LEGAL ALERT: A California federal judge has struck down the state's ban on less-lethal arms known as "billies," saying it violates the Second Amendment. The injunction is effective immediately. https://t.co/qXqWEMl2fJ pic.twitter.com/nnaJWLzFSV
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) February 23, 2024
How many people died from the COVID shot? Do vaccines actually cause autism? Steve Kirsch has looked at the data. pic.twitter.com/QIriwDP6x5
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 23, 2024
NRA Loses Corruption Case, LaPierre Liable for Millions
Manhattan, New York — The National Rifle Association failed to safeguard its donor’s funds while Wayne LaPierre diverted millions toward lavish personal expenses.
That’s the finding a six-person jury handed down on Friday after a week of deliberations. They sided with New York Attorney General Letitia James (D.) against the NRA and its leadership. In addition to the group and its former CEO Lapierre, the jury also ruled against former Treasurer Woody Phillips and General Counsel John Frazer.
The six-member jury in the civil case found LaPierre did $5.4 million worth of harm to the NRA by using its charitable funds to pay for things like private jet travel. They determined he’d already paid back about a million dollars of that harm, but also that there was enough evidence to bar him from being the group’s CEO in the future.
They found Phillips had violated his duty to work in good faith for the NRA, and that his briefly-lived post-employment contract was an unauthorized related-party transaction. However, they found it didn’t do any monetary harm to the organization. Similarly, the jurors found Frazer had violated his duty to the group and authorized “materially false” statements the NRA made on a government disclosure about related party transactions, but they also found his actions didn’t cause the group monetary harm and there wasn’t cause to remove him.
The jury also found a series of payments made to board members or people related to NRA employees were not properly approved ahead of time, but all but two–hair and makeup for Wayne LaPierre’s wife and speaking fees for former NRA president David Keene–were properly approved after the fact. However, they also found the NRA did not have a proper whistle-blower policy for years and did nothing to prevent retaliation against eight whistle-blowers identified in the case.
Judge Joel Cohen is now tasked with deciding what remedies are appropriate for the damages the jury has identified. What he decides will determine the future of the nation’s largest gun-rights group. In addition to barring LaPierre from working with the NRA or other non-profits, he could force the former CEO to pay the organization back for expenses the jury found were unlawful. But he could also appoint a monitor to oversee the NRA’s operations, which might completely transform the group’s leadership and internal operations.
A significant overhaul of the most prominent gun group in America will have a substantial impact on gun politics throughout the nation, especially since it’s far from clear the group can recover.
Of course, the corruption allegations and legal ordeal have already made a tremendous mark on the NRA. Since news of the illicit spending broke in 2018, the group has experienced an unprecedented exodus of members. Millions of people have abandoned the organization, with nobody quite sure how many remain. That’s led directly to a funding shortfall that has forced the group to slash spending on key programs, such as gun safety training and political campaigns, while pouring an unprecedented amount into controversial legal bills.
The group has continued to see declines in fundraising and will likely only be a shadow of its former self in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
LaPierre, who resigned in the middle of the trial, and the NRA have argued that downfall was AG James’s goal from the beginning. They noted she had promised to investigate the group during her campaign, which she said wasn’t a charity but a “terrorist organization.” Her initial complaint sought the total shutdown of the NRA.
“The fact is, Letitia James set out to destroy the NRA, and the best way to do that was to destroy Wayne LaPierre,” P. Kent Correll, who represents the former CEO, said in closing arguments.
However, Judge Cohen and an appellate court rejected the argument that the case was solely a political attack when the NRA sought to have it dismissed. However, Judge Cohen also removed dissolution as a potential remedy because he argued it would be detrimental to NRA members–the people James is tasked with protecting in the suit.
“In short, the Complaint does not allege the type of public harm that is the legal linchpin for imposing the ‘corporate death penalty,’” he wrote in his opinion. “Moreover, dissolving the NRA could impinge, at least indirectly, on the free speech and assembly rights of its millions of members.”
But he let the case proceed because the allegations “tell a grim story of greed, self-dealing, and lax financial oversight at the highest levels of the National Rifle Association.”
