Gun Control, who's for it?

Our children depended on us to protect therm as they were growing up, and just wait till you have a grandchild to protect. We have a database of registered sex offenders here and Canada surely has one also. I have signed up to get notification of any offenders who move within a mile of my residence. If you have responsibility for your grandchild I would recommend that you look into doing the same.

I couldn't live with myself if something happened to one of my grandchildren on "my watch."

Slàinte,    

Patch    

Patch;

Here in Ontario it is the law that the Police warn the residence of a community or area when a registered sex offender moves into the area.


Camac.

Camac one question...

Where would you get the gun to "shoot the cur"...if guns were not allowed?

Would this person wait while you ran to the local constable to get a permit that might take months, then you would have him/her wait while you run to the state store to purchase your weapon?

Self defence is needed in an instant, not something that requires crime to wait while you stumble through government regs and red tape...

That is good! There are also other crimes that touch children but pedophilia is probably the most common.

You do not have to buy a firearm to protect your family but other means require more of a "hands on" approach. Long hat pins and/or "blow gun" darts are easily concealed and when used to pin a portion of the criminals anatomy to their leg, allows for time to escape. Ammonia in a leak proof squirt bottle does well too. As we get older, we usually do not do as well in "close" combat thus something that works at a distance is better.

Slàinte,    

Patch    

Shadows;

Although I do not have a firearm and will not have one. I do however have access to and know how to use many fire arms including a Colt 45 Peacemaker and if necessary a 1775 working Brown Bess.

Twenty years ago my youngest daughter was threatened by a classmate in highschool who told her he was going to rape and kill her. It was reported to the police and eventually dismissed as just a teenager mouthing off. Well shortly after this occured my daughter ran into him in the Pharmacy and came running out to the car to tell me. We were going fishing and I had my hunting knife with me. I walked into the Pharmacy found the little bastard and in front of the Pharmacist and a couple of other witnesses told him in a loud voice that if he ever threatened to rape my daughter again or go anywhere near her I would cut his (B---s) genitals off with the hunting knife I was holding in my hand. As I left I told him where I was going and he could call the police and tell them what I threatened and where I was. Never heard another thing about it.

Camac

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic."

--Justice Joseph Story

Slàinte,    

Patch     

In talking with "officers" of the Gun Club, to which I belong, information becoming available now indicates that the nature of firearms sales is changing. In the past, though sales were at consistently high levels, the number of NEW firearms owners did not increase as fast as sales. That is no longer the case. Many who have not owned firearms previously are now arming themselves. Though it is impossible to determine the exact number, somewhere in excess 150 million firearms are now in private hands across the US. The govt. has remained with it's estimate of 90 million in spite of record sales for over two years. Conservative estimates are that now approximately 65 to 70 million people own or have access to these firearms. Considering that our population is about 350 million, counting illegal immigrants they are spread across the country quite well.

Ammunition sales are at all time highs and have been since the last election. Manufacturers have now caught up with the demand thus supplies are again readily available. Safety, self defense and hunting classes are in high demand and in some areas, it is necessary to book "range time" several weeks in advance to become and/or remain proficient with one's firearm.

The trend seems to show no sign of letting up.

Personally I have found that "once fired" brass and hulls are hard to find but new, though more expensive, is plentiful. My reloading equipment is all "manual" now but I am now pricing power driven automatic reloading equipment. It will take the tedium out of reloading and reduce the possibility of errors.

Americans seem to be taking their Second Amendment rights very seriously!!

Slàinte,

Patch

Get your bus tickets for the Second Amendment March in D.C.

Paul,

If you're planning to attend the historic Second Amendment March in Washington D.C. on Monday, April 19, you still have a chance to get a ride.

BFA

Most if not all states are planning to send representation. Many need to know now soon so they can add extra busses or charter flights. This will be on the heels of the Tea Party rally on "tax day" April 15. DC will be a busy place in April.

Slàinte,    

Patch        

From BFA

A Tribute to Ben & Nikki Goeser

Submitted by cbaus on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 07:00.

By Linda Walker

One year ago today, the world lost a special man that I never had the privilege of meeting. Yet this man left a huge impact on the world after his death.

On April 2, 2009, Hank Wise walked into Johnny's Sports Bar in Nashville, Tenn. He had stalked Nikki Goeser as she and her husband Ben Goeser ran their karaoke business at various clubs throughout the area. Wise had tormented Nikki for months and had often been told to leave her alone. Yet that fateful night one year ago today left Ben Goeser gunned down by this jealous beast.

But the purpose of this story is not to dwell on this tragedy, but to talk about the positive results that have come from this horrible event.

I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason, and you hold onto this "thing" and you grow from this "thing" and you become the best person you can and you make sure you live everyday like it is your last day.

