Maintenance man, gunman shot after victim fights back during attempted robbery in Waukegan

A maintenance man was shot during an attempted robbery and fought back against the gunman, resulting in the suspect being shot with his own gun, in Waukegan Tuesday.

The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday to Beechwood at the Preserve Apartments in the 3000 block of 8th Street for a report of a shooting.

Officers arrived and learned two people had sustained gunshot wounds.

A 17-year-old boy was found in an apartment with a gunshot wound to his thigh, according to a police report.

An officer applied a tourniquet to the boy’s leg before paramedics arrived.

The second person, a 20-year-old man working maintenance for the apartment building, was found with a gunshot wound to his thigh, the report said.

He was found on the ground by a dumpster behind the apartment building.

An officer provided first aid to the victim before paramedics arrived.

The 20-year-old man told officers that the 17-year-old boy attempted to rob him with a pistol and he fought back, the report said.

The maintenance man was able to gain control of the gun and shot the suspect.

The report said a witness also told investigators the 17-year-old boy was trying to rob the 20-year-old man and the two struggled over the weapon, resulting in the shooting.

Paramedics transported both male subjects to the hospital for treatment.

Officers recovered a gun from the area where the incident occurred and ammunition.

A second gun was recovered from the apartment where the suspect resides.

The incident remains under investigation by the Waukegan Police Department.

November 4

1429 – During the 3rd phase of the Hundred Years War, French forces lead by Jean of Arc liberates the city of Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier from Elglish occupation.

1493 – Christopher Columbus reaches the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico on his second voyage.

1677 – The future Mary II of England marries William, Prince of Orange, later jointly reigning as William and Mary.

1780 – Aymara and Quechua indians, led by Túpac Amaru II revolt against Spanish rule in Peru.

1783 – Wolfgang Mozart’s Symphony No. 36 is performed for the first time in Linz, Austria.

1791 – The Western Confederacy of American Indians, led by Chiefs Little Turtle of the Miami, Blue Jacket of the Shawnee, and Buckongahelas of the Delaware, wins a major victory over U.S forces led by General Arthur St. Clair, in the Battle of the Wabash, near Fort Recovery, Ohio

1847 – Sir James Young Simpson, a Scottish physician, discovers the anesthetic properties of chloroform.

1864 – Confederate troops bombard a Union supply base at Johnsonville, Tennessee, destroying millions of dollars of war materiel.

1918 – During World War I, Italy and Austria-Hungary sign an armistice.

1922 –British archaeologist Howard Carter and his men find the entrance to Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt

1924 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female elected as governor in the United States.

1939 – President Roosevelt orders the United States Customs Service to implement the Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing cash and carry purchases of weapons by belligerents.

1942 – During the Africa campaign of World War II: General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel disobeys a direct order by Adolf Hitler and begins a retreat of his forces after being defeated at El Alamein.

1952 – The United States government establishes the National Security Agency, or NSA.

1962 – The United States concludes Operation Fishbowl, its final above-ground series of high-altitude nuclear weapons tests, before the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty goes into effect

1979 – A group of purported Iranian college students overruns the U.S. embassy in Tehran and take 90 hostages.

1980 – Ronald Reagan is elected the 40th President of The United States

1995 – Israel prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by an extremist Israeli.

2008 – Barack Hussein Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States.

An America Without Gun Rights Would Look Like Mexico, Not Australia

Every mass shooting inevitably leads those on the left to call for a ban on “assault weapons,” and this time is no different. Thus begins the barrage of calls for “sensible gun laws” on social media, from network pundits, and via Vice President Kamala Harris herself, using Australia or New Zealand as the models. These unarmed countries, they tell us, prove you can strip citizens of their ability to own firearms and live in a nonviolent utopia. Is that the likely outcome of such a ban in America?

Thought experiment, leaving aside the issue of a right enshrined in the Constitution: If Americans allow their firearms to be outlawed and then confiscated, would we in fact, become like Australia or New Zealand?

