GUNS IN THE NEWS--March 19. 2004

[MrBenchley]

As CO Liberal sez:
Please try to adhere to the following voluntary guidelines, in order that we can have an orderly discussion of gun-related news topics:
1 - Feel free to add any CURRENT stories to this thread by replying to this message. In order to be considered current, stories should have been originally posted on the Internet within the previous 24 hours, or provide follow-up to a story that was previously posted on the J/PS board. On Mondays (since many people do not log in to DU over the weekend), stories can be posted from Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.
2 - Both pro-gun and anti-gun stories, editorials, and press releases are welcome in this thread, as long as they're current. Please do not post links to items from a few years back that support your position.
3 - Bear in mind that any links to extremely right-wing sites (such as Newsmax, CNS, or the Washington Times) or intentionally pro-gun or pro-control sites (such as the NRA or the Brady Campaign) are not considered reliable sources by many DU-ers. If at all possible, try to find a link for your story from a more mainstream source, such as a general-circulation newspaper or magazine site. If you choose to use a slanted site, be prepared for any negative feedback you may receive.
4 - Do not change story titles. In other words, if the Oskosh Gazette's web site runs a story titled "Two Killed in Holdup", the title of your message should read "Two Killed in Holdup". Don't change it to "Gun Owner Kills Two People", or anything else that changes the meaning of the story.
5 - If it's not clear from the title where the story occurred, add the city, state, or country in parentheses after the title.
6 - The person adding a news story to the "GITN" thread is allowed (and encouraged) to comment on that story, indicating their position on the topic being discussed. These comments can appear either at the beginning or end of the post; if possible, place comments in a different typeface so readers can separate the comments from the story. Others who wish to comment on a posted story can do so by replying to that story; this allows other readers to follow the comments by scrolling through the subthread.
7 - Please direct your comments to the story, rather than attacking the person posting the story or any person responding to the story. In accordance with DU rules, any message that appears to be a personal attack against another DU-er or a violation of any other DU rule will be reported to the moderators.
8 - If you object to these guidelines, do everyone else a favor and go to another thread.

[MrBenchley]

1. Gun found in student's locker (CA)

"Police descended on the International Studies Academy Tuesday after it was discovered that a student was armed with a handgun last seen during Friday's machine gun rampage in Potrero Hill.
A fellow student at International Studies Academy spied the 9mm handgun sitting in the 15-year-old's locker around 9 a.m. and alerted the school dean, who seized the weapon and detained the student until police arrived, school officials said.
It was not clear whether the gun was loaded, but the youth was booked on two felony gun charges and is still in custody at the Youth Guidance Center awaiting his first court appearance today. The student is not a suspect in last Friday's savage shootout where two men armed with AK-47s riddled the 700 block of Missouri Street with 40 rounds of bullets, leaving one man critically injured."

http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/031804n_gun

[MrBenchley]

2. 3rd trial sought in Laurel killing

"A Billings man twice convicted of murdering a Laurel car salesman says he should get a third trial because two teams of public defenders gave him poor legal help.
In an appeal filed last week with the Montana Supreme Court, Timothy Fields said former Chief Public Defender Sandy Selvey and Chief Deputy Public Defender Roberta Drew made an agreement with prosecutors that hurt his defense.
When Selvey and Drew left the defender office and Fields was given two new court-appointed attorneys, the new attorneys followed the agreement even though it was not in their clients' best interest, according to the appeal filed March 10 by Billings attorney Gary Wilcox.
Fields is serving a 75-year prison sentence for the 1998 slaying of Kenneth Edwards and for threatening his wife, whom he suspected of having an affair with Edwards, with a shotgun. "

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/03/19/build/local/60-trial-sought.inc

[MrBenchley]

3. Teen found outside school with bombs, gun (NE)

MALCOLM, Neb. - A teenager was charged with attempted murder after police found him outside school with 20 homemade bombs, a rifle and a note saying he wanted to injure everyone at his high school except for three friends.
Authorities believe they averted what could have been the worst school shooting since the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School.
Josh Magee, 17, was arrested Tuesday in the parking lot of Malcolm High School after a staff member saw him swigging liquor from a flask and putting on a black overcoat.
Police who searched Magee's car found a bolt-action rifle, several rounds of ammunition, small bottles of propane and rigged containers of a petroleum-based propellent. "

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/03/19/build/nation/70-teen-w-bombs.inc

[MrBenchley]

