GUNS IN THE NEWS--March 24, 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.
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8 - If you object to these guidelines, do everyone else a favor and go to another thread.

[MrBenchley]

1. Woman found shot dead in alley is identified by police (PA)

"Celina Hall, 19, of the 1800 block of Kinsey Street, was shot three times in the face early Monday, and her body was found shortly after 8 a.m. behind the 2300 block of Turner Street. Police did not have anyone in custody yesterday."

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/8260291.htm?1c

[MrBenchley]

2. Student Arrested For Loaded Gun At Middle School (TX)

"A student was arrested Tuesday for allegedly carrying a loaded gun to a northwest Harris County middle school, officials told News2Houston.
Investigators said the firearm was found on the campus of Arnold Middle School, 11111 Telge Road, in the Cy-Fair Independent School District.
Deputies said a 14-year-old male student was showing the weapon, a 380 semi-automatic pistol, to classmates on his school bus. They said he was not aiming the weapon at anyone or making any threatening gestures. "

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040324/lo_kprc/2064347

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

[Spoonman]

20. Update.......

It was announced this morning that the kid broke into a car and stole it.

Hmmmm.....
Guess if there weren't criminals there would be no need for guns.

[MrBenchley]

21. Gee, spoon...

I'd be the last to deny that most of those who need guns do so because they're either mentally ill or criminal....

[CO Liberal]

26. And If Some Moron Hadn't Kept a Gun In His Car....

...the kid wouldn't have gotten hold of it. Sounds like yet another irresponsible gun owner to me.

[FatSlob]

27. Sounds like criminal behaviour to me.

The kid should go to jail. He's a crook.

[CO Liberal]

29. Agreed

But the gun owner also bears some responsibility for improperly securing his or her weapon.

[FatSlob]

34. I'll reserve judgement until I know the facts.

If it was in plain sight, that would be improper. In the trunk would be proper.

[demsrule4life]

32. How do you know the gun owner didn't have to

enter a gun free zone and by law had to leave the gun in the car?

[iverglas]

33. I've obviously missed something again

How do you know the gun owner didn't have to
enter a gun free zone and by law had to leave the gun in the car?
(emphasis added)

Is there really a law that says that anyone entering a gun-free zone must leave a gun in his/her car?

May people not just leave their guns at home, or not own any guns at all?

What about people who don't have cars, or don't have their cars with them?

What confusing laws there seem to be in some places.

.

[MrBenchley]

3. Feds: Mom Illegally Owned Gun In Mailman Death (PA)

"Latoya Burnette, 30, is charged with illegally owning the .380-caliber automatic that her 10-year-old son found and fired in June 2003. She is not allowed to have a firearm because of a May 2000 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said Tuesday.
The boy tried to shoot a tree from Burnette's apartment window but instead hit Clayton Smith, 45, of Colliers, W.Va., who was sorting mail near a line of trees about 50 yards away, according to U.S. postal inspectors. "

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040323/lo_wtae/2064183

[Romulus]

4. Assault Weapons Ban Stalls in Senate (MD)

I guess all that lobbying I did may have paid off . . .:evilgrin:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.ban23mar23,0,2193688.story?coll=bal-home-utility

"A proposed state ban on assault weapons appears doomed this year in Annapolis -- unless the sponsor pursues an unusual parliamentary maneuver.

The bill faces a governor who opposes it and a Senate committee poised to reject it by a single vote. Failure means firearms outlawed by the expiring federal ban could go back on the market in Maryland this fall.

But Sen. Robert J. Garagiola could wed the stalled weapons ban with a tax bill he has recently introduced. That effort might be the last best hope of supporters because the original bill is hung up in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

The 11-member committee is split: six against the ban, five in favor."

*snip/more*

[slackmaster]

5. Watch for the UPM

Unusual Parliamentary Maneuver.

The California legislature is famous for UPMs.

