Alphecca

Weekly Check on the Bias

Welcome to the May 9th edition. Let's get right to it.

With Friends Like These... From a column by Michael Daly in today's NY Daily News:

...After unloading the contraband, they could then head for an establishment such as Jim's Gun Shop in Sumter, S.C. The owner yesterday confirmed that you need only present a South Carolina driver's license and pass a quick FBI computer check to purchase a handgun.

"You'll be finished in less than 15 minutes," he said.

The owner then suggested a way around even that modest requirement.

"You got a friend down here? You could let them buy one for you," he said.

He meant a friend who has a South Carolina driver's license and can pass the background check.

"He can give it to you as a gift," the owner said. "Or he can sell it to you as a friend."

According to Yahoo, there is such a shop by that name in Sumter, S.C. and IF that conversation actually took place as related by Michael Daly, then Jim's has just done an immense service to those in NYC and elsewhere that call for nation-wide gun control regulations. Who needs enemies when those of us who support gun rights and local (state) control of firearms regulations can't count on a gun store (where presumably they do as well) provide anti-gunners with all the ammunition they need? The owner is suggesting that the caller (who might or might not have identified himself as a reporter) engage someone locally to make a "straw purchase" of a firearm. That is against federal law.

Daly's column itself is a call for more gun control nationally and also offers this:

A South Carolina gun that came to the attention of the NYPD this week was a Hermann Weihrauch model HW .357 Magnum revolver that was manufactured in Germany.

The weapon was brought into the country by the Firearms Import and Export Corp. of 4541 NW 133rd St. in Opa-Locka, Fla., on May 9, 1986.

Five days later, the weapon was shipped to Otasco Inc. of 4849 Massachusetts Blvd. in College Park, Ga. The company sent the gun to Otasco dealer No. 363 at 967 S. Irby St. in Florence, S.C., which received it on Sept. 24 of that year.

On Nov. 7, 1986, the gun was legally purchased by a local resident at the Otasco dealership, which has since closed. The gun somehow came into the possession of General (Bubba) Waiters, who was just 16 when the paper trail ended.

In 1999, Waiters moved from Florence to Brooklyn. He was in his East New York apartment on Sunday morning when he took exception to somebody suggesting he not drink beer in front of the children.

Waiters is said to have produced his now rusty South Carolina gun. He allegedly began blasting and a bullet struck 3 year-old Tajmere Clark.

Now this is important because Daly's set-up above of Jim's Gun Shop is supposed to make his point but in the incident involving Walters and the criminal (and tragic) killing of the child, no such easy transfer of the gun involved is shown. "The gun somehow came into the possession" of Walters is not the same circumstance as a "straw purchase" since Walters could not legally purchase or possess a handgun as a 16-year-old. And nothing in the history of the revolver -- it's importation, distribution, or original sale is illegal. "Somehow came into the possession" sounds more like it was stolen, or traded for drugs, or by other illegal means.

So Walters came to have the gun illegally. He further broke the law by owning it in NYC without the proper license or permit or whatever is required there. The guy is a criminal. He is the one who broke the laws and he is the one who pulled the trigger that killed a 3-year-old. But because of some clever writing by Daly and a greedy gun dealer in South Carolina, a lot of people will not realize that Daly put 2 plus 2 together and came up with 5, and anti-gun politicians in NY and elsewhere just might get their way in the future.

Gov. Pataki opposed to gun control bill? That would be a first! From the Observer (NY):

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver offers a retort to some of his own criticism of Gov. George Pataki’s stand against a nine-bill package of what the Democrats characterize as gun-control legislation.

Silver and his comrades in the state Assembly last week castigated Gov. Pataki for his support of what they called radical pro-gun groups — principally the National Rifle Association.

One of the bills Silver and friends champion is aimed at the 1 percent of gun dealers in the state who account for more than half of the guns that end up on the illegal market. To that end, the Democrats who rallied with Silver this week would impose even more stringent record-keeping and reporting requirements on all legal gun dealers — as if those 1 percent who are breaking existing law will obey a new law.

[...]

Besides, Silver answered his own criticism of Pataki’s failure to support this bill when he noted that 92 percent of all of the illegal handguns recovered in New York City come from beyond the state’s borders.

In other words, as Silver attests, more record-keeping and other regulations will not prevent the vast majority of the illegal gun trade in New York City.

Gov. Pataki is right to oppose legislation that will burden law-abiding citizens across the state with more regulations but will not prevent illegal gun dealers from simply continuing to ignore the laws.

