Alaska Boy Dead by Gunshot - "No Foul Play"

Local news

An Ambler boy has died following what troopers said was an accidental shooting Saturday night in the village.

At about 11 p.m., troopers in Kotzebue received the report of the shooting and chartered a commercial flight to Ambler in the early hours of Sunday morning. 

The investigation showed that a boy, 8, identified as C.G. in the trooper report, was playing with his cousins in the yard. The kids went into a nearby shed where they obtained a loaded firearm from the rafters, according to the trooper dispatch.

"One of the children then shot C.G. with the firearm, not realizing that the firearm was real or loaded," troopers said. 

The boy died from injuries sustained by the gunshot wound. No foul play is suspected.

Should Victor Hill be excused for accidental shooting?

 
Shown here during the trial where he faced 27 felony charges, Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill now faces a misdemeanor charge in the shooting of a woman last month. With the latest incident involving Hill on the other side of the law, should he face criminal charges or be let go since he and victim say it was an accidental shooting. 

 Local news


Charged with one misdemeanor count of reckless conduct for the May 3 shooting of a woman who calls him a friend, Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill is soon on his way to Israel as a prison construction consultant.

Gwenevere McCord was in critical condition for a time, but recovered enough recently to tell authorities that the shooting was an accident.

The incident happened in Gwinnett County and authorities there allowed Hill to leave the scene of the shooting without being questioned. A few days later he said in a prepared statement that he was practicing safety tactics with McCord.


Although he’s in law enforcement, this isn’t Hill’s first time facing criminal charges.

Hill was elected sheriff for a second time in 2012 and started his term in January 2013 despite being under indictment and having his peace officer’s certification suspended. He faced a 37-count felony indictment that accused him of running the sheriff’s office like a criminal enterprise during his previous term from 2004-2008.

In August 2013, a jury acquitted Hill on 25 counts of corruption.

What do you think? The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s office will decide in the next week or so what, if any, additional charges should be brought against Hill. Should the Clayton County sheriff do time? Or should this unpleasantness be put behind him?

Houston Teen Killed in Accidental Shooting

Local news

Colorado Serial Shooter - Victim Number Three

LA Times

The shooting death of a 65-year-old man in Loveland, Colo., is the latest in a number of attacks that has left law enforcement officials and suburban residents concerned that a serial shooter has set upon at least three towns in the northern part of the state.

William Roger Connole was shot and killed at 10:52 p.m. on Wednesday night, Police Chief Luke Hecker told reporters during a Thursday afternoon news conference.

Connole's death came nearly three weeks after John Jacoby, 47, was shot and killed while riding his bike on a country road in nearby Windsor. One month before that, Cori Romero, 20, was shot in the neck while driving through Fort Collins. She survived the shooting.

Open Carry Idiocy at the Atlanta Airport

Local news with video

Jim Cooley says he knew he wasn't breaking any rules when he went to drop his daughter. He walked into the airport with his AR-15 fully loaded with a 100-round drum.
Cooley says he was first approached by a fire marshal and then by an Atlanta police officer, who both asked him about the gun. Cooley says he was just exercising his rights.

"I told her I was carrying this for safely when she asked me why," Cooley told WSB-TV. "It shouldn't matter what I carry, just that I choose to carry. You never know where something might happen."

Arkansas Man Carrying a Gun While Using a Walker Kills Himself

Local news

The police were called in that morning to a residence in Franklin in reference to Bible ‘accidentally' shooting himself.

Tate said Bible was trying to leave the home on a walker while holding a gun in his right hand.
Bible's wife told police officers that her husband "loved to shoot squirrels" and he was attempting to open the outside kitchen door when he called to her to assist him.

The man's wife said she was about four or five feet from her husband when the gun went off.

Mr. Bible was pronounced dead at the scene by the county coroner at around 11:50 a.m.

