The Armed Citizen - October

[Dago]

OCTOBER 2004

Roy Rhodes had closed his shop and was returning home just after midnight when he was attacked from behind by two armed men. One or possibly both men fired at Rhodes, who suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. Rhodes returned fire, killing one of the robbers. The other gunman was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
(Waycross Journal-Herald, Waycross, GA, 07/22/04)
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A young man was coming out of a bedroom in his grandmother’s house in Gulfport, Miss., when he encountered two men who had entered the home. One of the intruders struck the young man on the head. As the victim fell, he grabbed a gun that was hidden under the bed and began firing at the two men, who then fled in a gray Oldsmobile. No one was injured at the house, but at least one victim of the home invasion had been tied up with duct tape, according to police at the scene.
(The Sun Herald, Biloxi, MS, 07/27/04)
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Lisa Hansen awoke one morning to the sounds of someone moving around inside her house. Then someone ran up her stairs and attempted to open her bedroom door. “I waited to listen to see how many footsteps I heard,” Hansen said. Deciding there was only one intruder, Hansen grabbed her cell phone and reached for a gun she keeps under her bed. She ran out of the room, confronted the burglar and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. The would-be burglar turned out to be a teenager who lives in the neighborhood and had previously done some lawn work for Hansen. The teen said he had entered her home only because he saw a man in there, but Hansen did not believe the explanation. Police later discovered a checkbook belonging to Hansen’s cousin in the boy’s pocket.
(The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, 07/09/04)
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Two Tennessee women responded to a knock at their door at about 1:30 a.m. and saw two masked men standing outside. The women, who are cousins, ran to an upstairs bedroom as the men kicked in their back door. Police spokesman Don Aaron described what happened next. “As one of [the intruders] came to the doorway of the bedroom where the two women were hiding, the older cousin, who had retrieved a pistol from a nightstand, fired one time. The intruder was hit and died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head,” said Aaron. The other intruder fired twice but neither woman was injured. The deceased intruder was identified as Maurice Wilson, who had been charged with 38 offenses in the past three years, Aaron said. (The Tennesean, Nashville, TN, 07/19/04)
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In East Oakland, Calif., market employee thwarted a robbery attempt at the 3M Market early one Saturday. The alleged robber, identified as David Mosely, was wounded in his head and back and left the store. Police were called to a nearby apartment to investigate a call about a man covered in blood but did not locate the suspect when they arrived. Mosely was arrested a short time later when he attempted to steal a car. He was charged with attempted robbery and taken to the hospital. (The San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA, 07/25/04)
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At 1:52 a.m, a Pacific Beach, Calif., resident heard someone breaking into his home. Fearing for his wife and young child’s safety, the homeowner retrieved a gun and fired at the intruder, who suffered a wound to his ankle and fled the scene. Police apprehended the suspect, took him for medical treatment and then to jail.
(The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego, CA, 07/12/04)
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James Shema, owner of Shema’s Outdoor Sports in Merrillville, Ind., knew immediately he was in a deadly situation. A man entered his store with a sawed-off shotgun and ordered Shema, his wife, Kathy, and three customers to drop to the floor. As Shema moved toward the floor, he grabbed a .40-cal. handgun he kept behind the counter and fired two shots at the robber. The wounded gunman fled the store and was soon apprehended by authorities who found him bleeding in the back seat of a nearby SUV. Shema said he just did what he had to do. “When he came in here with a shotgun and no mask on his face I didn’t think he planned to leave survivors,” Shema explained.
(The Times, Munster, IN, 07/29/04)

[rpm]

Why oh why do you have to print the NRA Monthly Manifesto? NRA members are flooded with it thru the mail, those that care enough about it are NRA members...get my point?

Didn't Skuzzy say something about this the last time somebody posted it?

[FUNKED1]

*insert token whiny anti-2nd-amendment anectdote here*

[Maverick]

RPM,

That isn't the NRA "manifesto".

IIRC the NRA gives permission for reprints of that collum in every issue. There aren't any copyright issues. Certainly far less than the usual cut and paste used to support stances both left and right. You donj't want to read it, pass it by. No one forced you to click on the thread and there certainly wasn't any personal attack in it to offend you.

[rpm]

I didn't take it as a personal attack in any way. And before you go crying "LIBERAL!", just be aware I'm a gun owner and support the 2nd amendment. But, that won't matter because I've besmirched the Holy NRA. Wayne LaPierre can kiss my ***. He's the reason I left the NRA.

