Baltimore City Council eyes ‘guns for bail’ idea
Some urban communities are now grasping at straws in order to appear to be “doing something” about rising rates of gun violence.
They’ll even follow the old maxim of “sending a thief to catch a thief.”
The Baltimore Sun reported on the proposal, by saying:
“Trevor Brooks, a convicted murderer who attended a Silicon Valley entrepreneurship program after getting out of prison, has an idea he thinks could reduce the rate of gun violence in Baltimore: Let people use an app to turn in guns and make bail.”
Given the choice between giving up a gun or sitting in Central Booking, “they’re going to turn the guns in as fast as they can,” Brooks said, according to the newspaper.
On May 8, the Baltimore City Council took up a resolution that would lend its support to the idea. The council will consider the measure as the city scrambles to contain a surge in gun violence that has killed 118 people this year and wounded 200 more, and has city officials leaning on the federal government for help.
Councilman Brandon Scott, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, introduced the measure. He said Brooks’ company, GunBail, could offer a new option.
No one has explained what Brooks’ business will do with the guns that are turned in as get out of jail free cards.
Romney women binders resurface after 5 years
In the world of important political documents — from the Magna Carta to the Pentagon Papers — there are also those known for more pedestrian reasons. Count Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” in that category.
For those who don’t recall, Romney mentioned the binders during a 2012 presidential debate with Barack Obama in which he was questioned about workplace inequality. He awkwardly referred to the “binders full of women” he had considered for state posts after he was elected governor. Critics pounced on his response as clumsy at best, patronizing at worst. Late-night comics had a field day.
For all the high-stakes attention they drew, the binders themselves never surfaced. Until now!
A former Romney aide recently exhumed the files and shared them with the Boston Globe.
They have their roots in the 2002 transition period after Romney beat state Treasurer Shannon P. O’Brien for the governorship. A coalition of women’s groups created the Massachusetts Government Appointments Project (MassGAP), cobbled together information on women interested in serving in government, and submitted them to Romney’s still-forming administration.
“It was a response to a desire on the part of the Romney administration to access a pool of talent,” said Linda Rossetti, who worked with the coalition, made phone calls to encourage job candidates to submit applications, and included her own. “They drummed up what was an inelegant way to get at this pool of talent.”
Romney ultimately received high marks for the number of women he appointed to high-level administration posts and state courts.
The binders’ lineage remains in some dispute. While Romney said he noticed a paucity of female candidates for top positions and asked for the résumés, and former aides say Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey reached out to MassGAP, veterans of the coalition recall providing them unsolicited.
The files found their way into a close presidential campaign a decade later. Following Romney’s conquest of President Obama in their first debate, an audience member rose during the second to ask a question about workplace inequality.
After Obama bragged about a law he had signed aimed at closing wage gaps between men and women, Romney delivered a slightly stilted answer, starting with, “Thank you and, uh, important topic.”
He continued, telling the audience about his efforts as he prepared to take office as governor: “I went to a number of women’s groups and said, ‘Can you help us find folks?’ and they brought us whole binders full of women.”
Democrats pounced, packaging two of Romney’s perceived shortcomings — women’s issues and a sometimes-awkward public persona — into viral mockery. And Obama recovered some momentum after his difficult first debate.
Campaigning in Iowa the next day, Obama gleefully noted, “I’ve got to tell you, we don’t have to collect a bunch of binders to find qualified, talented, driven young women.” And he went to win reelection.
Now after nearly 15 years the inhabitants of the binders, which were revealed by a former Romney aide who requested anonymity, recall the experience with a touch of bemusement.
Man in crime spree pushes luck too far
A St. Louis area criminal pushed his luck too far when he attempted to rob a man with a concealed carry permit, with painful results.
Now he is charged in connection with the attempted armed robbery at a north St. Louis gas station the morning of May 10, where his intended victim, who was pumping gas, chose to pump lead, according to KMOV radio.
Deandre Jackson, 25, is charged with first degree attempted Robbery, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm and a judge has issued Jackson a $100,000 cash-only bond.
