Category: Self Defense

Man fatally shot after allegedly trying to break into Essex home

ESSEX, Md. —
A man is dead after attempting to break into a home in Essex Saturday night. At around 9:45 pm, Baltimore County police responded to the 1000 block of Middlesex Road for reports of a shooting.

When officers arrived, they located an adult male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives believe the man who was shot was attempting to break into the resident’s home. The homeowner then fired his gun, hitting the suspect, police said.

A neighbor who asked to remain anonymous recalled the moment she heard gunshots in the area. “I have been living here for 56 years, and it has changed within five years. It’s gone straight down the hill,” the neighbor said.

Randolph Rice, a Maryland trial attorney, said the state does not have a “castle doctrine,” but there are laws for self-defense. “What the courts have established and what the legislature has established is that there is a self-defense with deadly force defense when it comes to your home,” Rice said.

He said the Maryland State’s Attorney will determine if the homeowner believed they were in danger and if the person was indeed breaking in.

“If the homeowner believed that somebody was coming in the house and posing that threat, maybe with another weapon or some other device, or maybe just knowing that this person was a dangerous individual that could or has caused harm in the past, then yes, the homeowner could use that deadly force to protect themselves,” Rice said.

Word to the wise; What the ‘big time’ crims use always filters down to the lesser jackals.

Suspected Foreign Gangs Breaking Into American Homes, Multi-Antenna Device and Advanced Tactics Points to Chilling Reality

President Joe Biden’s immigration crisis is hitting home in an all-new way.

For border state residents, of course, the long, national nightmare has been ongoing since before Biden took office. More recently, Democratic-run cities like New York and Chicago have felt the pain.

Now, upscale homes in what used to be considered safe neighborhoods are getting a taste, too. And one dangerous piece of technology is playing a role.

According to WXYZ-TV, Detroit-area law enforcement agencies have formed a task force to crack down on a sophisticated group of thieves that has been targeting high-end homes across the country, but especially in Oakland County, Michigan.

Oakland County, just north of Detroit’s Wayne County in the southeast corner of the state, has been the scene of high-profile home robberies by a suspected international crime organization that appears to be drawing members mainly from the South American country of Chile.

What makes the group particularly dangerous is its practice of using jamming devices to incapacitate security systems and cellular phone communications in the target homes.

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For many, own­ing a gun was ta­boo. Now they’re buy­ing them.

PITTSBURGH — Outside of that one time going to target practice with some friends while he was in medical school, the first time David picked up a gun to learn how to use it — this time for protection — was five years ago, when he went to a range a few weeks after Robert Bowers walked into the Tree of Life synagogue and killed 11 people who had gathered to worship not far from David’s home in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

“Handling a gun, let alone owning one, was not anything I had ever considered doing in my life,” said David, who asked that his full name not be used for fear of personal safety of himself and his family.

Once a taboo thought

“The ‘tradition’ of gun ownership, historically, in my family was virtually non-existent. Perhaps one of my grandfathers, who both served in World War II, had one — if they did, though, it was never discussed,” explained David, 49, who grew up on the Main Line of Philadelphia.

Under the keen eye of a trained instructor, who was also Jewish, David was surprised at how comfortable he was handling a gun. As someone who grew up in a community in which owning guns was unthinkable, he was surprised at how many of his friends also owned guns.

“Growing up, the mere thought of owning a gun or handling a gun was taboo. However, once I started having conversations with people after Tree of Life, I found the reality is everybody might be somebody who would buy a gun. It just depends on what it takes to get one,” he explained.

Still, he and his wife shelved the idea five years ago.

Then Oct. 7 happened — and everything else that went with it in the following days and weeks, like the brazen antisemitic graffiti splattered on the front wall of Allderdice High School and throughout the Summerset neighborhood, as well as the tire slashings, the defacing and burning of lawn signs that support Israel, and the woman using a hammer to hit the window of Marvista Design where a sign read “We Stand With Israel.”

