Concealed handgun permit holder comes to the rescue and stops four people from robbing a man

From WDAZ Channel 8 TV (ABC) in Fargo, North Dakota:

A passer-by with a handgun stopped four people from assaulting and robbing a 36-year-old man Monday afternoon in downtown, according to Fargo police. 

.Lt. Joel Vettel said one of the four knew the victim and lured him behind a building in the 900 block of NP Avenue. There, the man was assaulted, knocked unconscious and robbed of his wallet, Vettel said. 

Police were dispatched to the scene about 12:10 p.m. and learned that the passer-by, who has a license to carry a concealed weapon, brandished his gun to end the robbery, Vettel said. 

All four of the alleged robbers were being held Monday evening at the Cass County Jail. . . .

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Newest piece at Fox News: "Why most Americans oppose more gun control"

My newest piece at Fox News starts this way:

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that, for the first time in their surveys, the majority of Americans oppose more gun control. Gallup and CNN polls tell a similar story. Opposition to gun control has been increasing over at least the last couple of decades. 

Gun control groups have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to try to convince Americans that gun control is the answer. In 2013, gun owners’ groups — including the NRA — spent less than one seventh as much on television advertisements. This year looks to be even more lopsided, thanks to the unrelenting efforts of individuals such as Michael Bloomberg, George Soros and Gabriel Giffords. 

Perceptions have changed dramatically, with most people now believing the “More Guns, Less Crime” hypothesis. Gallup recently asked Americans if they thought residents are safer with a gun in the home. People answered “Yes” by a margin of 63 to 30 percent. In 2000, Americans gave just the opposite answer by a margin of 51 to 35 percent. In 2013,Sixty percent of gun owners listed “Personal Safety/Protection” as the reason for owning a gun. 

Academic research aligns with current public opinion. If you have a gun in the home, that gun is far more likely to prevent murder than it is to be used in an accidental shooting or to kill a loved one.  . . .

The rest of the piece is available here.

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New "American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention" has 200 legislators out of 7383

A new group of state legislators, named the "American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention," has been formed to push for gun control.  Reuters has a fairly positive news story on the group, but the article mentions a couple of points.  One thing left out of the Reuters story is some perspective: that the 200 unnamed legislators amount to just 2.7% of the 7,383 state legislators.

-- they will not mention who their members are.
-- they have "not released information on its preliminary donors" [Any guesses? Bloomberg?]

The organization is billed as bipartisan, but at the news conference they had announcing the group's formation: "The only Republican lawmaker was state Representative Barbara Bollier from Kansas."

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All that money spent on red light cameras to stop people running lights apparently didn't improve safety

Some simple economics here.  From the Wall Street Journal:

The Chicago Tribune delivered the “first-ever scientific study” of the nation’s biggest camera program. Researchers commissioned by the paper found little or no safety benefit: Mid-intersection “T-bones” declined, but rear-end collisions sharply increased as drivers slammed on the brakes to avoid a ticket. Most damning, the Trib cited the city’s “long-standing reliance on using the lowest possible yellow light time” to maximize revenues even at the cost of encouraging more accidents. . . .

Apparently, the message is getting out as the company that have made these cameras are slowly exiting the business.

With Redflex losing money in North America, its Australian parent company recently instructed him to “de-risk the business” by diversifying into electronic toll-taking and traffic management. Nonetheless Mr. Saunders remains keen to rescue the reputation of photo enforcement, even if that seems like a Hail Mary at this point. . . .

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Nine recent defensive gun uses by homeowners

A very quick news story search turned up these nine cases.

UPDATED CASES: Perkin, Illinois homeowner shoots a man who was trying to break into his home shortly after midnight (December 31, 2014):

. . .  The homeowner called police about 12:20 a.m. to report an unknown man was trying to get into his house through the back door. Officers found no one at that time.

“The scene was checked thoroughly” for signs of an attempted break-in or other damage to the garage and property, Eeten said. None was found.

About 20 minutes later, the woman in the home called 911. Eeten said he understood that the homeowner shot the purported prowler while she still was on the phone.

The wounded man ran “but didn’t get very far,” Eeten said. . . .

Memphis, Tennessee homeowner kills home invader who forced way into home (December 24, 2014):

. . . Officers responded to a home in the 2300 block of Devoy at about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, where they saw 22-year-old Nico Carlisle with multiple gunshot wounds lying at the front door. Officials pronounced Carlisle dead at the scene. 

Investigators say Carlisle and another man knocked on the door, then forced their way inside when a woman answered the door. Carlisle then put a gun to the woman’s neck. 

The homeowner grabbed a handgun before going to investigate the commotion, and fired multiple shots at the men, hitting Carlisle. . . . 

The TV news segment makes it clear that the homeowner will not be charged in this case.

Original stories

Oklahoma City Pastor kills man who breaks into his home (December 22, 2014):

. . . The pastor's son called 911 around 3:15 Saturday afternoon and told dispatchers someone broke into their home in the 2400 block of Moulton Dive and his father shot them. . . .

According to the church's web site, Vineyard has been a pastor at Windsor Hills since 2007. The church is known as a staunch supporter of gun rights and has faced criticism for training youth to use firearms. 

A warning on Vineyard's front door that reads “Nothing on this property is worth your life” seemed to send a clear message to anyone questioning his conviction. . . . 

“If somebody is in the residence like that, they feel threatened they or their family feel threatened, they do have the right to defend themselves,” explained Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow, with the Oklahoma City Police Department. . . .

