Self Defense – Page 72

BLUF:
I’ve met too many like Howard, (Howard’s eyes scare me. They’re pitch-black and utterly lifeless. When one looks into them, one strives to detect a spark of life, of humanity, of the person inside the body… but it’s not there)
and I take their threat very seriously. It’s one reason I carry a gun, because I know they’re out there. For every one behind bars, I’d guesstimate there are at least two or three on the street.

“The 1 % of the population accountable for 63 % of all violent crime convictions”

That’s the title of an article about Swedish research into violent crime in that country. In the light of our discussion yesterday about violent crime in Washington D.C. and other US cities, I found its conclusions very interesting. Here’s the abstract (i.e. executive summary) from the article. Bold, underlined text is my emphasis.

Purpose

Population-based studies on violent crime and background factors may provide an understanding of the relationships between susceptibility factors and crime. We aimed to determine the distribution of violent crime convictions in the Swedish population 1973–2004 and to identify criminal, academic, parental, and psychiatric risk factors for persistence in violent crime.

Method

The nationwide multi-generation register was used with many other linked nationwide registers to select participants. All individuals born in 1958–1980 (2,393,765 individuals) were included. Persistent violent offenders (those with a lifetime history of three or more violent crime convictions) were compared with individuals having one or two such convictions, and to matched non-offenders. Independent variables were gender, age of first conviction for a violent crime, nonviolent crime convictions, and diagnoses for major mental disorders, personality disorders, and substance use disorders.

Results

A total of 93,642 individuals (3.9 %) had at least one violent conviction. The distribution of convictions was highly skewed; 24,342 persistent violent offenders (1.0 % of the total population) accounted for 63.2 % of all convictions. Persistence in violence was associated with male sex, personality disorder, violent crime conviction before age 19, drug-related offenses, nonviolent criminality, substance use disorder, and major mental disorder.

Conclusions

The majority of violent crimes are perpetrated by a small number of persistent violent offenders, typically males, characterized by early onset of violent criminality, substance abuse, personality disorders, and nonviolent criminality.

There’s much more at the link. Highly recommended reading for those in the field of crime prevention, investigation and prosecution.

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Man with Lee County ties reportedly killed, was wanted in shooting of Taylor County deputy

A man with connections to Lehigh Acres who was wanted in connection with the shooting of a Taylor County Sheriff’s Office deputy Tuesday night is reported dead.

Gregory Mediema, 33, has listed an Arbordale Street address in Lehigh Acres as a residence. The alert said Miedema was last seen near U.S. 19 South Deer Run Road in Perry, between Tallahassee and Gainesville.

Tallahasee television station WCTV Wednesday reported that the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office says a suspect was killed during a home invasion in Steinhatchee in southern Taylor County.

That suspect’s body was found near the same car that was listed in a part Florida Blue Alert issued late Tuesday night.

The Taylor Sheriff’s Office identified the deputy who was shot as Troy Andersen with the agency’s K-9 unit. The Sheriff’s Office said Andersen was stable at Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

The Florida Blue Alert on Miedema was issued shortly before midnight seeking information on his whereabouts. Blue alerts are issued through the state’s Emergency Alert System to phones, television, radio and message boards across the highway when a law enforcement officer is killed, seriously injured or missing in the line of duty and there’s still an imminent threat to the public.

The alert was cancelled Wednesday morning.

A Facebook post from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday said Miedema had been killed but included no other information.

Bill would reimburse defendants who shoot under self-defense

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A panel of lawmakers introduced legislation that would strengthen Idaho’s “stand your ground” law by requiring counties to reimburse anyone charged in a slaying if a judge or jury concludes they acted in self-defense.

Sen. Christy Zito, a Republican from Hammett, said the proposal is needed to protect people like Kyle Rittenhouse, who used an assault-style rifle to shoot three people during a street protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020. Rittenhouse killed Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, but he said he acted in self-defense. A jury last year acquitted him of multiple charges including homicide.

