Louisiana Shooting Rampage - Not a Gun-Free Zone

Ben Freeman


The Guardian

A south Louisiana man attacked his former in-laws, his current wife, and the head of a hospital where he had worked, killing three before killing himself, authorities said.

The shootings happened at four locations in two parishes about 45 miles south-west of New Orleans on Thursday. The first report came about 6.40pm, when Lafourche parish councilman Louis Phillip Gouaux — who was shot in the throat — called 911 from his home in Lockport, Houma, Louisiana, the Courier newspaper reported.

The suspect, Ben Freeman, 38, was the ex-husband of Gouaux's daughter Jeanne, Lafourche parish sheriff's office spokesman, Brennan Matherne, said in a news release.

Gouaux's wife, Susan "Pixie" Gouaux, was dead when deputies arrived, Matherne said. Louis Phillip Gouaux and his daughter, Andrea Gouaux, were injured and taken to University Hospital in New Orleans. Both were in critical but stable condition, Matherne said.

About 20 minutes later in Raceland, Ochsner St Anne general hospital administrator Milton Bourgeois was shot and killed at close range at his home, Matherne said. His wife, Ann Bourgeois, was shot and taken to the New Orleans hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.

Raceland police said Bourgeois was shot at close range and his wife was shot in the leg.

Texas Gun Store Burglarized Three Times; 17 Weapons Stolen

Pennsylvania Baby Killed - More Special Treatment for Negligent Civilian Gun Owners - No Charges

The Famous 50% (Lawful Gun Owners Who Should Be Disarmed)

Re-posted on the Jon Swift Memorial Roundup

The Famous 50% (Lawful Gun Owners Who Should Be Disarmed)

A few years ago I wrote a post called The Famous 10%. It became one of my most popular, arousing much animosity from the gun-rights fanatics and frequently quoted and referred to by gun control advocates.  I reposted it here.

Almost immediately it became clear that I had been much too generous in the assigning of percentages. Soon I was talking about 35% and not long after that 50%

If you spent as much time as I do reading about gun violence, I think you'd agree with me, unless, of course, you had a personal agenda to protect.

Here's how it breaks down.

Divided into the approximately 65 million gun owners (see the latest Pew Poll) we have the following amounts.

Alcohol abuse is difficult to define, but let's take a study that found that 30% of Americans abuse alcohol. That translates straight across the board to gun owners. Please note that we're not including the regular, normal drinkers, whom some believe should be disqualified as well.  These are the binge drinkers and the out-and-out alcoholics. That's  30% of gun owners who need to be disarmed for alcohol abuse.

Drug abuse is also difficult to define, let's take a survey that says 10% of Americans abuse illicit drugs.
That's another 10% of gun owners who need to be disarmed for drug abuse.

Mental disorders afflict many Americans.  One conservative estimate says 22% are sufferers.  It may sound harsh, but if you have a mental condition that requires medication for you to function in society, you cannot be trusted with guns. That's another 22% of gun owners that need to be disarmed for mental illness.

Rage and anger affects many people. Estimates say 7% of adults suffer from Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED).  That's another 7% of gun owners that need to be disarmed for their anger problems.

FBI Crime Stats show us that about 500,000 crimes are committed with a gun each year.  Let's say most are committed by criminals and only a small percentage by folks like this guy who had no previous felony convictions. Let's call it 1%.  That's 1% of gun owners who need to be disarmed for turning bad.

Stupidity and clumsiness affects many people. We frequently read stories like this one representing stupidity, and this one representing clumsiness. Let's be generous and say another 1% only.  That's 1% of gun owners who need to be disarmed for stupidity or clumsiness.

Obviously some of the marijuana and cocaine users also could be binge drinkers, and some of the rage guys are fueled by alcohol, so we will have some overlap.

Let's round it down to a nice even 50%.  That's 50% of lawful gun owners who need to be disarmed.

Now, before you attack me for being so anti-gun, please take note of the fact that I believe in the rights of the other 50%.  I don't think the 2nd Amendment has anything to do with it, being an obsolete, meaningless and antiquated piece of writing, but I do believe that the other 50% has every right to own and operate guns.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

A quantum of umbrage: What's the Second Amendment done for you lately?