Jefferson County homeowner kills intruder inside his rural home (December 12, 2014):

. . . The shooting happened in the 26300 block of Clear View Drive about 8:30 a.m. near Rockland Community Church and Ralston Elementary School, north of Genesee.
The identities of the homeowner and the intruder were not immediately released. Both were adult men, the sheriff’s office said. It’s unclear how the intruder forced his way into the home.
A Sheriff’s Office spokesman said preliminary the case could fall under the “Make my Day” law. He added the homeowner ran to a neighbor’s house after the shooting and 911 was called from there. . . .

Hardinsburg, Indiana homeowner shoots man who breaks through front door at 1 AM (November 25, 2014):

. . . It was just after 1 a.m. when, according to Indiana State Police Sgt. Philip Hensley, a masked man carrying a knife broke into a Hardinsburg home . . . 

Two brothers, Barry and Terah Frost heard the commotion.  They moved their 86-year-old mother into a bedroom to protect her and went downstairs to investigate.  They found only the broken front door police say Jacob Grimes, 23, of Paoli, had forced his way in." 

The brothers got some tools out, a flashlight, a drill. They're gonna fix the door. Barry goes to open the cellar door and he looks down and sees feet," Hensley said. 

He says Grimes, armed with a knife began attacking Barry Frost, punching him repeatedly.  Grimes was on top of Barry when Terah shot him in the back three times with a handgun.  Hensley says under Indiana law the men acted within their rights."He's already attacked one homeowner. What's to say he's not going to take the knife and attempt to kill all three residents?" he said, adding the situation was "a tragedy." 

Police say the homeowners and the suspect did not know each other and they did not live close either.  The suspect, Jacob Grimes, would have had to travel 16 miles from where he lived in Paoli to the home police say he broke into.  Police are still investigating how he chose that home and how he got there, but they say, it appears to be random. . . .

Meonominee, Michigan homeowner defends himself again three men, kills one (November 14, 2014):

. . . According to the Eagle Herald out of Marinette - Menominee he is 19-year-old Hayden Gagnon of Pulaski. 
Police say Gagnon was shot by the home's owner. Two other men, Matthew Franjose and Thomas Hartman, both of Green Bay, were arrested in connection with the case. 
The homeowner does not face charges. . . 

Colorado Springs woman shoots to death man trying to break into her home (November 2, 2014):

. . . Police received a call just after midnight about a burglary in progress with shots fired. When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound.  Eduardo Gonzalez-Ortiz, 32, died at the hospital.
"She said she just heard some crashing, and got up and saw that this guy was climbing through her window," said homeowner Linda Orist of her tenant.
Orist said her tenant was upset and shaken up but was relived she was OK.
"She was upset that she had to kill someone to protect herself," said Orist.
Orist said the man initially tried to get in through the back door. When he was unsuccessful, Orist said he broke a window with a brick and tried to climb in.
"She warned him that she had a gun and to go away but he, I don't know, for whatever reason, he kept coming, and she shot a warning shot into the wall and he kept coming so she had to shoot him twice," said Orist. . . .

Gainesville, Texas homeowner fatally shoots man who broke into his home at 2 AM (October 28, 2014):

. . . the home invasion happened inside a home in the 1100 block of Hillcrest Boulevard about 2 A.M. The suspect is identified as 20-year-old Dakota Ray Huckaby of Gainesville.
Belva McClinton with Gainesville police says the homeowner told officers over the phone he had shot the intruder.
"Officers did arrive on scene and located a male laying in the backyard of the residence," said McClinton. "He succumbed to his injuries, so they did not transport from the scene."
Family members at the residence didn't wish to speak to the media, but they told us that the homeowner is the father of a 9-year-old boy, and he made the choice he felt necessary to protect his household--a decision that locals say they understand. . . .

Sarasota, Florida homeowner shoots armed man who breaks into home at 6 AM (October 21, 2014):

A father says he was forced to shoot and kill a burglar in order to protect himself and his son Tuesday morning.  The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said the intruder, identified as Calvin Yoder, broke into their home in the 2100 block of Ernie Shank Court just before 6 a.m.  

Homeowner Christopher Bane called 911 to report the break-in. He said he was home alone with his 11-year-old son when he heard the intruder, so he grabbed his gun and walked out to confront him.   

As he did so, deputies said Yoder fired shots his way. Bane fired back, and during the hallway shootout, Yoder was killed."Apparently the homeowner has been a victim of burglary recently, and so he was on alert. He was on edge," said Sarasota County Sheriff's Spokesperson Wendy Rose. "And as soon as he heard glass breaking, he armed himself to protect himself and his 11-year-old child, who was in the home." . . .

Lumberton, NC grandfather uses gun to stop armed rapist who was attacking teen granddaughter (October 21, 2014):

A grandfather shot back and is believed to have killed a suspect in a home-invasion and attempted rape of his teen granddaughter on Monday night, Robeson County Sheriff's officials said. 

The grandfather was also shot – but  he also managed to shoot the 2 other suspects in the home-invasion and attempted rape, said Maj. Anthony Thompson with the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. 

The incident started around 10 pm at a house on Yedda Road in Lumberton on Monday night when someone knocked on the home of the grandfather, his wife and their 19-year-old granddaughter, according to the sheriff's office. 

Two of three men – all wearing black clothes, ski masks and gloves -- stormed into the house and demanded money, officials said. . . .

