Ranking Redux

Everytown for Gun Safety is rank. And by that, we mean their state gun control law ranking system is rank(ed at the top of the silliness scale).

Takeaways

Everytown’s state law ranking system:

  • Is arbitrary, lacking any criminological basis.
  • Shows very little gun violence variability between states based on their gun laws.
  • Omits the most violent district, which has stringent gun laws.
  • Includes suicides, which are inappropriate in such an analysis.

Echoing the Brady Campaign

The moribund Brady Campaign (or whatever they are calling themselves this week) used to produce a state gun law scorecard every year. It was, in a word, a gun control wish list and nothing more. We keep their last scorecard criteria to reference their arbitrary scoring system for reference and a few laughs (whichever laws they were promoting that year tended get a higher score).

 

Brady Campaign State Scorecard vs Violent Crime Rates

click for larger, sharable version
 

Everytown Gun Law Ranking and Homicide Rates

click for larger, sharable version

We would dutifully produce a scatter diagram each year showing the utter lack of correlation between the Brady Campaign scorecard and any variety of crime.

The Brady Campaign quit producing their scorecard some time after we demonstrated that the states with “strongest” and most “lax” gun laws had identical rates of violent crime (in this last chart we made, blue California on the left and red Arizona on the right).

With the Brady Campaign largely forgotten, Everytown for Gun Safety picked up the slack and started producing their own “ranking” system

Same game, new player.

Blighted Everytown

The headline element of note is that Everytown’s ranking system doesn’t actually prove their point. Quite the opposite.

Here we took their ranking and graphed it against both gun homicides and all modes of homicides. Though the slope of the line does rise as Everytown’s arbitrary rankings drop (left-to-right, “strongest” to most “lax”) the rise is minuscule.

More importantly, the vertical scattering of points shows high volatility all the way from California to Mississippi. For the statistics junkies, that’s an R2 of 0.02 for gun homicides, which basically means no correlation between Everytown’s gun law rankings and actual gun violence.

Let’s list some of the “research” sins Everytown committed:

  • They omitted Washington, DC, which year in and year out is the murder capital as well as of the nation. The District also has stringent gun control laws, so this omission is blatant data rigging.
  • In their analysis, Everytown included suicides. We have shown, using a more appropriate international scale, that there is no correlation between gun availability and suicide rates. This is because the probability of someone wanting to commit suicide is based instead on external factors and cultural attitudes about suicide.

Let’s score their scorecard:

  • No criminology basis.
  • Excludes important datapoint.
  • Includes inappropriate data.
  • Composed via an arbitrary wish list.

In short, meaningless equine effluvium.

Everytown Dumbs Things Down

We expect advocacy groups (Everytown, NRA… doesn’t matter) to promote their causes. But to present the public with wantonly dubious and disastrously constructed “research” only helps to destroy their own brand and weaken their mission.

 

 

Shooting at Bingo Paradise: Citizens hold alleged suspect at gunpoint

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — A Pensacola man was charged with aggravated battery and aggravated assault after he allegedly shot at two women who were asking for jumper cables Wednesday night on Mobile Hwy., according to Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies.

Lee David Wilkerson, 38, was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, firing a weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, a weapon offense and trafficking amphetamine.

As deputies arrived at the business, deputies saw a white male, wearing a gray jacket and blue jeans lying on the floor with two unknown citizens holding him at gun point. Deputies said several customers inside the business began screaming and pointing at the white male on the ground saying, “He is the one who was shooting.”

Deputies said they detained Wilkerson and found a large baggie containing a crystallized rock substance and a fixed blade knife. Deputies said the crystallized rock substance tested positive for methamphetamine.

Deputies said they spoke with a victim who said Wilkerson had shot at her and her friend. The victim said she went to the business to get jumper cables from her mother who was playing bingo inside. She said she saw Wilkerson and another female standing outside of the business. According to the arrest report, the victim asked Wilkerson if they could go inside and tell the victim’s mother her daughter was here to get the jumper cables. The victim said Wilkerson told her, “no.”