4. Cal Highway Patrol: Sniper hit five vehicles; rifle being tested

"Patrol spokesman Don Clotworthy says based on the time and location of two sniping incidents Tuesday, officers went to the same rural area yesterday. Around 6:30 p-m they heard gunfire, closed down the highway and eventually pinpointed the suspect's home.
Keith Tomlinson surrendered quietly early today and is being held without bail. He was booked for investigation of attempted murder and other charges. A rifle taken from his house is being tested. "

http://www.fox23news.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=73C4BD01-21F7-4CF0-8701-314A31FF6FC7

[MrBenchley]

5. Last suspect in January homicide arrested (WY)

"CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- The fifth person sought in the January shooting death of a Colorado man has been caught in Texas, police said Thursday.
Eddie T. Magallenes, 23, of North Platte, Neb., was found in San Antonio on Wednesday night, according to Laramie County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Linda Gesell.
Four others charged in the case were arrested last month.
Magallenes is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, Gesell said."

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2004/03/19/news/wyoming/1454a6980acc04cd87256e5b0080f254.txt

[MrBenchley]

6. Man shot to death as prank escalates (TX)

"FORT WORTH - A man's game of keep-away with a 16-year-old girl's hairpiece turned deadly Wednesday night when the girl's mother shot the man, who had reportedly been pestering the girl, investigators said.
Detectives say Joedell Newton, 22, snatched the hair extension off the head of a 16-year-old friend, refusing to give it back unless the girl begged for it, said homicide Detective Cheryl Johnson.
The girl eventually went inside her apartment while Newton remained outside, clowning around with the fake ponytail, according to an arrest warrant affidavit."

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/8226604.htm

[MrBenchley]

7. Two killed in shooting at a corner store (OH)

Another splendid celebration of "freedom"...

"CLEVELAND - Two men were killed and a woman was wounded in what police believe was a robbery of a corner grocery store.
The shootings happened Thursday about 10:30 p.m. at the Lady Dee's store just east of downtown. The woman who was wounded was able to call police."

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/local/8227203.htm

[MrBenchley]

8. 2nd mom to family is shot to death (NC)

"CONCORD - Rosemary Marie Kirks, 58, didn't have any children of her own, but she had become a second parent to nieces and nephews and then great-nieces and -nephews.
Wednesday evening, while driving with her 17-year-old great-nephew and his friend on Booker Avenue, Kirks was fatally shot.
Police arrested Garcel Lavar Christian, 18, of 29 Oakland Ave. S.W., at 6:45 a.m. Thursday. He faces charges of first-degree murder, shooting into occupied property and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
Christian has a prior conviction for felony possession of marijuana in 2003 and pending charges of felony possession of cocaine and felony probation violation, according to records."

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/8223777.htm?1c

Thanks to the GOP and the corrupt gun industry, this scumbag could have walked into any gun show in North Carolina and bought a gun without a background check.

[Romulus]

13. not so fast

NC, similar to Michigan, requires the purchaser of handgun to first obtain a pistol purchase permit from the county sheriff of the recipient's place of residence before that transfer may take place.

http://www.jus.state.nc.us/NCJA/ncfirearmslaws.pdf

"Under North Carolina law, it is unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to sell, give away, transfer, purchase, or receive, at any place in the State any pistol unless the purchaser or receiver has first obtained a license or permit to receive such a pistol by the
Sheriff of the county where the purchaser or receiver resides. This requirement to obtain a permit prior to the transfer of a pistol applies not only to a commercial transaction, typically at a sporting goods store, but also between private individuals or companies
throughout North Carolina."

[MrBenchley]

14. And I'm sure those private sellers

ask to see that permit before they hand over the gun....NOT.

[MrSandman]

60. And this is known because...

NC gun shows are frequented?

[analogman]

9. Just one question...

In any of these stories did the gun act on it's own and simply start shooting, or was there a person holding the gun who is responsible for his/her behavior?

[slackmaster]

11. The guns caused people to behave in ways they wouldn't normally

Guns emit Evil Mind-Control Rays(TM). If there were no guns nobody would ever assault, rob, rape, or kill.

:tinfoilhat:

Only Glock pistols go off on their own.

:freak:

But they sometimes blow up because European smokeless powders all contain the little plastic taggant particles used in commercial high explosives.

:smoke:

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MrBenchley]

12. And what a question!

No wonder the RKBA crowd thinks Mary Rosh is a scientist...

[analogman]

16. Guns or People?

Which of the two is responsible for the use of guns to commit crimes?