Omaha, Nebraska homeowner shoots, kills intruder (September 8, 2014):

 . . . Police were still on the scene in the Woodbridge Neighborhood hours after being called around 9 a.m.Police said the homeowner, Larry Rohatsch, told them he went to answer the front door after someone rang the doorbell and a man was standing inside the home. That’s when the homeowner opened fire, police said.
A neighbor said the intruder kicked in the homeowner’s door. . . .
The homeowner’s 4-year-old daughter was also home at the time of the shooting, police said. . . .
"I think everyone should have a gun and be ready to defend themselves, and if someone's in your house, I think you have every right to defend your home and your loved ones and shoot them if you have to," [neighbor Ann Gray] said.
In the last 6 months, six burglaries have been reported in the neighborhood and the neighborhood just to the west of 78th Street. . . . 

80-year-old homeowner kills intruder and scares off accomplish 

A Long Beach homeowner has no regrets after shooting and killing a woman who said she was pregnant after he got into a confrontation with her and another man who were ransacking his sprawling home.
Tom Greer, an 80-year-old retiree, arrived to his upscale Bixby Knolls neighborhood Tuesday night to find a couple in the middle of a late-night break-in.
"When I went in there, they tackled me," Greer told NBC4 Wednesday. "Both of them jumped up on top of me."The intruders, a man and woman, may have underestimated Greer, he said, as they ransacked his safe and yanked the door open right in front of him.The intruders threw Greer to the ground, but they didn't know he'd gotten his .22-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver. . . .

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With all the attacks on the Koch brothers during the midterm election, please note: "Big Democrat donors outspend GOP by 3-to-1"

From the Pittsburgh Tribune:

For as often as Democrats attack conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch for heavy spending on politics, it's the liberal-minded who shelled out the most cash on the just-completed midterm elections.  

At least, that is, among those groups that must disclose what they raise and spend.
Among the top 100 individual donors to political groups, more than half gave primarily to Democrats or their allies. Among groups that funneled more than $100,000 to allies, the top of the list tilted overwhelmingly toward Democrats — a group favoring the GOP doesn't appear on the list until No. 14.  

The two biggest super PACs of 2014? Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC — both backing Democrats.  

In all, the top 10 individual donors to outside groups injected almost $128 million into this year's elections. Democratic-leaning groups collected $91 million of it.  

Among the 183 groups that wrote checks of $100,000 or more to another group, Democrats had a 3-to-1 cash advantage. . . .  Not a single Republican-leaning group cracked the top 10 list of those transferring money to others.  

Overall, for the campaign season that just ended, donors who gave more than $1 million sent roughly 60 cents of every dollar to liberal groups. Among the 10 biggest donors, Democrats outspent Republicans by an almost 3-to-1 margin.  

“They're total hypocrites when it comes to this subject,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. “They've made a living off campaign talking points when, in reality, they've been raking in more money from millionaire donors than Republicans for quite a while.”  . . .

Note that the list of donors that the Associated Press study provides doesn't include all the money that Michael Bloomberg gave to promote gun control efforts that went overwhelmingly to help Democrats.

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A couple of notes on the recent spate of conflicts between police and blacks

Eric Garner case: Garner didn't die from suffocation.  He suffered a heart attack and later died at the hospital.  He was pronounced dead about an hour after the arrest.

People who have assaulted police officers in NYC are let go.

The City University’s refusal to act against an adjunct professor caught on video resisting arrest and assaulting a police lieutenant during an anti-cop protest becomes more absurd by the day. 

Other employers are tougher in the face of criminality. Chancellor James Milliken can see for himself by comparing CUNY’s stance regarding Eric Linsker with the decisiveness shown in two similarly recorded assaults. 

The lieutenant saw Linsker as he was about to heave a garbage can from Brooklyn Bridge walkway onto demonstrators and cops below. Linsker had already hurled two cans, according to the NYPD. He struggled with the lieutenant, throwing at least one punch, the video shows. 

CUNY is keeping Linsker in the classroom at full pay, while his union argues that he has “not yet been found guilty.” 

Meanwhile, a second of the bridge cop beaters, Robert Murray, is an organizer for 32BJ SEIU. His employer — a union — saw Murray swing away on the same video and suspended him without pay, explaining that it “does not under any circumstance condone violence of any kind, including against police officers.” 

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The mess in Berkeley, Missouri: Politician feeds racial anger against police and then finds that his city faces riots

Never mind that the mayor of Berkeley, Missouri and most of the police force is black.  The shooting by a white police officer of an 18-year-old black man who police said pointed a gun at the officer has generated two nights of violent demonstrations with looting.

The mayor of Berkeley, a St. Louis suburb, called for calm on Wednesday following violent protests that erupted one day after a suburban St. Louis police officer shot a black 18-year-old who police said pointed a gun at the officer at a gas station. 

Scuffles had broken out early Wednesday between police officers and a vocal crowd of several hundred people who taunted the officers at the scene. One officer was injured after he was stuck with a brick and police reported several small explosives being used by protesters. There were four arrests. . . .

More on the violence is given here.

Four people were arrested for assaulting cops, police said.

You have to love this mayor when he says: "The Police Did Not Initiate This Like Ferguson." The mayor claims that there is no comparison between Antonio Martin's shooting and that of Michael Brown, but it is comments such as this that only feed on the notion that Michael Brown was some innocent individual and adds .

I can assure you that did not happen last night, OK.  We had a policeman responding to a call protecting the residents of the City of Berkeley and the call came through the dispatch office in reference to this young man was shoplifting. . . .

So far, the two cases seem extremely similar.  Indeed, if anything, Michael Brown's actions were worse as he threatened the store clerk with violence.

When the officer came there, the video shows that the deceased pointed a gun that has been recovered, at the officer, and I think that the officer because he stumbled might have saved his life.  Because when he stumbled and had a chance to fire and take the young man's life . . .

