Tag Archives: guns

Education, Politics, US

Could Concealed Carry Stop Rape on College Campuses?

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The debate over carrying concealed guns on college campuses is being looked at from a new angle, with advocates arguing that if students are allowed to carry a firearm, it could deter sexual assault.

The New York Times reported that although carrying concealed firearms on college campuses is illegal in 41 states, lawmakers in 10 states are pushing bills that would end the ban, and they are “hoping that the national spotlight on sexual assault will help them win passage of their measures.”

The 10 states include Florida, Indiana, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, who is sponsoring a bill for concealed carry on college campuses in Nevada, told the New York Times that she predicts her bill will pass, due to the fact that Nevada has both a Republican-controlled Legislature and a Republican Governor, and that if passed, it will make a major difference on college campuses.

“If these young, hot little girls on campus have a firearm, I wonder how many men will want to assault them,” Fiore said. “The sexual assaults that are occurring would go down once these sexual predators get a bullet in their head.”

As previously reported, Taylor Woolrich, a senior at Dartmouth University, advocated for concealed carry on her college campus after she was stalked by 67-year-old Richard Bennett, even with the presence of a restraining order.

“Dartmouth thinks banning weapons will keep students safe, but a gun ban isn’t going to stop him from attacking me,” said Woolrich. “If Dartmouth, a restraining order, and law enforcement can’t guarantee my safety, then I’m asking for the right to do so.”

John Foubert, an Oklahoma State University professor and the president of One in Four, a program that seeks to educate students about sexual assault on college campuses, told the New York Times that he thinks using sexual assaults to push for concealed carry “reflects a misunderstanding of sexual assaults in general.”

“If you have a rape situation, usually it starts with some sort of consensual behavior, and by the time it switches to nonconsensual, it would be nearly impossible to run for a gun,” Joubert said. “Maybe if it’s someone who raped you before and is coming back, it theoretically could help them feel more secure.”

On Monday, a bill to allow concealed carry on college campuses was passed by Florida’s Senate Criminal Justice Committee, with a 3-2 vote.

The bill’s sponsor, Committee Chairman Greg Evers told the Tallahassee Democrat that due to the number of registered sexual offenders living near Florida State University, he believes the bill will fix a safety issue on the campus.

“The problem is that in gun-free zones, that we have on college campuses right now, those gun-free zones are just an incubator for folks that won’t follow the law,” Evers said.

Crayle Vanest, a senior at Indiana University and the first woman on the national board of Students for Concealed Carry, told the New York Times that the group’s female membership has seen a dramatic increase.

“Universities are under a ton of investigation for how they handle sexual assaults,” said Vanest. “Our female membership has increased massively. People who weren’t listening before are listening now.”

Gun Rights, US

ATF could ban .223 ammunition by reclassification

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This article has a correction. Please click HERE to read.

 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has released a plan which would reclassify the popular .223 (M855) round as an armor piercing round.

This particular ammo type is most commonly used in all AR-15 style rifles, and if the ammo were to be reclassified, these firearms would be rendered obsolete without the proper ammo.

Reclassification of the .223 round as an armor piercing round would effectively ban sales of the round to all civilians under the Gun Control Act of 1968. The GCA says any ammo “primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes,” is the only ammo allowed to be sold to the general public. The ATF defines armor piercing rounds, though, as any ammo which is meant to penetrate body armor and was manufactured for military or police use.

However, the GCA was amended in 1986 to allow exceptions in the original Act. The amended Act, therefore, allows armor piercing rounds to be sold to”government agencies,” as well as “for testing or experimentation authorized by the Attorney General.” 

The NRA Institute for Legislative Action though, is calling the new ban a “continuation of Obama’s use of his executive authority to impose gun control restrictions and bypass Congress.”

The NRA-ILA also said by definition, the .223 (M855) round cannot be classified as armor piercing because the law lists a number of metals, such as tungsten alloy, steel, or even depleted uranium, which are used in the cores of armor piercing rounds. The .223 (M855) round however has a traditional lead core with a steel tip, and “therefore should never be considered ‘armor piercing,'” according to the NRA-ILA.

The ATF has said they will accept comments on the new framework for 30 days, and the comments will be taken into consideration for the final draft of the framework.

 

This article has a correction. Please click HERE to read.

Featured, Police State, Politics

EXCLUSIVE: Sheriff Stands Up to IRS, Cancels Land Sale

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WASHINGTON, February 7, 2015—New Mexico’s Eddy County Sheriff Scott London notified the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) via letter that the sale of county resident Kent Carter’s property is canceled until Carter receives due process of law and his appeal is heard. The certified letter dated February 4 received an immediate response from the Undersecretary of the Treasury’s office. According to the Treasury’s website, however, the public auction is still slated for February 19.

