Law & Order – Page 7

But I heard that “Good Guys with Guns™” don’t exist!

Armed Good Samaritans Provided Cover Fire, Rescue Wounded Deputies

Peaceful Valley, WA – The sheriff released more details about what led up to the shooting of two Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies on Thursday and thanked the armed good Samaritans who came to the wounded heroes’ aid and kept them safe until backup arrived.

The Bellingham Police Department (BPD) said the incident began at about 3 p.m. on Feb. 10 when a homeowner started burning a trash pile outside their home and the smoke bothered a neighbor, 60-year-old Joel B. Young, KGMI reported.

Police said Young became enraged and went outside and yelled at the neighbor burning trash, claiming that smoked had blown through the windows into his home, the Bellingham Herald reported.

The neighbor responded with an expletive, according to police. Young had been drinking and he became enraged, KGMI reported. So he grabbed his shotgun and went outside and fired birdshot into the air near the neighbor who was burning trash, according to police. Then he went back inside his home and had another beer.

A neighbor called 911 and reported that Young was outside firing his 12-guage shotgun into the air, the Bellingham Herald reported. Two Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies responded to the address near Peaceful Valley and State Route 247 in the Maple Falls area, KGMI reported.

Deputies arrived on the scene at about 4:30 p.m. and when Young heard them announce themselves, he went outside yelling and waving a gun, the Bellingham Herald reported. “Sheriff’s Office — drop the gun!” the deputies ordered Young. Young ignored the deputies’ commands and opened fire on them instead, the Bellingham Herald reported.

One deputy was shot in the head and fell to the ground. The second deputy put himself between Young and the wounded deputy and returned fire, the Bellingham Herald reported. Young opened fire on the second deputy and shot him, too. Then he retreated to a position of cover nearby.

Police said that was when good Samaritans armed with their own weapons stepped forward and fired multiple shots in the direction of Young to provide cover for and protect the wounded deputies, the Bellingham Herald reported. The good Samaritans told KING that they were military veterans and they weren’t going to sit still and watch law enforcement officers be murdered so they took their children inside their homes and came back out with their own guns.

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No-knock warrants and the Second Amendment

The police shooting death of 22-year old Amir Locke, a legal gun owner and concealed carry holder killed during the execution of a no-knock warrant in Minneapolis last week, has prompted protests and a renewed debate about the use of no-knock warrants.

One of those critical of the practice; Bryan Strawser, chairman of the MN Gun Owners Caucus, who joins today’s Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co to talk about the Locke case and the dangers presented by no-knock warrants to both legal gun owners and law enforcement.

The 2A group was quick to criticize the incident on social media after the story broke last Friday, and Strawser says he and other members got plenty of flack from folks accusing them of “go[ing] full BLM and Antifa” for the organization’s initial statement, which read as follows:

While many facts remain unknown at this time, information indicates that Amir Locke was a law-abiding citizen who was lawfully in possession of a firearm when he was shot and killed by Minneapolis Police on the morning of February 2nd.

“As seen in the body-worn camera video released by Minneapolis Police, Mr. Locke appears to be sleeping on the couch during the execution of a no-knock warrant, “ stated Bryan Strawser, Chair, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus.

“He is awoken with a confusing array of commands coming from multiple officers who are pointing lights and firearms at him.”

“Mr. Locke did what many of us might do in the same confusing circumstances, he reached for a legal means of self-defense while he sought to understand what was happening, “ added Rob Doar, Senior VP, Governmental Affairs.

Mr. Locke was not a suspect in the crime for which the warrant was issued and was not named at all in the search warrant.

“The tragic circumstances of Mr. Locke’s death were completely avoidable, “ stated Doar. “It’s yet another example where a no-knock warrant has resulted in the death of an innocent person.

In this case, as in others, the public should expect and receive full transparency and accountability from law enforcement agencies that serve and protect our local communities.”

“Amir Locke, a lawful gun owner, should still be alive, “ added Strawser. “Black men, like all citizens, have a right to keep and bear arms. Black men, like all citizens, have the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable search and seizure.”

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus expects a transparent and independent investigation into the circumstances of this tragic incident.

Interestingly, Strawser says that as far as he can tell, not one of the criticisms or pieces of hate mail that the group’s received since last Friday has come from a current or former member or anyone who’s ever contributed money to the organization’s 2A efforts. That suggests to me that concern over no-knock warrants isn’t limited to “woke” gun owners or those on the left, but is something that many conservative gun owners may be uneasy with as well.

