Anti-gunners Quiet as Armed Citizens Protect Businesses, Communities

These armed citizens showed up to provide security to a store in Minneapolis during the disturbances over the death of Gerald Floyd. (Screen snip, YouTube, The First)

Gun prohibition lobbying groups have been noticeably silent in the wake of reports from around the country that armed citizens are fighting back against rioters and looters exploiting the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, turning out to protect their neighborhoods, and business districts.

When a South Philadelphia gun shop owner fatally shot a man trying to break into his store early Tuesday morning, WCAU News reported it happened “amid heightened looting concerns.”

The fatal shooting might be a warning to a criminal element that has hijacked public demonstrations over the Floyd incident, for which four Minneapolis officers have been fired and one has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Instead of peacefully protesting, criminals and anarchists have looting and pillaging across the map, leaving large metropolitan areas in shambles, if not ashes, and now it appears some good people have had enough and they are visibly arming to fight back.

Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County, Florida stated publicly, “The people in Polk County like guns, they have guns, I encourage them to own guns… And if you try to break into their homes to steal, to set fires, I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns.”

In Lynchburg, Va., armed citizens have been providing volunteer security to a restaurant in their city, according to WSLS.

Out in Washington State, armed citizens have appeared to provide voluntary security to a Bonney Lake gun shop, a commercial district in downtown Snohomish and businesses in Kirkland, located northeast of Seattle. These appearances have not been designed to incite violence, but to deter people intent on committing violent acts. So far, it appears to be working. Credible threats of mob violence in Kirkland and Snohomish haven’t materialized.

Through it all, anti-gun-rights organizations have been remarkably silent. The exception came Monday from anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety, which tried to portray their gun prohibition crusade as a battle against racism.

“The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, and the countless other murders of Black people in the United States that don’t make headlines are beyond heartbreaking,” Everytown’s fund raising message begins.

“For generations, Black and brown communities have been dying at the hands of all forms of racism and white supremacy, and have also been the disproportionate victims of gun violence – including by the police,” the narrative continues. “The racist and senseless murders we’ve seen across the country are horrific and inexcusable, as are the President’s reckless, racist, and incendiary calls for additional violence.

“Our mission to end gun violence is linked to a crisis that is centuries older – systemic racism,” the gun control group’s message contends. “Black lives matter, and we must do everything in our power to dismantle anti-Black racism and white supremacy. We are learning from and listening to Black and brown led organizations across the country. We are supporting organizations – particularly those led by Black people and other people of color – committed to ending gun violence and the impact of racial injustice.

“In solidarity with the organizations leading the fight against racism and white supremacy,” the message declares, “we ask, if you are able, to support groups that are working locally at the intersection of racial justice and gun violence prevention…”

But not a peep about armed citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights to discourage looters and rioters; their silence, some activists suggest, is deafening.

Melissa Denny, owner at Pistol Annie’s Jewelry & Pawn in Bonney Lake, Wash., a community southeast of Tacoma, posted on Facebook that armed volunteers had appeared at her business.

Meanwhile, it appears, no similar volunteer effort has been mounted by the Seattle-based Alliance for Gun Responsibility.

As noted recently by AmmoLand News, Nicholas Murray Butler, once president of Columbia University, observed in 1931, “The vast population of this earth, and indeed nations themselves, may readily be divided into three groups. There are the few who make things happen, the many more who watch things happen, and the overwhelming majority who have no notion of what happens.”

Armed citizens are literally making things happen by preventing things from happening, while the reaction from the gun control lobby has been crickets.

Get Up Off Your Knees
By Michelle Malkin

Dear law-abiding Americans:

You have done nothing wrong.

Being white is not a crime. Being a Trump voter is not a crime. Being a police officer sworn to “protect and serve” every day is not a crime. Being a non-white police officer proud to uphold and enforce law and order is not a crime. Being a black or brown or yellow American who rejects excusing criminal behavior is not a crime.

Rejecting collective guilt is not a crime. Refusing to acknowledge “white privilege” when you were born poor, or in a broken home, or with physical or psychological challenges, is not a crime. Embracing the historic American nation, instead of erasing it, is not a crime.