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1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting overnight involving conceal carry holder on West Side

Chicago police responded to a scene overnight in the Humboldt Park neighborhood where three people were wounded in a shooting involving a concealed carry weapons license holder, police said.

Shortly after 1:15 a.m., officers responded to a call of a person shot in the 1600 block of North Hamiln Avenue and found three people struck by gunfire.

A preliminary investigation revealed a 31-year-old man was outside when he was approached by two people inside of a vehicle who got out with firearms and opened fire at him. The man who is a concealed carry holder fired back, striking them both but suffered a wound to the torso. He was taken in fair condition to Stroger Hospital. police said.

One of the men who was an occupant of the car, 44, was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man, 37, suffered a wound to the shoulder, and was taken in fair condition to Mount Sinai Hospital.
A weapon was recovered at the scene and detectives were investigating. .

 

Houston Homeowner Guns Down Intruder

Chaos erupted at a Houston apartment complex when a homeowner shot and killed a man who forcefully entered his residence.

The incident occurred on the evening of December 6th at the Retreat at Cypress Station apartments, situated at 18200 Westfield Place, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy sheriffs were called to the scene around 5:00 p.m. after reports of a shooting.

They discovered a man, later identified as Teraice Henderson, with a gunshot wound inside the apartment. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Henderson was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

The preliminary investigation by the authorities concluded that the homeowner had acted in self-defense after Henderson, who was believed to be under the influence and armed with a handgun, made unauthorized entry into his home. Feeling his safety was in jeopardy, the homeowner resorted to using his firearm.

The Sheriff’s Office posted that the homeowner is currently cooperating with the investigation and has provided a full statement regarding his actions during the incident. While no charges have been filed against the homeowner as yet, the case remains open. Henderson, on the other hand, had a standing warrant for being a felon in Possession of a Weapon in Harris County.

IDF: We Broke Through Hamas Lines; Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar is Underground

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday evening that it had broken through Hamas lines in both northern and southern Gaza, and that it had surrounded Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom it said was hiding in an underground tunnel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said earlier, in a statement, that the IDF had surrounded Sinwar’s house, which had been found vacant: “Last night I said that our forces could go anywhere in the Gaza Strip. They are currently surrounding Sinwar’s house. His home is not his castle, and he can flee, but it is only a matter of time until we find him.”

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari then clarified that the military had surrounded Hamas positions in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, not Sinwar’s house specifically. He added, however, that Sinwar was underground, and implied that Israel knew where he was.

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A quarter-million Israeli gun applicants prove the necessity of our Second Amendment
The capability to defend oneself is an inherent human right, which should transcend rules, regulations and borders.

More than 260,000 Israelis have applied for firearm permits since the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks, according to The Times of Israel.

While the Israeli government has loosened some permitting restrictions, the results are still far from the civil rights Americans enjoy under the Second Amendment.

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister, told the Times his office was approving 3,000 firearm permit applications per day, as opposed to around 100 per day before the terrorist attacks.

“When the war started, we knew that we were right when we said that every person that has a weapon can save a life,” Ben Gvir said, according to the Times. “We need to enable as many people as possible to carry a weapon.”

Previously, Israelis had to serve two years in the Israeli Defense Forces before they could apply for a firearm permit. Now, they can apply after serving one year in the IDF or other national service. In addition, those who work or live in a “qualified dangerous area” can also apply for a firearm permit. Israeli civilians who have no firearms training can also apply, although they will have to demonstrate proficiency before they receive a permit.

Despite the loosened permitting process, armed Israelis must still comply with ammunition rules, use-of-force laws they call “open-fire procedures,” and carry restrictions that most of us would find intolerable.

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Israeli Security Minister: We Are Approving ‘Up to 3,000’ Gun License Applications a Day

Israel Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says his ministry is now approving “up to 3,000” gun license applications a day.