According to the arrest report, the victim and her friend began to walk inside to get her mother, at which time Wilkerson and the other female began “acting strange.” The victim said at that time the woman started attacking her. The victim said that is when Wilkerson removed a small handgun from his right side, took the firearm and hit her in the left side of her head. One of the victim’s said Wilkerson then pointed the firearm at her and the other victim and began shooting towards them. According to the arrest report, one of the victims ran inside the business and the other went back to her vehicle and left the business. According to the victim inside the business, she heard more shots being fired as she entered the business.

Deputies said they spoke with a witness who was inside the business calling out bingo numbers. The witness said he heard a commotion outside, at which time he turned around and saw Wilkerson pull a firearm from his pants and begin shooting. The witness said he told everyone in the building to get on the ground. According to the arrest report, two minutes later, Wilkerson came into the business and then two citizens pulled concealed weapons and held Wilkerson at gun point until deputies arrived.

During the investigation, other deputies on scene discovered “numerous” .380 caliber shell casings in the parking lot and near the front entrance to the business. Deputies said a firearm was located in the dumpster where Wilkerson said he threw the gun.

Wilkerson was transported to Escambia County Jail, where he was booked on a $156,000 bond.

Today, January 6

1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan council meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eventually lead to the Norman conquest of England.

1492 – Ferdinand and Isabella enter Granada at the end of the Granada War and conclusion of the Reconquista of the Iberian peninsula.

1838 – Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse demonstrate a telegraph system using dots and dashes – a forerunner of the ‘Morse Code’ –  to indicate letters of the alphabet.

1847 – Samuel Colt obtains his first contract for the sale of revolver pistols to the U.S government.

1893 –The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation receives a charter from Congress to construct the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral.

1907 – Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome, Italy.

1912 – New Mexico is admitted to the Union as the 47th state.

1930 – Clessie Cummins arrives at the National Automobile Show in New York City, driving a car powered by one of his diesel engines

1947 – Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to offer an around the world ticket.

1960 – National Airlines Flight 2511, a Douglas DC-6, is destroyed in mid-air by a bomb, while en route from New York City to Miami, killing all 34 passengers and crew aboard.

1994 – American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is attacked and injured by an assailant hired by her rival Tonya Harding’s ex-husband during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships

2005 – A collision between 2 Norfolk Southern trains, near the Avondale Mills textile plant in Graniteville, South Carolina, releases about 60 tons of chlorine gas, killing 9 people and injuring over 250 more who were exposed to the poisonous gas.

2017 – 5 people are killed and 6 others injured in a mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida.

2021 – A group numbering in the multiple thousands protesting the count of the Electoral College vote, demonstrates on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol with some entering into the building resulting in the evacuation of Congressional members.

Carjacker killed when victim accelerates, slams into L track support beam in the Loop

Kinda hard on the car

Chicago — A carjacker was killed in the Loop on Thursday evening when the victim fought back, accelerated her car, and slammed into a beam that supports the L tracks, Chicago police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified the deceased man as 18-year-old Elijah Treadwell of Uptown.

Treadwell and a 16-year-old female accomplice entered an Infiniti FX35 in the 100 block of East Lake and tried to carjack a woman around 5:42 p.m., officials said. A struggle ensued, and the victim’s car accelerated into the L support column near Wabash Avenue, trapping the victim and both offenders inside, police said.

Chicago Fire Department workers extracted everyone and took them to hospitals. Treadwell was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The female and the victim have both been stabilized, according to the fire department.

Chicago Critter posted close-up video of the wreckage as crews were preparing to tow it away:

 

In other words, since it’s a Bloomberg funded Front group, keeping the money coming in is job 1.

After midterm defeat, Iowa anti-gunners demand waiting periods

Back in November, Iowa voters sent a strong message of support for the right to keep and bear arms by enshrining it into the state constitution in overwhelming numbers. Not only does the amendment explicitly protect gun ownership, it instructs courts in the state to view any gun control laws through a “strict scrutiny” lens; a measure that requires regulations to be narrowly tailored to achieve a governmental interest.