Enforcing your private property rights is not a crime. Teaching your wife and children to use a gun in self-defense is not a crime. Owning an AR-15 or two is not a crime.

Do not let the media, Hollywood, academics or politicians gaslight you. Stop internalizing lies. Who are the criminals? Who are the heroes? Who are the makers and keepers of peace? Who are the sowers and reapers of hate?

The Proud Boys, who have guarded their communities and country for the past three years, were the lone citizen soldiers in the battle against antifa that no one else on the ground wanted to fight. The group and its leader, Gavin McInnes, have suffered greatly for trying to stop the violence now raging nationwide. McInnes has been deplatformed everywhere and falsely labeled a “white supremacist.” Scores of Proud Boys of all colors have lost their jobs after being doxxed by antifa vigilantes. Two Proud Boys are in prison, railroaded by New York Democrats, after a Kafkaesque trial in which the cop-hating antifa “victims” who lured the Proud Boys into an October 2018 street brawl refused to press charges or testify.

Their crime? These unapologetic Americans stood on their feet, not on their knees.

Journalists and photographers who documented antifa violence for the past three years, such as Andy Ngo, Chelly Bouferrache and Brandon Brown in Portland, Oregon, have endured physical assaults, death threats and harassment. Many others have gone into hiding and suffer in silence.

Their crime? Exposing antifa anarchy, standing eye to eye against their assailants, on their feet, not on their knees.

Working-class Irish, German and Polish-American men of Fishtown, a northeast Philadelphia suburb, came together this week to prevent their neighborhood from being pillaged and burned in the name of “social justice” like the rest of the City of Brotherly Riots. They banded together outside the 26th police precinct, armed with bats and golf clubs, and faced down Black Lives Matter protesters who were there to taunt and provoke the cops.

Turn off CNN and tune into the facts on the ground. At least 25 Philadelphia cops have been hurt during mob violence this week. It’s an all-out war on the thin blue line. At least 150 cops have been assaulted — four nearly murdered — in New York City as of Tuesday afternoon. Two Buffalo, New York, law enforcement officers were run over late Monday night. In addition, 51 members of the U.S. Park Police were injured; a Cincinnati cop was grazed by a bullet aimed at his head; four St. Louis officers were shot; one retired St. Louis police captain was killed; a Las Vegas Metro cop was shot; and a federal officer was shot and killed in Oakland — all in the name of peace, tolerance and reparations.

Yet, against this bloody and retributive backdrop, Democratic leaders in Philadelphia who have coddled looters all week condemned the peacekeeping Fishtown Brigade as a “mob” of “vigilantes.”

Their crime? Standing tall on their feet, not on their knees.

Scot Mendelson, a world record-holding powerlifter, protected his Southern California gym on Monday afternoon. “If you’re going to destroy something that somebody worked so hard to build, well, you know what, maybe you should be put down,” he told Fox 11 Los Angeles. “You walk through my door, you threaten my life, I’m aiming for the head.”

Mendelson’s crime? Standing muscle-bound and honor-bound on his feet, not on his knees.

Proud and good people hold their chins and guns up in a crisis. It is how Korean grocers responded when the police abandoned them during the Los Angeles riots in 1992. It is how armed small-business owners of all colors are now facing an onslaught of crazed, greedy and evil barbarians hell-bent on destroying every enforcement bulwark that protects our civil society — from our borders to our neighborhoods to the White House.

Weakness is not strength. Confessing sins for which you bear no guilt is not noble. It makes me sick to my stomach to see virtue-signaling police chiefs kneeling before barking rioters calling them “pigs.” I am nauseated by the sight of sobbing white people groveling for forgiveness before sadistic Black Lives Matter demagogues — as if this will appease the unappeasable. It will not and never will.

America, straighten your spines. Unbow your heads. No home or nation was ever saved by kowtowing to invaders or ransackers. Unless you are praying to God, get up off your knees.

Savage Beating During Dallas Riot Illustrates Why We Defend Second Amendment.

Gun control activists don’t really see the point of guns, at least for the most part. Quite a few will work to curtail your ability to purchase a gun but have no qualms about owning them themselves. It’s different when they buy guns, after all, because they’re all good and pure and stuff.