“Many officers have stood up over the years for the rights of citizens being victimized by the federal government,” said Sheriff Mack, founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, “But Sheriff London is the first one to stand up to the IRS since the early 1990s.” Mack said, “His actions show courage and humility. London is setting a good example for the rest of our sheriffs.”

Approximately ten days before Christmas, U.S. Marshals broke in the door of Carter’s rental property with their guns drawn. The tenant was a young mother with a new baby—home alone while her husband was at work. Sheriff London was called to the property to intervene. He advised the Marshals that Carter’s case was in appeal and he deserved due process. They threatened to arrest London, but he stood his ground and they backed off.

Carter has battled the IRS for decades over taxes on the earnings of his modest construction business. One court document listed his debt at $145,000, a figure Carter says an assessing agent “pulled out of thin air.” Every time he challenged them, his bill would shoot up a few hundred thousand dollars. His legal complaints state that the IRS failed to adhere to its own tax code, did not use proper accounting methods, and that the collection activity was unlawful because no notices of deficiency were given. Carter says his private and confidential information, including his social security number, was filed in public records and given to third parties. The IRS countered that it can publish and disperse the private information of Americans if it is trying to collect their money or property. A judge agreed.

Carter says the IRS is currently claiming he owes $890,000, a figure that “doubled with the stroke of a pen.”

The Taxation & Revenue Department ordered Carter to cease “engaging in business in New Mexico” until his arbitrary tax debt was paid. Carter appealed this injunction on the grounds that it was both unconstitutional and vague, as it deprived him of his right to make a living and also prohibited him from, “carrying on or causing to be carried on any activity with the purpose of direct or indirect benefit.”

“The IRS fabricates evidence against citizens by pulling numbers out of a hat and adding fees,” said Mack, “They wear people down emotionally and financially until they can’t take it anymore. No citizen should ever have to fight the IRS for decades in order to keep his land.”

“The IRS is a lie. The income tax is a lie,” said Carter. “Why should they be able to take anything? They’re worse than the mafia.”

The Carter properties have liens placed against them. A locksmith was instructed to change the locks. The IRS authorized the United States Marshal Service to arrest/evict anyone found on the premises. London, however, physically stood in front of Carter’s gate until the Marshals backed down. A public auction on the front steps of the Eddy County Courthouse is scheduled, but the local county sheriff—trained in the Constitution—resisted.

Carter voluntarily vacated his property and relocated his mobile home to an undisclosed location. “I chose to leave to keep it from escalating to something ugly—like Ruby Ridge, Idaho,” he said. Carter said he advised the Marshals and IRS Agents who publicly claimed he had armed friends on his land, “If there is going to be any violence, it is going to be you who starts it.”

Carter says 100% of his Social Security benefits is seized each month by the IRS, in addition to $2,800 the agency drained from his bank account. Legally, the IRS can take no more than 15% of Social Security benefits.

Mack says banking institutions quiver when faced with the IRS’ gestapo tactics and generally hand over customers’ personal banking information, including access to accounts, without requiring a warrant or even any documentation. He encourages county sheriffs to brief every bank in their jurisdiction to refer inquiries from IRS agents to them.

Sheriff Mack is calling for the IRS to start following the law, including no “random” audits without probable cause, as they violate the Fourth Amendment. He asks them to stop committing crimes and rewarding IRS employees with bonuses for cheating on their personal taxes. “I agree with Senator Ted Cruz and others who say the IRS should be abolished,” said Mack. “It’s time they got off the backs of the American people.”

Carter says he prays daily for wisdom, and that he is surviving to be able to look into his grandchildren’s eyes and tell them he fought for their future and for America.

London is the first Republican to ever be elected sheriff in Eddy County. He distributes Bibles on behalf of Gideon International and met his wife in choir practice.

Police State, US

New Hampshire bill would end military-grade weapons in police hands

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Many police departments have received military-grade weapons and hardware from the Pentagon and other government programs, but a New Hampshire bill would ban any police departments within the state from receiving these weapons.

Bill 407 states only the “state guard… with the approval of the governor and council,” has the ability to receive military-grade weapons from the government. The bill continues by saying, “no state agency or political subdivision of this state shall acquire, purchase, or otherwise accept for use any military-equipped vehicle or military grade hardware…”

Any weapons or equipment which are readily available to the public however will still be able to be used by the affected government agencies and departments.

Bill 407 would therefore make the Defense Department’s Program 1033 null within the state. Program 1033 allows the Department of Defense to transfer any excess of hardware in possession by the department to be transferred and distributed to law enforcement agencies across the U.S.

According to the Law Enforcement Support Office, since the inception of the program in 1997, about $5.1 billion worth of hardware has been given to police agencies across the country. In 2013 alone, about $450 million worth of equipment was given out to agencies.

