GUNS OF THE DAY--March 26. 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:
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[MrBenchley]

1. The wrong hands / A postal worker is victim of a boy's gun access

"In an ideal world, a 9-year-old boy wouldn't be able to get his hands on an illegal gun. In a just world, the boy wouldn't have to bear the weight of a postal worker's death on his still-developing conscience.
But the world isn't always a fit place for young or old, especially when it comes to the spread and availability of guns. After stumbling across his mother's .380-caliber pistol last June, a 9-year-old boy (whose name has not yet been divulged by authorities) took a shot, according to police, from his apartment window at a clump of trees behind the Crafton-Ingram Shopping Center.
U.S. postal inspectors said the boy indicated that he was shooting at a tree when the shot went off that killed Clayton J. Smith, 45, of Colliers, W.Va. According to investigators, Mr. Smith was standing next to his mail van when a bullet crashed into his back. In the blink of an eye, the mail carrier went from grabbing shade from the midday sun to fighting for his life at Allegheny General Hospital.
The authorities will handle the task of filing appropriate charges in the tragic death of Clayton Smith. But anyone who believes a society flooded with guns isn't the bigger problem is being shortsighted. "

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04086/291435.stm

[demsrule4life]

2. My pick for gun of the day

http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-rifles-m1a-stan.shtml

[Narf]

31. Very nice rifle, the M-1A

I wish I could afford one.

[pnb]

47. In an ideal world...

...the mother would have either not left the gun somewhere her child could find it or would have taught the child everything necessary to know about the gun and a proper respect for it.

The gun was just sitting there doing nothing. This could have been prevented in any number of ways, yet still allowed this woman to have a firearm. Because the mother chose not to do this is not the fault of a gun...and to blame the gun is what really is being shortsighted.

[MrBenchley]

3. Drugs, weapons found at Ashburn shooting scene (VA)

"Discovery of drugs, weapons and drug paraphernalia in the home of Matthew J. Lathram, charged with the shooting of 15-year old Donald "Nick" Shomaker, has the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office investigating the possibility that Lathram was a drug dealer.
In Lathram's home, authorities found $3,000 in illegal drugs, $1,700 in cash and three firearms, said Sheriff Steve Simpson in a press conference Thursday.
Also found was a semi-automatic Glock 9mm handgun believed to be used in the fatal shooting of Shomaker, a freshman at Broad Run High School.
The evidence in Lathram's home included (in approximate quantities) one-half pound of marijuana, one-half pound of hallucinogenic mushrooms, seven grams of cocaine, paraphernalia such as rolling papers and pipes, a colt .357 revolver and a Boito Italian-made shotgun with a sawed-off stock."

http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=11180863&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=506035&rfi=6

[TX-RAT]

17. Sadly they go hand in hand

[Spoonman]

30. Thus strengthening the argument

that banning firearms will deter criminals from having them.

[pnb]

49. Wow, a drug dealer shot someone!!

Whouda thunk it?

It sure is a good thing he was not allowed to have weapons or someone might have gotten hurt!!

[MrBenchley]

51. Hey, lowlifes and guns go together

I'd be the last to deny that...

[MrBenchley]

4. Alabama man arrested on gun charges in Burlington (MA)

"BURLINGTON An Alabama man staying at a long-term residence hotel was arrested Tuesday on gun charges.
Stephen L. Beaver, 51, of Montgomery, Ala. was charged with two counts possession of a firearm and two counts possession of ammunition.
Another resident at the Homestead Village Hotel complained to police about Beaver's guns about 7 p.m. Sunday.
Beaver did not have the proper permits so he surrendered his .45 caliber semiautomatic Heckler & Koch and his 9mm semiautomatic Heckler & Koch handguns at the hotel, according to Sgt. Glen A. Mills.
He was allowed to keep his .223 semiautomatic Bushmaster XM15 rifle."

http://www.lowellsun.com/Stories/0,1413,105~4761~2041169,00.html

[MrBenchley]

