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Colorado Attack Proves Fallacy of 'Gun Free School Zone' Laws, Says CCRKBA
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Wednesday's horrible incident at Colorado's Platte Canyon High School once again underscores the fallacy and false sense of security that are at the core of so-called 'gun free school zone' laws, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said today."

"'The time is overdue for a reassessment of such laws,' said CCRKBA Chairman Alan M. Gottlieb. 'All they have done is create target-rich, no-risk environments for monsters who have no fear of encountering an armed teacher or administrator, or a legally- armed private citizen who might happen to be in the building.'"

"'This sort of thing didn't happen before the advent of gun- free school zone laws,' Gottlieb observed. ..." ...

Statement of Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke on the Standoff at a Colorado School
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: HTTP://WWW.RPA-PAC.ORG

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement:

"Our prayers and good wishes go out to all of the families who went through a painful ordeal today as the hostage standoff developed at Platt Canyon High School. We also offer spiritual support to the survivors of the terrible tragedy at Columbine High School, who I know found themselves reliving bad memories today.

"We must all redouble our efforts to take all necessary steps to make our schools safer for our children. This is a responsibility we all share."
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KABA Note: Israel has only had a single school shooting since teachers started 'taking responsibility' for their students by carrying guns. The single incident was when they were asked to disarm while visiting the "Island of Peace".

Local proposal counters Bloomberg firearm grab and could spark counter actions, says gun law expert
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: HTTP://WWW.RPA-PAC.ORG

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"An ordinance proposed by a small town councilman in Idaho counters a massive gun-grabbing campaign launched by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City and joined now by a number of like-minded mayors of other cities from around the country."

"It possibly could spark a reaction against the Bloomberg campaign in a number of areas throughout the United States." ...

"Councilman Jett has proposed an ordinance which actually would encourage Greenleaf citizens to own a firearm and ammunition and know how to use it." ...

IN: Store owner kills robbery suspect
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A 76-year-old Eastside jewelry store owner opened fired on two suspected robbers Wednesday morning, killing one and trapping the second upstairs until police arrived." ...

"Dozens of officers were on the scene minutes after the shooting was reported at 10:56 a.m., but Indianapolis Police Department Chief Michael Spears said officers could do little to prevent this kind of 'brazen' attack."

"'Two apparently able-bodied young men decided they would try to victimize an honest store owner,' Spears said. ..." ...

"When two masked men tried to rob the store, Maj. Lloyd Crowe said, one of them had a handgun, and Parmley opened fire with his own gun." ...

NC: Lexington man shoots home intruders
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A Jessup Street homeowner shot two men who were trying to break into his house early this morning, Lexington police said."

"Investigators say they have information that the home invasion stemmed from a previous domestic violence incident."

"'It wasn't random,' said Lexington Police Lt. Jon Hicks. 'They knew the victim.'"

"When the two men allegedly made entry into the home, Delaise Ander Eller went for his shotgun and fired on Shedarrius Pate, 18, of Link Circle, and Kannell Leach, 21, of Greensboro, police said."

"A third suspect ... was waiting outside in a car."

Pate and Leach, the two men who were shot, ran out of the house and jumped into the car, and all three men sped off ..." ...

CA: Siskiyou jury acquits man in half-brother's slaying
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

Jurors acquitted a former Quartz Valley man today in a Siskiyou County courtroom after his defense attorney successfully argued he killed his half-brother in self-defense, said Siskiyou County Public Defender Lael Kayfetz.

It took jurors less than two hours to find Everett Alva Super, 39, of San Diego not guilty for the November 2005 killing of George Richard Super, 25, Kayfetz said.

Prosecutors had alleged the elder Super shot his brother in the abdomen during an argument over a vehicle at George Supers home in Quartz Valley, which is near Fort Jones.

Kayfetz said Everett Supers attorney, Laura Petty, argued that George Super was attacking his half-brother at the time and had a history of assaults against him.

Mayor rips Congress' gun proposals
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: HTTP://WWW.RPA-PAC.ORG

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"Mayor Michael Bloomberg unleashed a tirade on Congress yesterday for pushing gun legislation that, he said, leaves it easier to track the origins of tainted spinach than a cache of illegal firearms."

"Speaking yesterday near the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., where he called for tougher gun laws in that state, Bloomberg drew a direct link between gun-related violence and proposed legislation that makes it harder to track illegal guns and penalize rogue dealers." ...
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KABA Note: Not a single quote from someone who was in favor of the legislation, and a reiteration of Brady Campaign talking points presented as "news". Nope, no bias there.

McCarthy: Bill will undermine ATF efforts to stop gun trafficking
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: HTTP://WWW.RPA-PAC.ORG

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"In my 10 years in Congress Ive never seen a bill with a more misleading name than HR 5092, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Modernization and Reform Act of 2006. Instead of modernizing or reforming the ATF, this bill simply undermines the Bureaus ability to crack down on the most corrupt and negligent gun dealers and traffickers."