However, they will often question you about why you have a gun, whether you’re carrying at the moment or whether it’s your AR-15 at home in the safe.

“Why do you think you need something like that?” they ask.

Well, because stuff like this can happen (some might find the following video disturbing):

I’ve personally seen this video, which comes from a riot in Dallas over the weekend, from a couple of different angles. This was reportedly a man who was trying to protect his business from looters, and we see how that worked out for him.  Some reports claim he had some kind of a bladed weapon, like a machete, but all seem to agree that he didn’t have a firearm.

It’s my understanding that, despite appearances to the contrary, the individual pictured here survived.

That said, it’s absolutely awful what we’re seeing all over the country right now. What happened to George Floyd was an absolute tragedy and from what I’ve seen, it never should have happened.

However, how does this help?

Unfortunately, if people don’t have the means to defend their property and, more importantly, their own lives, some predatory jackwagons are going to do what they want in a case like this. It’s important to note that rioters don’t actually care all that much about George Floyd. Oh, their outrage may have brought them out to what were supposed to be protests, but that’s not what it became about. It became about seeing how much they could take from people who had nothing to do with any of this.

Yet, let’s imagine if that man in the video had been armed with an AR-15. With a 30-round magazine, he’d have clearly been able to engage any and all of his attackers. Likely, though, he wouldn’t have needed to. Instead, the rioting turdnuggets would have seen the weapon and decided to look for an easier target.

While that sucks because it means someone else is going to be victimized, it’s also the best you can do. If every store owner had an AR-15 handy during a riot, I somehow suspect that looting would become a relic of the past.

Let’s just call it a hunch.

A dreaded AR15! Aauugghh! What’s a crim supposed to do?

South Philly gunstore owner guarding shop overnight shoots, kills armed looter

A 67-year-old South Philadelphia gun store owner shot and killed a man he said was looting his business for what he suspects is the second night in a row.

Greg Isabella, who owns the Firing Line Inc, one of the oldest gun shops in the city, said he saw a group of looters on his surveillance video breaking a padlock on his gate using bolt cutters and descending on his shop in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred just after 4 a.m. when Isabella then confronted the thieves, and one — in a group of what he says consisted of 3 or 4 people– pointed a gun at him, according to reports by Fox affiliate WTFX.

Isabella fatally shot the gun-wielding robber using an AR-15 and the alleged thief died on the scene, reports say. The owner likely injured a second suspect in the shoulder. The rest of the thieves fled, but a local hospital informed police that a man was being treated for a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and police suspect he may have been involved in the botched heist……….

Well, maybe they’ll go into vapor lock?

Trump’s Mere Mention of the Second Amendment Sent Progressives Off the Deep End

During President Donald Trump’s nationwide address on Monday evening, he announced his intent to use all federal resources to help stop the rioting and looting that’s taking place across the country. He also mentioned that he would protect the rights of law-abiding citizens, including the right to keep and bear arms. Naturally, progressives and those who hate the Second Amendment were up in arms over the mention of the Second Amendment….

Here’s what these folks fail to understand: the Second Amendment is there to protect our freedoms, including our First Amendment rights, but it’s also there for self-defense.

Oh, they understand that alright. They just don’t like the idea that people they disagree with and don’t like can tell them where to go and what to do with their brand of politics…and make it stick.

Relying on cops to protect you when they’re trying to keep rioters from looting and literally burning down cities, it’s up to you to protect yourself, your family and your property. Even when there aren’t massive riots taking place across the country, it can take cops minutes, sometimes even hours, to arrive to a person’s call for help (depending on where they live and how well-staffed their police and/or sheriff’s department is).

Man won’t be charged in fatal Omaha protest shooting

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The killing of James Scurlock has resonated with people across the Metro. The Douglas County Attorney’s Office says the shooter was protecting himself.

County Attorney Don Kleine said he made the decision by looking at the evidence, the interview of the shooter, and the videos of what happened.

He says it’s not based on emotions and what happened to George Floyd.

“Shooter was defending himself when he shot Scurlock,” Kleine said.