5. Mt. Lebanon officer relives point-blank shot (PA)

"A Mt. Lebanon police officer briefly dissolved into tears yesterday as he testified about being shot at close range while trying to quell a domestic dispute two years ago.
Daniel Rieg, a 16-year police veteran, testified in the first day of a trial for Edward Constant II, a former Carnegie Mellon University professor charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault.
Rieg and fellow Officer Jeffrey Kite were the first to respond to Constant's Piper Drive home after a neighbor, James Cowan, called to report a drunken disturbance on the night of May 26, 2002.
Cowan testified that Constant and his wife, Susan, were drinkers with a penchant for profanity when they were under the influence. But he said that night was the worst he'd seen in six years. He said the Constants were "liquored up and yelling" in what seemed to be a violent dispute."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04086/291557.stm

[Superfly]

6. Gun of the day...

Barett M-468 in...get this...6.8 Rem SPC

[demsrule4life]

8. That is nice

is that the caliber the military is thinking about going to?

[Superfly]

9. Oh, no...too much politics involved

for the military to give up 5.56 NATO or 7.62 NATO

[RoeBear]

7. My "gun of the day"

Actually it's my gun of everday.

[Superfly]

10. Can't go wrong with a Walther...

Ever try the Sig P230?

[slackmaster]

14. I don't like Walther PP or PPK triggers much

My small pocket-carry weapon is a Sig P232 (380 ACP).

[MrSandman]

73. That looks like my gun of the day...

and tomorrow.

Mine was made by interarms.

[MrBenchley]

11. Car of suspected highway gunman returned to Ohio

"COLUMBUS, Ohio - The car of Charles A. McCoy Jr. has been returned to Ohio where investigators will search it for evidence to build their case against the suspected highway shooter.
McCoy's green Chevrolet Metro was taken to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation in London on Thursday after it arrived from Las Vegas. McCoy was arrested in Las Vegas on March 17.
The FBI kept the car in Las Vegas with orders not to search it until it was brought to Ohio in a sealed container, said Steve Martin, chief deputy of the Franklin County Sheriff's office who heads the task force investigating the shootings."

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/local/8280888.htm

And in related news...

"CIRCLEVILLE - A man who authorities accuse of falsely blaming the highway shooter for damaging his father's minivan has pleaded not guilty to two felonies and a misdemeanor.
Adams told investigators in February that a bullet struck the vehicle in an area where 24 highway shootings had occurred on Columbus' south side. He called 911 from his home in Pickaway County, about 30 miles south of Columbus.
Adams later told authorities he accidentally hit the van while target shooting but was afraid to tell his father, according to court documents."

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/local/8281532.htm

[MrBenchley]

12. Standoff Ends, Evacuated Neighbors Return Home (NM)

"Residents evacuated overnight because of a dangerous SWAT standoff returned home Thursday.
Police said the 11-hour ordeal ended after Joseph Sobczk, 40, fatally shot himself.
Investigators said the incident started Wednesday afternoon, when Sobczk's wife called police saying her husband was upset and depressed.
Police said Sobczk fired several shots at officers when they showed up at the house. Negotiators tried to talk to Sobczk on the phone, then with a bullhorn. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=375&ncid=375&e=3&u=/ibsys/20040326/lo_koat/2067443

[MrBenchley]

13. Woman gets life in death of her mate (PA)

"A Stroud Township woman convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of her common-law husband was sentenced to life in prison Thursday in Monroe County Court.
Teri Lynn Levanduski, 42, was sentenced by President Judge Ronald E. Vican for her role in the fatal shooting of Robert Sandt in November 2002 in their Stroud Township home. Levanduski was convicted in January.
Levanduski was not accused of shooting Sandt, but of conspiring with her boyfriend, Lennard Paul Fransen, a New Jersey truck driver, to kill Sandt."

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b3-3levanduskimar26,0,584257.story?coll=all-newslocal-hed

[MrBenchley]

15. Expert says gun was 'accident waiting to happen' (NJ)

Yeah, good thing guns are exempt from product safety regulations....NOT.