The big difference here is really only that there was video tape.  But the rest is very similar: in both cases the officers' lives were threatened and they acted to protect themselves.

The problem here is that the mayor of Berkeley feeds on the feelings that create these riots and then he can't control them when the rioters turn on his city.

Of course, NYC mayor de Blasio has found that his calls for no demonstrations until the funeral of the two officers who were killed is ignored.

More than 1,000 anti-cop protesters defied Mayor de Blasio and flooded Manhattan Tuesday evening, marching through the Fifth Avenue shopping district before heading uptown.“The mayor says stop that, we say f–k that!” the mob chanted at one point. 

Other slogans were of the sort that Hizzoner has denounced as “hateful” and “inappropriate” in the wake of Saturday’s assassinations of two city cops. 

“NYPD, KKK, how many kids did you kill today?” the protesters shouted. 

The demonstrators, some carry­ing a banner that read “Stop Racist Police Terror,” started marching south from 59th Street on the sidewalks, but later blocked traffic on Fifth and Madison Avenues. . . .

Of course, comparing the NYPD to the KKK should draw a rebuke from the mayor.

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Is Obama's decision to label only female reporters as "nice" sexist?

It is always possible that a random calling of reporters could result in only women being called (video here), though if the number of reporters were equally divided between men and women, say 50 reporters, and he then picks 8 women, the odds of that happening are just 0.2%.  But the more bothersome is that he prefaced his decision to call on only women by noting that he was only going to call on reporters who were on the White House's "nice" list.  My question is this: Is it sexist for Obama to only classify female reporters as "nice"?  Does Obama view female reporters as more docile than male reporters?  Does Obama view female reporters as more supportive of Democrats?

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Concealed carry permit holder stops mall robbery by three teen robbers

From WDTN in Dayton, Ohio about an attempted robbery on Monday, December 22nd:

. . . According to police, three juvenile males from Middletown approached two adult males outside the Dayton Mall around 10:00 a.m. Saturday. They say one of the juveniles produced a gun and demanded merchandise from the adult males. Police say one of the males, who had a valid concealed carry weapon permit, pulled out a gun of his own and shot the teen who had the gun. That teen, identified as Jawaad Jabbar, 16, died from a single gunshot wound. . . . 

Police say the two groups did not know each other and the only motive known is that of aggravated robbery to gain control of another’s property. 

Sgt. Jay Phares said the teen didn’t make it to the mall in time to get in line for the shoes.  “This was a random act of ‘I want something that person has and I’m going to take it from them by any means’,” said Sgt. Phares. 

Two juveniles with the victim are in juvenile detention.  They are not charged pending further investigation.  Police are investigating whether they too had weapons. . . .

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St. Louis: Jewelry Store Owner Uses Gun to stop three armed men

Here is a dramatic story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

. . . Police said there were three men, and that they had entered Robinson Jewelry Co. at 6497 Chippewa Street to rob the store. One man, wearing military fatigues with his face uncovered, waited to be buzzed in, Leyshock said. When he did, he jumped the counter with his arm covering his face. The men were armed with two handguns and a rifle, and one of them smashed a display case, he said. 

But the owner somehow escaped from the store, fired his own gun outside, and the men fled. They didn’t escape with any jewelry, police said. 

“With the shots fired, they didn’t want to stick around to see what else he was selling,” Leyshock said. 

Police said it was not clear if any of the suspects had been shot. Blood was found in the car, but a suspect may have been cut by the shattered display case, Leyshock said. . . . .

Thanks to Tony Troglio for the link. 

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The Friends and Family of slain NYC Police Officer Ramos blast Mayor De Blasio

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The BBC on the Taylor Woolrich story

This past August the CPRC co-sponsored and organized a conference for Students for Concealed Carry.  The first speaker was Taylor Woolrich.  Her story is continuing to make a difference in explaining to people why it is important that stalking victims have the right to be able to defend themselves.  From the BBC:

A former beauty pageant contestant from California, 20-year-old Taylor Woolrich is the first to admit she's not your usual guns rights campaigner. 
She's fighting for the right to carry a weapon on campus, for a very personal reason.
For years she's been stalked by a man she first came into contact with while waitressing at a cafe.
He would turn up to see her every day and began to track her down outside work. An emergency restraining order failed to deter him.
Things became even more terrifying when she moved across the country to study at Dartmouth college in New Hampshire.
"It wasn't even on my mind, and then he contacted me via LinkedIn and used social media to continue to contact me - sent me various very frightening messages, making it very specific he knew where I was," she says.
One summer, when she went home to California, he turned up at her parents' doorstep. She says police found what they call a "rape kit" - rope tied as a slip-noose, gloves, duct-tape, flash light, and a sweatshirt - inside his car.
Taylor's stalker is currently in jail. His sentence will soon be up. . . .

The rest of the piece is available here.

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My newest piece in the Daily Caller: “When Security Fails, Gun Rights Are The Last Line Of Defense”

My newest piece at the Daily Caller starts this way:

These days, it isn’t even safe to get a cup of coffee. Australians just learned this the hard way. In the U.S., watching a movie can apparently be too dangerous. At least, terrorist threats by North Korea canceled the showing of “The Interview” in movie theaters. 

With very little money, ISIS has managed to instill fear in countries around the world. Simply by using Internet posts, ISIS has encouraged “lone wolf” terrorists. 

In May, four people were shot dead in an attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. In September, there were beheadings in Oklahoma and London. October proved even worse: a car attack in Quebec, a shooting in Ottawa, a hatchet assault in New York City, and a knife attack that left five dead at an Israeli synagogue. This is but a sample. 

