GUNS IN THE NEWS--August 20, 2004

[MrBenchley]

As CO Liberal sez:
Please try to adhere to the following voluntary guidelines, in order that we can have an orderly discussion of gun-related news topics:
1 - Feel free to add any CURRENT stories to this thread by replying to this message. In order to be considered current, stories should have been originally posted on the Internet within the previous 24 hours, or provide follow-up to a story that was previously posted on the J/PS board. EXCEPTION: On Mondays (since many people do not log in to DU over the weekend), stories can be posted from Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.
2 - Both pro-gun and anti-gun stories, editorials, and press releases are welcome in this thread, as long as they're current. Please do not post links to items from a few years back that support your position.
3 - Bear in mind that any links to extremely right-wing sites (such as Newsmax, CNS, or the Washington Times) or intentionally pro-gun or pro-control sites (such as the NRA or the Brady Campaign) are not considered reliable sources by many DU-ers. If at all possible, try to find a link for your story from a more mainstream source, such as a general-circulation newspaper or magazine site. If you choose to use a slanted site, be prepared for any negative feedback you may receive.
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5 - Do not change story titles. In other words, if the Oskosh Gazette's web site runs a story titled "Two Killed in Holdup", the title of your message should read "Two Killed in Holdup". Don't change it to "Gun Owner Kills Two People", or anything else that changes the meaning of the story.
6 - If it's not clear from the title where the story occurred, add the city, state, or country in parentheses after the title.
7 - The person adding a news story to the "GITN" thread is allowed (and encouraged) to comment on that story, indicating their position on the topic being discussed. These comments can appear either at the beginning or end of the post; if possible, place comments in a different typeface so readers can separate the comments from the story. Others who wish to comment on a posted story can do so by replying to that story; this allows other readers to follow the comments by scrolling through the subthread.
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9 - If you object to these guidelines (or the basic concept of the "Guns In The News" thread), do everyone else a favor and go to another thread.

[MrBenchley]

1. AG keeps Internet gun merchants in sights (MA)

"Four of the seven Internet weapons merchants targeted by Attorney General Tom Reilly have agreed to stop selling their bloody wares in Massachusetts, Reilly said yesterday, while the other three will be hauled before a Superior Court judge Sept. 10 if they do not comply beforehand.
     After a news conference yesterday where he presented the load of illicit weapons his agents obtained through the mail during a yearlong cyber-sting effort, Reilly said:
     ``Our investigators had no trouble getting stun guns, crossbows, switchblades, cane swords and other dangerous items on the Internet. If sellers think that they can hide behind a Web site and ship these illegal items into our state, and particularly into the hands of our children, they are mistaken.'' "

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=40656

[RoeBear]

4. This isn't really a...

...GITN story.

[Vladimir]

10. No its more of a

guns soon to no longer be in the news story...

[RoeBear]

14. Other than a stun gun...

...(which isn't really a gun) what firearms are being affected?

[Vladimir]

15. Crossbows?

*looks sheepish* ok, ok, so i didn't read the story before I posted. You are right, its more of a deadly weapons in the news story...

[FeebMaster]

20. Don't feel bad

plenty of these stories don't have guns in them.

[ClintonTyree]

2. When will we start................

considering assault weapons, "weapons of mass distruction"? According to the Patriot Act, just about everything can be considered a WMD. Recently a young man in South Carolina (or was it N.C.?) was arrected for having pipe bombs. I'm not sticking up for this nutbag kid, but an assault weapon can kill far more people than a pipe bomb.

I think we should start a drive to have assault weapons deemed WMDs. Imagine the howl from the gun nuts over this. They serve no other purpose than to terrorize other people, or if you're a gun nut, to even the playing field between themselves and those blood thirsty ducks. :eyes:

Assault weapons = Weapons of Mass Destruction.

I like the sound of that!

[RoeBear]

6. "Imagine the howl from the gun nuts over this"

Yes just "imagine the howl" as they all head down to the voting booth;
encouraged not to stay home on election day because of your idea.