“The way our political world is looking more and more every day, we need to make sure that our citizens are protected beyond any shadow of a doubt so if they do indeed take human life, they’re protected from that,” Zito said told the House State Affairs Committee.

Zito, who is sponsoring the proposal along with Rep. Priscilla Giddings, a Republican from White Bird, said the bill includes “immunity and reimbursement for justifiable homicide.”

The immunity and reimbursement wouldn’t apply if the person knew or reasonably should have known that the person they are using force against is a police officer, Zito said.

If enacted, the legislation would require the county or prosecuting state agency where the person was charged with a crime to reimburse the defendant for “all reasonable costs” if they are found not guilty by reason of self defense. Reasonable costs would include lost wages, the costs of any lost business opportunities and legal costs including bail, expert witness fees, attorney’s bills and other expenses.

The bill also includes a “safety net” to protect defendants if they are sued by victim in a self-defense case, she said.

The proposal was introduced on a unanimous vote.

Suspect shot, another arrested after break-in at Deep Ellum business

DALLAS — One suspect was shot and another was arrested after a reported break-in at a business in the Deep Ellum area early Monday, according to the Dallas Police Department.

Based on preliminary information, officers responded to a shooting in the 3000 block of Canton Street, near South Malcolm X Boulevard.

A business owner was asleep inside his own business, according to an officer on the scene.

The officer said two men kicked in the door and went inside, and the business owner shot one of the men. That man was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

The other man who broke into the business was not injured and was arrested, according to police at the scene. Police said the case would be referred to a grand jury to determine if it was self-defense.

Police were still investigating the shooting Monday morning, and more information was not available.

New firearm owners shaking up gun culture and American politics

HARRISBURG — Richard Reisinger, of New Bloomfield in Perry County, leaned in as David Walker of Savage Guns, a Massachusetts-based firearm company, showed him how to work a new innovation that allows the owner to adjust a gun for right- or left-handed users.

“I have grandchildren; some of them are left-handed, some are right-handed, so now if you purchase a gun, all you have to do is place this on the handle and it accommodates either, so you buy one gun and multiple kids can shoot it,” Mr. Reisinger said, admiring the practicality of the design.

“It is really nice.”

Mr. Reisinger — who was visiting the Savage booth at the Great American Outdoor Show at the Pennsylvania Farm Show complex recently — said he comes from a long line of hunters, a tradition he now enjoys with his grandchildren.

“I do a lot of whitetail hunting at the moment — but with grandchildren, I’ll take them out to hunt pretty much anything that they’re interested in. I love coming to the outdoors show because I get to see, and touch, and feel a lot of different firearms that I might be interested in down the road,” he explained.

Mr. Reisinger — like dozens of other people interviewed that day — said gun ownership is about a lot of things: “Putting food on the table and providing for my family, self-protection and the motor and dexterity skills it sharpens when you go target practicing. You meet more and more new gun owners all of the time; most of them said they bought their first gun for those exact same reasons … they found all of it personally empowering.”

This is a truth that conflicts with our culture’s misconceptions about who “the American gun owner” really is and what his or her motivations are for enjoying firearms. If you turn on the national news or log onto social media, you’re likely to find lawful gun owners portrayed as cultish, backwoods white males who have a gluttonous appetite for violence.

Gun owners see themselves quite differently — and their demographics and motivations don’t fit neatly into the stereotypes.

Despite the millions spent in digital advertisements by gun control advocates like former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the appeal of gun ownership is only increasing. Of all the firearms sold last year, 30% — 5.4 million purchases — went to new gun owners, according to a retailer survey conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

A new interest in self-sufficiency, caused by collapses in our supply chain, has also led to an explosion in applications for hunting licenses.

According to Stateline, a Pew Trust initiative, many states across the country saw a dramatic rise in both men and women taking a hunter safety class for the first time — with states like Michigan seeing a 67% hike in new hunting license buyers in 2021 compared with 2019, including a 15% increase in female hunters.

