Category: Self Defense

Armed civilian who stopped Greenwood Mall shooter named Citizen of the Year

Elisjsha Dicken.jpg

GREENWOOD — The City of Greenwood took time this week to honor the man responsible for stopping the gunman inside the Greenwood Park Mall in July.

Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers chose Elisjsha Dicken as the 2022 recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award for the city.

In his nomination letter, Myers recounted what occurred on July 17 inside the mall and shared thanks for the fast action of Dicken.

“July 17th started off to be another beautiful day in Greenwood. Unfortunately, it became one of the darkest days in our history. A lone gunman entered the Food Court in the Greenwood Park Mall. As he emerged from the restroom he began firing a rifle, killing 3 people.

Hearing shots ring out, Elisjsha Dicken immediately identified the shooter, took cover behind a pillar, drew his weapon and fired at the shooter from 40 yards away. He was able to eliminate the threat. While doing this Elisjsha also was waving innocent civilians to safety. There were countless number of innocent lives saved that day due to his quick and selfless thinking. The City of Greenwood and the residents here owe a great debt of gratitude to Elisjsha.

Because of his heroic actions the City of Greenwood proudly honors Elisjsha Dicken as the 2022 Citizen of the Year.”

Following the mass shooting at the mall, Greenwood Police Chief said the following of Dicken.

“I will say his actions were nothing short of heroic. He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun,” Ison said. “(He) was very tactically sound as he moved to close in on the suspect, he was also motioning for people to exit behind him. He has no police training and no military background.”

MORE |‘No clear motive’: Greenwood police, FBI release new findings from July shooting at Greenwood Park Mall

Annually, the city recognizes a civilian, a firefighter, an officer and an EMT.

Two dead after Garland apartment resident shoots burglars in self-defense

Two suspected burglars were found dead at a Garland apartment complex after a man said they broke into his apartment and began firing shots. The resident returned fire, fatally shooting both, police said.

Just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Garland police were dispatched to a burglary in progress where gunshots were fired. Police responded to Woodlands at The Preserve, an apartment complex in the 4300 block of North Garland Avenue.

When they arrived at the scene, officers observed two men who suffered from apparent gunshot wounds, according to police. One victim was found inside the apartment, and the other victim was found outside near the same residence. Paramedics responded, and both victims were declared dead at the scene. The resident of the apartment informed police that the two men forced entry into his unit and began shooting at him. The resident said he returned fire back to defend himself, according to police.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner has not released the names or ages of the deceased men. Detectives are still trying to determine why the individuals targeted the apartment.

On Targets: Muggers Share Criminal Insight

This is Part 1 of a three-part series in Concealed Carry Magazine analyzing what muggers look for when targeting victims and what you can do to avoid becoming one.

It had been a normal day for Lee Michaels as he drove from pickup league hockey to his townhome in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The time was approximately 11:35 p.m. as he piloted his ’99 Cadillac STS into the parking lot. As he neared the detached garage in front of his unit, he noticed a man riding a bike. Michaels briefly stopped to watch the man ride past him. He’s got a blue jacket with red sleeves,” he said. “And he kind of rides on. So I circle the parking lot once just to make sure he cleared and, you know, keep an eye on things.”

Apart from taking these simple precautions, Michaels didn’t worry about the man too much. Brooklyn Park is a bucolic place in the fall. Named by settlers after their hometown in Michigan, the city on the west bank of the Mississippi is a desirable bedroom community of Minneapolis and St. Paul. In 2020, the city was one of 111 Minnesota communities to earn the “Tree City USA” award. Professional-wrestler-turned-politician Jesse Ventura had served as its mayor in the early 1990s.

Michaels, at the time a 38-year-old production director for Clear Channel Radio, opened his garage door and pulled in. He put the car in reverse to light things up and closed it with his car still running. “I’m always thinking that if anybody jumps in behind me, I’m taking off,” he said. Ten minutes went by as Michaels finished what he was listening to on the radio, downed what was left of his water and put away his hockey equipment. Only then did he step out of the garage through a side door.

