Monthly Archives: September 2013

Gun rights advocates stand armed outside bagel shop to educate public

"Some customers at a southwest Houston bagel shop were startled to see people standing around with guns outside the store. The people outside the Einsten Bros. Bagels on Montrose were with Open Carry Texas -- a group dedicated to the safe and legal carry of firearms openly in the State of Texas. They say they want to remove the stigma on the appearance of guns in the community and educate people about firearms. Members of the group claim some people are afraid of weapons because of misinformation from the media and the government. Police responded to a call about the men, but say they weren't breaking any laws because it is legal to open carry long guns in Texas." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGun rights advocates stand armed outside bagel shop to educate public

Colorado Democrat: Legislature, not guns, will keep you safe

"Colorado House Majority Leader Dickey Lee Hullinghorst said in an interview on YouTube last week that firearms ownership is redundant because the state Legislature keeps citizens safe from harm. 'As a woman, I have the right not to carry a gun and to feel safe on the streets, and that’s what we provide for in the state Legislature is for all of us in the state of Colorado — to feel safe on the streets without having to carry a gun,' said Mrs. Hullinghorst. She also took a swipe at gun owners. 'The thought that the only way we can protect ourselves is to wield our own weapon is completely absurd and an argument that I absolutely discount as frivolous,' Mrs. Hullinghorst said." Continue reading →

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Former Sheriff Speaks Out Against Federal Gun Laws

"The former Sheriff of Graham County, Arizona rose to fame when he sued the Clinton Administration over the Brady Act, requiring sheriffs departments to issue background checks on anyone looking to purchase a handgun. 'It said the sheriff will work for us whether he likes it or not, and do so at his own expense and if he doesn't do it, we can arrest him for failure to comply. That's how stupid Congress in our country has gotten,' said Mack. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, where the act was ruled unconstitutional. Now, Mack is an advocate for telling the federal government to back off." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Sheriff Speaks Out Against Federal Gun Laws

Cardboard officer cuts crime by 67% at Mass. subway stop

"The burly officer watching over the bike racks at a Boston-area transportation hub is a real stiff. As part of an effort to cut crime at the Alewife MBTA subway and bus station in Cambridge, transit police placed a cardboard cutout of a police officer in the bicycle cage. Hundreds of people use the racks daily. Deputy Chief Robert Lenehan says the fake cop, along with video cameras and a new lock, has cut bike thefts by 67 percent. It’s also a money saver. Lenehan estimates it would cost $200,000 a year to have an officer watch over the cage full-time. The cutout is actually a picture of real MBTA Officer David Silen. Silen says the split second thieves take to glance at the cutout is enough to discourage them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCardboard officer cuts crime by 67% at Mass. subway stop

Even John McCain Is Having Second Thoughts about Drug Prohibition

"What do John Stossel, Mona Charen, Gary Johnson, Pat Robertson, Cory Booker, and Richard Branson all have in common? And let’s add voters from the states of Colorado and Washington to this list. So what unites this unusual collection of people? They’ve all expressed doubts about the War on Drugs. And that’s a good thing. As explained in this video, the Drug War has been a very costly failure. Indeed, it’s been such a boondoggle that we can now add John McCain to the list of those who think maybe it’s time to consider decriminalization." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEven John McCain Is Having Second Thoughts about Drug Prohibition

CDC calls rising E-cigarette among teens ‘deeply troubling’

"Some 1.78 million US middle and high school students — around 11 to 18 years old — smoked so-called e-cigarettes in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a new study. CDC smoking and health office director Tim McAfee noted that 'about 90 percent of all smokers begin smoking as teenagers.' 'We must keep our youth from experimenting or using any tobacco product.' The US government is due to announce in October its plans for regulating electronic cigarettes. For the moment, the laws are different according to each state, though a number of them have already forbidden their sale to minors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCDC calls rising E-cigarette among teens ‘deeply troubling’

Washington State issues how-to regs on growing, selling marijuana

"The details announced this week include the number of shops that will be able to sell pot around the state (334, with locations based on population), the number of shops or growing facilities that a single business can operate (three per individual or corporation), the size of marijuana 'grows' (30,000 square feet, or about three-quarters of an acre), the kinds of security systems that must be in place (alarms and video surveillance), and how far such shops must be from schools, parks, and other places where children may gather (1,000 yards). In all, according to the Washington State Liquor Control Board, the overall harvest for next year will be capped at 40 metric tons." Continue reading →

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The Pine Bluff PD: From Merely Dysfnctional to Downright Deadly

"No tactical genius is necessary to bring about a bloodless end to a standoff involving a 107-year-old man armed with a handgun and surrounded by police officers inside an otherwise vacant house. All that is necessary is a willingness on the part of the officers to accept a minimal amount of risk, and a time horizon longer than a half hour. In fact, only someone with a perverse appetite for gratuitous bloodshed could arrange to end that confrontation with the violent death of the centenarian suspect. As it happens, the valiant men of the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Police Department’s SWAT team were equal to that task. That’s why 107-year-old Monroe Isadore was killed in a torrent of gunfire on September 7." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Pine Bluff PD: From Merely Dysfnctional to Downright Deadly

Plainclothes deputy in unmarked car pulls gun; 5 officers attack and tase brothers

"The use of Tasers against two brothers in Algiers last year by Jefferson Parish deputies – a confrontation partially caught on a cell phone video – is now the subject of a federal civil rights lawsuit. Casey and Sean Warren filed the suit last week against Sheriff Newell Normand and seven deputies in connection with the Sept. 9 police stop that resulted in both men being hit with Tasers multiple times. In the lawsuit, the brothers claim they were victims of a host of civil rights violations, including excessive force, unlawful arrest and improper seizure. The lawsuit also notes that the deputies were outside of their jurisdiction when they followed Casey Warren to his home in Algiers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPlainclothes deputy in unmarked car pulls gun; 5 officers attack and tase brothers

Police Shoot Man For No Reason Except Open-Carrying Rifle

"A 27-year-old Edmonds man who was shot by police after a verbal confrontation was in serious condition Saturday at Harborview Medical Center. Police spokesman Aaron Snell said the man had been walking along a street near Edmonds Elementary School carrying a rifle. His behavior prompted two 911 calls from nearby residents — the first coming in around 7:30 a.m., Snell said. He said officers don’t know of a motive for the man’s actions. 'We don’t believe he was aiming or shooting the weapon,' Snell said. The Edmonds officers who responded to the 911 calls issued verbal commands to the man, then fired at him, Snell said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Shoot Man For No Reason Except Open-Carrying Rifle