The Real Dangers of So Called ‘Tough On Crime Bills’
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Recently, GOA has been asked about bills such as H.R. 2837 that purport to “get tough on crime” by authorizing extended terms of imprisonment for offenses that involve firearms; irrespective of whether or not the offense was violent or possessory in nature. Gun Owners of America (GOA) has opposed bills of this sort for decades because they violate the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
However, what is truly unfortunate, is that some firearms owners think this type of legislation might be a good idea.
Many gun owners who diligently follow this issue, probably remember “Project Exile” which began in Richmond, Virginia in the mid-1990s with the stated goal of prosecuting those who commit “gun crimes” in Federal Court instead of the state court. The potential penalties for violating Federal law are generally harsher than state penalties.
Some gun owners reflexively supported “Project Exile” because after all, it was going after criminals — or was it?
There is now a new and updated “Project Exile” called “Project Guardian” and based on press releases issued by the US Department of Justice — “Project Guardian” is being used across the country. It is essentially the same anti-gun program with a catchy new name.
GOA’s long-standing position is that most people who were prosecuted under “Project Exile” were not violent criminals, but people who were caught up in the bureaucratic maze of anti-gun laws which are, at their core, unconstitutional intrusions on freedom. These programs significantly increase the likelihood that an otherwise law-abiding person will go to federal prison for committing a victimless, non-violent, technical violation of the law. And in many cases, gun owners will be confused because the technical “crimes” that gun owners will violate are actually legal activity in many states and at the federal level.
For example, carrying a gun without a license is perfectly lawful in seventeen states and under federal law. Possession of a magazine that holds more than ten cartridges is perfectly lawful in a majority of states and under federal law, as is the possession of “hollow-point ammunition,” which is perfectly lawful under federal law and in every state except New Jersey.
All of this begs the question: Are those convicted of violating these laws truly felons or are they victims of anti-gun, unconstitutional intrusions on freedom by states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other freedom-hating locales?
What about someone who is charged with dealing guns without a license? It is undisputed that individuals are free to sell-off their private property — including firearms. However, ATF has for decades, refused to say how many guns sold in private transactions constitute dealing without a license. How can an honest person follow the law if the enforcers of the law refuse to provide guidance?
H.R. 2837 even included this language, which seems to go after violent criminals but could also ensnare law-abiding gun owners in a trap:
“any group of convictions for which a court referred to in section 922(g)(1) imposed in the same proceeding or in consolidated proceedings a total term of imprisonment not less than 10 years, regardless of how many years of that total term the defendant served in custody.”
Many of the offenses described above carry a prison term of fewer than 10 years, but due to the language in the above example, it provides anti-gun judges with an incentive to impose consecutive, rather than concurrent sentences for possessing more than one magazine or hollow point cartridge. These offenses are strictly possessory offenses, meaning there was no violence and no victim other than the sensibilities of the leftists who enacted and enforce these laws.
Finally, this article would not be complete if I didn’t mention the case of Bruce Abramski, Jr. whose “straw purchase” conviction was upheld by the United States Supreme Court. What is particularly galling about this case is that Mr. Abramski purchased a firearm and passed the background check. Then because his uncle, Angel Alvarez, was a resident of a different state, Mr. Abramski, complied with federal law and turned the pistol over to a Pennsylvania FFL for ultimate transfer to Mr. Alvarez, who also passed a background check. If this were a true “straw purchase” Mr. Abramski would have merely handed the pistol over to Mr. Alvarez. The government’s position was that the transaction was a straw purchase because Mr. Alvarez paid for the gun. Yes, Mr. Alvarez did pay for the gun, but as the late Justice Antonin Scalia said in his dissent:
“The Court makes it a federal crime for one lawful gun owner to buy a gun for another lawful gun owner. Whether or not that is a sensible result, the statutes Congress enacted do not support it—especially when, as is appropriate, we resolve ambiguity in those statutes in favor of the accused.”
Prior to the Abramski case, it was widely understood that a “straw purchase” only occurred when a person who was legally eligible to purchase a firearm did so and then turned the firearm over to someone who was prohibited from owning arms. That did not happen in the Abramski case.
