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FL: Not science fiction: Miami wants to predict when and where crime will occur
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Armed with high-tech software and years of crime data, Miami police believe they will soon be able to stop crimes by predicting when and where they will occur.
It sounds a little like something out of a science fiction novel, but the department is in the process of adopting a system called HunchLab that produces maps showing small areas where specific crimes are likely to be committed during shifts. The probability program is a geographical version of �predictive policing� software, which more departments are using � even if, in the words of one supportive cop, it�s �kind of scary.�

MA: Massachusetts� New Gun Control Laws Sparked Concealed Carry Surge
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Last August, then-Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) signed a gun control omnibus bill, which enhanced background checks, created a new set of crimes involving firearms, and altered �the definition and some punishments relative to firearms trafficking.� It also mandated local police to assign a school resource officer in their respective districts, and required the reporting of mental illness or substance abuse incidents into the federal background check database ...
It�s nonsense�and one could make the argument that it�s constitutionally questionable.

Moms Demand Supporting Same Gun Control Bill as Sandy Hook Promise Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
On April 22, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety attended an Oregon House Rules Committee hearing in support of Senate Bill 941�the same gun control bill being supported by Sandy Hook Promise, the group for whom Tim McGraw is raising money on July 17.

2016 Candidates Working To Fix The Lack Of Guns In Everyday Life
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Republican presidential candidates lining up for 2016 are eager to flaunt their support for the Second Amendment, whether it�s by speaking to pro-gun groups, talking up their own experience with guns or literally posing with firearms. But the latest issue the presidential contenders are tackling is how far they would extend gun rights and how easy it should be to carry a firearm in public.

Expanding where people can carry guns and how � concealed or open � has become a controversial issue between gun owners and groups attempting to put limits on their rights. Pro-gun activists argue that having people carry arms would better protect them from potential shootings, while others cite research showing more guns would lead to more violence.

How do we get 2nd Amendment agnostics to buy-in to gun rights?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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But there is another constituency that perhaps deserves some consideration.

These are the �neither here, nor there� Americans, people who just don�t feel particularly invested in gun ownership or Second Amendment rights. The prospect of formally familiarizing themselves with firearms, unfortunately, just doesn�t fall high on their personal priorities lists, probably because they are largely insulated from the debate and don�t perceive themselves as having a dog in the fight.

NY: Hawley laments Assembly's failure to repeal SAFE Act
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Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today commented on the actions of Assembly Majority Codes Committee members, who killed two bills that would have repealed the unconstitutional SAFE Act. Despite an impressive showing from pro-Second Amendment sportsmen, members of the Assembly Majority killed two bills sponsored by Hawley, A.2651 and A.3350, that would have repealed the NY SAFE Act, which was passed controversially in 2013.

But We Only Need Ten Rounds? Dozens of Shots Fired To Bring Down Fort Worth Felon Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There is 1 comment on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
One of the most common avenues of attack for gun control supporters is the attempt to limit the ability of citizens to own the standard-capacity magazines that a given firearm was designed to use. These opponents of your Second Amendment rights claim that you don�t �need� a standard-capacity magazine, and have pushed some states to adopt arbitrary 15, 10, or even 7 round magazine limits.

OR: Oregon House committee OKs legislation expanding background checks to most firearm sales
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Despite several attempts by Oregon Republican lawmakers Thursday to derail legislation expanding background checks on gun sales, the proposal will be getting a full House vote.

In a 5-4 party-line vote, Democrats on the House Rules Committee narrowly approved a bill requiring background checks for nearly all private firearm sales.

The proposal has been flying through the Legislature after being introduced in late March, in part because last year's election saw Democrats cement their majorities in both chambers. Two previous attempts to pass similar legislation failed in the Senate.

Vivek Murthy officially sworn in as Surgeon General Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There is 1 comment on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Controversial former Brigham and Women�s Hospital physician Dr. Vivek Murthy was sworn in Wednesday as a vice admiral and 19th United States Surgeon General, to the delight of gun control advocates. Murthy comes to the post of �America�s Doctor� following a narrow 51-43 vote of confirmation from the U.S. Senate last December.

MN: Minnesota Senate makes surprise turn to legalize gun silencers
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Minnesota's Senate added language to a bill Thursday that would legalize gun silencers � a surprise development as majority Democrats had shown little interest in changing the state's gun laws and a direct challenge to Gov. Mark Dayton's promise that such a measure would meet his veto pen.

The silencer language was added to a grab bag of policy changes that would also mandate external investigations for officer-involved deaths, set ground rules for law enforcement's use of drones and restore voting rights to felons after they're released from prison.

RI: ACLU files lawsuit against North Smithfield police over seizure of guns
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The ACLU today filed a lawsuit in federal district court on behalf of a North Smithfield resident, seeking the return of weapons that were seized from him over six years ago by the local police department and which the department still refuses to return to him.

The lawsuit, filed by RI ACLU volunteer attorney Thomas W. Lyons on behalf of Jason Richer, argues that the North Smithfield Police Department violated his right to due process and his right to keep and bear arms by retaining his property without just cause. The ACLU successfully filed a similar lawsuit against the Cranston Police Department three years ago.

TX: Guns in the hands of students is not the answer
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Texas seems to believe the answer to crime and gun violence is more guns on the street.