"Imagine the howl" as they all vote against anyone they perceive as
anti-gun.

"Imagine the howl" as many good Democrats who are misguided on the gun issue lose elections.

[MrBenchley]

7. Too fucking funny, roe....

""imagine the howl" as they all head down to the voting booth"
and vote Republican just as they planned to do all along....

"as they all vote against anyone they perceive as
anti-gun."
As we've seen, that's pretty much everybody SANE in the US....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=118&topic_id=15904

[slackmaster]

9. Don't quit your day job, DumpGump

The Brady Campaign came up with that pithy little gem of hyperbole almost a year ago

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=142-10272003

And a group called Control Arms - See http://www.controlarms.org/ - came up with the same line at just about the same time:

http://www.jointogether.org/gv/news/summaries/reader/0,2061,567249,00.html

Coincidence?

Maybe...

:tinfoilhat:

[MrBenchley]

11. Gee, slack...

Great minds think alike...

[Jack_DeLeon]

26. Wrong....

bombs > guns in killing potential.

[MrBenchley]

3. Time to outlaw assault-style guns (IN)

"Although the 1994 crime bill banned most of the assault rifles that were in circulation at the time, a loophole in the law has led to the proliferation of similar types of weapons that are proving just as deadly.
Law enforcement officers are at a dangerous disadvantage when they must take on gunmen armed with weapons similar to the semi-automatic SKS rifle used to kill Indianapolis Police Officer Timothy Laird on Wednesday.
The 1994 federal crime bill prohibited the importation and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition. But gun manufacturers have circumvented the law by making a few design changes and producing different models of weapons that remain just as deadly.
"What do you do with these guns other than kill a cop?" asked gun shop owner Don Davis. "You certainly don't use them to go hunting.""

http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/171702-2345-021.html

[MrBenchley]

5. Idaho boy killed by accidental gunshot

"KIMBERLY - An accidental gun shot took the life of a 6-year-old Kimberly boy.
Kimberly-Hansen Police Chief Pat Bermingham said investigators know who shot the boy, but haven't released the name because they are still investigating. Bermingham said no charges are expected to be filed.
Bermingham said the call came in about 7:00 P.M. Wednesday night and the boy was dead when the ambulance arrived. "

http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-aug1904-shooting.921f7c4e.html

[MrBenchley]

8. 2 shot to death at Narcotics Anonymous meeting (TX)

registration required
"A Pleasant Grove man was arrested late Thursday after he fatally shot two people during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting and barricaded himself in his home for nearly four hours, police said.
Early reports indicated that the double slaying stemmed from a domestic dispute, police said.
Police say a gunman walked into the 6 p.m. Grove Group meeting in a strip mall in the 2000 block of Jim Miller Road near Bruton Road and fatally shot a 43-year-old Garland woman, authorities said.
After he shot the woman, "he came outside chasing the male subject, who climbed into his vehicle. He was shooting, and the vehicle took off through the parking lot," homicide Sgt. Ross Salverino said. "

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/082004dnmettwoshot.73445.html

Another glorious celebration of the Second Amendment...

[MrBenchley]

12. Man arrested in VA, charged with deadly shooting in Grover near St. George

Murder will out, as Chaucer said....

"Steven Christopher Briscoe, 31, was arrested in Danville, Virginia, on Tuesday and returned to Dorchester County late Wednesday and charged with murder.
Briscoe is accused of shooting 30-year-old Mark Cook on July 3rd, 2003. Cook was shot five times in a home in the community of Grover near St. George.
Dorchester deputies arrested several men shortly after the shooting and charged them with withholding information about the crime and doing nothing to stop it.
Lieutenant Tom Marshall says recently all of the other defendants identified Briscoe as the shooter. Briscoe did not fight extradition to South Carolina. "

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2199334&nav=0RaPQ4R8

[NorthernSpy]

18. Too TOO funny!

From thenceforth the Jewes have conspired
This innocent out of the world to chase;
A homicide thereto have they hired,
That in an alley had a privy place,
And, as the child gan forth by for to pace,
This cursed Jew him hent,* and held him fast *seized
And cut his throat, and in a pit him cast.