P3

Speaking as an editor – and a native speaker of American English – it's undoubtedly the worst-written amendment among the original ten. 

As passed by the Congress:

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.

As ratified by the States and authenticated by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State:

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

The reason it's such a grammatical dog's breakfast is that it went through some fast and furious last-minute changes: 

The real reason the Second Amendment was ratified, and why it says "State" instead of "Country" (the Framers knew the difference - see the 10th Amendment), was to preserve the slave patrol militias in the southern states, which was necessary to get Virginia's vote. Founders Patrick Henry, George Mason, and James Madison were totally clear on that . . . and we all should be too.

In the beginning, there were the militias. In the South, they were also called the "slave patrols," and they were regulated by the states.

In Georgia, for example, a generation before the American Revolution, laws were passed in 1755 and 1757 that required all plantation owners or their male white employees to be members of the Georgia Militia, and for those armed militia members to make monthly inspections of the quarters of all slaves in the state. The law defined which counties had which armed militias and even required armed militia members to keep a keen eye out for slaves who may be planning uprisings. [...] It's the answer to the question raised by the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio inDjango Unchained when he asks, "Why don't they just rise up and kill the whites?" If the movie were real, it would have been a purely rhetorical question, because every southerner of the era knew the simple answer: Well regulated militias kept the slaves in chains.

That's the original intent of the Second Amendment as it was finally, lop-earedly phrased. And that's why it has that clunky preface – which, for almost any other part of the Constitution would be taken dead-seriously by the originalists on the Supreme Court, but not here. Antonin Scalia, please pick up the white courtesy phone. Antonin Scalia, the white courtesy phone, please. 

Debunking Extremist Gun Arguments

Real American Liberal

Reactions to mass shootings in the United States have followed a depressing pattern in recent years. People become outraged when a member of Congress is shot in the head, or when twenty-nine people are killed in a Colorado movie theater. But gun advocates always manage to silence the discussion. "It would disrespect the victims to politicize this tragedy," they say with mock sincerity, failing to note that not discussing gun-safety reforms politicizes the tragedy to their advantage.

Within weeks, outrage morphs into fascination with celebrity drug relapses or the next "storm of the century." Then gun-related tragedy strikes again, and the pattern recycles.

But the December Newtown school children shooting has been different. Outrage hasn't given way to short attention spans. A National Rifle Association spokesperson callously said gun-rights advocates should wait for the "Connecticut effect" to dissolve. But it hasn't. Our outrage has turned us around to the obvious fact that our laws aren't helping to prevent these tragedies. Americans are now strongly in favor of common-sense gun-safety reforms.

Guns Only Give Americans The Illusion Of Freedom

Beggars Can Be Choosers

The true owners of America (the top .1 percent) hijacked democracy in America a long time ago. Today's U.S. government is nothing more than a concierge service to the Rich & Powerful. "Our" government no longer really serves the interests of ordinary Americans. It only serves the interests of the top ultra-wealthy elites.

The fact is, real democracy died long ago in America--and guns did nothing to prevent it from happening.

In reality, the oligarchy that controls the real levers of power in America isn't afraid of guns.

You want real freedom? Try a place like Europe, where you'll find loads of freedoms that most Americans don't enjoy. In Europe, you'll find legal dope, legal gay marriage, legal euthanasia, strong workers' rights, 6 weeks annual vacations, the right to join a union without being fired, good public schools, unlimited speed limits on the autobahn, etc. etc.

The Weapon Wonderland Song

Weapon Wonderland Song Parody (to be sung to Winter Wonderland)
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Gun sales surge. Are you listenin’?
Ammunition keeps glistenin’.
They’re arming tonight and causing a fright.
U.S. Constitution arms the land.

People die for no reason.
Children shot! ‘Tis the season.
A terrible blight, each night after night.
Gun rights absolutists harm our land.

NRA and cronies claim our homeland
Must allow their arms in every town,
Claiming guns will help us. We say “No man!
“The murder stats have got to go way down.”

Weapon fans have conspired.
Now our nation is mired.
With lives we have paid.
New laws must be made.
Or soon we’ll have a gun in every hand.