Perhaps Ben never knew that his loving wife Nikki would rise up from the ashes of this horrible event and become a strong crusader for Second Amendment Rights. Maybe he never knew that in his death, he would become a martyr for innocent victims so they would be able to defend themselves in no-gun zones. Perhaps he never knew that he would become famous after his death. But, I'd bet he knew that his loving wife had the strength to turn this fateful night into the positive actions that she has!

Nikki Goeser has embraced the death of her Ben, and has made it a mission to use it to help each state that will have her, educate its legislature on the Second Amendment. Ohioans have now had the privilege of Nikki testifying before the House and Senate committees hearing "restaurant carry" legislation. She didn't need to make the trip to Ohio TWICE for our benefit. But she did! Ask yourself: has this feisty Tennessee woman done more for gun rights in Ohio than you have?

I didn't know Ben Goeser, but I sure wish I had gotten the opportunity to meet him. I can only know him through the pictures that now are left behind, but I can tell that Ben was the fun-loving, kind, gentle man that Nikki has told me about.


As we go through life, we all will have some sort of tragedy hit one of our loved ones. I know - it has happened to my loved ones as well. You can either let it eat you alive or you can do as Nikki and I have done, and put that tragedy to work for the betterment of yourself and mankind. We could have blamed the gun! But it was NOT the gun that took our loved ones. It was the beast behind the gun. I question in my mind why people such as Toby Hoover or Sarah Brady cannot see it.

Nikki Goeser commented "My husband Ben taught me that no matter what happens in your life, you can either choose to stay down or you can rise above. I choose to take the love he shared with me and turn it into something positive. It was because he loved me with everything he had that I keep going and fighting for what is right. No one should go through what Ben and I have been through. Ben will always have my heart no matter where life takes me. He was a wonderful man."

The leadership team and supporters of Buckeye Firearms Association send out our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the Goeser family as they remember their Ben on the first anniversary of his passing. Ben, you sent a gift from heaven to all of us. Her name is Nikki! And we thank you for that, Ben.


By Linda Walker



My thoughts!

As a personal observation not included by the author, a law against carrying a firearm into that bar did not stop the stalker. Had it been legal for licensed citizens to do so, an innocent life might have been saved that night.

Slàinte,    

Patch    

The latest newsletter has several excellent news stories. There are several more for later.

Man shoots sex offender attempting home invasion; Columbus Dispatch describes aggressor as "victim"

Submitted by cbaus on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 15:00.


By Gerard Valentino

Yet another potential home invasion ended with an honest law-abiding citizen using a gun for self-defense. According to The Columbus Dispatch, a convicted sex offender was shot while trying to break into an apartment and died from his injuries.

From the story:

Columbus police yesterday identified the victim in a Friday night shooting on the Northeast Side as Charles R. Sprague, 35, of Columbus.

Sprague was shot while trying to break into an apartment at 5764 Cooper Rd., said detective James Day of the homicide squad. A man inside the apartment fired shots because he felt threatened by Sprague, Day said.

"It appeared that the victim in this incident was the aggressor and that the shooter was acting in self-defense," Day said. "He'd actually tried to force his way into the apartment at the back door when this occurred."

Clearly, nobody wins when a criminal forces an honest person to use deadly force. However, considering the alternatives if the home invasion had been successful, this was a far better outcome.

It is never acceptable to describe a home invader as the "victim." The shooter in this case is the victim. His home was the target of a criminal invasion and he was the one attacked. He was forced into a situation where he needed to defend his life from a criminal, a predator.

The fact remains that when an honest person is forced to shoot someone in self-defense there are consequences. Some end up with post-traumatic stress disorder and some are even ostracized by their own friends and family if they've killed another human being. Often, the stigma of having killed affects all aspects of the law-abiding citizen's life.

There is also the uncertainty of being run through the criminal justice system even though it would seem to be a formality in clear-cut cases of self-defense. Still, this shooter has to live under the cloud of having his actions put before a grand jury.

Anyone not familiar with how the process works is likely going to be apprehensive and is likely going to have to retain an attorney which adds financial burden to an emotionally taxing situation. Even if the shooter is cleared completely by the police and grand jury the fact remains that a law-abiding citizen had his life turned upside down through no fault of his own.

Clearly, that makes the shooter in this case a victim in the truest sense of the word. He didn't ask for a convicted sex offender to invade his home and he did what any honest person would do when in fear for their own life.

Describing the person who put the entire series of unfortunate events in motion as the victim is also unjust. Instead, the criminal should be described as the aggressor or perpetrator because, despite the fact that he lost his life, he is anything but a victim.

