Category: Safety

American U. students at odds with D.C. group that favors unarmed police

Some American University students are skeptical at claims made by the District of Columbia’s so-called “Peace Team” that unarmed police are “highly effective” at preventing gun violence — in one of the deadliest cities in the country.

According to its website, the DC Peace Team’s mission is to “cultivate the habits and skills of nonviolence in communities, so [it] can better resist injustice, and thus, build a more sustainable just peace.”

The team is a huge proponent of, and utilizes, restorative justice (which has been growing in the nation’s school systems, much to many teachers’ chargrin) and weaponless “civilian protection units.”

According to Peace Team Board Member Sal Corbin (pictured), such methods “emphasize inclusion rather than exclusion […] and punishment.”A former psychology professor, Corbin told The Eagle he grew up in a violent atmosphere where punishment was “swift and severe.”

As such, he wanted to study an alternative. Corbin believes an unarmed police force is “extremely effective” and involves “deploying teams to events where violence or escalation is a possibility.”

Robert Schentrup of the youth gun reform group Team ENOUGH added that “when victims of [gun] violence don’t get help, their natural response is to traumatize other individuals in that same way.”

The Peace Team notes it will even intervene in certain situations “with their bodies.”

But The Eagle notes some American U. students are wary. One student said even with stricter gun control, criminals will still find a way to possess firearms, so yes, cops should be armed. Another said disarming police when the threat of a mass shooting is ever-present seems like a bad idea.

American, like other colleges in and around the nation’s capital (Georgetown, Howard) have unarmed campus cops. George Washington University, however, recently decided to arm a small percentage of its officers.

Washington DC’s violent crime is up 10 percent so far this year, and is 147 percent higher than the national average. Other crimes in the city occur at a rate 87 percent higher than the national average.

Even Corbin conceded that “clearly there are circumstances where weaponry is needed.”

“Our goal isn’t to replace law enforcement entirely, but rather give an alternative approach to it that doesn’t necessitate, increase or escalate violence,” he said.

As we knew it would be.

Police Handwringing Over Ohio Permitless Gun Carry A Big Nothing Burger

“It has been one year since Ohio loosened its concealed carry weapon law, and community advocates, elected officials and law enforcement alike are reflecting on the changing gun landscape,” NBC4 Columbus reported Tuesday.

“A year ago on Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law Senate Bill 215, which eliminated a concealed carry permit requirement for adult Ohioans who are legally eligible to own and carry a firearm in the state.”

The usual suspects, starting with the Fraternal Order of Police that had unsuccessfully lobbied to kill the bill, are still bellyaching, “argu[ing] that Ohio’s streets are less safe – and so are its law enforcement.”

“When the delegates met at Philadelphia during the sweltering summer of 1787, the task before the Constitutional Convention was almost insurmountable. How, in the face of the revolution just fought, could a coalition of states unite and govern nationally when individual freedom and state sovereignty were paramount?” he asked. “Our founders got it right in 1787. Their model has stood the test of time and history. The Ohio Fraternal Order of Police strongly urges legislators to look to the founders’ model. Maximize individual freedom.”

Through “compromise”? And means testing against this cop union bureaucrat’s arbitrary definition of the proper “balance between public safety and individual freedom”? That’s what the Framers meant by “shall not be infringed”?

That’s some industrial-grade gaslighting right there, Mr. Wolske.

As for specific FOP objections;

“Michael Weinman, director of governmental affairs for the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, told the House Government Oversight Committee … [I]t would make police jobs harder by removing the requirement to carry documentation, and prevent officers from holding and patting down someone for a firearm… [and] predicted it would lead to more police officers getting shot.”

That’s a version of the old and unfounded-in-reality “blood in the streets/Dodge City over fender benders” argument the gun prohibitionists used when railing against licensed concealed carry.  And note his concern was not for “public safety” but for officer safety.

So: Did his dire prediction come true? Have any of the FOP’s concerns?

Instead, because when you’ve got nothing but aren’t ready to admit you were wrong and have face to save, we’re offered this bit of meaningless blather:

“No conclusive research yet exists about the effects of permitless carry on gun crime in Ohio specifically, but a September 2022 study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found firearm assaults rose about 10% in states that relaxed restrictions on concealed carry weapons.”