People who would never have considered owning a gun were now curious about hunting to provide for their families — and about target practice to learn how to defend themselves and their homes.

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FYI; All data pulled from massshootingtracker.site which freely and openly admit their definition of ‘mass shooting’ isn’t what the FBI uses for its Uniform Crime Report (and which just happens to increases the number of incidents)

Here are a few tidbits according to the data provided for 2021:

California has the 3rd highest number of mass shootings (54 by their definition).

New York was 5th with 41.

Both have had magazines and AR bans for 28 and 9 years respectively.

Inversely Alaska, Idaho, New Hampshire, and South Dakota have had only 1 mass shooting with no such gun control laws.

Hrmmm. I think I see the possibility of a pattern emerging. It’s like gun control doesn’t just not work, it makes the problem worse!

Man Shot By Homeowner After Alleged Break-In

OKLAHOMA CITY – A man was shot while allegedly trying to break into a home early Saturday morning. It happened in a southwest OKC neighborhood, as officers say the suspect was taken to a hospital.
Police said the man was inside his home when he heard what sounded like someone trying to break in. He quickly grabbed his gun and when he saw the intruder, he aimed and fired.

Officers arrived on the scene just before 6 a.m. at a home near SW 15th and Westwood. When they got there, they found the suspect who had been shot.

“It was a non-life-threatening injury as far as we know at this time,” said Rob Robertson, with OKC Police. “I don’t know that any arrests have been made at this time.”

The suspect was taken to a local hospital and neither the homeowner nor anyone else in the area was injured. Police are now continuing to investigate the scene.

“The most important thing is conducting interviews,” said Robertson. “Collecting evidence, collecting the weapon, that sort of thing. “If there’s any video surveillance or anything like that yeah know a lot of people have video surveillance now.”

It’s uncertain how the suspect got inside the home and what he planned to take. Robertson says you never know how incidents like this could turn out and it’s fortunate no one was critically injured.

“We don’t want anybody hurt, it’s always unfortunate and what a lot of people discount or disregard is what the victim is going through as well,” Robertson said. “That’s every little bit as traumatic for them as maybe the suspect who got hit.”

Redwood City store owner fires on would-be robbers, scaring trio away

REDWOOD CITY – Authorities were searching for three men who allegedly tried to rob a jewelry store in unincorporated Redwood City before someone at the store fired a shot from a gun, scaring the trio away.

At 5:50 p.m. Monday, deputies were called to Plaza Jewelers at 3303 Middlefield Road for a report of an armed robbery, said Sgt. Jesse Gurkovic of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies learned that three men had entered the business, displayed firearms and demanded merchandise, Gurkovic said.

A store owner pulled out a firearm and shot one round, causing the three men to take off running, according to Detective Javier Acosta. No injuries were reported and no arrests were made.

The investigation was ongoing and police were working on identifying the suspects.

Rosalba Farias, owner of the store, said her husband retrieved a gun and fired one round, hitting the front door of the store. Two of the men had guns and the other was holding a piece of metal, she said.

“I was in the back counter helping a customer when I heard the noise and I just froze,” she said.

Suspect reportedly shot by employee during jewelry store theft in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A robber was shot by an employee during a jewelry store heist in Colorado Springs Wednesday evening.

The wounded suspect was dropped off at a nearby hospital, but police believe others involved could remain on the run.

People at neighboring businesses around East Fillmore and Institute started hearing a commotion shortly after 5:30 p.m.

“I heard 10 to 12 gunshots. You know, coming from outside, behind me, I couldn’t really tell where they were coming from.”

Alan Lynch, CEO of Westpeak Mobility at 903 E. Fillmore St., told 11 News he heard the gunfire, then —

“I saw a black pick up truck making the turn from Fillmore onto Arcadia really quick, with a white pick up chasing him. I don’t know what happened. The black truck was definitely moving, probably doing close to 80 or 90 down Arcadia right past my office.”

