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CSGV Predicts New NRA President will be "Aggressive Advocate" for More Guns as Best Answer to Violence (JTO)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Executive Director Josh Horwitz said today (April 15, 2005) he expects incoming National Rifle Association President Sandra Froman to try to convince Americans they need more guns in more places to protect themselves."

"'Sandra Froman has made it clear that she plans to be an aggressive advocate for the idea that the best way to stop crime is to arm as many people as possible,' Horwitz said."

"'After the Columbine shootings, the gun lobby was on the defensive, but their response to the rampage in Red Lake and other high-profile gun killings this year has been to argue that we would all be safer with guns in schools, churches, and courthouses,' he said." ...

Arizona Governor Vetoes Guns-in-Bars Bill (JTO)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Siding with major law-enforcement organizations and the tourism industry, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has vetoed a bill that would allow concealed handguns in bars, the Tucson Citizen reported April 26." ...

"Napolitano's action carries the political risk of angering the National Rifle Association, which has 100,000 members in Arizona and strongly supported the bill. But in her veto letter, Napolitano wrote, 'Arizona's law enforcement organizations have consistently opposed this legislation, and their concerns have not been addressed by the sponsors of this bill. I am also sympathetic to the concerns of property owners, including the owners of bars and restaurants that would have been adversely affected by this bill.'" ...

TN: Store owner shoots robber, police say
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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A man was wounded yesterday when he tried to rob a Nashville market, Metro police said.

Ralph W. Fleming, 35, of 210 Old Hickory Blvd., broke the front glass door and demanded all the money at the Lewis Country Store, 5106 Old Hickory Blvd., police said.

Store owner Brad Lewis thought Fleming had a gun, police said, so Lewis pulled a pistol and shot Fleming, wounding him in the right arm and right leg.

Fleming attempted to flee but collapsed nearby. He was treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Arrest warrants charging attempted aggravated robbery and burglary were issued in the case.

TX: Jury finds man not guilty in shooting that leaves another man paralyzed
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"An eleventh-hour change in testimony may have been what convinced a jury to find a man not guilty for a shooting that left another man paralyzed for life, according to the prosecution."

"Family members and friends gathered outside the courtroom to hug Charles Beck Jr., 19, shortly after state District Judge David Wilson announced the jury's verdict." ...

"'Not guilty. See, I told you,' another woman said as she walked out."

"Beck pleaded not guilty to shooting Kevin Garrett five times the evening of May 4, 2004 ..."

"The two had been sitting together in Beck's car just before the shooting. Bullets from a 9mm handgun hit Garrett in the chest, finger, groin and back, damaging a nerve." ...

IL: Dogs kill 9 sheep from prize flock
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Dana Silberhorn cradled one of three black lambs, gently stroking its head while its mother bellowed a series of warnings nearby."

"A large ram stood in its pen, its hind leg showing little of the effects of a savage attack that left nine of its prize flock dead Wednesday morning."

"Dana and her husband, David, had surprised two dogs that had wandered inside their flock's pen at their small Marengo Road farmette and began thrashing, biting and mauling the valuable sheep inside."

"David Silberhorn ran inside his home, grabbed a rifle, and shot to death the two vicious dogs, his wife said. One dog was a pit bull, and the other was a mixed breed." [emphasis added] ...

IL: When 23,000 Gun Laws Are Not Enough
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Liberals and criminals alike are anxiously awaiting the verdict on Illinois newest gun ban, HB 2414. Honestly, its hard to tell whos more excited."

"I guess liberals figure if they cant keep Americans from buying guns, theyll try putting people in prison for owning them."

"Meanwhile, thousands of law-abiding citizens in Illinois are forced to imagine being incarcerated for legally purchasing and owning a gun."

"Thats the idea behind The Peoples Republic of Illinois House Bill 2414, in which gun owners would have 90 days to surrender their legally purchased semi-automatic firearms to the police, or face felony prosecution and stiff jail sentences." ...