Second Amendment Scorecard

In Washington State, Idiot Lawful Gun Owner Shoots his 12-Year-old Grandson - No Charges It was Just an Accident

Local news reports

A 12-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the lower leg Wednesday evening on East Jacobs Road north of Spokane Valley.

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an accidental shooting around 8:45 p.m.

The boy and his grandfather were roughhousing together in the living room of a home on the 14000 block of East Jacobs Road when a handgun in a concealed holster on the grandfather’s belt went off, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The bullet went through the boy’s right calf.

The injury wasn’t life-threatening, the Sheriff’s Office said, and the boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

He was probably a concealed carry permit holder practicing home carry. As we often say, the chances of shooting a family member are greater than the possibility of shooting a bad guy. Stupid, stupid people.

Illinois Ushers in the New Year with Concealed Carry

Chicago Tribune video

I like what she said right on the end.

More on Why We Need Background Checks on Private Sales

The Washington Times

Hundreds of high-volume private gun dealers are transferring tens of thousands of firearms every year over the Internet without conducting background checks, according to a report from the gun control advocacy group Mayors Against Illegal Guns based on an investigation conducted from August to October.

The investigation looked at listings on ArmsList.com, a firearms clearinghouse akin to Craigslist, where prospective buyers can check out supplies posted by individual sellers.

The investigation found that “high-volume sellers” — those who listed five or more guns — posted 29 percent of the private seller gun ads on ArmsList.com during the period, a rate at which the sellers would transfer 243,800 guns each year.

Beyond posting ads for multiple firearms, 58 percent of the high-volume sellers contacted by the investigators offered at least one additional indicator that they were “engaging in the business,” including selling guns new or in the original packaging, selling guns for profit and buying and reselling guns within a short period.

Oklahoma Woman Shot Accidentally - No Charges - It Was the Gun's Fault

Local news reports

A woman was taken to the hospital after she was shot at a home in Wagoner County.

According to authorities, a woman was wounded when a gun accidentally discharged inside the residence.

She was transported by medics to Wagoner Community Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, [Rocky Point, Maj. Gary] Handley said. 

No arrests have been made, Handley said.

The 9th Night of the Living Van Vliet - Captain Beefheart Festival 2013-2014

Plastic Factory Lyrics

Phos`phrous chimney burnin` 
Modern-men`s a-learnin` 
Time and space a-turnin`  
Motor`s engine churnin` 
fac`trys no place for me boss man let me be  
 
Wind and wave all blowin` 
Mountain `n` sky showin` 
Bee `n;`` flower growin` 
Boy`n`girl are glowin` 
fac`trys no place for me boss man let me be  
 
Minds inside are goin` 
Muscle `n` bone are showin`` 
One thing sure are knowing (sure I`m?) knowin` 
Get a fire goin`  
fac`trys no place for me boss man let me be boss man let me be boss man leave
me be

The BLUES ROOTS of CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & THE MAGIC BAND

Fort Wayne Indiana Shooting Leaves Two Wounded

Local news reports

A man is in critical condition after a shooting at Sports & Spirits, according to the Fort Wayne Police Department. 

Officers were called to the bar and found two victims inside suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. There were multiple shell casings outside and the southern-most windows were riddled with bullets, according to police. 

One victim, an adult male, was in critical condition and taken to a hospital. The other victim, an adult female, was taken to a hospital in fair condition, police said. 

A preliminary investigation said the suspects, who were identified by witnesses and surveillance video, were escorted out of the bar after a disturbance then began to shoot through the window. 

Today's shooting was not the first at the bar this year A shooting in the parking lot in March left a man and woman with serious injuries. Police at the time said an altercation in the lot of Sports & Spirits preceded the shooting. 

A man was shot and critically injured near the bar in September 2012 and another in October 2011, according to The Journal Gazette archives.

New Jersey Strip Club Shooting - 3 Dead 2 Wounded

Local news reports

An armed man angry because he wasn’t allowed inside a New Jersey jiggle joint Christmas morning opened fire, killing three men — including the bouncer — and wounding two others, officials said. 

