Guns And The Laws That Govern Them

I guess they will have the same protections when people start having abortions in family restaurants out of protest.

People shud be covered by their health insurance
wherever thay go, right?? Their guns are health insurance.

In a stunning blow to gun laws in Washington, D.C.,
a federal judge has tossed a city ban on bearing arms in public.

Frederick Scullin, normally a senior judge in Syracuse, ruled that
the law prohibiting people from carrying guns outside the home
for self-defense violated the Second Amendment.

“There is no longer any basis on which this court can conclude that
the District of Columbia’s total ban on the public carrying of
ready-to-use handguns outside the home is constitutional under any
level of scrutiny,” reads the judge’s 19-page opinion.

[All emfasis has been lovingly added by David.]

Locked and Loaded Ladies
More women carrying guns for protection
by Anna Lockhart


With her cropped silver hair, white orthopedic slip-on shoes and
a silver cross and a Virgin Mary pendant around her neck, you'd never
suspect that Pat Bagley is packing heat.

But nestled in a zippered pocket of her black leather purse, Bagley's
matte-black Ruger .38 pistol goes with her almost everywhere.
It's loaded with a five-cartridge clip of hollow-point bullets, the ones
capable of tearing huge chunks out of whatever they hit, especially flesh.

"If I need more than that, I figure I'm already dead, but those things
will tear you up," says Bagley, almost 70 years old, a retired nurse,
grandmother of four and known to nearly everyone as "Miss Pat."

Walking out of her house, she unzips her bag and keeps her hand on
the butt of the gun, ready to draw. She has to remind herself to leave
it behind when she goes into places where guns are prohibited --
federal buildings like the post office and the Tivoli Theatre, where
she volunteers as an usher.

"I even take it into church," she says. "My pastor knows, and he says it's fine."

Rising numbers

American men are still three times more likely than women to own guns,
according to the Pew Research Center, but the scale is slowly tilting,
at least in Tennessee. In 2010, 24,450 women were issued carry licenses,
according to the Tennessee Department of Safety. By 2013, 58,833 got them.
For both men and women in Tennessee, the average age for getting
a carry license hovers between 46 and 60.

Georgia's exact numbers of men versus women are harder to pin down,
because the state doesn't keep such records readily available, but
with a total of about 600,000 concealed carry licenses issued,
according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, it has the
third-highest number of licenses overall, lagging behind Florida's
1.2 million and Pennsylvania's 872,000.

Alabama's male-versus-female numbers are also unavailable, but
the state has issued about 350,000 concealed-carry licenses total,
according to the Alabama Sheriff's Association.

Overall, the number of women shooting for sport has jumped in the
last decade. From 2001 to 2011, 51.8 percent more women reported
participating in target shooting and 41.8 percent more for hunting,
according to the National Sporting Goods Association.


For Bagley, getting a gun was a matter of safety, a reason echoed by
other female gun owners. She'd never touched a gun until four years ago,
when someone broke into her car in a Cracker Barrel parking lot as
she ate lunch inside. Now she holds a carry license and visits a
shooting range regularly for target practice.

"I can tell when I haven't gone to a range in a while; my shots are all off,"
she says." Just because you get a gun doesn't mean you're suddenly Annie Oakley."

In a pocket of her rocking chair recliner that sits in view of the TV in
her den -- filled with pictures and shrines of the Virgin Mary, porcelain
dolls and framed pictures of her family -- Bagley has tucked another gun,
a tiny antique revolver, which is easier on her arthritis than semi-automatics,
which require a slide reload.

"It's just a little thing. It can't do much damage," she says "but if someone
hears that 'click' (when I pull the safety off), they'll know I'm not
going down without a fight."

Like-minded

None of Bagley's friends carry guns, so for camaraderie, she goes to
monthly meetings of the Locked and Loaded Ladies gun club. Held at
Carter Shooting Supply in Harrison and led by store owner Kristi Manning,
the all-female group started in September 2013 and is 64 members strong.

It's a chapter of the national Well-Armed Woman, whose tagline is
"Where the feminine and firearms meet." The group gets together for
monthly gun cleaning parties, to hear speakers on gun safety and politics,
to gab about their guns and -- most importantly -- to shoot on the
shooting range.

With Locked and Loaded Ladies, guns are fun. For a room full of
armed people, the mood is lighthearted. Ladies know each other's
husbands' names, crack jokes and try out each others' firearms.
Manning says the non-competitive vibe is a main component of
the group's importance.