[CO Liberal]

18. Does That Change The Outcome In Any Way????

Yes, the people are responsible for the crimes. But they used guns to commit them. You can't separate the two, no matter how hard you pro-gunners try.

[analogman]

20. Does That Change The Outcome In Any Way????

Would it make you feel better if the people who were shot were instead pushed out of windows? Guns are merely inanimate tools, just like a hammer, a screwdriver, or a knife. The gun cannot be held responsible for it's misuse any more than you can hold a car responsible for a drunk driver. It is only when guns are used to commit a crime that they become "evil". Whatever happened to personal accountability in this country?

More people are killed each year by tobacco, alcohol, and doctors errors than by guns. Where is the cry to ban tobacco, alcohol, or doctors?

[MrBenchley]

21. Pill Bottle Causes Deadly Argument (TX)

"Police told News2Houston that Salazar and about 20 other people were hanging out in an apartment in the 200 block of Gresham in Baytown around 10:20 p.m. when an argument broke out between Jamie Salazar, 21, and Troy Vincent Andrews, 19, over a bottle of pills.
Officials are not sure what sort of pills were in the bottle, or what happened to it."The argument escalated into the street where the 19-year-old pulled a gun on the 21-year-old. (He was) shot three times. The third shot hit the victim in the chest," Baytown Police Department Sgt. Richard Whitaker said.
Emergency workers responded to the scene and transported Salazar to San Jacinto Hospital. He was pronounced dead upon arrival."

http://www.click2houston.com/news/2934908/detail.html

[analogman]

22. It's obviously time to ban pill bottles.

If these people didn't have access to pill bottles then this tragedy would never have happened!

[MrBenchley]

23. RKBA logic, or whatever the hell it is...

Wow....

[analogman]

25. RKBA logic, or whatever the hell it is

This is EXACTLY the logic anti-gun people use! They believe that if guns were outlawed that suddenly gun crime would vanish. Well, if we outlawed pill bottles then this horrible tragedy could never have occured, right? I mean, no pill bottle=no pill bottle argument, right? Take away their pill bottles and they'll all live in harmony, right?

[MrBenchley]

29. "if we outlawed pill bottles then this horrible tragedy"

Ho-kay....

[CO Liberal]

26. After All, Guns Are Totally Harmless...

...if you follow the "logic" of some of the pea-brains on the pro-gun side.

[analogman]

27. After All, Guns Are Totally Harmless

Guns ARE harmless, inanimate objects, just like a rock or a stick. A gun requires human intervention to become a deadly weapon. I challenge you to find ONE instance of a gun acting of it's own accord and committing a crime.

It all comes back to personal responsibility.

[MrBenchley]

30. "It all comes back to personal responsibility"--TOO Funny!

This scummy industry was trying to get the Republican party to engineer itself unprecedented immunity from liability laws that affect every other industry in America just last week....

"The gun industry, Alex"

I'm sorry, your answer must be in the form of a question...

"What is the corrupt gun industry?

Correct...now for $200...what group of people were on this board pimping for Larry Craig and the Republicans at about that time?

[MrBenchley]

31. Suspect Charged In Deaths Of Two Men On Westside (FL)

Yeah, here's the kind of voter we should be reaching out to...



"Jacksonville homicide detectives announced Wednesday that a man in police custody has been charged in connection with two Westside murders.
Justin Wyatt Settle, 22, was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of 21-year-old William Barronton and 23-year-old Thomas Beverly.
Beverly and Barronton were found shot in the head in a Westside home on March 3. A dead dog was also found at the residence.
Investigators said Settle gave a gun to his brother and told him to throw it in the river. Instead, the brother gave the gun to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. A ballistics test matched casings from the gun to those found at the murder scene."

http://www.news4jax.com/news/2929739/detail.html

[analogman]

33. Completely off topic.

The fact is that all of the crimes you posted were committed by PEOPLE committing crimes. Yes, they committed those crimes with guns, and they should be punished severly. However, that in no way changes the fact that it was individuals who committed the crimes, not guns. The gun was merely the tool they chose to facilitate their crime. They are PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for their actions.

[MrBenchley]

34. Right on the money...

The guns themselves aren't the only tools of the gun lobby....

[analogman]

38. The guns themselves aren't the only tools of the gun lobby....

You are correct, but it's the guns themselves we're discussing here.

[MrBenchley]

28. It's why the pro-gun public spokesmen

are all dimwitted turds like Tom DeLay and Larry Pratt.

[Wcross]

54. analogman- They don't understand......n/t

[MrBenchley]

55. We understand all too well, cross...

[Wcross]

58. See what I mean?

Whatever happened to personal accountability in this country?