This must be one of those gun-free zones that acted like a magnet to the crazy shooter. You see, this guy chose this particular place because he knew his victims would be like sitting ducks and wouldn't be able to shoot back. Get it?

In Whom Do We Trust

California Woman Accidentally Shot During Monterey Squirrel Hunting Trip

Local CBS reports

A woman was recovering after she was accidentally shot by her sister-in-law during a squirrel-hunting outing in Monterey County on Sunday, a sheriff’s sergeant said.

The shooter fired a Remington 20-gauge shotgun from about 70 yards away, and shotgun pellets hit the victim in the face, head, upper back and left arm, investigators said.

The victim was not wearing brightly colored safety gear and apparently blended into the scenery, sheriff’s Sgt. Kathy Palazzolo said.

“She was very lucky,” Palazzolo said.

The shooting appears to have been accidental, and no criminal charges will be filed, the sergeant said.

“It doesn’t sound like there was any ill will, they all get along well. It was just an unfortunate accident,” Palazzolo said.

First the idiot cop says it was the victim's fault for not wearing orange, then she dismisses the whole thing because there wasn't any "ill will." What there was was proof that the shooter was in violation of the basic safety rules, a strong indication that she's incapable of owning and using guns safely. 

It's really discouraging that even in the relatively enlightened State of California gun misuse can go unpunished like this. 

No charges in a case like this is a travesty of justice.

North Carolina Man Arrested for "Accidentally" Shooting and Killing his Friend

Michael Bradley Rouse and Randall Thomas Lewis

Local news reports

The Lenoir County Sheriff's Office says the accidental discharge of a gun has left one man dead and another charged.

Deputies arrived on scene and found a male victim dead from a gunshot wound.

The victim has been identified as 20-year-old Randall Thomas Lewis. Deputies say he died of an apparent gunshot wound to the head.

Sheriffs' detectives say the investigation and determined that Lewis and 19-year-old Michael Bradley Rouse were engaged in horseplay while Rouse held a semi-automatic handgun. Rouse reportedly pointed the handgun at the victim believing the gun had the safety engaged. The gun was then fired and a bullet struck Lewis.

Rouse was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, felony possession of marijuana, maintaining a dwelling for the use or sale of controlled substances and possession of a firearm by felon. He was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

Now that's the way to ensure that you'll be held accountable for misusing your gun, being a drug dealer. 

I suppose the description of the incident was a bit better this time. "The gun was then fired and a bullet struck Lewis." That's definitely better than " the gun then went off."

Arizona 3-Year-old Dies After Shooting Himself With Father's Misplaced Gun - Naturally No Charges

TPM

A 3-year old boy died Friday night after he found his father's misplaced gun and shot himself, the Arizona Star reported.

Police were called to a home in Sahuarita, Ariz., where the boy was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Officer Philip Steele, a spokesman for the Sahuarita Police Department.

The child had found his father's gun and shot himself in the face. The firearm was "inadvertently misplaced," according to Steele, and did not have a safety latch.

The shooting was accidental and no one was charged, according to the newspaper.

Bridgeport Residents Protest Against Cop who Accidentally Shot Himself

Local news reports with video

Protesters in Bridgeport are demanding that criminal charges be filed against the police officer who accidentally shot himself at a bagel shop last week.

Officer Juan Santiago shot himself in the leg at the Bagel King on Main Street. Police say the gun used in the shooting was not his service weapon.

Demonstrators gathered outside police headquarters yesterday. They say officer Santiago should have been charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment.

Many of the protesters are licensed gun carriers. One resident, Elizabeth Drysdale, said, "Had that been me, my permit would have been revoked, my firearms would have been seized, and I would have been arrested on the spot."

City officials say state police are investigating the incident, and the officer is out on sick leave. 

It's interesting that some of the demonstrators are gun owners themselves, but not surprising.  There's a widespread resentment of the cops among many gun owners. I find it a bit exaggerated.  The fact is civilian gun owners get away with this kind of gun misuse all the time. It's even been defended on this blog with the observation that no one else was injured.

Nevertheless, despite the petty motivations of the demonstrators, they are exactly right. All gun misuse should be punished. If we did that consistently, many second, third and fourth offenses would be prevented.

