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A grandmother fought off hammer-wielding thieves with a broom as they attempted to rob the shop where she works. Ann Withers, 55, chased off the three teenage robbers with the 4ft plastic broom after they started to attack her boss, Guljinder Hayer. They fled the convenience store in Worle, north Somerset, empty-handed. The incident was caught on CCTV cameras. "They turned pale and ran away as soon as I started hitting them with the broom," she said. "They weren't going to get anything out of this shop. It was horrific the way they were hitting Guljinder round the head with...

A horrific news story has slowly made its way into the headlines here in the Twin Cities. A local resident, his wife and three daughters spent the evening of the Fourth of July at Valleyfair, a local amusement park. They were leaving the park at midnight when a criminal began to molest his twelve-year-old daughter. The father intervened to defend his daughter, and the offender put out a call for his "homies." Eight "men" materialized and began to beat up the father. They knocked him to the ground and took turns stomping on his head. The man's wife and daughters...

Report: Father charged for defending 4-year-old from molestation By Michelle Malkin • July 16, 2008 10:36 AM Your Wednesday morning blood-boiler comes from Raynham, MA. Over the weekend, the Raynham Enterprise News reported that a father had blown the whistle on an elderly, non-English-speaking grocery worker who allegedly reached under a bathroom stall and groped his 4-year-old son’s leg. The suspected molester has been charged with indecent assault and battery on a child. The police are also filing assault charges against the father. Really:

  Jack Straw ... law will back heroes            New law to back 'have-a-go-heroes'     By CLODAGH HARTLEY Home Affairs Correspondent Published: 12 Jul 2008     NEW legislation will protect “have-a-go heroes” who intervene in crimes or use force to defend themselves, Justice Secretary Jack Straw vowed last night. From Monday a person’s actions will be judged on the situation “as they saw it at the time” — even if in hindsight the force could be classed as unreasonable, according to insiders. Mr Straw told The Sun: “We’re not going to have a...

NEWPORT NEWS - An armed-robbery suspect was shot by his potential victim Tuesday, the second time in a week where the tables were quickly turned, police said. Just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, a 16-year-old was shot in his upper right leg as he attempted to rob a man at gunpoint in the backyard of a 25th Street home, police spokesman Harold Eley said. The teenager, whose name wasn't released by police because he's a juvenile, survived his injury and was released from a local hospital into police custody. Maurice Edward Simpson, a 19-year-old from Newport News, wasn't so fortunate. Police...

Violent crime has doubled since Labour came to power a decade ago. Stabbings and assault in Britain are now common, if not daily occurrences; at night city centers are generally regarded as no-go areas; “feral” youths and gangs loitering the streets – often drunk on cheap alcohol – make many people too afraid to go for a walk on a summer evening. Every week yields up plenty of reasons why people have good reason to be scared in modern Britain. On Saturday evening 60-year old Stan Dixon, a former soldier, was attacked by youths, for asking them not to swear...

Boris Johnson urged people to walk away if they see a crime committed rather than risk their own lives. The London mayor admitted he would tell his own children to "look after themselves" rather than play Good Samaritan to a victim. "Everybody is shocked by the level of violence we are seeing, particularly towards young people, and we must all work as hard as we can to reverse this dreadful trend."

Jay and I have been bantering the 'Joe Horn' case, discussing various aspects of it and what it means to the greater society. Along the way, Jay mentioned the concept of 'duty to retreat'. The concept is based on the idea that when faced with an aggressor, a person has a moral duty to avoid confrontation, to give up ground and back away. That when a criminal gets it in his head that he wants to take something, we should just let him do so. That if he hurts someone, we should not try to prevent it. That the most...

An employee of a Virginia Beach pizza restaurant shot and killed a masked robber who had come in the back of the shop to rob it Saturday night, police said.

VIRGINIA BEACHAn employee of a Virginia Beach pizza restaurant shot and killed a masked robber who had come in the back of the shop to rob it Saturday night, police said.The shooting happened about 10:08 p.m. at Dominick's Pizza & Pasta, in the Timberlake Shopping Center in the 4200 block of Holland Road.Employees had opened the back door to let a breeze come in, and the robber came in the door to the kitchen and pointed a gun at them, said Sgt. Rene Ball of Virginia Beach police.An employee then shot and killed the robber, she said. No one else...