"I know the vast majority of gun sellers in this country are legitimate businesspeople who go to great lengths to make sure their guns do not end up in the hands of criminals. But why should Congress protect the small minority who do sell guns to criminals?" ...

CA: Student cited for firing air pistol
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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A boy, possibly an eighth-grader, was cited near Madison Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon after school officials said he was firing an air pistol near the campus.

Stockton Unified School District spokeswoman Dianne Barth said the boy had been loitering near the school at 2939 Mission Road. On Wednesday, as Madison students were boarding buses to go home, the boy fired an air pistol, Barth said.

No one was hurt, and the buses departed safely, she said.

CO: Hostage horror
Submitted by: Protector

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"A teenage hostage was fatally shot Wednesday as authorities stormed a Platte Canyon High School classroom to end an armed standoff."

"An unidentified man, who had entered the school late Wednesday morning and initially taken six hostages, fired at approaching SWAT officers and then at the female hostage before shooting himself, Park County authorities said. He died at the scene."

"The girl was flown to St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, where she was pronounced dead at 4:32 p.m. ..."

"School officials told investigators that some of the hostages said they were sexually assaulted, according to Lance Clem, spokesman for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation." ...

PA: 'We must be a community'
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"This past Sunday, local religious leaders, law enforcement and government officials all gathered ... to discuss solutions to crime and gun violence in [Philadelphia]." ...

"'We are a city that is fighting this thing at all different levels,' Street said. '... We need stronger gun laws in this country. Sometimes we must be a little less free on order to be safe.'"

"In response to critics ... the mayor used the analogy of airport security. With the long waiting lines and numerous new regulations, citizens are a little less free, Street explained, but this is a necessary sacrifice for safety. Street stated that a similar sacrifice must be made as regards second amendment rights." ...

PA: Special Session on Crime
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Close your eyes and imagine a bouquet of balloons. They seem so harmless, so simple and colorful."

"Now, think of each of those balloons as one of the arguments used by hardline, pro-gun advocates to pan any proposal that could help stem the flow of illegal firearms into the hands of criminals."

Those balloons don't seem so harmless anymore, do they?

"A lot of huffing and puffing went into filling up those arguments. A lot of hot air keeps them inflated."

"It is those flawed arguments that make Pennsylvania a nationally lamented gun bazaar. It is those arguments that enable illegal guns to flow with few impediments onto the streets of Philadelphia and other cities." ...

PA: Anti-crime lip service right on cue
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Election day is 39 days away and it's autumn. In politics that means its anti-crime time and the season for gun-control frenzy."

"... the Pennsylvania Legislature met to give lip service to the usual solutions to crime, even as ... gun-control advocates and opponents went through another face-off drill." ...

"... [York Mayor John Brenner] said he supports a measure to restrict handgun purchases to one a month." ...

"One measure not finding favor among the Second Amendment crowd would bar bulk 'straw purchases' of weapons which often sees the guns passed to criminals. Mayor Brenner calls the measure -- which would limit handgun purchases to one a month -- a common-sense approach, and he's right." ...
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Submitter's Note: 'Straw purchases' are already illegal.

PA: Mostly, a miss on gun control
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The state House, dominated by members from rural areas where hunting is a way of life and the Second Amendment is sacrosanct, resoundingly rejected a series of gun-control measures yesterday, including one that would have allowed Philadelphia to enact its own firearms laws."

"Representatives ended the second day of a special informal session on anticrime bills yesterday afternoon without considering the most controversial proposal: to limit handgun purchases statewide to one a month." ...
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Submitter's Note: Controversial, perhaps, because there is no evidence that it works.

CA: Brady Campaign Endorses Jerry Brown for California Attorney General
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: HTTP://WWW.RPA-PAC.ORG

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"Democratic nominee Jerry Brown today received the endorsement of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the nation's leading gun violence prevention organization." ...

"'Jerry Brown is the right man for this job, and the right man to succeed a terrific Attorney General, Bill Lockyer,' said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign. 'I have known of Governor Brown for many years, and got the opportunity to work with him when we were both Mayors. I have always been inspired by his passion to help others and to make the world a better place. He'll make an excellent Attorney General, and I look forward to working with him on ways to combat gun violence.'" ...

IL: Panel moves against look-alike guns
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Chicago merchants would be barred from selling air guns that resemble real weapons, and possession of the imitations would be banned under a measure advanced today by the City Council's Police and Fire Committee."

"The legislation, which now goes to the full council for consideration, was introduced after the August shooting by police of 14-year-old Ellis Woodland ... The boy was seriously wounded after police officials said he refused orders to drop a BB pistol that resembled a 9 mm handgun."