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“Safe streets worker” (replacing police) gunned down in Baltimore.

During the course of the madness that promoted “defunding” or abolishing the police, there was an emphasis placed on replacing police in some circumstances with “community safety” workers who would supposedly act as unarmed “violence interrupters” and reduce the number of lethal use of force incidents by police officers. In Baltimore, Maryland’s violent gang territories, an existing organization known as the “Safe Streets Program” gained a lot of attention and municipal support in this effort. The goal of the program is to deploy former gang members (or “former”) into areas controlled by the gangs to negotiate nonviolent resolutions to conflicts. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen with other proposed “violence interruption” programs in major cities, sending someone with a clipboard out to resolve a beef between gang members isn’t always effective. That was sadly this case this week when one of Baltimore’s Safe Streets workers was shot to death along with several other people on the East side of Charm City. (Baltimore Sun)

A quadruple shooting in East Baltimore on Wednesday night left three people dead, including a Safe Streets worker, and one person injured, police said. Three others were injured in separate shootings in West and South Baltimore.

At about 7:25 p.m., Eastern District patrol officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the 2400 block of E. Monument St. Once there, officers located four men suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

A 28-year-old man was pronounced dead on the scene. Medics transported three other victims to area hospitals, where a 24-year-old man and another man were also pronounced dead.

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It appears that West -By God- Virginia has a Second Amendment Protection Act law not unlike Missouri and a few other states.

AG offers guidance on handling gun law conflicts

CHARLESTON — A state law passed early in 2021 regarding federal gun laws now has related policy guidelines.

House Bill 2694 stipulates that state gun laws will trump federal gun laws and no West Virginia law enforcement agency on any level “shall participate in enforcement efforts focused on federal gun control measures when those laws conflict with state laws regarding firearms.”

“The right to keep and bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution,” Attorney General Morrisey said Thursday when announcing the guidelines. “Yet, there is a deep concern on the part of many Americans that the federal government will try to encroach on our Constitutional rights through presidential executive orders or through acts of Congress. The publication of this guidance will help our state’s law enforcement understand what they can and cannot do in this respect under West Virginia statute.”

Morrisey said enforcement of federal firearms laws is a federal responsibility, not the responsibility of West Virginia law enforcement agencies when federal gun laws are in conflict with state Code.

For example, he said, a West Virginia state or local law enforcement agency, department or officer “may not assist federal authorities in executing an arrest warrant just for violation of federal gun laws when the person to be arrested may lawfully possess such firearms, firearms accessories or ammunition under state law.”

The new law also provides that no member of state or local law enforcement may be required to act in a law enforcement capacity to enforce a federal statute, executive order, agency order, rule or regulation determined by the West Virginia Attorney General to infringe upon citizens’ Second Amendment rights, Morrisey said.

Law enforcement officers are also protected and cannot be terminated or decertified for refusing to enforce a “federal statute, executive order, agency order, rule or regulation determined by the West Virginia Attorney General to infringe upon citizens’ Second Amendment rights.”

“This guidance from the Attorney General on HB 2694 will help protect West Virginia from new federal gun control schemes, and ensure our law enforcement officers are immune from retaliation for defending the Second Amendment rights of all West Virginians,” Kevin Patrick, vice president of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, said in the announcement.

West Virginia Sheriffs Association Executive Director Rodney Miller said the move is fully supported.

“Law enforcement across West Virginia wholeheartedly supports the Second Amendment and lawful possession of firearms by our citizens and are happy to have joined the Legislature, the Attorney General and concerned gun groups in this effort to ensure that responsible firearm ownership is defended without question,” he said. “We, as citizens of this state, are concerned with overreach that could deny all of us the ability to lawfully possess firearms and utilize them as proud Mountaineers have always done responsibly.”

The policy guidance is posted on the Attorney General’s website (https://bit.ly/3zagUlE) and is being sent to state and local law enforcement agencies.

Washington State ~~Democrats~~ demoncraps! Push Bill Reducing Penalties for Drive-By Shootings

Washington state Reps. Tarra Simmons (D) and David Hackney (D) are pushing legislation to remove drive-by shootings from the list of crimes that elevate first degree to murder to a higher degree of murder carrying a mandatory life sentence.

FOX News reports that “drive-by shootings were added to the list of aggravating factors for murder charges in 1995.” At the time, drive-by shootings were one of a number of crimes that would elevate charges and Simmons and Hackney are now working to remove such shootings from the list.

