GUNS IN THE NEWS--August 30, 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. EXCEPTION: 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.
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5 - 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.
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[MrBenchley]

1. Petition seeks new trial for man accused in machine gun killing

"BUFFALO, N.Y. More than 800 people have signed petitions seeking a new trial for a man accused of shooting another man with a machine gun in 1991.
Valentino Dixon is currently at Attica Correctional Facility, serving 39 years to life in prison in connection with the death of Torriano Jackson in Buffalo.
Attorneys for Dixon say he's wrongly convicted and they're asking a judge to consider their request for a new trial.
In court papers, they cite newly discovered evidence including several witnesses who now say Dixon wasn't the shooter."

http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=2233061

By the way, isn't one of the mindless chants we hear from the trigger-happy crowd "There's never been a crime committed with a machine gun"? Sure seems like I've heard that claim oin this forum pretty often...

[Endangered Specie]

3. Oh and machine guns can do no harm eh?

:eyes:

[MrBenchley]

4. Think how many goofy things

we regularly hear from our trigger-happy chums about what harmless toys these are and how unlikely it is any criminal would ever get hold of one...

[Remmah]

12. Only the ones stolen from the FBI.............. nt

nt

[FeebMaster]

10. Of course, no one has ever claimed that there's never

been a crime committed with a machine gun, but don't let that stop you.

[Remmah]

13. Corrected quotation....

By the way, isn't one of the mindless chants we hear from the trigger-happy crowd "There's never been a crime committed with a machine gun"?
Sure seems like I've heard that claim oin this forum pretty often...


There has never been a crime comitted by a civilian with an NFA legal machine gun.

Some of the collectors I know have invested well in security systems and in gun safes. The FBI has had more machine guns stolen than private civilians.

[MrBenchley]

20. You must know who done it, then....

since you know how he obtained his machine gun....

[MrBenchley]

2. Court to Hear Arguments on U of U Gun Ban

"SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The state's highest court will hear arguments in the battle over the right to ban guns on the University of Utah campus.
University administrators say the school has the right to keep its 28-year ban on guns on campus despite a state law that says otherwise. State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff maintains that the ban is not covered under the Utah Constitution.
Shurtleff's appeal of a lower court ruling that sided with the university is scheduled for a hearing Monday before the Utah Supreme Court.
"The only issue before the court will be whether the state constitution protects the university's right of autonomy," university attorney Alan Sullivan said. "

http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=5&sid=116245

[LibLabUK]

8. Guns on campus..

are the only way those good conservative God-fearing people can keep them liberal college professors in line!

[FeebMaster]

11. Yeah that's the only reason anyone wants a gun on campus.

It's not like anyone ever gets robbed, beaten, raped, or murdered on college campuses.

[Vladimir]

23. Not like college campuses aren't full

of drunken kids 24/7... I know what, why don't we toss guns into that mix and see what happens?

[FeebMaster]

24. Yeah that's great.

There's some drunkards in college. Let's make sure the sober ones can't defend themselves.

[Vladimir]

25. And give the drunken ones weapons to

facilitate their crimes... you know, if people around my campus were packing, I would go buy a gun too, because it would be kind of dumb to be the only unarmed cock in a cockfight. But I would still feel a whole lot safer if no-one had a gun.

[FeebMaster]

26. Yup.

I'm sure those people you have to worry about are diligently following the no guns rule. You're perfectly safe on campus.

[Vladimir]

27. Here in England they sure are

If anyone can offer me one single example of a crime comitted with a handgun on an Oxford college campus, I will be quite amazed (though slightly less so if the crime occured before the ban on handguns).

[FeebMaster]

28. See, the rules against guns work so well

maybe they should make rules against assault, robbery, rape, and murder on college campuses too.

[Vladimir]

29. Those are spectacularly rare too

apart from assault that is, the odd fight here and there is fairly common but I remember very few with serious consequences. The worst injuries were results of drug induced accidents...

The very worst incident I can remember was a bunch of morons storming a hustings for student union elections wearing balaclavas and toting toy pistols. This was right after 9/11 and they even hit the lights before they came in, causing a blind candidate who was husting at the time to suffer sever shock. A mass brawl broke out, which I was a part of, but tankfully apart from the odd bust lip there was no serious injury to anyone - had a single student in that hall been carrying a real gun at the time, given the state we were all in, it could have ended in a bloodbath.

on edit: the blind candidate was actually shocked by the fact that they also started playing very loud screeching noises through the PA... not the loss of light (obviously).