When considering issues that can cause Americans to lose their freedom it is important to understand that there are two types of laws. Those which are malum in se refer to acts that are evil and wrong in and of themselves. Murder, rape, and assault are all examples of conduct that is malum in se. Other laws are malum prohibitum which means they criminalize victimless conduct that a legislator or bureaucrat dislikes. These include activities such as carrying a gun without a license, possessing hollow-point ammunition, possessing a magazine which holds more than a predetermined number of cartridges or even helping a relative — who is not a prohibited person, to obtain a handgun.
Gun owners and legislators need to be very careful when they say, “just enforce the existing laws” because in many cases, the existing laws were vigorously opposed by gun owners when they were moving through the legislative process. Only later, after they have been in effect for a few years, they are used as the vehicle to unconstitutionally disarm American Citizens in the name of “getting tough on crime”. This is exactly what happened in the Abramski case and will continue to happen if gun owners don’t stop asking for existing laws to be enforced.
Gun owners should instead demand that unconstitutional laws be erased from the statute books. Gun Owners of America will continue to be a leader and push for repeal of unconstitutional laws and the defeat of bills which treat firearms, rather than predatory criminals as the problem.
US special forces to help combat drug trafficking in Colombia’s war-torn areas
The United States embassy said Wednesday that American special forces will assist Colombia’s security forces in counter-narcotics operations in war-torn areas prioritized in the peace process.
The so-called Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) will carry out joint missions in what President Ivan Duque calls “Future Zones,” regions historically abandoned by the state and controlled by the FARC until their demobilization in 2017.
Four of these five areas are also major coca growing regions where dissident FARC factions and other illegal armed groups maintain control over the drug trade with increased help of Mexican drug cartel emissaries.
The SFAB mission in Colombia is an opportunity to show our mutual commitment against drug trafficking and support for regional peace, respect for sovereignty and the lasting promise to defend shared ideals and values.
US Southern Command chief Admiral Craig Faller
The SFAB mission of “several months” will begin in June as part of a the “Enhanced Counter Narcotics Operations” carried out throughout the hemisphere “to reduce the flow of illicit drugs, degrade transnational criminal organizations, and increase interoperability with our partner nations and interagency partners,” the US Southern Command said in April.
US President Donald Trump announced these operations early last month as part of what Defense Secretary Mark Esper called a “whole-of-government approach to combating the flow of illicit drugs into the United States and protecting the American people from their scourge.”
The production and export of cocaine in Colombia “kills our farmers, destroys forests, wildlife and contaminates the rivers and seas,” the US embassy quoted Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo as saying.
The SFAB’s of more than 500 soldiers did not exist until 2018 and also meant to bolster US allies dubbed “weak states” by American military scholars.
Colombia, whose state has historically been considered weak, has been struggling to lower cocaine production, partially because its National Army has been bogged down by corruption.
Trump Administration to Expel Chinese Graduate Students Linked to China’s Military Schools
The Trump administration plans to revoke thousands of visas held by Chinese graduate students and researchers in the United States, escalating its crackdown on the Chinese government’s theft of intellectual property.
Those with direct ties to universities affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army will have their visas canceled, American officials with knowledge of the discussions told the New York Times. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the matter with President Trump on Tuesday at the White House….
Chinese researchers and students have been under increased scrutiny from the U.S. government over the Chinese government’s economic espionage. In recent years, the FBI and Justice Department have briefed universities on potential national security threats posed by Chinese students.
Texas Supreme Court: Lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone not enough to vote by mail
A federal appeals court is also considering the issue.
AUSTIN — The Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone is not a physical disability that qualifies people to vote by mail.
The ruling is a victory for Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has argued that only a physical illness or disability that prevents voters from going to the polls should qualify people to vote by mail. It is a loss for the Texas Democratic Party and voting rights groups who had pushed for expanded mail voting during the coronavirus pandemic and had won temporary victories in lower courts.
The question of expanded mail voting is also being fought in federal courts, where an appeals court is considering whether to stay an order by a district judge that allowed those who lack immunity to COVID-19 to vote by mail.
The two cases are playing out at the same time and the legal battle is expected to continue as both sides argue about how to safely conduct the upcoming primary runoffs scheduled for July 14. Early voting in those elections begins June 29.
Heroic Soldier Speaks After Stopping Active Shooter Wednesday.
Suspected burglar fatally shot by homeowner in Everett
EVERETT, Wash. — A suspected burglar was shot dead by a homeowner during an apparent break-in in Everett Thursday morning.