Merry Christmas from Chuck Norris

South Carolina Bumbling Lawful Gun Owner Injures Himself and his Brother

Local news reports

An off-duty North Charleston firefighter and his brother were injured in an accidental shooting Saturday night, according to a spokesman with Berkeley County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators say the incident happened around 7 p.m. in the 300 block of Cohen Circle in Ladson.

Authorities say one of the brothers was clearing a weapon when the gun accidentally went off and struck him in the hand. Deputies say it went through the victim's hand and stuck the other brother in the leg.

Officials say the victim with the bullet wound to the leg underwent surgery and is in serious condition.

South Carolina Lawful Gun Owner in Assisted Living Center Shoots Up the Place and Gets Arrested

Stanley Crosby

Local news reports

A resident of a South Carolina assisted living center is staying in jail after his arrest for firing his gun while at the facility and then shooting at arriving law officers.

The State Law Enforcement Division has been asked to investigate the shootout Saturday in Orangeburg. The agency is involved because officers returned fire before capturing 65-year-old Stanley Crosby.

It’s not known if Crosby is represented by an attorney because jail officials did not answer a call Sunday. A telephone number listed to Crosby was disconnected.

Crosby faces seven counts of attempted murder after shots were fired at the residential care facility and at arriving police.

At least 11 residents and employees of the home were evacuated along with residents of surrounding houses. No injuries were reported.

Oklahoma Lawful Gun Owner Shoots and Kills his Brother and Attempts Suicide

Does anyone think for a minute this was the very first time a gun was misused by this clown? I don't. He probably could have been disarmed years ago.

Merry Christmas

I would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to our co-bloggers, readers and especially our commenters. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Eve and will continue to enjoy this very special holiday today. I wish you and your families all the very best.

The 7th Night of the Living Van Vliet - Captain Beefheart Festival 2013-2014

Track #16 from the live album "I'm Gonna Do What I Wanna Do", recorded at My Father's Place in 1978.

Rock Primer: How to Start Listening to Captain Beefheart

Colorado Man Shoots and Kills Stepdaughter Mistaking Her for a Burglar

Raw Story

A 14-year-old Colorado girl was shot and killed by her stepfather early Monday morning after he mistook her for a burglar entering their house.

She later died at a local hospital.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the shooting took place around 6 a.m. Monday. Police were initially called to the house to respond to a burglary attempt.

The Associated Press reported that authorities are determining whether the stepfather acted recklessly. The state’s “make my day” law allows homeowners the right to shoot and kill an intruder in self-defense inside their homes if they feel the other person is there to commit a crime and use physical force against them.

Originally known as the Homeowner Protection Act, the law’s nicknames is a reference to Clint Eastwood’s oft-quoted line, “Go ahead, make my day,” from the film Sudden Impact.

No arrests were made at the time of the incident, and the names of the victim and her stepfather were not released, while police and prosecutors continue their respective investigations.

More on the Renisha McBride Shooting - Judge Says There's Enough Evidence to Go to Trial

Theodore P. Wafer at his arraignment.

Think Progress

A judge ruled Thursday that there was enough evidence for the Dearborn Heights, Mich. man who shot dead 19-year-old Renisha McBride when she arrived at his door to stand trial for murder. Delays in charging Theodore P. Wafer with murder sparked national protests over comparisons to the killing of Trayvon Martin. Wafer is white and McBride is African American.

During a two-day hearing, witnesses testified that McBride appeared injured after hitting a parked car at around 1 a.m., and that damage to the windshield suggested her head had struck it. At about 4:42 a.m., she appeared at Wafer’s door, likely seeking help. Testimonyalso suggested Wafer shot her from about 3 feet away, and hit her in the face, according to CBS Detroit.

Holder claims FBI prevented 148 mass shootings in 2013

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2013 file photo, Attorney General Eric Holder listens to a speech after of his remarks during the Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. (AP Photo)

Fox News

The FBI says it has helped to disrupt or prevent nearly 150 shootings and violent attacks this year, in part by steering potential gunmen toward mental health professionals. It's an achievement that stands out during a year when President Barack Obama made curbing gun violence a priority, yet has had little success in getting new restrictions enacted.