While Seattle worries about concealed weapons, a new fad in the West is to pack and carry you pistol for all to see...

In the small town of Winnemucca Nevada a man bent on performing a mass shooting at a bar was stopped by an armed CCW permit holder who happened to be in the right place at the right time. The alleged mass murderer had already killed two victims & had injured two others with gunshot wounds, but while he was reloading he was shot & killed by an armed CCW permit holder who was also at the bar.

First in a series. Has America become a nation of appeasers? For at least a generation now, gun control advocates, many police officials and some academicians have advised citizens to "give the criminal what he wants and you won't get hurt." This viewpoint began permeating society as a way of reducing violence during crimes. Here is the link: http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=19721853&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8

Police are asking bus riders to be on alert after two men were recently robbed at gunpoint. Both incidents happened at bus stops on Chicago Avenue South; one on 40th Street and the other on 41st Street. That's when two victims came face to face with the barrel of a gun. Robbery victim Brad Hagberg is a bus stop regular. One morning last week he was waiting at the bus stop when he was confronted by a young man. "And I turned and as another guy was raising a shotgun, and he said 'You know what to do. Give me...

East Brainerd resident Monica Dobbs hikes 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail every winter with friends and craves the quiet days without cell phones, television and work. Hikers who want to leave their daily lives behind sleep next to strangers in shelters, and many trade their real names for trail names. They sometimes can walk two or three days to find a town or a phone. While leaving society behind is refreshing, being alone in the woods also can be terrifying. “It’s an invitation for a disaster,” said Ms. Dobbs, a 28-year-old hairdresser, who plans to take a 9 mm...

More and more Oklahomans are carrying concealed weapons these days. In fact, there are so many new requests the state Bureau of Investigation can barely keep up. Last year, there was a 45-percent increase in new licenses -- the largest jump since the concealed carry law went into effect. It is legal in the State of Oklahoma to carry a handgun in your purse on your belt if you have a license. It's been that way for more than a decade. Some laws have made it easier. The governor signed legislation expanding gun rights in 2006. Some of the fees...

-snip On Thursday, April 17, a drive-thru carryout owner and Concealed Handgun License (CHL)-holder was investigating why his security alarm went off after just having closed up for the night when he was surprised by an intruder who had been hiding in his store. The entire confrontation that followed was caught on tape. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IeVxeg4mgI As can be seen in the security video the intruder surprised the store owner, who was forced to draw his gun when the intruder advanced toward him. He ordered the intruder onto his knees, and held him at gunpoint while attempting to dial 911. At that...

March 26 2007 Waitakere SDA School, Henderson, Waitakere City As you may know, the Guardian Angels in New Zealand teach a group of kids basic Self-Defense: just the basic stuff, like how to get away from Bad Guys, how to stop someone from bullying you -- that sort of thing. No Bruce Lee stuff. It is a class that is normally led by BatBob, my 2IC: he is an expert, both at Martial Arts and teaching kids. It is a very popular program. Today BatBob needed a substitute to teach our Youth Program: unfortunately his father is experiencing failing health...

With Oakland citizens fearful and angry about crime, and some even fighting back against robbers and intruders, a top Oakland police official told city leaders Tuesday night that police alone can't solve the violence. "Right now, it's pretty clear we are in a time of increased crime," said Oakland police Deputy Chief Dave Kozicki, adding that crime nationwide is up due to the faltering economy. "But the bottom line is we believe we cannot arrest our way out of these problems." Oakland's crime problems are deeply rooted in economics and family values, and Kozicki called on the city's schools, families,...

OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) -- Oakland police are worried that more and more people will take the law into their own hands, after two store owners shot two robbers in recent days. People have a right to protect themselves, but things can get out of hand quickly if everyone starts packing a weapon, said Deputy Police Chief Dave Kozicki. "That's a concern that law enforcement has all the time, that people will engage in vigilantism," said Kozicki. A 22-year-old Oakland man was shot at least three times and critically wounded when he tried to hold up a liquor store Saturday night....

A powerful rechargeable stun gun with safety cord now in the size and shape of an ordinary lipstick. It does not get any better than this. Womens self defense in the 21st century....

In recent weeks the IDF has been collecting hundreds of military-issued weapons in the Binyamin region in the West Bank, including weapons that were in the possession of IDF officers. According to reports Tuesday, the only people who were given leave to keep their weapons were rapid response teams and those charged with maintaining security in the settlements. "This is a severe blow to the security of those driving on roads in the territories, especially following the removal of roadblocks and the delivery of weapons to the Palestinian Authority," a reserve officer who lives in the West Bank told Israel...