The bill has already received wide-spread support within the state of New Hampshire as state representatives Michael Sylvia, Edmond Gionet, Bart Fromuth, and many more have co-sponsored the bill, according to the Tenth Amendment Center. Support for the bill within New Hampshire stretches across party lines as both Democrats and Republicans have co-sponsored the bill.

Featured, Gun Rights, US

New bill proposes a ban on body armor

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A new bill has been introduced to the House which could make civilian ownership of body armor illegal.

The bill, called the Responsible Body Armor Possession Act, would strip the right of civilians to purchase or own body armor. The bill reads, “It shall be unlawful for a person to purchase, own or possess enhanced body armor.”

Enhanced body armor, as defined by the bill, is “body armor, including a helmet or shield, the ballistic resistance of which meets or exceeds the ballistic performance of Type III armor…” Type III armor protects against most standard issue rifles as well as many rounds used in handguns.

However, there is an exception to the bill. The bill reads all body armor will be illegal to possess unless the person in question is a government employee. All personnel who work for the various government agencies, departments, or “political subdivisions” are exempt from this potential new law as the bill is currently written.

The bill also reads any person who buys body armor before the bill would take effect would be able to possess their body armor in a similar manner as those government employees who are exempt.

Finally, if the bill were to pass and someone was caught wearing or owning any restricted body armor, the bill reads the person would receive a fine, possible jail time, or both as punishment.

The bill was introduced by California Rep. Mike Honda (D) and is co-sponsored by Reps. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Danny Davis (D-I.ll).

Currently, the bill is still being reviewed by the House Judiciary. You can follow the bill’s progress here.

Featured, Police State, US

Dashboard camera video shows New Jersey man shot by officers

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New video footage has been released showing the fatal shooting of a New Jersey man by police officers during a traffic stop.

The video comes from the dashboard camera of officers Braheme Days and Roger Worley. In the video, we see the officers begin a routine traffic stop on a Jaguar, but then, orders are ignored, guns are drawn, and shots are fired, and the result is the death of one man.

Jerame Reid, 36, was in the passenger seat of the vehicle which was driven by Leroy Tutt at the time of the traffic stop. At first, the officers approach the vehicle and inform both people in the car they were being pulled over for failing to stop at a stop sign.

After informing the vehicle why they were being stopped, Days pulls his weapon out and tells the occupants, “Show me your hands.” According to CBS News, Days informs Worley of a gun in the vehicle’s glove box, and Days appears to reach in the vehicle and remove the weapon.

Both officers are seen with their weapons still raised, and Tutt places both of his empty hands out the window. Days continues to shout at Reid not to move and warning him, “I’m going to shoot you.” Reid then reportedly says, “I’m getting out and getting on the ground.”

Once the passenger side door opens, Reid steps out and his hands appear to be empty, and both officers fire at least six shots, killing Reid.

The officers then tell Tutt to get out of  the car,which he does, and the officers proceed to handcuff and take him into custody.

Several witnesses at this time can be heard shouting at the officers and other squad cars begin to pull up to the scene. One witness, Tahli Dawkins, told NBC Philadelphia, “He had nothing in his hands… He had his hands up trying to get out of the car, one on the door was getting out like this and he just started shooting him.”

“The video speaks for itself that at no point was Jerame Reid a threat and he possessed no weapon on his person,” Walter Hudson, chairman and founder of the civil rights group the National Awareness Alliance, said, according to the AP. “He complied with the officer and the officer shot him.”

A firearm was recovered from the scene, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, but because this is an ongoing investigation, they refused to comment further.

Both officers are on paid administrative leave while the investigation takes place.

The video can be seen here.

Featured, Politics

We are giving away a rifle

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We are happy to announce we are giving away a rifle!

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You must sign up for the BenSwann.com and sponsors’ newsletters, in the entry form below, to unlock bonus entries. When you sign up for the newsletters, you will receive 5 entries. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Winner will be notified by email on April 15th, 2015. Good luck!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Specs

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Education, Gun Rights, Politics, US

Lawmaker Proposes Required Classes on Gun Safety in Public Schools

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A proposed Second Amendment Education Act in South Carolina would require all public schools in the state to provide a three-week course on gun safety, with curriculum approved by the National Rifle Association.

The bill, which was written by Representatives Alan Clemmons, Richard Yow, and Gary R. Smith, mandates that all public elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in South Carolina “provide instruction in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution for at least three consecutive weeks” each academic year.

CarolinaLive reported that Clemmons filed the bill, in order to provide an alternative for the current “Zero Tolerance” policies in schools that prohibit students from bringing guns on campus.

Clemens said that he felt the current polices were “subjecting the rising generation to the mindset of the instrument, the firearm, is evil regardless of the hand that the firearm is in.”