"SOMERVILLE, N.J. | A weapons expert for Jayson Williams testified at his manslaughter trial Thursday that the retired NBA star's shotgun was ''an accident waiting to happen.''
Although the judge told the jury to disregard that comment, much of the testimony gave support to the defense claim that Williams accidentally shot and killed a van driver after snapping shut the shotgun. The defense also maintains that the model was prone to malfunction.
For instance, he pointed to the area in which two of those components, the hammer and the sear, meet. In a new Citori, the hammer is restrained from striking the firing pin by a ledge of metal on the sear that measures only 14 to 16 thousandths of an inch — the width of three sheets of typing paper — Ernest said.
But the wear on Williams' gun has reduced the contact area of the metal, he said: ''These surfaces are not going to be able to mate together properly, and they are hanging by a thread.''
''The more rounded these surfaces become, the easier it is for the weapon to malfunction,'' said Ernest, a former crime scene investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who now owns Alliance Forensic Laboratory in Fort Worth, Texas."

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b9-3nj-williamsmar26,0,7336764.story?coll=all-newslocal-hed

[demsrule4life]

18. Yea right

sounds like to me Jayson Williams "accidently pulled the trigger". I've owned Browning citoris all my life and not once had one gone off when I closed the action. And of course it begs the question why was he pointing a gun at someone while closing the action? Nope not the guns fault, the idiot holding it.

[slackmaster]

24. Weapon is not at fault for its owner failing to properly maintain it

Any mechanical device can wear out and become unsafe.

[iverglas]

27. ah, the liability issues it could raise

Do firearms manufacturers provide purchasers with recommended maintenance / checkup schedules like car manufacturers do?

Up here, cars have to be safety checked when ownership is transferred, as a way of making sure that at least some cars on the road have functioning brakes and turn signals and the like. Any requirement for that when firearms are transferred? (Watch out: the more I learn about stuff, the more I'm getting ideas for things to be added to that Canadian firearms registry.)

Many buyers could not be presumed to have the specialized knowledge they'd need in order to know when to have a safety check done on their firearms. But if an owner did have such knowledge, or had notice, and failed to get any necessary repairs done, and this kind of "accidental" killing resulted, would that be some kind of culpably negligent homicide? Kinda like hitting a pedestrian while driving a car with no brakes might be?

If a manufacturer or vendor failed to put buyers on notice of what is needed in order to keep a piece of potentially lethal equipment, that is beyond the technical knowledge of many owners (who aren't required to take any training before being permitted to make the purchase, right?) in safe working order, would there be liability? Civil? criminal?

Ah, if only I were still a lawyer ...

$$$$$

.

[slackmaster]

28. Every new firearm comes with an owner's manual

The manuals all contain detailed procedures for cleaning, inspecting, and maintaining the weapon for safety. About every other page is a dire warning that failure to follow proper operation and maintenance procedures can result in a risk of injury or death.

Up here, cars have to be safety checked when ownership is transferred, as a way of making sure that at least some cars on the road have functioning brakes and turn signals and the like. Any requirement for that when firearms are transferred?

No, but firearms safety instructors always urge people to have newly purchased used weapons inspected by a gunsmith. It's common sense, you know.

[iverglas]

37. ah yes, common sense

No, but firearms safety instructors always urge people to have newly purchased used weapons inspected by a gunsmith. It's common sense, you know.

And surely it's obvious that relying on individuals' common sense as the bulwark against other people getting hurt isn't always necessarily the best defence against bad things happening.

Whence speed limits ...

And of course, no one is required to take a firearms safety course, right?

The manuals all contain detailed procedures for cleaning, inspecting, and maintaining the weapon for safety. About every other page is a dire warning that failure to follow proper operation and maintenance procedures can result in a risk of injury or death.

I'd hoped as much. So someone whose firearm failed to perform properly as a result of his/her failure to perform necessary maintenance checks and repairs, and whose firearm caused harm when it failed to perform properly, would be liable for the harm, as I would for harm caused when the brakes on my never-maintained car failed? Civilly and, potentially, criminally?