The homeowner called 911 just before 5 a.m. to report shooting someone inside his home along 126th Street Southeast, according to Aaron Snell with Everett Police. Officers arrived to find a critically wounded man in his 30s. Officers and medics attempted to revive the man, but he was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe the burglar broke into the home and went into a room containing guns. The homeowner, a man in his 70s, awoke to sounds in his home, confronted the intruder and shot him, Snell said.
“That’s probably what I’d do, too,” said Brad Miller, who lives nearby. “‘Cause I’m a firearms owner. If it happens, I’m ready to do the same thing.”………..
*Gasp* Horrors! Permitless Concealed Carry for Tennessee.
Tennessee lawmakers consider bills lifting Second Amendment restrictions
NASHVILLE, Tenn.–Several bills under consideration in the Tennessee General Assembly aim expanding certain Second Amendment rights.
At the top of the list on Wednesday is HB 2661, a bill which allows a person to carry a handgun in a concealed manner without the need for a concealed carry permit.
Under the bill, a person who legally owns a firearm could conceal carry the weapon, even at parks, venues of higher education, and other areas where concealed carry permit holders are allowed to carry.
Governor Bill Lee has previously supported legislation supporting concealed carry without a permit, stating in February he supported protecting the right of Tennesseans to bear arms.
“The Second Amendment is clear and concise and secures the freedoms of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms,” Lee said. “I am pleased to announce Constitutional Carry legislation today that will protect the Second Amendment rights of Tennesseans, while also stiffening penalties on criminals who steal or illegally possess firearms.”
Other bills being considered by committees in the Tennessee General Assembly are HB2536, which allows for civil suits to be filed against a person or government which “infringes upon a person’s right to bear arms” and requires the person or entity to “be liable for actual statutory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and court costs.”
HB2298 and HB2102 also pertain to the Second Amendment, although they each focus on the ability of those with concealed handgun carry permits to carry at higher education campuses and public parks in the state.
Of course, they’re ‘wary’. But any crims out there to take on the police aren’t going to care about a piddly permit law anyway.
Law enforcement wary of proposed bill for people to carry a handgun without a permit
……… yesterday, Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings and the Shelby County Crime Commission addressed this bill at the general assembly.
“With masks and guns, it almost would appear to be the wild wild west, and I definitely do not want that Memphis, and I don’t want that for the state of Tennessee,” Rallings said.
Rallings spoke out against a bill that would allow open and concealed carrying of a handgun for people 21 and older without a permit outside their home or personal property.
“Do you think if this legislation is passed that it would endanger the lives of the men and women on your force,” said Representative Bo Mitchell, Nashville.
“Yes,” Rallings said.
The bill passed 16 to 7 and will advance to the house finance committee.
It would also increase the crime of theft of a firearm from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Man Shoots, Kills Alleged Burglar In Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — A man shot and killed an alleged burglar after he said he caught him breaking into a trailer and stealing DJ equipment in Philadelphia, according to reports.
Action News reports the shooting occurred at about 4 a.m. on the 2700 block of East Somerset Street when a 37-year-old man saw two people breaking into a trailer which contained his DJ equipment.
The outlet reports at least three shots were fired and the alleged burglar was hit in the back.
According to NBC10, the alleged burglar ran off but died a few blocks away.
Authorities found DJ equipment in a vehicle belonging to his girlfriend, who is cooperating with police, the outlet reports.
The shooter has not been charged and is cooperating with police, according to CBS Philadelphia.
Meet The USAF AR Style Survival Gun – the GAU-5A
While in the skies above, pilots in modern military aircraft often have no shortage of weapons literally at their fingertips, but a pilot who finds himself on the ground behind enemy lines is worse than a bird with clipped wings. During the First and Second World Wars, the best a pilot could have in the way of a personal defense weapon or survival gun was a sidearm. Later, during the early stages of the Cold War, the United States Air Force relied on what were some rather odd survival weapons. Let’s take a look at the various survival rifles over the years, leading up to the GAU-5A.
Survival Guns Over the Years
M4 Survival Rifle
These included the M4 Survival Rifle, a .22 caliber bolt-action rifle that was developed by Harrington & Richardson from their commercial M265 sporting rifle. It featured a sheet metal frame with a telescoping wire buttstock. It was, simply put, “better than nothing,” but it was mainly intended as a survival gun to allow a downed aircrew to forage wild game for food rather than to deal with a hostile enemy.