As he stepped out, he noticed a man coming around the corner maybe 30 feet away. As he closed the distance on Michaels, he swung wide on the sidewalk and asked for change. It was then that Michaels realized it was the same man who had biked past his car. “So I immediately glanced behind me because there’s about four more garage stalls behind me,” he said. “And I’m thinking, ‘Is there somebody behind me?’ And there wasn’t.” Michaels turned back around and told the man that he had just come home from hockey and that he didn’t have anything to give him. At that moment, another man stepped from around the same corner and aimed a semi-automatic handgun at Michaels.

“Well you’re going to give me something,” he said menacingly.

Immediately reaching into his pocket for his keys and wallet, Michaels laughed nervously as he handed over his valuables. “You got me, man,” he said. “Here you go. Have a good night.” The contents of his wallet included a $20 bill and one card for a free Chipotle burrito. Disgusted, the gunman pushed the wallet back at Michaels and told him that he had to have more than that.

“Dude, it’s right here,” he stated. “You can see I’ve got nothing else. I just came from hockey.”

The gunman told Michaels that he was going to give more than that. He demanded that he get on his knees. This is not going to be good, Michaels thought as he complied with the order. He looked up at the bedroom windows of his townhouse and was dismayed to see that his wife had gone to bed before he’d come home. The man pushed the gun to his head and became irate. “I’m going to have to do you right now,” he said. “I’m going to f******* do you right now.” The first thought to go through Michaels’ mind was that his wife was going to find him, hours later, face down on the sidewalk, dead.

Gosh, this is not a good situation, he told himself.

A Daunting Assignment

Like countless Americans before him, Michaels was the victim of a mugging, which is a form of robbery — itself legally defined as theft by way of threatened or actual force. Muggings are different from other forms of robbery in that their perpetrators target people (as opposed to banks or stores) and attack in public (as opposed to home invasions).

Because it is not recorded as a separate crime, it’s difficult to pin down how many muggings are committed in the U.S. in a given year. But according to FBI crime statistics, there were 81.6 robberies per 100,000 people in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available. This is significantly down from 133.1 robberies per 100,000 people 10 years prior in 2009.1

Despite the downward trend, muggings are still a pernicious problem — mainly in urban areas. Even our political elites are not immune. Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer was recently walking the streets of Oakland, California, when she was shoved in the back and relieved of an expensive iPhone. “Why would you do this to a grandmother?” she shouted at the fleeing assailants according to a news story published by The Independent.2

In Fall 2020, the editors of Concealed Carry Magazine asked me to report and write a series of articles on muggings. Largely based on the results of a survey I was to administer to muggers currently incarcerated at prisons throughout the U.S., I was to analyze the data, look for trends and try to find meaningful insights into how readers can avoid becoming victims themselves. It was a tall order, especially given that prison officials are famously reluctant to deal with the press. Despite these initial misgivings, I said “yes” to the assignment and immediately got to work.

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Suspect shot by CPL holder during robbery outside Detroit liquor store

DETROIT (FOX 2) – When a man tried to rob a man at gunpoint at a Detroit liquor store, the victim pulled out a handgun and shot the suspect.

According to a court filing, ShotSpotter picked up gunshots in the parking lot of Carmen’s Delicatessen just after 9:50 p.m. Feb. 8. When officers arrived, two people flagged them down. One man, Victim 1, had his hands over his head and said he had a concealed pistol license.

The pair told police that they went to the store and saw two men standing outside. One of those men was later identified as Joshua Fordham. They went into the store and were followed by Fordham and the other man.

Once they walked outside, Fordham, who was armed, allegedly followed the victims and threatened to kill Victim 2 if Victim 1 did not give him everything he had. Victim 1 said he gave Fordham his wallet. As Fordham was patting down Victim 1, he pulled out a gun and shot Fordham in the chest, the court filing said.

Police found Fordham on the ground with a handgun nearby. It appeared to have malfunctioned, police said.

Surveillance video confirmed what the victims told police.

Fordham, who is a felon with previous convictions for armed robbery and firearms violations, is now charged with felon in possession of a firearm.

18-year-old shot while trying to steal car; stray bullet hits nearby home in Tacony

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — An 18-year-old suspect was shot multiple times while trying to steal a car in Philadelphia’s Tacony section.

It happened around 3:30 p.m. Thursday on the 4400 block of Princeton Avenue.

Police say the 18-year-old and another suspect were in the process of stealing a Toyota Corolla, but the 26-year-old owner came outside.