.

[MrBenchley]

39. By the way, you can see that the pecking order

for the RKBA crowd (thanks to the past two days of posting is athlete always tops victim, but gun always tops athlete...

[MrBenchley]

40. Woman Shot by Gun in Oven (TX)

"A San Antonio woman was shot in the leg this morning when a handgun that a visitor had stashed in her oven, without telling her, discharged when the oven was turned on.
Police say it all started a couple of weeks ago when two men arrived at the home of Roxanne Perez, 29 in the 300 block of Ware, on the city's south side, and one of them had a .357 handgun with him. Perez told the men she didn't allow handguns in her home, so rather than taking it out to the car, the man stashed it in the oven when she wasn't looking, and din't (sic) bother to warn her. "

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=0FC42237-1C33-487D-91D0-661627D80101

[Wickerman]

62. Hey, I know the 300 Block of Ware

I think I might even like to be armed there. Just kidding. How dumb do ya have to be to forget where you placed your .357?

I can understand not using your oven for a few weeks, though.

[MrBenchley]

65. We had one like this a couple months ago...

We also had a shooting where the gun was hidden in a cookie jar...where a kid would never think to look </sarcasm>...

[iverglas]

66. I *thought* so

That exploding gun in oven business just sounded so familiar.

I'd better be careful not to hide my lawn darts in mine ...

.

[MrBenchley]

67. <snicker> n/t

[iverglas]

46. aha

By the way, you can see that the pecking order
for the RKBA crowd (thanks to the past two days of posting) is athlete always tops victim, but gun always tops athlete...

I'd been trying to figure out what was going on, because I did in fact notice what seemed to be a bit of a glitch in the logic and it truly was bothering me, and I was actually thinking of inquiring how come everybody was jumping on the "he did it" bandwagon. Innocent until when?

Thank you. It makes perfect sense now.

(And forgive my correcting your grammar by closing the parentheses so I could finally make sense of that sentence, which I'd thought at first was some kind of machine trnslation ...)

.

[MrBenchley]

53. Quite all right....

What's especially risible is that after all that fervent victim-bashing by the RKBA crowd, there's a member of that repellant group actually trying to upbraid Co Liberal for noting that in the wider world, gun nuts are victim bashing as well....

[demsrule4life]

63. Actually he put the gun before the athlete

when he added his little quip about firearm manufacturing liability laws.

[demsrule4life]

56. Bullshit

I already said the athlete was at fault. I don't give a shit if a gun is working fine or not, you never point a gun at someone loaded or not. I fucking cant believe you would argue this, unless of course you are one of those people who think guns cause injuries all by themselves.

[slackmaster]

58. I think someone needs to review Pert_UK's thread again

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=46756&mesg_id=46756

[slackmaster]

52. I don't know enough about criminal negligence to comment

I'd think a person who was grossly negligent in maintaining a gun might face criminal liability, but I'm not a lawyer.

And of course, no one is required to take a firearms safety course, right?

Most states require a firearms safety course for people who apply for concealed weapons permits. Californians who wish to buy a handgun must have a valid Handgun Safety Certificate card and (effective 1/1/2003) demonstrate basic safe handling of the gun before they can take delivery of it. There's a mish-mash of other requirements among the states.

But I think it's important to look at the bottom line - Most modern firearms are thoroughly overbuilt for safety, and accidents caused by worn out or improperly maintained firearms are very rare. Manufacturers voluntarily follow guidelines published by an industry consortium called the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Instutitute - See http://www.saami.org .

[iverglas]

25. but wouldn't it just be ironic

... if he did pull that trigger, but he gets off because of a demonstrated flaw in the thing that raises reasonable doubt as to whether he did it (after all, he's just as entitled to a vigorous defence as any other guy, right?) ... and nobody could sue the maker of the defective product?

.

[slackmaster]

26. What are you talking about now?

... and nobody could sue the maker of the defective product?

Where did that concept come from?