Activists with the Iowa chapter of March For Our Lives say the new amendment has had an impact on their legislative agenda this year, but they’ve settled on a few restrictions that they believe can pass constitutional muster.

“Strict scrutiny will endanger any hopes of introducing common-sense gun policy in the state of Iowa,” [Waverly] Zhao said. “Additionally, the vague and overbroad wording of the legislation leaves the definitions of terms like ‘arms’ and ‘restrictions’ up to broad interpretations, which may serve to undermine the few current gun regulation policies in Iowa.”

But the gun safety advocates said there are still measures state legislators can pass they argue could help stop gun violence in Iowa. In its 2023 legislative agenda, March for Our Lives recommended Iowa legislators pass a mandatory three-day waiting period, universal background checks and mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms.

The strict scrutiny amendment language was approved by almost 2/3rds of the state’s voters, so Zhao should consider the possibility that those “common sense” policies she wants to see in place don’t make much sense to most of her neighbors. That’s the real roadblock to the type of anti-gun policies that MFOL wants to put in place; the will of the people. The new constitutional amendment is simply an expression of that will, as is their opposition to any new measures that try to criminalize lawful gun ownership or burden the lawful exercise of that right in any way.

Esha Bolar, an 18-year-old high school senior from Johnston and co-state director for the advocacy group, said March for Our Lives had to take a step back from some of its more “ambitious” policy goals, like police demilitarization, given the new amendment and conservative majorities in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature.

“Now I don’t think that’s possible, amongst a lot of other kinds of gun violence prevention policy that we’ve researched in the past,” Bolar said. “But we know that with these three priorities we can see some kind of change happening.”

Bolar said she believes all three of the recommended policies will be able to hold up to any strict scrutiny challenges. Other states have implemented a three-day waiting period and universal background checks for acquiring firearms, which have survived court challenges finding they did not violate Second Amendment rights from the U.S. Constitution. However, new state constitutional amendment offers protections beyond the Second Amendment, which does not hold laws to the strict scrutiny test.

Let’s say for the sake of argument that the courts would uphold each and every one of MFOL’s legislative goals for the year. That doesn’t make them any more likely to be enacted into law. Forget strict scrutiny for a second; these ideas don’t pass the smell test for most Iowans or their elected representatives.

Any attempt to restrict the rights of law-abiding residents, or to try to make the state a safer place by criminalizing a constitutionally-protected right isn’t likely to make it out of committee in Iowa. These young anti-civil rights activists may be hoping to put some new infringements in place, but they’re in for a long wait… period.

New York AG’s Emergency SCOTUS Bid to Preserve Concealed Carry Law Could Mark Showdown Between Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh

New York State Attorney General Letitia James (D) asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to keep its new Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) in effect while a lawsuit works its way through the courts. The emergency filing marks the justices’ first chance to decide a major Second Amendment dispute since it ruled last summer in New York State Rifle v. Bruen.

The 2022 statute was the result of the state legislature’s emergency session which immediately followed the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bruen. The case had been a successful challenge to New York’s century-old handgun licensing regime. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the Court’s opinion that the statute was an unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment that unduly interfered with New Yorkers’ “special need for self-defense.”

Thomas also noted in his opinion that gun laws must be “consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”

New York’s legislative response to the Bruen ruling made it a felony to possess a gun in “sensitive areas” — such as museums, stadiums, public transit systems, parks, Times Square and houses of worship — as well as “restricted areas,” such as private property. The CCIA also added training requirements for concealed-carry permits, as well as a mandated written exam, in-person screening, and a review of social media accounts to ensure a licensee’s “good moral character” before licensing

After it was passed, the CCIA came under immediate attack by gun activists in multiple lawsuits.

In one such case, U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, a George W. Bush appointee, temporarily blocked the “sensitive places” and “good moral character” portions of the law on the grounds that analogous regulations did not exist in the 18th and 19th century. James successfully appealed that ruling.