That’s when a gun battle erupted on the residential street.

“I heard a few gunshots and then I heard more gunshots. And it was close to my window. So I jumped on the ground and then I heard my neighbors screaming,” said one resident.

The 18-year-old was shot four times and tried to run away. He made it to the 7100 block of Cottage Street before collapsing on the pavement.

“They found a handgun that the 18-year-old had in his possession and was firing at the 26-year-old that came out,” police said.

The suspect was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital and placed in critical condition.

Police say the other suspect was able to take off in the Toyota Corolla but crashed the vehicle into a nearby Jeep during the escape.

The Jeep belongs to the man who lives on the block. His home was hit by stray gunfire during the shootout.

He didn’t want to speak on camera but says the bullet flew past his head as he worked in his office.

Neighbors are shaken up by such a brazen crime right in the middle of the day.

“I just said, we have to police our own neighborhood at this point because no one else is going to do it for us. It’s a shame,” said Stephanie Dina of Tacony.

The car owner who fired the weapon was licensed to carry, police said.

No other injuries were reported. The second suspect was able to get away.

The Impact of Liberalized Concealed Carry Laws on Homicide: An Assessment

This paper uses panel data from 1980 to 2018 in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to examine the relationship between liberalized concealed carry laws, homicide, and firearm homicide…. The relationship between shall-issue and constitutional carry laws and homicide were statistically insignificant at the 1%, 5%, and even 10% level. The results were robust to multiple alternative model specifications. We find no evidence that looser concealed carry laws pose a significant public health or criminological risk.

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Critical Defense Skills: There’s more to self-defense than simply carrying a handgun.

Every once in a while, I run Into something that just makes me cringe, and that’s the person who says, “Well, I just bought a gun and a box of bullets, so I’m good to go—after I figure out how to load this thing.”  Whether he or she knows it or not, that person sure is depending on having a lot of good luck when facing bad guys. They may not know that owning a gun doesn’t make them an automatic winner. Developing useful defensive skills is something that we all have to work at, and there are three major areas that require our continual attention.

The first of these is marksmanship, the ability to hit a target. Now, I’m not talking about that once-in-a-while lucky shot that all of us have made at one time or another. I’m talking about the ability to hit what we are shooting at on a regular basis, on demand. It requires the combination of correct sight picture, breath control and trigger press. And, in a defensive situation all of that has to be done in an almighty hurry.

Another thing to remember is that shooting, like all hand-eye coordination movements, is a quickly diminishing skill. If we don’t practice it, we lose it. Under the pressure created by a violent threat, we will most likely not perform as well as we did in practice. What that means is, if we are hitting exactly right 90 percent of the time in practice, we may only do the same in an actual gunfight about 50 to 60 percent of the time. Even a person who is really serious about regular practice can be expected to drop about 10 percent.

The second critical skill to work on is gun handling, which covers a number of abilities, not the least of which is gun safety. Those of us who are your neighbors have the right to demand that you do so. If lightning strikes your handgun in such a way as to make it go off, that is an accident; just about everything else is a negligent discharge. And there is never a good excuse for a negligent discharge.

Gun handling also involves developing the skill to make a smooth, fast pistol presentation—one without any wasted motion. Once the fight starts, that holstered gun isn’t doing anyone any good. When we work for smoothness and lack of wasted motion, speed will eventually come.

Regardless of what kind of gun the armed citizen chooses, he or she should know what the potential malfunctions are and how to deal with them. Different types of guns are subject to different problems.

A failure to feed is different from a double feed, and both are different from a revolver that has a cylinder frozen in place. A person should not only know what to expect and how to correct it, but he or she should also know how to properly maintain their chosen gun(s) so as to minimize the chance of a malfunction.

Another aspect of gun handling is the ability to reload quickly. Although the need to reload rarely occurs in citizen-involved shootings, one would not want to be the exception to the rule. And, it is not just a matter of reloading the gun, but to do it quickly and smoothly while keeping an eye on what is going on. Good training and lots of practice are the keys to developing good gun-handling skills.