I could not find a single news story verifying that Pataki was opposed to the new regulations being proposed by Silver and company. I'm not disputing it but would like some verification since it would be completely out of character for the Presidential hopeful in that he has called for stricter gun control laws throughout his tenure as Governor. I even checked the NY State Rifle & Pistol Association website and found no mention. Is this a sudden attempt to appeal to Democratic Republican primary voters in states such as Wyoming or Texas? Speaking of politicians with ambitions...

Eliot Spitzer on gun control. In a recent speech at the Buffalo-Niagara YMCA, the Governor hopeful played fast and free with statistics:

Third, we must do more to prevent guns from getting into our children’s hands. In New York City and in our upstate cities, gun violence among our youth continues to climb. I was encouraged to see Mayor Bloomberg and other mayors from across the country come together to push Washington to toughen their gun laws. They deserve our support. Each year, more than 20,000 children and youth under age 20 are killed or injured by firearms in the United States...

[...]

I have also proposed legislation that would require a gun purchaser to complete a firearm safety course and written test in order to obtain a gun license – similar to what New Yorkers have to go through to obtain a driver’s license. I fully support a person’s right to own a gun. I just want to make sure they own one responsibly. One study found that 70 percent of young people were killed or injured in unintentional shootings inside the young person’s home or a friend’s home. If gun owners were trained in best practices on safe storage and other helpful techniques to childproof guns, many of these deaths and injuries could be avoided. Westchester County passed a similar law in 1997 and we should extend that requirement statewide...

Whoa Nellie! 20,000 kids under age 20 killed or injured by guns? Let's subtract suicides and gangland shootings and stop calling anyone of legal age to vote and fights wars a "youth". In fact, Dave Kopel has already put to myth such extravagant claims by anti-gunners. If Spitzer has such figures (not provided by the Brady Bunch and the VPC) then please present them.

He mentions another -- unnamed -- study claiming that "70 percent of young people were killed or injured" by guns? Perhaps he should have said, "who were killed or injured..." regarding unintentional shootings. Or doesn't that play as well in a speech?

Lastly, safe gun handling is certainly the goal of all of us and many states already require a safety course before getting a license. My problem is that there should be no license or permit required in the first place. A right is a right and shouldn't be "granted" by the government.

Besides, is Spitzer really claiming that as a potential governor he supports gun ownership? Or was that my imagination? So would he also enact statewide laws regarding concealed carry that New York City would have to honor? Yeah, right...

Defending your life is NOT "vigilantism"! But according to WFAA TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, it is:

61-year-old vigilante speaks out
Police released the mug shots of four suspects after authorities said they attempted an armed robbery on a 61-year-old man who turned vigilante.

Three of the suspects were put in jail and the fourth was hospitalized with a gunshot wound he received after Ken [The intended victim -ed.] said he fought back.

[...]

The day of the incident, two men pounded on his door while he said he was inside his Mission Spring Creek apartment.

"They were knocking pretty hard and I thought, 'Well, who is that?'" he said. "Whoever it is, I'll tell them 'Don't come beating on my door like that.'"

Ken said he opened the door, but not before grabbing his pistol. However, he said he wasn't the only one with a gun. The suspects allegedly were armed with a 20-gauge shotgun.

"And I hit it and knocked the barrel up and it went off," Ken said.

A chunk out of his ceiling and a hole was ripped in his door.

Ken fired his gun three times. The first shot hit a wall and the second hit the robber.

"I'm not going to give up," he said he thought through the incident. "I'm not going to let them take what I work for. I work hard for what little I have, and it's mine."

After the exchange of gunfire, Ken said the suspects ran to their car. However, they didn't get far. Police caught the suspects at the crime scene in a matter of minutes at Beltline and Shiloh Roads.

While Ken said he didn't take shooting his gun lightly, he said he would do it again if he had to.

"...They don't want to come back," he said. "I got a bigger gun. [I] bought me a 45. They come back, they're not going to walk."

According to my dictionary, the definition of vigilante is:

1. a member of a vigilance committee.
2. any person who assumes the authority of the law, as by avenging a crime.

That's it. Do any of those accurately describe Ken (the article doesn't give his last name)? He was fighting for his life. Were the people aboard Flight 93 vigilantes? Only by the wildest stretch of a liberal journalist's imagination.

Another story of vigilantism er, I mean self-defense. While short on details, see the second item from this Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal round-up:

Two Milwaukee teens have been charged with armed robbery in last week's holdup of a Wauwatosa business that left one of the suspects in critical condition with a gunshot wound.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office will not be charging the 52-year-old store employee who shot the robber, saying he acted in self-defense.