M6 Air Crew Survival Weapon
The M6 Air Crew Survival Weapon was another weapon that was developed by the Ithaca Gun Company and the Springfield Armory as rifle/shotgun designed for pilots who flew over the Arctic and other uninhabited areas. Again, it was more for foraging than defending, which prompted the Air Force to explore other options.
AR-5 and AR-7 Explorer
From that came the AR-5, a bolt action takedown rifle that was still chambered for the .22 Hornet cartridge, and that led to the ArmaLite AR-7 Explorer, a semi-automatic firearm in .22 Long Rifle caliber that was developed by Eugene Stoner. Introduced in 1959 it is still in use today as an aircrew as well as civilian survival gun. While a generally reliable firearm – so much so that it has been adopted around the world, including by the Israeli Air Force — the AR-7 was lacking in stopping power.
GAU-5/A
Hence the Air Force turned to another of Stoner’s designs – namely the AR-15 platform that was adopted by the U.S. military as the M-16. The Air Force had been the first branch of the service to adopt the AR-15. They soon decided to adopt a carbine version with a 10.5-inch barrel and 4-inch flash hider. The Air Force, unlike the Army or Marines, had no naming convention for small arms and simply put the weapon in its aircraft gun category. Thus was born the GAU-5/A. It became the standard issue weapon for Security Police dog handlers and other specialized personnel. GA was meant to denote an automatic gun while U was for “unit” hence: “Gun, Automatic, Unit.”
Where it gets confusing is that the U.S. Army adopted a nearly identical version of the weapon, which Colt –then the sole maker of the CAR-15 line of military firearms – called the XM177E1. Both versions select fire with semi- and full-automatic fire modes and each was officially classified by Colt as submachine guns. This was despite the fact that these still were chambered in the .223 Remington cartridge rather than a pistol cartridge that is typically used in submachine guns
GUU-5/P
The Air Force’s GAU-5 was updated as the GUU-5/P, which featured a longer 14.5-inch barrel with a 1-in-12 twist. Otherwise, the firearm kept the modular design that had made the CAR-15s popular with the military.
Model 608 CAR-15 Survival Rifle
During the Vietnam War, the Air Force also developed the Model 608 CAR-15 Survival Rifle, which was meant for use by downed aircrews. This model, which resembled the Colt Commando, also featured a 10-inch barrel. Its modular design allowed it to be broken down into two subassemblies and stowed in a seat pack.
GAU-5A
In recent years the Air Force has again considered the benefits of a modular takedown weapon. This has included the GAU-5A. The new version is a modified M-4 carbine, the same type that is currently used by the U.S. Army and United States Marine Corps, as well as Air Force security personnel. This version is a modified “takedown”. It can break into two major pieces for storage within an aircraft that includes the ACES II ejection seat.
These new versions were designed by the Air Force Gunsmith Shop, which was first formed in 1958 to repair and refurbish small arms for the Air Force. The crafty Airmen at the Gunsmith Shop have made numerous modifications to the M4. One modification was replacing the standard 14.5-inch barrel with a 12.5-inch to reduce the overall length. This was done in part to ensure that it can fit in the aforementioned ejection seat. That is no ordinary barrel but rather the specialized Cry Havoc Tactical Quick Release Barrel (QRB) kit, which allows the gun to neatly break into two pieces.
The weapon weighs less than seven pounds and can be put together in just about 30 seconds. That might still be more time than most pilots would like to spend on the ground in hostile territory. Still, it will give those flyers some much-appreciated firepower.
Unlike the original survival weapons that were primarily only good for foraging, the GAU-5A fires the high-velocity 5.56mm round. So it can take down large game. More importantly, it can take down any enemy soldier who finds a pilot with the unfortunate luck of being shot down.
To date, the Air Force’s Gunsmith Shop has built and shipped out some 2,700 of the new weapons. The cost to develop the system was around $2.6 million. So the GAU-5A price tag is less than $1,000 or what a reasonably decent civilian AR-15 would cost.
New polling indicates that a majority of American parents are more likely to consider homeschooling their children after the coronavirus recession.
A survey conducted by Ipsos/USA Today indicates that a majority of 59% of American parents are more likely to homeschool their children.
Nearly all public education systems have been shut down as a result of the coronavirus lockdowns, essentially placing the education of most American students on hold. Homeschooling could present an alternative that would enable students to continue learning in spite of the restrictions.
An earlier poll in April revealed that 40% of American parents are more willing to consider homeschooling.