The third area of critical defensive skills is making yourself a harder target. It is important to know what is going on around you. None of us are as aware as we should be or could be. If we see the threat way over there, we have a lot of options as to how we will deal with it, including just getting away. On the other hand, if we look up and the threat is right in our face, our options have diminished considerably. Some people look but don’t actually see, and that can cause some really serious problems.

It is also important to educate one’s self about criminals and what they actually do. What actually happens during a home invasion, carjacking or armed robbery?  What are the telltale signs we should be looking for?  It might be a good idea to start using the NRA’s Armed Citizen column (on page 10 of this issue) as a study guide.

Personal defense is a lifestyle, not a hobby. On-the-job training is not a good way to deal with a criminal attack. When we continually work to improve our ability to truly defend ourselves we can better control the stress that comes from a violent criminal attack and have a better idea of how to deal with it. Working on these three skills—what Jeff Cooper called the Combat Triad—is the path to success and safety.

“Live fire” tests for gun owners violates Second Amendment, says…
Harvard Law Review?

My buddy Jim Wallace of the Gun Owners Action League likes to refer to Massachusetts as a “Second Amendment battleground state”, and he’s not wrong. Beleaguered gun owners in the Bay State are subjected to a host of unreasonable restrictions on their right to keep and bear arms, and if anything the Supreme Court’s decision in Bruen has only made anti-gun activists and politicians more eager to slap more laws on the books.

Under the pre-Bruen standard, local licensing authorities had broad discretion in approving or denying applicants for a License to Carry, and Wallace has previously told us that many jurisdictions are trying to get around the Supreme Court’s decision. State lawmakers are even pushing to require applicants to demonstrate their proficiency with a firearm by requiring live fire training and passing a test, something GOAL says is completely unnecessary.

Now a new article in the Harvard Law Review says those mandates aren’t just unneeded, they’re unconstitutional. The article focuses on the licensing process in Boston, where police already require applicants to pass a “shooting qualification test” at the local police range within two weeks of submitting an application. All would-be pistol owners (a LTC is required to own, purchase, and carry a handgun) must demonstrate “safe handling of, and familiarity with, a .38 caliber, 4-inch barrel revolver” as well as completing a scored live-fire test; requirements that have no analogues in history, according to the author.

The City of Boston could presumptively argue that its Qualification Test, which requires an LTC application to obtain a quantifiable point tally on a scored target, is the type of objective test that Justice Thomas deemed constitutional.

But that contention misconstrues Bruen. First, the Bruen majority did not hold that all objective licensing requirements are constitutional, for even an objective test must not “deny ordinary citizens their right to public carry.” And a shall-issue permitting scheme “can be put toward abusive ends.”

Because the Qualification Test requires applicants to fire a heavy, unpopular handgun accurately, which not everyone can do, it impedes law-abiding citizens from exercising their armed self-defense right — the right to public carry is reserved only for those who shoot well with a heavy handgun. Second, Justice Thomas stated that background checks and firearms safety courses are constitutional, but a shooting qualification test is not a firearms safety course.

Thus, Bruen does not support the proposition that scored live-fire tests survive judicial scrutiny. The Qualification Test’s quantitative characteristics may mitigate its constitutional deficiencies but do not cure them.

In addition to accuracy, the Qualification Test demands that applicants show “safe handling of, and familiarity with, a .38 caliber, 4-inch barrel revolver.” The City of Boston does not provide any concrete guidelines, like a scoring rubric, for the safe-handling requirement, and licensing officials may have differing opinions on the matter. Such requirements do not resemble the “narrow, objective, and definite standards” that Justice Thomas referenced as per se constitutional.

According to the author of the law review article, Boston’s requirement is already ripe for a court challenge, and any move by the state to impose similar live-fire mandates on all LTC applicants would face stiff legal headwinds.

Based on the City of Boston’s facially unconstitutional licensing regime, any Boston resident can seek declaratory, injunctive, and monetary relief for the City’s infringing the constitutional right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment, as applied to the states by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

This Note does not purport to discuss all the mechanics of either standing or § 1983 liability. As a general matter, however, it bears mentioning that an aggrieved applicant could assert a plausible claim for declaratory, injunctive, and monetary relief against City of Boston licensing officials, the colonel of the Massachusetts State Police, and certain state firearms officials, subject to any affirmative defenses raised by the government.