[MrBenchley]

6. Boy holding loaded gun to his head disarmed at Newport High (WA)

"A Newport High School teacher snatched a loaded gun from a student yesterday, and school officials immediately locked down the school, preventing students from entering or leaving the Bellevue campus for most of the afternoon.
Just after 11:30 a.m., a school librarian called 911 after several students reported seeing a 16-year-old boy pull a semiautomatic handgun from his backpack and hold the loaded weapon to his head, police and school officials said. "

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001886611_bellevue24m.html

[MrBenchley]

7. Student arrested after taking BB gun and hit list to school (IN)

Maybe he actually believed that childish crap about protecting oneself with a gun....

"An unloaded BB gun and a hit list landed a Lawrence Central High School student in jail Tuesday.
The incident marked the third hit-list incident in a suburban school this month.
Derrick Huffer, 18, was arrested and faces a preliminary charge of felony intimidation.
He was caught after he told two other students he had brought the BB gun to school. Those students then told teachers. School administrators discovered the gun and a hit list that included the names of four students and two teachers. They found no BBs. "

http://www.indystar.com/articles/4/132027-8024-009.html

<sarcasm>Yeah, definitely a good time to publish a gun magazine for kids</sarcasm>

[MrBenchley]

8. Man kills himself in front of deputy (IN)

Another glorious celebration of freedom...

"The case began with a traffic accident near Country Club and Crawfordsville roads, involving a black pickup. An off-duty sheriff's deputy in a marked car heard the report of the crash on his radio, spotted the truck and followed it east on Crawfordsville Road.
The deputy stayed behind the truck as it turned from Crawfordsville Road onto High School Road, then turned left at 30th Street, entering the driveway of John Knox Presbyterian Church, 3000 N. High School Road. The truck pulled into the church lot, and the deputy turned on his lights and siren.
Then the man pulled out a shotgun, and the deputy radioed his dispatchers for help, saying the man had a gun and wanted the deputy to leave. About a minute later, the deputy radioed that the man had shot himself."

http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/131983-8022-009.html

[MrBenchley]

9. Firearms charge leads to federal prison term (AR)

"A Springfield man received three years and five months in federal prison Monday for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Harold G. Maggard Jr., 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan Jr. at Springfield's federal courthouse.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Maggard had a Caspian .45-caliber pistol and a Ruger .45-caliber pistol on March 25, 2002, in Greene County."

http://springfield.news-leader.com/news/today/0324-AroundtheO-46243.html

Thanks to the GOP and the corrupt gun industry, he could walk into any gun show in Arkansas and avoid any background check whatsoever.

[MrBenchley]

10. Judge sentences felon for two violations (AR)

"Jonathan S. Cartwright, 24, also received one year and six months in federal prison for violating his release conditions on a previous conviction. U.S. District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan Jr. sentenced Cartwright at Springfield's federal courthouse.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Cartwright admitted last year that he had a Ruger .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a Turkish Mauser 8-millimeter bolt-action rifle on Sept. 24 in Greene County.
Cartwright was convicted in 2000 of aiding and abetting the possession of an unregistered destructive device in Texas."

http://springfield.news-leader.com/news/today/0324-AroundtheO-46243.html

[MrBenchley]

11. Accidental shooting leaves two wounded (MO)

"A 65-year-old Missouri man was seriously injured and his 34-year-old stepson was grazed when a handgun went off around 10:30 p.m. Monday in Hubert.
The 65-year-old was in stable condition after having the round removed from his buttocks, where it stopped after passing through his stomach and bowels, said Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown.
The 34-year-old, a Hubert resident, was showing his mother and stepfather the weapon, a .40 caliber Glock 22, and was attempting to unload it when it went off, Brown said.
The round grazed the 34-year-old's left arm and struck his father-in-law in the stomach, Brown said. "

http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=21266&Section=News

[MrBenchley]

12. One Dead, One Hurt In Austin Shooting (TX)

"Officers responding to a 911 call found two men in a 4-door Toyota in the middle of the street. One was dead. The other was taken to the hospital with what appeared to be very serious injuries. Police have not released the men's names. The investigation is on-going."

http://keyetv.com/localnews/local_story_083091143.html

[MrBenchley]