Minnesota Boy, 14, in Critical Condition after Father Accidentally Shot Him in Neck

Local news

Hospital officials say a 14-year-old Minnesota boy is in critical condition after he was accidentally shot in the neck by his father.

The Aitkin County sheriff's office says Dawson Vanportfliet, of Aitkin, was flown to Hennepin County Medical Center after the accident Sunday night. It says his father, 37-year-old Dennis Vanportfliet, was cleaning a pistol when it fired, hitting the boy.

HCMC spokeswoman Christine Hill says Dawson remains in critical condition Wednesday.

Ohio 14-Year-old Accidentally Shot in the Head - 16-Year-old Shooter Arrested Immediately

Local news

The shooting happened at a home in the 700 block of Fairview Avenue shortly around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Upon arrival, officers found a victim with a gunshot wound. He was taken to UC Medical Center via AirCare.

The victim is a 14-year-old boy and according to the 911 call, he was shot in the back of the head. Police did not release his condition.

A 16-year-old suspect has been charged with assault, tampering with evidence, and discharging a firearm within the city limits. The suspect is currently in the Juvenile Detention Center.
Hamilton police said it appeared the teenagers were playing with the gun when it was accidentally discharged.

"I see a lot of teenagers hanging out there all the time, going in and out and stuff but it's the first time I've seen anything like this," neighbor, Amanda Watson, said. "There was another shooting about a month ago, right on the same road. It's scary, kind of, that there's always people getting shot around here, especially kids."

Ambulance Drones

Actor Vince Vaughn Believes Senseless Gun Violence Can Be Solved by Righteous Gun Violence.

Vince Vaughn

Happy Place


Vince Vaughn wants you to exercise your right as an American to own and operate firearms. He told British GQ, "Banning guns is like banning forks in an attempt to stop making people fat. Taking away guns, taking away drugs, the booze, it won't rid the world of criminality." The star of the upcoming season of True Detective might be right. Punishing the many for the misdeeds of a few is not how to do things in America. Except taxpayers bailing out the banks after the banks robbed homeowners, but that's a different government overreach discussion.

Vaughn continues, however, extrapolating that America's reluctance to be armed and ready is what allows mass gun violence to escalate in the first place:

“Take mass shootings. They've only happened in places that don't allow guns. These people are sick in the head and are going to kill innocent people. They are looking to slaughter defenseless human beings... In all of our schools it is illegal to have guns on campus, so again and again these guys go and shoot up these ... schools because they know there are no guns there. They are monsters killing six-year-olds."

Vaughn, however, seems to forget that keeping guns out of places like elementary schools is for practical safety and emotional safety. Forget the fact that having a loaded weapon in a place of learning is completely unnecessary (unless the place of learning is a gun range. Then some guns will be helpful.) Imagine the atmosphere loaded firearms create for children who are trying to learn the building blocks of life.

"shoot up these ... schools because they know there are no guns there"

If this guy had half a brain, or if he'd had the opportunity to read some of our many discussions on this subject, he would never have made such a ridiculous remark as that.  Mass shooters do not go to schools BECAUSE there are no guns there. As the genius actor himself said, these are "sick in the head" people. They act, at least in most cases, out of explosions of rage and frustration and do not consider the gun status of the place.

I hate to even humor this tired and foolish argument, but if gun free zones were really to blame for mass shootings and not the incredible proliferation of guns, why is this a particularly American phenomenon? English and Australian schools are generally gun free zones too, aren't they?  Where are all their mass shootings?

Capitol Hill Intern Arrested for Bringing Gun to House Office Building

CNN

A Capitol Hill intern was arrested on Monday morning for bringing an unloaded gun into a House office building. 

Joshua Wheeler, a 25 year old from Kansas, was detained by United States Capitol Police after he entered the Longworth House Office Building with an unloaded Smith and Wesson 9 millimeter handgun. Wheeler started working as an intern for GOP Rep. Lynn Jenkins from his home state of Kansas last month.

