Free Republic

During the last media push for laws to disarm the population, NRA executive VP Wayne LaPierre said that a good guy with a gun is what is needed to stop a bad guy with a gun.   A recent shooting outside the Harry Stone Montessori school in Dallas is a perfect illustration of his point.  In this case, an armed citizen was present.   He happened to be an off duty police officer.   The "Gun Free School Zone" law would have worked perfectly to assure the attacker of an unarmed victim if the legally armed citizen had not been...

The Latin means "He who transplants, sustains" In a controversial move, the leadership of the Connecticut Bar Association lobbied to pass the highly restrictive gun law pushed by Governor Malloy.   The move sparked opposition within the body.   From the courant.com, a paper that also pushed hard for the controversial gun laws: "Why is our bar association taking a position on a matter that has nothing to do with the practice of law?" Hartford lawyer and former Democratic state Chairman John Droney asked in an email typical of hundreds of others inspired by a debate that has continued now for...

A jewelry store in Little Saigon, Orange County California, has become a magnet  for robbers.   In 2012, there was an attempted robbery in which one of the robbers was shot.  In 2013, several shots were fired at a thief who fought with the store owner, and escaped with a $9,000 watch.   Yesterday, 21 August, 2014, another robbery attempt ended in gunfire as a store employee drove off two robbers who had smashed a display case.  From ocregister.com: Two men wearing ski-type masks and hooded sweatshirts entered the store, used a hammer to break glass on a display case and...

Suspect Jaime Lewis When you are an elderly woman, you are likely to have more leeway in how you interact with criminals.  It is partly a matter of being more vulnerable; and partly a matter of the statistics reinforcing the stereotype that women are less aggressive than men.  In Georgia, a 73-Year-Old woman shot an intruder through her bedroom door, after he had broken into the house.  The woman heard the doorbell ring a little before 10 pm, but did not answer.  She saw a truck parked in the middle of an intersection, and called 911.   From ajc.com:...

Jeffrey C. Barton The man who fired a shotgun in the air to scare off car burglars, following Vice President Joe Biden's advice, has had the charge involved with the shooting dropped, according to the Columbian: A person, even in a no-shooting zone, still has the right to defend their person or their property,” Golik said. “In this case, based on the facts, there is a reasonable argument that Mr. Barton may have been defending his person and property when he fired in the air. Jeffrey C. Barton has an NRA supplied attorney, and says that a threat of...

In a previous article I wrote about the improper signage at the Meteor Crater rest stop in Arizona.   At the first stop, I failed to obtain a picture. The rest stop is a member of a pair of rest stops as is often seen; one on each side of the freeway.   On the return trip, I stopped at the sister rest area to see if it had the bad signage as well.   It did.  The sign appeared to be identical with the sign that I recalled on the South side of I-40. Note the location of the prohibition on...

A gunfight erupted in Detroit as a neighbor interrupted the theft of the catalytic converter from a minivan.   The neighbor came out with a long gun, which appeared to be a Mossberg single shot bolt action shotgun, based on the shape of the trigger guard and bolt.  The underside of the long gun showed the lack of a magazine.     From clickondetroit.com: A man spotted two crooks stealing the catalytic converter from his neighbor's Chevrolet Venture. He came out armed with a gun, hoping to scare them away. Police say the men took off toward their car, fired shots...

A career criminal has an out of wedlock child with a woman.  He shows up for the child's first birthday, only to find another man present, who also has a criminal record, but no felonies.   The first criminal, enraged to find another man with the mother of his child, threatens to kidnap the one year old.   The man without felonies fires a warning shot from a .38 to stop the threat.   The  career criminal goes to his car, pulls out a handgun, and points it at the man with the .38, who promptly shoots him in the chest, killing...

In a previous article, I mentioned that I was doing a favor by moving a lady and her possessions across the country.   The trip became a bit more memorable near the end.   In the last hundred miles before the drop off point, I was informed that a prominent outlaw motorcycle gang  had found out that she had been in Arizona, and now knew that she was moving back to the Midwest.   I was told that she had been instrumental in putting one of the officers of the group in prison for a few years.   I was assured that...

The  intruder broke in the back door, which had a deadbolt lock.  He then chased the wife, and started fighting with the husband, who was still in bed when he heard the wife's cries for help.   The intruder, Marquise Trevel  Yates, had a gun, but initially used it as a bludgeon.  It is unclear exactly how many guns were involved, or who fired how often.  From news4jax.com: According to the police report, Coker retrieved his personal firearm and exchanged gunfire with Yates. Coker's wife, Pam, also fired her personal handgun at Yates, who died at the scene. Later, this...