“The more we debunk and demystify the forbidden,” said Clemmons. “The better it is for the education of children and the better it is for the child who finds an unattended firearm where a catastrophe could occur.”

The bill would require schools to use a curriculum for teaching the Second Amendment that has been “developed or recommended by the National Rifle Association.”

Clemmons told CarolinaLive that he thinks the classroom course on guns should cover “the history of the second amendment, why was it important to our fathers, why was it so important that it was included in the bill of rights, and how the second amendment folds into modern society.”

According to the bill, December 15 would be designated as an annual “Second Amendment Awareness Day” in the state of South Carolina, and public schools would be required to “conduct poster or essay contests with related themes, and to provide certain recognition for statewide contest winners.”

“The second amendment applies to every American citizen,” said Clemmons. “It is a personal right to bear arms for the sake of defending oneself if the need should arise.”

CarolinaLive reported that Clemmons “prefiled the Second Amendment Education Act ahead of the General Assembly returning to session this month.”

Foreign Policy, International, US

NYPD on alert after ISIS video release

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The New York Police Department is on high-alert after ISIS re-released a propaganda video which tells people to murder “intelligence officers, police officers, soldiers and civilians” throughout the US.  

The specific propaganda video was originally released in September 2014, but following the events in France last week, the NYPD is taking the resurgence of the video seriously.

An internal memo released throughout the NYPD told officers to “remain alert and consider tactics at all times while on patrol,” according to FOX News. Similarly, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, a police union in New York City, sent out an email to union members which reads, “Pay attention to your surroundings. Officers must pay close attention to approaching vehicles . . . Pay close attention to people as they approach. Look for their hands.”

However, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for counterterrorism, John Miller, said according to CNN, “I don’t think that we are under any more threat … or any less threat than we were the day before.” Miller also said the NYPD has not detected any specific threats in New York City, but the NYPD has stepped up their police presence at central locations throughout the city, such as in Times Square.

Mayor Bill de Blasio told the citizens of New York City to also be on the lookout for anything suspicious. “We are the number one terror target, and that has created in us a sense of vigilance every day,” said de Blasio according to CBS New York. “There is no down day. There is no day when we’re less vigilant. We’re vigilant every day,”

The NYPD was not the only agency to take notice after the video resurfaced.

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are also taking the video seriously. These agencies released a nationwide bulletin to law enforcement offices with similar warnings found in the NYPD memo as well as the union released email.

Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said he hopes intelligence agents in the U.S. are prepared and ready to prevent attacks similar to those carried out in France last week. “What we have to do,” said Menendez, “is be able to create a sense in communities of the importance of high alert, of vigilance, of being able to share information.”

Police State, Politics, US

Veteran’s Guns Seized Due to Insomnia Diagnosis Under New York’s SAFE Act

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On December 17, retired detective and US Navy veteran Donald Montgomery filed suit in federal court after his guns were seized by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department under New York’s new SAFE Act, a strict gun control measure that anti-gun New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law in 2013 following the widely-publicized and infamous Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took place in nearby Connecticut. Donald Montgomery’s suit names New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Eastern Long Island Hospital, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, and other state officials as defendants. The above-embedded Fox & Friends video contains an interview on the issue with Montgomery and his attorney Paloma Capanna.

The mental health provisions in the SAFE Act were sold to the public as common sense rules aimed at preventing individuals with mental health conditions that pose a threat to others from obtaining a firearm. However, The Daily Caller notes that, in Montgomery’s case, his guns were seized by state officials after he sought treatment for insomnia following a cross-country move in which he changed time zones. In May of last year, the veteran was struggling to get a decent night’s sleep and voluntarily checked into the emergency room on two different occasions at Eastern Long Island Hospital where he was diagnosed and treated for insomnia.

According to American Thinker, healthcare workers at the hospital diagnosed Montgomery as “mildly depressed” and his medical evaluation paperwork states, “Patient has no thoughts of hurting himself. Patient has no thoughts of hurting others. Patient is not having suicidal thoughts. Patient is not having homicidal thoughts… there is no evidence of any psychotic processes, mania, or OCD symptoms. Insight, judgment, and impulse control are good.” Despite these facts, Montgomery’s case was forwarded to New York’s Mental Hygiene Legal Service and State Police, mislabeled as an involuntary psychiatric hold, despite the fact that the former detective and Navy vet voluntarily sought treatment for his difficulty with sleeping.

State Police then told the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department that Montgomery “has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been involuntarily committed to a mental institution” and repeatedly pressured the department to seize his guns. On May 30, Suffolk County Sheriff’s deputies visited Montgomery at his home and seized a Derringer .38, a Colt .38, a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380, and a Glock 26 9mm. His pistol license was seized that day and officially terminated in September. The Daily Caller points out the fact that two of his weapons were given to him by his employer during his 30-years of service as a police officer, including one which was a reward for being top of his class as a police cadet. Montgomery had previously received a medal for bravery in the line of duty during his career in law enforcement.