For the most part, the ladies of Locked and Loaded seem to share
the same politics as their male gun-toting counterparts -- they love
the Second Amendment and defend it vociferously.

"I ain't giving 'em up by no means," Manning says at a recent meeting.

"I'd rather be tried by 12 than carried out by six," says another woman.

"You know what gun control is? Being able to hit your target," another
two women say almost in unison.

The Facebook page for Chattanooga Gun Girls, another local women's
gun group, is filled with pro-gun memes centered around women.

"You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands -- if she's holding a gun,
you should either run or marry her," reads one post.

"This is my rape whistle ... because I shouldn't have to blow anything
for a rapist," reads another.

Female focused

Female gun ownership isn't an entirely new thing, since gun companies
began courting women buyers in the '80s. Smith & Wesson introduced
its LadySmith line of revolvers in 1989, but the current growth is
distinct in its appeal to women. Female gun culture is playful and
irreverent, feminine and tough.

The National Rifle Association has recently ramped up its efforts to
attract female shooters with programs, local networks, webinars and
a slick video series on its website featuring women shooters. Former
Alaskan governor, 2008 vice presidential candidate and fervent hunter
Sarah Palin has been a vocal proponent of gun rights.

A recent cover of Personal & Home Defense magazine shows a 30-ish
woman, nicely coiffed, with a black leather handbag on her shoulder.
A mall scene is in the background. With one arm she holds a little girl
protectively; in the other, she confidently points a gun at an unseen attacker.

Gunmakers are offering handguns in pink and purple, with flower decals
and snakeskin handles. Companies like Sweet Shot -- a women's
shooting accessory company whose motto is "Look cute while you
shoot!" -- sell leopard-print gloves and ear muffs, as well as jewelry
made from bullets.

The Thunderwear holster lets ladies stash guns in their undergarment areas.
There are sticky holsters that heat up and meld to skin so they'll rest
comfortably in a waistband. Belly bands and garter bands conceal a
gun and are adorned with brightly colored, corset-style lace. The
Flashband holster nestles on the underwire of a bra, and there is an
array of purses with specially designed pouches for carrying a
concealed weapon.

"If you're like me, you have what I call 'purse dirt,' " says Aimee Gregory,
who co-owns Shooters Depot, which has locations in Chattanooga
and Ringgold, Ga. "So putting your gun in a separate pouch is a better
option and I don't need anything to make my hips look any wider,
so I don't carry on my belt."

Gregory started Chattanooga Gun Girls in June and already has 70 people
signed up and a full roster of speakers scheduled for coming months.
Like Locked and Loaded Ladies, the group aims to educate, equip and
provide support for women with guns.

Even Gregory, who grew up shooting guns, says she used to feel
uncomfortable going into gun stores with an all-male staff because
they made her feel like she didn't know anything.

Most of the women she knows who have guns are buying them for protection.

"A lot of women are waiting longer to get married, so they're living alone,"
she explains. "We have college girls who live out of the dorms and
want to feel protected. The crime rate is not going down, and it's
empowering to be able to protect your family yourself, rather than
wait for a man."

Women also tend to score better than men in the classes that must
be taken to earn a carry license, she says, because they listen more
closely to the instructor than the guys and naturally have good hand-
eye coordination.

Gregory says she also sees more and more women over 60 showing up
at the store to get a license. Widowed, divorced or single by choice,
they're suddenly seeing themselves as targets for crime and want to protect themselves.

"You would be shocked to know the number of little old, white-gloved
ladies sitting in the front row at church who are packing .357's," she says.
"I had an 85-year-old lady come in last week looking for a pistol
for each of her nightstands and she said she was a good shot, too."

Trevor Haines has taught martial arts-based self-defense to women
since 1986 and owns Dojo Chattanooga on the North Shore. He's not
against guns -- he has a carry license and shoots at a range once a
week -- but he cautions women not to rely on their weapon alone.
Instead, he advises women to use bodily self-defense practices and
add a gun to the mix if they want.

"Your fist is going to be your least-deadly weapon, but it's always on you,"
he says. "It's not like a pistol, where you pull the trigger and there's
the chance someone is going to die."