The Times of Israel quoted Ben Gvir saying, “When the war started, we knew that we were right when we said that every place that has a weapon can save a life.”

He went on to say, “My policy within the office was to permit as many people as possible to get a weapon…[and] in a short period of time, we were giving up to 3,000 approvals a day.”

Ben Gvir indicated over 260,000 gun license applications have been approved since October 7, 2023.

On November 15, 2023, Breitbart News pointed to a Times of Israel report which indicated over 236,000 gun license applications had been filed in Israel at that point in time.

In mid-November roughly 1,700 applications were being approved daily, and the number of daily approvals has nearly doubled since then.

Breitbart News noted that an armed civilian opened fire Thursday on terrorists who attacked a Jerusalem bus stop. Two off-duty soldiers opened fire as well and the terrorists were killed.

Homeowner shoots, kills suspect during home invasion

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating after a homeowner shot and killed a home invasion suspect.

Officers were first called to a home in the 11400 block of Swinton Avenue in Granada Hills around 5 a.m. Saturday morning on calls of a “hot prowl,” or a burglary in progress when the homeowner is present, law enforcement officials said.

“The officers’ preliminary investigation determined that approximately three to four armed males in their 20s entered the home with the intent to burglarize the location,” LAPD said on X, formerly Twitter, just after 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. “A suspect pointed a weapon at the victim and while the suspects were inside the residence, the victim produced a firearm and a shooting occurred.”

One of the suspects was struck by gunfire and died at the scene, police said.

According to the LAPD, present in the home were the homeowner, a grandmother and a toddler. Video shows the male homeowner being detained by police during the initial investigation, though it is not known if he faces charges.

The deceased suspect has only been identified as a man, police told KTLA 5’s Carlos Herrera. The other three suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. “It is believed that an additional suspect was injured during the incident due to a trail of blood located during the investigation,” LAPD officials said.

A vehicle believed to have been used during the crime was recovered, police confirmed.

Some neighbors told KTLA they’re concerned about the incident, but are not surprised. “We’ve been having burglaries every day in this neighborhood,” said Pat Walsh, a resident. “So I’m not surprised at all. It’s been a real problem. Residents here are fed up.” Other neighbors, although concerned, were glad the victims were not harmed or killed.

“The suspects messed with the wrong homeowner,” said a neighbor, who did not wish to be identified. “So hopefully this will stop them. It makes me feel good that people are able to protect their homes and stop these guys.”

Over the past several months, residents in Granada Hills and the San Fernando Valley have been targeted in a string of “dinnertime burglaries,” with burglars breaking into homes when residents are believed to be out to dinner.

 

Man with knife shot by business owner near major intersection in Sanford

SANFORD, Maine —
Police say there is no danger to the public after a shooting near a major intersection in Sanford Friday afternoon.

Officials say they received the first report of a shooting at 3:52 p.m. at the intersection of Main Street (Route 109) and Lebanon Street (Route 202).

Witnesses told police a man with a knife was walking into and out of the road, yelling at cars passing. The man reportedly approached a food truck that was parked near the new T-Mobile store.

Police say the food truck owner and the man with the knife got into a confrontation, that led to the man with the knife being shot.

“The shooter is cooperating with Detectives as they gather evidence and conduct interviews,” police say.

The man with the knife is reportedly in serious condition at Maine Medical Center.

Officials say the investigation is ongoing.

You don’t say

Explosion of concealed handguns means someone nearby is carrying

The tripling of people with concealed gun permits combined with the majority of states that no longer license owners who want to carry means that someone near you right now is likely packing heat.

“It is very likely that any place that allows people to carry a concealed handgun will have someone carrying their gun,” said a new report shared with Secrets from John R. Lott’s Crime Prevention Research Center.

WHY GOOGLE IS KILLING OFF MILLIONS OF ACCOUNTS STARTING THIS WEEK

Lott has long followed the explosion in government-issued concealed carry permits. His 74-page report said that the percentage of people carrying guns rose from 5.4% in 2017 to 15.6% today.