That’s an old junk science trick, and it’s no coincidence we see the Bloomberg name attached to it: Present a correlation/causation fallacy under the auspices of a presumably authoritative name, and everybody, particularly NBC reporters, with a narrative to parrot, is sure to be impressed and not recognize it for the total unsubstantiated BS that it really is.

Crazy, huh?

Gov. Greg Abbott signs new law mandating armed security at all Texas schools

SAN ANTONIO – Security at your child’s school will look different this upcoming school year.

During a meeting at the capital, Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 3 into law mandating all public schools to have at least one armed security officer or armed school personnel at each public school campus statewide.

According to the Intercultural Development Research Center, the price tag to pay an armed security guard for an entire school year could cost up to $100,000.

“I’m glad my tax money is going towards that. I support it,” San Antonio resident April Reyna said.

This new law would allot $330 million to build security centers on campuses. Legislators in Austin claim this new law will strengthen the state’s School Safety Center, responsible for disseminating safety information to all schools. The law will also mandate annual audits of school protocol and require staff members to get mental health training.

“We have to provide the support systems to our personnel working in our communities,” San Antonio resident Jenny Kazmierczak said.

Some people believe adding armed personnel to campuses would increase protection.

“I think if we have the good guys armed, I think it would minimize deaths,” Reyna said.

However, others disagree.

“I hope that there are other measures to address this problem. This is not the isolated solution,” Kazmierczak said.

As concerns grow, some people are wondering whether some schools will have to dip into their own locally generated revenue to keep the burden of funding an additional salary from falling on schools and local taxpayers.

If You Draw The Gun, Be Prepared to Use it—Video

This video has tons of lessons we can learn from. I just want to mention one of the more obvious take-aways and encourage you to study the clip to extract all you can. Now the main point I want to focus on, taken the wrong way, leads to some bad advice on defensive handgun tactics and self defense law.

video from gun use

Setting up the Defensive Gun Use Video—

I’m not quite sure from where or when this video comes, but a good guess would be central or south America. I’m not sure about the country, but one person—the guy in the blue shirt—is openly carrying a handgun on his right hip. So wherever it is, civilians must be able to carry firearms openly, or this guy has a military or law enforcement occupation.

It appears the incident happens in a street-side store. The shop keeper is behind a counter and there is a customer wearing a red shirt who is standing at the counter. When the video begins, the shopkeeper is pointing outside the shop, and it appears he is speaking to the armed man wearing the blue t-shirt. Because the video has no audio, I am speculating, but it seems that maybe he is pointing at the man in blue and telling him to go away and not come into the store.

The man in blue enters the store and walks up to the counter a few feet away from the man in red. Both men face each other and begin talking or arguing. Perhaps—again I’m speculating—the argument started outside the shop, the man in red came into the store, the shopkeeper told the man in blue to stay away, but the man wearing the blue shirt came in to argue with the man in red.

Regardless of the exact reason, the men argue. The man in red reaches into his waistband and pulls out a handgun. Now here is the part I want to focus on.

The Purpose Behind Drawing Your Gun Matters—

The man in red drew his firearm, pointed it at the man in blue. Almost immediately the man in blue blades his body and starts drawing his gun. This might have caught the man in red off-guard as he seems to pull the gun back deliberately, and point it straight upward away from the man in blue.

The man in blue responded quickly, but still, because the men stand roughly 6 feet apart, he could point the gun directly at the man in blue before he can respond.

Now certainly people use force unjustifiably, but it doesn’t appear as though the guy in red had a legally justified reason to shoot the guy in blue. Based on what I see in the video, I think he drew and pointed the gun at the man in blue to scare him, and not to use it. This is an incredibly bad idea.

We see that the man in blue didn’t give up and run away. He reasonably perceived the man in red, posed a deadly threat, and used his firearm to stop him. I can’t say for sure how many shots the man in blue fired, nor how many hit the target, but the initial group caused the man in red to drop his gun.

Yes, quite often the display of a firearm CAN be a deterrent, but it doesn’t happen all the time. And if you’re not justified in using the gun, it can amplify the problem, and give the other person a reasonable justification to use deadly force against you.