Lynch didn’t know where the ruckus had started, but he called police and reported what he witnessed.

“They said they had already spoken to at least a couple other people.”

Officers discovered Legacy & Co. Jewelers at 1111 E. Fillmore St. had been robbed. At the time of this writing, they have released few details, including what was taken and whether the suspect and employee had exchanged gunfire. The suspect is expected to survive.

“I feel most bad for the small business owner of the jewelry store. As a small business owner, I just have a tremendous amount of respect for people that are out there trying to make it on their own and do a good job because they were passionate about their business, and it hurts me most to think about a small business owner going through something like this … I wish them and their families just the best,” Lynch said.

There is one confirmed quote of Yamamoto;
“….it is not enough that we take Guam and the Philippines, nor even Hawaii and San Francisco. We would have to march into Washington and sign the treaty in the White House.”
And anyone could figure that would result in a catastrophic failure because there would be those multitude of rifles.

Ukraine considers private gun ownership to fend off invasion

I’m rather glad the United States isn’t in the same position as Ukraine.

The prospect of invasion from a larger, more powerful neighbor is never a pleasant one. As we’ve noted, steps are being taken to deal with that potential outcome.

While there have been some indications that tensions are lessening, that potential still exists. As such, it seems some are considering private gun ownership as a solution.

Allowing people in Ukraine to legally own handguns would greatly improve national security against outside “aggressors,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov told news agency RBK Ukraine on Thursday. The move would “increase citizens’ personal security, help law enforcement and certainly reduce crime rates,” the minister claims.

Reznikov said on Thursday he has been a “longtime gun-rights supporter”, adding that “as a lawyer” he believes a gun law is long overdue in Ukraine. In late 2021, the local UNIAN news agency published a piece calling Ukraine “virtually the only nation in Europe lacking a gun law.”

The defense minister has advocated the idea of people “getting a right to … carry handguns” and pointed to the experience of “many other nations.” Reznikov also argued that it would help Ukraine prevent a potential aggression.

Sounds good, right?

Well, it’s definitely a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t really go far enough. Resnikov wants the kinds of weapons that would actually be useful kept away from the public, issued only to reservists should the need arise.

So that’s less than ideal.

However, I still find it interesting that at a time when Ukraine is legitimately concerned about an invasion, they turn to private gun ownership as a potential solution.

Our Founding Fathers did the same when they wrote the Second Amendment. They’d just come out of the other end of a war with a foreign power and knew that there would potentially be another. They were mistrustful of standing armies and wanted the citizenry to be able to defend themselves.

It seems the Ukrainian defense minister is following a similar line of thinking with his statement.

And, to be fair, a population armed with handguns could be useful in the event of an invasion. Oh, they might not be able to do much during the initial push into the country, but for guerilla operations, I can see how the handgun can be used to take out enemy troops and secure their weapons for more offensive punch.

Regardless, though, this is a good move and I’m glad to see someone in Ukraine make the suggestion. I only wish he’d recognize that an armed populace is better when it can be fully armed rather than only partially. Still, when you’re worried about Putin sending troops across the border because he has nothing better to do, it’s better than nothing.

It’s only too bad no one had this revelation a year ago so people could have taken still more steps to defend their homes from Russian aggression.

And it’s a firm reminder of why protecting and defending our Second Amendment is so important, so that we’re never in this position.

While it’s unlikely he ever said it, the quote attributed to Japanese Admiral Yamamoto is certainly accurate. If you ever try to invade the United States, there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.

Man shoots would-be robber in North Memphis, family says

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Neighbors say an attempted robbery led to a shootout that sent two people to the hospital in a North Memphis neighborhood.

Memphis police are saying very little about the double shooting Wednesday afternoon at the corner of Stovall Avenue and Hyde Park Street.

A woman at the house on Stovall told WREG her nephew was shot by a would-be robber while sitting in his van in the driveway of his mother’s home.