A three-judge panel of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit next ruled unanimously to stay Suddaby’s order pending the outcome of New York’s appeal and ordered expedited consideration of the case with a Jan. 9, 2023, deadline for briefs.

The panel, which consisted of Circuit Judges Robert D. Sack, a Bill Clinton appointee; Richard C. Wesley, a George W. Bush appointee; and Joseph F. Bianco, a Donald Trump appointee, is the same trio that stayed another district court order in a separate challenge to the CCIA in December.

The gun owners responded with an emergency petition to the Supreme Court on Dec. 21, 2022, in which they asked the justices to keep the district court ruling in effect while the underlying challenge to the CCIA works its way through the appeal.

In a 43-page responsive brief, James urges the justices to refrain from taking the “extraordinary step” of vacating a circuit court order. In particular, James pointed to the timing of the question before the high court.

“This Court ordinarily awaits percolation of legal issues in the lower courts before granting review and would benefit from such percolation here,” the AG’s brief states.

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ARE YOU PREPARED?
BE READY FOR THESE FIVE CATEGORIES

Where’s the danger? Those who carry a weapon in public are constantly asking this question. We’re always in what Jeff Cooper popularized as Condition Yellow. No threat has been recognized, but we’re actively alert for anything that might come up. Once a potential threat has been identified, we move to Condition Orange and begin planning for an attack. We evaluate the threat, the availability of cover and concealment, look for other threats and evaluate the overall environment in case we need to use lethal force. Condition Orange is a critical stage because you’ve identified the threat and must prepare. I propose some threats are already known to us, but most are not adequately prepared to respond.

Threats come in many forms. We can’t always know where they will come from. When we do, however, we’re always better off if we have already prepared rather than waiting until it is staring us in the eyes. A prepared response is always better than an improvised one. This is especially true when the threat is deadly. Massad Ayoob has an oft-repeated phrase for this: “Know where the threats are most likely to come from and have a proven strategy prepared to counter it.” You can’t prepare for everything, so you’ve got to prioritize.

Learning the most common instances where lethal force was used can give you valuable information about where your focus should be. I was listening to the Armed Attorneys (YouTube) discussing this recently. According to them, civilian uses of force cases (as opposed to law enforcement) overwhelmingly come in five categories:

 

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Central Texas homeowner shoots home intruder

BOSQUE COUNTY, Texas (KWTX) – William Strauser, of Valley Mills, was booked into the Bosque County Jail on charges of attempted burglary of a habitation, criminal mischief, and criminal trespass after Strauser was shot by a local homeowner, Sheriff Trace Hendricks said.

At approximately 6:50 p.m. on Jan. 3, Bosque County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call from a resident on County Road 3505 regarding an attempted burglary resulting in the homeowner shooting the alleged intruder.

The deputies who arrived at the residence found a man lying on the sidewalk in front of the residence with the homeowner holding the suspect at gunpoint.

The home owner was disarmed and deputies rendered first aid to the suspect, who was suffering from a gunshot wound in the upper region of his right leg.

The homeowner told the deputies the intruder rammed his vehicle through the locked gate, accessed the property, approached the residence’s front door, and “aggressively” attempted to break into the residence.

“Evidence at the scene supports this statement. The intruder was transported by ambulance to Hillcrest ER where he was treated for the gunshot wound and released,” the sheriff said. “Once released medically, deputies took the suspect into custody.”

Deputies confirmed the “parties involved were known to each other and that this was not a random burglary attempt.”

Today, January 5

1781 – During the Revolutionary War, Richmond, Virginia is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold.

1914 – The Ford Motor Company announces an 8 hour workday and minimum daily wage of $5 in salary plus bonuses.

1919 – The Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (German Workers Party) the predecessor to the NAZIs – (National Socialist German Workers Party) is founded in Munich.

1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.

1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.