REMARKABLE shift in homeschooling opinions the longer kids are out of school:
April: 40% of parents more likely to homeschool after lockdowns (626 parents; @RealClearNews/@SchoolChoiceNow)
TODAY: 59% of parents more likely after lockdowns (402 parents; @IpsosMORI/@USATODAY)
— Tommy Schultz (@Tommy_USA) May 27, 2020
The aftermath of the coronavirus epidemic may have lasting effects on public education systems, with more polling suggesting that 1 in 5 public school teachers don’t plan on returning to schools in light of the lockdowns. Such a development is likely to preclude broad consequences for public education, with far greater class sizes that lower the quality of individual education.
Some liberals have become increasingly hostile to the very concept of home education, with Harvard Law School recently planning a conference to question the very basis of its legality and level reaching insinuations against parents that decide to homeschool their children. But it appears in the wake of the epidemic that the concept of homeschooling is alive and well.
You don’t have to use a gun to slug a thug.
And any car has all kinds of foot pounds of energy.
Fort Leavenworth soldier saves ‘countless lives’ by ending active shooter situation on bridge
Investigators not yet certain what prompted man to open fire
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — An active-duty soldier at Fort Leavenworth intervened in an active-shooter situation Wednesday morning on Centennial Bridge in Leavenworth, Kansas, and “saved countless lives,” according to police.
Leavenworth Police Chief Patrick Kitchens said they initially received a multiple shots fired call around 11 a.m. from the bridge and believed the case to be road rage. But after further investigation, police found it was an active shooter situation with a suspect randomly firing at vehicles passing by with a handgun and a semi-automatic rifle.
“This was an active shooter with multiple weapons on the bridge, firing at cars with no particular association,” Kitchens said.
At least seven bullets flew through the window of a Ford Taurus. Two other cars were shot. Investigators said a Fort Leavenworth soldier, who was in one of those vehicles, was wounded.
“There was an active-duty soldier assigned to Fort Leavenworth waiting in traffic behind the event who saw the event unfold and determined it was an active shooter,” Kitchens said. “The soldier intervened by striking the shooter with his vehicle, causing him to be critically injured, ending the encounter with the active shooter and likely saving countless lives.”
Kitchens said the suspected shooter is a Platte County, Missouri, resident.
“There doesn’t appear to be a target,” Kitchens said. “The person was simply, randomly firing at vehicles as they passed by.”
“Me and another patient just heard some sirens and I was like, ‘Wow. That’s awful close,'” said April Steinke, of Nextcare Urgent Care.
Steinke said she was impressed by the soldier’s quick thinking.
“That’s a hero to me,” she said.
Prior to the shooting, the Kansas Department of Transportation had closed one lane on the bridge for road work. Investigators are not sure yet what motivated the man to target random people. Detectives are looking into the shooter’s history.
Many people are focused on the solider who saved lives.
“I admire him. That was really nice thing that he did. Serves for his country every day,” Steinke said.
At last check, the victim shot was in serious condition. The suspected shooter, who was trapped under a car, was in serious condition. Authorities said both are stable and being treated at Kansas City hospitals.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is tracing the guns to see if they were purchased legally.
What have we learned from – at least – the last 4 years about ‘research’?
Can you say ‘propaganda‘?
I thought you could.
Pew Research Serves up the Mother of All Spin on Red vs. Blue District Virus Deaths
I can’t imagine why so many on the right don’t trust polling companies, can you?
One of the cornerstones of the coverage of the Wuhan virus pandemic has been the relentless spin. Red states that have handled the outbreak with great results are trashed because people are daring to go outside without masks. Meanwhile, New York shoved sick people into nursing homes, killing thousands, and you can’t even get CNN to ask the Governor about it.
Pew Research apparently wanted to get in on the act.
(what they did was put this tweet in the ‘feed’ that most people see .ed):
(when you pull out the full tweet, you get the whole graph ed.)
COVID-19 deaths have declined in Democratic congressional districts since mid-April, but remained relatively steady in districts controlled by Republicans. https://t.co/NnUcKYt67w pic.twitter.com/R3mdZ1l8c4
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) May 27, 2020
This framing is just incredible. What you are actually seeing here is that Democrat districts have a death rate nearly 3x that of Republican districts, yet Pew chooses to present it as a victory for Democrats because their rate of decline is higher. Correct, when you do such an awful job that you end up with a much larger outbreak, you’ve then got a lot more room to decline……..