[enfield collector]

43. err, the U of U? I don't think there's much drunken behavior

at the U of U. right wing mormon fundy bible studying maybe, but not the typical drunken partying type that I went to school with.

[MrBenchley]

5. No guns at convention

Funny, there didn't have to be a similar warning in boston...of course they weren't expecting an influx of loonies there...

"As New York City heightens security for the convention, the event's organizers are making sure nothing is left unsaid. So "weapons" topped a list of prohibited items sent out in advance. Phil Morris, a 62-year-old delegate from Mississippi, said he had seen the list before he arrived in New York Saturday. "It's probably a good idea," he said of the ban, though he added that "I would really prefer to carry one for protection." "

http://www.iht.com/articles/536343.htm

[Remmah]

16. That's an ancient NYC law.

FYI

[MrBenchley]

18. And one that looks better and better as time goes on

[FeebMaster]

17. Another pro-gun Republican lol

"It's probably a good idea," he said of the ban

[MrBenchley]

6. Feds probe guns stolen from storage (CA)

The gun industry in "action"

"Ken Doolittle, an Aptos investment adviser who deals guns on the side, said he rented the Millbrae locker in December 2001 for a client who was forced to temporarily surrender custody of his firearms collection.
"I put the gentleman's collection in my locker, and I was the only person with the keys," Doolittle said.
Doolittle said he learned of the theft two weeks ago when Fresno police told him that one of the guns had surfaced during an investigation into a suspected prostitution ring.
Federal authorities said they learned of the theft on Wednesday, but the guns could have been taken anytime in the past three years, according to the Millbrae police report. "

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~2367930,00.html

[MrBenchley]

7. Man, 27, is killed, 3 hurt in shootings (IN)

"A 27-year-old Indianapolis man died of a single gunshot wound to the chest early Sunday and, in a separate incident, at least three others suffered bullet wounds, according to Indianapolis Police.
The victim in the fatal shooting was identified as Francisco J. Morales, of the 4200 block of Village Trace Drive.
The other shooting incident involved teenagers and a 20-year-old man. It occurred as a number of people were leaving a teen dance at USA Roller Skating Centers, 3902 N. Glen Arm Road, police said."

http://www.indystar.com/articles/6/174430-7896-009.html

[MrBenchley]

9. Man shot at close range by neighbor (NY)

Another glorious celebration of the Second Amendment...

"ELDRED, N.Y. (AP) _ A retired transportation worker was taken into police custody on Sunday after shooting his elderly neighbor at close range.
Frank Derry, 70, was charged with shooting 76-year-old Theodore Vitanza as he stood in his driveway unloading groceries at his rural Sullivan County home, State Police said.
Derry fired at least three shots from a .22-caiber rifle, with one of the blasts hitting Vitanza in the face, police said.
"Only by the grace of God was it not a fatal shot," Lt. Kevin Costello told the Times Herald-Record of Middletown. "

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny-brf--neighborshoot0830aug30,0,5536323.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

[Endangered Specie]

33. Love thy neighbor?

[MrBenchley]

14. Argument leads to fatal shooting of Panhandle couple (FL)

"CALLAWAY, Fla. - A 21-year-old man was arrested on charges he fatally shot a man and his girlfriend after an argument at their home.
Thomas Wade Couch was arrested Saturday for the deaths of Daniel S. Fabris, 20, and Nichole Savageau, 17.
Bay County Sheriff's Office investigators said Fabris and
Sheriff's officials said Fabris had outstanding arrest warrants for violating probation for battery, resisting arrest with violence and battery-domestic violence, and Couch had allowed him to live at his mobile home to avoid arrest.
They said Couch, while cleaning a gun, accidentally fired a round into the mobile home ceiling. Investigators said Fabris became angry with Couch because he worried police would investigate the gunshot."

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9531941.htm

[jtjathomps]

40. 98%

keep in mind, that in 98% of cases of self defense with a gun,
no shots are fired.  The gun is presented / displayed, and the
crime or attempt ends.  These stories do not make the news,
unless it is a very small town newspaper.

[MrBenchley]

41. Yeah, it's like Batman's silly costume....

criminals are a cowardly lot...(snicker)

"These stories do not make the news"
Wet dreams and fantasy rarely do.....

[jtjathomps]

42. That's true. Good point. They like to go after the weak. /NT

[Remmah]

15. Thieves steal military weapons

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=addd4bc8f0b1335b


The stolen items included at least 50
AG3 automatic assault rifles, 22 Glock
pistols and a marksman's rifle.

NRA = Norway Rifle Association?