1957 – During a “Special Message to the Congress on the Situation in the Middle East”, President Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine where any Middle Eastern country could request American economic assistance or aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression

1991 – Due to the outbreak of the Somali Civil War, the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu is evacuated by helicopter airlift.

2005 – The dwarf planet Eris is discovered by astronomers at the Palomar Observatory in California, later motivating the International Astronomical Union  to define the term ‘planet’ for the first time.

What the Media Can’t – Or Won’t – Tell Us About Armed Self Defense.

Don’t confuse the news with the truth. The corporate news media is in the business of delivering eyes and ears to their advertisers. That is how they earn their money. The assignment editors, reporters and the copyeditors are not against honesty and proportion, but cash comes first. That means they are biased in their reporting. They must ignore the common but important stories in order to leave room for the shock and outrage that keeps us watching and listening. I study armed defense. Ordinary citizens like us defend ourselves, our family, and innocent strangers every day. You wouldn’t know that from watching the news. This is why the corporate media does such a bad job of reporting.

To be fair, we have our own biases. Most of us think that armed defense looks like something from a John Wick movie or from the Matrix. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I have to describe what ordinary people do because most of us are not even familiar with the terms.

John Wick

Armed defense is when the intended victim of a violent crime uses a firearm to deter or stop the criminal.

That includes something as simple as grandma shouting for an intruder to go away because she has a gun and that she called the police. The police might not classify it as a defensive gun use, but grandma thinks it was. She thinks the home-invasion robber changed his plans because she had her firearm. The criminal thinks grandma’s gun was important too.

Armed defense is when an armed mom is crossing the parking lot late at night. She tells her kids to get back in the car, she turns toward three young men, and puts her her hand into her purse. She yells “Stop!” and the three young men change direction. They get back into their car and drive away.

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Walter Cunningham, last surviving Apollo 7 astronaut, dies at 90.

Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from NASA’s famed Apollo 7 mission, died early Tuesday in Houston at age 90, officials said.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson confirmed Cunningham’s death in a statement. He described the late astronaut as having paved the way for future U.S. space travel as one of three members on Apollo 7, the first successful crewed space flight of NASA’s Apollo program.

“Walter Cunningham was a fighter pilot, physicist and an entrepreneur — but above all, he was an explorer,” Nelson said. “NASA will always remember his contributions to our nation’s space program and sends our condolences to the Cunningham family.”

Cunningham, along with Donn Eisele and Walter “Wally” Schirra, was aboard the 11-day Apollo 7 mission that launched on Oct. 11, 1968.

That the children are apparently purposefully deluded by their instructors and not taught that SCOTUS took care of this in 2008 in Heller, simply shows that it’s not teaching, but indoctrination

Also, JIC:

The meaning of the phrase “well-regulated” in the 2nd amendment

Anti-gun op-ed by student hardly the gotcha she thinks it is

Every now and then, we see some person who thinks they’re clever, only to trot out a tired, debunked argument that they’re sure is a “gotcha” moment.

That’s especially true with anti-gun arguments, of course.

I recently came across an op-ed written by a Los Angeles high school student that treads a particularly tired argument.

Titled, “Opinion: The 2nd Amendment requires gun regulation,” you already know it’s going to be good.

How can we decrease gun violence?

According to the 2nd Amendment, since “[a] well regulated Militia [is]…necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Although people have the right to bear arms for their own protection as stated in the Constitution, the Second Amendment also clearly states that this is based on the need for a “well regulated Militia”, not based on random people being able to have guns.

This can be interpreted to mean that no one except for law enforcement should have more than a number of guns or ammunition, because the right to bear arms is for a “well regulated Militia”. People do not need 10 guns to protect themselves from danger, and they certainly won’t need a gun that can shoot 600 bullets per minute either, like the AK-47 as detailed in Britannica.

If we limit a certain amount of guns per person, making sure that gun owners are “well regulated”, then the chance of a mass shooting will be less likely as a gun owner could only own a specific amount of guns and also have “regulated” ways to use them.