There have been hundreds of these disruptions since 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder recently told an audience of police chiefs, touting the behind-the-scenes work of a small FBI unit based out of Quantico, Va. In most cases, the FBI has helped potential offenders get access to mental health care.

Preventing mass shootings through threat assessments and treatment is an unusual tactic for an agency known for its crime fighting and not for interventions. One year after the deadly mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, the White House's biggest efforts to curb gun violence — attempts to reinstate the assault weapons ban and expand background checks for all gun purchases — failed without congressional support.

Ames Iowa Accidental Shooting Death - No Charges Expected

Local news reports

Police say one person is dead following what has been described as an accidental shooting in Ames.

Police tell Des Moines television station KCCI that officers were called to a house on the west side of Ames around 10:30 p.m. Friday and found a male with a gunshot wound to his head.

The injured person was taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center, where he died.

Police are interviewing witnesses who were present at the shooting.

Police have not yet released the name and age of the person killed.

West Virginia 10-Year-old Dead - No One Responsible

Local news reports

A 10-year-old girl was shot and killed Sunday in Kanawha County in what police say was an accidental shooting involving another child.

A 911 call was made around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, reporting that the girl was accidentally shot while she and a 9-year-old boy were "target practicing" with a shotgun in Quick, according to dispatchers.

While further details of the case have not been released, Sheriff's Department Cpl. Brian Humphreys said generally in cases like these involving minors, negligence of the parents must be investigated.

The preliminary investigation points to an accidental shooting, Humphreys said, and neglect is typically harder to prove in cases involving a 10-year-old as compared to a toddler.

"At this age, it's pretty much impossible to watch their every move ... they are not inherently careless at this age," Humphreys said. "We're not blaming the parents, but we do urge everyone to make sure that your firearms are secure.

"Store them in a box that only you know the combination to," he said. "They were so young. ... Everyone has learned a hard lesson in safety."

Gun-rights fanatics are perfectly OK with the sheriff's reaction to this.  Neglect is hard to prove when the kids are 1o years old, says the idiotic hillbilly.  How in the world can allowing kids who are 9 and 10 access to a shotgun NOT be neglect?

He goes on to offer advice.

The family of that little girl should make such a stink that the sheriff loses his job and the responsible parents of the young shooter end up in jail.  But that won't happen, for one reason, because they're probably as guilty as everyone else in accepting these totally avoidable and negligent situations as simple accidents.

Our own commenters support this. It's pathetic and despicable.

New York Man Gets 10 Years for Gun Theft

Christopher Rubio

Local news reports

Christopher Rubio, 27, of Swan Lake, was sentenced Thursday in Sullivan County Court to 10 years in state prison for breaking into a home and stealing guns.

In January, Rubio broke into a home on Barton Road in the Town of Liberty and stole five legally owned handguns from a gun safe, Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell said.

One of the guns has been recovered; police are still looking for the others.

Rubio had pleaded guilty to burglary and criminal possession of a weapon, felonies.

Under plea-deal terms, he faced a maximum of 12 years and a minimum of seven.

Mikhail Kalashnikov Dead: Inventor Of World's Most Popular Firearm Dies At 94

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Russian inventor of the globally popular AK-47 assault rifle, attends festivities to celebrate his 90th birthday at the Kremlin in Moscow on November 10, 2009. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images) | NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA via Getty Images

Huffington Post

Mikhail Kalashnikov, whose work as a weapons designer for the Soviet Union is immortalized in the name of the world's most popular firearm, died Monday at the age of 94.

Kalashnikov once aspired to design farm equipment. But even though his most famous invention — the AK-47 assault rifle — sowed havoc instead of crops, he often said he felt personally untroubled by his contribution to bloodshed.

"I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence," he said in 2007.

That's absolutely perfect for the father of modern gun violence worldwide.  It's not his fault that his baby is misused. The fact that he invented the most available individual killing machine on the planet doesn't phase him a bit.

This guy should be celebrated like the inventor of the Ebola virus.  His contribution to mankind is right up there with malaria and AIDS. Of course the Russians think he's a hero of the Fatherland and the American gun nuts are all jealous he wasn't one of ours. 