Kleine said that the shooter was justified in shooting Scurlock at about midnight Saturday.

The shooter was identified as Jacob Gardner, owner of the Hive Bar and Gatsby Bar.

Prosecutors showed video of a scuffle involving Gardner’s dad. Gardner backed up and showed a gun when two people jumped on him.

He fired two shots but didn’t hit anyone and then Scurlock jumped on his back. That’s when Gardner said he was being choked and shot him once in the clavicle.

“Mr. Gardner as we know now has said I did what I did to defend myself and we find that we can’t disprove that from the evidence that we have,” Kleine said.

“I honestly feel that if Mr. Gardner’s dad would’ve kept his hands to himself the incident would’ve never happened in the beginning,” said James Scurlock II. “Once again I ask that we investigate this and I ask my people to stand by me strong but do it peacefully.”

The shooter has been released from police custody. They say witness statements and video do not indicate they were saying racial slurs.

Prosecutors say Gardner did not have an active concealed carry permit but hasn’t been charged with a crime.

Halls Chophouse employee fired gunshots when former NFL player was injured by protesters

A Halls Chophouse employee fired a handgun into the air during Saturday night protests in downtown Charleston when one of the patrons, a former Clemson and professional football player, was injured in an altercation with members of the crowd.

The popular King Street restaurant was not spared from damage during the demonstration Saturday evening. Earlier in the day, hundreds of demonstrators marched through Charleston in peaceful protest to honor George Floyd, an African American man who died at the hands of police in Minnesota. By sundown, buildings caught on fire, windows were smashed and tensions escalated throughout the Holy City.

Jim Stuckey, a Clemson All-American and defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets in the 1980s, was a patron at the restaurant on Saturday evening and was injured. The altercations in front of Hall’s Chophouse quickly spread on social media and three videos shared with The Post and Courier and half a dozen eyewitness statements have helped answer questions as to what occurred.

As crowds began to form, an employee with the restaurant stepped outside, pointed a firearm and told protesters to back away from the establishment, an eyewitness who filmed the incident told the newspaper. Some members of the crowd began throwing things at the steakhouse after being shown the weapon.

Stuckey was already present in front of the restaurant with a golf club and was getting into a verbal altercation with some of the protesters. A Post and Courier reporter on the scene photographed and witnessed the former athlete holding the iron and a cigar while interacting with the crowd.

An eyewitness that filmed the interactions said Stuckey was then attacked by several people after shouting at the crowd and was knocked to the ground. Around 9:56 p.m., the Halls’ employee then came back outside and fired at least four shots into the air according to videos shared with the newspaper and heard by a reporter on scene.

“Shots were fired during the height of the violence outside of our restaurant around the time a window at Halls was being broken,” a statement from the restaurant said. “In an effort to protect customers and staff, a Halls’ team member drew his licensed concealed firearm and discharged it into the air while other members of the Halls team brought an injured guest inside the restaurant.”

The restaurant added that “no one was injured by the gunfire, but a Halls’ guest was injured in front of the restaurant.” The steakhouse said in a statement that they are cooperating with authorities and will conduct an internal investigation.

Additionally, the restaurant said that certain staff members are trained and licensed to carry concealed weapons.

Windows were broken and some damage happened from an object being thrown through the glass, the restaurant confirmed. There was no looting on the premises.

DEAR RIOTERS AND LOOTERS

Dear rioters and looters:

No, I’m not addressing demonstrators. There’s a difference, even if the mainstream media can’t bring itself to say so.  If you want to peacefully demonstrate, no problem. You know who you are. Some of you have already held back The Others, or tried to, and in at least one instance I know of have saved a cop who was cut off from his team-mates and surrounded by an angry mob of The Others.

I’m addressing The Others – the rioters, the looters, the destroyers. There are strong indications that Antifa is involved, though I can’t say they’re entirely responsible. But you heartfelt demonstrators are the ones they’ve made into cat’s paws and puppets with their instigation to violence, and if you go along with them you’re shaming yourselves and everything you’re trying to stand for.