Unfortunately, there are many stories like this also:

Phoenix News


Uncle accidentally shot teen as she entered Avondale home

by Jennifer Thomas and Alicia E. Barrón

Posted on February 1, 2010 at 5:03 PM


AVONDALE – Police say a 14-year-old girl was accidentally shot by her uncle at her Avondale home Monday afternoon.

Avondale police officers found Deserae Novoa in the front yard of her home with her uncle, Jorge Miramontes, attending to her.

Police say Miramontes, 29, shot the girl when she walked through the garage and into her home near 108th Lane and Jefferson in Avondale.

Detective Reuben Gonzales said Miramontes was inside the home when he heard noises in the garage and thought an intruder was entering the house through the garage entry door. He fired one round through the door, striking Deserae in the upper torso.

Miramontes realized it was Deserae and called 911. He carried her onto the front lawn as he tried to help her.

Gonzales said the girl was airlifted to St. Joseph's Hospital where she is listed in stable condition. She is expected to make a full recovery.

After speaking to the teen and her uncle, detectives determined that this was an accidental shooting.

The investigation has been forwarded to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review of any possible charges against Miramontes.

Actually, these stories are in the minority.

That said, the Uncle broke the law. I am not aware of any state where you can fire at an unidentified individual through a door.

The Castle Doctrine laws of many states allow for the defense of your home but the person must have forced their way in against your will and the lower bar to meet, you must fear for your life.

Uncle Jorge could have used a knife or bat in the dark and the event may have been legal, The barrier that shows intent is the closed door.

Keep an eye on the news! The young lady may be about to "spill the beans" about her relationship with Uncle Jorge! That suspicion comes from a period many years ago involved in law enforcement.

Slàinte,    

Patch    

According to whom?

NSSF/Harris Survey: Support Grows for Applying 2nd Amendment to States
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Submitted by cbaus on Mon, 04/05/2010 - 15:00.

With the U.S. Supreme Court set to issue its decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago in a few months, a new NSSF poll conducted by Harris Interactive finds 8 in 10 Americans agree with this statement: "State and local governments are bound by law to comply with the Second Amendment."

The 80 percent who indicated their support in the March 15 online survey of general population adults 18 and over is an increase from the 77 percent who did so in an NSSF/Harris Interactive poll last September, prior to the Supreme Court hearing the case.

At issue in McDonald is whether the Second Amendment will be applied to cities and states through the 14th Amendment, thereby making the individual right to keep and bear arms national in scope. The 2008 Heller decision guaranteed that right in areas regulated by the federal government only, such as the District of Columbia.

This was just released this AM by BFA (not Copyrighted)

Judge advises Ashtabula County residents to "arm themselves" in face of law enforcement cut-backs
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Submitted by cbaus on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 07:00.

* Guns in the News

By Chad D. Baus

Ashtabula County Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey made national headlines over the weekend after he advised residents to "arm themselves" in the face of severe budget cuts that have reduced the number of sheriff's deputies in the state's largest county by land area from 112 to 49, and parked all but one patrol car.

The quote was first published at WKYC.com:

The Ashtabula County Jail has confined as many as 140 prisoners. It now houses only 30 because of reductions in the staff of corrections officers.

All told, 700 accused criminals are on a waiting list to serve time in the jail.

Are there dangerous people free among the 700 who cannot be locked up?

"There probably are," Sheriff Johnson said, "but I'm telling you, any known violent criminal, we're housing them. We've got murderers in there."

Ashtabula County is the largest county in Ohio by land area.

Ashtabula County Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey was asked what residents should do to protect themselves and their families with the severe cutback in law enforcement.

"Arm themselves," the judge said. "Be very careful, be vigilant, get in touch with your neighbors, because we're going to have to look after each other."

The story, which was subsequently picked up by the Associated Press, and eventually by USA Today , goes on to say that Ashtabula County gun dealers and firearms instructors say their business has really picked up since the Sheriff's Department cutbacks began some months ago.

"That's exactly why they are coming, so that they can protect themselves," says Tracy Williams, a certified firearms instructor in Jefferson. "They don't feel that they are protected. They want to be able to protect themselves."

Williams says interest in his classes has doubled recently, and many of those coming are people who he would not normally expect to have interest in obtaining a concealed carry permit.

"And as far as him (Judge Mackey) telling you to arm yourselves and protect yourselves, you don't have any other option," Williams told WKYC. "We don't have the law enforcement out here to handle it right now."

According to WKYC, Ashtabula County, where unemployment is higher than the state average, is asking May primary voters to approve a one half per cent sales tax increase.

The tax hike would raise the tax in the county to seven percent, whereas a quality self-defense firearm can be purchased for a one-time cost of only a few hundred dollars.

My thought.

We can only hope that this is not a harbinger of things to come.

Slàinte,    

Patch