:shrug:

[Narf]

34. Was the product defective?

Or was it a case of failing to maintain an otherwise correctly functioning firearm that made it fail?

[iverglas]

38. well yes indeed

Was the product defective?

That was what I was getting at.

I may well have misconstrued the opinion of the expert quoted; when he said that the firearm was "an accident waiting to happen" and described the workings of the particular breed of firearm and the problem that might exist, I took that to mean that there was a design flaw. My inference may well have been incorrect, and the problem described may well indeed have been a reference to a need for maintenance and failure to perform it.

.

[Narf]

42. Agreed.

If the design or manufacture of the gun was defective than I say sue the manufacturer. If, however, the discharge was caused by failure to maintain an otherwise correctly functioning firearm than the blame rests squarely on the owner of the shotgun.

I think it's all smoke and mirrors and the shotgun functioned exactly as designed: The trigger was pulled and the gun fired...intentionally.

[Spoonman]

41. A weapons expert......

Who was PAID to give his "expert" and "unbiased":eyes: opinion.

And by the way, gun manufacturers are not exempt from product safety regulations liability. They are exempt, as are the manufactures of EVERY product made, exempt from criminal use or use in contradiction to safe operation of their products.

[MrBenchley]

45. Not so, spoon....

Gun manufacturers ARE exempt from consumer product safety regulations. They are NOT exempt from ordinary liability law, despite the disgraceful recent effort of the scummy gun industry and the GOP.

[MrBenchley]

16. Arbutus man, 51, fatally shot by officer (MD)

"An eight-year veteran of the Baltimore County police force was put on routine administrative leave after fatally shooting a man who pointed a shotgun at officers late Wednesday night in Arbutus, police said.
Officers had been called to the house on Circle Drive about 11:30 p.m. to investigate reports that shots had been fired. A domestic dispute had apparently escalated to the point that Adrian Matthew Painter, 51, had grabbed a shotgun, said Officer Shawn Vinson, a spokesman for the Police Department.
When Painter walked onto the porch with the gun, officers yelled for him to put down the weapon, but he instead raised it and pointed it at them, Vinson said. "

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/yahoo/bal-md.shooting26mar26,0,755528.story?coll=bal-newsaol-headlines

[TX-RAT]

19. officers nightmare

[Narf]

35. Sounds like the gene pool just got a little cleaner.

Any idiot who points a shotgun at an armed, uniformed police officer was just begging to be shot.

[iverglas]

48. did we get your location on the political compass?

Sounds like the gene pool just got a little cleaner.

You're not actually standing over there with Gandhi when it comes to "the supreme value of the individual", I see.

I can think of a different name on the demo chart that such sentiments are in fact usually associated with.

[MrBenchley]

50. I think we got it nice and clear

whatever numbers get "reported."

[Narf]

54. I'm to the right of Gandhi...

My numbers actually came out at 0.00 x -3.92.

The "individual" was stupid. What possible reason could he have had for pointing a shotgun at a police officer?

[MrBenchley]

20. Shooting may be drug-related (TX)

"FORT WORTH - Suspicions about tainted drugs may have sparked the chase on Northeast Loop 820 that led to a 21-year-old Watauga man being shot in the head, police said Thursday.
Justin Jones, 21, remained at Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital. Information on his condition was not disclosed.
Sgt. Mike Decker said the shooting might have taken place after Jones, driving a red pickup, and occupants of another car tried to catch up with a car being driven by a suspected drug dealer."

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/8282876.htm

[Spoonman]

29. Amazing

Criminals doing criminal shit!

These criminals are a prime example of why gun ownership by honest citizens should be banned forever:eyes:

[Narf]

32. Excellent point...

If you and I are prohibited from owning guns then the criminals will simply turn theirs in and resort to a life of helping little old ladies to cross the street.

[iverglas]

44. just like the point on that lawn dart

... that fell from the sky. You know, the one the criminal's firearm was attached to.

Ouch! Well, what have we hear? A gun?! O lucky day, a gun, for me to keep and to bear. (Anybody else notice the similarity between the phraseology used by RKBAers and people getting married? To keep and to bear, from this day onward, forsaking all others ...)

