Gun Control.” She says that any serious efforts on gun control ended when the Senate voted down enhanced background checks back in April. And if that wasn’t the death of gun control, the recall of two pro-gun-control Democrats in Colorado on Tuesday made it official.

The Atlantic — On Tuesday, two Colorado state senators, both Democrats, were recalled by voters for their votes in favor of gun control. Gun-rights advocates instigated the recall drives; the National Rifle Association spent $360,000, sending mailers and airing television ads calling the lawmakers “too extreme for Colorado.” Gun-control proponents, buoyed by donations from New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, outspent their opponents five to one. But the NRA turned the money against the lawmakers, painting them as pawns of fancy-pants out-of-state liberal interests. And the NRA won. –

Here’s what matters for the future of gun control: Advocates needed to send a signal that politicians could vote for gun control without fear of ending their careers. Instead, they sent the opposite message. Now risk-averse pols, already all too aware of the culture-war baggage the gun issue has historically carried, will have no incentive to put their political futures in jeopardy by proposing or supporting gun-control legislation.

I agree this was not a desirable outcome, but it was a fairly minor setback. Yes, there are indeed many risk-averse politicians out there, but that’s hardly a reason to admit defeat. If this was the prevailing attitude in the time when the Civil Rights Act passed, there would be no Civil Rights Act. The same could be said of the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, Social Security and so on. The point is this — usually the greatest progressive legislative achievements happen when they do not have anything approaching unanimous support. In fact, usually these progressive achievements happen in a climate when a plurality, even a majority are against it. So to admit defeat because a couple of Democrats lost their seats to a fringe group of rabid gun nuts is to say progressive and liberal politicians in 2013 have no courage. And maybe that’s true, but I hope not.

A second problem with admitting defeat on gun control, is the carte blanche given to gun fanatics to dictate gun policy to the rest of the nation. You say gun control groups outspent the NRA and still lost? So what? Spend more money next time. Or spend money in more effective ways. Because there is an easy way to defeat the crazy gun nuts, outnumber them at the polls. The only reason the NRA and gun advocates successfully recalled these two Democrats is that the zealous one-issue voters showed up and everyone else stayed home. And remember, the gun control measures passed in Colorado are still in place. The NRA and their gun-loving cohorts did not recall the law, they only recalled the politicians. That’s hardly a defeat, and it’s definitely not a reason to say gun control is dead.