If we gave up AR-15s and then a mass shooting took place where a semi-automatic handgun was used, opponents of gun rights would take those too — the same with a shooter with a hunting rifle, then a shooter with a shotgun, and on and on. We know where this leads. It can’t end with “military style” firearms. A confiscation of AR-15s would eventually lead to a complete ban on almost every gun. How long would that take? Five years, 10 years? It wouldn’t take very long once the ball is rolling and mass shooters move to handguns and shotguns, which would quickly be banned as the public’s demand for “safety” would be too much for politicians to stand against.

Cut to a Republican senator being interviewed on CNN the day after a mass shooting where a 9mm handgun was used: Senator, just a few months ago you voted to ban AR-15s because scores of children were killed in a school shooting. Today, with more dead children, you won’t support the banning of semi-automatic handguns? How can you tell those parents why the shooter was able to legally obtain a Glock 19 that, like the AR-15s that you voted to ban, allowed the shooter to fire many rounds and reload in a matter of seconds? What’s the difference, senator? Do those dead children think it was better to be shot by a handgun rather than a long gun? Senator?

That lawmaker would crumble, and so would others. What would we be left with? A technical right to keep and bear arms that practically renders that right meaningless.

How do we know this? We know this because we have seen this before in Mexico.

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FLPD investigating home invasion; 1 suspect shot, 1 still at large

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Fort Lauderdale Police are investigating following reports that multiple suspects forcibly entered a home and physically assaulted a man inside.

According to authorities, the incident occurred just before 12:30 p.m. at the Progreso Point Apartments, located at 619 North Andrews Avenue.

Police said once the unknown suspects entered the home, in an act of self-defense, the victim managed to retrieve a firearm and shoot one of the intruders.

Before the police could arrive at the scene, the suspects fled the area in an unknown vehicle. The victim sustained serious injuries during the attack and was transported to Broward Health Medical Center.

Shortly after, the injured suspect, along with another suspect, arrived at BHMC for medical treatment, with the latter driving the vehicle.

FLPD officers on-site took both suspects into custody. The injured suspect is currently receiving treatment for serious injuries.

However, one suspect remains at large, and police are actively working to locate and apprehend them.

Police said the incident was isolated and not related to an active shooter situation at any point.

That’s because they’re really not ‘Pro-Israel’.

Here We Go: ‘Pro-Israel’ Democrats Start to Waffle on Israel’s Self Defense

In the immediate aftermath of the hell on earth visited upon Israeli civilians by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists, most Democrats in Washington — aside from the predictable fanatical Israel haters and bigots — talked a strong game about Israel’s right to self defense.  Many of us warned that although such statements of solidarity were nice, the real test would lie in the days and weeks ahead.  Once the initial shock of the massacre wore off, and Israel’s military was grinding through a brutal war to destroy Hamas, how long would the support truly last?  Here we are, less than four weeks past the single largest one-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust, and the President of the United States is calling for a temporary “pause” in the IDF’s offensive, supposedly for ‘humanitarian’ reasons.  Not only that, he’s threatening to veto crucial military aid to Israel if it’s not paired with money for Ukraine:

I personally support helping both of these allies in their fights for survival against anti-American enemies, but this is not a time to play games.

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November 3

1493 – On his second voyage to the new world, Christopher Columbus first sights the island of Dominica in the Caribbean.

1534 – English Parliament passes the first Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the Anglican Church.

1783 – The American Continental Army is disbanded.

1868 – John Willis Menard (R-LA) is the first African American elected to Congress. Because of an electoral challenge, he is never seated.

1903 – Panama declares independence and separates from Colombia.

1908 – William H. Taft is elected the 27th President of the United States.

1911 – Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant, a former manager of General Motors, found the Chevrolet Motor Company in Detroit with investors William Little of Little Automobile, and former Buick owner James H. Whiting

1926 – Phoebe ‘Annie Oakley’ Butler dies at Greenville, Ohio, age 66.

1936 – Franklin D. Roosevelt is re-elected President of the United States.

1946 – Written under supervision of General MacArthur, by occupation officers, the new Constitution of Japan is adopted, ending ‘Imperial Japan’ and reducing the Emperor to a symbolic position

1957 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik with the first animal to enter orbit, a dog named Laika.

1964 – Lyndon B. Johnson is elected to a full term as President of the United States.

1973 – NASA launches the Mariner 10 toward Mercury. On March 29, 1974, it becomes the first space probe to reach that planet.