I’m sure the author and her teachers are very proud of her for this argument. Too bad it’s an anti-gun argument debunked ages ago by people far better versed in constitutional law than she is.

First, the phrase “well-regulated” means “properly functioning.”

Second, the militia refers to the whole body of free people who can be called upon to defend our nation. While many argue that this means the National Guard today, if you take a look at the Militia Act, you’ll see the unorganized militia is still people within a given age range who aren’t currently serving in the military or eligible for call-up.

Further, the young author here is illustrating just how poor the American educational system actually is, because she clearly didn’t grasp the totality of the Second Amendment.

See, she’s doing what many anti-gunners do, which is focus on the militia clause. Yet the rest of the amendment read, “the people’s right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

“[S]hall not be infringed.” That part alone debunks the entire premise on which the author based her work. It doesn’t say the right to keep and bear arms shall only be for militia purposes. It explicitly states that it shall not be interfered with by lawmakers.

I don’t blame her, though. I blame her teachers.

It seems no one adequately educated her about the context surrounding the Second Amendment. She likely was never taught about our Founding Fathers’ innate distrust of standing armies, or how they believed any government had the potential to become tyrannical unless held in check by the citizenry.

They never taught her how the Bill of Rights came to be, how many of the amendments were a direct response to actions carried out by the British, and how the Founding Fathers wanted to make sure their new nation wouldn’t go down that same road.

That includes removing arms from law-abiding citizens.

“But you don’t need 10 guns,” she argues, yet the Second Amendment doesn’t call for such anti-gun regulation as she claims. It explicitly precludes any such regulation by saying our right shall not be infringed.

It seems clear that this young woman hasn’t been taught by her teachers. Not about history and likely not even how to think for herself.

Homeowner shoots, kills burglar breaking into Lady Lake home

LADY LAKE, Fla. — Lake County deputies said a man is dead after he was shot while breaking into a home in Lady Lake.

Deputies said they were called to a home on Lakeview Street around 5:30 p.m. Monday for reports of a home invasion.

Officials said Ryan Michael Baldasare, 35, had broken into a home through a window and was shot by someone inside.

Baldasare was pronounced dead at the scene as deputies investigated the shooting.

Lake County deputies said that based on the evidence gathered so far, the incident appears to be a case of self-defense and the victim is cooperating with detectives.

Elderly man, homeowner shoots and kills 22-year-old during home invasion, armed robbery attempt

TOWN OF ELDERON, Wis. (WAOW) — A 22-year-old man is dead after it is believed he followed a 79-year-old man home from a local establishment in an armed robbery and home invasion attempt early Tuesday morning in Elderon, according to the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched at approximately 2:37 am to a residence in the Town of Elderon for a report of a man who was assaulted and stabbed in the face as he exited his vehicle in his garage, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The release also stated:

The (elderly) man was in possession of a firearm and fired one round that struck the (22-year-old) suspect prior to the firearm being wrestled away from him. The suspect suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and died while fleeing the scene. The suspect’s identity is being withheld pending family notification.

The 79-year-old man sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is recovering at a local hospital.

Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, no further information can be released at this time. The Sheriff’s Office will provide updates as additional information is available.

Will Phobias About AR-15s Keep Schools From Adopting This Innovative Product?

Time is of the essence in mass public shootings. Civilians and police stop a lot of mass murders by carrying handguns, but sometimes you need a larger round than is available in a traditional handgun. It often simply isn’t practical to carry around a rifle. And school staff might not have time to run to a locker to retrieve the needed gun.

Andrew Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter, Meadow, died in the 2018 Parkland school mass murder that left 17 people dead, is fighting to give school districts the tools they need. Byrna, a company that makes innovative self-defense tools, has donated eight backpacks containing collapsible AR-15s to Pollack’s “Meadows Movement” nonprofit. These guns fire .223 caliber rifle rounds and are more powerful than traditional handguns.

On January 4th, Pollack will give the backpacks to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office for use by school resource officers (SROs) and Will Hartley, superintendent of Bradford County Schools.