I don’t know if the guy in red saw the man in blue had a handgun on his hip and thought he wouldn’t use it, or if he just didn’t see the gun and thought he had the only gun in the equation. Either way, drawing it without actually intending to use it was a fatal mistake.

Have the Right Mindset—

If you draw your gun, you better be justified in using it, and prepared to press the trigger. Don’t ever draw the gun as a tool for intimidation only.

Now I also want to touch on some bad information I’ve heard circulated on social media and from students in classes. Maybe you’ve even heard this said.

“If you draw your gun, you have no choice but to use it, because if not, you’ll get charged for brandishing, assault, attempted murder, etc.”

That is bad info.

Now I know I just got done saying if you draw your gun you better be ready to press the trigger, and just showed a video of what happens when you draw your gun and don’t use it. But there is a difference between drawing the gun because you’re justified and ready to use it, and drawing the gun and pressing the trigger just because you drew it.

If you only draw the gun when you are legally justified in using deadly force, then you are also justified in drawing the gun and NOT using deadly force. The only problem is when you draw the gun and you’re NOT justified in using deadly force. It’s not just a matter of semantics. For this guy, it cost him his life. For someone else, it could cost them their freedom.

See the Video For Yourself—

That is just one of the many lessons to pull from this video. Take a look at the video below and leave a comment on something you noticed.

How We Protect Our Children At School

What does it mean to protect our children at school? For the past decade, I’ve been following a program that protects school children from celebrity-seeking mass-murderers. This program teaches school staff to be first responders who provide both armed defense and medical first aid. We’ve learned a lot over the past decade, but there are still unanswered questions.

Protecting our children at school actually covers a lot of ground. Being “at school” is really a shorthand way of saying we want to protect the children when they are out of their parents care. That includes when they are off campus and on the school bus before school starts. It includes the school events after the last class period ends. We want to protect our children from the ball field to the classroom and into the parking lot.

Once you see the scope of the problem, you realize why a single uniformed School Resource Officer is only the beginning of a safety plan. One defender, no matter how well-trained or effective, can’t be everywhere all the time.

First responders must be near the children because we don’t want to give a murderer time to kill. That means an armed defender has to be within a few hundred feet of every child. The number of defenders that we want depends on the size of the campus and the layout of the buildings. A one-room school house takes fewer defenders than a sprawling K-12 campus.

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Survey: 54% of Protestant Churches Rely on Armed Congregants

U.S.A. — A stunning survey that revealed more than half of Protestant churches across the country rely on “armed congregants as part of their security plan” has just recently been reported by Lifeway Research, even though the poll was taken last September.

The revelation comes 3 ½ years after a gunman opened fire at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, only to be shot dead by armed parishioner Jack Wilson just a few seconds later. The shooting, which was live streamed at the time—the video warped across social media—shows at least a half-dozen armed citizens in the church sanctuary with drawn guns after Wilson fired the single shot that stopped killer Keith Thomas Kinnunen before he could wreak more havoc.

At the time, Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, ripped into anti-gunners.

“The gun control crowd has been predictably silent,” Gottlieb said following the December 2019 incident, “because the use of firearms by private citizens in defense of themselves and others—especially a large crowd of worshippers in a church—just doesn’t fit the extremist gun control narrative.”

He even had some blistering remarks for then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and fellow Democrats for their “deafening silence.”

However, Biden had been critical of Texas gun laws in September of that year, which earned the Delaware Democrat plenty of scorn from gun rights advocates, including Gottlieb. At the time, Biden contended the relaxed Texas gun law was “irrational.” The December shooting demonstrated otherwise as Wilson and other armed churchgoers were able to immediately react.

But the Lifeway Research report, now coming to light nearly nine months after it was conducted, has some other revelations that might elicit silence from the gun control crowd.

As noted by Fox News, “Approximately 81% of churches — or four in five pastors — said they have at least one security measure to prevent potential attacks.”

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Montana hunter kills grizz in self-defense encounter

ENNIS, Mont. — On June 5, a hunter in Montana’s Madison Range killed a grizzly bear in self-defense after being charged, according to Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP).

The person was hunting black bears on a remote parcel of private land.

According to FWP, the hunter notified the proper officials and a field investigation was conducted. While the investigation is ongoing, the bear’s behavior appeared to be defensive due to the surprise and close encounter with the hunter.