The 1995 language that Simmons and Hackney want to specifically strike from the aggravating factors list says: “The murder was committed during the course of or as a result of a shooting where the discharge of the firearm… is either from a motor vehicle or from the immediate area of a motor vehicle that was used to transport the shooter or the firearm.”

Simmons says she believes the language surrounding drive-by shootings “was targeted at gangs that were predominantly young and Black.”

She added, “I believe in a society that believes in the power of redemption. Murder is murder no matter where the bullet comes from but locking young people up and throwing away the key is not the answer.”

Simmons points to Kimonti Carter as a example of why she wants to remove drive-by shootings from the aggravating factors list. Carter was convicted in a drive-by shooting that left two people dead in 1997. He received a 777-year sentence and Simmons said, “If he had been standing outside of the vehicle at the time, he would’ve faced 240-320 months in prison. Instead, he was sentenced to life in prison with no opportunity for parole because of this law.”

770 KTTH points out that Simmons and Hackney’s pushed to strike drive-by shootings from the aggravating factors list is posited as a pursuit of “racial equity in the criminal legal system.”

On July 22, 2021, KIRO 7 noted a surge of gun violence in Seattle and quoted Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diazwas saying, “We’ve seen more than a 100% increase in drive-by shootings this year alone.”

As Biden’s Border Crisis Rages, Armed Texans Arrive to Round Up Illegal Aliens

A new Texas law is attracting armed groups with body armor, long guns and high tech drones to the border.

Some local officials are welcoming them, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The new law allows migrants to be arrested for trespassing. The armed groups intend to find the illegals and deliver them to law enforcement officials for arrest.

The Kinney County sheriff has been working with these groups for months. Former Border Patrol Agent Brad Coe has been on the lookout for help in deterring illegal immigration. “The whole premise is if [migrants] know they’ll be arrested, they’ll go somewhere else,” Coe said.

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What you subsidize, you get more of……….
And to paraphrase Mencken, you’re apt to get it good and hard.

Brutal, brazen crimes shake L.A., leaving city at a crossroads.

rews of burglars publicly smashing their way into Los Angeles’ most exclusive stores. Robbers following their victims, including a star of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and a BET host, to their residences. And this week, the fatal shooting of 81-year-old Jacqueline Avant, an admired philanthropist and wife of music legend Clarence Avant, in her Beverly Hills home.

After two years of rising violent crime in Los Angeles, these incidents have sparked a national conversation and led to local concern about both the crimes themselves and where the outrage over the violence will lead.

“The fact that this has happened, her being shot and killed in her own home, after giving, sharing, and caring for 81 years has shaken the laws of the Universe,” declared Oprah Winfrey, expressing her grief over Avant’s killing to her 43 million Twitter followers. “The world is upside down.”

While overall city crime rates remain far below records set during the notorious gang wars of the 1990s, violent crime has jumped sharply in L.A., as it has in other cities. Much of the violence has occurred in poor communities and among vulnerable populations, such as the homeless, and receives little attention.

However, since the start of the pandemic and more rapidly in recent months, crime has crept up in wealthier enclaves and thrust its way to the center of public discourse in L.A. — against a backdrop of COVID-19 angst, evolving political perceptions of what role police and prosecutors should play in society and, now, a holiday season upon which brick-and-mortar retailers are relying to stay afloat.

Some wonder if this could be a turning point for California, which for decades has been at the center of the movement for criminal justice reform, rolling back tough sentencing laws and reducing prison populations.

Polls in 2020 showed that California voters largely support many of these measures, and both San Francisco and Los Angeles have elected district attorneys with strong reform agendas. However, those concerned about crime and those who believe liberal policies have contributed to its rise have grown more vocal.

It is a discourse defined by glaring differences of opinion and, at times, a yawning disconnect between the perception of local crime and the reality on the ground.

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Governor Parson can be as ‘open to adjustments’ as he wants, but that counts for little as the legislature passes changes to laws, not him.

Police Propose Changes To Missouri’s 2A Preservation Act

Even before Missouri’s Second Amendment Preservation Act took effect, there were a lot of grumbles from some law enforcement in the state who felt that the new law was going to set them up to be sued if they cooperated with federal agents in taking down criminal suspects who might be armed with a gun. SAPA, as it’s commonly called, not only prohibits state and local law enforcement from cooperating with the feds in enforcing any unconstitutional gun control laws, but provides an avenue by which officers can be individually sued for doing so.