During a lecture he gave in California, a woman in the crowd touted
her mace spray as her sole form of self-defense. He told her to get the
spray out of her purse and, in the meantime, he climbed over a table,
snatched her purse and threw it on the floor -- all while she was
fumbling to grab the spray bottle. That situation is not unlike one in
which the victim has relied too heavily on their gun to save them, he says.

"With any weapon you have to recognize its limitations," he says.
"If you become fixated on that weapon, you're going to lose sight
and flexibility if the situation arises."

Reasons for packing

The members of Locked and Loaded Ladies vary in age, experience
and their reasons for joining. Erica Albers, 40, is a certified police
officer and a founding member of the group. She's also the daughter
of a by-the-book cop who gave his two daughters BB guns for Christmas
when they were young, but wouldn't let them shoot them until they'd
memorized the safety rules on the box.

Marilyn Spickard, a sixth-grade teacher at Soddy-Daisy Middle School,
got involved as a fun activity to do with her sister. As she's gotten older,
she's started to feel more like a target for crime. Entering her 23rd
year of teaching, she also wanted to be prepared to carry in case she
was asked to be armed in the classroom.

"I'm the first line of defense between a bad guy and those kids," says Spickard.
"I don't know if I'll be asked or if I would volunteer, but I want to be prepared."

Miranda Young, one of the younger members of the group at 34,
joined in the midst of dealing with a stalker. That situation has been
resolved, but Young still carries. Now she has memorized the gun laws
of Tennessee as well as most every other state -- a necessity since she
has made cross-country road trips on her motorcycle and carries her gun
nearly everywhere. She also designed the logo for Locked and Loaded
T-shirts, which feature feminine silhouettes holding guns on the front
and a pockmarked target on the back, under which it says: "Group therapy."

When Traci Whitcraft's husband got a gun, she was terrified at first.
Now she's taught all five of her daughters, whose ages range from 10 to 18,
how to shoot.

"It's just fun to blow stuff up!" she says.

Cheri Meredith's husband works in offshore oil drilling and is gone for
months at a time; the pistol in her bedside table makes her sleep a lot better.

"I think it builds confidence in a woman," she says. "You don't have to
be afraid of every little bump in the night.

"I always thought if you touch a handgun it's just going to go off," she says.
"Now I see it as just another tool, like a lawnmower or a blender."

[All emfasis has been added by David.]

Anti-Gunners Donated $5OO,OOO+ to Defeat
Pro-Gun Sheriff David Clarke in Election, But He Won Anyway


AUGUST 13 2014

BY DAN CANNON


Outside interests, including former New York City Michael Bloomberg’s
anti-gun super PAC, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in an effort
to unseat Sheriff David Clarke Jr, an outspoken Second Amendment supporter.
However, those efforts proved to be in vain as Clarke won the
Democratic primary for sheriff handily.

According to JSOnline.com,
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. edged Milwaukee police
Lt. Chris Moews early Wednesday in a Democratic primary race that
drew national attention and more than $600,000 in outside spending.

With all but 6,000 city of Milwaukee absentee ballots counted, Clarke
led by more than 4,700 votes. Moews would need nearly 5,400 of those
absentee ballots to fall his way, which experts quickly dismissed as impossible.


Shortly before midnight, Moews refused to concede and shortly
thereafter, Clarke told supporters he felt good about his chances
but would not declare victory until all ballots were counted.
“We like where we’re standing right now,” he said.

Keep spending your money Mike Bloomberg.
It seems to be doing a lot of good.

[All color and emfasis have been joyfully added by David.]

from David's cite:

so much for guns. the guy says learn self-defense tactics (like eye jabs or groin attacks).

That was the guy who MADE HIS LIVING
by TEACHING that "eye jabs" stuff right???????????????????

U think that had anything to do with it, Jack??
He wanted to pay his bills ????????

He probably offered them "one-night only" discounts.





David

YET ANOTHER CASE OF A RESPONSIBLE GUN-OWNER USING HIS GUN FOR LEGITIMATE SELF-DEFENSE FROM A BURGLAR. I'M SURE DAVID WILL APPLAUD HIS ACTION WHOLE-HEARTEDLY <<sarcasm alert>

Yes. That is what "EQUAL protection of the laws" is all about. U need not be a member of Mensa
to have a Constitutional Right to defend your life
from the predatory violence of animals or of men.





David

Didn't we do this one, already??
It seems familiar; maybe the alternate thread.

The point was made that u need to know what your target is
and what is behind it. He cud have n shud have raised his voice
n called out before opening up.