1978 – Dominica gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

1986 – The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reports that the United States government has been secretly selling weapons to Iran in order to secure the release of seven American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon and secretly finance the Nicaraguan Contra rebels.

1992 – Arkansas Governor William J. Clinton is elected the 42nd President of the United States.

2014 – One World Trade Center officially opens as the replacement for the World Trade Center Twin Towers

2020 – The United States presidential election takes place, but not until 5 days later is Joe Biden declared to be the winner.

One Dead After Pre-Teens Allegedly Attempted To Carjack Off-Duty Cop Waiting For Shift In DC

A 12-year-old child was arrested and charged in connection with an attempted carjacking that led to the death of a 13-year-old boy.

The incident took place around 10 p.m. last Saturday in the 600 block of D Street, NW, according to the news release by Metropolitan Police in Washington, D.C. The young perpetrators, aged 12 and 13, came face to face with an off-duty federal security officer, per Fox News. As the unsuspecting security officer awaited the start of his shift from his vehicle, the pair approached him with alleged ill intentions.

 

The duo demanded that he exit his car. The situation escalated immediately, as one of the assailants placed his hand within his front waistband pocket, simulating the presence of a firearm. Fearing for his safety, the security officer decided to step out of his vehicle.

The officer then drew his weapon to defend himself. The shots that followed wounded the 13-year-old Vernard Toney, Jr. was critically injured. The teen was rushed to a nearby hospital, but despite all efforts, he died, the outlet further added.

The other suspect fled from the scene. However, law enforcement officers caught him with the help of security cameras. Surveillance footage was released by the police department, which played a pivotal part in tracking down the 12-year-old suspect. The alleged pre-teen carjacker was arrested and taken into custody on Tuesday.

If I was Benjamin Netanyahu, I have my spokesman to ‘diplomatically’ tell SloJoe what to do with a cactus.

Biden Shot His Mouth Off About the Israeli Invasion of Gaza…And It’s Not Good

Joe Biden once again mouthed off about the Israeli invasion of Gaza last night. He wants a humanitarian pause, also known as a ceasefire, which is music to Hamas’ ears. Granted, this isn’t new, but it showcased again the administration’s temperamental attitude toward this issue. We vetoed a UN resolution calling for something similar when Israeli air and artillery strikes were becoming more intense. The timing isn’t lost on anyone, either.

Guy wrote about the Israel problem Biden is facing from the Left. And Biden’s “pause” remarks occurred during an event in Minnesota, a state he needs to win next year, which is chock-full of pro-terrorist or terrorist-sympathizing voters (via Fox News):

“President Biden said there should be a “pause” in the Israel-Hamas War to provide humanitarian aid to Gazans and get those trapped in the Gaza Strip released. 

The comment came during a campaign event in Minnesota on Wednesday evening, when a member of the audience shouted: “As a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now.” 

The president — who has not supported a ceasefire since the war began on October 7 — said that he would support a “pause.” 

“I think we need a pause,” Biden began. “A pause means give time to get the prisoners out.” 

In his comments, Biden was exerting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Palestinians a brief reprieve from Israel’s retaliatory military operation. He also said he convinced both Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to allow aid into Gaza. 

Biden later said that he understood the “emotion” over the war and said it is “incredibly complicated for Israelis.” 

“It’s incredibly complicated for the Muslim world as well… I supported a two state solution, I have from the very beginning,” he continued. “The fact is the matter is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. A flat-out terrorist organization.” 

Supreme Court Roundup: Not all History is Created Equal

In a previous post, I wrote about the attempt by Merrick Garland’s Justice Department in United States v. Rahimi, set to be argued before the Supreme Court on November 7, to sidestep the controlling “text and history” interpretative methodology described in District of Columbia v. Heller and in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen. Rahimi is the case challenging the facial constitutionality of 18 U.S.C § 922(g)(8), a federal statute that disarms any individual subject to a state domestic violence restraining order (DVRO). In that post, I explained how the Government is contending, contrary to Bruen, that the established rule is that “Congress may disarm persons who are not ‘law-abiding, responsible citizens.'” That statement is not just incorrect, but a serious distortion of what Heller actually said.