"Possession of air and pellet guns that discharge projectiles, including models that are designed to look like real pistols, currently is legal if the owner is at least 18 and has a permit, officials said." ...

CA: Ex-officer receives probation, service
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A former Seaside police officer was sentenced to probation and community service Wednesday after a Monterey County Superior Court judge reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor a charge alleging the officer received stolen property." ...

"Earlier this year, Raussa pleaded guilty to a felony charge of receiving stolen property, and the other charges were dropped."

"But at sentencing, Judge Terrance Duncan granted a defense motion to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor and sentenced Raussa to three years probation and 200 hours of community service. Duncan said Raussa has suffered enough after losing his job in connection with the incident." ...

NM: Cops' search for shooter nets lawsuits from ACLU
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"In the frenzied hunt earlier this year for double-homicide suspect Michael Paul Astorga, law enforcement got out of control, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico says in two lawsuits expected to be filed today."

"Based on a tip that Astorga might be hiding in her Martineztown home, officers pulled Kathy Gonzales, her two teens and her 75-year-old mother out of the house, ordered them to the ground and pointed assault rifles at them while the officers searched the home without a warrant, one lawsuit claims."

"'Don't move or we'll shoot,' the officers told the family, according to the lawsuit."

"No one in the Gonzales family knew Astorga, and only knew his name from news accounts, the lawsuit says." ...

IL: Gun lost by Harvey police is returned
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Investigators are testing a .45-caliber Remington to determine if the handgun was used in a murder after disappearing from the Harvey police station where it was being held as evidence in an illegal weapon case ..."

"The gun was handed over to investigators this past weekend at the police station in south suburban Robbins, sources said. Its serial number matches the gun Detective Hollis Dorrough allegedly removed from evidence in a 2005 weapon case against Anthony T. Reynolds ..."

"Prosecutors discovered the gun was missing when they went to court against Reynolds in July on the weapon charge. In August, they charged Dorrough with official misconduct for allegedly handing the weapon to Reynolds' stepfather." ...

IL: Chicago officers charged, cases dropped
Submitted by: Protector

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"Prosecutors have been ordered to drop all cases handled by nine special operations Chicago police officers, four of whom have been charged with robbing, kidnapping and intimidating drug dealers, according to a memo sent to state's attorney's office this month." ...

"The four officers Keith Herrera, 28; Jerome Finnigan, 43; Thomas Sherry, 32; and Carl Suchocki, 32, all of Chicago face charges that include multiple counts of armed violence, home invasion, aggravated kidnapping and delivery of a controlled substance. The other five are under investigation." ...

IL: Anti-gun mailer goes too far, state Senate candidate says
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: HTTP://WWW.RPA-PAC.ORG

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"A state Senate candidates mailer featuring a young girl playing with a gun is inflammatory, according to his challenger."

"'This election has gotten way out of control and that mailing is just another one of his inflammatory mailings,' said Cheryl Axley, a Republican from Mount Prospect."

"The ad promoted gun safety and was mailed to 33rd Senate District residents by Dan Kotowski, a Democrat from Park Ridge. It features a young girl playing with a chrome-plated revolver alongside a box full of bullets."

"Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat, defends the mailer that went out last week."

"Kotowski is a former executive director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. He said he's received no complaints about the mailing." ...

MD: Arms not arts fill this museum in Maryland
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"I had been down the road before. But the world was a different place then. Then, the road was straight and the way was clear." ...

"The road leads to the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum near Aberdeen, Md. And, as that roads leads through an active military installation, the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001, have prompted some literal twists and turns."

"These hurdles should not deter you from visiting one of the most impressive artillery and arms museums in the world."

"The first impression is staggering. About 240 tanks, trucks, cannons and heavy artillery are lined up in a 25-acre 'tank park' that wraps around the museum building. The artifacts are from several countries and several wars." ...

NJ: Judge ends Newark's gun-offender program
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Essex County's top judge has scrapped a four-year-old program to crack down on chronic gun offenders in Newark, saying there was no evidence it did anything to curb crime."

"State Superior Court Assignment Judge Patricia Costello said she no longer saw the benefit of setting aside a judge, prosecutors and probation officers to handle the city's gun-possession cases."

"'It didn't work the way it was intended,' Costello said ... 'Stopping it gives us an opportunity to come with something that works better.'"

"Authorities say they will find other ways to lock up gun offenders. But the shutdown comes at a difficult time in Newark, where Mayor Cory Booker has made gun violence a top priority of his administration." ...

IN: Jasonville police receive new guns
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Thanks to money accumulated from gun permit funds, the five full-time officers of the Jasonville Police Department now have new firearms."

"The JPD recently replaced their old Smith & Wesson .40 caliber model 4006 firearms with a Glock .40 caliber model 22."