And while people can argue over why there are these disparities, what can’t be argued is that this chart shows far better news for the red districts than the blue districts. To spin it the other way is laughable, yet completely expected in the current environment. We should just be handling this as Americans, but the media simply won’t allow there to not be red/blue divisions stoked.
Nice of him to do that, but that’s not what caught my eye.
It’s the bronze on the right of the picture.
That’s a tribute to the WW2 Navajo ‘Code Talkers’ of the U.S. Marine Corps
The Japanese never broke that code.
Christian Evangelist Franklin Graham visits Navajo Nation, offers support during COVID-19
Is that an actual question?
“Rules for Thee, but not for MEEE!” or in other words;
Standard Operational demoncrap Hypocrisy.
Did the governor break her own rules?
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) –Did Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham play by her own rules during the public health order? KRQE News 13 has learned in April, when she ordered non-essential businesses to shut down and lectured all New Mexicans to stay home, a non-essential business opened up so she could buy jewelry and have it delivered to her.
In early April, Gov. Lujan Grisham stressed that New Mexicans needed to stay home and should only go out for essential items such as food. She also announced that all non-essential businesses were closed. “We are in really tough financial times as a state. It mirrors the incredible, personal sacrifices that happen every single day because people have limited their ability to work, telecommuting and many people, in fact, have lost their jobs,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham on April 3rd.
However, just days after the April 3rd news conference and a week before Easter, KRQE News 13 has learned that Gov. Lujan Grisham called an employee at Lilly Barrack on Paseo to buy expensive jewelry. The jewelry was bought over the phone, but the employee went to the store, got the jewelry and placed it outside the door of the store where someone who knew the governor picked it up. This is according to the person who runs Lilly Barrack stores. She says she didn’t know about it until after it happened. She also said no one was allowed in the stores at that time due to the public health order.
The governor refused an on-camera interview but has a different version of the story. In an email from a governor spokesman, he says that “Lujan Grisham did call an employee, saying they had a longstanding personal relationship. The employee came here [Lilly Barrack], got the jewelry and took it home, left it outside their home and then someone came and picked it up.”
The governor’s office first said it was a campaign staffer, then later told KRQE it was the governor’s friend, but wouldn’t release a name. They also said the transaction was entirely contact-less, remote and permissible.
The spokesman also pointed to the governor’s order at the time stating “none of the state’s public health orders have restricted the conduct of business operations in which an employee only interacts with clients or customers remotely.” However, that same order also states it requires the closure of physical retails spaces and doesn’t mention anything about home delivery.
In a time of non-essential closures where curbside was not allowed, KRQE asked if home delivery was okay. The governor’s spokesman said it was not a home delivery and businesses were encouraged to find creative ways to conduct business safely. He also added the store was not opened for the governor and stated that “turning the key inside a door to ‘open’ a store wouldn’t violate the order…” He also said non-essential businesses all across the state let employees in to do inventory or clean.
Other businesses like Mark Diamond’s Jewelers did not interpret the orders the way the governor’s office did. A manager at Gertrude Zachary says no one was allowed in their store and they wouldn’t even risk it because of a fear of fines. They thought online sales through shipping was their only option, but they got zero customers and lost hundreds of thousands in sales.
KRQE News 13 asked about the two people who left their homes to get jewelry to the governor. Her office says this was an unusual transaction and while “of course the governor has been telling people to stay home to the greatest extent possible, it also true she’s been urging New Mexicans to find ways to support local businesses.”
So could you have called up a store and received this kind of service during the pandemic? The governor’s office says if a New Mexican has that kind of personal relationship with a local business and local businesses are trying to operate creatively to keep themselves and their employees afloat while staying safe, certainly this kind of transaction could have occurred.
KRQE News 13 also talked to the manager of Ooh Ahh Jewelry in Nob Hill. She said they did online sales only with one person in the shop who shipped orders out and didn’t do home or curbside deliveries because it wasn’t part of the April public health orders.
Curbside delivery wasn’t allowed until May 1.
First-Time Gun Buyers Explain How Coronavirus Changed Their Politics
Scott Kane went 38 years without ever touching a gun. That streak would have continued had it not been for the coronavirus. In March, fearful of the harassment his wife and child experienced over their Asian ancestry, Kane found himself in a California gun shop. His March 11 purchase of a 9mm would have been the end of the story, were it not for a political standoff over shutdown orders and background checks. Now Kane, a former supporter of gun-control measures and AR-15 bans, is frustrated by the arduous process that has denied his family a sense of security. The pandemic has made the soft-spoken software engineer an unlikely Second Amendment supporter.