Since SAPA took effect back in September, a handful of agencies have suspended all cooperation with federal authorities for fear of running afoul of the law. The law was also the subject of litigation by the city of St. Louis and a couple of counties, but a judge rejected a request to block the law from taking force. And while I don’t believe that the law as written should stop police from working with their federal counterparts, and plenty of agencies continue to do so, the Missouri Police Chiefs Association is now officially asking lawmakers to make some changes.

In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Star, the MPCA proposes specifying that the law would only apply to new federal gun restrictions approved after this past August, and that it doesn’t apply to suspects whom police encounter committing a crime.

It also proposes clarifying which weapons-related federal crimes local police are allowed to help enforce. The current law allows them to help enforce gun restrictions that are similar to those in Missouri law, as long as those charges are “merely ancillary” to another criminal charge — wording that police groups have called vague.

“It is our desire to protect the rights of ALL Missourians while protecting officers from frivolous civil litigation related to the continued joint endeavors with our federal partners,” the association wrote. “We look forward to working with you and your fellow lawmakers to address some clarifications in the law and eliminate those unintended consequences without derailing the intent of SAPA.”

MPCA director Robert Shockey, who is Arnold police chief, declined to be interviewed about the requests.

I haven’t seen a copy of the letter, so I can only base my opinion off of the report by the Kansas City Star, but the first two requests don’t seem to be unreasonable. I do have some concerns about the MPCA wanting to “clarify” which gun-related federal crimes can be enforced by law enforcement, though. First, if SAPA is only going to apply to federal gun laws that were passed after August of 2021, then there’s no need to clarify anything. Beyond that, though, does the phrase “merely ancillary” really need clarification? If an agency is cooperating with, say, a federal drug task force and a gun is discovered in the course of that drug investigation, then the gun charge is an ancillary one. If the feds are going after someone specifically for violating a new federal gun control law or regulation that isn’t mirrored in Missouri state law, local police can’t help. It’s really not that complicated.

Even if some of these complaints by police are overstated, I expect that they’re finding some receptive ears among lawmakers. SAPA original sponsor Rep. Jared Taylor has said he’s not in favor of any changes, but Gov. Mike Parson has indicated that he’s open to “adjustments” if necessary.

I don’t think there’s any chance of the law being repealed outright, but whether or not the changes would make the law better or merely water it down is going to be the topic of much debate in Jefferson City in the months ahead, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see at least some minor revisions agreed to next session.

This has been known to be the case – nationwide – for several years. A very small percentage of a certain demographic commits the vast majority of crimes and murders. Black males in the 15 to 35 years of age range, involved in the illicit drug trade that already have long criminal records whether or not they’re a member of a gang.

Nearly half of Columbus’ homicides in a nine-month stretch of 2020 involved a very small number of very violent individuals

Whenever crime is in the headlines, we find anti-Second Amendment politicians directly responsible for addressing crime in their cities running to the microphone to blame the existence of firearms. The truth is, as gun owners already know, the problem is people, not the gun.

A team of researchers with the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) recently worked with the Columbus Division of Police to review 107 homicides between January and September of last year in an effort to pin down who is driving the city’s lethal violence.

The Columbus Dispatch gave details from the study:

They found that about 480 total members of 17 gangs — roughly 0.05% of the city’s population — were confirmed or suspected to be involved in 46% of the homicides, either as victims, perpetrators or both.

Dispatch writer Theodore Decker goes on to dispute Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s assertion, upon the release of the report, that “the violence we’re seeing today is different.”

The mayor talked about this as though it were unplowed ground. He said that in response, the city is assessing existing anti-violence strategies and beefing up newer efforts to target that core group of individuals who are most at risk of being victims or perpetrators of violence.

That is a valid approach, but it is not a new one. Criminologists have recommended variations of this strategy for many years, and in Columbus, some of them were rebuffed by city leaders nearly 10 years ago.

Columbus, like other cities, has seen a sharp rise in homicidal violence both this year and last. But the trend is not entirely unprecedented.

If the current pace keeps up, we are certain to surpass last year’s record 175 homicides. Should we reach 200, which looks likely the way things are going, the per capita breakdown would come close to 22 homicides per every 100,000 people.

We hit that same rate in 1991. While 139 homicides occurred that year, the city was much smaller. In that sense, the current level of violence is not unheard of.

And to suggest the violence today is inherently different, as the mayor would have us believe, contradicts much of the report.

In addition to the information — it was not a revelation — that much of the violence is driven by a very limited pool of violent actors, the study found that homicides often were tangled up in petty beefs and interpersonal disputes.

That also is not new.