I say that in a wardrobe* he him threw, *privy
Where as the Jewes purged their entrail.
O cursed folk! O Herodes all new!
What may your evil intente you avail?
Murder will out, certain it will not fail,
And namely* where th' honour of God shall spread; *especially
The blood out crieth on your cursed deed.

See how our 'anti-gun Democrats' resort to hate literature to make their point! Desperation does funny things to people...


Mary

[MrBenchley]

13. Suspect surrenders in Columbia shooting (SC)

"COLUMBIA, S.C. - A man wanted in the shooting death of a Columbia man earlier this week has surrendered to Richland County sheriff's deputies.
Corey Xavier Johnson, 25, turned himself in to deputies about 6 p.m. Thursday, Lt. Joseph Pellicci said.
Mustafa K. Muhammad, 28, died after he was shot three times in the head and chest on Monday, Pellicci said."

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/9451994.htm

[MrBenchley]

16. `Cop killer' slugs seized (MA)

"Area D-4 police and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents found the marijuana and 800 rounds of armor-piercing bullets and other ammunition at an undisclosed location in lower Roxbury, Sgt. Daniel Keeler said yesterday.
The cache included 175 pounds of high-grade ganja, multi-round clips of ammunition capable of piercing many brands of bullet-proof vests, and hollow-point bullets, which expand on impact, increasing the likelihood of death.
``They can't get (this ammunition) in this state because of our gun laws, so it's probably coming from out of state,'' Keeler said. ``We are actively seeking those responsible.''
State Attorney General Tom Reilly is seeking an injunction against several Internet companies his office had ship scores of illegal weapons and ammunition to Massachusetts by simply filling out an online order form and providing a credit-card number. "

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=40657&format=

[FeebMaster]

21. So was the ammo armor piercing or hollow point? (nt)

[Jack_DeLeon]

28. legalize marijuana...

if Marijuana was the only drug that these people had then I dont think they should have been arrested.

[jtjathomps]

30. Armor piercing

all sorts of widely available rifle ammunition will penetrate many brands of bullet-proof (really bullet resistant) vests. I wonder if there was something special about this ammo. Many vests are only proof against handguns in any case.

[MrBenchley]

17. Officials: Suspect in deputies' shooting had threatened police (FL)

registration required
"MIAMI - The Fort Lauderdale man suspected of fatally shooting a sheriff's deputy and injuring another had a history of making threats against law enforcement officers and felt detectives unfairly targeted him and his boyfriend in a child pornography investigation, officials and others said.
Kenneth Wilk, 42, has been charged federally with conspiring to possess child pornography and trying to obstruct justice by corrupting, harassing or intimidating a witness. State charges for the death of Detective Todd Fatta and the shooting of Sgt. Angelo Cedeno are pending, officials said.
Wilk was scheduled to make a first appearance in Miami federal court Friday afternoon. Cedeno was in good condition Friday at North Broward Medical Center, sheriff's spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright said.
Fatta and Cedeno were part of a multi-agency Law Enforcement Against Child Harm, which combats child porn. The team arrived at the Wilk's home Thursday morning to serve a search warrant to find additional material stemming from the arrest of Wilk's boyfriend, Kelly Ray Jones, in July. Fatta and Cedeno were shot when they entered the house. Deputies fired at Wilk, but he was not hit."

