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Race-tailored tactics used to disparage black gun rights advocates Submitted by: David Codrea Website: http://www.davidcodrea.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Such accusations, routinely leveled at white gun owners, have been pretty much absent from that 'national conversation on guns' the antis say they want to have. In their place are �progressives� hurling racist ridicule at gun rights advocates of color, but those attacks have mostly been for daring to depart from the official party loyalty line demanded by collectivist plantation overseers."

MI: Small Michigan town with 100 police reserves under investigation
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Two Michigan law enforcement agencies are investigating a small town with a big auxiliary police force.

The Attorney General�s Office and the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards want to know if Oakley is violating any rules governing the licensing of police officers, said a commission official. The central Michigan village, with 290 residents, has more than 100 police reserves.

David Harvey, executive director of the commission, declined to elaborate about the probe or what prompted it.

Earlier this month, The Detroit News reported the auxiliary officers donate so much money that they cover the $38,000 police budget and some other government expenses.

Their status as reserves allows them to bring their guns into no-weapon zones such as bars and ballparks, according to state law.

Eric Holder has viewed gun prosecutions as a local, not federal matter
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When U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was serving as deputy attorney general at the Justice Department under then-president Bill Clinton, he refused to endorse a local initiative in Richmond, Virginia, credited by locals for dramatically reducing gun violence in their city.
The plan, called �Project Exile,� was partially the brainchild of then U.S. Attorney Jim Comey � who is now the FBI director. The idea behind Project Exile was to federally prosecute felons caught with an illegal gun thereby sending them away for five years to federal prison, without plea bargaining and no parole, if convicted.

SUBMITTER'S COMMENT: Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

ATF, U.S. Attorneys blame sequestration, staffing woes for drop in gun prosecutions
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As fewer U.S. attorney�s take on cases from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and ATF itself refers less cases to the district attorney�s than in years past, official spokespeople blame sequestration and staffing woes for some of the drop-off.
Federal prosecutors brought 25 percent fewer cases in 2013 recommended by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, than in 2008, the last year of George W. Bush presidency, according to data obtained from the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys. In addition, cases recommended for prosecution by ATF have declined 33 percent since 2004.

Obama�s empty tough-talk: Gun prosecutions plummet on his watch
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While President Obama decries gun violence and presses for more laws to restrict ownership, his Justice Department has prosecuted 25 percent fewer cases referred by the main law enforcement agency charged with reducing firearms violence across the country, a computer analysis of U.S. prosecution data shows.
Federal prosecutors brought a total of 5,082 gun violation cases in 2013 recommended by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, compared with 6,791 during the last year of George W. Bush�s presidency in 2008, according to data obtained from the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys.

ATF culture shift: Agents focused more on regulations, not violent crime
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Cases recommended for prosecution by ATF have declined from a high of 17,877 in 2004 under Mr. Bush to about 12,066 last year, the data compiled by Syracuse University and reviewed by the Times shows.
Federal prosecutors, current and former ATF agents and gun law experts told The Times that the downward trend in ATF-related prosecutions primarily reflects a shift in policy sentiments inside the Obama Justice Department away from tracking down one-off violent offenders and toward prosecuting more complicated regulatory-type cases, which take longer to develop.

Disproportional Force? Bloomberg Nails It
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"Something that will bring it home...if you are in your apartment and some emotionally disturbed person is banging on your door, screaming I'm going to come through this door and kill you, do you want us to respond with one police officer, which is proportional, or with all the resources at our command?" "Just think about it in that context. There is no such thing as proportional response to terrorism."

Ed.: Video story.

PA: Psychiatrist shoots patient in self-defense Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A doctor's reaction may have saved other lives. A psychiatrist has told police a patient fatally shot a caseworker at a suburban Philadelphia hospital complex before the doctor pulled out his own gun and exchanged fire with the patient. Delaware District Attorney Jack Whelan says Dr. Lee Silverman was grazed in the temple during the gunfight with patient Richard Plotts.

Easier to harass Bubba at gun show than crack down on criminals
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Six paragraphs into yesterday�s report by the Washington Times on President Obama�s preference for new gun laws over prosecution of criminals who break existing laws, a law professor and historian at George Washington University defined the feel-good mentality of the anti-gun left succinctly.

�For a lot of people,� observed Robert Cottrol, �there�s more ideological [cachet] harassing Bubba at the gun show than getting a handle on gun crime.�

Pa. shooting: �Without a doubt, I believe the doctor saved lives Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A psychiatrist at a wellness center on the campus of Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa., is being credited by a local police chief with saving lives Thursday afternoon, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, because he was armed when a gunman who ignored an apparent firearms prohibition on the campus opened fire, and the doctor shot back.

FL: Marissa Alexander Case Exposes Flaws In FL Self-Defense Laws
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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A judge late Friday rejected Marissa Alexander�s argument that she is protected by a June revision of "stand your ground" that exempts from prosecution threats of force � like warning shots � when a person feels endangered. Previously, the language of the law only addressed the actual use of force.

Lawmakers have said the revision, often called the "warning shot law," was inspired by Alexander�s case, but the judge�s ruling says the revision "cannot be applied retroactively."

TN: Sevierville company printing more 'Guns are Welcome' signs
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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After a Maryville restaurant owner gained national recognition for posting 'Guns are Welcome' signs on her doors, an East Tennessee printing company said it's getting orders for the signs from other local businesses.