In more than half of the killings, the victim and suspect knew each other. They are overwhelmingly male.

Not new.

Also not new, Decker says, were many of the names on the list of 17 gangs, some of which have been known for decades:

“The violence we’re seeing today is different, and so we need a new plan,” the mayor said on Tuesday.

No, the violence isn’t different. But clearly we do need a new plan. And as for Step 1, perhaps we could be direct and honest about the history and nature of the problem.

The Columus Dispatch and Decker don’t have a stellar track record when it comes to accurate reporting on firearms legislation and Second Amendment issues, but this article calls a spade a spade, and I am thankful for it.

Off-duty officer fatally shoots man kills suspect linked to 3 shootings in Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WBAL) – An off-duty police sergeant from Baltimore is being praised for his bravery after he fatally shot a gunman linked to three shootings that left two people dead and another hospitalized.

While an off-duty Baltimore City police sergeant was getting a haircut, a suspect opened fire in a barbershop on O’Donnell Street shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday. A barber was shot and killed, according to Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison.

The sergeant, who was in plain clothes but armed, pulled his gun out and shot the suspect, who died at the scene. Harrison praised the sergeant for showing “great bravery.”

Others, including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, say the sergeant protected the others in the barbershop and could have saved even more lives.

“We don’t know what would have happened if he was not able to respond in that way and how many more incidents could’ve happened tonight in Baltimore City,” Scott said.

Police say the suspected gunman is connected to at least two other shootings earlier Saturday afternoon.

The first happened shortly after 2 p.m. Police say a 37-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot multiple times. He was reportedly involved in some sort of argument with the suspect.

Police say the suspect then got in his car and showed up 15 minutes later at a barbershop on Eastern Avenue, where he got into an argument with another man. That victim died after being shot multiple times.

“You hear us talk about this time and time again: petty, mindless, stupid disputes ending up with people losing their lives, and we have to be understanding of that and, again, grateful that our officer was here,” Scott said.

Harrison did not go into specifics on how detectives were able to determine the shootings are connected or a possible motive.

Fort Smith man fatally shot at Scott County home

State police are investigating after a Fort Smith man was fatally shot Thursday night inside a Scott County home, authorities said.

Deputies responded to an armed disturbance at 3220 Yearling Ridge Road, south of Boles, shortly after 11 p.m., according to a news release from Arkansas State Police.

James Simmons Jr., 34, was shot inside the residence, and transported to Mercy Hospital Waldron, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Simmons had left the area of the residence when deputies arrived, state police spokesperson Bill Sadler said in an email.

No law enforcement were involved in the shooting, Sadler added.

State police special agents questioned the homeowner about the shooting, the release states. Authorities said no arrests in connection with the shooting have been made.

An investigative case file will be sent to the Scott County prosecuting attorney’s office to determine whether criminal charges should be filed, the release states.

Seems even Seattle libs can only stand so much from their antifagoons

One Year After ‘CHAZ’, Republican Ann Davison Wins Seattle City Attorney.

Republican Ann Davison was elected City Attorney of Seattle on Tuesday, a rare Republican win in the liberal city — just over a year after parts of it were taken over by left-wing activists in the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ).

The Seattle Times reported:

Republican Ann Davison held a strong 58% to 41% lead in the race for Seattle city attorney, with returns Tuesday showing voters rejecting the brash language of her police abolitionist opponent, Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, in favor of Davison’s law-and-order stance.

No race in Tuesday’s city election was more fraught with the potential for unpredictable consequences than the race for Seattle’s official lawyer, who traditionally has prosecuted minor crimes and provided legal advice and defense for the city and its employees, including police.

Local NBC affiliate King 5 reported Davison as saying that “the City Attorney’s Office is not for setting policy or a ‘place for radical agenda’,” but rather “a place to provide impartial advice to those elected to create policy and to maintain laws so there is public safety.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott makes good on border security threat, authorizes state National Guard to make arrests of illegal aliens in historic first.

Earlier this fall, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, frustrated and angry at the Biden regime’s purposeful inaction on securing the border, stepped up and issued a threat: He will use his authority and empower his own personnel to start arresting illegal aliens in the absence of federal enforcement.

“By virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas, I hereby order that the Texas National Guard assist DPS in enforcing Texas law by arresting lawbreakers at the border,” Abbott’s letter to Texas Adjutant General Major Gen. Tracy Norris said in July, when he first issued the order.