I recently read an article about how Texas is in the process of passing a bill for it to be legal for students to carry concealed weapons with them on college campuses to �protect themselves.�

This bill would only apply to public universities. Private universities would be able to enforce their own rules.

MI: Michigan Bishop Re-Affirms Ban on Guns in Churches and Schools as Priest Pens Letter Encouraging Catholics to Carry Firearms
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A Michigan Catholic priest believes faith in Jesus might not be enough for his congregation when it comes to protecting themselves from outside forces and a growing criminal threat in the area.

Father Edward Fride of Christ the King Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, penned a letter titled "We're Not in Mayberry Anymore Toto," addressing parishioners on the topic of protection by using a narrative that compared residents' mindset in the area to that of people found in the fictitious city of Mayberry, a town featured in the 1960s hit "The Andy Griffith Show."

Reminder: Trespassing Doesn�t Justify Lethal Force
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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When may you use lethal force against another human being?

While the specific wording differs slightly from state to state, the general guideline is that the threat must be legitimate and proximate, and presenting a risk of serious bodily injury or death.

For example, a man 100 yards away with a baseball bat screaming that he�s going to kill you may be serious, but he isn�t a proximate and legitimate threat at that distance.

TX: Austin Police Chief: open carry is �Open season for armed criminals and extremists�
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Following passage of open carry legislation in the Texas House this week, the police chief of the nation�s 11th-most populous city is forecasting problems with ISIS, gang members, drug cartels, and outlaw motor cycle gangs.

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, who has spoken out against open carry several times, took to social media Tuesday to vent his feelings on an amendment to HB 910, a bill that will likely bring the practice to the Lone Star State in coming months. The amendment would prohibit law enforcement from stopping a law-abiding citizen who is openly carrying and hasn�t broken the law.

NC: Online applications bypass NC concealed carry permit process
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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North Carolina has reciprocity with 36 other states, meaning concealed carry permits issued by the Tar Heel State are recognized in those states and vice versa. But not all those states have the same requirements.

Virginia, for example, asks only that permit applicants pay a fee and take an online test. They watch a gun safety video, answer questions and are finished in about 20 minutes.

"Online is not training. It's information," certified North Carolina gun instructor Larry Wegman said. "They don't fire a shot, and they don't learn anything about the law.

NRA Using Self-Defense Arguments to Get 'Whites' to Buy Guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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During the April 22 airing of Fox News� The Five, guest panelist Juan Williams said the NRA is using self-defense arguments to get �white America� to buy guns.

He cited results from PEW and Gallup showing that crime is falling but that an over-emphasis on gun crime has caused many Americans to believe crime is actually rising. Those who believe crime is rising subsequently support gun rights over gun control.

New �Stop The Violence� Phone App Shockingly Doesn�t Stop Violence Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There is 1 comment on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
The sad result of this self-deception and intellectual cowardice is the creation of delusional placebos, such as �bulletproof� shields, rape whistles, and an app for your phone, Stop-Attack, with the hopeful tagline, �tap � record, get help, take control!�

D.C.�s Outrageous Second Amendment Double Standard
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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As if it were not disgraceful enough that America�s shining capital has for decades sought to suppress the right of its people to keep and bear arms, we now learn that a pernicious double standard obtains as well. Yesterday, over at Yahoo�s political vertical, editor Dylan Stableford surprised many of his readers by reporting that, in stark contrast to the citizenry in Washington, D.C., �members of Congress may keep firearms in their office, and may transport them, too � as long as they�re unloaded.� Thus, Stableford confirmed, had Colorado congressman Ken Buck been acting wholly within the law when he brought his American-flag-patterned AR-15 to his suite within the House of Representatives:

OK: Oklahoma gun ban issue will continue after Norman Music Festival ends
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Licensed handgun carriers can bring their firearms with them to the Norman Music Festival.

A temporary restraining order issued last week remains in place, prohibiting the city and organizers of the Norman Music Festival from enforcing a no-gun policy Saturday during the outdoor portion of the music festival.

However, attorneys say they will return to court after the music festival is over to present evidence on a request by a gun advocacy group for a temporary injunction.

Feds to allow hunters to cross borders with guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The Obama administration will stop blocking hunters from traveling internationally with their guns amid mounting congressional pressure.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in February began enforcing controversial export regulations that essentially prevented hunters from taking their guns and ammunition back and forth across the border.

After hunters protested, Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) demanded this week that the agency withdraw the controversial policy during a meeting with Customs chief R. Gil Kerlikowske. House lawmakers also met with Kerlikowske about the matter.

MN: Minnesota Senate approves gun-silencer measure despite Dayton's veto threat
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The DFL-led Minnesota Senate approved a measure legalizing gun silencers Thursday night, risking a showdown with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton who just hours before sent legislators a letter threatening to veto the provision.

�Nowhere in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution does it refer to the right to bear a silencer,� Dayton wrote in the letter. �To allow gunshots to be silenced increases the danger to law enforcement officers, and to innocent bystanders.�

MA: More guns in right hands
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An analysis of gun ownership in Massachusetts conducted by the Boston Globe shows a sharp increase in the number of Class A licenses since 2008, with a noticeable uptick ahead of more stringent laws enacted last year.

There are more than 355,000 gun licenses of all types in Massachusetts. Yet Massachusetts remains what it has been for years � among the safest states. Even as the number of licensed gunowners has increased sharply, there has been no proportionate increase in the number of gun deaths.