Lieutenant Kimberly Schneider, the spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, told CNN Wheeler was charged with carrying a pistol without a license, and an unregistered firearm. The main entrance to the Longworth building, which is across the street from the United States Capitol, was briefly closed down after the regular security search all aides and visitors go through to access the building turned up the gun brought in by Wheeler.

Jenkin's spokesman told CNN the incident was an "an accident" and their office was cooperating with the police.

"Mr. Wheeler used poor judgment and was immediately placed on temporary leave as soon as we were informed of the arrest," Tom Brandt told CNN in a written statement on Monday.

TSA Chief Out After Agents Fail 95 Percent of Airport Breach Tests

Link provided by George Jefferson with the following remarks:

"Keeping You Safe 5% of the time what an F**king joke" and 

"TSA/DHS proves they are not worth a squirt of piss let alone Billions a year in funding..scrap the DHS and give the people back their money and their liberty"


What this report made me wonder is about the numbers of gun owners who've been caught "forgetting" they have guns while boarding planes. Wouldn't the 95% failure rate apply to that also? Are gun owners aware of this?  Is this another "bad rules be damned" kinda thing?

How Ty Cobb was Framed as a Racist

The New York Post - link provided by George Jefferson with the following: "False accusations of RACISM follow for decades‏"

I suppose George considers this article to be convincing.  I found it full of inconsistensies.

In 1908, among many other brawls Cobb participated in, he ignored an order from a black man laying asphalt in Detroit to stop walking, then after the two argued, Cobb started a vicious fistfight and was overheard to use the N-word against the road paver.

Today that behavior would certainly brand you as a racist, but racial slurs were commonplace then, even published in the papers.


Here's the best one - genteel parents indeed:

Both of his parents were genteel. His father, a state senator and “something of a public intellectual,” in Leerhsen’s words, once broke up a group of men plotting a lynching and was an outspoken advocate for the public education of black Americans. 

When Cobb was 18, his mother shot and killed his father, mistaking him for an intruder after he returned unexpectedly from an out-of-town trip. At trial, she was acquitted.

Oklahoma Pastor Shot Dead by Cops Who Say They Were Trying to Save him from flood

 
Nehemiah and Laura Fischer

The Daily Mail - link provided by George Jefferson

An Oklahoma man was fatally shot during a confrontation with two state troopers who were trying to rescue him and his brother from rising floodwaters on Friday, but the man's wife is questioning the troopers' account.  

The two Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers responded to a stranded motorist call near Tulsa at about 9.30pm on Friday and found Nehemiah, 35, and Brandon Fischer, 40, with two vehicles trying to move one from a roadway amid fast-moving waters, police say.

Police hold that a physical altercation ensued and a trooper fatally shot Nehemiah in defense of himself. But Nehemiah's wife, Laura, says she can't picture that happening, FOX reports. 

Nehemiah was pronounced dead at the scene and Brandon was arrested for assault and public intoxication.

NSA Domestic Surveillance Program Expires After Senate Fails to Reach Deal

ABC - link provided by George Jefferson with the following:

"We are here now facing yet another manufactured crisis with the vitally important Patriot Act provisions set to expire in a matter of hours," Reid said.

President Obama has warned that the expiration of the phone records collection program would pose a threat to national security.

"We shouldn't be disarming unilaterally as our enemies grow more sophisticated and aggressive and we certainly shouldn't be doing so based on a campaign of demagoguery and disinformation launched in the unlawful actions of Edward Snowden," McConnell said.

The NSA's domestic surveillance program expired at midnight after the Senate failed to reach a deal to pass legislation Sunday evening. 

The expiration came after the Senate convened for a rare Sunday session to deal with the expiring provisions of the Patriot Act. 

Before adjourning without reaching a deal, the Senate made some progress, clearing a key procedural hurdle on the USA Freedom Act, but due to procedural objections by Sen. Rand Paul, the Senate was unable to hold any additional votes to move forward with the measure. 

