"The brutal, senseless knifing of a dozen students at a community college in Texas has mobilized the knife control movement. Apparently, authorities expected a series of copy-cat knifings. Knife control advocates are considering whether now is the right time to call for background checks on citizens who buy knives. The possibility of universal knife registration is being considered." Continue reading →
"The FBI has released its latest report on Active Records in the NICS Index, updated to 31 March 2013. NICS now contains the records of 21,504 persons who are prohibited from purchasing firearms in the United States because they swore an Oath of Renunciation of United States Citizenship at a U.S. consulate abroad. This is an increase of 196 records as compared to 28 February, and 850 records in the first quarter of 2013 (since 31 December 2012)." Continue reading →
"San Diego police slapped a cell phone camera out of a man’s hands Saturday, claiming it could be a weapon, before pouncing on him and handcuffing him, lacerating his chin in the process. Adam Pringle ended up jailed overnight on charges of obstruction because he refused to hand the phone over when the cop ordered him to do so. In this case, Pringle’s only crime was smoking a cigarette on a Mission Beach boardwalk, a violation for which he was already getting cited." Continue reading →
"In a series of three rulings issued Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court cracked down on police who have been using evidence of marijuana possession as a pretext to search automobiles. In 2008, 62 percent of state voters approved an initiative that decriminalized possession of up to one ounce of marijuana. To justify the search, prosecutors argued that by passing around a joint, Pacheco was guilty of 'distribution' of marijuana, which is punishable by two years in jail. The state argued the trooper's search was valid because he was investigating the crime of distribution. The high court did not agree." Continue reading →
"Police officers used rubber bullets and a cherry-picker to remove protesters from tall pine trees in northern California on Tuesday. Dozens of California Highway Patrol officers clad in visored helmets and armed with batons removed the activists from their protest spot near Highway 101. The protesters, part of a group calling itself Save Our Little Lake Valley, have sought to block construction of a four-lane highway bypass around the small city of Willits in Mendocino County for nearly two months. The bypass will harm the local environment and economy, according to the protesters. The six-mile-long raised highway will go over wetlands and forests in Little Lake Valley." Continue reading →
"FRESNO, CA — Police are present 'on every street corner,' visibly carrying rifles through neighborhoods. Extra squad cars, including armored police vehicles, patrol the streets. The excess police presence prompted the police chief to remind the public, 'We are not an occupying force.' Residents may feel otherwise." Continue reading →
"As politicians exploit the Newtown tragedy to promote new laws to restrict firearms and implement universal background checks that could lead to gun registration and confiscation, another parallel trend– namely, the increasing militarization of law enforcement, most visibly demonstrated by the growing use of massive, SWAT-type raids on businesses and individuals, sometimes with federal involvement or authorization – is heightening concerns that America is moving toward a police state. The increased militarization of police forces and the associated use of SWAT teams for routine law enforcement are a dangerous trend." Continue reading →
"The speed and deadliness of recent high-profile shootings have prompted police departments to recommend fleeing, hiding or fighting in the event of a mass attack, instead of remaining passive and waiting for help. The traditional advice to the public has been 'don’t get involved, call 911.' But research on mass shootings over the last decade has bolstered the idea that people at the scene of an attack have a better chance of survival if they take an active stance rather than waiting to be rescued by the police, who in many cases cannot get there fast enough to prevent the loss of life." Continue reading →
"Project Veritas visited police stations nationwide and asked law enforcement officials how they could protect themselves in the event of an armed break-in. 'Go get some bleach. Go get ammonia,' one officer instructed. Yet another officer instructed the undercover journalist to, 'lock yourself in a bedroom' and 'start yelling and screaming.' Vice President Joe Biden recently advised Americans to, 'get a shotgun' for home protection. But when asked whether or not they should follow the Vice President’s advice, law enforcement officials told the undercover journalists they would be arrested for doing so." Continue reading →
"Richard Ahlstrand, of Auburn, Massachusetts, faces criminal charges after encountering a bear in his back yard and shooting the damned thing to avoid being mauled or eaten. Specifically, as noted at Reason 24/7, he's charged with 'illegally killing a bear, illegally baiting a bear, illegal possession of a firearm and failure to secure a firearm.' All of these charges, once translated from Massachusetts to American, seem to stack up to outrage that Ahlstrand didn't make his yard completely inhospitable to animals that are rarely seen in the area." Continue reading →