“The guy got in the car and pulled the gun on him, and he jumped out of the car,” said the woman who did not want to be identified. “He was running from them. He was shooting at him. That’s how all this got shot up.”

The aunt showed us the bullet holes on the front of her sister’s house. She said her nephew was shot in the leg but was able to fire back, hitting and stopping the robber.

“My cousin up the street they heard the shooting, and she ran down here,” she said. “She was holding my nephew when I got here.”

Police said two people were transferred to the hospital, one in critical condition. The aunt said her nephew had to undergo surgery on his leg but is expected to be okay.

“It’s bad because he’s going to be out of work for a while,” she said. “He’s got a family to take care of.”

Police have not released any suspect information, but witnesses said another person with the shooter left in a dark gray Ford Fusion.

Man accused of breaking into neighbor’s home; deputies say resident fired shot at intruder

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) Kanawha County deputies said a man has been charged after he broke into the home of a neighbor, and the resident fired a shot at the alleged intruder.

Larry A. Sheets, 54, has been charged after an incident that was reported Thursday on Strawberry Road in St. Albans, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

Deputies said the man reported he awakened after hearing a loud noise and saw his neighbor, Sheets, inside his home. The resident had a pistol, and he said Sheets told him to shoot him.

Sgt. Ana Pile, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the resident fired one shot and missed.

According to the complaint, the resident said the front door of his home had been bashed in, and a sledgehammer was found near the door on the outside that didn’t belong to him.

Sheets has been charged with burglary and was being held on a $5,000 surety/cash bond at the South Central Regional Jail

No Shots Fired in 9 of 10 Defensive Gun Uses

Although defensive gun uses (DGU) happen every day, they often go unnoticed. Many people are surprised to learn that in 95% of DGUs, the victim doesn’t fire a shot. Let’s discuss the implications of these numbers and what it means for the everyday carrier.

How many DGUs per year —

Multiple studies (18 or so that I know of) put the number of annual defensive gun uses in the United States between 100,000 and 3.6 million. So if you throw out the highest and lowest survey numbers, the average sits at about 2 million instances where someone uses a firearm in self-defense.

No matter what number you accept, it’s clear people use firearms every day to defend life.

One of the many reasons the actual number of DGUs is hard to nail down is that around 95% don’t involve a single fired shot. Because of this, most go unreported to police. The media barely covers incidents where someone shoots a gun in self-defense. They certainly don’t report on DGUs with no shots fired.

If you’re interested in reading more about the research behind these DGU numbers, consider this 2019 book from author John Lott called “More Guns, Less Crime.”

We researched the topic of armed citizens and their effectiveness in limiting the number of people killed in mass shootings. Here is a link to what we found.

Continue reading “”

¡Grupos de Autodefensas para mi!

‘We’re scared’: People worry about shooting spikes in Spokane, turn to self defense for protection

SPOKANE, Wash. — Shootings are up in Spokane. It’s been a trend for years, and people and police are trying to get a handle on the issue.

So far this year, there have been 21 shootings, according to Spokane Police.

Here’s a breakdown of the rise in shootings over the years:

2018: 36 shootings
2019: 52 shootings
2020: 94 shootings
2021: 152 shootings

There were 10 shootings in just this past week police are still investigating. One of those happened at Gordon and Division where the victim fired back at someone who shot bullets into his living room, narrowly missing the family inside. Since that shooting, neighbors say they’re organizing a crime watch team to fight the issue. The man shot at says he won’t leave his home without a gun again.

Another drive-by shooting in East Spokane on East 5th Avenue and South Fiske Avenue has one mom ready to move out for good.

“We’re scared,” said Jamie Anderson. She has a son who says hasn’t slept well since the last shooting. “We’re trying to move out of this area and into a better area.”

The shooting spikes across the city are something police are worried about.

“It certainly is a troubling one that we want to try and get a handle on get under control,” said Nick Briggs, a Corporal with the Spokane Police.