They understand criminal misuse of a tool (firearm) is the fault of said tool. There is nothing to be gained in defending our civil right to self defense in this arena. I have no problem with people that forgo firearm ownership. I have a serious problem with people that are deluded enough to think they can decide what is best for me.

[MrBenchley]

59. That's REALLY funny, cross!

Speaking of accountability, which scummy industry just tried to engineer a disgraceful immunity from liability law for itself, with the help of the GOP?

Here's a hint...it's the same industry that scuttled that bill abruptly when amendments that the RKBA crowd keeps dishonestly claim would "do nothing" were attached.

[MrBenchley]

10. Police arrest 4 suspects after robbery, car crash (NC)

"Police dogs, a helicopter, more than a dozen police officers and the public helped find four men suspected of robbing a southeast Charlotte pizza restaurant Thursday afternoon.
About 3:45 p.m., three men with guns robbed Wolfman Pizza on Sharon Amity Road, police said. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer saw the suspects jump into a red Ford Mustang, a spokeswoman said. The officer tried to pull the car over, but the driver didn't stop."

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/8223781.htm

[MrBenchley]

15. Late Afternoon Bank Robbery Suspect At Large (OH)

"Police are looking for a man who allegedly showed a gun when he robbed a downtown bank.
Few details are available, but WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported that a man robbed the U.S. Bank at 2261 Beechmont Ave. in Mt. Washington at about 4 p.m. Thursday. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=410&ncid=410&e=5&u=/ibsys/20040319/lo_wlwt/2057997

[MrBenchley]

19. 3rd shooting suspect nabbed (IN)

"A fugitive task force led by the U.S. Marshals Service in Indianapolis on Thursday captured the third suspect in the shooting death of a Ball State University student during a $2 robbery.
Damien Sanders, 22, Muncie, was arrested in a Days Inn motel at 38th Street and High School Road about 4:30 p.m., said Indianapolis police officer Tom Hess, a task force member.
Sanders was sought in the March 7 slaying of Karl Harford, a 20-year-old sophomore from Carmel."

http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/130697-5575-009.html

[MrBenchley]

24. 4 injured as robbers hit 2 banks in Boynton, Royal Palm (FL)

"Four people were injured in two armed bank robberies that occurred minutes apart Thursday, police said.
In the first -- at 9:53 a.m. -- three employees received minor injuries when men carrying rifles and a handgun walked into the Fidelity Federal Bank & Trust branch at 2505 W. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach, and robbed it.
About seven minutes later in Royal Palm Beach, two men walked into the First Choice Credit Union, 11957 Southern Blvd., in the Crestwood Square shopping plaza, ordered everyone to the floor and robbed them. An employee was pistol-whipped in the process, police said. Paramedics treated her at the scene."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-probbery19mar19,0,1715831.story?coll=sfla-news-palm

[MrBenchley]

32. Three Philadelphia Court Officers Shot

"PHILADELPHIA - Three court officers were shot, one fatally, early Friday while they were trying to serve a warrant on a man for failing to appear at trial, police said. The man who was being sought also was shot and wounded.
The gunfire started after a woman opened the apartment door and the three officers identified themselves and entered, Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said. Further details on the circumstances were not immediately released.
The officers, who work for the city court system, were serving a bench warrant for Darien Houser, 40, who had failed to appear at his trial on a charge of raping a 13-year-old girl. He was acquitted in absentia last November, but a judge issued a bench warrant on a contempt of court charge.
Court officers generally are armed, but police did not say if all three officers had weapons at the scene. "

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040319/ap_on_re_us/officers_shot_3

[MrBenchley]

35. 4 sought in Roswell slayings (GA)

"Roswell police say four men are being sought in connection with this week's triple homicide.
Police have said a botched drug deal was at the heart of the bloody shootout Monday morning, which resulted in Roswell's first triple homicide. The gunbattle between two groups of men armed with 9mm semiautomatic handguns happened inside an apartment at 277 Old Holcomb Bridge Way. 
Investigators found a large amount of what appeared to be cocaine at the scene.
Police Chief Edwin Williams said the fourth victim is recovering from a gunshot wound to the face at North Fulton Regional Hospital and is being interviewed by police."

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/0304/19triple.html

[MrSandman]

56. Outlaw cocaine...

And other harmful drugs that Criminals fight over.

[FeebMaster]

57. Good Idea.

I'll call my Congressman.