Charged in the May 2 holdup of Aqua-Terra Aquariums, 6410 W. North Ave., are Derrek M. Friday, 18, of the 6600 block of N. 51st St.; and Victor Allen Boyd, 17, of the 5900 block of N. 68th St., both in Milwaukee.

Seriously, how much money could you expect to get from an aquarium store? Or were they hankering for guppies? Much more interesting, from the same page, next item, we get:

Study Supports Concealed-Carry:

A study to be released today says concealed-weapons laws in other states have not affected crime rates and defends training requirements in proposed laws vetoed by Gov. Jim Doyle.

The study's author, David Dodenhoff of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Inc., said his national review of data on concealed weapons laws found:

• No data exist proving that laws allowing concealed weapons increase or decrease crime rates, and no increase in frequency of gun use during crimes occurred in states that adopted those laws over the past 10 years.

• States with the same training requirements as proposed for Wisconsin had few permit revocations or suspensions.

• Less chance of property loss or physical injury exists when a potential crime victim resists with a gun, and criminals in states with concealed-weapons laws are aware and afraid of the possibility of confronting an armed victim.

Twice in the past four years, state legislators passed bills legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons. Doyle vetoed both.

Doyle on Friday criticized Republicans who control the Legislature for wasting time and energy passing concealed-weapons bills they knew he would veto. "What did they spend the most time on?" he asked. "Whether we should be carrying loaded guns in our pocket - that's what they ended the last session with, weeks and weeks of discussion."

Well perhaps if Gov. Doyle stopped vetoing the will of the people via their elected representatives, they might all get more work done. I might add that while the first point of the report claims that allowing concealed weapons doesn't increase or decrease crime rates, it certainly seems anecdotal that states that allow concealed carry have for the most part seen a reduction in crime. In this case I think 2 plus 2 does equal 4.

"Stop Shooting, the kids might become interested..." From the Mississippi Press:

OCEAN BEACH ESTATES -- There was a time when discharging firearms in rural areas of Jackson County did not pose safety problems.

That day is long gone, said homeowner Jewel Saucier. And, apparently 100 property owners think the same.

Saucier began circulating a petition recently that requests county supervisors pass an ordinance prohibiting the firing of a weapon within 1,000 feet of another residence.
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"It happens every week. It's not just one shot, it's a number of shots. My concern is if we don't do anything about it now, somebody is going to get shot," Saucier said.

Jackson County does not have an ordinance on record that addresses the discharging of firearms in rural areas. For years, homes were so far apart, it did not pose a problem. A population spurt countywide is changing that scenario.

"We live in a populated area now. I don't care if it is in the county. There are plenty of places to shoot farther up. They don't have to be in an area where someone can get killed," Saucier said. "You may be shooting at a target but you don't know at night if a bullet will ricochet. That's why these hunters get shot, because you don't see them. You don't know what is on the other side of that tree. It shouldn't be done at day or night. It should be stopped, permanently."

Saucier also said she was prompted to take action because teenagers are very inquisitive and in their quests to search out directions of gunfire, they could run into harms' way.

I should point out that while she has the support of Jackson County Supervisor John McKay, he has suggested limiting the distance from a residence to 300 feet instead of 1000 feet. In actuality, This (300 feet) is more reasonable. I do think most backyard plinkers DO take great care to be sure of their backstop. I hope that the county doesn't simply pass a "no firearms discharging" ordinance the way so many local municipalities have of late.

If only cops have guns... From the Courier Post (NJ):

A state investigator shot himself in the leg while taking a firearms requalification test, officials said.

The investigator, whose name wasn't released, underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition at Cooper University Hospital.

The incident happened Wednesday at the Camden County firing range, state Department of Criminal Justice officials said.

Internal affairs officials are investigating the incident.

No comment.

Positive coverage of "Boomershoot 2006". And from the A.P.! Boomershot is a yearly event organized by fellow blogger Joe Huffman James Hagengruber was the reporter and the story appeared in several news outlets in the northwest part of the country (including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer) and here, from KGW TV:

Because shooting at paper targets can get boring, there is Boomershoot, where the targets blow up.

The weekend-long event is held each spring in a remote Idaho farm field and is considered a "Magic Kingdom" for serious long-distance shooters, said organizer Joe Huffman, who spends most of his time in Seattle working as a software programmer.