Sharma Floyd, with Shiloh Brew and Chew, posted paper signs a couple of months ago. Friday, she told WBIR while she does not carry a gun, her customers have a right to. Since then, her business has been booming.

Hey, gun nuts: Shooting someone who is running away in the back is not self-defense
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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If your explanation is that you selected your target because she was slower than her partner, you are not engaging in self-defense. You are engaging in human-hunting and you quite literally did what predators do, which is to attack the weakest member of the herd. Shooting unarmed people in the back is basically the definition of cowardly behavior. Shooting an unarmed pregnant woman in the back as she�s running from you may be the single most cowardly thing I�ve ever heard of. But this asshole is just so proud of himself. For some reason the video won�t embed, but you can watch it here. �I shot her so that�s going to leave a message on his mind for the rest of his life,� the killer, Tom Greer said.

PA: Caseworker Shot Dead by Psychiatric Patient, Police Say
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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A psychiatric patient opened fire at a suburban hospital outside Philadelphia on Thursday, killing his caseworker and wounding his doctor, who returned fire, the authorities said.

The patient, identified as Richard Plotts of Upper Darby, was hit three times as he and the doctor shot at each other around 2:20 p.m. at a psychiatric clinic on the campus of Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, said Jack Whelan, the district attorney of Delaware County. The police took Mr. Plotts to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was in critical condition.

AL: Locust Fork shooting could fall under �stand your ground�
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Although there is only one incident of a domestic dispute on record in Blount County at the Locust Fork home, it�s on the same day as the fatal shooting. Famed defense attorney Charles Salvagio, who is not representing the family, believes this is a clear cut case of self defense.

�It�s a classic stand your ground,� says Charles Salvagio. �The person that was killed did not have the right to be where he was. The person that shot him did have the right to be where he was. He was justified in using deadly force if he thought his mom was going to be inured.�

Tips for traveling with firearms Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
It can be a confusing process, especially if you're traveling through the Northeast. Our frequent Caribbean contributor Peter Burlingame wrote the definitive piece on flying with guns. Now, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has released a great story that includes tips for flying and driving with guns. It should be required reading for anyone traveling with their guns.

Thomas Massie went after D.C.�s absolutely terrible gun control laws, and anti-Second Amendment Democrats are losing their minds
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) really isn�t happy with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). Since the passage of an amendment last week to block enforcement of the District of Columbia�s terrible gun control laws, Norton�s office has sent out a barrage of press releases aimed at the libertarian-leaning Kentucky Republican.

It all started last Tuesday, July 15, when Massie tried to offer the amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, which would fund the Treasury Department and related agencies for the next year.

Decoding the Gun Debate
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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It may be one of the most hotly contested sentences in the history of the nation: �A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.� The often fierce debate over gun rights has only intensified in recent decades and was given fresh impetus in 2008 when the Supreme Court, for the first time, recognized an individual�s right to gun ownership in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller.

Man, 80, Says He Shot Burglar After Pregnancy Plea
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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An 80-year-old man who came home to find two burglars said he shot and killed one of them despite her pleas that she was pregnant, but it's the woman's alleged accomplice who has been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said.

Police said they would present their case to prosecutors Friday but were still deciding whether to recommend charges against Tom Greer, who told a television station he shot the woman in the back as she fled from his house.

"She says, 'Don't shoot me, I'm pregnant � I'm going to have a baby,' and I shot her anyway," Greer told KNBC-TV outside his house.

MO: League Of Women Voters Opposes Trio Of Amendments
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Amendment 5 on the Aug. 5 ballot states: "Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to include a declaration that the right to keep and bear arms is a unalienable right and that the state government is obligated to uphold that right?"

Farrell of LWV said the Aug. 5 gun measure is once again too abstract, too ideological � and not needed. There is already a Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, so the proposal is redundant and legally troublesome.

"The League believes that state and local authorities will be hampered in their ability to regulate firearms (with this amendment). It will be more difficult to enforce local, state and federal common-sense laws to reduce gun violence," according to a statement issued by Missouri LWV.

MA: Massachusetts police chiefs rally for right to control long-gun permits Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Police chiefs in Massachusetts are blasting state lawmakers for shooting down a provision that would have given them sole discretion over who can get hunting rifle or shotgun permits, regardless of criminal records.

GA: Jody Hice: Citizens need 'cannons, bazookas, missiles'
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Earlier this week, Jody Hice won the GOP's nomination for Congress in Georgia's 10th Congressional District, the seat held for now by Paul Broun. In fact, Hice took won the runoff rather easily, despite -- or more depressingly, because -- of his highly controversial positions on women's rights and the First Amendment, among other issues.

Given the demographics of the district and the fact that Mitt Romney carried it by 26 percentage points, Hice is almost certain to win in the fall.

NM: DA won't file charges against MMA fighter alleged to have killed home invader
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The Third Judicial District Attorney's Office has decided not to file charges against Joseph Torrez, a mixed martial artist who deputies say killed a man suspected of breaking into his home.

In a statement, the Third Judicial District Attorney's Office said it agrees with the Do�a Ana County Sheriff's Office that after a thorough investigation, that included several interviews and police field investigations, finger print, DNA and blood type analysis, and a complete autopsy report, the evidence does not exist to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Torrez killed Sal Garces without legal justification.