Three key provisions of the Patriot Act expired at midnight -- Section 215, which authorizes the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' phone records; a roving wiretap provision that allows law enforcement officials to monitor terror suspects that use multiple phones; and a program that officials can use to monitor "lone wolf" terror suspects, not connected to any known terrorist organizations. 

NSA Surveillance Program 'Likely' to Expire Tonight, Richard Clarke Says

NSA's Domestic Surveillance Program May Expire: What You Need to Know

No 'Plan B' If Congress Misses NSA Deadline, White House Says

 

The NSA started the shutdown process at 4 p.m. Sunday. It will take an entire day to reboot the system, if Congress passes legislation reforming the metadata collection program.

House Bill Would Require Gun Owners to Have Liability Insurance

The Hill - link provided by George Jefferson with the following narrow-minded observation: "How exactly would this bill ENSURE victims of gun crimes would be fairly compensated as quoted in the article...Is it likely that all criminals will carry such insurance on their already illegal guns?"

House Democrat Rep. Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.) has introduced a bill that would require gun owners to carry liability insurance.

The Firearm Risk Protection Act, unveiled Friday, would require gun buyers to have liability insurance coverage before being allowed to purchase a weapon, and would impose a fine of $10,000 if an owner is found not to have it. Service members and law enforcement officers, however, would be exempt from the requirement.

“We require insurance to own a car, but no such requirement exists for guns," Maloney said in a statement. "The results are clear: car fatalities have declined by 25 percent in the last decade, but gun fatalities continue to rise.”

Maloney said auto insurance carriers incentivize drivers to take precautions to reduce accidents, but no such incentives exist for firearm owners.

“An insurance requirement would allow the free market to encourage cautious behavior and help save lives,” she said. “Adequate liability coverage would also ensure that the victims of gun violence are fairly compensated when crimes or accidents occur."

South Dakota 4-Year-old with Target Shooting Group Picks Up Rifle, Kills Uncle

Eh Thon Gar

Local news

A 4-year-old boy, observing the men around him who were target shooting, picked up a rifle and fatally shot his uncle in a rural area of northeastern South Dakota, authorities said Saturday.

The accidental shooting death occurred late Monday near an abandoned bridge about 10 miles north of Aberdeen, killing 22-year-old Eh Thon Gar, according to Brown County Medical Examiner Michael Carlsen.

Gar, of Aberdeen, was shot in the abdomen and died the next day at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, leaving behind a wife and daughter.

“They underestimated the 4-year-old’s willingness to emulate adults,” Carlsen said Saturday.

Gar, a cousin and a friend were target shooting with .22-caliber rifles and had with them the 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, Carlsen said.

It’s “not uncommon [and is] perfectly legal” for people to find an isolated spot in South Dakota and informally target practice, Carlsen said.

Texas 3-Year-old Dead in Accidental Shooting - Gun Owner Arrested Immediately but Not for the Kid Shooting

Local news

Abilene police responded to an accidental shooting death at 12:41 p.m. Saturday in the 500 block of Washington Street.

According to police, a three-year-old child was found dead from a gunshot wound. Police have not released the child’s gender or identity.

Abilene police have arrested Demetrius Lmar McDonald in connection with the shooting. He was inside the home at the time of the shooting.

Police said McDonald is a felon and possessing a shotgun is prohibited.

After being questioned by police, McDonald was arrested for 3^rd Degree Felony Possession of Firearm by a felon.

McDonald’s bond is set at $75,000. Police say additional charges may be considered by police after the full investigation.

More proof that being a felon in possession of a gun is treated more seriously than allowing a kid to kill themselves with a gun. When determining who gets arrested, being black doesn't hurt either.

South Carolina 3-Year-old Shoots Himself - Family Dispute Leads to Second Shooting

Local news

The accidental shooting of a 3-year-old at a home near Myrtle Beach Saturday led to an argument between family members and a second shooting hours later at Grand Strand Medical Center, authorities said.