How do all those firearms just keep dropping out of the sky like that?

Wouldn't you think that in some place, at some time, they were pretty much all in the possession of some law-abiding gun owner or other?

The manufacturer that supplied the vendor that sells to criminals ... the private individual who left his/her firearm lying around the living room for a criminal to steal ... the private individual who decided to update his/her means of self-protection and sold the old one on to whoever answered the classified ad ...

But no. We know they all just drop like lawn darts from the sky at the feet of bad guys, and there ain't a damned thing we can do about it.


Oh, btw ...

If you and I are prohibited from owning guns then the criminals will simply turn theirs in and resort to a life of helping little old ladies to cross the street.

... have you given that straw fella a name? Does it need any kind of special diet, to keep it so hale and hearty and capable of being dragged out at a moment's notice whenever the whim strikes?

I propose we call her "Ida". As in "Ida know whether it will fool anybody this time, but let's give it a shot". (haha, a firearm joke)

But maybe it's a he. "Ike". As in "Ike ant think of anything meaningful to say, so I'll pretend somebody said something that nobody ever said and point at it and shriek in terror and maybe I'll manage to scare a bunch of other people enough that they don't notice there's nothing there".

Ah, Friday afternoon.

.

[Narf]

59. Criminals get firearms the same way they've always gotten them..

Illegally. By theft, purchasing them from another criminal, or from a crooked gun dealer. There are most certainly crooked gun dealers and people who buy guns from non-crooked dealers but then in turn sell them to their criminal friends. There are over 65,000,000 guns in this country and, according to the Department of Justice there were 357,822 crimes committed with guns in the U.S. in 2002 (last year figures are available for). That means that 0.05% of guns in the country were used to commit crimes. The number is actually less since it is reasonable to assume that some guns were used in the commission of more than one crime.

[MrBenchley]

21. 'Armed And Dangerous' Man Stands Off With Police (MI)

"More than a dozen officers have lined a street with their guns drawn inside a southwest Detroit neighborhood as a gunman barricaded himself inside Friday morning.
The gunman, Felipe Torres, allegedly fled from police as they tried to arrest him at a home on Central Street in connection with multiple shootings committed earlier this week, Local 4 reported.
Torres fled police and kicked in the door or window of a nearby house on an undisclosed street and is holed up inside. Local 4 reported the area is near Central and Wagner, but for security reasons the exact address has not been released. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040326/lo_wdiv/2068702&e=1

[MrBenchley]

22. Lives spared when loaded gun misfires (TN)

"Athens authorities say two young Athens men have been jailed after one of them allegedly pointed a loaded handgun at a woman said to be 37 weeks pregnant and pulled the trigger.
Ryan D. Sharpe, 20, of 1312 Chilhowee Drive, Athens, was charged Wednesday afternoon with aggravated assault, and Brent D. Brabson, 18, of 501 Bank St., Athens, was charged with aiding and abetting aggravated assault, in connection with an incident at Lot 21 in Belle-Aire Trailer Park off Congress Parkway.
Athens Police Officer Penny Richardello answered a disturbance call at the mobile home park just after noon yesterday.
Brabson allegedly told the residents he had a gun and “was not afraid to use it,” Richardello stated. “Mr. Sharpe then pulled out a gun and pointed it at (the alleged victim), who is 37 weeks pregnant, and stated that they was going to both die today, and pulled the trigger.” "

http://www.dpa.xtn.net/index.php?table=news&template=news.view.subscriber&newsid=109719

[MrBenchley]

23. Saginaw teen in custody after gun found in her handbag in school

"SAGINAW -- A 16-year-old Saginaw High School student is in the county's juvenile detention center after a teacher found a loaded handgun in her purse, police said.
The .380-caliber pistol was found Wednesday by a teacher who opened the teen's purse to see who owned the bag, Detective Sgt. Mark Lively told The Saginaw News for a Friday story.
The teen's boyfriend, also a student at the school, said the weapon was his, and that he bought it "on the street" the day before for protection in school."

http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm19061_20040326.htm

Quick...what REALLY SCUMMY right wing lobbying group that has racist Ted Nugent on its board publishes a gun magazine for kids?