Deadly Home Invasion Columbus police say an East Side resident shot and killed a 19-year-old man who had broken into his apartment. By Christy Chatman - Thursday, April 3, 2008 Detectives say it appears the East Side resident who shot and killed a 19-year-old man early Thursday morning was acting in self-defense. A Franklin County Grand Jury will review the evidence. Police say Jermaine A. McCrary broke into the apartment at 2936 E. Fifth Ave. just before 2 a.m. and assaulted a man and woman. McCrary was armed and during the struggle he was shot by one of the residents,...

Md. Boy, 12, Kills Man Attacking MotherOfficials Undecided On Filing Charges By Avis Thomas-Lester and Hamil R. HarrisWashington Post Staff WritersWednesday, April 2, 2008; A01 The 12-year-old boy had finished his homework and was playing a video game when he heard his mother cry out. Rushing to her aid, he found her on the kitchen floor, straddled by a fellow resident of their Prince George's County boarding house, the man's hands wrapped tightly around her neck, the boy said yesterday."I kept saying, 'Stop! Stop! Stop!' " the boy said, describing the events of Monday night. "But he just ignored me....

SANTA ROSA - A teenager learned it is not a good idea to try to rob a former U.S. Marine at knifepoint, no matter how old he is. Santa Rosa police Sgt. Steve Bair said an 84-year-old man was walking on Fourth Street with a grocery bag in each arm when the boy approached him with a large knife at about 2 p.m. Wednesday. "Old man, give me your wallet or I'll cut you," the boy said. The man said he was a former Marine who fought in three wars and had been threatened with knives and bayonets before. The...

GRAND RAPIDS -- Before he could hit a man with a 4-pound hard plastic garbage can lid during an argument outside a Boston Square gas station last month, Gabriel Rodriguez was shot and killed, a homicide Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth ruled today was justifiable. Forsyth said he will not file charges against Glenn Tett for the Feb. 18 shooting that left Rodriguez dead, citing an imminent threat and videotape evidence that shows Rodriguez, 48, as the aggressor in the altercation. Tett, the 41-year-old brother of a Grand Rapids police officer, shot Rodriguez once in the head with a legally...

I'm in an argument with liberal co-workers on the merits of gun ownership. They are claiming that there are few (if any) examples of where civilians (not police officers or security guards) came to the public’s defense. We are talking about malls, universities, restaurants, etc., not private residence. I'm sure there was an incident at restaurant a few years ago, but can't find a link.

Yesterday, unbeknownst to itself, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a gay-rights case. To most people, admittedly, District of Columbia v. Heller is a gun-rights case. In fact, it's the most important gun-rights case in decades, one that may cast a shadow for decades to come. But to gay Americans, and other minorities often targeted with violence, Heller is about civil rights, not shooting clubs. Nine years ago, one of the first columns I wrote for National Journal told the story of Tom G. Palmer. One night some years ago in San Jose, he found himself confronting a gang of...

81-Year-Old Man Shoots, Kills Intruder Inside His Home DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5) -- An elderly man shot and killed an intruder late Tuesday night. DeKalb County Police said the suspect broke into the man’s house and a fight broke out between the two men. Around 11:00 p.m., a man in his mid-twenties entered Robert Jenkins’ house on Zemory Lane. Police said the 81-year-old homeowner grabbed his gun and confronted the suspect. The two men struggled, and Jenkins fired his gun at the intruder, killing him. Jenkins suffered a gunshot wound to his hand and was taken to Grady Memorial...

KSL News) Police are commending a man who shot another man who broke into his apartment. It happened near 3800 South 700 West. Police say the man was jolted out of bed when he heard his door being broken down by Daniel Larson. What Larson didn't know was that the man carried a concealed weapons permit and had a gun. Gary Keller, with the South Salt Lake Police Department, said, "This is really a story of survival. He retrieved his loaded handgun and met the criminal, or the suspect, in the hallway. He fired one shot center mass and the...