American Thinker writer Michael Filozof notes that Andrew Cuomo once said that “extreme conservatives… have no place in New York.” Filozof characterized Montgomery’s plight as “an effort [by Cuomo] to confiscate firearms from people who ‘have no place’ in his police state.”

In his lawsuit, Montgomery is seeking relief for what he describes as violations of his Second, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights by state officials. He hopes that the judge assigned to the case will strike down the mental hygiene component of the law and is seeking an injunction that would force the state to notify anyone whose medical records have been seized. His suit claims Eastern Long Island Hospital wronged him by sharing his private medical records with state officials without his permission or knowledge. Montgomery says that his efforts to investigate and correct the errors on his own mental health file through Freedom of Information filings were denied and that he was not given the opportunity to contest the termination of his handgun license.

Police Accountability, Police State, Politics, US

A Texas paramilitary style group is organized in response to police brutality

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Police brutality has been in the majority of headlines over the past few months, but an organization in Dallas, Texas is responding with their own citizen patrols.

The Huey P. Newton Gun Club is a group which has united five Dallas paramilitary groups, all of which consist of black and Hispanic members, and their goal is to speak out on issues of police brutality in minority communities.

Charles Goodson, a 31-year-old Dallas local, and Darren X, a 48-year-old national field marshal for the New Black Panther Party, founded the group together after they performed an armed rally in the Texas town of Hemphill, where they protested what they believed to be a failed police investigation into the murder of Alfred Wright, a black man in the community.

“We accept all oppressed people of color with weapons,” said Darren X, according to VICE. “The complete agenda involves going into our communities and educating our people on federal, state, and local gun laws. We want to stop fratricide, genocide—all the ‘cides.” 

Two weeks after the death of Michael Brown in August, the gun club held a demonstration in Dixon Circle, a predominantly black neighborhood.

Dozens of gun club members stood at attention, holding AR-15’s and other rifles, while one of their leading members shouted, “No longer will we let the pigs slaughter our brothers and sisters and not say a damn thing about it.” The members of the club then responded with shouts of, “Black power!”

Russell Wilson, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Bureau Chief, has said, according to the Free Thought Project, he supports what the club is doing.  “They have an absolute right to do what they do,” said Wilson. He also said he believes the club is restoring some people’s confidence in their communities by saying they won’t be pushed around any longer.

Goodson, according to Reason, has stated he hopes the gun club can grow to become a “black alternative to the NRA.”

Police Accountability, US

Officers turning their backs on mayor called inappropriate by police commissioner

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When Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, spoke at the funeral of fallen NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos, many other NYPD officers in the crowd turned their backs towards the mayor in open protest. Now, New York Police Commisioner William Bratton is calling this act inappropriate at the funeral for the fallen officer.

“I certainly don’t support that action,” said Bratton according to the AP. “That funeral was held to honour Officer Ramos. And to bring politics, to bring issues into that event, I think, was very inappropriate.”

The mayor has been criticized recently for his remarks concerning the relationship between officers, specifically those working with the NYPD, and members in the African American community.

Various leaders of police unions in New York City were responsible for some of the negative remarks towards the mayor. The symbolic gesture of the officers turning their backs on the mayor at the funeral of Officer Ramos though, has not been claimed by any police union members. Patrick Lynch, the head of one union, dodged reporter’s questions about the action after the funeral.

“The issues go far beyond race relations in this city,” Bratton said to Chuck Todd on ‘Meet the Press.’  Bratton continued by saying, “I think it’s probably a rift that is going to go on for a while longer… However, we will be making efforts to sit down and talk with the union leaders in particular to deal with their issues.”

Bratton also said de Blasio has been “totally supportive” of the NYPD by contributing many millions of dollars to the department’s budget for officer safety enhancements.

US

Civilians and non-civilians alike gather to bid farewell to fallen NYPD officer

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It has been hard to be a police officer in America after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and two NYPD officers were killed in retaliation for the failure of grand juries to indict officers in relation to their deaths.  In retaliation, two NYPD officers were killed by a civilian on Dec. 20.

One of those slain NYPD officers though, received an emotional sendoff Friday, as officers, civilians, and others gathered to say goodbye to the fallen.

Officer Rafael Ramos, 40, was one officer killed in the line of duty.  Ramos was said to be a devoted member of the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens, and his funeral is expected to draw thousands according to the New York Daily News.  Ramos was an active member in the church, which he attended for the past 14 years with his wife and two sons.

“Ralph was one of the faithful ushers who made Christ Tabernacle feel like home,” said executive pastor Rev. Adam Durso.  “He loved his family and his church.”