[Columbia]

33. "Gun of the Day"

The M1 Garand. Protector of freedom carried by GIs worldwide during World War II.



Ping!

[Narf]

36. Another nice rifle....

The only real shortcoming of the design was the magazine. Couldn't reload the thing until the previous 8-shot clip was ejected and the noise of the empty clip being ejected was quite distinctive. I'm told it caused a lot of problems in close-quarters combat when the bad guy would take cover until he heard the GIs Garand empty and, upon hearing the clip eject, would attack, knowing that the GI was busy reloading.
Still, the rifle is a solid, reliable design and the .30-06 is a fantastic round.

[MrBenchley]

43. Police shoot gunman near Rolling Prairie (TX)

"ROLLING PRAIRIE — LaPorte County Sheriff’s deputies said they were forced to shoot a LaPorte man early this morning after he pointed a rifle at officers outside his home.
The 40-year-old man, who has a history with police, was on life support this morning at LaPorte Hospital. He did not fire any shots at the 17 officers who surrounded the residence at 0500 E. U.S. 20.
Today’s shooting marks the second in three days in LaPorte County.
On Tuesday in Michigan City, William Witt Jr. shot and killed a neighbor and himself, and injured a police officer."

http://www.heraldargus.com/content/story.php?storyid=4280

[MrBenchley]

55. Man Accused Of Killing Stepfather Defends Self In Court (TX)

"Williams grilled his mother, Betty Baird, on the witness stand, trying to get her to admit she killed her husband.
The defendant was accused of shooting Baird, then locking his mother in a bedroom while he cut up Baird's body with a power saw.
"I didn't dare open that door. I didn't dare go out of that room," Betty Baird responded to William's questioning. "You were pulling me by my wrists and I was resisting to go out the door. You had that wild look in your eyes." "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=320&ncid=320&e=5&u=/ibsys/20040326/lo_kprc/2068649

[MrBenchley]

57. Parolee Charged in Clerk's Slaying (CA)

"John Steadman Nilsen, 46, of Marina del Rey faces charges of murder and first-degree robbery, as well as special-circumstance allegations that could make him eligible for the death penalty, Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Matt Murphy said.
Nilsen allegedly walked into the store in the 16000 block of Beach Boulevard on Jan. 29 and demanded cash from Shawna Wolfgram, who was in her second month as a cashier.
Police said Wolfgram apparently thought the gunman was joking. When she realized he wasn't — and screamed for help over the store's intercom system, he shot her once in the heart at close range. The gunman fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.
Nilsen, who was arrested at his South Bay home, was linked to the crime by witnesses and videotapes of the holdup that were captured on the store's 16-camera surveillance system, authorities said. "

http://www.latimes.com/news/yahoo/la-me-clerk26mar26,1,5593532.story?coll=la-newsaol-headlines

[MrBenchley]

60. Man Accused In Nite City Shooting To Stand Trial (WI)

The man accused of killing a town of Madison night club bouncer last December will stand trial.
Shandrell Evans, 28, is accused of gunning down Nite City bouncer Timothy Wooten, 25, through a doorway of the club. Another bouncer was shot in the arm. Wooten was a newlywed and father of four. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=300&ncid=300&e=1&u=/ibsys/20040326/lo_wisc/2068778

[MrBenchley]

61. Mount Horeb Bank Robbed At Gun Point (WI)

"Police are looking for a man suspected of robbing a bank in Mount Horeb.
The man robbed the Amcore Bank on Highways 18 and 151 at about 3:45 p.m. Thursday.
The man entered the bank, showed a gun to employees and demanded money. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=300&ncid=300&e=5&u=/ibsys/20040326/lo_wisc/2068343

[MrBenchley]

64. Glyndon couple found dead in apparent murder-suicide (MN)

"GLYNDON, Minn. - Clay County authorities were investigating on Friday an apparent homicide-suicide at a home in this small western Minnesota town.
The sheriff's office reported that a man apparently shot his wife and then himself at about 6:45 a.m. They were both declared dead at the scene."