Participants pay $100 for a slot on the firing line, from which they plink at hundreds of high-explosive targets, some not much bigger than a brick and barely visible to the naked eye from 2,100 feet. Even from that distance, the targets can produce a chest-thumping shock wave.

For some shooters, the event is all about marksmanship. Others say they're driven by politics — how the combination of guns and explosives is the ultimate expression of their constitutional rights as well as a gentle show of force for anybody watching in the federal government.

Huffman falls into both categories — but mainly the latter. "The Second Amendment is about providing a deterrent to tyranny," he said. "I'm using this as a vehicle to further gun rights. I want to give people a reason to get guns and have fun with them."

All philosophy aside, there also is the prospect of being able to blow stuff up.

"Everything's better with a boom," said Lee Ann Frailey of Spokane.

[...]

Most of the participants shoot a .308-caliber bullet and most of the targets are filled with a pound of high explosive. Several years ago, Huffman made some 4-pounders. He said he stopped when "neighbors complained about stuff falling off walls."

At the far end of the shooting range was a cluster of men using very large rifles. This area is known as the "50-caliber ghetto." The rifles are powerful enough to flatten grass within 10 feet of the barrel. Stand near the rifles long enough, Huffman said, and "you'll get sick. The shockwaves hit your guts."

A man shooting one of the black rifles had blood trickling down his forehead and nose from being hit by the recoil of the metal scope. With each shot, he sent grass blades flying into the air.

"Hurts my teeth," said Spokane resident Stephen Knezovich, who stood about 15 feet behind the rifle.

Despite more explosions than a bad day in Baghdad, shooters say they enter a Zenlike calm when they're preparing to fire. "I liken Boomershoot to the state of mind when one is doing yoga," said Stephanie Sailor, a shooter and event promoter from New Jersey. "It's very peaceful."

Blogger Ry Jones has video here. I wish I had been there with my Serbu BFG-50!

Update: Men find guns more exciting than Mouse Trap! Another, pathetic attempt by so-called researchers to push an anti-gun agenda. From the New York Times:

Handling a gun stirs a hormonal reaction in men that primes them for aggression, new research suggests.

Psychologists at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., enrolled 30 male students in what they described as a taste study. The researchers took saliva samples from the students and measured testosterone levels.

They then seated the young men, one at a time, at a table in a bare room; on the table were pieces of paper and either the board game Mouse Trap or a large handgun.

Their instructions: take apart the game or the gun and write directions for assembly and disassembly.

Fifteen minutes later, the psychologists measured saliva testosterone again and found that the levels had spiked in men who had handled the gun but had stayed steady in those working with the board game.

The "taste sensitivity" phase of the experiment was in fact intended to measure aggressive impulses. After the writing assignment, the young men were asked to rate the taste of a drink, a cup of water with a drop of hot sauce in it. They were then told to prepare a drink for the next person in the experiment, adding as much hot sauce as they liked.

"Those who had handled the gun put in about three times as much as the others — 13 grams on average, which is a lot," said Tim Kasser, one of the authors. He worked with Francis McAndrew, also of Knox, and Jennifer Klinesmith, a former student who had the idea for the study, due to appear in Psychological Science.

Critics of research linking guns to aggressiveness have argued that people who handle guns in experiments tend to act out or think violent thoughts simply because they sense the expectations of the experimenters. The same could be true of this study: the students might have perceived the nature of the study, consciously or not, and acted differently.

Yet the aggression was not entirely psychological: the higher the peaks in testosterone, the more hot sauce the students dumped into the drink. And once they learned the real aims of the study, several were disappointed that their cocktails would not be served to a fellow student.

What the article failed to mention is that maybe the students (all 30 of them) were not used to handling a firearm in the first place. Certainly a firearm is a lot more interesting than a boring board game like Mouse Trap. If a youthful person had never even held a handgun, wouldn't there be a surge of something? I understand that men who handled women's breasts (such as their wive's or girlfriend's) had a higher testosterone level (Bet they were salivating...) than those who handled cantalopes... How many run out and rape women?

The fact is, more people in more states are conceal-carrying these days and yet violent crime is falling in those places. 60 million Americans own guns (and presumably handle them on ocassion) and yet there aren't 60 million people running the streets shooting up each other.

My advice for those who worry about this is, don't ask someone whom has just handled a gun to mix you a Bloody Mary.

And that's a wrap for today. Naturally I'll be blabbing about all this on the Cam Edwards - NRA News Show this afternoon. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Posted by Jeff Soyer at May 9, 2006 11:01 AM