Overall, he said, there are 21.8 million permits issued. That’s a decrease of 0.5% from last year.

But that’s not bad news for proponents of the Second Amendment and concealed carry laws.

Lott explained that the leveling off of permits is likely due to the surge in states that now allow citizens to carry their handguns without a permit. The growth of so-called constitutional carry states has reached 27 and is the biggest story in the gun world.

“In other words, people in those 27 states are allowed to carry concealed handguns without permits, representing 65% of the land in the country and 44% of the population in 2022,” his report said. “It is clear that more people are legally carrying.”

“What does this mean in practice? It means that in most places where people are allowed to carry a concealed handgun, there will be someone carrying a concealed handgun. If the probability that any one person has a concealed handgun permit is 5.4%, in a room with 10 people, the probability that at least one person will have a permitted concealed handgun is 43%. In a room with 20 people, that probability goes up to 67%. With 40, that probability rises to 89%,” the report said.

The growth follows the surge in violent crime and increase in gun ownership in America, where for the first time a majority say that they live in gun-owning homes. The state permitting data his team reviewed found that black permitting is up 223%, Asian 163%, and women 23%.

He also said that in states where there is a high number of concealed carriers, crime is down.

Good guys with guns save lives. Don’t believe the hype.

Gun control advocates keep claiming that good guys with guns are not effective at stopping mass shootings. But it looks that way only if we rely on the news media and the government for crime data.

Records of media reports that I have compiled since the beginning of 2021 show police have noted in 33 cases in which a concealed handgun permit holder stopped what appeared to be a mass murder in the making. But few of these heroic cases have gotten national news attention.

Police are very important in stopping crime, but they have a limited ability to stop attacks.

“A deputy in uniform has an extremely difficult job in stopping these attacks,” noted Kurt Hoffman, a Sarasota County, Fla sheriff. He said that mass shooters can “wait for a deputy to leave the area or pick an undefended location” as an advantage over police. Even with a visible police or security presence, he said, “Those in uniform who can be readily identified as guards may as well be holding up neon signs saying, ‘Shoot me first.’”

There’s a good reason that air marshals don’t wear uniforms on planes. By being inconspicuous, they prevent attackers from having a tactical advantage.

My research also revealed that recent cases such as the Lewiston, Maine, and the  Nashville Covenant School attacks occurred in gun-free zones where patrons are either discouraged from carrying guns or face fines and imprisonment for having them. Very few in the media have covered that fact.

The Nashville police chief, who got a look at the murderer’s entire manifesto, noted that the murderer originally targeted another location but decided against that “because of a threat assessment by the suspect of too much security.” The Buffalo mass murderer last year wrote in his manifesto that “areas where [concealed carry weapons] are outlawed or prohibited may be good areas of attack.”

My research shows it’s hard to ignore the enormous amount of mass public shootings that occur in places where guns are banned.

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Archery Hunter Kills Mountain Lion in Self-Defense

On November 11, at about 3:45 in the afternoon, Ben Karash shot a mountain lion that was stalking him in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Karash was belted into his tree stand, hunting deer.  He saw the lion coming closer from about 40 yards out. He shouted. He waved his arms. The lion knew he was there. The lion knew he was not a deer. The lion kept moving closer.

Have you ever watched a house cat stalk a bird? Mountain lions stalk their prey in a similar fashion.

I was able to talk to Tom Bilski, the District Attorney of Buffalo County. Tom was wonderfully open and transparent about what had happened. In recent years, people have thought the purpose of a prosecutor is to prosecute crimes. No. The purpose of a prosecutor is to see justice done. It is equally important to decide not to prosecute people as it is to prosecute them.

Tom said the local game warden, representing the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) asked him if he wished to prosecute the hunter who shot the lion. The local game warden, Bob Jumbeck, had investigated the incident after Ben Karasch called it in on the DNR hotline.