The Canadian government rushed to revamp its security agencies in the wake of the recent attack on Parliament. But lone attackers are unlikely to send incriminating emails that alert law enforcement. What do you do if security fails? How do we protect what seems like an infinite number of possible targets?. 

The attacks in Brussels, Ottawa, and Sydney illustrate the limitations of preventive measures. In each case, the perpetrators had criminal histories that prevented them from legally buying a gun. 

Still, they all managed to obtain firearms. The Brussels killer, Mehdi Nemmouche, even obtained an illegal machine gun. . . .

The rest of the piece is available here.

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My newest piece at Fox News: "Expert: Blacks trust police more than whites do"

My newest piece at Fox News starts this way:

Do blacks trust police more than whites do? Given the anger over events in Ferguson and New York City, the very question seems absurd. But it is not. Behind the polls and demonstrations, there is evidence that blacks trust police at least as much as whites do. 

The poll results are hardly surprising. A new Gallup poll confirms blacks place less confidence in police and the criminal justice system. Using survey data from 2006 through 2014, Gallup found: 

-- 31 percentage points more blacks than whites believe black males are more likely to go to prison than white males primarily because of discrimination (50 percent versus 19 percent). 

-- 7 percentage points more blacks believe the honesty and ethics of police are low/very low (17 percent versus 10 percent). 

Similarly, a 2013 Pew Research Centersurvey reveals that 70 percent of blacks believed police treated whites better than blacks. By contrast, only 37 percent of whites agreed. 

But what people say and what they do are often different. And there are both victims and criminals in black communities. 

Victims may trust the police for the same reasons that criminals dislike them. Blacks are not a monolithic group: blacks who who have been through the criminal justice system as criminals could answer these questions quite differently than those who have relied on police as victims. 

The polls don’t distinguish between these two groups. As Charles Barkley recently said: “[Police] are the only thing in the ghetto between this place being the wild, wild west.” 

Most violent crime victims don’t report crimes to police. For example, only about half of rapes are reported to police. That has a lot to do with how victims believe they will be treated by the police. In the case of rape, victims who think that the police are unsympathetic to rape victims or are unlikely to solve the cases are even less likely to report rapes. 

If black victims really believe police are racist, why would they report the crime to the police? Blacks victims don’t want other blacks locked up simply due to their race; they want the criminals who actually committed the crime punished. . . .

The article continues here.

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Why isn't Obama imposing sanctions on North Korea for its act of war? Isn't attacking Sony an attack on US territory?

While many in the media is attacking Sony for its "cowardice," can one really expect Sony to stand up to such pressure by itself.  After all, the media with its constant reporting based on this stole information has done huge damage to Sony.  Representative Ed Royce discusses one thing that the Obama administration could do here



Possibly if the Obama administration had come forward sooner, the results from this past week could have been avoided.

But NBC's Pete Williams says: "“I would say the best I can tell from that is that [the Obama administration] haven’t a clue [what to do about North Korea]."

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U.S. Appeals Court says that just because you once had a mental illness problem doesn't allow government to ban you for life from owning guns

The risk of violence from people with mental illness is extremely low to begin with, but if the risk is low even when people are suffering a mental illness, why ban them for ever from owning a gun, even after they are cured?  From the Wall Street Journal:

In the first legal ruling of its type, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati on Thursday deemed unconstitutional a federal law that kept a Michigan man who was briefly committed to a mental institution decades ago from owning a gun. 

A three-judge panel of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the federal ban on gun ownership for anyone who has been “adjudicated as a mental defective or who has been committed to a mental institution” violated the Second Amendment rights of Clifford Charles Tyler, a 73-year-old Hillsdale County man. 

“The government’s interest in keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill is not sufficiently related to depriving the mentally healthy, who had a distant episode of commitment, of their constitutional rights,” wrote Judge Danny Boggs, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, for the panel. 

Lucas McCarthy, Mr. Tyler’s lawyer, called the ruling “a forceful decision to protect Second Amendment rights,” and said he hoped it that it would have “a significant impact on the jurisprudence in the area of gun rights.” . . .

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14-year-old shoots at two intruders who broke into home, protects ill grandmother

From WSOCTV.com in Charlotte, North Carolina:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said the second man involved in a home break-in that turned deadly near the Charlotte/Mint Hill border has been arrested. Another suspected intruder was killed when a 14-year-old inside the house shot and killed him Tuesday night. 

Two intruders, who police identified as 18-year-old Isai Delcid and 22-year-old Carlos Delcid, attempted to break into the home on Rolling Fields Lane just after 5 p.m., according to investigators. Isai was shot and died at the scene while police said Carlos fled. 

Officers arrested Carlos late Tuesday night and charged him with first-degree burglary.
Police said a grandmother was at the home with her grandson at the time. According to officers, the grandson shot and killed Isai. 

The grandfather, George Wyant, told Channel 9 his 14-year-old grandson shot the intruder. 

"It’s not something you can be proud of. But, I’m happy the way it turned out. Because my wife is getting over an illness," Wyant said. "What would have happened if he wasn’t there? That’s all I can tell you. What would have happened?" . . .

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Dramatic story where burglary victims catch criminals two days after crime, concealed carry

Two days after their home was robbed, victims of a home break-in catch the alleged burglars and held them at gunpoint until authorities could arrive.  Both the wife and husband of the family that caught the criminals appear to be concealed carry permit holders.  From WBRC Channel 6 TV in Warrior, Alabama:

. . . A home surveillance system captured video of the suspects breaking into the Wyatt family home on Gobbler Knob Road on Friday afternoon. 