The grizzly was identified as a 15-year-old female that had previously been captured for research in 2013 and had no known history of conflicts with people.

The encounter is a reminder to folks recreating in the backcountry to carry bear spray and be prepared to use it.

Other ways to avoid human-bear conflicts include:

  • Travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise, which can help alert bears to your presence
  • Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears
  • Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency
  • If you encounter a bear, never approach it. Leave the area when it is safe to do so.
  • Keep garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants put away in a secure building. Keep garbage in a secure building until the day it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available in many areas.
  • Never feed wildlife. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose threats to human safety.

For hunters:

  • Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately.
  • Look for bear sign and be cautious around creeks and areas with limited visibility.
  • Hunt with a group of people. Making localized noise can alert bears to your presence.
  • Be aware that elk calls and cover scents can attract bears
  • Bring the equipment and people needed to help field dress game and remove the meat from the kill site as soon as possible.
  • If you need to leave part of the meat in the field during processing, hang it at least 10 feet off the ground and at least 150 yards from the gut pile. Leave it where it can be observed from a distance of at least 200 yards.
  • Upon your return, observe the meat with binoculars. If it has been disturbed or if a bear is in the area, leave.

Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Management authority for grizzlies rests with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

More than 17 Percent of U.S. Firearm Murders Occur in One State: Gun-Controlled California

More than 17 percent of the annual firearm murders in the United States occur in gun-controlled California, according to the most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

PEW Research reported that CDC figures show 20,958 people were murdered with firearms in 2021.

The CDC’s state-by-state map shows that 3,576 of those murders occurred in California alone.

Ironically, California is the number one state in the U.S. for gun control, according to Mike Bloomberg-affiliated Everytown for Gun Safety.

California gun controls include universal background checks, an “assault weapons” ban, a 10-day waiting period, a red flag law, firearm registration requirements, a ban on campus carry for self-defense, a ban on K-12 teachers being armed for classroom defense, a limit on the number of guns a law-abiding citizen can purchase each month, and a background check requirement for ammunition purchases, among many other controls.

Yet California is also number one for “active shooter incidents,” according to FBI figures.

When California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) contrasts gun violence in his state with that of other states–especially red states–he does not mention California firearm homicides. Rather, he talks about homicide rates and claims a lower rate in California than in other states.

On Thursday, he took this approach with Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R):

By shifting the focus to rates, Newsom does not mention that Mississippi only had 962 firearm homicides compared to 3,576 such homicides in California.

If you are willing to paint people who disagree with you as monsters who are “pro dead elementary school children”, I can’t begin to imagine the state-sponsored violence you could rationalize being used against them. We’ll keep our guns, thanks.

 

Gun Banners Want to Raise Legal Age for Gun Ownership, But their Logic is Flawed


During an intriguing video discussion between John Lott, founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, and Frank Miniter, editor-in-chief of NRA’s America’s 1st Freedom Magazine, both men dissected the pipe dream by gun banners to raise the legal age for gun ownership to 21. They questioned the basis of the arguments for the increase and noted the implications for the Second Amendment.

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A “compromise” from the gun prohibitionists – you can’t own one, but maybe you can borrow one

Earlier today we reported on the first few hours of the supposed-to-be massive protest outside the Colorado state capitol in Denver, where the group Here 4 The Kids is holding a sit-in to pressure Gov. Jared Polis into signing an executive order banning gun sales and possession in the state. While organizer Saira Rao predicted 25,000 or more would be on hand early Monday morning, the Colorado Sun reports the number was closer to 250 people, and though a few folks have trickled onto the capitol grounds since then there’s nowhere near 25,000 in attendance.

The Sun did manage to speak with a few supporters of the flagrantly unconstitutional executive order proposed by Rao, and it’s fascinating to see how deep the delusion runs with some of these folks, starting with Rao herself.

“Yes, it is in violation of the Second Amendment, and what we are saying is, as a decent human being, at some point, you have to decide that the right to life and our children’s’ right to life must trump anybody’s right to bear arms,” Here 4 The Kids co-founder Saira Rao said Friday.