FL: Castle Doctrine gives people right to defend themselves (last letter on page)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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... "Neither the Times nor letter writer Arthur Hayhoe seem able to grasp the concept of the Castle Doctrine bill signed by Gov. Bush. It has nothing to do with aggressive behavior, and has everything to do with self-protective behavior by law-abiding citizens. It covers defensive actions by those who are truly threatened with great bodily harm or death or who act to prevent a forcible felony, relieving them of a tenuous duty to retreat, not only at home but as potential victims of such crimes as carjacking and attempted robbery/murder in front of one's home or in a dark parking lot. The bill does not protect the aggressor but rather empowers the victim to effectively defend him or herself. Retreat is rarely a viable option and is often a poor choice. Victims who properly defended themselves with deadly force usually could look forward to a night in jail and a frivolous lawsuit from the aggressor's/criminal's attorney." ...

TN: Gun proposal backfires in House
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"State House Republicans are accusing House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh of unfairly pushing a gun rights bill back to a committee for another vote, though it already passed the panel Wednesday."

"The bill, which is pushed by gun advocates to no avail every year, would allow citizens with gun permits to carry a weapon into places that serve alcohol as long as they abstain from drinking."

"The bill passed the House Constitutional Protections subcommittee Wednesday on a voice vote. The committee is the very place the bill is killed each year one of a similar nature was killed there last week."

"Because two Democrats were absent at the time of the vote, the legislation passed the committee, which typically has a Democratic majority." ...

MN: Editorial: Hidden guns/A backroom deal gone bad
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Every once in a while, the world's dunderheads trip over a rock. Their best-laid plans fall to pieces, and their backroom deals get lost on the way to center stage. That's the story with this year's attempt to revive the 2003 concealed-weapons bill, struck down just weeks ago by the Minnesota Appeals Court."

"The court scotched the law because its passage involved unlawful legislative maneuverings. Shrugging off the court's scorn, House backers of the hidden-weapons plan conjured a slick new trick to slip it past a wary public and back into the statute books. The deal would have been sealed in a jiffy -- if only each actor had played his proper part." ...
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Submitter's Note: Just how is bringing a bill to the Senate floor for a yes or no vote a "slick new trick"?

WV: WVU says it wants to continue rifle team despite funding veto (follow-up)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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West Virginia University officials say they want to continue the schools storied rifle team, despite Gov. Joe Manchins veto of state funding for it.

The future of the WVU rifle program is not in doubt, WVU President David Hardesty said. We will continue to have rifle here at WVU.

Manchin vetoed $100,000 allocated by lawmakers to the rifle team before approving the $3.19 billion general revenue budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Lawmakers had made a similar allocation last year for the current fiscal years budget after WVU announced in 2003 that it was eliminating the team along with four other sports teams mens indoor and outdoor track, mens cross country and mens tennis to cut costs.

OR: Boy had gun that mom inherited
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A 10-year-old King Elementary School student who took a loaded revolver to class Wednesday obtained the gun after his mother inherited it from a relative who died about three years ago ..."

"The gun went missing soon after it entered the fourth-grader's home at that time, said Sgt. Brian Schmautz, Portland Police Bureau spokesman. It didn't show up again until Wednesday, when it fell out of the boy's pants or backpack, Schmautz said. Another student later told a teacher, who found the gun in the boy's coat during a search, authorities said."

"The boy took the gun to school to show off to his classmates, not out of self-defense or revenge, Schmautz said. There were no indications of past behavioral problems, he said." ...

TX: Big burrito leads to school lockdown
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A big burrito created big brouhaha Thursday at Marshall Junior High School."

"More than 600 students sat through a lockdown and building search after a passerby reported a 'suspicious object' being carried into the school."

"The 2-foot-long cylinder wrapped in white fabric later was revealed to be a giant burrito created by an eighth-grade boy for a career exploration class."

"'He's into culinary arts,' Principal Diana Russell said of the student, whose name was not released."