The surveillance video shows a woman knocking on the family's home. 

When no one answered, a male accomplice kicked the door open. The woman and two men helped themselves to two TVs and several of the family's Christmas presents, including gifts for their 1-year old-son. 

The three suspects then drove away in a black Ford Ranger pickup truck.Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies responded to the Wyatts' home around 9:30 p.m. Friday to investigate the burglary. 

Two days later, around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, deputies investigated a second burglary, this one in the 1600 block of New Bethel School Road. 

The victim said someone forced open the door to his home and stole a computer monitor, trumpet, knife collection and jewelry, according to Chief Deputy Randy Christian. 

While deputies were still on the scene investigating the second burglary, the Wyatts called the sheriff's office to say they had found the suspects who broke into their home and were holding them at gunpoint. . . . 

Fox News has a discussion here.

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Why are gun control advocates so excited about Vivek Murthy's confirmation when he promised that he wouldn't push gun control?

Gun control groups are excited about Vivek Murthy's confirmation's, but before his confirmation his supporters were pointing to his promise not "use the Surgeon General's office as a bully pulpit for gun control," and instead would make his top priority "obesity prevention."  So why should the gun control groups be so excited? Was it because he didn't mean his promise to the Senate?

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Powerful interview of CIA interrogation "architect" where he reacts to Senate interrogation report

The interview with Psychologist James Mitchell is very powerful (it is available here).  Really brings into question the Senate Democrats' report.  Senate Democrats have publicly outed this man and have put his life in danger.  They also refused to talk to Dr. Mitchell or anyone else who was actually involved in these interrogations.  This is only two-thirds of his Mitchell's interview tonight, but it is still very worthwhile.

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Homeowner shoots man who broke into home around 8:30 AM

From Jefferson County, Colorado:

. . . . Investigators told 7NEWS the intruder broke into a home on Clear View Drive, near Interstate 70 and Lookout Mountain, around 8:30 a.m. 

There was a confrontation between the man and the homeowner and the homeowner shot and killed the man. 

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said they don't know yet how the intruder got into the home. 

Investigators told 7NEWS they believe this shooting will fall under Colorado's Make My Day law, but they are investigating. Under the statute, any occupant of a dwelling is justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly force, against another person when that other person had made unlawful entry into the dwelling and occupant feels threatened. Homeowners are immune from criminal prosecution and civil liability for the use of force. . . .

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Will Florida pass a law that would allow people with permits to carry a concealed handgun on college campuses?

After a mass public shooting at Florida State University left students defenseless last month, one area state legislator is trying to fix the problem.

. . . The proposal (SB 176), filed Thursday Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker,  is identical to a bill (HB 4005) filed earlier this week by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota. The bill would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on campus. It comes after an incident last month at Florida State University in which a gunman shot three people at the campus library before he was killed by police. 

The bills will be considered during the 2015 legislative session. 

Steube said he already planned to sponsor the measure before a shooting incident last month at Florida State University —- but that the attack, which left three people injured and the gunman dead, helps to make his point. The bill would apply to people who are licensed to carry concealed weapons. 

“I think it (the attack) brings it closer to home for people who think these events don’t occur in Florida, or that law enforcement can prevent them from happening,” Steube told The News Service of Florida. . . . 

Other relevant past posts
Police rule that student who retrieved his gun from his car at Eastern Florida State College acted in self defense against two attackers

Arizona and Florida considering bill to let law-abiding citizens carry concealed on college campuses

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A bill in Texas to prevent students being expelled fro using a Pop Tart as a gun

From the Houston Chronicle:

. . . Rep. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, has filed a bill that would prohibit schools from punishing students who use their hands, playthings and, yes, even pastry items to mimic firearms. The proposed legislation also would protect students through the fifth grade who play with toy guns or draw or possess pictures of guns. 

Guillen said he filed the bill after a second- grader in suburban Maryland was suspended for two days in March 2013 for chewing his Pop- Tart into the shape of a gun. A similar situation has not arisen in Texas. 

"Texas students shouldn't lose instruction time for holding gun-shaped Pop-Tart snacks at school," said Guillen. "This bill will fix this." 

The story of Josh Welch, who finished out the year in his Anne Arundel County school, grabbed national headlines and even netted the now 9-year-old a lifetime membership to the National Rifle Association. His teacher said the suspension followed a history of problematic behavior, but Welch's case became a rallying point for gun rights advocates after his parents said the punishment represented a gross overreaction. . . .

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More political correctness at universities: "UCLA law professor learns Ferguson-related exam question taboo"

My son Maxim has a new piece up at Fox News:

Professor Robert Goldstein said the exam question was designed to test students’ ability to analyze the line between free speech and inciting violence. It cited a report about how Michael Brown’s stepfather, Louis Head, shouted, “Burn this bitch down!” after a grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.
The question then asked students to imagine that they are lawyers in the St. Louis County Attorney’s office and had been asked to advise the prosecutor “whether to seek an indictment against Head” for inciting violence. The exam reads:
“[As] a recent hire in the office, you are asked to write a memo discussing the relevant First Amendment issues in such a prosecution. Write the memo.”
But students complained, and writer Elie Mystal at the popular legal blog “Above the Law” opined that the test question was “racially insensitive and divisive.” Mystal also incorrectly alleged that the question asked students to “advocate in favor of extremist racists in Ferguson.” . . .
Other law professors say there should be no need to apologize for such a straightforward exam question.
“If there are some law students who are such delicate flowers that merely being asked to assess whether certain controversial speech that's been in the news is constitutionally protected, in a class covering the First Amendment of all things, then maybe they should find another profession,” David Bernstein, a law professor at George Mason University School of Law, told FoxNews.com. . . . .