Karash had seen the big cat stalking him. It had come closer and closer, no matter what he did. He was in a vulnerable position, strapped to the tree, on his tree stand, with limited movement. As the cat neared the base of the tree, he drew his bow and fired an arrow into the upper body of the cat. The distance was later measured at 13 yards from him.

Lion shot in Wisconsin by Ben Karash, Photo Courtesy Wisconsin DNR via Outdoorlife.com

Tom Bilsky, Barron County District Attorney, was asked by the DNR if he wanted to prosecute the hunter. Bilsky recalled this from his conversation with Warden Jumbeck.

This cougar was stalking the hunter. The cougar knew he was in the tree. The hunter yelled at the cougar to go away. The cougar kept on coming to the tree stand. Now logic would suggest that the cougar was coming to the tree stand to kill him. When the game warden told me, when Bob Jumbeck told me, what had happened, my first thoughts are we should be putting a medal on this person, not worrying about charging him. In my opinion this cougar would have killed somebody.

The District Attorney asked Warden Jumbeck: Did Jumbeck want to charge the hunter who killed the lion? Jumbek said no. In the investigation, all the physical evidence confirmed what had been said by the hunter.

Tom said he had been contacted by someone who wanted the hunter prosecuted. The person demanded information Tom did not have. Tom told them to contact the DNR for the information they sought.

Tom told the person he might have a different opinion if he saw the mountain lion stalking him. If he saw the lion kept getting closer and closer, and the lion would not be deterred by yelling and arm waving, he might think differently.

The District Attorney said if a person would not shoot the mountain lion under those circumstances, he was “dumber than a box of rocks.”

Man killed during confrontation at Bessemer home was 19 years old

Authorities said the young man killed in a Bessemer [Alabama] shooting Tuesday afternoon was 19 years old.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said they have identified the homicide victim but have not yet located and notified his family, so they are withholding his name.

Bessemer police Det. Justin Burmeister said the altercation happened at 1:44 p.m. Tuesday in the 1300 block of Hearn Avenue.

During the altercation, one man stabbed the other. The man who was stabbed then pulled a gun and shot his assailant.

The stabbing victim was taken to the hospital. The extent of his injuries wasn’t immediately known.

The 19-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene at 2:22 p.m.

Coroner’s officials said the confrontation may have begun as a home invasion. Burmeister said the investigation is ongoing and detectives are still trying to sort out details, but said the deadly shooting appears to be justified.

There have been nine homicides so far this year in Bessemer. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 173, including the nine in Bessemer.

If You Want Peace, Prepare For War: Why All Should Be Armed

A lot of people get armed for a lot of reasons. Those reasons generally don’t matter all that much because we don’t have to provide a reason why we want to exercise our Second Amendment rights, but those reasons exist and are varied.

People who live in high-crime areas tend to prefer not to become a victim. Some people recognize bad things can happen at any time and place. Still others figure they’ll never need it, but are armed simply because they have the God-given right to be armed.

Yet the flip side is that a lot of people refuse to carry a firearm. They believe the world should be better than it is and that there’s no reason for any of us to have a gun.

My friend Yehuda Remer, aka The Pew Pew Jew, had an interesting post over at his site that I think we should talk a bit about. It starts with a story from the Old Testament. Jacob and his family, with all their riches, are on the road to meet his brother, Eisav, who sanctioned his murder 20 years prior and who thinks Jacob is already dead.

To prepare for this meeting, Jacob does three things. The first is to send an offering to Eisav to hopefully make peace. The second was to pray. It’s the third thing that leads to why I’m writing this.

Lastly, and the real reason I am writing this blog, is that Jacob prepared for war. He split his family into two different camps to spare one if Eisav decided to attack. Of course, he would be willing to fight but still ensured some of his family would live.

Why is this important? Why is the preparation for war so integral to Jacob even though he had God’s ear? What can we learn?