BTW, come over to my house and check my collection. I've got an 8mm Mauser I'm particularly proud of.

[NUKE]

rpm, you seem more realistic and likeable every day it seems.

Are you sure you are a liberal?

[Maverick]

Which side of the country you on? We're in Louisiana right now and are heading slowly west agin to connect with more grandkids. We have no set plans for after Christmastime. Unfortunately most of my collection is in storage. No room for a 1000 lb vault in my RV

[rpm]

I'm in North Texas Mav, about 45 minutes north of the HTC mothership.

Thanks NUKE. Honestly, I'm a fiscal conservative and social liberal, guess that makes me a Centrist. I'm just decidedly anti-Bush. Saw enough of his screw-up's when he was Governor. Kerry is far from my Poster Child, but this year I have no other viable choice.

[AKIron]

Originally posted by rpm
I'm in North Texas Mav, about 45 minutes north of the HTC mothership.

Thanks NUKE. Honestly, I'm a fiscal conservative and social liberal, guess that makes me a Centrist. I'm just decidedly anti-Bush. Saw enough of his screw-up's when he was Governor. Kerry is far from my Poster Child, but this year I have no other viable choice.

Don't sweat it rpm, your vote will count for Bush no matter how you cast it.

[Drunky]

Originally posted by Dago
Two Tennessee women responded to a knock at their door at about 1:30 a.m. and saw two masked men standing outside. The women, who are cousins, ran to an upstairs bedroom as the men kicked in their back door. Police spokesman Don Aaron described what happened next. “As one of [the intruders] came to the doorway of the bedroom where the two women were hiding, the older cousin, who had retrieved a pistol from a nightstand, fired one time. The intruder was hit and died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head,” said Aaron. The other intruder fired twice but neither woman was injured. The deceased intruder was identified as Maurice Wilson, who had been charged with 38 offenses in the past three years, Aaron said. (The Tennesean, Nashville, TN, 07/19/04)

I side with Lasz when it comes to guns but tripe like this doesn't help.

[john9001]

i feel sorry for the poor 38 offense career criminal, there he was trying for a personal best record of 40 offenses when his young life was snufed out by a crazed right wing gun nut with a full automatic assault hand gun, see what happens when the assault gun ban is lifted.

[rpm]

As long as were sharing gun stories, here's one the NRA forgot to publish:

Parents fight for greater gun safety
Two mothers in mourning say stricter laws requiring gun locks or other safety measures could save lives.
By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published October 11, 2004

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When Jeanne Caroline heard the news of Johnny Michael Masukevich's death, she felt a sharp pain of sadness. The sorrow quickly turned to anger.

"Why is this happening again?" she asked.

Two boys with a gun. Slightly more than a year ago, Caroline's son, Sean Caroline II, died in Pinellas County when a classmate accidentally shot him in the head. And now, in a county not far from her own, a similar tragedy occurred.

"I'm angry because 13 months later, the same thing happened," Caroline said.

Two boys with a gun. Antonio Alexander Fernandez told authorities the two boys were playing a game when he pointed a gun at Johnny's chest and pulled the trigger. Johnny died shortly after.

For Caroline, Johnny's death is another reason to keeping fighting for gun lock legislation.

"It is becoming such a disease in our country - children shooting children," she said.

She's quick to point out she doesn't want to limit anyone's Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. She doesn't mind if people choose to own guns. But she wants those guns secure. Gun locks are one boundary between children and guns that could save lives, she said.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the state encourage use of gun locks, but the locks are not mandated by law. A gun lock is a device that slips over a gun's trigger, so the trigger cannot be pulled. The lock is secured with either a key or a combination.

Citrus County law enforcement agencies have a stock of gun locks free to the public, said Sheriff's spokeswoman Gail Tierney.

At a recent safety exposition, community affairs Sgt. Chris Evan and deputies handed out about 200 free gun locks to residents. Residents can pick up free gun locks at the Beverly Hills Community Resource Office, in Beverly Plaza on County Road 491.

Florida law states that all loaded firearms must be secure from a child's access, meaning guns must be kept in a locked container or secured by a gun lock. Failing to prevent a child from accessing a gun is a misdemeanor crime. If a child gets an unsecured gun and seriously injures or kills someone, the gun's owner could be charged with a felony.

But the law does not stipulate how guns must be secured in homes. Firearms can be stored anywhere in the home and in any method as long as they are secure from children and people not authorized to use guns, the law states.