The rest of the article is available here.  There are other good quotes in the piece.

So what would have been wrong if the test had in fact asked students to make a case in favor of bringing legal action against Louis Head?  Wouldn't students know how best to argue against that position if they first had to figure out what the strongest arguments in favor of it are?

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Federal budget contains provision preventing attempts to ban lead ammunition

The claims about the risks from lead ammunition are very misleading (a discussion of that scientific evidence is available here).  Fortunately, the new federal budget will prevent new Obama administration rules from banning lead ammunition.  From The Hill newspaper:

"For years, radical animal rights and environmental advocates have used all the tools at their disposal, including litigation, to attempt to ban lead ammunition," the NRA writes. "A ban on traditional ammunition would affect hunters, sportsmen, law enforcement, military and target shooters — whether or not they hunt. There are currently no comparable alternatives to lead ammunition in terms of cost, ballistics and availability. This bill would prevent a traditional ammunition ban and protect not just hunters, but millions of American gun owners." . . .

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It probably isn't very smart to rob a gun store, woman employee with a gun stops two armed robbers

From Channel 5 TV News in Springdale, Arkansas:

Marcus Gould, 25, and Leon Roberson, 20, face charges of Attempted Capital Murder and Aggravated Robbery, according to police. Roberson was booked into the Washington County Detention Center at 1:55 a.m. and is set to appear in court for an 8.1 Hearing on Monday (Dec. 7th), according to the detention center’s website. 

Police said the incident happened around 9 a.m. Saturday at the C & S Gun and Pawn Shop at 1208 South Thompson in Springdale. 

Employees reported two men walked into the store, one wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and the other wearing an orange hooded sweatshirt, police said. 

“They split up, they both pulled out hand guns that looked like black semi-automatic pistols and began to rob the store,” according to Lt. Derek Hudson with the Springdale Police Department. “One of the employees also pulled out a weapon and there were shots exchanged.” . . . 

Sergeant Daniel Grubbs with the Fort Smith Police Department, said Gould arrived at Sparks Hospital with a gun shot wound to the forearm. . . .

A video is also available at the link. 

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My son's news article at Fox News: "College president sorry for saying 'All lives matter'"

From Fox News:

The president of prestigious Smith College is red-faced and apologetic Tuesday for telling students on the Northampton, Mass., campus that "all lives matter." 

Kathleen McCartney wrote the phrase in the subject line of an e-mail to students at the school, whose alumni include feminists Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, former First Lady Nancy Reagan and celebrity chef Julia Childs. McCartney was attempting to show support for students protesting racially charged grand jury decisions in which police in Missouri and New York were not charged in the deaths of unarmed black men. 

Protesters have adopted several slogans in connection with the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, including "Black Lives Matter." McCartney's more inclusive version of the refrain was seen as an affront that diminished the focus on black lives and racism, according to emails obtained by FoxNews.com. 

“We are united in our insistence that all lives matter,” read the e-mail,in which she made clear she was strongly behind the protests, writing that the grand jury decisions had “led to a shared fury… We gather in vigil, we raise our voices in protest.” 

But she soon received backlash from students for her phrasing. They were offended that she did not stick with the slogan “black lives matter.” 

The Daily Hampshire Gazette, which first covered the story, quoted one Smith sophomore, Cecelia Lim, as saying, “it felt like she was invalidating the experience of black lives.” . . .

The rest of the piece is available here.

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My newest piece at Fox News: "Media Matters, the facts and me"

My newest Fox News piece starts this way:

With just one telephone call this year, Erik Wemple of the Washington Post was able to convince Media Matters to let me respond to their attacks on me in the comments section of their website — after they ignored my emails, telephone calls, numerous tweets and posts for seven years. 

Media Matters purports to correct misinformation that the “conservative” media puts out, but, ironically, they have systematically hidden comments critical of their work from their readers. They have a blog where it appears that conservatives and others can respond, but they don’t tell their readers that they have regularly removed responses that they couldn’t answer. 

I have been attacked in over 80 posts on Media Matters over the years. They have even criticized reporters from such places as the Washington Post and the New York Times just for interviewing me. They have described me as a “discredited gun researcher.” They have claimed “Gun Advocate John Lott Lashes out at Trayvon Martin’s Mother.” They say I’ve misrepresented Obama’s record on guns, what “assault weapons” are and the views of police on gun control. They have used doctored pictures of me and screen shots of posts. 

Media Matters uses a hit-and-run strategy: Attack, and move on to the next attack. They never acknowledge responses, even those published in major media like the ones I’ve written for Fox News.  

If Media Matters started engaging in debates, their readers would quickly learn that their criticisms of others involve mischaracterizations, carefully edited quotes and outright lies. Their unwillingness to post contrary comments says a lot about their inability to defend themselves. 

A typical example was their March 20 post covering a piece I wrote for FoxNews.com on Vivek Murthy, President Obama's nominee for surgeon general. Media Matters’ headline read: "On Obama's Surgeon General Nominee, It's Medical Experts Vs. Discredited Gun Zealots." With 288 mainly positive comments on their post, Media Matters apparently worried that people might find the ones I posted with a link to the discussion on my website. So Media Matters simply removed my comments. . . . .

The piece continues here.

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Technology helping you recover stolen items

While this product can be used for finding many items, in watching this video I was particularly struck by how it is can enlist all sorts of other people in helping you to find a stolen item.