It’s refreshing (to say the least) to see an article casting doubt on the constitutionality of a Massachusetts gun control law in the pages of the Harvard Law Review, and I hope this is the start of a trend. Far too many academic institutions have seemingly adopted a post-Bruen position of supporting any and all gun control laws, or at least criticizing those court decisions that have ruled a particular law unconstitutional.

Some, like the University of Minnesota, have even enshrined anti-gun activism into the curriculum in the wake of Bruen. I’m sure that the prevailing attitude at Harvard Law is still anti-2A, but at least the Harvard Law Journal is willing to print and publish pieces that take both Bruen and the right to keep and bear arms seriously.

How Hard is Real Armed Defense?

Everyone has an opinion. Most people will give you their impression of armed defense if you ask them. Is it trivially easy or is it impossibly hard? I’ve looked at armed defense for a decade and think we often ask the wrong question about defending ourselves and our families with firearms. One view is that armed defenders have to make split-second decisions after evaluating a number of complex legal and tactical factors. In contrast, many new gun owners want to concentrate on firearms handling skills so they can manipulate their gun with “fast hands”. I don’t think that is what most defenders really do.

I think almost anyone can learn armed defense if they are willing to take instruction and then practice what they were taught. This is what I’ve learned from firearms students and instructors.

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Man killed in Battle Creek in apparent self-defense shooting

BATTLE CREEK — A 40-year-old Fulton man was killed in a Wednesday shooting inside an apartment in what police are calling a self-defense shooting.

The man is accused of breaking into an apartment at Georgetown Estates, Battle Creek police said.

Officers responded to a distress call at the 1975 E. Columbia Ave. apartment complex around 9:41 p.m. Wednesday where they found Donald Richard Guthrie had been shot.

Guthrie was transported by LifeCare Ambulance to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo where he later died, police said.

“It appears that Guthrie had forced his way into the victim’s Georgetown Estates apartment, at which time the victim shot Guthrie,” police said in a release. “At this time, it appears that the victim acted in self-defense.”

The case will be submitted to the Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office for review, police said. An investigation is ongoing.

Police declined to release any further details Thursday.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTECT YOURSELF’: OKLA. HOUSE PASSES 2 BILLS RELATING TO PROPERTY RIGHTS

OKLAHOMA CITY –

There are multiple protections in the state including “Stand Your Ground” and the “Castle Doctrine” allowing Oklahomans to use physical or deadly force, if it’s in self-defense.

A bill passing through the House Thursday expands part of the Castle Doctrine.

“It’s a simple bill, on your property if you feel that your life is threatened, you have the right to protect yourself,” said Rep. David Hardin, (R) Stillwell.

House Bill 2049 expands the definition of a dwelling- allowing people to use physical or deadly force against people trespassing anywhere on their private property, not just breaking into their actual house.

The previous law only applied to self-defense when a person broke into the actual home.

Democrats argue that this creates a vague law and opens more doors to problems.

“There are too many opportunities for accidental mishaps if we extend the Castle Doctrine,” said Rep. John Waldron (D) Tulsa.

Rep. Jay Steagle, (R) Yukon, argued that this is just a recognition of what should already be in the law.

“Suggesting that an individual has the right to be on someone else’s private property before any kind of action needs to be taken- even conversation is absolutely ridiculous,” said Rep. Steagle.

Many republicans say this bill is necessary for rural areas of the state.

“I live 30 minutes away from a maximum-security prison- I don’t have time to ask them what they’re doing there, I need to have the right to protect my property,” said Rep. Jim Grego, (R) Wilburton.

Democrats say property lines aren’t always clear, and that this can create problems for people who may be out hiking or hunting.

“Are you all familiar with somebody that’s been affected by being out in a rural area and death coming to you because you are out on someone else’s land,” questioned Rep. Goodwin.

With all the debate the author reminded house members the intent behind his bill was simple.

“This bill is never intended for you to walk out and shoot anyone you want on your property, this bill is intended for you to be able to protect yourself,” Rep. Hardin said.

Man killed in Battle Creek in apparent self-defense shooting

BATTLE CREEK — A 40-year-old Fulton man was killed in a Wednesday shooting inside an apartment in what police are calling a self-defense shooting.

The man is accused of breaking into an apartment at Georgetown Estates, Battle Creek police said.