In addition to the argument about James’s political motivations, the NRA focused much of its defense on the claim it had already instituted enough reforms to self-correct. It argued that many of the illicit expenses at issue in the case did happen, but the NRA had since fired some of those involved and established internal controls to address the problems. It also attacked as unreliable former insiders, including board members and executives, who testified against those claims in court.
“The NRA Board of Directors, which is the seat of the NRA’s corporate governance, acted in good faith and with ordinary care,” the NRA’s lawyer argued.
“Ladies and gentlemen, when you’re caught in the act, saying you’re sorry now, saying that you’ll do better, doesn’t mean you didn’t take the cookie,” the AG’s lawyer responded.
As has been the case with some current NRA insiders, the group’s current leadership failed to convince the jury they resolved the issues.
Neither the NRA nor the AG responded to requests for comment.
Judge Cohen will now schedule the next trial phase, where he will be responsible for determining the final settlement of the case.
Jury finds NRA and ex-CEO Wayne LaPierre liable in civil corruption trial
The jurors determined there was cause to remove LaPierre and that he owes the organization nearly $4 million.
The defendants, which included the NRA itself, the organization’s general counsel and corporate secretary John Frazer and former treasurer and chief financial officer Wilson “Woody” Phillips, were accused of using the nonprofit as a “personal piggy bank” in a civil lawsuit filed by James in 2020. James alleged that they violated nonprofit laws and misused tens of millions in NRA funds for personal gain.
After a week of deliberation, the jury agreed that the attorney general had proved her case, finding each of the defendants liable for violating their statutory obligations. The jury determined that LaPierre cost the organization more than $5 million but had already repaid $1.4 million. Phillips was held to have harmed the group to the tune of $2 million; the jury did not put a dollar amount on Frazer’s violation.
In their argument, attorneys for the NRA had sought to distance the organization from LaPierre, who announced his resignation as CEO just days before the trial began in January, after more than 30 years at the helm. Sarah Rogers, representing the organization, said in opening arguments that LaPierre, though a “valuable and visionary leader, was “not always a meticulous corporate executive” and questioned why the NRA was even a defendant in the case.
LaPierre’s attorneys, however, maintained that he used private jets not for personal gain, but to raise funds for the organization and for gun rights causes — even as LaPierre himself testified that he improperly expensed private flights and failed to disclose accepting luxury vacations from vendors.
“He was a visionary,” his lawyer P. Kent Correll said in closing arguments on Thursday. “He was a genius.”
Louisiana lawmakers advance bill allowing concealed carry without permit
Republican state Senators in Louisiana advanced legislation Thursday that allows adults 18 years and older to carry concealed weapons without a permit.
The Senate approved that bill, along with another that would provide a level of immunity from civil liability for a person who uses a concealed gun to shoot a person in self-defense, The Associated Press reported.
The bills were passed during a special session that was called to address violent crime in the state. They now head to the House, where the GOP is in the majority.
State Sen. Blake Miguez, the sponsor of the bill, S.B. 1, thanked his fellow Senate Republicans for passing his bill in a unanimous vote.
“This important legislation will bring stronger #2 self-defense rights to Louisiana similar to those enjoyed by citizens in neighboring states,” he posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) has signaled he intends to sign the bills if they reach his desk, the AP reported.
The state currently requires holders of concealed carry permits to be fingerprinted and pay a fee, which advocates of the bill say is unconstitutional, per the AP.
According to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, 27 states allow people to carry a concealed weapon without having a permit.
In another post online, Miguez said the bill will “empower” citizens with “the means to protect themselves and their families from violent criminals.”
While Miguez and other Republicans argue they should be able to conceal carry weapons without a permit to protect themselves from criminals, Democrats say it could lead to more gun violence, the AP noted.
The special session began Monday and will address the state’s crime issues. In 2021, Louisiana had the highest violent crime rate in the country, Landry said in a speech Monday.
Today, back in 1945.
Raising the 1st flag over Mt Suribachi
Raising the 2nd flag.
Lowering the 1st flag as the 2nd is raised.
February 23 marks the day the United States Marines raised America’s flag over Mount Suribachi in Japan during the Battle of Iwo Jima almost 80 years ago.
The moment has been immortalized in a famous photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.
Battle of Iwo Jima
American soldiers fighting against the Japanese in Iwo Jima on March 1945. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
The Battle of Iwo Jima began after American forces invaded the island on Feb. 19, 1945.