USA Features News, which reported on the declaration at the time, added:

Last month, Abbott said during a summit to discuss border security that any migrants who criminally trespass into Texas or commit other offenses would be subject to arrest and jailed.

In addition, the GOP governor announced plans to build new sections of border wall so as to plug gaps left when President Joe Biden canceled federal wall construction begun under the Trump administration.

In arguing as to why National Guard members should be empowered to make arrests, Abbott noted in his letter that “more manpower is needed” to deal with the hundreds of thousands of migrants who have been crashing the Tex-Mex border since Joe Biden took the oath of office for a presidency that was stolen on his behalf.

In addition, Abbott explained that according to the Texas constitution, his powers as “Commander-in-Chief of the military forces” of the state grant him the authority to issue arrest powers to his Guard troops.

Abbott also “likewise recognizes that the governor can call on state military forces ‘to enforce state law’ and ‘to assist civil authorities in guarding [or] conveying prisoners,’” said the letter.

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Very likely another Parkland Springs type shooting has been averted.
Maybe these fools in Florida will start treating these kids as the dangerous criminals they are instead of coddling them.

Teen killed by police while pointing ‘military-style rifle’ at drivers in Tarpon Springs

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – Police in Tarpon Springs say a suspect, killed Saturday [?] for waving a “military-style rifle” at cars and officers, was actually a high school student with an Airsoft pellet gun.

17-year-old Alexander King was shot and killed by officers at the intersection of Pinellas Avenue and Tarpon Avenue shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

Investigators say police responded after multiple 911 calls about a “white male wearing dark clothing pointing a military-style rifle” at passers-by.

According to Chief Jeff Young, when the officers arrived, the suspect lifted the weapon, charged it, and pointed at the officers.

Video of the incident recorded by a bystander appears to show King yelling “shoot me” toward officers.

Taking cover behind a nearby vehicle, officers said they were forced to open fire. King was hit multiple times and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

King, a junior at Tarpon Springs High School, had 22 prior run-ins with police, 11 with other Pinellas County law enforcement agencies and 11 with the Tarpon Springs Police Department, including a felony arrest for battery on a school board employee in 2017 and one for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in 2018.

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We need common-sense control — of criminals
The laws are there to protect us, but laws don’t stop criminals.

Last weekend’s shooting in St. Paul was a terrible tragedy, predicted by Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher as he patrolled the area the night before. The knee-jerk reaction of Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Democrats in the Legislature could also have been predicted: Calls for universal background checks and red flags laws.

These reactions ignore the reality of the situation: Criminals don’t follow laws.

Democrats largely overlooked the death of another woman, in Minneapolis last week, who was hit by one of two cars involved in a rolling gun battle. Five Minneapolis children have been shot by stray bullets this year alone and they didn’t roll out the news releases.

But this event — a mass shooting — finally warrants comment.

Even more predictable and laughable is blaming Republicans for gun violence because we stand with law-abiding citizens and their right to own a gun for self-defense.

Our Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committeeheld hearings to review the current laws on the booksaddressing gun crimes in 2020. Several citizens wearing  “Moms Demand Action” T-shirts told me after the hearing that they had no idea we already had so many laws to address gun violence.

Those laws weren’t passed on a whim, hoping they would be followed. We didn’t debate the criminal code at length so it can be ignored. We pass laws to support the work of law enforcement across the state and provide justice for victims.

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BLUF:
This is another example of “rules for thee but not for me.” If “The Squad” truly believed defunding the police was a good idea, they wouldn’t hire off-duty cops for self-protection. ……….It’s time for them to sit down, shut up, and put their money where their mouth is. They should have to live like the rest of us, even if they are in the public eye.

No Surprise: ‘Squad’ Members Pay the Most in Private Security While Working to Abolish the Police

Over the last few years, “The Squad” – comprised of Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Cori Bush (D-MO) – have worked to “defund the police.” Although they continually say stupid things, like they want to “reimagining” what policing in the United States looks like, the reality is simple: they want to do away with law enforcement agencies across the country.

Americans across the country rely on two things to keep themselves and their families safe: law enforcement and/or their Second Amendment rights. When an emergency takes place, most people call 911 and know at least one law enforcement officer will be there to help them in their time of need.

What’s amazing – although not surprising – is “The Squad” wants to do away with emergency services for you and me. But that decision wouldn’t impact them. In fact, the five women have spent a large sum of money on local law enforcement officers for private security. That’s right. Our lives aren’t worth protecting but theirs are.

But the real kicker? They spent more than any other House members on private security.