Preparing to hear oral arguments Tuesday on the extent of gun rights guaranteed by the Constitution's Second Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court has before it a brief signed by Vice President Cheney opposing the Bush administration's stance. Even more remarkably, Cheney is faithfully reflecting the views of President George W. Bush. The government position filed with the Supreme Court by U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement stunned gun advocates by opposing the breadth of an appellate court affirmation of individual ownership rights. The Justice Department, not the vice president, is out of order. But if Bush agrees with Cheney, why did...

CHEYENNE -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Friday signed into law a bill that prohibits government officials from confiscating guns from law-abiding citizens. Sponsor Allen Jaggi, R-Lyman, has said House Bill 57 was prompted by the confiscation of guns by police in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Freudenthal said afterward that he was pleased to sign the bill, although he didn't think it addressed any real problem. But Freudenthal, an avid hunter who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association in his re-election campaign in 2006, said he can understand why supporters want the bill enacted here. "It's not understandable on...

State Bill Would Allow Guns on Campus By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD, The New York Times PHOENIX (March 5) - Horrified by recent campus shootings, a state lawmaker here has come up with a proposal in keeping with the Taurus .22-caliber pistol tucked in her purse: Get more guns on campus. The lawmaker, State Senator Karen S. Johnson, has sponsored a bill, which the Senate Judiciary Committee approved last week, that would allow people with a concealed weapons permit — limited to those 21 and older here — to carry their firearms at public colleges and universities. Concealed weapons are generally...

How do you feel about allowing loaded guns in our national parks? Do you feel the need to pack heat while wandering the wildflower meadows of Paradise on Mount Rainier? Are you determined to protect yourself against overly aggressive squirrels at Hurricane Ridge? As you may have heard, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has agreed to modify existing rules that prohibit people from carrying loaded weapons in the national parks. The new rules will be ready for public comment by the end of April [289K PDF]. The push comes from the U.S. Senate. Fifty senators added their signatures to...

http://www.fdrs.org/quotes_of_gun_control.html "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing." - Adolf Hitler . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Weapons_Law German Weapons Law On November 11, 1938, the Minister of the Interior, Wilhelm Frick, passed Regulations Against Jews' Possession of Weapons. This regulation effectively deprived all Jews of the right to possess firearms or other weapons. Source: http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/article-nazilaw.pdf

Second Amendment Sisters File Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Case 'Washington, D.C. v. Heller'Second Amendment Sisters, through Southeastern Legal Foundation, Inc. (http://www.southeasternlegal.org), has filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court hearing of Washington, D.C. v. Heller. "Advocating on behalf of women, the elderly and the physically disabled, the amici herein argue the actions of the District of Columbia have harmed the members of society most physically vulnerable to criminal attack." "When the government strips the individual right from these groups' members, evidence shows that they, more than others, are vulnerable to predators because they are perceived to be weak."...

Question 1: Why are murderers always counted in the victims tally? The day after the mass murder of students at Northern Illinois University (NIU), the headline in the closest major newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, was: "6 Dead in NIU Shooting." "6 dead" included the murderer. Why wasn't the headline "5 killed at NIU"? It is nothing less than moronic that the media routinely lump murderers and their victims in the same tally. This is something entirely new. Until the morally confused took over the universities and the news media, murderers were never counted along with their victims. To give a...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7pGt_O1uM8

Here's a recent column of mine addressing the need for the Castle Doctrine in New York State: From the 07 January 2008 Lockport Union Sun and Journal (Lockport, NY) PROTECTING YOUR CASTLE WITH FORCE By Bob Confer A common urban legend says that if you shoot an intruder in your home you had better put a knife in his hand to reinforce your claim of self-defense. Mythical sensationalism it may be, but like most legends it has some basis in fact and to some extent many believe it to be sound advice. It does seem to have merit when one...

Pittsfield Township police arrested three people accused of attacking a man in traffic after he earlier tried to intervene in a dispute. The victim was outside Falsetta's Market at 2200 Pittsfield Blvd. at about 4 p.m. Wednesday when he saw a man loudly arguing with a woman and trying to push her into a van, said Detective Lt. Steve Heller. The victim said he asked if everything was OK and told the woman she didn't have to get into the vehicle. He said the man told him to mind his own business, and they left in the van. The victim...

After Thursday's mass shooting, should Illinois change its gun laws? My answer is yes. In Illinois, it is illegal for law abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun for self defense. Source: http://www.handgunlaw.us/ In Texas, a guy walked into a restaurant, and shot and killed 23 people. One of the people who survived, survived because she pretended to be dead. She was a trained shooter and took her legal gun everywhere. She saw the shooter and she could have stopped him. But Texas law prohibted her from taking her gun into the restaurant, so she had left it in her...