[analogman]

36. 'I just shot him to stop him, not to kill'

If it were possible, Charmaine Dunbar said, she would protect herself with her fists. She would fight. But she sometimes hears gunshots as she relaxes in her Homewood home, and she knows that her fists can't stop a bullet.

That's why she is licensed to carry a gun.

"Why should I get hurt if I've got something on the side of me?" Dunbar asked yesterday afternoon, five days after she shot a man after he threatened her with a rifle. The man turned out to be Charles Wesley, who police say is responsible for a recent string of sexual assaults in the East End.

Complete story here.

[MrBenchley]

41. October 16, 2002

[analogman]

37. Las Vegas homeowner shoots intruder to death

A gunbattle in a Las Vegas home early Tuesday left an intruder dead and the 60-year-old homeowner shaken but unharmed, police said.

The Tuesday morning shootout unfolded as the two men stood just a few feet from one another in the den of the homeowner's residence in the 3200 block of South Tenaya Way at Desert Inn Road.

In the past three years, at least eight robbery or burglary suspects have been shot or stabbed after they broke into valley businesses and homes. All but one of those shootings by home or business owners have been ruled justified by authorities.

Complete story.

[MrBenchley]

40. July 19, 2000

[analogman]

39. Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder in Maryland

ADELPHI -- A would-be burglar is dead after the owner of the home he was trying to break into shot him. Police say at this point no charges have been filed against the homeowner, but police will be consulting with the Maryland state attorney.
Police in Prince George's County got a 911 call Tuesday morning from a man who lives in the 1900 block of Ruatan Street in Adelphi.

He allegedly got out a ladder and tried to get into an upstairs window.

"He advised us that someone was trying to break into his home," said Corporal Fred Merkle. "The suspect placed the ladder against the side of the victim's home and we believe he was attempting to gain entry into the home"

Police say the homeowner came outside and confronted the burglar, then shot him once in the chest. The burglar died at Washington Hospital Center.

Investigators are still trying to determine if the homeowner will be charged.

Story here.

[MrBenchley]

42. January 20

the names change but the crap remains the same...

[MrBenchley]

43. Dade man's slaying probed (FL)

"Investigators in Palm Beach County are trying to unravel an execution-style killing of a man apparently abducted in Southwest Miami-Dade last month.
The body of Francisco ''Frank'' Fernandez, 50, was dumped along a Delray Beach street on the morning of Feb. 11. He had been shot to death, police said.
According to investigators, Fernandez had agreed to meet an acquaintance on Feb. 10 for a ''business transaction'' on a rural road in the Redland.
Paul Miller, a spokesman for the Palm Beach sheriff's office, said he couldn't comment on the business deal."

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/8222696.htm

[MrBenchley]

44. Police are trying to track fake officer in robberies (FL)

Miami police are hunting for a robber who pretends to be a law enforcement officer, has been prowling the Flagami and West Miami areas since January and now has a gun.
Police on Thursday released photos of the man they think is behind 12 robberies where victims thought they were being pulled over by a police officer, only to learn later they were robbed. In a recent case, the robber stole a gun and police worry he might use it if he robs again."

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/8222686.htm

[MrSandman]

61. Outlaw Blue Lights

[MrBenchley]

45. Man sentenced in shooting of Freeborn County deputy (MN)

"MINNEAPOLIS - A man who fired an AK-47 while robbing a bank in Freeborn and later wounded a deputy sheriff was sentenced to 22 years in prison by a federal judge in Minneapolis.
Gary Allen Reichow, 53, of Alden, also was ordered to pay $15,403 in restitution. In December, Reichow had pleaded guilty to robbing the Farmers State Bank of Hartland on Nov. 6 and to using a firearm in a crime of violence.
At the time of his arrest, authorities said Reichow was wearing a face mask covered with swastikas when he fired two shots from an AK-47 before entering the bank.
A Freeborn County deputy sheriff spotted Reichow's Volkswagen and was following him when Reichow pulled over and fired at the squad car, wounding the officer in the leg, according to investigators."