"The boy crafted the burrito as an extra-credit project, rolling out the tortillas from scratch, she said. After filling the shell with meat, the student swaddled his creation in aluminum foil and a T-shirt to keep it warm." ...

NY: Niagara Falls High School Security
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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Niagara Falls High School is open today, but there will be extra security on hand.

Administrators tell 2 On Your Side they are investigating rumors of possible gun violence in the school.

On Wednesday, students were given the option to stay or leave depending on how they felt about the rumors.

These rumors come just days after a 16 year old student was shot and killed by a pizza delivery man, who police say acted in self defense.

We will have more on this story when information becomes available.

MO: Officers' discipline a secret
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The mother of an 11-year-old boy who was handcuffed and arrested at school says her son was humiliated for his transgression, and that everyone should know what punishment the police officers involved received."

"Jane Karns says her son spit on another boy who was teasing him outside a movie theater in November. She says that a few days after the incident, two Joplin police officers, including the father of the other boy, pulled her son from class and questioned him ... about the incident before taking him away handcuffed in a police vehicle." ...

"Joplin police Chief Kevin Lindsey has told Karns that the officers violated department policy, but he is not disclosing what punishment he gave to Officers Charles Ward, the father of the other child, and Ron Buchanan." ...

WI: Weapons seizure included high explosive ammo [apparently stolen from a military base]
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Military high explosive 40mm rounds found last week at the Fond du Lac home of Christopher Moses are designed specifically for the MK19 40mm grenade machine gun."

"Five of the rounds were identified as 40mm HE MK19 rounds by Sgt. Michael Musil of 2-127 Infantry Battalion of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He described the yellow rounds as being high explosive." ...

"Musil theorized that the 40mm rounds may have been stolen off a military base. He said these types of explosive rounds cannot be purchased legally." ...

"'We need to tighten up our security measures to make sure that this type of thing doesnt happen,' Musil said." ...

FL: Children's safety is officer's top priority
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A 5-year-old girl is put in handcuffs. A 7-year-old boy is arrested for stabbing another child with a sharpened pencil."

"These are extreme incidents, but they have gotten the attention of school officials, parents and law enforcement agencies because they raise important questions about juvenile justice. Do children have privacy rights? When is child restraint too extreme? Is using a Taser zap gun on children OK?"

"Those are the issues that police officers like Frantz Petitpapa have to think about every day. Petitpapa, who is with the Wilton Manors Police Department, has been on the juvenile beat for three years." ...
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Submitter's Note: I was unaware that the Bill of Rights specified an age limit for civil rights!

IA: Deputy In Shelby County Shooting Investigating Gun In Truck
Submitted by: Jeffrey L Bird

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"There were new developments Thursday in an officer-involved shooting in Shelby County, Iowa, on Dec 30."

"The attorney for Shelby County Deputy Chad Butler said a handgun was found in Dwayne Jens' truck the night he was fatally shot. Butler allegedly shot Jens after a brief chase in Shelby County because he thought Jens had a gun in his vehicle. Butler has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting. Officials said Butler allegedly shot Jens after stopping his vehicle at a roadblock."

"Reports indicated Butler thought Jens was reaching for a gun in his truck, and that's why he fired."

"Jens' daughter, Angie, 12, who was a passenger with her father that night, said it was a cell phone, not a gun." ...

TN: Former Ft. Campbell Soldier Sentenced To Die For Attack On Comrades
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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Sergeant Hasan Akbar was convicted of a 2003 rifle and grenade attack in Kuwait that left two officers dead and 14 other soldiers wounded.

A 15-person jury at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina deliberated for seven hours before sentencing Sergeant Hasan Akbar to death Thursday night.

Akbar was convicted on charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder just a week before his sentencing.

Akbar stood at attention as the verdict was delivered, showing no emotion.

Earlier, he apologized for the crimes.

Akbars death sentence will be automatically appealed.

Prosecutors said Akbar's attack was driven by religious extremism.

WA: Everett police honor outstanding officers
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Officer Pat Sebald is like a walking crime computer." ...