DEKALB, Ill. (CBS) ― Bloody students fleeing in terror. Bodies carried out on stretchers. Candlelight vigils and makeshift shrines. Another campus, another deadly attack with a sickening senselessness that now borders on routine. Despite a national push to secure schools after the Virginia Tech shootings, the rampage at Northern Illinois University this week proves a gut-wrenching reality: Unless colleges are willing to turn themselves into armed camps, they're helpless against these kinds of attacks. As word of the shootings rippled throughout the country, students and authorities alike reacted with frustration and - tellingly - resignation. "I don't think there's anything...

In light of the continuous school shootings, I think everyone needs to contact their state representatives to encourage the right to carry concealed, as well as carrying concealed on school campus. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGSFrom the book, On Combat By Lt. Col (ret) Dave Grossman, US Army Ranger, Former West Point Psychology Professor Reprinted with permissionHonor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social...

The Edbloms had spent most of the last year watching some rough-looking people come in and out of the house just across the way. They knew it was a drug house -- Columbus police acknowledged as much. And early yesterday morning, Matthew Edblom decided he had had enough. He woke his wife, Angelina, and said something needed to be done. She went back to sleep, and heard him go out the door of their South Side home. Then 20 minutes later, she heard the sirens. "I just knew something bad had happened," she said. Columbus police said this is what...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In the four hours it took Alaska State Troopers to arrive at the Eskimo village of Nunam Iqua, a man choked and raped his 13-year-old stepdaughter in front of three younger children. He had already beaten his wife with a shotgun and pistol-whipped a friend after an evening drinking home brew. Across the remote, frozen reaches of Alaska, scores of native villages have no full-fledged police officers at all. And help in an emergency can be a long way off. "We're just trying to hang in there," said Edward Adams, mayor of Nunam Iqua. Alaska's villages are...

In 1989, John Shuler of rural Dupuyer, Montana, heard grizzly bears outside his house; fearing they would kill his sheep, he grabbed his rifle and ran into the night. The good news is he survived his encounter with four grizzly bears, as did his sheep. The bad news is his lawyers spent eight years and a quarter of a million dollars to get him acquitted of charges that he violated the Endangered Species Act by killing one of those bears. Early on in that legal battle, the federal government ruled that, although Shuler justifiably feared “death or serious bodily injury”—the...

Gun owners entering churches, restaurants or public parks could take their guns with them, under a bill passed by the Georgia House on Thursday. They also could leave them in their glove compartments at work. On a 111-58 vote, the House voted to expand greatly the rights of permitted gun owners to carry their concealed weapons into places prohibited now under Georgia law. "Georgia is the most restrictive state for law-abiding citizens, with Georgia firearms-license permits, in the nation," said state Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica), the bill's author. "I think we've got work to do in this state, when...

A couple burglars got more than they bargained for when they broke into a Minneapolis home last week. One of the young men living in the duplex was armed and ready. Kristopher Williams put his skills as a baseball and softball player to good use. His hits made burglars in his home -- run. Kristopher Williams and his dog were asleep in his room in the wee hours of the morning when he "heard a commotion in the kitchen" and then led to his bedroom. "I heard knives jamming in my door I just kind of thought real quick what...

BREVARD, Jan. 19, 2008 - Retired Army Green Beret James T. (Smokey) Taylor got his court martial this weekend and came away feeling pretty good about it. Taylor, at age 79, is one of the oldest members of Chapter XXXIII (The Larry Thorne Chapter) of the Special Forces Association.He was placed on trial by fellow Chapter XXXIII members under the charge of “failing to use a weapon of sufficient caliber” in the shooting of an intruder at his home in Knoxville , TN , in November. The court martial, of course, was very much tongue in cheek. The event itself...

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- A female homeowner who shot a male intruder in her back yard in October 2006 spoke to KNBC's Laurel Erickson on Wednesday, one day after a jury found the man guilty of all charges. Nadine Teter shot Michael Lugo twice in the stomach and once in the leg after he broke into her Canyon Country home. Lugo broke the lock on Teter's door and barged in. She fled to the back yard with her gun, according to police. "He was coming at me. He was yelling. I shot him to stop him," Teter said. "He went...