“The people who have been elected to office have to choose if they will choose children’s lives over guns,” said Rao, a former lawyer who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the 2018 Democratic primary and then moved to Virginia. “That’s the fundamental choice. And if he’s saying he will not, he is making a choice that will put him on the wrong side of history.”

Change doesn’t happen without major shifts, she said. Americans had to amend the Constitution to abolish slavery, which was considered radical and unthinkable to many in 1865, at a time when slavery was the foundation of the American economy, she said.

“Imagine if people were just like, ‘We can’t do it.’ Indeed, they can, and they did, and now we have the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery,” Rao said.

Rao’s not trying to amend the Constitution. She’s trying to get Polis and other Democrat governors to ignore it, which isn’t going to go well. As we’ve seen from states like New York and California, anti-gun Democrats would prefer to pay lip service to the Second Amendment while violating the fundamental right to keep and bear arms rather than explicitly rejecting the right altogether, which would cause even courts that have been traditionally hostile to our Second Amendment rights to step in put a halt to their attempt at prohibition.

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Frightened Politicians Leave Students at Risk

How good is good enough when it comes to protecting our children in school? One extreme view says that Superman who stops bullets with his bare hands is barely qualified to protect our children. The opposite extreme says that anyone who isn’t in jail should be qualified to act as an armed guard for our kids. One argument asks for quality while the other asks for quantity. While we are busy debating, mass-murderers are still stalking our children at school. We can stop mass-murderers if we’re willing to face a few truths.

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Most Gun Control Laws Render Us More Unsafe

Every time Democrats unveil a new gun control proposal, their message is the same: their bill, if enacted, will save lives. Actually the exact opposite is true.

States have recently rushed to pass new laws in response to a decision the U.S. Supreme Court made last year in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association vs. Bruen.

It held that the Second Amendment prohibits government requiring applicants to prove a “special need” in order to be issued a concealed carry permit.

States that included this requirement are called “may issue” states; others, which comprise the majority, are called “shall issue” states.

Maryland was one of those “may issue” states, and concealed carry applications there soared in response to Bruen.

“The Maryland State Police has received 11 times the usual number of new permit applications since the court struck down state provisions requiring gun owners to demonstrate a special need for carrying a firearm for self-defense,” The Washington Post reported.

However, to paraphrase a verse in the Book of Job: “the government giveth, the government taketh away.”

Many “may issue” jurisdictions, including Maryland, scrambled to change their concealed carry laws to comply with Bruen, while still limiting the right to carry, despite the plain language of the Second Amendment that states “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

So while newly-elected Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, eased restrictions to obtain a permit, he simultaneously tightened them — by limiting the places where one may carry.

“Gun violence is tearing apart the fabric of our communities, not just through mass shootings but through shootings that are happening in each of our communities far too often,” Moore said at a bill-signing ceremony. “We will act, and that’s exactly what today represents.”

But by signing Maryland’s new law, he only made Baltimore’s “mean streets” even meaner.

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No one NO ONE, who has attained this high status is this naïve. So, he’s a stooge, nothing more than a Godless communist in disguise who is pushing the disarmament agenda. So, the following applies:

BLUF:
“The voluntary self-restraint that I am calling for will not solve the problem of gun violence all by itself, but it can help us change our culture from one that is obsessively focused on individuals’ rights to a society dedicated to ensuring the common good,”

Newark cardinal asks Americans to voluntarily forgo right to guns

NEW YORK – Amid a mounting debate in America over the constitutionality of gun control, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark has entered the fray with a different argument: That people should voluntarily forgo their Second Amendment rights for the betterment of society.

“I honestly believe it is the best thing we can do to change the culture of violence that threatens us today,” Tobin said.

“Let’s voluntarily set aside our rights in order to witness the truth that only peace and never violence, is the way to build a free society that is lived concretely in our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities, our nation and our world,” he said.

Tobin made the plea in a recent letter, “Pray for an end to all instances of violence,” where he calls on community leaders and Catholic bishops, himself included, to call for a “synodal effort” to actively resist gun violence. He proposed a threefold process that includes prayer and work, advocacy, and voluntary self-restraint from the Second Amendment.

The letter, published May 26, is the latest call to action amid a spate of mass shootings in recent months. May 30 marked the 150th day of 2023, over which time there have been 263 mass shootings – incidents with four or more people shot – that have led to 327 deaths.