"The old Smith & Wesson models were purchased in 1993." ...

"Gadberry said another reason for the purchase is that a majority of the departments in the area carry Glock weapons, thus making it more practical in both training and real life scenarios."

"The new Glock pistols have higher capacity magazines compared to the old weapons, Gadberry said. The Glock pistols have 15 rounds, as the old Smith & Wessons had 10 rounds." ...

MT: Is your rifle ready?
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Montana's general big game hunting season opens in less than four weeks and good riflemen will have put their weapons in order long ago. But we all are not good riflemen."

"Still, there is time to get your rifle ready for opening day, which comes Oct. 22, and that means a good cleaning and several trips to the sight-in range. If you put it away broken last fall, there might still be time to have it fixed."

"'They should have been out a month ago shooting their guns,' said Tracy gunsmith Dave Young. ..."

"Perhaps your gun isn't broken, but it might be dirty. Accuracy comes with cleaning and in this case, the target is copper fouling bits of the copper bullet jacket that come off on the barrel's rifling." ...

CT: Farewell Bids At Winchester
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Ted Marena flashed a brief smile when he won the bidding for a grinding machine Wednesday in the cavernous old Winchester plant, as the auction marking the end for the historic rifle-maker hammered on, a final burst of energy before the factory descends into darkness."

"It was only a $500 purchase, hardly enough to raise his pulse. But the machine will hold special meaning for Marena, who founded Marena Industries Inc. in his Hartford basement in 1960 as a 21-year-old Italian immigrant."

"'I would have paid more money for it because it came out of Winchester,' said Marena, whose company, a surface-grinding specialty shop, now has 22 employees in East Hartford. 'It's a real sad day in my life.'" ...

UK: Armed robber's getaway in a taxi
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A TAXI driver today described how he unwittingly became the getaway driver in an armed robbery."

"Paul Whiteley had no idea his 'well mannered and polite' passenger was wanted for holding up a Blackpool Post Office at gunpoint."

"That was until armed police - pointing semi-automatic rifles - surrounded his cab."

"The drama unfolded yesterday afternoon after staff at the Bryan Road Post Office on Whitegate Drive were threatened by a man holding a gun."

"They were forced to hand over hundreds of pounds in cash before the robber fled in the direction of Stanley Park."

"Minutes later Mr Whiteley ... was sent to pick up a fare close to the park's main gates." ...

UK: Gun duo facing jail
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"TWO men face long jail terms after keeping an illegal handgun, silencer and bullets in their Sheffield flat."

"Andrew Cross, aged 25, admitted possession of the 7.65mm Beretta, and his flatmate Youan Titus, 19, was convicted by jury after denying he had anything to do with it."

"Recorder Nicholas Campbell QC said the offence carried a minimum of five years' imprisonment under the Firearms Act 1969."

"But because the Act applied only to people aged 21 and over he would have to adjourn sentencing for reports on Titus." ...

"Armed police found the illegal firearms in a raid at Titus's flat in Harcourt Road, Crookesmoor. The gun and 42 bullets were hidden in a box at the back of a cupboard." ...

UK: BASC: Ministers commit to working with shooting community
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Three government ministers have reaffirmed their commitment to work with the shooting community at the rural reception at the Labour party conference in Manchester this week (26th September)."

"The rural reception was organised by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) in partnership with the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and the Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust (FACT)." ...

"Richard Caborn said that the government was working towards allowing those participating in pistol disciplines in the Olympic Games to practice in their own country. Currently competitive pistol shooters have to practice in Switzerland." ...

Canada: The gun registry: should we kill it or fix it?
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Prime Minister Stephen Harper is clearly right when he accuses his Liberal predecessors of not having done enough to prevent tragedies like the horrific Dawson College shooting in Montreal."

"'Today's laws did not protect us and we take no pleasure on this side of the House from having warned the previous government repeatedly over the past decade that the gun registry would not prevent this kind of occurrence,' the Conservative prime minister told the House of Commons last week in the wake of the shootings that left a young woman and the gunman dead and 19 injured."

"The Liberals' efforts at gun control having failed so dramatically, the Conservative minority government is expected to proceed with its plans to wind down the firearms registry." ...

UK: Armed gang in 'stupid' attacks jailed
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A GANG of robbers who threatened three terrified victims with a flick-knife and an imitation gun have been jailed for four years."

"Nathan Dominique, Vivian Obogu and Christian Rowe struck once in Harpenden and twice in St Albans within two hours on the night of May 26."

"Prosecutor Geoffrey Porter told St Albans Crown Court on Friday how the victims were confronted with Obogu wielding the knife and Rowe brandishing the fake pistol."

"After seizing wallets and mobile phones, the pair escaped in a Fiat Punto driven by Dominique." ...