The battle lasted for five weeks and was considered one of the bloodiest military campaigns of World War II and in the history of the Marine Corps, according to The National WWII Museum.
It was estimated that almost 7,000 Marines lost their lives and all but roughly 200 of the 21,000 Japanese forces were killed, according to History.com.
Following the capture of Iwo Jima, the longest and largest battle in the Pacific took place during the invasion of Okinawa, Japan.
Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded to service members for their actions at Iwo Jima – the most in the history of the U.S., according to The National WWII Museum.
Flag raising on Iwo Jima
On Feb. 23, 1945, U.S. forces took Mount Suribachi and were photographed raising the American flag at the summit.
The iconic photo won Rosenthal, the photographer, a Pulitzer Prize.
Joe Rosenthal, a veteran AP cameraman, who took the famous picture of the flag raising at Iwo Jima, holding camera. (Bettmann via Getty Images)
That photo shows the second flag that was erected on the mountain. A photo of the first flag that was raised shows a completely different angle and a completely different flag.
As several Marines raised the first flag on Mount Suribachi, Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Lowrey from Leatherneck Magazine captured a photo. However, after that first flag was raised, Japanese forces began to shoot and Lowrey ended up dropping his camera while ducking for cover, according to Military.com.
As Lowrey descended the mountain to get new gear, AP photographer Rosenthal was ascending the mountain.
In response to seeing Japanese forces’ reaction to the flag being erected on the mountain, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Chandler Johnson ordered for a new and larger American flag to be raised, according to the Marines website.
This new flag raising was the moment Rosenthal captured and became one of the most famous photos in American history.
Who raised the Iwo Jima flags?
The service members who raised the first flag on Mount Suribachi were: 1st Lt. Harold G. Schrier, Plt. Sgt. Ernest I. Thomas, Jr., Sgt. Henry O. Hansen, Cpl. Charles W. Lindberg, Pharmacist Mate 2nd Class John H. Bradley and Pvt. Philip L. Ward, according to the Marine Corps website.
Following Iwo Jima, Schrier fought in the Korean War and was promoted to Major in 1951. He would retire from the Marines as a lieutenant colonel, according to the Military Hall of Honor website. He died in 1971 in Florida.
Lindberg said that many did not believe him when he said he helped raise one of the two flags in Iwo Jima, according to a New York Times report.
Lindberg spent his final years raising awareness about the first flag-raising and spoke at veterans groups and schools, The Times said.
He died in June of 2007.
Bradley, who was originally misidentified in the photo of the second (more famous) flag raising, passed away in 1994 and his son, James Bradley, later wrote a book titled “Flags of Our Fathers” in 2000. The book’s storyline centered around the flag-raising in Iwo Jima and the famous photograph that came from it. A movie adaptation of the book directed by Clint Eastwood was released in 2006, according to IMDB.
Controversy surrounded the book after it was found that some of the Marines, including Bradley, in the second flag-raising photograph were misidentified.
The Marine Corps formally recognized the misidentification and in 2016, a corrected list of names for both the first flag-raising and second were released.
Ward was one of the Marines not identified as one of the original men who helped raise the first flag on Mount Suribachi and was part of the amended list of Marines released in 2016.
Ward was posthumously recognized for his part in the battle as he died on Dec. 28, 2005, according to We Are the Mighty.
Thomas and Hansen died in battle.
Those who were responsible for the second flag-raising were: Pfc. Harold Keller, Pfc. Harold Schultz, Cpl. Harlon Block, Pfc. Franklin Sousley, Sgt. Michael Strank and Pfc. Ira Hayes.
In 2019, the Marine Corps, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and historian Brent Westmeyer, revealed that Keller was misidentified as Cop. Rene Gagnon in the famous photograph of the second flag-raising.
Keller survived the war and went back home to Iowa where he lived with his wife Ruby and three children until he died of a heart attack in 1979, according to the Des Moines Register.
Hayes, who was a member of the Pima Indian Tribe, was dubbed a war hero by President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he returned to the U.S.
Hayes struggled with PTSD and survivor’s guilt, according to the Museum of Native American History. He died at the age of 32 near his home in Sacaton, Arizona.
Schultz returned to the U.S. and worked for the Postal Service until his retirement in 1981, according to We Are The Mighty.