Jackson allegedly had a weapon when he approached the victim, who was pumping gas, at the Phillips 66 around 7:30 a.m. To protect himself, the victim, a licensed CCW carrier, got out his weapon and shot the suspect in his buttocks, police said.
After being shot, police said Jackson got into a car with a second suspect and drove to Love’s Travel Stop, where he called for help. The suspect was taken to the hospital and listed as stable.
According to police, the second suspect and the vehicle they were inside were wanted following a robbery at the Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights, MO. Officials said the vehicle they were inside was taken during a carjacking overnight.
Investigators said they believe the incident is connected to three other robberies in St. Charles, a south St. Louis Shop-N-Save, and a Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights.
The investigation is ongoing.
Conservative pro-gun columnist quits newspaper
A pro-Second Amendment columnist who wrote favorably about the National Rifle Association quit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after the newspaper had suspended her.
When Stacy Washington’s column was axed, it caused an uproar on social media and reinforced the notion among many in the gun rights community that the media is biased against their civil rights.
Here’s what the newspaper said:
“Stacy Washington’s column will no longer appear in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Her active promotional activities and professional association with the National Rifle Association represented an unacceptable conflict of interest in her most recent column, which resulted in our suspension of her work. Ms. Washington chose to terminate her contract. Columnists are expected to fully disclose conflicts of interest when writing about topics where such a conflict might arise. We apply this standard regardless of the lobbying or advocacy group being written about in a column.”
That message appeared under the byline of Editorial Page Editor Todd Robberson.
Washington had written about how very few journalists identify as Republicans, in a column about guns and the media. She also noted that “Gun ownership in America is a right that is enshrined in the Constitution.”
Her departure from the newspaper’s pages was reported by the Washington Times.
Washington, who is African American and hosts a syndicated radio talk show, told listeners that the suspension was over her remarks in the “Guns and the media” column. She had reacted to a guest column in two other Missouri newspapers that compared the NRA to ISIS.
Washington is an Emmy-nominated TV personality and Air Force Veteran. She is the regular fill-in host for nationally syndicated radio shows The Dana Show, The Jerry Doyle Show and The Sam Sorbo Show. She provides weekly commentary for The Allman in the Morning Show, The Sam Malone Show and The Sam Sorbo Show, and appears regularly on The Wilkow Majority, Cam & Company on NRA News, Powers to the People and many others.
After two years at Tennessee State University, she enlisted in the US Air Force, serving as a weapons system analyst and was part of the Eglin Air Force Base Honor Guard. A fourth-generation decorated military veteran, she served a tour of duty in Saudi Arabia while supporting Operation Desert Shield.
More black women turning to guns for self-defense
A recent FoxNews report said firearms instructors across the country are reporting an increase in the number of black women learning how to use guns in self-defense courses—and the reasons are varied.
“Minority women are definitely increasing in numbers,” Rick Ector, a firearms instructor, said of attendees at his weekly course just outside of Detroit.
“Women overall — in particular, minority women — are looking toward guns to protect themselves against crime,” Ector told Fox News. “Women are definitely drivers in the market right now.”
Other cities, like Savannah, Dallas and Cincinnati, have also seen an uptick in the number of minority women signing up for gun-training courses, according to FoxNews.
In Georgia, for instance, trainer Marchelle Tigner referred to the observation as a “movement” in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.
Tigner, who launched Trigger Happy Firearm Instruction in November, told the paper she had to expand room in her classes, which sold out after promoting them through social media.
“The growth of these classes – I never expected it,” she told the British newspaper. “It shows me how unsafe these women feel in their communities.”
Stacy Washington — a conservative African-American columnist suspended by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after she defended the National Rifle Association from comparisons to ISIS (See related story in this issue)– also noted a trend of more minority women learning how to use guns.
“I believe the reason we’re seeing more women of color joining this movement to use firearms is because they’re realizing this is not a political issue,” Washington told Fox News. “It really never has been. It’s about personal safety and protection.”
“There is definitely an uptick in ownership among minority women,” said Washington. “A firearm is an equalizer for women because women have a harder time defending themselves when they’re attacked by a man; men have more body mass.”
