The Beat Goes On: Throughout months of campaigning, he wanted people to
know that "Change is Coming." And although Barack Obama hasn't been
sworn in as president just yet, some people are already preparing for
some changes they fear may be backed by the new president that could
limit gun ownership. Recently, Dan Erdmann talked with a local [ND]
firearms retailer to discuss some of their post-election sales trends...
http://www.kxmc.com/News/311882.asp
---
Michigan SCCC Chapter Gets More Press: A new student group at Grand
Rapids Community College has formed to push the debate on the issue of
carrying concealed weapons on college campuses, according to the Grand
Rapids Press. GRCC student Josh Eberly formed the group Students for
Concealed Carry on Campus, as a chapter of a national organization by
the same name. The national organization was formed after the Virginia
Tech shootings. Eberly told the Grand Rapids Press that weapons on
campus will help make the space safer... "I'm a firm believer in Second
Amendment rights in the appropriate setting, and a college campus is not
an appropriate setting," said GRCC Police Chief Cindy Kennel. "I don't
think campus would be safer." ... (I'll bet that Chief Kennel carries a
firearm on campus.)
http://michiganmessenger.com/10645/student-group-urging-concealed-weapons-on-grand-rapids-community-college-campus
---
Texas Man Acquitted in Shooting: ...Wesley Tudor, 27, was found not
guilty and acquitted on all charges of murder for the September 2007
shooting death of Glover at a house party just south of Huntington off
U.S. 69. Glover, 23, was shot point blank between the eyes with a
25-caliber handgun after he allegedly tried to pull Tudor from his
vehicle during a confrontation. Tudor has maintained that he feared for
his life when he fired his gun at Glover and acted in self-defense. As
the verdict was read tears were shed on both sides of the courtroom,
while Tudor embraced his attorney and exchanged smiles with his
family... "My client was dealing with a pack of violent men," Deaton
said. "I find it hard to believe that the state doesn't think a serious
altercation occurred before the gunshot." ... (The operative term here
appears to be "disparity of force," in which an attack by a group
justifies resort to deadly force.)
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/12/23/Murder_Verdict.html?imw=Y
---
Bad Cases Make Bad Law: Gun politics make strange bedfellows - ask the
Fullerton-based California Rifle and Pistol Association. CRPA strictly
monitors all perceived threats to Californians' right to bear arms - and
sometimes finds itself cheering on court case whose litigants it might
otherwise cross the street to avoid. Take CRPA's reaction to the
California State Court of Appeals' ruling last week, in which it upheld
a state law banning individuals from carrying concealed weapons in a
public place - like someone's driveway... (The problem with our legal
system is that one must often defend the rights of criminals in order to
protect the rights of the law-abiding. Rarely does a case like Heller
come along, where the litigant is squeaky clean.)
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/city-news/big-bang-theorists/
---
Police Chief Pleads Not Guilty in Uzi Death: A police chief in western
Massachusetts pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in
the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with an Uzi
at a gun show. Pelham Chief Edward Fleury owns COPS Firearms & Training,
which promoted the October show where Christopher Bizilj (bah-SEEL')
shot himself in the head. Fleury's lawyer, David Kuzmeski, also entered
not guilty pleas on Fleury's behalf to four counts of furnishing a
machine gun to a person under 18. Fleury did not appear at the
arraignment in Hampden Superior Court. Fleury could face up to 20 years
in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter and up to 10 years if
convicted of furnishing the weapon to a minor... (The event is
inaccurately described as a gun show. Traditional gun shows are where
guns are displayed, sold and swapped, not fired.)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hl-VtQImXVuBfNXTpNMvOgFOxj2wD957U5G80
---
Machine Guns Stolen from Dealer: Federal investigators are offering a
$10,000 reward for help in finding thieves who took more than 20
firearms, including machine guns, from a Pittsburgh-area based gun
dealer near King of Prussia in Eastern Pennsylvania last night. The
firearms, with a value of $200,000, were stolen from the gun dealer's
vehicle in the parking lot of a restaurant, according to Upper Merion
Township Police. The dealer, who authorities haven't identified, was
traveling back to Pittsburgh after participating in a gun show at the
Valley Forge Convention Center. The dealer has a federal license to sell
machine guns, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives... (I seem to recall a similar incident in which an FBI van
was targeted a few years ago.)
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08357/936915-100.stm
---
Oh, Those Evil Guns: The crime took place about two hours from
Washington, on the outskirts of Richmond: Two masked burglars smashed
into a sporting-goods store and walked away with 34 semiautomatic
handguns. The two novice criminals, college-educated men who had been
friends since their high school years in Greenbelt, pulled off the heist
in June with plans to sell the guns for quick cash in and around the
District. Federal agents and D.C. police arrested them about a week
after the theft, but not fast enough to keep the guns off the market...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122101994.html
---
Oh, Those Evil Bottom-Feeding Pistols: When it comes to killing,
semi-automatic handguns appear to be the weapon of choice in Chicago.
Semi-automatics topped revolvers as the weapon most often sent to
federal authorities for testing last year, records show. Of 106 guns
linked to homicides in Chicago, 54 were semi-automatic pistols, 44 were
revolvers and eight were rifles, according to the U.S. Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives... (Author Massad Ayoob has
pointed out that Americans tend to emulate the police in their choice of
firearms. This appears to apply to gangbangers as well.)
http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1342827,CST-NWS-shootguns22.article
---
David Spade Donates Funds for Police Rifles: An unexpected donation from
actor David Spade is expected to provide Phoenix police with enough
money to buy an additional 50 semi-automatic rifles for patrol officers
in 2009. The $100,000 gift announced Monday means as many as 300
officers could soon be armed with Bushmaster AR-15s, even in light of
recent debates between police and union officials about the availability
of the high-powered weapons during the city's ongoing budget strife...
Spade, a Scottsdale Saguaro High School graduate, provided the money to
a non-profit police foundation after seeing a jarring television news
report about gun violence. Police leaders said Spade told them he was
inspired to help keep the community safe...
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2008/12/23/20081223rifles1223.html
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/105789.php
http://www.newsmax.com/entertainment/people_david_spade/2008/12/22/164534.html
---
Gunfight Video: This video appears to have been released following the
conviction and death sentence of the motorist, in the death of Texas
game warden Justin Hurst. The video ends when the camera is struck by a
round from the defendant's AK-47 clone. Note the clue of his intent to
fight from the way he angles his vehicle. While his use of cover is not
the best, it suggests why people like John Farnam are interested in
ammunition that will penetrate auto bodies. Modern pickup beds, unless
loaded, offer relatively light resistance.
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/wharton_county/story/352636-a352663-t32.html
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