The New York Post broke down their security costs:

In the two months between April 15 and June 28, Bush spent nearly $70,000 of her campaign funds on personal security, the most of any House lawmaker. That’s almost $20,000 above the median household income for residents in her district, which covers St. Louis and adjacent communities. Bush, who often wears a Black Lives Matter or a “Y’All Gone Stop Killing Us!” t-shirt, says she believes defunding the police would prevent the deaths of people like Michael Brown and Breonna Taylor. But it’s unclear who would stop the killing that would then ensue. Of the 130 homicide victims in St. Louis so far this year, half of whose residents are African-American, all but ten victims were African-American (98 men and 22 women). The vast majority of these involved firearms — not one fired by a police officer. …

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Tulsa’s latest 3 homicides occurred within a span of 38 hours, and each is considered justifiable

Self-defense claims are nothing new to the homicide detectives at the Tulsa Police Department, but to have three in a row that appear to be legitimate is, at the least, “strange.”

And to know the three killings were carried out in a mere 38 hours might just be something new — even to detectives who have spent more than a decade in the unit, Tulsa Police Lt. Brandon Watkins said.

“There’s a lot of people who claim self-defense,” Watkins said. “That’s usually the first refuge that people go to when they come in, but we look at the evidence.

“On these three cases, the evidence was compelling.”

The cases make up the 35th, 36th and 37th homicides to occur in Tulsa this year, according to Tulsa World records. Two of the victims died of gunshot wounds, and the third died after being stabbed; all in separate occurrences at the beginning of September.

Detectives released the names of the latter two victims on Thursday after previously releasing that of the first, which occurred about 4:15 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 2.

It was a shooting call in the 2100 block of North Hartford Avenue, and victim Isaac Weeks was found with a gunshot wound to his chest. He died at a hospital.

The 40-year-old had been at a birthday party thrown in his honor all throughout the day before, Watkins said, and he was likely intoxicated when he began waving a gun around in the wee hours of the night. His actions prompted a couple of guests to leave, but Weeks followed them and reportedly pointed his gun at a man, who shot him.

Watkins said the encounter was caught on surveillance footage, and the shooter turned himself in shortly afterward and was questioned before being released.

Police received another call later that evening: A homeowner shot and killed a man he said broke into his home, stole his belongings and attacked him.

The resident told police he received an alert that someone was attempting to break into his house in the 900 block of South Allegheny Avenue, and when he arrived at the address, he found a man later identified as Stevie Ashlock carrying items from his residence.

Ashlock reportedly began attacking the homeowner with a metal object when he called 911 and attempted to keep Ashlock from leaving the property.

The homeowner shot him in the torso about 5:10 p.m., and Ashlock, 34, died at a hospital. The homeowner suffered some scrapes, Watkins said, but no great physical harm.

The next day, a fist fight outside a convenience store at 49th Street and Yale Avenue turned deadly when a man pulled out a knife and stabbed another in the neck.

Joseph Sexton, 23, died of his injuries despite fairly quick medical attention, Watkins said.

“It was just a particularly bad wound,” Watkins said, indicating Sexton suffered an arterial bleed.

Watkins said the stabber and Sexton didn’t seem to know each other, but several witnesses along with surveillance footage pointed to Sexton as being the instigator of a fight.

“We don’t really know why the fight was being picked,” Watkins said. “But from what we’ve been able to pick up in interviews with people, (Sexton) just liked to fight.”

The man tried to hold Sexton off before eventually stabbing him, Watkins said. He fled the area, leading police to track him down in the days following, but Watkins said he was questioned and released.

This year hasn’t come close to producing as many homicides as the near-record amount of homicides Tulsa saw in 2020—this time last year, 58 homicides had occurred—but case complexity-wise, there is no break in sight, Watkins said.

Five “whodunits” out of the 37 cases detectives have received are proving to be especially challenging, but the investigations are ongoing.

“We never stop,” Watkins said

Man faces [a new] felony gun charge less than 48 hours after having gun case dropped in “restorative justice” court

Friday was a big day for 21-year-old Armando Rodriguez. Prosecutors wiped his slate clean by dropping four felony gun charges he was facing in Avondale “restorative justice” court.

Less than 36 hours later, police allegedly found an intoxicated Rodriguez sitting in a car with a gun on his lap at a Near North Side gas station. Prosecutors on Sunday charged him with a fresh felony gun charge.

When Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans announced the Avondale Restorative Justice Community Court last summer, he said the court would resolve conflicts through “restorative conferences and peace circles” instead of typical criminal court procedures.