After surgery, the child was stable but critical, police said. The other victim suffered a wound that wasn’t life threatening.

Two people were taken into custody after the hospital shooting, said Lt. Joey Crosby with the Myrtle Beach Police Department. The suspects will be identified when they are formally charged, but Crosby said that may not happen until Sunday.

The child was shot around 1 p.m. at a home on Carnation Circle, said Horry County Police Lt. Raul Denis. Investigators believe the child found a gun in a dresser drawer and accidentally fired the weapon. Denis said police do not expect to charge anyone in the child’s case.

The second shooting happened a few hours later outside the rear entrance of Grand Strand Medical Center. Late Saturday, police were still piecing together how the situation unfolded, but they said family members began arguing and one person was shot.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/news/state/south-carolina/article22736868.html#storylink=cpy

Administration Preps New Gun Regulations

The Hill

Virginia Law Will Restore Gun Rights for Some Felons

 

Del. Michael Webert, R-Marshall

Local news

A new state law going into effect July 1 will restore the gun rights of some convicted felons, though not without controversy.

Sponsored by Del. Michael Webert, R-Marshall, House Bill 2286 allows any person who had their rights fully restored in another state to possess firearms in Virginia. Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe signed the bill earlier this month with no changes, amending the current law that prohibits convicted felons in Virginia from owning guns.

Webert, in supporting the restoration of gun rights, said Virginia has long sanctioned the reinstatement of voting rights for felons from other states. He quoted the first U.S. president in making his point.

"This measure is a positive step to help persons who have repaid their debt to society," Webert said. "George Washington once said, 'To err is natural, but to rectify error is glory.' I believe this legislation lives up to that principle."

Culpeper Town Councilman Jon Russell, chairman of the public safety committee, congratulated Webert and McAuliffe on passing "such an important piece of legislation."

Russell said, "Just like restored voting rights, felons who have worked hard to be on the right side of the law should have their 2nd Amendment rights returned. It's refreshing to see there is still some common sense bi-partisanship in the commonwealth."

Michael McClary, with the Culpeper County Democratic Committee, called the legislation "silly," saying it was "an easy lift" for Webert. He said going up against current day "NRA hysteria" about gun rights is political suicide for any Virginia politician, regardless of party affiliation.

"The argument that if we are going to give felons their voting rights then we should give them their guns is pretty undeniable. Hence, the governor's signature," McClary said. "What is a shame in the commonwealth and in the country is that very few politicians are willing to work to try to bring down all the widespread killing, maiming and suicides being perpetrated by our well-armed and mostly unregulated citizens, and of course, the criminals."

To Glock or Not to Glock

Ammoland

I’ve been treated (so long as my gag-reflex holds out) to sham arguments by sleazy plaintiff’s attorneys. They typically say,

“If only Glock pistols had manual safety levers, if only Glock trigger strokes were longer, my client would not have been injured… ad nauseam”

Never a word, of course, about the pistol being carelessly pointed in unsafe directions, nor fingers being in contact with triggers at inappropriate times, nor other blatant safety violations.

We may expect this kind of nescient rubbish from the mouths of the willfully ignorant, anti-gun crowd. When it come from the mouth of one who purports to be a Second-Amendment supporter, it makes me openly question whose side he is really on!

In an editorial appearing in the 19 May 15 issue of the LA Times, Mr Bob Owens, describes Glock pistols as “a danger to us all!” Mr Owens is editor of a blog, bearingarms.com, which is generally pro-gun.

Citing several antidotal shooting accidents, Owens decries Glock’s lack of a manual safety and “short” trigger-stroke, saying,

“The underlying problem with these [Glock] pistols is a short trigger-pull and the lack of an external safety”

“Though short trigger-pull guns dominate the law-enforcement market, they aren’t the only game in town. A number of major and minor agencies use guns with much longer double-action triggers that are just as easy to fire deliberately but are much harder to fire accidentally.”