Homeowner shoots suspect in Nassauville burglary attempt

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — An attempted home burglary in Nassau County turned into a shooting Wednesday night.

“If you break into somebody’s home, you should beg to get shot. And that’s exactly what happened,” said Sheriff Bill Leepe, with the Nassau County Sheriffs office.

The sheriff’s office said the shooting was in self-defense. Investigators [say] 18-year-old Anson Shawn Drew and a juvenile broke into a home on Clearwater Road in Nassauville. The report states the suspect pointed a flashlight at the homeowner, who then shot his revolver at the suspect in fear for his life.

The juvenile suspect is recovering at the hospital and is in stable condition after being shot in his lower back. Sheriffs office says both suspects tried to flee on foot after the shooting. The report states Drew left one of his shoes behind when he ran off. He was later arrested at his home.

“Individuals said they liked to break into vacant homes to smoke weed. This time, they broke into their own homes,” said Sheriff Leepe.

The sheriff’s office said the suspects didn’t have any marijuana on this occasion.

This wasn’t the first time the victim’s house had been broken into, as sheriffs say the house was burglarized about a month earlier, and he did have some firearms stolen.

Drew is in Nassau County jail on a bond of more than 10 thousand dollars, and the juvenile suspect will be charged pending a warrant for his arrest.

Animal rights group pushes Oregon ballot measure that would ban hunting, fishing in the state

SALEM Ore. (KPTV) – Animal rights advocates are trying to qualify a ballot measure in Oregon that would dramatically change how animals are treated under state law, including banning most hunting, fishing, livestock farming and animal research.

The proposed measure, Initiative Petition 28,  would remove many long-standing exemptions in Oregon’s animal cruelty laws. Under the initiative, most activities that hurt or kill animals would become criminal offenses. Exemptions would remain for self-defense and veterinary care.

If it makes it on the ballot and is approved by voters in November, the protections that currently apply to pets such as dogs and cats would extend to wild animals, livestock and animals used in research. Supporters call the proposal the PEACE Act, short for People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions. Supporters say the measure is intended to protect animals from abuse, neglect, and killing.

Opponents, including the Oregon Hunters Association, say it would force Oregonians to a vegan diet or have their meat products shipped in from other states. They say it would destroy entire industries, including agriculture, fishing, hunting, scientific research, food production, pest control and restaurants.

The initiative has not yet qualified for the November ballot. Organizers must submit 117,173 valid signatures by July 2.

President Trump’s ATF pick clears Senate hearing easily

by Lee Williams

New York state native turned Floridian Robert Cekada spent just over two hours Wednesday along with four judicial candidates testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.

By all accounts, Cekada passed the test, and he will likely become the next Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“Mr. Cekada has had an extensive career protecting Americans at the state and federal level,” Grassley said. “He served a decade as a police officer, receiving numerous awards. He has also spent two decades at the ATF. He knows how to lead the Bureau because he’s worked tirelessly throughout the chain of command.”

Grassley noted that his committee has received dozens of letters endorsing Cekada for the ATF leadership position, and that Cekada worked closely with his office after an ATF whistleblower revealed ATF’s misclassification scheme and other improper practices.

“Mr. Cekada worked closely with my staff to bring this resolution forward, to make sure no more taxpayer dollars were wasted,” Grassley said. “I commend his fine leadership and aggressive actions to find a solution for this brave whistleblower, and I encourage him to allow more whistleblowers to come forward, to help him understand what’s going on in the Bureau.”

Cekada started his law enforcement career in 1992 as a cadet for the New York City Police Department, where in 1999 he became a detective assigned to the department’s Organized Crime Control Bureau. He has also worked as an officer in Florida, until he joined the ATF in 2005, as a special agent in the Baltimore Field Division. His rise up ATF’s chain of command was swift. In May of last year, he became the ATF’s Deputy Director—it’s number two position.

Cekada’s testimony

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Sorry for the paucity of posts. I precipitated myself down a whole flight of stairs and spent most of yesterday in an E.R. getting X-rayed and CT scaned.

I’ve broken two ‘minor’ bones and been laying in a powered recliner chair for most of the day, and will be doing the same for awhile.

So, please bear with me as I recover

US Fighter Jet Shoots Down Iranian Drone Headed for Aircraft Carrier

The U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone on Tuesday as tensions between the United States and Iran have intensified.

In late January, the Trump administration ordered the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and a strike force into the Persian Gulf. The move raised speculation that the U.S. could carry out airstrikes against the Iranian regime.

Reuters reported that the drone “was flying towards the carrier and was shot down by a F-35 U.S. fighter jet.”

A U.S. Central Command spokesman told Fox News that the drone “aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent.”

He further explained that the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln was operating in the Arabian Sea, approximately 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast, when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship.”

This is the first military clash Washington has had with Tehran since the White House ordered airstrikes on the regime’s nuclear sites last year.

The Shahed-139 is an Iranian long-range surveillance and attack drone that can fly long distances while carrying various weapons, including precision-guided missiles and bombs. It is also used for reconnaissance missions and to attack targets on land and at sea.

Major 2A Win: Fifth Circuit Strikes Down Lifetime Gun Ban for Non-Violent Felon

A unanimous decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit just delivered one of the most important Second Amendment wins in years—and it did so quietly, methodically, and on solid constitutional ground.

In United States v. Charles Hembree, the Fifth Circuit ruled 3–0 that the federal government cannot permanently disarm a person based solely on a single, non-violent drug possession conviction. Applying the Supreme Court’s modern Second Amendment framework, the court held that enforcing the federal “felon-in-possession” statute, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), against Hembree violated the Constitution.

For gun owners, this ruling matters far beyond one defendant in Mississippi.

United States v. Hembree

Charles Hembree had one felony on his record—a 2018 Mississippi conviction for possession of methamphetamine. Hembree was not accused of trafficking drugs, committing violence, or using a firearm in connection with the offense. Years later, federal prosecutors charged him under § 922(g)(1) after he possessed a firearm, arguing that any felony conviction automatically justifies a lifetime gun ban.

A federal district court agreed. The Fifth Circuit did not.

On appeal, a three-judge panel vacated Hembree’s conviction, holding that the statute was unconstitutional as applied to him. The court concluded that permanently disarming someone for a single, non-violent possession offense has no grounding in the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

That historical grounding is not optional. It is now the law.

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