As it turns out, the Government’s recently filed reply brief contains several other important errors about the fundamental principles to be applied when assessing historical analogue laws, which are central to Bruen‘s methodology.  Let’s start with an easy one.  The Government takes Rahimi to task for allegedly asserting that Bruen limits courts to historical evidence from “near the time of ratification.” Here’s what Rahimi’s brief actually said, after discussing attempts by some courts to boost some dicta in Heller to the level of substantive constitutional law:

[T]he original meaning of the Second Amendment must be determined exclusively using the text and the historical tradition of firearm regulations adopted near the time of ratification—not with assumptions or dicta. 

That statement by Rahimi was contrasting the use of actual historical traditions to determine the meaning of the Second Amendment, as opposed to twenty-first century dicta, or assumptions by lower courts regarding what those dicta meant. It was not an attempt to fine tune the period of time with precision.

Yet Rahimi is correct that the time around the adoption of the Bill of Rights must be the principal period to determine the original public meaning of its provisions.  Bruen quoted Heller to the effect that “Constitutional rights are enshrined with the scope they were understood to have when the people adopted them,” before noting that “The Second Amendment was adopted in 1791….”

The Bruen opinion also quoted approvingly a dissent by then-Judge Kavanaugh: “post-ratification adoption or acceptance of laws that are inconsistent with the original meaning of the constitutional text obviously cannot overcome or alter that text.” The six-person Bruen majority also relied on a dissenting statement by Chief Justice Roberts, in Sprint Communications v. APCC Services (2008), that “The belated innovations of the mid- to late-19th-century courts come too late to provide insight into the meaning of [the Constitution in 1787].” The same is true of the Bill of Rights, adopted in 1791.

The Government claims in its brief that “the Court has consulted post-ratification evidence—extending ‘through the end of the 19th century’—’to determine the public understanding of’ the Amendment.” But as Bruen notes, another case made clear that this evidence was reviewed “only after surveying what [the Court] regarded as a wealth of authority for its reading—including the text of the Second Amendment and state constitutions.” Bruen continues, “In other words, this 19th-century evidence was ‘treated as mere confirmation of what the Court thought had already been established.'” See also Justice Barrett’s concurrence in Bruen, quoting Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue (2020) (a practice that “arose in the second half of the 19th century … cannot by itself establish an early American tradition” informing our understanding of the First Amendment); Mark W. Smith, Attention Originalists: The Second Amendment Was Adopted in 1791, not 1868, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy Per Curiam (Fall 2022).

So Rahimi is right.  A court must look principally to the Founding era to determine the meaning of the Second Amendment.  It can look at later evidence only for confirmation, not to change the original understanding.

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The New York Times Asks Why ‘Fiery’ Iran Hasn’t Killed All the Jews Yet

Congratulations, New York Times! Bravo! It has taken 90 years, but you may have finally outdone your support for Joseph Stalin and his Ukrainian genocide. Maybe this coverage will get you another Pulitzer Prize you’ll never give back. The Columbia Journalism Review may have to create a new award for “Best Support of 21st Century Genocide.” The Politi”fact” frauds in Florida will be forced to find a whole new way to offer “context” for this one. And anti-Semites, from those still hiding in caves to Qatar’s terrorist financiers to the nation’s Ivy League faculty lounge nests of Jew haters, will applaud your efforts. 

On Wednesday, the New York Times editors asked a question posed by so many Islamo-supremicists over the millennia: Why haven’t they killed all those Jews? 

What an excellent question. Indeed, the newspaper posed it as a long-time “dilemma” for the biggest state sponsor of terrorism. 

The story was written by Times reporter and UN bureau chief Farnaz Fassihi, an Iranian-American writer who has reported not just for the Times but also for the Wall Street Journal. Fassihi posed the “dilemma” facing the Shiite terror regime in the piece, entitled “After Years of Vowing to Destroy Israel, Iran Faces a Dilemma.” It was subtitled, “With Israel bent on crushing Iran’s ally Hamas, Tehran must decide whether it and the proxy militias it arms and trains will live up to its fiery rhetoric.”

Sheesh, and we thought the biggest dilemma from recent events was trying to determine the identities of all those people who were burned, raped, beheaded, and shot before their remains were cast to the demon birds on October 7. 

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