GA School District Approves Keeping AR15s (Colt 6920) on School Property

Guns save Lives

The Gainesville, GA Board of Education has finally concluded a nearly year long debate with a final vote.

The school has decided that the three schools in its districts will have Colt 6920 AR-15 rifles on campus.

The rifles will be accessible to the school resource officer only and will be kept in a biometric safe.

However, at least one board member, Willie Mitchell, opposed the idea. 

“For some reason or another, I just can’t buy into guns in school,” he said. “I’m not sure that’s the best way to (take care) of the situation. 

“I understand with some things in life … things make headlines,” Mitchell added. 

“We respond. To me it’s like putting Band-Aids on a cancer. Yeah, we need to study ways to keep bad people out of our school system but a gun in a cabinet, away from where probably the scene would happen, isn't going to stop any damage.”

More on the Epidemic of Shootings in Florida

Naples News

Just a small sample of statistic’s from a recent NDN article:

1. Four of 10 people rushed to Florida’s emergency rooms with non-fatal gun shot injuries were accidental.

2. In the last three years Florida has doubled the national average of accidental shootings. The Orlando area is even worse.

3. Florida’s hospitals and emergency rooms had more than $57 million in charges for its accidental shootings last year with an average of $85,000 per patient admitted. That’s only for those who survived the shooting and only the ones that were accidental.

4. So who pays the hospital bill for these shootings? For the bills that are actually paid, Government services paid 50% of them, and that’s only the hospital bills.

More guns mean more shootings, more killings, and we all pay for it. We need less guns, more gun control, less of the politicians who put us in harms way just to get money for re-election. 

Anderson County Tennessee Court House Removes "NO-GUN" Signs

The No-Gun signs with the slash in the upper right hand of the Anderson County Courthouse doors went down Wednesday, but the signs proclaimng no-guns in judicial areas remain. (Donna Smith/The Oak Ridger)

Oak Ridger

People with carry permits can now carry guns into the Anderson County Courthouse, except on the third floor where judicial proceedings take place.

The four signs that featured a slashed-out gun illustration were removed from the wooden doors at the Courthouse’s entrances Wednesday — following a vote by the Anderson County Commission on Monday night.

According to Anderson County Commissioner Steve Mead of Oak Ridge, the county’s authority to prohibit people with gun carry permits from carrying their guns into the Courthouse ended in February 2009.

Allowing those with legal permits to carry their guns into the Courthouse if they wish will make the Courthouse safer, he opined at Monday night’s Commission meeting.

More on the Reno Medical Center Shooter, Alan Frazier

Renown shooter Alan Frazier, right, pictured with his friend Charles Bigalow on Nov. 21, 2012. / Provided to the RGJ by Charles Bigalow

RGJ dot com

The best friend of the California man who opened fire at a medical office this week said Friday that the man’s vasectomy complications left him so sick and weak that he could barely move.

“He was dying from this,” Charles Bigalow said of his childhood friend, Alan Oliver Frazier, in a telephone interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal. “He was wanting to be healthy again, but he was getting to where he couldn’t get out of bed.”

Bigalow, who now lives in Casper, Wyo., said he last spoke with Frazier on Saturday — three days before he entered the Reno offices of Urology Nevada and used a 12-gauge shotgun to kill a doctor and injure two others before fatally shooting himself.

“If I had any idea he was planning this, I would have been on an airplane in a minute — I would have stopped him in any way I possibly could,” Bigalow said as he broke down crying. “My heart goes out to the doctor, and the family. I’m really sorry it came to this.

“I know he was hurting. I don’t know what pushed him over the edge. I’ve been in tears about this for days. I’m in shock, disbelief.”

The 6th Night of the Living Van Vliet - Captain Beefheart Festival 2013-2014

Henry Rollins on Captain Beefheart and Dennis Hopper:



Big Eyed Beans From Venus from Clear Spot:



Thanks to Microdot for the title of the Festival.