“This has taken me, a law-abiding citizen with nary an unpaid parking ticket to my name, over a month,” he told the Washington Free Beacon. “Meanwhile Joe Bad Guy has probably purchased several fully automatic AK-47s out of the back of an El Camino in a shady part of town with zero background checks.”
Receipts reviewed by the Free Beacon show Kane first purchased a firearm on March 11 from Sportsman’s Warehouse in Milpitas, Calif. Santa Clara County shut down the shop before Kane’s 10-day waiting period was complete. No end date was given for the order, but a California law giving buyers just 30 days to pick up a gun remained in effect. Kane was stuck in a legal limbo that only grew worse.
Unable to do business, the store went belly-up in May. Kane had no way to pick up his gun. He started the process over again at another store in a neighboring county. He returned home with a Springfield XD 9mm and a biometric safe on April 29, 50 days after he first passed a background check and paid for a gun.
“I’m seriously thinking of running for office or something,” Kane said. “This state’s gun laws are insane.”
Kane is not alone. An influx of new gun owners has the potential to permanently alter the politics surrounding guns in the United States. If industry estimates are correct, millions of Americans across the country have become first-time gun buyers since March. If the experience changes their minds about the ongoing debate over gun control it could tip the balance of political power toward pro-gun activists and politicians.
It is not that the new buyers were unaware of the politics of gun control. Several new gun owners who spoke to the Free Beacon—some of whom requested anonymity citing safety concerns—generally leaned toward enhanced restrictions, their positions informed mostly by major news stories. But as they have become more personally invested in the debate, they find themselves more skeptical of gun control. Brian, a 40-year-old Floridian, used his savings to buy a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield in March after being laid off—the experience changed his entire approach to Second Amendment issues.
“In the past, I wasn’t against owning a gun. However, I did think that we had suffered enough as a country from school shootings, and something needed to be done. I was for stricter gun laws—no ARs, close the gun-show loophole, better mental health regulations, etc.,” he said. “I would now oppose stricter gun laws.”
While all of the first-time buyers who spoke to the Free Beacon cited safety concerns stemming from the pandemic as their top reason for buying a gun, some said the politics of the moment played a significant role in their decision. But they held differing and even opposing viewpoints on which politicians concerned them the most—suggesting the group of new owners represents a fairly diverse political spectrum……….
Washington…………..D.C. And we see one of the results of the Heller case.
“The Fourth District officers responded to a sounds of gun shot call in the 800 block of Randolph Street, NW (11:21am). A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect pulled a handgun out and threatened the complainant. The complainant, who has a Firearms Registration Certificate and Concealed Carry Permit, drew his weapon and fired two shots striking the suspect twice, with non life threatening wounds. The suspect was transported to a local hospital and placed under arrest for Felony Threats While Armed and Carrying a Pistol Without a License.”
BIRCH TREE, Mo. (AP) — A southwestern Missouri sheriff said a fatal shooting appeared to be justified.
KYTV reported that the shooting happened Saturday night near the small town of Birch Tree in Shannon County. The name of the victim has not been released.
Sheriff Darrin Brawley said the man killed and the shooter were relatives.
Brawley said a man showed up and began firing shots into a mobile home. The homeowner fired back, striking and killing the man
Man shoots, kills home invader
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — The Bay County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at about 6:05 am on Tuesday, May 26th in reference to a home invasion burglary,” officials wrote in a news release. “Deputies responded to 2307 Mound Avenue in Panama City, to find a man, shot, on the floor inside the home.
EMS responded and pronounced the man dead at the scene.
The residents, an elderly man, and another woman in the home told deputies that the male homeowner had been outside in front of the home when he saw the man walking down the street, acting erratically. He was screaming and swearing, and, according to witnesses.
The man walked down the homeowners’ driveway and approached the homeowner. Then he went inside to get away from the man on the street.
The stranger then followed, beating on the door to the house. Later busting in the glass door and breaking in.
The stranger knocked the woman to the ground and began beating her on the head. The homeowner stated he felt he could not physically stop the intruder so he went upstairs to get his firearm.