It is here, in the nuances of the law, that Caroline hopes to make a difference. She compares gun locks to safety belts. She knows that gun locks, like seat belts, won't save every life. Many people who wear seat belts still die in car accidents, but seat belts are mandated by law because studies have shown they do help reduce fatalities, she said. Gun locks, too, would save lives, she said.

Before her son's death, she knew little about guns. The Carolines didn't own a gun. When her son went to visit other children's homes, Caroline would meet the parents of the other children. But she didn't think to ask whether the parents kept guns in their homes.

Johnny's mother, Michelle Ash, tells a similar story. She's never owned a gun, she said. She can't even remember having touched one. Now that her son, a seventh-grader at Crystal River Middle School, is dead, she's furious at parents who keep guns in their homes in reach of children.

Like Caroline, Ash believes Florida's gun laws should be stricter. She doesn't want to stop people from owning guns, she said, but more mandated safety measures for guns could save lives. A gun lock might have saved her son's life.

"I'm all for (increased gun safety)," she said.

Gun safety starts at home, though, she said. She urged parents to be responsible for keeping safe combinations, keys and other devices from their children, so guns aren't easily available.

"If parents don't have respect for guns, how will a kid?" she asked.

Ash's brother, Mike Hudak, flew down from Chicago for Johnny's funeral. Hudak said he owns several guns and keeps them in his home. He's skeptical about whether gun locks will do enough to stop accidental deaths among children.

After all, Antonio told authorities he discovered the combination to the safe and opened it. Children could figure out how to open a gun lock, too, Hudak said.

"Kids are pretty smart these days," he said.

Parental supervision and teaching is the best way to prevent gun accidents, he said.

He proposed that schools develop programs about gun safety and the dangers of guns to educate children and show them the consequences of playing with guns.

That way, he said, others won't feel the pain of burying a young nephew.

Just down the street from Ash's home, another young boy's room remains empty.

Antonio was arrested on a charge of manslaughter after the shooting. The 11-year-old boy remains in law enforcement custody without bail. The State Attorney's Office has not yet decided whether Antonio's parents will be charged. Prosecutors are gathering information, Assistant State Attorney Bill Catto said.

Ash wants prosecutors to charge Antonio's parents in the shooting to teach others parents a lesson about keeping guns in homes. An 11-year-old boy should not be the only one held accountable in the shooting, she said.

"Their son is alive," she said. "I have to go to the cemetery to talk to mine."

The situation in the case of Johnny and Antonio differs from the Caroline case. Antonio told Citrus County detectives he pulled the gun from a locked safe in his home while his mother was asleep in a different room. He told detectives he knew the combination. He also told them he could see at least one bullet in the cylinder of the gun.

Antonio and Johnny, who lived near Antonio in the Holiday Heights subdivision, were playing a game, he said. They took turns pointing the gun and pulling the trigger. On the third try, the gun fired.

In the Caroline case, Sean's 14-year-old classmate found his father's loaded .357 Magnum under the living room sofa. As Sean played a video game at Louis Mevec's home, the boy pointed the gun at Sean and pulled the trigger. Louis said he thought he'd emptied the gun of all bullets.

Louis admitted guilt to a manslaughter charge and was sentenced to attend a boys village.

The boy's father, also named Louis Mevec, was convicted of culpable negligence in Sean's death. A judge sentenced the father to just under three years in prison, followed by 31/2 years of probation.

The Carolines want their son to be remembered. They don't want to see another child killed by a gun. That is why they'll keep researching and advocating for tighter gun safety laws, Caroline said.

"It's common sense," she said. "And if someone had used common sense, my son would still be alive."

source

[rpm]

How can the NRA miss gun stories like this?

Officers say kids found a loaded gun in the bedroom of a Porterville apartment. The apartment was home to a Tulare County deputy.

The kids were playing with the gun when it went off. The bullet hit a seven-year-old girl in the head.

Family members took the child to Sierra View District Hospital, where she died.

There is no word if anyone will be charged in connection with the shooting.

Officials will not say if the deputy's service weapon was the one used.

The sheriff's department says someone within the department has been placed on paid leave.

source

[john9001]

when criminals use gunlocks so will i.

you miss the whole point rpm , if those "children" had been taught that guns are not toys to play with they would not be shooting each other wile "playing" with a gun.

can't even remember how young i was when my dad handed me his shotgun and said " boy, this thing will kill, don't ever point it at anything you don't want to kill"

[rpm]

Originally posted by john9001
when criminals use gunlocks so will i.

Tell that to your friend after his kids wander in your bedroom during the holidays.