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/state/minnesota/8228132.htm

[MrBenchley]

46. Suspects In Grocer's Death To Appear In Court (LA)

"Two of the three suspects arrested in connection with the shooting death of a Central City grocery store owner were scheduled to appear in court Friday for a preliminary hearing.
Mai Nguyen, 55, was shot to death March 9 during a botched robbery at Kim's Supermarket on Loyola Avenue.
Surveillance video captured the crime on tape.
Suspects Palmer Jackson and Shawn Hampton were scheduled to appear in court Friday. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=378&ncid=378&e=3&u=/ibsys/20040319/lo_wdsu/2058912

[MrSandman]

62. And an unbotched robbery is???

[MrBenchley]

47. Massacre suspect's hearing postponed (CA)

"The arraignment of accused murderer Marcus Wesson was postponed one week Thursday afternoon to give his new attorney a chance to talk to Wesson's family and decide whether he is going to take the case.
Wesson made a brief appearance in Fresno Superior Court with veteran criminal defense lawyer David Mugridge, who, Wesson said, had been suggested to him by attorney Gary Harvey.
Until Thursday, Wesson, facing allegations that he shot nine of his children to death and a special charge of multiple murders, was without an attorney and had declined to be represented by a deputy public defender. "

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/03/19/BAGVU5NKCT1.DTL

[MrBenchley]

48. Deputy Finds 2 Bodies In Car (TX)

"A Bexar County sheriff's deputy on patrol discovered the bodies at around midnight.
They were inside a car on an isolated road near Interstate 410 and Quintana Road.
Authorities said it appears the man shot the woman and then himself. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=391&ncid=391&e=1&u=/ibsys/20040319/lo_ksat/2057082

[MrBenchley]

49. Classroom suicide jolts town (WA)

"JOYCE, Clallam County — Around 10 a.m. yesterday, Crescent School District Superintendent Rich Wilson was putting the finishing touches on the "Logger News," a single-sheet newsletter that goes out to everyone in this tiny logging community.
Minutes later, the newsletter — along with the sensibilities of the community — would be drastically changed.
Sometime after 10 a.m., a 13-year-old boy sitting in a language-arts class opened his guitar case, pulled out a .22-caliber rifle and killed himself.
The boy, along with the 19 other students who make up the district's entire seventh grade, were in a portable classroom just across the courtyard from the superintendent's office. "

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001881987_boyshot18m.html

[MrBenchley]

50. Witness: Burkheimer rescue foiled (WA)

"EVERETT — The woman who found Rachel Burkheimer bound and gagged in her garage testified yesterday that she was "flung" from the room before she could cut the Marysville woman free.
Some time later, prosecutors allege, Burkheimer, 18, was stuffed in a duffel bag and driven to the Gold Bar area, where she was fatally shot. "

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001883144_burkheimer19m.html

[MrBenchley]

51. Triple Homicide Fractures the Calm in Duarte (CA)

"The community, which has a low crime rate, was where Murray M. Smith Sr., a Vietnam veteran, and his wife, Wanda, bought a small house in 1984.
And it was where, in the 900 block of Lewiston Street, Smith Sr., 56, allegedly sprayed that house with gunfire Saturday, killing his 51-year-old wife; their son, Murray M. Smith Jr., 32; and Smith Sr.'s father-in-law, Joshua Harmon, 82.
During the rampage, Smith Sr. allegedly fired his assault rifle at a neighbor's house after the resident went outside to see what the commotion was, police said. The neighbor rushed back inside, unharmed.
Authorities charged Smith Sr. on Tuesday with three counts of murder with the special circumstances of multiple murder and personal discharge of a firearm, one count of attempted murder with the special allegation of intentional discharge of a firearm, and one count of shooting into an inhabited dwelling."

http://www.latimes.com/news/yahoo/la-me-duarte19mar19,1,4327707.story?coll=la-newsaol-headlines

[MrBenchley]

52. Felon gets 8 years for firearms (AR)

"Undra Williams, 23, of Little Rock was convicted by a Saline County jury of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Prosecuting Attorney Robert Herzfeld.
Special Judge John Cole presided over the trial and followed the jury's recommended sentence of 8 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction.
Herzfeld said during the trial deputy prosecutors Rebecca Bush and Carrie Robertson proved the defendant used a firearm in the course of a robbery at Super 8 Motel in Bryant. Williams was convicted in 1996 of robbery, and as a convicted felon is prohibited from possessing a firearm."

http://www.bentoncourier.com/articles/2004/03/19/news/71rnews.txt

[MrBenchley]

53. Students may have handled gun on bus, say police (IN)

"ELKHART -- Four teenage students have been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into reports of a gun on an Elkhart school bus.
The bus was taking students home at about 11:30 a.m. Monday after morning alternative high school classes at the Tipton Street Center.
The four students may have been passing the gun around, according to police."

http://www.etruth.com/news/story/317590/index.html

Quick...what right wing lobbying group that has odious nutcase Grover Norquist on its board publishes a gun magazine for kids?



Got it in one.