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9452523.htm

[MrBenchley]

19. Shooting leaves man listed in critical (IN)

"South Bend, IN - A late night shooting on South Bend's west side has left one man in critical condition.
South Bend Police responded to reports of shots fired, just before 10:00 in the 3400 block of West Washington. 
Officers later found the victim in the 3600 block of West Jefferson suffering from numerous gunshot wounds. "

http://www.wndu.com/news/082004/news_36987.php

[MrBenchley]

22. High School Shooting Suspect Enters Plea (OH)

"A Dayton teenager accused of shooting a classmate in the parking lot of Colonel White High School entered a plea in adult court on Wednesday.
Darryl Brooks, 17, pleaded no contest to felonious assault and aggravated robbery charges for the Feb. 13 incident. Those charges carry mandatory prison time and now Brooks is facing up to 24 years in prison."

http://www.whiotv.com/news/3663078/detail.html

[MrBenchley]

23. Shootings shatter calm in Wilson neighborhood (PA)

"WILSON BOROUGH -- A pair of bullets damaged two homes in the 1500 block of Ferry Street early Wednesday after several shots were reportedly fired.
The bullets penetrated windows on each of the homes but injured no one, police Inspector Bill Crouse said Thursday.
Crouse said he doesn't believe the homes were specifically targeted.
"This is just random. They possibly could've been driving in a vehicle and randomly shot out the windows," he said. "I don't know (the homes) were the intended targets. I don't know for sure but it doesn't appear so at this time." "

http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-12/109299264910090.xml

[MrBenchley]

24. One dead in Buffalo shootings (NY)

"BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A 25-year-old man was killed and another critically wounded in two shootings Thursday night.
Buffalo police say Marshaun McKinnon was pronounced dead at the scene on the city's east side. Although about 50 people were outside, police said none would provide any information about the 7:15 p.m. shooting. "

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny-brf--fatalshooting0820aug20,0,817721.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

[MrBenchley]

25. Havre man, 19, surrenders after standoff with rifle (MT)

"HAVRE -- A 19-year-old Havre man carrying a loaded semi-automatic rifle marched military-style through the south side of Havre Thursday, leading law officers on a bizarre pursuit that ended with a standoff outside of town.
A man called 9-1-1 at 3:52 a.m. Thursday after he saw Joel Spackman marching with the weapon. Police caught up with Spackman in the 2000 block of 5th Avenue, said Havre Assistant Police Chief George Tate.
A sheriff's squad car soon joined the slow pursuit, as officers shouted into a loudspeaker for him to stop.
"He marched military-style down the center of the road," Tate said. "

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20040820/localnews/1082600.html

[MrBenchley]

27. Case of child videotaped with gun resolved (VA)

"SUFFOLK -- The parents of a 3-year-old boy whose handling of a gun made national headlines last month have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and regained custody of their four children.
In an agreement with prosecutors, Robert J. and Joni M. Allen pleaded guilty Wednesday in Suffolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They had been charged with felony child neglect.
The plea agreement ended the case that started when a neighbor videotaped the Allens' son picking up a handgun at a moment when both parents had walked away from where they were shooting at targets. The Allens said the gun was unloaded.
The Allens pleaded guilty on the condition that they would regain custody of their children, said their attorney, Peter G. Decker III. Since the July 21 incident, the children have been living with a family member. The Allens also must take a parenting class, Decker said. They must keep any guns they own locked up and continue to cooperate with Social Services."

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/southofjames/dp-64260sy0aug20,0,1034955.story?coll=dp-news-local-soj

[MrBenchley]

29. Appeal of handgun ruling won't get speedy review (MN)

"An appeal of a judge's decision declaring Minnesota's new concealed handgun law unconstitutional won't get quicker-than-usual consideration from the state Supreme Court.
Lawyers for the state had asked the high court to take the case immediately, bypassing the Court of Appeals. In a two-sentence order filed Tuesday, Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz denied the petition for accelerated review and also rejected the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union's request to file a friend of the court brief in the case.
In July, Ramsey County District Judge John Finley ruled that the new handgun law was unconstitutional because it was passed after being attached to a seemingly unrelated bill for the Department of Natural Resources. He said that violated the Minnesota Constitution's prohibition of laws that embrace more than one subject.
The challenge to the law was brought by a coalition of churches, the city of Minneapolis and charitable groups."

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4935785.html