Police officers from all over the country are also said to be in attendance for Ramos’s funeral.  ABC News has reported JetBlue has flown about 670 law enforcement officers from all over the country to New York City so they can show their support for the fallen officer.  The airline company also said they are offering free transportation for those officers across the nation who wish to attend the funeral.

Vice President Joe Biden has also said he would be in attendance for Ramos’s funeral on Saturday.

Mayor Bil de Blasio, who NYPD officers have said has “blood on his hands” for the killings of the two officers, has said, according to Reuters, he hopes the funerals for both officers will help in reuniting the broken city.

The funeral arrangements for Officer Wenjian Liu, who was killed alongside Ramos, have not yet been announced as federal agents have begun to help transport his family members from China to America for his funeral.

Health, Politics, US

Doctor: Feds Pressuring Physicians To Ask About Guns

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A recent article from Dr. Mark Kestner, a columnist for the Murfreesboro Post, shed light on a new strategy that is being used by the United States government to keep tabs on whether Americans keep loaded firearms in their homes.

“If you have not been asked by your primary care doctor about whether you keep guns in your home, you soon will be,” Kestner wrote.

Kestner noted that the common question patients will be presented with is, “Do you keep loaded firearms in your home?” The answers patients give will be recorded in their health records at their doctor’s office, as part of the “Electronic Health Records initiative,” led by the federal government.

In addition to questions about loaded firearms, Kestner said that patients would also be asked questions related to domestic abuse, such as, “Do you have reason to be afraid that your spouse may physically harm you?”

Kestner explained that these questions are part of the provisions for the Affordable Care Act, and that while they are mandated by the federal government, patients “are not compelled by law to respond.”

“While it may appear that your doctor has suddenly taken a special interest in many more aspects of your life than they did previously,” wrote Kestner. “The truth is that the federal government is mandating that your doctor retrieve the information from their patients.”

Kestner reported that the shift doctors are required to make in the way they record patients’ health records leads to the records being formatted electronically “in a certain way to make the information universally accessible” to government entities.

Kestner claimed that while Florida has fought back by enacting a law that “forbids a doctor from talking to their patients about guns,” states like North Carolina require individuals seeking concealed carry permits to obtain certification from a physician stating that they are mentally and physically health enough to safely operate a handgun. According to Kestner, a recent survey found that “two thirds of doctors agreed that they are not adequately equipped by their training to determine how well a person is qualified to obtain a permit allowing concealed carry.”

“The federal Medicare program is structured in such a way that physicians had little choice but to comply with the program,” wrote Kestner, who explained that if physicians complied with the program, they were “rewarded with a financial incentive of several thousand dollars,” and if they failed to present the data, they would be “penalized by a certain percentage of Medicare payments going forward.”

“In essence, the feds are using their control of Medicare reimbursement to manipulate how your physician handles your personal health information,” wrote Kestner. “Some people see this as a responsible effort on the part of the federal government to reduce the number of accidental and intentional tragedies that involve guns. Others see it as an overreach into the privacy of patients in an attempt to find a way to work around rights afforded by the 2nd amendment.“

US

For the first time in 20 years, gun rights are favored over gun control

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According to a recent Pew Research poll, Americans are now saying protecting the rights of citizen’s to own a firearm is more important than the need to control guns.

The research says about 52 percent of those polled are saying they favor protecting the right to own firearms, while 46 percent say they prefer gun control.  This is a substantial shift in public opinion from the early 90’s when the public was in favor of gun control, polling at 57 percent, while those who wanted to protect the right to own a firearm were polled at 34 percent.

While both sides of the political spectrum have been arguing over healthcare and immigration among other hot topics, this poll found support for gun rights has increased in both Republicans and Democrats by 6 points, while it also increased by 7 points among Independents.  According to RT, support for gun ownership was up in all demographics except for liberal Democrats and Hispanics, but support for gun rights went down only one or two points in these groups.

African-Americans were also found to be more likely to believe owning a firearm does more to protect a person rather than threaten another.  The support from African-Americans has almost doubled since early 2012 when 29 percent of those polled supported gun rights while the new poll found 54 percent of African-Americans back gun ownership.

An October Gallup poll found similar results, showing only 26 percent of people think handguns should be banned from being sold to the public while 73 percent of people think no such law should be considered.

Research also found homicides related to firearms has fallen from 1993 according to NPR.  At the time, seven homicides per 100,000 people were attributed to gun violence, while in recent years, 3.6 homicides have been attributed to firearms.

US

Lone shooter killed in Texas after firing on government buildings

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A single gunman has been killed early Friday morning in Austin, Texas after he shot over 100 rounds at various government buildings and damaging the Mexican consulate.

The shooter was identified as 49-year-old Steven McQuilliams, who, according to USA Today, has a previous criminal record.  Currently, the police are investigating McQuilliams motives behind the shooting, but it is believed the shooting was politically motivated.  Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said, “If you look at the targets that were hit, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that that’s a potential.”