No one can seriously believe that looting and burning stores, often owned by hard-working black people for whom their business is their only livelihood, is doing anyone any good.  But, looters and arsonists and destroyers, if all you care about is yourselves…well, let’s talk about that.

The police have held back thus far (I write this on the first of June). It’s partly political correctness on the part of local government leaders, and partly the reluctance of police to use force, whether you choose to believe that or not.  But the time will come, if you continue, when even the most pusillanimous leader will say, “Enough is enough.” And that’s when the shooting will start coming your way.

Read the following. https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/antifa-warns-alert-f-the-city-tonight-we-move-into-the-residential-areas/ .  The source quoted is not the only one of The Others to publicly express that sentiment.  For your own good, hear me.

The Mood of the Courts today is that human life has a greater value than “mere property.” I and virtually all other past and present cops I know share that belief. It’s why you haven’t been shot down in the streets yet as you would have been by now in so many other countries.  But, understand this:

When you start attacking homes – occupied dwellings – the rules change. Arson of occupied dwellings is what the law calls a “heinous felony against the person,” and ordinary citizens are allowed to shoot you to stop you from doing it. You’ve gotten away with breaking into stores that were closed for the safety of their employees and customers, but if you try to do the same to people’s homes, that’s “violent and tumultuous entry of occupied dwellings.” It’s “home invasion.” And when you start doing that, the people who live there are authorized by the law to shoot you to death in defense of themselves and other innocent parties.

Enough.

For you genuine, non-violent protesters: you’ve made all the points you’re going to make without turning the rest of the nation against you. If you haven’t already, please harken to the words of Atlanta’s African-American mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Thank you. And please, understand, what I’ve written here is not a threat.

It’s a well-intentioned warning.

The Cluebat of reality strikes again, but I’ll bet the idjit still votes demoncrap.

Since the M16 selective fire version is pretty much out of the reach of the average person these days, the AR-15 is what I call the current place holder of ‘The American Rifle’.
Yes, I’ve got other rifles, including an M16, but my consideration is that the current iteration of the standard issue rifle/carbine is what everyone should have one (1) example of in their inventory, and if you can’t figure out why, please look up the word – logistics – and think a bit.

Last Night We Saw Why Americans Own 16+ Million AR-15s

As televisions and computers showed a fourth day of protesters turned rioters Saturday, looting and destroying property, it was readily apparent why Americans own 16+ million AR-15s.

When Robert ‘Beto’ O’Rourke was still vying for the Democrat nomination–and pledging to come take away your AR-15–Breitbart News spoke with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) about what a Herculean task that would be. After all, the AR-15 is the most popular rifle platform in America.

NSSF shared their calculations with Breitbart, showing an estimated 16= million privately owned AR-15s in the U.S.

You cannot be blamed if you thought the number was closer to 250 or 300. Moreover, you cannot be blamed if you thought the 300 AR-15 owners were toothless, old, white, racists living on some isolated, off-the-grid piece of property deep in the heart of the South.

But as it turns out, AR-15s are owned by black people and white people, and by all skin colors in between. And there are WAY MORE than a couple hundred in circulation.

On August 31, 2018, Breitbart News reported more than nine million AR-15s were manufactured for sale in the U.S. under Barack Obama alone.

And on May 30, 2020–at the height of the Minneapolis rioting–Breitbart News reported on black business owners standing guard with AR-15s outside their properties.

And AR-15s are not just for men. On November 4, 2019, Breitbart News reported on a pregnant Florida woman who used an AR-15 to kill an alleged home intruder while her husband was under attack.

So when Joe Biden and other Democrats demonize AR-15s as “assault weapons” and campaign on taking them from the American people or at least ending their sales, remember the feelings you have right now; the feelings of wanting a tool you can keep in your house to protect your family in times of civil violence and unrest. And also remember those black business owners and that pregnant Florida woman, who saved her husband’s life.

Again, there are over 16 million privately-owned AR-15s in this country and after last night–after watching the wanton destruction and violence in city after city–perhaps you better understand why Americans own them.

“Possible“? It either is, or isn’t .

Possible Home Invasion Shooting

The Coshocton County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office reports a male subject has been injured during a possible home invasion.