"Sebald's analyzing acumen on the Auto Theft Task Force earned him the officer of the year award Thursday at a ceremony honoring outstanding police officers, volunteers and other members of the community." ...

"Others honored included:"

"* Officer Jarrod Seth ... was said to exemplify the professionalism, dedication and leadership of an outstanding police officer. He is always the first officer to volunteer for a call or assist fellow officers when needed, and has placed several drug dealers in prison, the department said."

"* Officer Miguel Bernardi received a certificate of merit for persuading a distraught man with a rifle on I-5 to surrender the night of Feb. 23, 2004. The man had shot nine rounds at passing cars, hitting two." ...

Israel: Israeli Army Lied About Killing UK Filmmaker: Report
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Israeli soldiers lied and tampering with evidence in an attempt to obstruct an inquiry into the killing of a British filmmaker, according to leaked documents published by The Observer on Sunday, April 24."

"'Evidence shows that Second Lieutenant H. heard his soldiers lying in their testimonies during the investigation, and unfortunately did not mention that fact to his commanders, that his soldiers are giving them details that are not true,' said a 79-page report by the chief lawyer of the Israeli army's southern command into the shooting of James Miller in the Gaza Strip."

"The version of events offered by the soldier originally implicated in the shooting ... were so contradictory that his accounts were described in the report as coming 'full circle'." ...

GA: Chamber sees the new Riverside -- Military academy gives a tour of latest additions, renovations
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Riverside Military Academy showed off its $90 million worth of additions and renovations Thursday to the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce."

"'Seven years ago there was just a pool and fieldhouse in this area,' Riverside's superintendent, Col. Michael Hughes, said in his address to the chamber's board of directors. 'With the recent construction of the Sandy Beaver Center for Teaching and Learning, we have completed our project.'" ...

"Following the meeting, visitors tried their hand at Riverside's rifle range, which is equipped with sport and precision air rifles and electronic scorekeeping. It's a rifle range that is equivalent to the Olympic center at Fort Benning, Hughes said." ...

FL: Marksmen Qualifying For Berths at Tenoroc
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Top marksmen around the nation are qualifying for berths in the 2005 ESPN Great Outdoor Games shooting competitions that will be held at Tenoroc Shooting Sports and Training in North Lakeland in July."

"Ryan Hadden, a 25-year-old sergeant in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning, Ga., won a shotgun qualifier at the Greater Pittsburgh Gun Club on April 16."

"Hadden, who owns two national titles in trapshooting, missed only one target in the shotgun event to take one of the 16 spots in the shotgun competition in Lakeland July 7-10."

"The shotgun competition involves five sporting clays targets coming only 31/2 seconds apart in each round." ...

MI: Police hunting BB gun attackers
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Muskegon police say four recent BB gun shootings have left victims with red welts, slight skin indentations and bruising."

"Luckily, none of the victims had to go to the hospital. But the shootings have police concerned."

"Shooting a person with a BB gun 'could result in serious injury,' said Detective Sgt. Monica Shirey. 'It can take an eye out.'"

"That's not the only danger."

"Back when 10-year-old Ralphie Parker, the star of the movie 'A Christmas Story,' desperately wanted a Daisy 'Red Ryder' BB rifle, with a combination trail compass and sundial built into the stock, the gun looked like what it was -- a toy rifle."

"That distinction is harder to make today." ...

NH: Backyard shooter muzzled
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"An Epping man is at odds with town officials, claiming they are squashing his constitutional rights by not allowing him to target-shoot in his backyard."

"Timothy Hannagan of 20 Norris Court said he bought the property specifically because, as he understood it, state law permitted him to shoot there." ...

"'Im sorry the laws arent conducive to his shooting, if thats why he bought the house,' Dodge said. 'But the law is the law. You cant discharge firearms in a compact area of town without permission from the police chief or the governing body.'"

"'Its my constitutional right, and I will fight for it,' said Hannagan."

MI: A New State-Record Muzzleloader Buck
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"For the second year in a row, our state record for a muzzleloader buck was broken in Michigan in 2002."