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/state/minnesota/8283898.htm

[CO Liberal]

68. Deputies find man on probation, 20 guns (OR)

Yet another law-abiding gun owner....NOT!!!! - Wayne

* * * * *

Deputies find man on probation, 20 guns

Also found in the search of a man's rented room are methamphetamine and marijuana, officials say

03/26/04

PATRICK HARRINGTON

Authorities on Thursday arrested a Portland man on probation after they found more than 20 guns in his possession, including some buried in the ground outside his rented room in Corbett.

Multnomah County sheriff's deputies also found an ounce of methamphetamine, a quarter-pound of marijauna and blasting caps used to detonate explosives, said Lt. Mike Shults, a sheriff's spokesman.

A Portland police explosives-disposal unit was called to the home at 1631 N.E. Chamberlain Road in Corbett to dispose of the blasting caps, Shults said. Deputies did not know why the man, Rodney Allen Enos, 40, of Portland, had the weapons or the blasting caps, he said.

Sheriff's deputies had gone to the home while performing an investigation unrelated to Enos, Shults said. When Enos identified himself and deputies realized he was on probation for drug-possession charges, they asked permission to search his home, Shults said. After deputies found a weapon, Shults said, Enos told them where the other weapons were hidden or buried.

As a condition of his probation, Enos was not allowed to have guns.

<more>

http://www.oregonlive.com/metroeast/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_east_news/108030577692150.xml

[CO Liberal]

69. Here's My Choice for "Gun Of The Day"

It's a glue gun - cordless, and butane-powered.

Ooooooooohhhh....

:-)

[FeebMaster]

70. I think they should be banned.

They get hot and could be dangerous. Butane powered? Must be one of those assault glue guns.

[MrBenchley]

71. Father Of Boy Who Shot Himself Reaches Plea Agreement (FL)

"A father whose 3-year-old shot and killed himself with his dad's gun will not have to go to prison.
Travis Jenkins Sr. reached a plea agreement Friday. Jenkins pleaded no contest to culpable negligence in the death of Travis Jr. The 3-year-old shot himself in the face in January when he was left in a car nearby where his father was talking to a friend."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040326/lo_wplg/2069168

[iverglas]

72. but but

Wasn't Neil Munro just telling us ...

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/03242004/opi_20040324016.shtml

Guns in the house are not necessarily a great hazard, either. National data at the time of the debate showed just 44 gun-related deaths at home of children under 10.

So I'm sure you're just sensationalizing things.

Oh, I get it! That kid was in the car, not at home. Scratch him.

And I nonetheless scratch my head about Munro's statement. "Just 44" deaths ... a year? a month? an hour?

What an odd turn of phrase, in more ways than one.

.

[MrBenchley]

74. By the way

this was another CCW holder, of the sort we keep being assured are well-trained and no menace to anyone....

[saigon68]

75. My Grandkids love this game

Redneck Rampage is a ruckus-raisin' riot of a first-person 3D shooter set in the fictional town of Hickston, Arkansas. Armed with up to ten impractical weapons, players blast their way through country bars, trailer parks, and chicken processing plants in search of their missing pig who's been abducted by evil aliens. But they ain't gonna make it without enough fuel (pork rinds and whiskey) to fend off good ol' boys with sawed-off shotguns who aim to blow away their bony behinds.

A Butt-Kickin, Gun-Totin 3D Romp through Hickston USA
14 Levels featurin Mortuaries, Chicken Processing Plants, Trailer Parks and load more.
8 player multi-redneck, deathmatch action and modem play.
Ten brutal weapons includin crowbars, dynamite, shotguns, ripsaw blades, and alien arm gun.
But stopin soundtrack featurin Mojo Nixon, The reverend Horton Heat, and Cement Pond.

Its a little crude and old for adults, but just great for kids.