The Sheriff’s Office said on Friday, May 29 at 8:21 p.m. they received a report of a male subject being treated for a gunshot wound at Coshocton Regional Medical Center.

During their invesitgation authorities determined the male had been injured during a possible home invasion on South Lawn Avenue.

The male subject was later flown to Grant Medical Center for treatment of his wounds. His condition is unknown at this time.

Officials said they secured the residence and an investigation began.

The names of those involved are being withheld pending further investigation.

‘We Weren’t Goin’ to Sit Back and Let It Happen’: Italian Bakery Owners Welcome Cleveland Looters with an Impressive Arsenal

(Facebook video screenshot)
What began as a peaceful protest in Cleveland Saturday turned violent as the day progressed, prompting Mayor Frank Jackson to issue an 8 p.m. curfew and to request National Guard reinforcements to protect the city from rioters. Corbo’s, a tiny family-owned bakery in the city’s historic Playhouse Square district, took matters into their own hands, brandishing their firearms when rioters came calling.In a video captured by Rob Rash, rioters and looters can be seen approaching Corbo’s Bakery, taunting the owners and threatening them with iron rods and a large pylon with a heavy metal base. Three men stood in the doorway of the bakery, defending their property and exercising their Second Amendment rights. A minute later the rioters were gone, having moved on to the business next door, where they shattered a massive storefront window

Rioters later came back and shattered the bakery’s front windows. “We r here all night now because they broke r big windows,” the bakery wrote on Facebook. “Thankful my sons n husband didn’t get hurt! We r just protecting r business..we want no trouble but unfortunately they came at us w bats n weapons. God bless u guys too!” It doesn’t appear the rioters entered the bakery and there was no sign of looting at the Playhouse Square location.

Rioters destroyed and looted storefronts along a one-mile stretch of Euclid Avenue, one of Cleveland’s busiest thoroughfares.

SpaceX spacecraft docks with International Space Station on historic NASA mission

SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft crewed by NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken has docked with the International Space Station on its historic Demo-2 mission.

The spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center Saturday. The mission is the first time that astronauts have launched from American soil since the final Space Shuttle flight in 2011.

The mission is also the first time a private company, rather than a national government, has sent astronauts into orbit………..

On Saturday evening Hurley announced that the spacecraft, previously known as capsule 206, has been renamed Endeavour, continuing the tradition of astronauts naming their capsules.

“We would like to welcome you aboard capsule Endeavour,” he said. “We chose Endeavour for a few reasons – one, because of the incredible Endeavour NASA, SpaceX and the United States has been on since the end of the shuttle program in 2011. The other reason we named it Endeavour is little more personal – Bob and I, we both had our first flight on Shuttle Endeavour and it just meant to much to us to carry on that name.”

Colorado Democrats’ gun reform agenda is latest COVID casualty

Colorado House Rep. Tom Sullivan had a gun bill drafted and ready to introduce before the 2020 legislative session even started in January.

But now, his legislation requiring lost or stolen firearms to be reported is headed toward the chopping block, along with nearly 300 other bills claimed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sullivan, an Aurora Democrat, isn’t giving up on House Bill 1356 or another bill on secure storage of guns because he made a promise to his supporters that he would get them through this year. But he also sees the writing on the wall. With only three weeks to get a budget and essential bills passed, Colorado House Democratic leaders say there isn’t time to debate changes to gun laws this year.

“I had said at the beginning of the session that the session would be a failure if I couldn’t get a single Republican to vote on either of the two bills,” Sullivan said. “It would be more of a failure if I don’t even get either of those bills to see the light of day.”

Sullivan’s bill would have required individuals to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement within 48 hours. The first offense would draw a fine and the second a misdemeanor………….

The gun loss or theft bill, along with the gun storage bill, House Bill 1355, were assigned to the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee where they are expected to be postponed indefinitely, or killed.

The secure storage bill would make unlawfully storing a firearm a misdemeanor. This would apply to guns stored where a minor can access them without permission from their parent and those stored in the residence of a person who isn’t allowed to have a firearm.