I am a Jew who carries a firearm. I write about guns. I use firearms regularly. I train people on firearms and educate them on their Second Amendment rights. Unfortunately, Jews get a bad rap because so many of them are anti-gun and anti-2A, which is true. I know many Jews from all walks of life who hate firearms and believe that guns have no place in society. Well, my question to them is, if guns don’t have a place in society, how do we explain the fact that Jacob prepared for war? How is exercising my Second Amendment and carrying a firearm on my person to ensure my family is protected any different than what Jacob did?

The answer is that there is no difference.

“Si vis Pacem, Para Bellum.” If you want peace, prepare for war.

Exactly.

Look, I’d love to live in a world where there was absolutely zero chance I’d ever need my gun for anything but recreational shooting. We don’t live in that world, we live in this one.

As such, I can and should take all the steps one can think of to prevent myself from becoming a victim and, as a society, we should take all the steps we can to make it so crime disappears forever.

Those of us who are the praying sort should do that as well, pray that those who would become violent criminals and those who already have find another way forward with their lives.

But we shouldn’t rest exclusively on those.

We should want peace, but we should prepare for war. At least in a manner of speaking, anyway.

Violence can and will come for some of us. We can and should do everything we can to mitigate the risk of that, but some of us won’t be fortunate enough to escape that.

So, we should be prepared to meet that violence with the threat of force and a willingness to use violence in the defense of ourselves or others if need be.

Robber shot, killed during robbery at Dollar General,

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A robber died after being shot during a robbery at a Dollar General store in Memphis on Tuesday, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

MPD said three people began robbing the Dollar General on Winchester Road around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28.

During the robbery, someone witnessed the crime and shot at the suspects, according to police.

One of those alleged robbers was hit by the gunfire and rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries, police said.

Another of the alleged robbers was quickly arrested but the third ran away, MPD said.

The person who shot at the robbers was detained at the scene but no charges were immediately announced.

“That’s horrible to hear that someone actually lost their life,” Crystal Blair told FOX13. “But that’s what’s going on in Memphis and we need to really take this seriously.”

Blair owns a business down the street from the scene of the botched robbery. She said her store opened three months ago and had already been broken into twice.

“I don’t even stay open after dark anymore,” Blair said. “I’m really hoping when the new mayor comes in that he has a plan. Businesses are suffering over here.”

Homeowner shoots burglary suspect in Frisco, suspect now in custody

FRISCO, Texas — An 18-year-old burglary suspect was shot and wounded by a homeowner during a break-in attempt, according to the Frisco Police Department. The suspect, identified as Clinton Montgomery of North Richland Hills, was later arrested and remains in custody.

On Sunday, November 26, 2023, at approximately 8:06 p.m., Frisco police officers responded to a suspicious activity call in the 10400-block of Belfort Drive. The resident reported an unknown individual breaking into their backyard, detaching a ladder from the house, and using it to shatter a window. As officers neared the scene, they reported hearing gunshots.

Upon securing the scene, officers discovered Montgomery inside the home with a gunshot wound. Further investigation revealed that Montgomery was attempting to enter the residence when he was shot by the homeowner.

Montgomery was later transported by Frisco Fire Department personnel to a local hospital for treatment. He remains in custody for Burglary of a Habitation, a second-degree felony carrying a maximum punishment of two to twenty years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

The Frisco Police Department is urging anyone with information related to this incident to contact them at (972) 292-6010. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by texting FRISCOPD and the tip to 847411 (tip411) or by downloading the Frisco PD app. No additional information will be released at this time.

Where Did New Gun Owners Come From and Where are They Going?

Our society is changing. Those changes caused many of us to buy a firearm. We see that crime is rising around us. We notice that criminals are no longer routinely caught by police and prosecuted in the courts. We consider moving to a safer location. (examples from California and New York) We decided that we need a gun to be safe. That chain of events might sound like mere speculation but a number of recent surveys have confirmed it. Almost 14 million of us bought a gun for the first time in 2020 and 2021. The increase in gun ownership will not lead to a significant change in political affiliation.

