Miami Herald Calls Second Amendment "Mythical Right": The Miami (FL)
Herald let lose with another propagandistic broadside against the 2nd
Amendment on Thursday featuring some more moaning and false statements
about how horrible it is for America that the misnamed "assault weapons
ban" has lapsed. There is much wringing of hands, waterworks,
histrionics and over dramatics by the aptly named Fred Grimm here. In
"What's a few dead cops to the gun lobby?" Grimm's final pronouncement
is that the 2nd Amendment is a "mythical right" but in between there are
many misstatements and out right lies...
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/06/05/miami-herald-2nd-amendment-mythical-right-private-citizens
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Discretionary-Issue Defended in Massachusetts: ...Police chiefs are in
the best position to know the background of applicants in their
community, which is why state law provides our local chiefs with the job
of determining an applicant's overall suitability for a license to carry
concealed weapons. As a coauthor of the Massachusetts Gun Control Act of
1998, which remains the nation's toughest and most effective gun control
law, I can tell you that investing police chiefs with this discretion
was a very intentional decision. Those who think such licenses should be
given out without meaningful review are putting the interests of gun
enthusiasts before public safety and the public interest. Getting such a
license should not be easy or automatic, and our police chiefs should
have the opportunity to gather information they feel is needed to make
these judgments... (Not discussed is the issue of chiefs who believe
that no private citizen should carry a firearm in public.)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/06/05/let_chiefs_have_say_on_gun_permits/
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SFPD Chief Doesn't Bother to "Qualify": After being assailed by the
police officer whose satiric videos earned him and nearly two dozen
others suspensions in 2005, San Francisco Police Chief Heather Fong
acknowledged that she has gone years without taking the target practice
required for officers who carry guns...Department rules require all
police officers who carry guns to pass shooting range tests every six
months. Fong said in a statement this week that "the duties of a police
chief are demanding and time-consuming. I acknowledge that I have not
scheduled time for firearms re-qualifications. This will be addressed
for future re-qualifications." ...Cohen noted that in the last five
years, "scores of officers" have been disciplined and even denied pay
raises and promotion for the same infraction the chief has committed...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/06/04/BARR1138G6.DTL
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Chicago Alderman Wins Gun-Registration Do-Over: Ald. Richard Mell got a
City Council committee to approve a change to a Chicago law on his
behalf Wednesday, but argued it would benefit thousands of other city
residents who, like him, simply failed to renew their gun licenses. "It
was probably good I didn't [renew], because there are an awful lot of
other citizens" who had the same problem, Mell (33rd) said after the
Police and Fire Committee approved an amendment to the gun registration
ordinance. The change would allow those whose registration lapsed to
renew at a higher fee. Re-registration of the guns would have to occur
within 4 months of passage of the ordinance by the full City Council,
which could come as soon as Wednesday...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-dick-mell-gunsjun05,0,2542506.story
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Oops, Wrong House, Arizona Version: A Phoenix homeowner shot and killed
a home invader who had kicked in the front door of the house and was
attempting to break into the bedroom where he and his family were
sleeping, Phoenix police said. The victim died at the scene near 59th
Avenue and Thomas Road, investigators said. The unidentified 38-year-old
homeowner awoke and found the man was carrying a weapon, police said.
The resident pulled out a rifle and opened fire, killing the intruder,
officers said.
http://www.kpho.com/news/16506447/detail.html
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Oops, Wrong House, Kentucky Version: Two teens who were fatally wounded
Tuesday night were apparently breaking into a house when the owner shot
them, according to Louisville Metro Police. Earl Springer, 19, of the
2600 block of Algonquin Parkway, died of a gunshot to the chest outside
the home at 35th Street and Broadway, said Larry Carroll, a deputy
Jefferson County coroner. Desmond Deshawn Turner, 19, of the 800 block
of Sutcliffe Avenue, died several hours later at University Hospital of
gunshots in his neck and arm, said Jo-Ann Farmer, chief deputy coroner.
The teens were shot shortly after 5 p.m. when they broke into the house,
police said. One of the teens had a weapon. During a fight inside the
house, owner Billy Jackson shot both teens, apparently in self-defense,
said Officer Phil Russell, a department spokesman.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080605/NEWS01/806050530
Survivor Tells His Story:
http://www.whas11.com/news/local/stories/whas11_topstory_080605_robbery.2bbaf11.html
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Oops, Wrong House, California Version: A midmorning burglary at an
Anaheim police officer's home came to an abrupt end in Garden Grove on
Tuesday morning when the burglary suspect was shot in the jaw and chest
by an off-duty police officer who surprised the man in the middle of the
heist. The officer came home about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday to find the door to
his Hazard Avenue condominium open and a longtime member of a local
Vietnamese gang inside. Authorities said the off-duty officer pulled out
his gun and, believing the intruder was armed, began shooting, said
Garden Grove police Lt. David Kivler. After being shot twice, the
suspect ran, leaving a trail of items believed stolen from the officer's
home. A 911 call started a search through the neighborhood for the
wounded man...
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/officer-home-grove-2059126-police-garden
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Farina Charged in LAX Gun Incident: Dennis Farina has been charged with
illegally having a gun in his luggage at Los Angeles International
Airport. The city attorney's office on Wednesday charged the "Law &
Order" actor with three misdemeanor counts involving possession of a
concealed and loaded weapon. The charges carry a combined maximum
sentence of 2 1/2 years in jail and $3,000 in fines. (It would appear
that the case garnered too much attention to be swept under the rug. My
bet is that he gets probation.)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080605/ap_en_tv/people_farina_2
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DOJ Sues Honeywell over Faulty Ballistic Vests: The government is suing
diversified manufacturer Honeywell International Inc. for selling
material used in bulletproof vests that it alleges the company knew was
defective. According to the Justice Department lawsuit filed Thursday,
Honeywell had scientific data that showed the ballistic material, known
as Zylon Shield, "degraded quickly over time, especially in hot and
humid conditions," leaving the vests unfit for use by law enforcement
agencies and military personnel. The department also alleges that
Honeywell failed to notify the government or the vest manufacturer,
Armor Holdings Inc., of the defect...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004459658_aphoneywelllawsuit.html?syndication=rss
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Blackwater Opens San Diego Training Facility: A new counterterrorism
training facility operated by military security contractor Blackwater
Worldwide echoed with the grunts of Navy sailors, a day after a federal
judge ordered the city to let classes begin. The 24 trainees batted and
punched each other Thursday as they learned basic strike tactics in a
corner of the 61,000-square-foot converted warehouse in an industrial
area near the U.S.-Mexico border. For the next three weeks, they'll
practice shooting inside a 25-yard indoor firing range and learn to wear
sidearms safely while wriggling through ship hatches and up narrow
ladders installed in white metal cargo containers stacked along one wall
of the building to simulate a ship. Trainers from Blackwater will quiz
them on distinguishing small boats carrying cargo from those carrying
bombs...
http://www.newsmax.com/us/blackwater_fight/2008/06/06/102181.html
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Arizona Loses Cowboy Shooter: An inspiring obituary.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/242508
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