He adds this rise in gun violence is a national trend, but they are concerned about the local increase and are working to find the people committing the shootings.

Gun shop owners say people are handling their own safety instead.

“They have to take their own precautions and do what they feel is necessary to keep their families safe,” said Jeremy Ball. He’s the owner of Sharp Shooting Indoor Range & Gun Shop.

He says his gun sales haven’t gone down since the start of the pandemic. High sales are the “new normal.” Last year, the nation saw the second highest amount of guns sold on record. At Ball’s shop, he says he seeing more first time gun owners buying small compact guns they can keep on them.

“We’re still seeing lots and lots of sales in small compact guns that people are using as carry weapons,” he said.

Anderson says she owns a gun but even that isn’t giving her the protection she wants.

“If a stray bullet comes through my door, we can’t stop that or it comes through my wall, we can’t stop that,” she said.

Police say people need to be careful with self defense. It’s a complicated issue if you don’t know the rights you can use to stay safe.

“It gets to be a very convoluted and complex legal analysis in terms of what somebody can and can’t do,” Briggs said.

What Briggs said you should do is report any information about these crimes and others to police as they work to keep Spokane safe. They also added in relation to other cities similar in size, the city still has a relatively low crime rate. Major Crimes and the Spokane Regional Safe Streets Task Force are actively investigating these recent shootings.

Man killed in self-defense shooting in Pelham

SHELBY Co., Ala. (WBRC) – A man died following a stabbing and then a shooting in Shelby County in the Windstone community early Tuesday morning.

Pelham Police said they responded to a stabbing and a shooting at two locations around 12:30 a.m. on February 15, 2022.

The two incidents happened at 321 Honeysuckle Lane and 236 Camellia Drive in Pelham.

Pelham Police Chief Pat Cheatwood said a 29-year-old man stabbed someone on Camellia Drive in Pelham and then, in an excited state, officers said he started going door to door ringing doorbells and banging on doors.

Chief Cheatwood said the man, who was naked, made it to the home on Honeysuckle Lane. Investigators said the suspect banged on the door, the homeowner opened the door and a struggle started when the suspect attempted to enter the home. Cheatwood said that’s when the 29-year-old man was shot and killed.

Shelby Co. Coroner said the person killed in the Pelham shooting has been identified as Carlton James Brown of Pelham, AL.

The chief confirmed an off-duty officer lived in the home on Honeysuckle, but no confirmation on how he was involved.

The chief said the shooting appears to be self-defense.

The suspect lived in the home on Camellia. Officers said the person who was stabbed will be okay.

Chief Cheatwood said officers do not have a motive for how this all started. They are working to find out what happened.

‘It’s locked and loaded’: Mother, Iraq veteran pulls gun on man trying to get into car

NEW ORLEANS — A mother and veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan said she had to do something she never dreamed of.
While stuck in traffic on Interstate 10 in New Orleans, she said someone tried to get in her car. So, her training kicked in and she pulled out a gun.

Charise Taylor said the incident happened while her 2-year-old son was in the car.

“You shouldn’t have to navigate your own city like a war zone. It’s un-American,” Taylor said. “The crime is out of control and it’s terrifying. At this point, having to use the same tactics in an American city that you use in Iraq and Afghanistan simply to navigate through the city it’s scary and I’m not the only mom feeling this way.”

Taylor said she was headed to pick up her husband on Friday.
She was stuck in gridlock traffic, she said a group in a truck motioned to her to get over. So, she let them. Next thing she knows a man comes up to her passenger door.

“So, as he comes up he’s close and he’s pretty aggressive trying to get the car door open makes eye contact with me he’s still trying to get it open a couple times,” Taylor said.

Taylor said she picked up her gun. “It’s locked and loaded,” she recalled saying. Taylor said she didn’t fire but was ready to. She said the man eventually ran off. Taylor said what also has her on edge is police classified the crime as a disturbance.