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Building Defenders for Our Schools and Churches

Ask someone if they can shoot a gun and you are sure to get memorable answers. You hear about their relatives or their family friends who taught them. Ask them if they passed any shooting qualification tests and you’ll find that most have not, at least not recently. Last week I watched a group of volunteer defenders in Arizona train and test to become the emergency first responders for their schools and churches. They learned to stop the threat and treat the injured victims until police and EMTs arrive. These volunteers are not your average Joe or your average Jane.

It is true that almost half of us live with a gun in our home. About 17 million of us go on to get a concealed carry permit and carry a personal firearm in public. Fewer of us learn armed defense and practice the required skills so our responses are subconscious. Said another way, few people drive their gun as automatically as they drive their car.

Like driving a car, we are describing both mental and physical skills. Frequent review lets you easily recognize a lethal threat when you see it. Making those physical skills feel routine lets you present your firearm without looking for your holster. Just like driving your car, everyone thinks they shoot well until we actually measure their performance.

The defenders in this class looked to refine every movement with their firearm. Rather than saying, “But that is the way I’ve always done it,” they had the humility and willingness to learn. They asked how to improve time after time. They showed an inspiring eagerness to change and grow.

It helps to know your limits. How accurately can you shoot if accuracy is all that matters? How fast can you go before you become erratic? It takes both speed and precision to be a good defender. They need both without sacrificing too much of either. These volunteer first responders learned better techniques in a day, but it takes patient practice to make those new refinements smooth, consistent, and routine.

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From an acquaintance. Keep sharp people……

Daughter went hiking yesterday, found dead bodies.
She and one of her friends went to McAfee Knob yesterday to go hiking. Hiking club. They are all mountain goats. Can hike straight up the side of a mountain without getting very tired at all.
Get to the parking lot, and what’s that? Some other cars there too.

Hmmm. They go over to take a looksee, and there are two dead bodies. One is an older dude, and the other is a middle-teens looking kid. A couple of the other hikers call the police.

And now my daughter finally knows why I always insist that she goes with someone else, and packs. She’s strapped, and the young man she likes to go with is jacked, strapped, and very tactically alert and wary. She said to me, “Dad, now I understand.”

Seems that several of the other folks were very nervous, but knowing that she and her friend had their own heat was very reassuring to her.

You never know what you’re going to see.

62-year-old man, juvenile found dead after apparent murder-suicide in McAfee Knob trail parking lot
Authorities say there is no danger to the public
Roanoke County Police are investigating what they say appears to be a murder-suicide in the parking lot of McAfee Knob Friday. Police said they responded to a call at approximately 6 a.m. Friday to the McAfee Knob trailhead parking lot on Catawba Road.

Arriving officers located two deceased males with gunshot wounds, one of them believed to be self-inflicted, according to police.

According to authorities, one of the deceased males is identified as Lewis Lambert Jr., 62, of Roanoke. We’re told the other male is a juvenile.

Police have not verified whether or not the two deceased males were related.

On Friday morning, crews responded to two house fires in Roanoke. We’re told a person of interest in these incidents was identified as one of the two found Friday morning at the McAfee Knob trailhead parking lot in Roanoke County.

ARMED & FEMALE II

Never an Easy Target

Millions of American women are buying guns for self-protection. If you are one of them, or plan to be, Paxton Quiqley urges you to arm yourself with information and train with experts so that you can safely defend yourself and your loved ones against any potential violence. Reading this book is the perfect place to start.

“Highly recommended reading, especially beginners, for those considering firearms training. Paxton addresses the essential factors related to choosing firearms as an option for protecting yourself and those you love.” -Mark Vinci, Director, Model Mugging Self Defense for Women

“Paxton Quigley-an expert on women, on home intrusion, and rape.” –Oprah Winfrey

“Paxton Quigley, a modern-day Annie Oakley who teaches women how to shoot in the name of empowerment.” -Caitlin Kelly, Blown Away, American Women and Guns

“If you’re a woman in the market for a gun to protect yourself, reading this book is a vital first step.” -David Patrick Columbia, newyorksocialdiary.com

“In the women’s gun movement, Paxton Quigley is the great persuader.” –60 Minutes

“15 million women are gun owners, and they’re finding a guru named Paxton Quigley. Her message is being heard.” –NBC Nightly News

My Armed & Female book series has been called “the bible of gun self-defense for women,” and although the first book has been available for many years, I realized that with all of the changes in laws and the new attitudes about guns, it was time to update the book. Numerous people asked me to revise it without losing its spirit and intent since it has helped many women make the decision to arm themselves safely and confidently.