“The folding rifle is easy to carry throughout the day for a school resource officer inside the bulletproof backpack,” Pollack said. “The seconds to get minutes lost retrieving a rifle from a locker vs. pulling the bulletproof backpack into a vest and having the rifle on hand equates to the number of lives that could have been saved.”

The school superintendent echoes his comments. “I wish more people could have it,” Hartley notes. “Because if someone comes on your campus and they have a long gun, we need to be able to meet their force with the same kind of force.”

Bradford County Schools is smart enough to have multiple layers of protection. Even when school resource officers are in the right place at the right time, they have a tough job. Uniformed guards may as well be holding neon signs saying, “Shoot me first.” Attackers know that once they kill the sheriff’s deputy, they have free rein to go after everybody else.

To prevent that, the Bradford County schools are part of Florida’s Guardian Program. As in nineteen other states, teachers and staff are trained to use guns to protect people. But their guns are concealed. Permit holders make guards’ very difficult job easier. If an attacker tries to kill a school resource officer, he reveals his position and makes himself a target to someone with a concealed handgun. As with concealed handgun permit holders generally, the whole point is that the attacker doesn’t know who else he needs to worry about.

Instead of a sign in front of these schools saying “Gun Free School Zone,” they are replaced with signs warning: “Please be aware that certain staff members at Bradford County Schools can be legally armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students.”

But, unfortunately, there are plenty of schools around the country that haven’t learned the lessons that Bradford County has. And these backpacks, with their built-in bullet-resistant vests and ARs will help protect school resource officers from surprise attacks from behind them and will give them more potent firepower if they get into a firefight with attackers. In literally just a couple of seconds, the bullet-resistant vest can also be put on their front side.

Technically these guns are called AR-pistols rather than AR-15s, but the difference in terms is entirely arbitrary and results from nonsensical government regulations on how to define a rifle. Instead of a stock, an AR-15 pistol usually has a tube, but the two guns are functionally identical.

Pollack so believes in Byrna’s products that he is now their chief public safety officer.

It will be a shame if school districts’ phobias about AR-15s prevent them from taking advantage of this innovative product.

Today, January 4

1581 – Irish archbishop and historian James Ussher is born in Dublin

1896 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state

1903 – Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison Film Company makes a movie of it.

1987 – The Amtrak 94 Colonial, en route to Boston from Washington, D.C., collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, killing 2 crew members, 14 passengers and injuring over 600 more.

1989 – 2 Libyan MiG-23 “Floggers” are shot down by US Navy F-14 Tomcats over the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea

2002 – U.S. Army Sergeant Nathan Ross Chapman is the first service member killed in action in Afghanistan.

2004 – The NASA Mars rover Spirit, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC

2007 – The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House

2010 – The 163 story Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world at 2,722 feet, officially opens in Dubai.

 

Guns don’t cause homicides. The real problem is everyone’s bubble of personal privacy

IT’S NOT THE GUNS

The “guns cause killings” idea is bogus. (Dec. 1, 8A, “Guns, not mental health issues, cause US mass shootings”) There are more guns than people in America.
If guns cause violence, then the annual homicide rate should be more than 1 million killed, with hundreds of thousands wounded. The streets of every city, town and village should be running red with blood, and the bodies should be stacked like cord wood in the streets.
Two classes of homicides dominate mass media today: gang warfare killings and mass shootings by lone killers. Gang warfare is concentrated in urban areas. One-on-one homicides are fairly rare and sprinkled across America. Mass shootings are even more uncommon.
Dealing with lone killers would require America to tackle the very tough issue of privacy. In the past 60 years, civil libertarians have invented an impenetrable bubble of privacy around everyone. This makes it difficult or impossible for employers, law enforcement and school officials to do anything before a mass shooting takes place.
A final observation: Every handgun sold to honest, law-abiding citizens is a vote of “no confidence” in government’s ability — or even willingness — to control street crime.
– Brian Bloedel, Accomac, Virginia