Harvard men’s defense against skunk raises stink
The Boston Herald reported in late May that students in Harvard University’s Gore Hall of John Winthrop House defended their dormitory from the invasion of a wondering skunk by shooting it before the polecat made its way past the entrance.
The defense with a .22 caliber rifle was only partially successful, since the skunk was able to retaliate by returning his own “natural” fire. The students upped the firepower to .38 caliber, according to the newspaper, and ended the engagement, but the polecat’s revenge remained to mark the historic battle.
Some of the Herald’s readers were puzzled by the availability of firearms on the generally anti-gun Ivy League school’s campus, but they forget that Harvard still has a rifle club.
FAA warns against ‘drone hunting’
People who fire guns at drones are endangering the public and property and could be prosecuted or fined, the Federal Aviation Administration warned on July 19.
The FAA released a statement in response to questions about an ordinance under consideration in the tiny farming community of Deer Trail, CO, that would encourage hunters to shoot down drones. The administration reminded the public that it regulates the nation’s airspace, including the airspace over cities and towns.
A drone “hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air,” the statement said. “Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in criminal or civil liability, just as would firing at a manned airplane.” Under the proposed ordinance, Deer Trail would grant hunting permits to shoot drones. The permits would cost $25 each. The town would also encourage drone hunting by awarding $100 to anyone who presents a valid hunting license and identifiable pieces of a drone that has been shot down.
Supporters claim the proposed ordinance is mostly a symbolic protest against small, civilian drones that are coming into use in the US.
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a drone industry trade group, reportedly was concerned enough last year about people threatening to shoot down drones that it issued a statement warning that such comments were “irresponsible, dangerous and unlawful.”
FBI agent regains control of parked MP-5
From the “Only Cops Should Have MP5s” file, comes a story about an FBI agent in Wesley Chapel, FL.
The Tampa Tribunereported in July that when the G-man went out to his car on a recent Saturday morning, he discovered an MP5 9mm submachinegun, an armored vest and some ammunition missing from his car. But the story ends somewhat safely for the agent’s neighbors.
When someone reported to the Pasco County Sheriff ’s Department that two teenagers where seen with the MP5 on a Sunday afternoon, deputies were later able to collar an 18-year-old and a 16-year-old, both sporting tattoos, and regain the agent’s missing gear.
At last report, the 18-year-old was in the local calaboose on charges of armed burglary and grand theft.
S&W leads Boston paper’s top 100 performers list
From the “Embarrassing the anti-gunners” file comes a tidbit from the Boston Herald, a conservative, mostly progun tabloid in the Bay State capital.
The Herald’s State House reporter shared a chuckle with his readers about an anti-gun competitor, the bigger, older Boston Globe.
It appears the Obama-endorsing Globe had to dine on some crow when its annual Globe 100 business report of the state’s top-performing companies was forced to publish the fact that gunmaker Smith & Wesson, headquartered in Springfield, MA, headed the list of the top-performers. The Herald’s reporter, Matt Stout, seemed delighted to note that “Obama’s threatened crackdown on guns” has been good for business, driving S&W’s up 40%.
GA man arrested at at gun buy-up event
A Martinez, GA, man was arrested Aug. 2 after what the Augusta Chronic reported was distracting from a town gun buyback.
Sitting in a lawn chair next to a sign that read: “I pay more,” Shaun Ray Britt, 27, attempted to attract gunowners away from the event by offering a bigger payday for their unwanted firearms.
About 11 a.m., Britt became confrontational when deputies asked him to set up shop off the church property. Less than an hour later, Britt was handcuffed and taken to the Richmond County Jail.
Man tries to rob gun shop with ball bat
On the afternoon of July 25, a 22-year-old man walked into Discount Gun Sales in Beaverton, OR, carrying a baseball bat and a knife.
According to Breitbart News, he proceeded to smash a display case with the bat, and grab a handgun. The manager promptly presented his own gun, told the suspect to drop the handgun, the bat, and the knife, and then held the suspect at gunpoint until the police came and arrested him.
Perhaps by now, the would-be gun grabber has had more time to reflect on his folly.