The reasons cited for an increase in gun ownership among minority women are varied. Ector noted an increase in rape cases in the Detroit area and said, “There’s a huge rape problem here in the state of Michigan.” When Ector started as an instructor 10 years ago, he said he typically encountered only one woman in a class of about 15. Now, he said, “Women make up half the classes.”
Other minority women, meanwhile, have cited the current political landscape — in particular, Trump’s presidency — as a reason to learn how to protect themselves, claiming racists have become more blatant since Trump took office and they feel unsafe.
Niecee X, one of the founders of the Black Women’s Defense League in Dallas, told the Guardian that in the wake of Trump’s campaign and presidency, “A lot of people are feeling unsafe.”
A representative from the Black Women’s Defense League declined to comment when contacted by Fox.
John Lott, of the Crime Prevention Research Center, published data in July showing a general upward trend in the percentage of people with permits to carry a concealed firearm are women in seven states — including Arizona, Florida, Indiana and Louisiana.
Inslee signs WA law on NICS denials
Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a new law, which takes effect in July, requiring gun dealers to notify the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, also known as WASPC, within five days of a National Instant Background Check denial.
The Washington State Patrol must then incorporate that information into its electronic database, accessible to the state’s law enforcement agencies.
KRISS USA reintroduces California Compliant Vector CRBs
KRISS USA on April 17 announced the re-release of California Compliant KRISS® Vector GEN II firearms. These updated models will be available in all calibers and colors, and shipping to California dealers starting began in April with an MSRP of $1,599.
The 2017 California Compliant KRISS® Vector CRB features a fixed DEFIANCE® DS150 stock, giving the rifle an overall length of 36.5”, as well as a Kydex® grip wrap barrier. The California version of the Vector CRB is loaded through a ten round capacity GLOCK® magazine. Also included, for California models only, the KRISS® Picatinny Rail Cover Short and the KRISS® Picatinny Hand Stop will be preinstalled factory accessories.
Twenty California compliant KRISS® Vector CRBs will be available through five color and four caliber options. Color options include Black, Flat Dark Earth, OD Green, Combat Grey, and Alpine White. Caliber options include 9mm, .45ACP, 10mm and 40S&W.
According to TheFirearmsBlog.com. the updated guns will meet all of the state’s newest gun restriction laws.
VA governor vetoes CCW sharing info
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed a bill that aims to prohibit officials from handing over information about concealed handgun permits to certain states.
The bill vetoed by the Democratic governor would have barred the state from sharing information about concealed handgun permits with law enforcement agencies in states that don’t recognize a Virginia concealed handgun permit as valid in their state.
McAuliffe said in his veto message that the bill would hamper law enforcement investigations and put officers at risk. Virginia State Police also opposed the bill.
Montana loosens knife blade law
Montana has reformed an important knife law that now allows for the concealed carry of a knife with a blade longer than 4 inches, according to Knife Rights.org.
.removed several implements from a list of prohibited items for concealed carry. The new law will cover daggers, dirks, sword canes, razors and “knuckles.”
Passage of the legislation is another victory for Knife Rights, an advocacy group that reminds citizens that the “arms” mentioned in the Second Amendment includes things other than firearms. Previously, Knife Rights has successfully lobbied for statutory reforms in Alaska, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The group has been supported by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms since its inception.
The Montana legislation was sponsored by Rep. Kirk Wagoner. It passed the State Senate 38-11 and the House 70-29.
Man loses challenge to Nebraska law barring felon knives
An Omaha, NE, man has lost his federal challenge to the constitutionality of a Nebraska law that bars felons from possessing deadly weapons.
Associated Press reported that US District Judge John Gerrard in Lincoln dismissed Wa’il Muhannad’s lawsuit in March. Among other things, Gerrard found that Muhannad failed to present facts backing up his assertion that the law was too vague.
Muhannad’s attorney, Travis Penn, said that Muhannad was disappointed by the dismissal and was strongly considering an appeal. A spokeswoman for Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson declined to comment.
Muhannad became a felon in the 1980s following convictions on weapons charges and for filing false information to federal officials.