"During December 2001, Richard Peet from Plainwell collected a 17-pointer in Van Buren County that nets 192 2/8 inches, setting a new mark in the non-typical division. Last fall, Eric Kwasnik from Port Huron connected on an impressive 11-pointer in St. Clair County that nets 175 3/8 inches, establishing a new state record among typicals."

"The previous state-record blackpowder typical was a Macomb County 12-pointer shot by Djura Drazic during the 1998 firearms season. Those antlers measured 172 4/8 inches. That buck still ranks as the highest scoring typical from Macomb County." ...

South Africa: Antique guns 'will not be destroyed'
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Police and the South African Heritage Resources Agency are in a quandary over what to do with the arsenal of antique firearms handed in during the recent gun amnesty."

"Scores of firearms, many more than 100 years old, are lying in police depots across Gauteng. Any firearm older than 100 years, according to the National Heritage Resources Act, is considered a heritage object."

"Regina Isaacs, the agency's heritage objects officer, is adamant that no antique firearms will be sent for destruction."

"The agency, said Isaacs, did not want a repeat of what happened in 2004, when several historical firearms were destroyed by the police." ...
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Submitter's Note: So the barbarians aren't going to wantonly destroy any more priceless historical objects. Isn't that special!

South Africa: Bonnie and Clyde would be at home with this collection (another story)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"It was enough to make a gun collector weep."

"There were piles and piles of antique firearms, all handed in for destruction."

"The place, a police vault somewhere in Gauteng, held only some of the firearms handed in during the initial amnesty period that ended last month. ..."

"It's a gun collector's dream. There are weapons of all shapes and sizes, and many like them played a role in some part of South Africa's turbulent history."

"The rarest of the lot is an MP44 rifle. The Germans manufactured the MP44 towards the end of World War 2."

"As the world's first-ever true assault rifle, and the inspiration for the more famous AK-47, the MP44 is highly sought-after in the collecting world." ...

UK: Some tough questions for the judiciary (3rd letter on page)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"TEACHER Linda Walker fired an air-pistol into the ground at the feet of a youth she suspected of persistent vandalism ..."

"In 2002, Mark Hobson admitted stabbing a man five times ... Both crimes are hardly comparable, are they? Which one do you believe was the greater offence? Which do you believe would attract the full weight of the law?"

"Bet you've got it completely wrong. Such is the state of our criminal justice system that in the first case, Linda Walker was given a six-months prison sentence, but Mark Hobson, the brutal knifeman in the second case, only received community service. Two years later, he murdered four people in an orgy of sickening violence. Does the legal profession share the public's outrage at such gross injustice?" ...

Australia: Gatto shot hitman in self defence, court hears
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A court has heard Melbourne identity Dominic Gatto had no intention of executing Andrew Veniamin when he invited him to a meeting last year."

"It has also heard that murdered hitman, Veniamin, was a psychopathic aggressor, who tried, but failed to kill Gatto."

"Gatto, 49, is standing trial for the murder of 28-year-old Veniamin at a restaurant in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton last year." ...

"Gatto's lawyer Robert Richter QC told the court his client would never had planned to kill Veniamin at the La Porchella restaurant because it was just around the corner from the Carlton police station and it was commonly known as Gatto's office where he did business." ...
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Submitter's Note: Mob violence? In 'gun-free' Australia?!?

UK: Chairmans letter
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"I am the Chairman of ... the sole recognised association to represent retired police officers in England and Wales." ...

"... Sir John Stevens, the retiring Metropolitan commissioner, and his successor, Sir Ian Blair, have both indicated their support for a change in the [self-defence] law. ..."

"We agree entirely with this sentiment and for that reason support the attempt to change the law from the test of whether force used in self defence is 'reasonable' to 'grossly disproportionate' as we believe that it is not only the general public who need educating. What about the burglars? Should they not be the ones to fear breaking into houses? Changes in the law in some states of the US to this effect have lead to massive reductions in residential burglary." ...