Assistant Chief Raul Munguia told NBC News they had received 911 calls around 2:30 a.m. and gunshots were reported throughout the downtown area for the next few minutes afterwards.

During that time frame, McQuilliams fired at the federal courthouse, the police headquarters, and at least one other building.

Jesse Van Wallene, 29, was working as a server at the time of the shooting and said, “He was firing in bursts of about five shots…He didn’t even seem to acknowledge we were there, he just seemed very focused on firing at the building, which had no lights on inside.”

McQuilliams made his way to a police station where one officer who was putting away police horses saw McQuillaims shooting.  The officer then opened fire on McQuilliams from horseback.  Shortly after the officer opened fire, the shooter was killed, but it is still unclear at this time whether the officer shot and killed McQuilliams or if he took his own life.

Once the shooter was down, officers began to investigate the shooter and his vehicle, which was nearby.  According to the Raw Story, officers saw what could have been improvised explosive devices in the vehicle as well as in the shooter’s jacket.

The bomb squad was called in to investigate the devices, but no IEDs were found at the scene.  However, there were a number of small green canisters commonly used for portable BBQ grills stashed in the vehicle.

These canisters were reportedly used by the shooter to try and light the Mexican consulate on fire, but the fires were put out before any significant damage occurred.

According to the LA Times, the FBI will be assisting the investigation into the shooter and his motives.  Spokeswoman for the San Antonio office of the FBI, Michelle Lee, said the FBI’s main concern though is why the shooter fired on the Mexican consulate and the federal courthouse.

No civilians or officers were injured during this shooting.

US

NYPD says fatal shooting was an ‘accident’

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A fatal shooting in Brooklyn involving the NYPD and an unarmed man has been deemed an “accident” by the NYPD.

Reports from the AP say Akai Gurley, 28, was exiting his girlfriend’s apartment in the public housing complex known as the Louis Pink Houses around 11 p.m. Thursday night.

Rookie NYPD officers Peter Liang and Shaun Landau were performing a “vertical patrol,” which requires the officers to conduct floor-by-floor sweeps, within the complex at the time.

Liang and Landau reportedly came into contact with Gurley in a dark stairwell of the complex.  Liang had his weapon unholstered and his flashlight out to illuminate the stairwell prior to coming into contact with Gurley.  Once the officers saw Gurley in the stairwell, Gurley was shot in the chest, and he was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Police Commissioner William Bratton said in a press conference, according to the LA Times, the shooting was an “unfortunate accident,” and Gurley was “innocent.”

“It appears to be an accidental discharge, with no intention to strike anybody,” said Bratton in the press conference.  Bratton said Gurley was not taking part in any aggressive or illegal activity, and he was simply “trying to walk down the stairwell,” when he was shot.  

Gurley’s girlfriend Melissa Butler, 27, told DNA Info, the officers “didn’t present themselves or nothing and shot him. They didn’t identify themselves at all. They just shot.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the death of Gurley a “tragic accident,” adding, “There’s going to be a full investigation to say the least.”

As of now, Liang has been put on desk duty until the investigation is complete.

Politics, US

Eric Frein wanted a ‘revolution’ and was upset with the government

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A new document obtained by the court in the Eric Frein shooting case in Pennsylvania, shows Frein was distraught by the direction he thought the US was heading and wanted to “wake people up” by ambushing state troopers outside of their barracks.

“Our nation is far from what it was and what it should be,” Frein allegedly wrote in a letter addressed to his parents.  “There is so much wrong and on so many levels only passing through the crucible of another revolution can get us back the liberties we once had. I do not pretend to know what that revolution will look like or even if it would be successful.”

The night Frein was arrested, he waived his right to remain silent and told officers, according to the Talking Points Memo, he “wanted to make a change  (in government) and that voting was inefficient to do so, because there was no one worth voting for.”

Frein does not talk about what he planned on doing in the letter, but the letter indicates he believed he might die because, as the letter reads, he “knows the odds.”

The letter was found on a portable storage drive within the hangar Frein was using as a shelter while he was on the run.  The file was created last December meaning Frein was potentially planning the shooting for at least nine months.

Frein is already being charged with first-degree murder for the killing of Cpl. Bryon Dickson, but with this new document submitted as evidence, he is also being charged with two counts of terrorism, according to the LA Times.  The one count is for attempting to influence the policy of the government through intimidation and/or coercion, while the other is for trying to affect the conduct of the government.

The prosecution has already said they are seeking the death penalty for Frein.  He is currently held without bond, and Frein’s next court date is Dec. 9.