13. A cold case heats up with Fla. arrest (MD)

"It took nearly two decades, a woman named Jennifer Jenifer and a convenience store robbery in Florida, but authorities have made an arrest in a 1984 fatal shooting in Dundalk.
Sheriff's deputies in Marion County, Fla., arrested Joann Culotta -- now a 45-year-old painter known as Joann Knight -- Monday on a warrant charging her with first-degree-murder.
Culotta is charged in the slaying of 69-year-old John Andrykis on Oct. 7, 1984, according to documents filed in Baltimore County District Court. "

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/yahoo/bal-md.arrest24mar24,0,6048910.story?coll=bal-newsaol-headlines

[MrBenchley]

14. Prayers for slain man (MD)

""This gathering is not just to burn candles," said the Rev. Willie E. Ray, an activist who helped organize the gathering in the 1200 block of N. Bond St. -- the latest among dozens he has staged in response to city killings. "We want to send a message to the neighborhood."
A few minutes later, the group of about 30 people took to the street, chanting as they marched: "Stop the violence, start the love."
Curious residents stuck their heads out of windows. Some came outside to watch, remembering Reaves as a young man with excellent manners and an inviting smile.
Reaves was shot twice in the head about 3 p.m. March 12. His killing, under investigation by Baltimore police, was a mystery to his friends and family, they said."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/crime/bal-md.vigil24mar24,0,131241.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

[MrBenchley]

15. Police charge acquaintance in man's death (NC)

"Just hours after Terrance Lee Seals was fatally shot in an east Charlotte neighborhood, police arrested an acquaintance in his death.
Johnny Frank Redfearn, 19, was charged early Tuesday with murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Seals, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.
Officers called to Colebrook Drive off Milton Road found Seals dead in a creek about 10 p.m. Monday. He had been shot more than once in a nearby driveway.
Capt. Sean Mulhall would not talk about a motive, but said the two men knew each other. He said Redfearn was arrested near where the shooting occurred."

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/8261601.htm

[MrBenchley]

16. Police Investigate Another Local Homicide (OH)

"A shooting investigation that began after 8 p.m. Tuesday became a homicide investigation a short time later.
A man was shot twice in the chest in the 4500 block of Circle Avenue in Winton Place, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Juliette Vara reported.
Investigators were at the scene for several hours, collecting evidence and interviewing neighbors. The victim's identity has not been released, and police have no suspects so far. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=410&ncid=410&e=2&u=/ibsys/20040324/lo_wlwt/2064834

[MrBenchley]

17. Man Arrested Moments After Report Of Shots Fired (OH)

"Few details are available, but WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Monica Abler reported Wednesday that shots were fired shortly before 8 a.m. on East McMillan Avenue in Walnut Hills near Hemlock Street. Initial reports suggested that the man shot at a passing Metro bus, but Metro denied having a bus shot. A Metro bus driver apparently witnessed the man who fired the gun and called in the report. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=410&ncid=410&e=4&u=/ibsys/20040324/lo_wlwt/2064878

[MrBenchley]

18. Man shot near his Thomas-Dale home is St. Paul's 7th homicide this year

"A St. Paul man was shot in the head near his home in the Thomas-Dale neighborhood early this morning and died a short time later.
St. Paul police were called to the 600 block of Edmund Avenue at 1:35 a.m. to reports of a single gunshot, said St. Paul police spokesman Paul Schnell.
They found a car parked on the street with a window shot out and a 27-year-old man in the driver’s seat in “very critical condition,” Schnell said. Paramedics took the man, whose identity hasn’t been made public, to Regions Hospital where he was pronounced dead within half an hour."

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/8264683.htm

[MrBenchley]

19. Alleged SoCal sniper pleads not guilty to 21 counts

And to hear the RKBA crowd, the only problem America faces is that this guy couldn't but an assautl weapon for his ramapge....

"SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The man accused of firing a rifle and throwing rocks at vehicles on Highway 101 pleaded not guilty to 21 felony counts, including nine counts of attempted-murder, officials said.
Keith Everett Tomlinson, 36, faces nine counts of attempted-murder for allegedly firing a rifle at two vehicles on March 16 and 17, plus 12 counts of assault with a deadly weapon for throwing rocks at passing vehicles during separate occasions on March 5, Dec. 14 and Dec. 25.
The attacks took place near El Capitan State Beach in Santa Barbara County. No injuries were reported.
Tomlinson, who remains in custody without bail, seemed nervous and took a few deep breaths during his arraignment Tuesday. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 6."

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/8264653.htm

[MrBenchley]

22. Teens Sought In Connection With Overnight Shooting (MO)

Yeah, a gun magazine for kids just looks better and better....

"A man shot in the leg near 30th Street and Van Brunt early Wednesday is recovering in a hospital.
KMBC reported that the man was shot near a Taco Bell and went to nearby gas station for help. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ibsys/20040324/lo_kmbc/2065347&e=1

[MrBenchley]

23. NOPD On Alert After Death Of Alleged Drug Dealer

"NEW ORLEANS -- The Tuesday shooting of a man police said was a violent drug dealer in Central City has prompted concern among 6th District officers that a pattern of retaliatory violence is imminent.
Elwood Pleasant, 23, was gunned down near Daneel and Second streets Tuesday afternoon.
"We believe that there is a running feud in this area between Mr. Pleasant and another individual who we believe to be involved in drugs," New Orleans Police Department spokesman Capt. Marlon Defillo said. "Apparently, they met (Tuesday) afternoon here on Daneel Street, where Mr. Pleasant was shot." "

http://www.theneworleanschannel.com/news/2945726/detail.html

[MrBenchley]

24. 17-Year-Old Boy Arrested in Fatal Shooting (VA)

"Ashburn, Va. (AP) - Authorities were holding a 17-year-old Tuesday in the shooting death of another teen inside a home in this quiet Loudoun County community.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office did not identify the suspect because of his age, but they said he was an Ashburn resident. He faced charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless use of a firearm in the Monday night shooting of Donald Nicholas Shomaker, 15.
Authorities said the circumstances surrounding the shooting remained under investigation, and declined to give more details."

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0304/134226.html

[MrBenchley]

25. Girl, 6, critically injured in drive-by, police say (VA)

"RICHMOND, Va. -- A 6-year-old Richmond girl was shot and critically injured Tuesday night during a drive-by shooting, police said.
Police cordoned off the southbound lane of Broad Rock Road in southside where the shooting occurred about 8 p.m., said spokeswoman Christie Collins.
The girl, whose injuries were described as life-threatening, was rushed to VCU Medical Center, Collins said. "

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--brf-girlshot0323mar23,0,138186.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia

[MrBenchley]

28. Man wanted for homicide surrenders to Otter Tail County sheriff (MN)

"FERGUS FALLS, Minn. - A fugitive in an Illinois shooting who had escaped from custody on Tuesday turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, authorities said.
Detective Marion Riddle of the East St. Louis Police Department in Illinois said Rodney Richards, 25, surrendered in Fergus Falls about 11:30 a.m.
Richards had been indicted on a charge of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Tyrone Hill in East St. Louis on April 1, 1998."

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/8265791.htm

[MrBenchley]

30. DA reduces charges in girlfriend shooting (PA)

"HOMER CITY, Pa. -- Minutes after a rifle shot careened through the kitchen ceiling, through the upstairs bedroom floor and into the bed where his longtime companion had been, Dennis Keith told police, "I lost everything. I lost my woman. It was my fault."
Diana Gay Smith, 44, was killed when a .30-caliber bullet ripped through her back and abdomen just before midnight on New Year's Day.
Keith, who was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and involuntary manslaughter, was scheduled to have his preliminary hearing yesterday before District Justice Susanne Steffee.
Keith had fired a gun every year for the past 18 to celebrate the New Year, he told state police. Smith had gone to bed, and Keith's brother and sister were in the house with him."

http://www.pittsburgpost-gazette.com/pg/04084/290538.stm

[MrBenchley]