[MrBenchley]

19. NRA = Nuts Ruining America....

[LibLabUK]

22. All them guns..

and they still managed to get burgled.

[Vladimir]

31. You can't cure stupid n/t

[MrBenchley]

21. Man shoots wife, daughter, then himself (GA)

"A man shot his wife and daughter in his bedroom before killing himself after an argument early Sunday, police said.
Raul O. Santana, 37, was found dead in his home around 5 a.m. His wife, Christina Santana, 35, was taken by helicopter to Grady Memorial Hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound to her neck. The couple's 14-year-old daughter, whose name was not released, was shot in the arm. She was treated and released to family members."

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=44831

Another family made safer by guns....

[MrBenchley]

30. Feud leaves 1 dead, 1 hurt (GA)

"A 36-year-old Fort Mitchell, Ala., man was killed and another man was seriously injured in a shooting early Friday morning at a Phenix City nightclub.
Garrick Darnell Mitchell, an employee at Owens Corning in Phenix City, was found about 1:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Davis Lounge after police were called to the business at 628 S. Seale Road on a possible shooting.
The cause of death was an apparent gunshot wound to the abdomen, Russell County Coroner Linda Key said. Mitchell, of 6 Mount Olive Drive, was pronounced dead at 3:45 a.m. at The Medical Center in Columbus."

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/9519763.htm

[MrBenchley]

32. Police Investigate Teen Shooting (MD)

"Baltimore County, MD (WJZ) Baltimore County police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy in the Essex area.
Police say it happened about 11 p.m. last night on Cutlass Court.
Officers responding to a report of shots fired found the boy unconscious on the ground with a gunshot wound. The teen, identified as Floyd Vines of Baltimore, was pronounced dead at Franklin Square hospital. "

http://wjz.com/localstories/local_story_243152538.html

[Endangered Specie]

34. Another case of our children protected by gun owners.

[MrBenchley]

35. And a splendid celebration of the RKBA

[MrBenchley]

36. Stafford left reeling (VA)

"Pamela J. Smith, 39, of 8 Parkwood Court was at her home Friday evening. With her was Delmar Phillip Taylor, 42, of Stafford. It's unclear what his relationship was to Smith, Sheriff Charles Jett said.
Earlier, James Michael Chiarilli, 36, of 310 Via De Rosa Drive, who lives not far away in North Stafford, had showed up at the house.
Chiarilli shot Taylor in the head and Smith in the abdomen before leaving the scene, Jett said.
Smith managed to get to a neighbor's house, where she pleaded for help and named her attacker."

http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2004/082004/08302004/1483798

[MrBenchley]

37. Boy suspected of shooting dad to stay in custody (TX)

"A 10-year-old boy taken into custody after the fatal shooting of his father will be held by juvenile authorities for at least another two weeks while prosecutors consider whether he should be charged.
The attorney for the boy, however, said today after a juvenile court hearing he expected a murder charge to be filed in the coming weeks against the son of slain 41-year-old physician Rick Lohstroh.
Lohstroh, who worked as an emergency room doctor in Galveston, had come to pick up his two children. According to a Harris County Sheriff's Department report, the older child retrieved a gun from his mother's bedroom, climbed into the back seat and began firing "through the back of the driver's seat striking his father."
"He then exited the vehicle and fired more times, striking his father's vehicle as well as a neighbor's car parked near the victim's vehicle," Sgt. B.E. Williams said in a statement. "He then returned to the house where the mother took the weapon from him and called 911." "

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2768528

And which group of right wing pinheads publishes a gun magazine for kids?

[MrBenchley]

38. Teen Arrested For Shooting 13-Year-Old

"(Rochester, NY) 08/30/04 -- A 19-year-old is under arrest for shooting a 13-year-old boy on a Rochester street last week.
Police arrested Diamond Bussy Friday night after investigators spoke to the victim in the hospital. The boy was shot once in the chest last Tuesday on Ambrose Street. "

http://www.wokr13.tv/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=B3543A2D-EA68-4097-B0EB-C56C16EB2DA9

[MrBenchley]

39. Shooting, Search Puts Westside On Edge (FL)

"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Police have two men in custody and are searching for a third after a shooting near the intersection of Beaver and Superior Streets this morning.
Police said one man was found in the street shot five times. He was reported in critical condition at Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center at noon.
Annie Morgan Elementary, about three blocks from the shooting scene, was in Code Yellow lockdown for a time while there was police activity in the area. The students were kept in their classrooms and no one was allowed in or out of the building until the alert was lifted about 12:30 p.m."

http://www.news4jax.com/news/3691204/detail.html