Personal protection is the main reason we buy a gun today. By a two-to-one margin, more of us think crime is getting worse rather than getting better. The margin increases to three-to-one when we consider crime in our inner cities. Those opinions come from a Harvard-Harris poll conducted only a few weeks ago in mid-November of 2023. Democrats think the increase in crime is because of a worsening economy while republicans think it is because criminals are not prosecuted for their crimes. Most republicans think that the police are afraid to do their job while most democrats disagree. By a four-to-one margin, voters in both parties think that laws about minor crimes like shoplifting should be rigorously enforced. Except for democrats, a majority of us blame woke democrat politicians and district attorneys who won’t prosecute crimes. Most of us think that the US justice department is focused on politics rather than stopping gangs and crime syndicates.

A majority of voters from both parties now think that it is necessary to own a gun for personal protection. Including independent voters, 63-percent of us now believe it is necessary to own a gun to prevent criminal attacks.

We acted on those personal motivations and gun ownership has grown over time. We’ve seen record gun sales for the last 50 months. We also have mixed data on the number of new gun owners. A Pew research poll from August said that 41 percent of us live in a household with a firearm. That estimate may be on the low side since a Gallup poll put the number at 44 percent. A recent NBC poll put the number at 52% of us who live with a gun in our home. The variance between different polling organizations are significant, but the trend of increased gun ownership is consistent.

We have to be skeptical about these polling numbers. A recent research report said that many of us don’t tell the truth to strangers on the phone when the strangers ask if we own firearms. The research report estimated that as many as 60 percent of adults might own a gun as compared to 30 percent reported earlier.

That is another part of our changing society. It now makes sense that we are reluctant to tell strangers whether we do or do not own firearms. Gun owners don’t want to be targeted and have their guns taken. Households without a gun feel more vulnerable if they admit they are disarmed. All of us have become more concerned about having our personal information gathered and sold. In addition, the precise details of the polling question are critically important.

Let me give a practical example to prove my point. My first auto accident was a dented fender on my parent’s car. My worst auto accident was as a passenger. I wouldn’t mention either of those accidents if you asked me about accidents where I was driving my car. The same situation applies to gun owners as applied to drivers. Many older teenagers and younger adults depend on using someone else’s firearm for protection when they are at home. Likewise, a husband or wife might carry a gun that is actually owned by their spouse.

It is undeniably true that the face of gun ownership is changing. The stereotypical gun owner used to be an old, white, rural male. That face is now a young, urban female minority. In short, gun ownership now represents the population at large. The older stereotype of gun owners was that they were politically conservative. It does not follow that new gun owners will follow suit and vote republican.

Gun ownership is unlikely to change voting patterns. Party affiliation is a stronger predictor of attitude towards firearm regulation than is gun ownership. In general, republicans who don’t own a gun are slightly closer to democrats. Democrats who own a gun are slightly closer to republicans. That said, the difference between the political parties is larger than the difference between gun owners and non-gun owners within the parties.

Owning a firearm is only one of many cultural differences that separate liberal politics from conservative politics. Given the Democrat party’s recent adoption of firearms prohibition, most liberal gun owners ignore their party’s position on guns and vote for liberal candidates anyway.

As usual, change happens at the margin. A centrist democrat who recently bought a gun may now see the Democrat party’s gun prohibitions as the issue that changed his vote.

Homeowner shoots, kills attempted home invader in City Avenue apartment in Philadelphia’s Overbrook

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — An attempted home invader was killed by a homeowner in a City Avenue apartment in Philadelphia’s Overbrook section Thursday night.

Police said the attempted home invader forced entry into the apartment and was shot one time in the head.

Police responded to 6100 City Avenue and pronounced the suspect dead at 7:10 p.m.

Two firearms were recovered.