A man and his wife see a neighbor drive up to her house.   The neighbor is in her 60's.   As they watch, a strange man approaches her, speaks to her, then grabs her, drags her from the SUV, throws her to the ground, and jumps in the vehicle.  The wife opens the passenger side door, but is struck by the vehicle and knocked down.   The husband fires several shots from a handgun.   A short while later, the vehicle crashes.   From azfamily.com: The responding officers discovered it was the stolen vehicle and that the driver was the...

Innovative Optique is a high end eyewear store in a suburb north of Milwaukee.   From the reviews, it appears to cater to those who can afford high quality, customized glasses.    Last year, a thief stole a pair of $2,000 sunglasses.   Last Friday, an employee shot and killed a 22 year old during the  course of an attempted armed robbery.   From channel3000.com: Police said the gunfire occurred during an attempted robbery. They said 22-year-old Joshua Drake of Milwaukee tried to rob the store about noon, and an armed employee shot and killed him. The employee wasn't hurt. Wisconsin has an...

I was on a mission of mercy.   A close friend needed a lady and her goods to be transported cross country.   I found myself hauling a good sized trailer on I-40, looking for a gas station with easy in and out.  I stopped at Meteor Crater rest stop to give everyone a break. As I came out of the facility, I asked a gentleman who was uniformed as staff, where the next truck stop was, because I was hauling a good sized trailer.  He graciously told me that there was one at exit 255, about 20 miles further east....

Most criminals do not expect to confront armed victims.   The reason is simple: they do not want to get shot, so they avoid people they know to be armed.  In this case, the would be robber was surprised by an occupant of the apartment that had his own pistol.   It became a standoff, with neither party willing to open fire. The robber wisely retreated before someone decided that gunfire was desirable, tripped on the way out, and dropped his pistol and wallet before running off. At least, that is  the story in al.com: The robber started backing out of...

Hummers are very capable vehicles, but like all machines, they are not more capable than  the people operating them.  In Fort Worth, Florida, a man spent all day drinking and getting a tattoo done.  When he decided to leave, he started driving erratically over the lawn and neighbors driveway.   When the lawn's owner started screaming, the neighbor grabbed a firearm of unidentified make and caliber/gauge. The neighbor fired one shot that deflated the front passenger tire; Gonzolez-Lopez backed up, then started toward them.   The neighbor then shot out the passenger side rear tire.   The Hummer driver retreated and drove...

Open carriers with rifles; neither hunters nor protesters, but private purchasers at a "buy back" event Most law enforcement officers do not interact with people openly carrying riles and shotguns, or long guns, as they are collectively called.  That has been changing in recent years as more and more members of the gun culture have exercised their first and second amendment rights by openly carrying long guns.  The movement has taken off in Texas, where the open carry of modern pistols is banned in public places.   Texas is one of only six states that bans the open carry of...

Robert Lintner, 64 was seen holding his wife outside his home and calling for neighbors to call police.  He had been stabbed in the neck by his wife in a domestic dispute.   His wife is 65.   She was arrested, and he was treated and released.  Then it gets interesting.   Remember, this is New Jersey, where the government says that you have no rights to weapons, only what the state allows you.  From nj.com: Following standard protocol, officers responding to the domestic incident tried to secure any weapons in the house, the chief said. When Lintner would not...

Justin Wayne Higgins The situation started as a "domestic" call.  The man shot, Justin Wayne Higgins, was only 23 and had a long criminal history.   From tulsaworld.com: Court records indicate Higgins has prior convictions in Muskogee County for methamphetamine possession, first and second-degree burglary, larceny of an automobile and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Higgins had a bench warrant against him for failure to comply with the suspended sentence he received for the drug conviction, records show.  Investigators believe that Higgins had fled the initial call on foot, then carjacked a vehicle to return to the scene...

There will be a gun turn in event in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on Saturday, 23 August,  2014.  While these events are commonly labeled with the propaganda term "buyback" the guns were never owned by the people attempting to buy them. The event will be held at Berrien County Health Department Environmental Health building, 2106 S. M-139, Benton Harbor; and the Niles Berrien County Health Department office at 1205 N. Front St.  The event is scheduled to run from 10 am to noon. People often turn up early at these events. The incentive for the gun turn in is a...

Kayla Walker's Residence In Georgia, a teenage mother fought back against two home invaders. She managed to fight her way to a shotgun, and that persuaded them to retreat. Her attempt to fire was met with a very loud "click" as the firing pin connected with an empty chamber. From wnem.com: "But by the time I got in here, they was coming in and I was pushing them back out as hard as I could," she said. Walker said she immediately pushed the man out of the house, but another man behind him pushed them both back inside, knocking...