31. 1 shot, 1 beaten in Delmont (PA)

"Police in Delmont are sorting out the details of an incident that left one man shot and the shooter badly beaten.
Chief Tim Klobucar said police received a call around 10 last night about a 21-year-old man shot in the leg. He was found in the rear of Freeport Street with a wound from a .22 caliber handgun and was flown by helicopter to a hospital."

http://www.pittsburgpost-gazette.com/breaking/20040324delmontp6.asp

[MrBenchley]

35. Boy jailed after threatening to shoot classmates (LA)

"SHREVEPORT, La. – A 13-year-old boy suspended after threatening to take his seventh-grade classmates hostage and shoot them was arrested back en route to the school with a handgun, police said.
The student was suspended from J.S. Clark Middle School on Tuesday for making the threat and went home, said police spokeswoman Kacee Hargrave.
The boy's mother called police after the youth arrived home, then left for a friend's house, Hargrave said.
Police said the boy armed himself with a handgun at the friend's residence and was en route to another friend's house to get ammunition when officers apprehended him. "

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/newthishour/stories/032404dntexschoolthreat.c6103.html

[MrBenchley]

36. Dog Found Shot, But Alive, In Clay County (MO)

"Local - KMBC TheKansasCityChannel.com
"Road crews taking a break along 164th Street Monday afternoon found a dog that had been tied up and then shot in its snout, KMBC's Dan Weinbaum reported.
The spaniel-mix was bloody, weak and stuck in a ditch when the crews spotted it. It had been tied to a road sign and shot with a .22-caliber rifle. The crew rescued the animal and took it to a veterinarian in Liberty, where Davinne Law found bullet fragments still in the animal's nose. "

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040324/lo_kmbc/2064337

[MrBenchley]

37. Feds Warn Paintball Gun Users of Dangers

"WASHINGTON - The government issued sharp warnings on Wednesday to paintball gun users, announcing new safety measures while investigations continue into two deaths caused by canisters flying off the guns.
Spokesman Eric Criss said officials did not issue a warning after the first death because not enough information was available at the time to know the cause.
Criss said the investigations should be concluded in a few months. A product could be recalled if problems are traced to a single manufacturer. The government could also call for voluntary or mandatory regulations for all manufacturers. "

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040324/ap_on_go_ot/paintball_guns_warning_2

Ironically, real guns can blow up in people's hands without any sort of action that can be taken to protect the consumer. One more bit of stupidity arising from letting a corrupt industry set public policy.

[MrBenchley]

38. CoCo County Supes Ban Rifle Sale (CA)

"(BCN) -- Contra Costa County supervisors Tuesday passed a controversial ordinance banning the sale of .50-caliber sniper rifles in the unincorporated parts of the county.
There is a high concentration of chemical and refinery facilities in the county, and Gioia said that these weapons could be used to target them.
Though no official representative of the National Rifle Association was present, Cheung said numerous members of the association attended Tuesday's meeting.
Many of them spoke passionately about their Second Amendment rights, which they believe afford them the right to buy .50-caliber rifles, Cheung said.
Gioia responded to these concerns, saying that the amendment was meant for militia, and not for individuals. For these comments, Cheung said one of the NRA members called the supervisor "a communist." "

http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1733270&nav=5D7lLkiJ

[MrBenchley]

39. Teen pleads guilty in accidental shotgun slaying of his cousin, 8 (CA)

"A 16-year-old Sacramento boy pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter in the killing of his 8-year-old cousin, Darren Saechao, who died, like his 12-year-old sister two years earlier, in an accidental shooting.
The teenager, who is not named because of his age, admitted in Sacramento Juvenile Court that he was warned last fall that Darren knew of his hidden sawed-off shotgun, but he failed to do anything about it. The weapon was stashed in an Oak Park chicken coop, which had been turned into a clubhouse for the boys.
The next day, Oct. 20, Darren was killed playing cops and robbers with the teen's 9-year-old brother. Darren, who wanted to be a police officer when he grew up, died from a single shotgun blast to the side, police said."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/8629224p-9557392c.html