Owning a firearm for self-defense is your right as an American, but with that right comes extreme responsibility and accountability. Gun ownership is not a Red State vs. Blue State issue. In a country with 120 guns for every 100 people, plenty of liberals are pro-gun, and many conservatives support some type of gun regulations. Even in a state like California, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, as well as a strong anti-gun political climate, many residents are buying and learning how to use firearms. All over America, women of all ages, religions, nationalities, and races have come to the realization that to protect themselves and their families against escalating violence – many feel that they cannot trust their local law enforcement – they need to own a firearm.

Many of these women report that they’ve left or are trying to leave violent relationships. Others just want to have some control over their own personal safety in a rapidly changing world. Many purchased handguns without knowing how to use them. It is for all the women who want to learn about the pros and cons of gun ownership, and about how to protect themselves safely and effectively with a firearm that I decided to write my newest book, Armed & Female II: Never An Easy Target.

Well, it’s really not all that hidden. It’s ‘Rules for thee, but not for me!‘

The Hidden Truth About Gun Control

I’ve debated gun-control lawyers. They said guns aren’t the answer for personal safety. I’ve come to a single conclusion when I look at the people who want us disarmed. Their actions speak so loud that I can barely hear their words. Some of the strongest and most consistent practitioners of armed defense are the people who espouse gun-control for the rest of us. That is the hidden truth in the gun-control debate.

We could talk about California Senator Diane Feinstein who had a concealed carry permit and told the rest of us to turn in our guns. We could talk about the celebrities who show up to a gun-control march in a limousine and are escorted down the street by their security detail. I’d rather talk about the Godfather of Gun-Control. Let’s look at billionaire and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Billionaire Bloomberg is the gun-control movement in the United States. He funds the anti-gun think tanks. He funds the AstroTurf organizations. During an election year, he funds the gun-control campaigns and political lobbying to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

You’d think that Bloomberg was against armed defense if you only listened to him. He sends another message if you watch what he does.

Mayor Bloomberg has an armed security detail with him all the time. He has armed security at his homes and as he moves to his private jets. He and his family have armed security where ever they go. Watch what he does, and even anti-gun politician Michael Bloomberg clearly thinks that guns save lives.

The Bloomberg family is surrounded by armed defenders every minute of their lives, but he wants our children left unprotected.

Bloomberg’s spokesmen say he only wants to save lives. After all, there are thousands of injuries and deaths from criminals using guns every year. Bloomberg doesn’t tell us about the thousands of times we use a firearm in armed defense every day. He is silent on the millions of times we use a firearm to defend ourselves every year.

“Millions” are much larger than “thousands.” Believe me when I say that billionaire Bloomberg can do the math. He believes that guns save lives for him.. but not for us.

While I still have a voice, I say I disagree. We don’t have a security detail of retired police officers. We are the thousands of honest citizens who will defend ourselves today. We are the one-out-of-a-dozen adults who are carrying concealed in public. Honest citizens like us are the defenders of our family, our friends, and our neighbors.

Just like Michael Bloomberg, they deserve protection too.

Poll: Majority of Adults Support ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws, Sour on Need to Protect Gun Rights

A significant majority of the general public support robust legal protections for their public self-defense rights.

That’s according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released Wednesday. Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults said they support laws so-called stand-your-ground laws that “allow people who are in a public place and believe that their life or safety is in danger to kill or injure the person who they think is threatening them,”—up three percent since it last polled the question. More than 80 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of Independents said they agreed with the laws, while only 40 percent of Democrats said the same.

At the same time, the poll identified a broader trend of the public turning against the need to defend gun rights in favor of reducing gun violence. It found 60 percent of Americans now think controlling gun violence is more important, while just 38 percent say the opposite. That’s a significant change from 2013, the year the poll first began asking this question, when the public was evenly split between defending gun rights and curbing violence.

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