Officers responded to a distress call at the 1975 E. Columbia Ave. apartment complex around 9:41 p.m. Wednesday where they found Donald Richard Guthrie had been shot.

Guthrie was transported by LifeCare Ambulance to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo where he later died, police said.

“It appears that Guthrie had forced his way into the victim’s Georgetown Estates apartment, at which time the victim shot Guthrie,” police said in a release. “At this time, it appears that the victim acted in self-defense.”

The case will be submitted to the Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office for review, police said. An investigation is ongoing.

Police declined to release any further details Thursday.

Oklahoma House Republicans vote to expand a person’s right to self-defense with a firearm

House Republicans advanced a bill Thursday to extend the area where a person can defend themselves with a firearm, an expansion of the so-called “castle doctrine” that has been a top priority for pro-gun groups for years.

House Bill 2049 changed the definition of “dwelling” from a building or house to the edge of the property line, possibly justifying a person’s use of deadly force to protect themselves as long as they are on land they own or rent.

Also referred to as “stand your ground laws,” Oklahoma law does not require a person to leave a situation if they feel threatened. Instead, current law states someone has a right to stay and shoot a person who is threatening their safety, as long as they are in their home.

Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell, the bill’s author, said that the expectation of self-defense should include the entire property.

“This is a simple bill … on your property if you feel that your life is threatened you have a right to protect yourself,” Hardin said. “This bill was never intended where you could just walk out and shoot anybody on your property. But if that person confronts you with deadly force, then you would be allowed to use deadly force.”

The bill now heads to the state Senate for consideration.

Democrats, who voted against the bill, expressed concern that innocent encounters, possibly with trick-or-treaters or hikers mistakenly coming onto private property, could end in a shooting death.

Rep. Monroe Nichols, and other state House Democrats, gathered for a news conference on June 2, 2022, to call for gun control measures.
“Maybe I’ve been watching too much ‘Yellowstone,'” said Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, referring to the violent television show that centers on property rights disputes in Montana. “But can you understand that there is some concern that this definition really opens this up to the possibility of unsafe actions?”

Hardin disputed those claims, saying any shooting would still be investigated by law enforcement and a person would be held accountable if it were determined their life or safety was not at risk.

Pro-gun groups have lobbied for the bill, including the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association.

Dunning resident shoots suspected home burglar; reported burglaries up 54 percent in 16th District in 2023

A Dunning homeowner shot a suspected burglar in his left forearm at about 1:20 a.m. Sunday, March 5, inside the owner’s house in the 3600 block of North Newcastle Avenue, according to 16th (Jefferson Park) District police.

The resident reported that he was awakened by his dog barking and that he then called out his son’s name and when no one responded, he retrieved his gun and went to search his home, according to police.

He also told police that when he went to check the basement, his dog ran in front of him and made a distressing sound and that he then saw a man in the basement holding a dark object, police said. He told officers that he instructed the man not to move and fired one shot after the man allegedly began moving toward him, police said.

The basement lights reportedly were off during the interaction, police said.

The man, who was transported in serious condition to Lutheran General Hospital, reportedly told officers that “she told me” the side door would be open, police said. There were no signs of forced entry on the home’s side door, and it may have been left unlocked, police said.

The suspect, who was identified by police as Jeremy Tyler Polfliet, age 27, of the 3600 block of Esquire Lane, Georgia, was charged with residential burglary, police said.

The homeowner has an Illinois firearms owner identification card, police said.

The incident marks the second time this year in the 16th District that a resident shot a suspected home intruder. The other occurred on Monday, Jan. 30, when an 80-year-old man shot the intruder in his chest.

 

Missouri: Committee Hearing Public Transit Self-Defense

On Wednesday, the House Emerging Issues Committee will hear House Bill 282, to ensure law-abiding citizens may carry firearms for self-defense on public transit. Please click here to file witness forms to support HB 282. 

In addition, please contact committee members and ask them to SUPPORT HB 282.

House Bill 282 removes the prohibition on law-abiding citizens carrying firearms for self-defense on public transit property and in vehicles. In addition, it allows law-abiding citizens to transport unloaded or non-functioning firearms on buses. This repeals an arbitrary “gun-free zone” that does nothing to hinder criminals while leaving law-abiding citizens defenseless, and it ensures that citizens with varying commutes throughout their day, and of various economic means, are able to exercise their Second Amendment rights and defend themselves.