He seldomly spoke of his time in the war and only revealed any details to his stepdaughter, Dezreen Macdowell. She would go on to be interviewed by Time Magazine and lauded her stepfather as a war hero.
Schultz died on May 16, 1955.
Block, Strank and Sousley were killed in action in Iwo Jima.
Meet #Google #GeminiAI foolishness.
Woman shoots man in knee outside of Frayser home
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of a home in Frayser overnight.
The incident happened in the 2700 block of Crackelrose Drive. When officers arrived, they found a man outside with a gunshot wound to the knee.
Reports state that the victim and a woman, the mother of his children, had got into a verbal argument over infidelity.
The woman claimed she put his belongings outside for him to pick them up.
When the man arrived, he began talking to the front door camera. He then broke it and used it to smash open a window at the back of the house, police say.
The woman allegedly grabbed a gasoline container and threw it at the man. After he rinsed his eyes with the outside water hose, he entered the home and reportedly began assaulting her.
MPD says the woman was able to get out of the home, but the man followed; she then fired one shot, hitting him in the leg.
A neighbor came out of the home, and the woman urged them to call the police.
The man remains in non-critical condition. No charges have been filed.
NY vs. NRA: Statement by Former BOD Timothy Knight
The verdict in the NY vs. NRA case is due shortly.
Although I believe the case had some political motivations behind it based on the words of the New York Attorney General when she was running for office, I don’t think NRA members should dismiss the grave concerns revealed in what is now several court cases.
I, along with a few other directors, expressed concerns over the misappropriation of funds both internally and then later publicly in 2019.
We recognized who our boss actually was: our fellow members who were faithfully paying their dues.
We did not believe the NRA Board and management were holding to the mission of the Association, nor were they being transparent about expenses. Every NRA Director has a duty to the members, the law, and the NRA’s mission statement. Several of us were dismissed from our committees and accused of disloyalty towards the NRA for raising our financial concerns. Most Board members were too scared to stand up to Wayne and his cronies, especially Marion Hammer. Other Board members were part of the management cabal themselves and had no intention of changing a thing. So, the Board circled their wagons and remained silent. They were unwilling or unable to speak up or divided on where their loyalties lay.
The current NRA Board has failed in its duty to the NRA members, and I think that every single Board member who hasn’t openly spoken up about reform and responsibility should resign immediately.
Our Association deserves bold, honorable, and honest Board members focused on their legal responsibilities and on the members who elected them. No more should they focus on those who can dole out favors, vacations, car rides, consulting fees, and other grafts. We need to stop electing the silent, the complicit, or those who hope to be “trusted remainders” when this all blows over. Board members who are 2nd Amendment heroes, politicians, or captains of industry might once have been effective for our association. They are no longer effective and need to resign as well.
To fix our association, we need a much smaller board with term limits as well as a significant revision of the structure the board operates under. Strict disclosure rules for Board members and management need to be enforced and shared with NRA members during the annual meeting. This information should be disclosed to everyone during the main members’ business meeting, which is open to the public.
I trust the members who make up the association and in the mission statement that should always keep it focused. We need new leadership and a new board now. If both do not change, the slow degradation of our once great association will do more damage to our civil rights, hunting culture, gun safety education, and competitions that we can ill afford. My fellow members, if the court does not grant you the remedy you think is deserved, please stop supporting the do nothing, ne’er do wells, and the faded heroes.
I look forward to the day when the NRA, once again, through hard work and results, regains the trust of millions of law-abiding gun owners. We are stronger when we stand together as hunters, competitors, enthusiasts, advocates, and educators.
Timothy Knight
NRA Board of Directors 2015-2019
A federal judge blocked California's attorney general from enforcing a new law that allows residents, the state and local governments to sue members of the firearms industry that manufacture or sell ‘abnormally dangerous’ guns https://t.co/8m7l56rwLq pic.twitter.com/y8R92xgbiK
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 22, 2024
February 22, 2024
Did about 200 rounds each pistol and rifle today working on Designated Target.