“Far-Left or Anarchists” — Intelligence Reports ID Rioting Protesters; Mostly Locals Arrested

Update (1705ET): Despite claims by Democratic officials from Minneapolis that “white supremacists” or “foreign actors” are responsible for the violent riots seen across the nation, USAToday reports that Adam Leggat, a former British Army counterterrorism officer who now works as a security consultant specializing in crowd management for the Densus Group, said intelligence reports from his colleagues indicate most of the hard-core protesters in Minneapolis are far-left or anarchists, and that far-right groups have not yet made a significant appearance.

“The real hard-core guys, this is their job: They’re involved in this struggle, they need protests on the street to give them cover to move in.”

Additionally, Leggat said looting is typically done by locals — usually people with no criminal record who just get caught up in the moment. And despite claims otherwise by officials, records show most arrested are locals……….

19-Year-Old Killed in Drive-by During Detroit Protests

A 19-year old man was killed in a drive-by shooting Friday night amid police brutality protests in Detroit, police reported.

Police said an unknown suspect in a gray Dodge Durango “pulled up to the location and fired shots into the crowd” around 11:30 p.m. before fleeing the scene.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital where he died from gunshot wounds.

 

Robbery victim shoots, kills suspect in DeKalb neighborhood,

Police said a robbery suspect was shot and killed by his intended victim Friday morning in a neighborhood near Lithonia High School.

The man who was killed, identified as 19-year-old Aaron Cobb, is accused of going to a location on Marbut Farms Trace about 1 a.m. to commit a robbery, DeKalb police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent told AJC.com. Cobb was allegedly accompanied by others at the time of the shooting.

Police said a robbery suspect was shot and killed by his intended victim Friday morning in a neighborhood near Lithonia High School.

The man who was killed, identified as 19-year-old Aaron Cobb, is accused of going to a location on Marbut Farms Trace about 1 a.m. to commit a robbery, DeKalb police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent told AJC.com. Cobb was allegedly accompanied by others at the time of the shooting.“The intended robbery victim shot one person in self-defense,” Vincent said in an email.It’s unclear whether Cobb or anyone aside from the homeowner was armed.Vincent added that the other people who were with Cobb are facing possible charges. The specific charges were not released, and it’s unclear if the shooter will also face charges.

70-year-old man attacked, stabbed while walking down McKees Rocks street

MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. — Allegheny County police are searching for a man accused of stabbing a 70-year-old man in McKees Rocks Wednesday night.

The man was walking on Wright Street around 10:15 p.m. when police said he was attacked and stabbed with a knife by another man who was following him.

The victim was able to stop the attack by pulling out a gun he was legally allowed to carry and firing a shot.

The man took off, and police are still searching for him.

The Second Amendment is helping defend small businesses in the Minneapolis riots

The city of Minneapolis is burning.

Much of the media’s attention has rightfully focused on how the protests-turned-riots undermine the justified outrage over George Floyd’s cruel death at the hands of the police, and the unacceptable arrest of CNN reporters who were trying to cover the developments.

At the same time, these troubling developments should provide a renewed appreciation for the importance of the Second Amendment and how the right to self-defense uplifts minority groups in particular.

During the riots, many minority-owned Minneapolis businesses have unfortunately been looted or destroyed. In response, a number of responsible, law-abiding citizens, both black and white, have exercised their Second Amendment rights to protect their businesses.

“It’s about damned time some heavily armed rednecks stood with fellow citizens,” one pair said. “These guys are out here with machetes and shattered windows trying to keep looters out of their business because cops can’t get in here. And so, you know, I figure, before there were cops there were just Americans … so, here we are.”

“Justice for Floyd, and I hope they stop looting at some point,” the men, who are both white, finished. Behind them, you can see minority business owners engaged in similar self-defense posturing.

In a second video from the scene, we specifically see armed, law-abiding black men deployed peacefully outside their minority-owned businesses to protect them from looters and rioters.

These are just two examples of many.

So, despite all the dark news, it’s worth remembering that the right to self-defense protects all Americans, not just white Christian Republicans, as some gun control activists would have you believe. In fact, gun control actually has a deeply racist history. All of this is worth remembering the next time so-called champions of minorities start calling for restrictions on the Second Amendment.