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Very strong correlation between Right-to-work states and Republican controlled ones

Click on figures to enlarge them.

Note that there are only four states that don't fit the pattern. 

Virginia is a right-to-work state but it has a Democratic governor and a Republican legislature.

Iowa is a right-to-work state but Democrats only control one house of the state legislature.

Wisconsin isn't a right-to-work state but it has clear Republican control of the state.

Ohio isn't a right-to-work state but it has clear Republican control of the state.

Besides those four anomalies, all the other red states are right-to-work states and all the right-to-work states are red states.  Still even these anomalies aren't that far off, Ohio almost became a right-to-work state and Wisconsin has changed the rules for public employee unions so that people can't be forced to join a union.  And Virginia was close to having Republicans in control of the state.  Iowa was also more red than blue.

Thus the two right-to-work states can hardly be classified as blue states and the two red states are hardly solid anti-right-to-work states.

The question is one of causation.  Do already trending red states support workers making the their own decisions on whether they should join a union?  Or do right-to-work laws make it so that unions can't raise a lot of money from people who don't want to be union members so that the unions can support Democrats?  I don't know of anyone who has studied that question carefully.

Here is a list of states ranking them by the percent of workers in the state who are union members (Republican controlled and right-to-work states are in bold).

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Two cases within a couple days where concealed handgun permit holders stopped robberies

One customer was killed here, but without the permit holder in this case, multiple customers might have been killed.  St. Louis (occurred on Tuesday night, December 2, 2014):

. . . Police said three gunmen entered the bar about 10:55 p.m. Tuesday — one of them shooting into the ceiling as they came in — and ordered everyone to the floor. Wade ran toward the former police officer and shot him in the thigh. 

The ex-officer, who worked for the department for several years in the 1970s and has a concealed-carry permit, fired back, shooting Wade in the eye and Davis in the shoulder, police said. 

Another male customer, 73, was shot in the ankle and was in critical condition; a fourth male victim, 66, was released from the hospital after receiving treatment for two shots to his buttocks. 

Davis and a third gunman, whose identity was unknown, fled in a stolen Mazda, investigators said. Police found the wounded Davis at a hospital; he claimed he had been shot at a different place. A manhunt continued for the third man. . . . .

Las Vegas (occurred on Thursday, December 4, 2014):

Las Vegas police arrested a man after he allegedly tried to a rob a Red Lobster restaurant on Thursday night. 

A call was made to police around 9:45 p.m., reporting a man had entered the Red Lobster . . . near U.S. 95, with a handgun. 

The man, who has now been identified as 28-year-old Dillon Webb, allegedly threatened customers and employees and took the drawer from a cash register. 

Witnesses said the man ran out the back. A customer from the restaurant, attempting to flee the area, was confronted by the suspect in the parking lot. The customer, who was armed with a handgun fired one round. Webb reportedly dropped the drawer and ran. . . .

Thanks for Tony Troglio for the first link. 

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Hilarious explanation for why so many health insurance plans were canceled by Obamacare (also why there will be more cancelations in the future)

Admittedly the law is hilarious, though the consequences of it are rather sad.

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Newest piece at Fox News: "Ferguson: Obama contines to undermine police departments around the country"

My newest piece at Fox News starts this way:

As a response to the police shooting of Michael Brown, President Obama proposes $263 million for police training and body cameras.  But more police training wouldn’t have prevented the Brown shooting and the president’s proposal plays into the hands of those who blame the police. 

President Obama has continually undermined police departments around the country, and his demand for more training fits that pattern. In 2009, he jumped to the conclusion that Cambridge, Massachusetts police “acted stupidly” when they arrested Henry Gates.  He personalized the Trayvon Martin investigation in a way that to many implied the murder was radically motivated.  And yet again last week, he emphasized that the anger to the verdict was “an understandable reaction” and blacks’ distrust of police is “rooted in realities.” 

Nevertheless, whatever Obama implies, there was absolutely no evidence Officer Darren Wilson was motivated by race and he did exactly what he should have done.  Brown’s robbery of the convenience store, his decision to reach into the police car and punch Wilson while trying to take his gun, and finally Brown’s decision to charge Wilson was what caused the teen’s death. 

Under Missouri law, people can defend themselves with deadly force if they have a “reasonable belief” they need to use it to protect themselves against serious injury or death. Wilson claimed: “I felt that another of those punches in my face could knock me out or worse … I’ve already taken two to the face and I didn’t think I would, the third one could be fatal if he hit me right.”  When Brown later charged Wilson, despite repeated warnings to stop, Wilson worried that he no choice but to shoot Brown. 

But we don’t have to take Wilson’s word for what happened. The forensic evidence is overwhelmingly consistent with his story.  There is no doubt that Brown reached in Wilson’s car and hit him.  Brown’s DNA was found on Wilson’s gun.  Despite strong social pressure, three black witnesses confirmed Wilson’s testimony. 

Police officers in America have a more dangerous job than many people realize and they behave remarkably well under these circumstances. 

In 2013, the assault rate for the general public in the United States was 229 per 100,000 people.  But the rate police were assaulted that year was 9,300 per 100,000 officers – a rate 41 times higher.  The only reason that police don’t die at as high of a rate as people in other professions is because of their training and the fact that they are armed. . . .

Aggravated assaults don’t necessarily involve injuries, just the attempt to cause serious bodily injury, but police are injured at a very high rate – 2,700 per 100,000 police officer.  That is still much higher than the total assault data for civilians. . . .

The rest of the piece is available here.

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