NOPD issued the following statement:

“The NOPD is actively investigating a disturbance that occurred on Interstate 10 West at the Canal Street exit on February 11, 2022 at about 5:20 p.m. The incident classification is based on the available information regarding the incident at the time the report was written. We do not have any additional information to provide this time.”

“The emotions honestly your body takes in a different form I stayed in my body of course but everything transformed I’m trained to do this I’ve gone to classes I’m prior military if I have to pull this trigger that’s what I have to do,” Taylor said.

Intruder shot and killed after breaking into West Palm Beach [Florida] home
The attempted burglary happened early Saturday morning

West Palm Beach police say an intruder was shot and killed after breaking into a home while a couple was sleeping.

The incident happened around 4 a.m. in the 500 block of Avon Road. Police say a man broke into the home through a window while the couple was inside asleep. When the intruder turned on the bedroom light, it awakened the couple and a verbal confrontation ensued.

Officials say the homeowner shot the intruder, who was then transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The couple was not injured.

Protecting Second Amendment rights from Washington

SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM:

The Constitution is specific when it comes to our right to defend ourselves. The words boldly declare, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The fact that I will defend that right is an important distinction between myself and politicians like President Joe Biden , who said from the White House in April of last year that, with regard to the Second Amendment, “no amendment, no amendment to the Constitution is absolute.” These are the words of a politician with plans to chip away at the Bill of Rights.

The Biden gun-grabbing agenda includes bans on certain firearms, gun buyback programs, lawsuits targeting gun manufacturers, and restrictions on private firearm transfers that fundamentally end gun shows. I am 100% against federal politicians restricting gun rights because I stand with our founders who wrote this country’s founding documents.

The Constitution recognizes an existing natural right of all people to be free from government oppression. It also allows personal protection through the right to keep and bear arms. I have stood strong to protect the rights of my people here in South Dakota. Those on the extreme Left have opposed my thoughtful approach to COVID-19 and condemned my refusal to infringe on the freedoms of our citizens. I kept our state open and did not impose unconstitutional mandates. This battle for our right to bear arms will require the same fortitude and determination.

Our outdoor heritage and hunting culture are popular in my state of South Dakota, yet they’re not so popular with politicians from states such as New York, California, and Delaware. Unlike so many other politicians, I am an actual hunter. My Grandma Dorris taught me how to hunt birds when I was a young girl, and my father was the one who took me big-game hunting. Our family has made so many memories enjoying and exercising our Second Amendment rights. I have never lost that love for the outdoors and hunting, and I have passed it on to my children. Hopefully soon, I will also enjoy this pastime with my brand new granddaughter, Miss Addie. Hunting is an important part of gun rights, yet we must never forget that these rights were protected in our Constitution for another reason, too. Our founders wisely included this language to also guard against tyranny, like we experienced from Great Britain at the founding of this great nation.

Politicians should be judged by their actions. The first bill I signed into law here in South Dakota was constitutional carry. A previous governor had vetoed it, but I wanted the people of South Dakota to know I would protect their Second Amendment rights. Earlier this month, I announced at my State of the State address that I am eliminating all fees associated with permits and federal background checks for gun sales. It won’t cost a penny to exercise your Second Amendment rights in South Dakota.

I recently received the “Courage Under Fire” award from the Safari Club International . I was honored when CEO Laird Hamberlin spoke on my behalf at the event and said, “No governor has fought more to protect our hunting traditions, and we cannot wait to recognize Gov. Noem as we celebrate SCI’s 50 Years of Freedom.” He cited my record for respecting “the rights of her people by trusting them to use personal responsibility to make the best decisions for themselves, their loved ones, and, in turn, their communities.” He thanked me by saying I have been “a leader in promoting hunting, public access, and conservation across her state.” I cite this because it is an award that should be shared with the people of South Dakota who are standing strong against oppressive ideas coming from Washington, D.C.