That shud all be taught in the public schools
in our very earliest years, with plenty of hands-on training and practice.

I understand that her wound
is not life threatening.




David

Yes, it probably does sound familiar. That's the whole problem. It keeps happening. There was the case a couple months back of the police officer who heard a noise in the middle of the night, and shot and killed his son coming in late. Perhaps that's what you're thinking of. Unless it was posted on the other thread yesterday or today, it's not this one. The thing is, David, you keep coming up with your simplistic answers, "he should have called out", and the problem remains, people DON'T do what "responsible" gun owners should do, no matter how well-intentioned they are, and innocents keep getting shot.

Well, unless u forgot to say something
the first time that the incident was posted, it is of un-certain value
to post re-dundantly.




Then be more careful, in your posting habits.



No. I remember the details of this non-fatal incident,
with the girl returning, etc. Very recent.




That is because the public schools have not
drilled them in competent battle tactics, from their earliest years in school.





David

Florida Couple Both Grab Handguns
and Open Fire on Home Invader, Killing Him

AUGUST 16 2014

BY DAN CANNON


A would be home invader in Florida found out the hard way
that you don’t want to mess with an armed couple.
Marquise Trevel Yates broke into a home in Jacksonville, Florida
around 6:30am. Yates became involved in a physical altercation
with a male homeowner after threatening him.
At some point during the altercation, the homeowner was able
to access a personal firearm. He exchanged fire with Yates,
who was also armed. During the same time, the homeowner’s wife
grabbed a second handgun and also opened fire on the suspect.

Yates was found deceased inside of the home he broke into,
suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
According to News4Jax,

The Cokers [the homeowners] were taken to UF Health with non-life-
threatening injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, according to JSO.
“If we had not had a gun in our home, we would be dead,” Pam Coker
said from the hospital Friday. “I’m convinced of that. That guy was
strong and he was not going to stop. Nothing was going to stop him.”

Pam Coker said she was getting ready for work when Yates kicked in
the deadbolted wooden back door and burst into the home.
“He came at me, was chasing me,” Pam Coker said. “Had a gun in his hand.”
There was also a 7 year old child in the home (the homeowner’s grandson),
however he was not involved in the altercation and was unharmed.

This is the 118th defensive gun use we’ve documented in the state
of Florida and the 1,261st defensive gun use we’ve documented overall.

HI-ho, Hi-ho,
to the West Palm Beach Gun Show, I GO! HOORAAAYYY!





David

Like MacArthur, but with less glory,
I have returned from the Gun Show,
with some neat stuff!!





David

Store employee shoots armed robber

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
Milwaukee, Wisc. 08/15/2014

Posted on August 18, 2014


An armed man entered Innovative Optique in Bayside, Wisc.
and attempted to rob the store. An employee responded to the threat
by taking a gun and firing at the criminal, striking and killing him.

An investigation revealed that the deceased was convicted of a 2010
armed robbery in which he targeted two people travelling in a car.
Innovative Optique experienced another attempted robbery in 2009.
(The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wisc. 08/15/2014)

ANOTHER 'RESPONSIBLE' GUN OWNER GUNS DOWN HER 7 YEAR OLD GRANDSON

Come on, David, give us your usual line about how woefully undergunned she was, and how instead of a measly .22 she should really have had something with more stopping power, say a .44 magnum, by her bed. To shoot her grandson with.

Well, yes, ideally a .44 magnum revolver
firing .44 special ammunition. The magnum revolver will have extra
weight which better absorbs some of the recoil, rendering its use
more comfortable, but my "usual line" about the need for the public
to be educated in competent defensive battle tactics, in the public schools
in our earliest years, and continuing, with plentiful drills & target practice
is more applicable here. Specifically, the teacher 'd advise his students
to know their targets and what is behind them before discharging a shot.
He might also mention the risks of skulking around the house in the dark.

David says:


Right. I can picture that lesson:

Teacher, to 7-year-old: "Now remember, Billy, when you have a bad dream and wake up in the middle of the night afraid of the dark, just lie in your bed and tremble. NEVER go to an adult for comfort, because they're likely to shoot you and kill you. Never go to your grandma, because she has a great big gun which will literally blow you apart, and she won't ask who you are, she'll just shoot you."

Guaranteed nightmares for a month.

You never had any kids, did you, David?

David raised a gun so had no need to raise kids.