This is great for exposing vision issues in transition, grip durability, and keeping tension out of the upper body. pic.twitter.com/ko5zLPrevm
— Outrider Training Group (@outridertg) February 21, 2024
The Kansas City Category Error
Influential people with anti-gun views often want to “wade into the debate” after a big shooting. They’d have us believe that they are apolitical people who were above or outside of the debate, but because something that happened was so terrible, it merits them taking the highly unusual step and perhaps enduring some personal sacrifice.
But, if you do a quick search, most of the celebrities who act like this have a history of doing it. The truth is, they’re part of the anti-gun movement, they do this after every high-profile shooting and they’ll do it again.
Want some solid proof? Just look at the talking points. If they were a fresh voice entering the debate, they’d bring some fresh ideas with them. But, they say the same thing all of the other celebrities do. So, it makes sense to point out that they’re being disingenuous so that people can see that they’re faking it.
But, after the Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooting, there’s another valuable point to be made: These “I’m not normally political” celebs don’t want to talk about the factual circumstances of the shooting itself.
The fact is, this was a gang shooting, not a mass shooting. While every life lost is a tragedy, we can’t treat all deaths by bullet the same way if we want to productively solve the problem. Laws that might prevent suicide differ from laws that might dissuade criminals and laws that could dissuade a suicidal mass shooter. When we try to “one size fits all” the problem, we don’t arrive at useful conclusions.
Homeowner shoots man during home invasion in Roberta Grove
On February 20th, 2024 at approximately 5:15am the Houma Police Department responded to a shooting in the 300 block of Roberta Grove Blvd.
Upon arrival, officers contacted the homeowner and he advised that he had shot an intruder in his home.
The victim advised that he heard a noise coming from the first floor of his home and he went to investigate. As the victim was going down the stairs, he was confronted by the intruder on the first floor. The victim then discharged his firearm and the suspect fled from the home.
After further investigation, it was determined that the suspect had been injured. The responding officers then canvassed the neighborhood for evidence to locate the suspect. The suspect was identified as Dex Hebert, 34 years old, and officers then started searching the area for him. A location was obtained for Hebert in the 1200 block of Gibb Street and officers went to that location to apprehend him. As officers were attempting to make contact with Hebert, a female identified as Tye Corbitt, 26 years old, exited the home armed with a handgun. Corbitt was quickly taken into custody without incident, and she advised that Hebert was in the home lying on the sofa suffering from a gunshot to the head. A team of officers entered the home but initially were unable to locate the suspect. Several announcements were made warning the suspect that a K9 would be released with no response. K9 Mario was then released into the home where he was able to locate the suspect hiding under a mattress and allow for officers to take him into custody without incident.
Hebert was found to have been shot in the forehead and was transported to a local medical facility for his injuries. Upon arrival at the hospital, it was determined that all his injuries were superficial and was released after treatment.
Dex Hebert was charged with one count of Simple Burglary, and an outstanding warrant for Probation Violation.
Tye Corbitt was also found to be involved in the burglary as she was charged with Simple Burglary, Obstruction of Justice and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
Katie Daviscourt
I’ll never forget the FBI calling me into their office in Seattle in 2020.
They were looking for footage of a suspect I had taken during one of the many riots. That’s when I asked them about Antifa.
The FBI agent told me Antifa was NOT a cause of concern, nor were they a terror group.
That’s when I lost all respect for the agency and refused to take any further calls.
I watched Antifa assault police, press, and innocent bystanders, as well as burn Seattle and Portland to the ground for nine months.
All without repercussions.
Imagine if a conservative did this?
Robbery victim shoots suspect, teen charged with murder
ST. LOUIS – A 17-year-old has been charged with murder for an attempted robbery that resulted in the shooting death of one of his associates.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s probable cause statement, the shooting happened around 4 p.m. on Sept. 27, 2023, in the 2600 block of Osage Street, located in the Dutchtown neighborhood.
Police claim four teenagers attempted to rob a man in his 30s, but the would-be victim took out a gun and traded gunfire with the teens. One of the robbers, identified as Jerimiah Grayer, was shot in the head and killed. The man suffered an unspecified gunshot wound and had to be taken to the hospital.
The other three teens were arrested. One of them, Jonathan M. Jones, 17, was certified to stand trial as an adult.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Jones with second-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery, and two counts of armed criminal action. Jones will remain jailed without bond pending trial.
It’s unclear if the other teens will be tried as adults or go through the juvenile court system.