In 2006, he started a halal meatpacking business, which requires the slaughtering and processing of animals to meet Muslim standards. Penn said he discovered five years later that he couldn’t legally have a knife with a blade longer than 3.5 inches because he’s a felon. His lawsuit over the issue wasn’t filed until July last year, however, because he’d been serving prison time since 2011 for false imprisonment.
Muhannad said in his lawsuit that the law regarding the knives was too broad and violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms. He also argued that the law infringed on his ability to practice his religion. Penn said the law didn’t take into account legitimate uses for knives.
Gerrard rejected Muhannad’s Second Amendment claim, in part, because “the Supreme Court’s recent Second Amendment decisions do not cast doubt on the constitutionality of felon-in-possession statutes.”
He also said, according to the AP report, Muhannad’s practice of Islam may require him to eat halal food, “But he does not allege that to be an observant Muslim, he must operate a halal slaughterhouse.”
Trump nominates 10 federal judges
On May 8, according to Adam Liptak in the New York Times, President Trump was expected to announce 10 more judicial nominees to lower federal courts. The nominees make up an impressive list of highly respected jurists, attorneys and legal thinkers, according to Prof. Jonathan H. Adler, at Case Western University School of Law.
Among the nominees two state supreme court justices Trump had identified as potential Supreme Court nominees: Justice Joan Larsen of Michigan and Justice David Stras of Minnesota, who were nominated to open seats on the US Courts of Appeals for the 6th and 8th Circuits, respectively.
Adler wrote that Trump’s other appellate nominees are equally impressive: attorneys Kevin Newsom for the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, John Bush for the 6th Circuit and perhaps most notably Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney Barrett for the Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
In addition to the appellate nominees noted, Trump nominated Damien Schiff of the Pacific Legal Foundation to the US Court of Federal Claims. Dabney L. Friedrich, until recently a member of the United States Sentencing Commission, to the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia; Magistrate Judge Terry F. Moorer of the Federal District Court in Montgomery, AL, to be a district judge there; David C. Nye, a state judge in Idaho, to the Federal District Court there; and Scott L. Palk, an official at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, to the Federal District Court in Oklahoma City.
Court rules Cleveland offender lists invalid
An appeals court says Cleveland’s registry of people who have committed crimes with guns is invalid because it conflicts with state law.
Cleveland.com reported on April 28 that the gun offender registry is among a number firearms regulations overturned by a three-judge panel.
The gun registry law took effect late last year. It says residents charged with gun offenses must register within five days of being convicted or released from prison.
It was part of a slate of new laws pushed through in 2015 by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and city council members.
Members of a group called Ohioans for Concealed Carry challenged the changes.
Gander Mountain stores seen closing
Embattled sporting goods retailer Gander Mountain was scooped up by Camping World Holdings in early May for quite a bargain, but despite the acquisition, it appears that as many as half of Gander Mountain’s store locations will close down, according to GunsAmerica.com.
Camping World, which specializes in RV sales, purchased the bankrupt chain at an auction for around $38 million. That purchase included all 162 retail locations, its corporate operations, its intellectual property rights, its e-commerce presence and its Overton’s boating subsidiary.
Hemphill fires record standing airgun score
In a remarkable performance at the 2017 Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Regional Three-Position Air Rifle Championships, Kristen Hemphill, 17, of TX Hill Country Shooting Club, fired a new standing National Record score of 200-19x. To put it in perspective, she hit the x-ring, which is roughly the size of the head of a pin, 19 out of a possible 20 times in a row.
That same day, she mirrored her standing score by firing a prone score of 200-19x. Hemphill recorded her incredible scores on the CMP’s electronic target Mobile Range, which was assembled in Layton, UT, April 6-8. Teams came from as far as Honolulu, HI, and Anchorage, AK, to compete in the annual competition.
Regional events were also held concurrently at CMP’s north air gun range, the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center at Camp Perry, OH, and CMP’s south air gun range at the South Competition Center in Anniston, AL, in March.
The match is a 3×20 air rifle event, where sporter and precision class competitors from 4-H, Scouts, American Legion, club or JROTC rifle programs fire 20 shots at each position: prone, standing and kneeling.