Politics

Air Force Vet Wakes Up in Federal Prison on Veterans Day

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WASHINGTON, November 12, 2014–Decorated 20-year Air Force veteran and former firearms instructor at the Sig Sauer Academy, Timothy Arnold, woke up this Veterans Day in federal prison. Arnold was convicted earlier this year in a civilian court in Brunswick, Georgia, of manufacturing firearms and embezzlement—charges Arnold and many of his colleagues openly dispute. Active duty Office of Special Investigations (OSI) agents filed numerous complaints with the Inspector General (IG) regarding lead investigator Wendell Palmer’s “unethical” practices while building the case against Arnold. The information about the affidavits and the pending IG investigation was withheld from the court, in direct violation of the Supreme Court’s Brady doctrine requiring prosecutor Fred Kramer to disclose it. Additionally, the testimony of the defense’s star witness was prevented by unsubstantiated allegations of his contempt of court—testimony the would-be witness claims would have exonerated Arnold.

Thanks to exclusive reports filed earlier on BenSwann, Arnold’s case is receiving national attention and is the subject of an official Congressional Inquiry into its handling. Those with knowledge about the case continue to come forward, outraged that this prosecutorial tragedy happened at all, much less to a man they consistently describe as “honest to a fault” and “full of integrity.”

Tim Arnold served his country for 20 years and executed many top secret missions. Now he serves time in prison.
Tim Arnold served his country for 20 years and executed many top secret missions. Now he serves time in prison.

Before Arnold self-surrendered to the United States Penitentiary that currently holds him, he addressed several mischaracterizations made during the trial. Assistant United States Attorney Kramer accused Arnold of purchasing “stenciled golf balls” and other items “he and his friends thought were cool” using the government-issued credit card. “Yes, I bought golf balls! I also bought custom pins, pens, lighters, coffee cups, and shot glasses with the OSI insignia on them,” Arnold says, “That is what is known as swag. It is customary to give small tokens like these to visiting dignitaries, foreign agents attending training, and those you need to thank while on out-of-country assignments. In keeping with OSI regulations, I turned the swag over to the Commodities Custodian and would then ‘sign it out’ as needed.” Arnold said he was the recipient of such swag from the White Houses of both President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. He says small gestures like these are traditional throughout the military.

Kramer accused Arnold of impersonating a law enforcement officer. Arnold says he used the AFOSI-issued badge and credentials provided to him, as he had done for years. He also willingly surrendered the badges to investigators for examination. The prosecution claimed Arnold wore various patches and pretended to be in different branches of the military. “I did wear different shirts depending upon what scenario I set up for my firearms and tactics classes,” Arnold said after the trial. “I never ran around town claiming to be an Army Ranger, a Marine sniper, or anything else.” Another detail not revealed in the trial was that during Arnold’s Air Force career, he was actually part of an elite Air Mobility Command. The jury heard a different story, however. “He’s a poser. He’s a fraud,” Kramer told them. “This is a man with no honor in him.”

Arnold refused to plead guilty to any of the charges during pre-trial negotiations and proceeded with a costly trial in order to clear his name. OSI agents who testified for the defense were shocked that a case with falsified evidence at the hands of who they believe to be an unethical fellow investigator sailed all the way through the legal system. Those who signed affidavits complaining about Palmer’s tactics are currently following up on them via every channel available. The Congressional inquiry is active. Arnold himself expects his record to be expunged once the truth is revealed. His last words before entering prison were, “I have only begun to fight.”

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International, Politics, US

Ex-SEAL steps up, says he killed Osama bin Laden

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Robert O’Neill, a former Navy SEAL, spoke with the Washington Post and revealed he was the shooter who killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.

O’Neill, 38, was a 15 year veteran with the SEALs and was involved in various other missions before, said he thought this mission would be his most difficult up to that point.

When he and other SEALs stormed the compound holding bin Laden, O’Neill says he was near the front of the column and thought he would be killed.

Upon entering the room holding bin Laden, O’Neill says bin Laden “had his hands on a woman’s shoulders pushing her ahead,” in the hopes of deflecting the attackers.  O’Neill then says he shot bin Laden in the head twice before other members of the SEAL team shot bin Laden’s already dead body.

Leading up to O’Neill’s decision to disclose this information, he says he was struggling with whether or not to go public with his identity.  He says there was already a network of people who knew his identity, including various members of congress and at least two news organizations.

Colleagues have voiced their displeasure with his decision, and B.L. Losey, the Naval Special Warfare commanding officer, and M.L. Magaraci, the force’s master chief, wrote a letter saying one tenet of their profession is to “not advertise the nature of [their] work nor seek recognition for [their] actions.”

However, after speaking with the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks, O’Neill said he decided to come forward.  “The families told me it helped bring them some closure,” said O’Neill.

This was not his first high profile mission, O’Neill said.  He also disclosed he was part of the rescue effort of Capt. Richard Phillips in 2009 after his vessel was taken captive by Somali pirates.