“We have recognized for a long time that young people need a second chance,” Evans said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Rodriguez, who would become one of the court’s first participants, may have blown that second chance in record time.

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Vigilantes?
Well, if goobermint isn’t going to do the job……
Dare I say it again?
I dare.
¡Grupos de Autodefensas Para Tu y Mi!

‘Vigilantism’ a fear in wake of new laws

PORT ANGELES — A state legislator and the Clallam County sheriff painted dire pictures Wednesday in depicting a use-of-force police reform bill that went into effect Sunday.

State Rep. Mike Chapman said HB 1310 may soon be clarified by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson in a manner that will make it less onerous.

The Port Angeles Democrat, who said he has received heat from his constituents for voting against it and six other police reform bills, and Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict, a critic of HB 1310, gave their takes on the measure at a virtual county Economic Development Council “Coffee with Colleen” meeting.

Their message followed a critical view of the measures offered by Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith and Deputy Chief Jason Viada on Tuesday before the Port Angeles Business Association.

House Bill 1310, which sets use-of-force parameters and was cosponsored by Chapman’s 24th District Democratic colleague, Steve Tharinger of Port Townsend, was criticized by Chapman and Benedict as being unclear and procedurally confining for law enforcement to the detriment of public safety.

“Nature abhors a vacuum,” Benedict said.

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May be just me, but in cases of dealing with criminals bent on violent mayhem, calling the police should be for clean up.

And a small change to an old saw:
When seconds count the police ~~are just minutes away~~ aren’t coming.

What happens when people call the police … and cops don’t come? Washington is about to find out.

MOSES LAKE, WA – What happens when you call for help and no one comes? People in Moses Lake and other Washington communities are about to find out.

Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr has been sounding the alarm since May about a package of new “police reform” laws that have been passed and signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee. Now, the Chief said police will follow the law.

Following the law means that many times, police will not be coming.

Of the laws passed this year, the main one of interest is House Bill 1310, or state Rep. Jesse Johnson’s “use of force” bill. It was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on May 18 and goes into effect July 25 of this year.

The bill requires police to have probable cause before using force, as opposed to reasonable suspicion.

The law also creates a new board to investigate officers accused of wrongdoing or excessive force, makes it easier to decertify or prosecute officers, and limits their ability to act.

During a June 22 meeting, Fuhr said:

“This is changing completely the way we’ve responded to some of these calls … and there will be some calls that we just absolutely don’t respond to from here on out.”

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BLUF:

I keep coming back to the idea that concentrating on rounding up the worst of the worst gangbangers would be much more efficient. By anybody’s count there are far fewer violent gang members operating in this country than there are guns. Would this get rid of all gun crime? No, but it would make a heck of a dent in it.

Take care of the demand problem and the supply side will surely slow.

Seems to me, she’s come to the same conclusion Bill Whittle did
“Maybe it’s not the guns. Maybe it’s the people holding the guns.”

Are guns really the problem?

The White House is launching a new assault to bring down the crime rate. As you’ve likely heard, crime, especially homicide, has exploded in many major hotspot cities over the past year or so. President Joe Biden says he knows what to do, he’s been at this for years and he’s got a plan ready to launch that includes several definitive steps.

“The first of those that work is stemming the flow of firearms used to commit violent crimes,” Biden told a group of reporters as he was about to go into a closed-door meeting with visiting police chiefs and city officials. “It includes cracking down and holding rogue gun dealers accountable for violating federal law.”

The new plan includes five new federal strike forces, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), which will embed with local police departments in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Their mission is to disrupt gun trafficking coming into those major cities.

The president says he wants to “supercharge” the crime fighting effort, so he’s also urging communities to invest some of their portion of the $350 billion COVID-19 relief fund in policing and to establish more support programs, such as summer jobs for young people.

I wonder if during that closed-door White House meeting anyone broached the subject of the criminals holding those illegal guns the president wants rounded up.

The cold hard fact is this: There are some 470 million guns in civilian hands in the United States right now, with new ones — including untraceable, homemade ghost guns — being manufactured every day. Legal, registered gun sales are at record highs. If by some stretch of the imagination we could magically do away with all the guns belonging to criminals, what do you think might happen? Do you believe hardcore lawbreakers would simply shrug, walk away from their criminal life and go get a nine-to-five job? No. They would find other weapons with which to inflict their terror on innocent citizens. Knives, Molotov cocktails, scissors, an ax perhaps. Criminals aren’t just violent; they are deviously creative.

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