Conservatives in this country need only look to the states for leaders who have fiercely fought to protect their rights in the past. We will continue to protect Second Amendment rights, even if Democrats have total control of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. As governor of South Dakota, I have proven I will stand strong against any attempt by Biden or a woke Congress to take away fundamental rights from South Dakotans. And I am ready to defend our constitutional right to bear arms once again and always.

Kristi Noem is the governor of South Dakota.

Eric is nothing if not determined….. and patient.

Measure derided as the ‘Make Murder Legal Act’ killed in Missouri Senate committee

JEFFERSON CITY — A Missouri Senate panel on Thursday terminated a proposal one county prosecutor called the “Make Murder Legal Act.”

The official name of the measure is Senate Bill 666, which the sponsor, Sen. Eric Burlison, R-Battlefield, said he didn’t choose.

Members of the GOP-controlled Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee failed to advance the bill out of committee on Thursday.

Burlison, however, told the Post-Dispatch that he could bring the measure back as an amendment to other firearms legislation he’s sponsoring.

“There are multiple ways to pass language,” Burlison said.

The legislation would’ve established a presumption that a defendant acted reasonably in self-defense when they use force against another person.

“I refer to it as the ‘Make Murder Legal Act,’” Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver, a Republican representing the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, said in a Senate committee hearing last week.

“What we are doing with this bill is … basically saying the 6,500 assaults that are committed every single year in Missouri — that every single one of those are automatically presumed to be self-defense,” Oliver said.

Burlison said the claims are overblown.

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Letters to the Editor: You don’t have to shoot someone to use a gun defensively

To the editor: Dr. Steven J. Sainsbury pushes the absurd claim there are only 2,000 defensive gun uses per year. (“Thinking of buying a gun for self-defense? Don’t do it,” Opinion, Jan. 31)

The claim overwhelmingly relies on counting defensive gun uses reported in news articles, but that is a dramatic undercount because the vast majority of successful self-defense cases don’t make the news. Ninety-five percent of defensive gun uses involve merely brandishing a gun, and less than 1% involve the attacker being killed or wounded.

But most news stories only report on cases where attackers are killed and brandishings are ignored.

Seventeen national surveys find an average of 2 million defensive gun uses per year. The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey puts it at around 100,000. Both show the 2,000 claim to be ridiculous.

Finally, the article labels me as a “gun rights advocate,” not a researcher who has held academic positions at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago, Stanford and Yale. I have also been a senior advisor for research at the U.S. Department of Justice.

John R. Lott Jr., Missoula, Mt.

Robbery victim shoots 17-year-old in self-defense, 4 teens charged

BOWIE, Md. — A group of four teens has been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to rob a victim just after 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Bowie police said they were called to the 14900 block of Health Center Drive for reports of gunshots and a robbery, which is near the Bowie Health Center.

According to police, the victim was approached by four suspects who had handguns. The victim then took out his own handgun, which police believe they did in self-defense. The victim ended up shooting one suspect

Police say the victim did end up shooting one of the suspects.

The group then fled the scene, according to police. Police found the 15-year-old suspect nearby and the 17-year-old suspect was identified after turning himself in for treatment of his gunshot wound.

The other two teens were found after crashing a car that police said was reported stolen in Virginia. Prince George’s police found the car, the teens and two firearms after the incident in Glendale.

In total, police have now arrested and charged a 15 and 16-year-old, of Hyattsville and Upper Marlboro, as well as two 17-year-olds from Hyattsville and Bladensburg. The three oldest teens have been charged as adults.

Bowie Police Chief John Nesky held a news conference Wednesday to confirm the details.

“These individuals are dangerous people. That’s evident by their actions last night,” Nesky said in the conference in response to a question from WUSA9’s Scott Broom. “I believe that this is probably part of a larger trend we are seeing in the area and around the region, especially as it pertains to juvenile crime . . . If you don’t have those supports systems, if you don’t have any other kinds of guardrails or systems, you’re going to get these kinds of actions.”