Again, please file witness forms and contact committee members and ask them to SUPPORT HB 282.

When Freedom is Treated as a Felony

Many of the best jokes have a grain of truth about them, and so it is with the old line that, when you stop to think about it, gun control is rather easy to achieve. First, you make it illegal for anyone who is crazy to own a gun. Second, you assume that anyone who wants to own a gun must be crazy. And, presto, there you have it! Gun control!

Alas, since the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Bruen, this joke has come to accurately describe the approach that has been taken by many of the states at which the decision was primarily aimed. Having been told in no uncertain terms that they are no longer permitted to prevent law-abiding Americans from legally carrying firearms, states such as New York and New Jersey got busy trying to find other ways to disarm the public. In particular, New York and New Jersey have been engaged in an attempt to define what counts as a “sensitive place” so broadly that the concept has ended up covering virtually everywhere that a concealed carrier might plausibly go.

Or, to render it in familiar terms: First, you make it illegal to carry a gun in a “sensitive” place. Second, you assume that all places are “sensitive.” And, presto, there you have it! A near-total prohibition on the right to bear arms.

Think that this is an exaggeration? Think again. In Bruen, the majority noted that, historically, Americans were presumptively permitted to carry firearms in “locations frequented by the general community,” providing that they were not engaged in an attempt to breach the peace or injure others. Certainly, there were exceptions to this rule—exceptions that include legislative assemblies, polling places and courthouses. But, as the Court concluded, the fact that a handful of special cases has always existed does not mean that the government has carte blanche to ban firearms wherever it wishes. “Expanding the category of ‘sensitive places’ simply to all places of public congregation that are not isolated from law enforcement,” the majority in Bruen ruled, “defines the category of ‘sensitive places’ far too broadly,” and, in practice, “would eviscerate the general right to publicly carry arms for self-defense.”

Which, of course, is exactly what New York has attempted to do. Among the places that the state legislature has tried to turn into “gun-free zones” are Times Square, all public parks, the subway, all public transportation and all restaurants, bars, theaters, libraries and more. New Jersey followed New York by banning carry in all parks, beaches, movie theaters, schools, colleges, cemeteries, government buildings and restaurants that serve alcohol; also, like New York, they also prohibited concealed carry in any private establishment that doesn’t explicitly tell people they can carry on the premises.

These laws are too clever by half. The U.S. Supreme Court has long frowned on attempts to prevent Americans from exercising their constitutional rights by attacking those rights indirectly, and there is no reason to assume that it would regard the abuse of “sensitive places” laws any differently. Just as it is not legal for a state to impose special taxes on ink and paper in an attempt to circumvent the protections included within the First Amendment, so it cannot be acceptable for a state to hand out concealed-carry permits in compliance with the law, but make it impossible for those permits to be practically used. Whether they like it or not, New York, New Jersey and any other holdouts will—unless the courts also opt to ignore the plain wording of the Second Amendment—be brought into line with the U.S. Constitution. The only choice before them now is whether they will do it voluntarily, or be ordered into compliance by a judge.

I prefer RRLP (Reduced Ricochet Limited Penetration) frangible that the Navy developed for boarding operations -extra unplanned holes in the hulls of ships being a bad thing – for inside the house. Otherwise, I use Blackhills 70 grain TSX.  Your choice may be different.

The Best 5.56 Ammo for Home Defense

If you’re looking for the best 5.56 NATO ammo on the market, then you’ve come to the right place! With so many different varieties of 5.56 ammo available from multiple retailers, it can be hard to know what’s best for home defense.

In this article, we are going to share with you our top 5 picks for the best 5.56 NATO home defense ammo available right now.

If you simply cannot wait, the best 5.56 ammo for home defense AR-15 rifle is Black Hills 62 gr Dual Purpose. But if you want to see the full list just keep scrolling and we’ll cover all our choices and explain why we picked them.

If you’re new to the 5.56x45mm NATO round, make sure to check out the Buyers Guide by clicking HERE.

Now let’s get to our top 5 picks for the best types of ammo for your 5.56 rifle…

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