He shot the firearm multiple times, ending the threat, deputies wrote.
The woman was taken by EMS to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.
They have identified the intruder as Nathan Jerrell Edwards, 31. Initially, it was reported that Edwards was a local. Deputies later clarified that Edwards was from Georgia and was staring in a short-term rental about a block away from the scene of the incident
Horowitz: The CDC Confirms Remarkably Low Coronavirus Death Rate. Where is the Media?
Most people are more likely to wind up six feet under because of almost anything else under the sun other than COVID-19.
The CDC just came out with a report that should be earth-shattering to the narrative of the political class, yet it will go into the thick pile of vital data and information about the virus that is not getting out to the public. For the first time, the CDC has attempted to offer a real estimate of the overall death rate for COVID-19, and under its most likely scenario, the number is 0.26%. Officials estimate a 0.4% fatality rate among those who are symptomatic and project a 35% rate of asymptomatic cases among those infected, which drops the overall infection fatality rate (IFR) to just 0.26% — almost exactly where Stanford researchers pegged it a month ago.
Until now, we have been ridiculed for thinking the death rate was that low, as opposed to the 3.4% estimate of the World Health Organization, which helped drive the panic and the lockdowns. Now the CDC is agreeing to the lower rate in plain ink.
Plus, ultimately we might find out that the IFR is even lower because numerous studies and hard counts of confined populations have shown a much higher percentage of asymptomatic cases. Simply adjusting for a 50% asymptomatic rate would drop their fatality rate to 0.2% — exactly the rate of fatality Dr. John Ionnidis of Stanford University projected.
More importantly, as I mentioned before, the overall death rate is meaningless because the numbers are so lopsided. Given that at least half of the deaths were in nursing homes, a back-of-the-envelope estimate would show that the infection fatality rate for non-nursing home residents would only be 0.1% or 1 in 1,000. And that includes people of all ages and all health statuses outside of nursing homes. Since nearly all of the deaths are those with comorbidities.
The CDC estimates the death rate from COVID-19 for those under 50 is 1 in 5,000 for those with symptoms, which would be 1 in 6,725 overall, but again, almost all those who die have specific comorbidities or underlying conditions. Those without them are more likely to die in a car accident. And schoolchildren, whose lives, mental health, and education we are destroying, are more likely to get struck by lightning…
It’s Noo Yawk. Fuggetaboudit
Grocery store worker arrested after man with knife shot in Brooklyn
EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (WABC) — A grocery store worker in Brooklyn is in custody after police say he shot and killed a man armed with a knife.
It happened just after 11 p.m. Monday at Rose Family Grocery Store in East New York.
Police say 25-year-old Edwin Candelario attempted to attack the worker with a knife during an argument.
That’s when the 34-year-old worker pulled out a gun and police say he shot Candelario several times, killing him.
It appears the worker was not licensed to have the gun.
Apparent burglar shot, killed after breaking into Hesperia home
HESPERIA, Calif. (KABC) — A Hesperia man was shot and killed after he forced his way into a home in the middle of the night, authorities said.
Sheriff’s deputies say Julian Robert Sanchez Garcia, 31, of Hesperia, forced his way into a home on Balsam Avenue around 2:49 a.m. Monday.
Two men who were home at the time say they heard yelling and pounding on the front door at the time. They said Garcia then forced his way inside the home.
A shooting occurred and Garcia was struck by gunfire and later pronounced dead at the scene.
The two men said they did not know Garcia. They were brought to the San Bernardino County sheriff’s station in Hesperia and were cooperating with investigators.
No arrests have been made.
This reduces municipal power to make places ‘gun free zones’
Louisiana House Bill 140
Louisiana-2020-HB140-Engrossed.pdf
Present law limits a political subdivision’s authority to enact certain ordinances or regulations involving firearms. In this regard, present law prohibits a governing authority of a political subdivision from enacting any ordinance or regulation that is more restrictive than state law concerning the sale, purchase, possession, ownership, transfer, transportation,license, or registration of firearms, ammunition, or components of firearms or ammunition.
However, present law further provides that this provision of present law does not apply to the authority of political subdivisions to prohibit the possession of a weapon or firearm in certain commercial establishments and public buildings.
Proposed law removes this exception from present law, prohibiting any governing authority of a political subdivision from enacting any ordinance or regulation that is more restrictive than state law concerning the possession of a weapon or firearm in certain commercial establishments and public buildings.