New Mexico Maniac Gun Owner is Finally Disarmed

Finally this dangerous maniac is disarmed. She's a good example of why we need a one-strike-you're-out policy.  People who misuse guns are almost always repeat offenders. The trick is to disarm them before they do too much damage.

Emily Miller Tries to Out-Lie La Pierre and Larry Pratt

News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | 

I'll just mention the most blatant one. She said gun control laws would not have prevented Newtown. She didn't say they PROBABLY wouldn't have prevented it or that they MIGHT NOT HAVE prevented it, she said they wouldn't have, which is something that she could not possibly know. No one does.  No one knows what would have happened if something had been different.

But, it's worse than that.  In the case of Newtown there's a very good chance that if proper gun control laws had been in place and if they'd been followed by Nancy Lanza, the tragedy would have been avoided or if not completely avoided the number of dead would have been fewer. As a gun-rights person herself, Nancy failed to properly secure her guns from her mentally ill son. As a gun-control state, Connecticut failed to implement proper controls on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines until AFTER the terrible events of December 2012.

So, the slick-talking and very-convincing gun-rights shill, Emily, was lying through her pretty teeth when she said that.

Let's play a game.  Can anyone identify the other lies and distortions in her pitch?

New York Man Charged After Accidental Shooting of His Brother

Local news reports

A Leon man has been charged in the accidental shooting of his 8-year-old brother in their West Road home on Dec. 12.

Eli W. Wengerd, 20, was charged Thursday with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy S. Whitcomb said the boy, who is recovering from a stomach injury at home, was shot as Wengerd played with a handgun that he had not registered and for which he had no pistol permit.

"Fourth-degree criminal possession" is not nearly strong enough. This is the problem. Even in New York, which is one of the better states for gun control, so-called accidents are treated much too lightly. Felony criminal negligence should ALWAYS accompany the misuse of a gun, ESPECIALLY when someone is injured or killed. 

But, unfortunately, even in New York this is usually not the case. This young idiot gun owner will probably end up with nothing more than a slap on the wrist with no loss of gun rights.  That makes it a double tragedy.

But don't worry, next year or the year after he'll do something wrong again.  Maybe then disqualified for good. 

Oklahoma Accidental Shooter to Enter 'Not Guilty' Plea

Local news reports

The Lawton man charged for shooting his friend's eye out after a marijuana session has waived his preliminary hearing.

A formal arraignment has been scheduled for Tyrel Whately on Jan. 9 where his lawyer said he will enter a plea of "not guilty."

Back in October, police say Whatley was pretending his friend, Mark Camacho Ramos, was a zombie after the two had smoked marijuana. We're told Whatley pointed a gun at him as a joke when the gun went off. Whatley claims he panicked, destroyed the drugs and buried the gun in the backyard. Ramos later lost his eye as a result.

Washington Man Pleads Guilty in Accidental Shooting Death of Young Boy

Trevor Braymiller


Local news reports with video

A convicted drug dealer will spend the next eight years behind bars in connection with the death of a 4-year old who accidentally shot himself.  

Trevor Braymiller told the Skagit County Court that he is sorry and accepts responsibility in the death of Dwayne Kerrigan. 

Kerrigan died last July in a Sedro Woolley home from a self-inflicted gunshot. Investigators determined Braymiller left the stolen handgun in the home he shared with Dwayne's mother in a location where the boy could find it. 

On Friday, Braymiller pleaded guilty to manslaughter.  The prosecutor's office joined the defense in recommending 95 months in prison.

Judge Needy agreed to the sentence, nearly eight years in prison, but noted this was the second accidental shooting death he'd presided over just this year.  

"It's an issue that continues to grow and continues to cause scenes like this in our courtrooms because of irresponsible handling of those weapons," Needy said.

Yeah, it's an issue that continues to grow.  That's from a man who should know, right?.  Yet what he sees is only the tip of the iceberg. For example, in this case the mother of the little boy was not charged. Was she not equally responsible?

And how many negligent shootings don't even merit charges at all? Usually if the guilty party has no criminal past and doesn't lie to the cops about what happened, they skate.

The judge is exactly right, these incidents are on the increase.  it's an epidemic that is growing despite all the nonsense we keep hearing from the pro-gun folks.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.