Hope he isn’t counting on the endorsement of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis any time soon . . . Minneapolis mayoral candidate Raymond Dehn proposes disarming police of guns
State Representative and Minneapolis mayoral candidate Raymond Dehn is calling for major policing changes, proposing to take away guns from the majority of officers.
Dehn is one of several candidates running to beat current Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges in the fall.
He recently won the support of voters at the Democratic Farmer Labor convention and now his call to disarm police of their side guns is garnering major attention.
“I’m not saying they don’t have access to that, just like they have access to more lethal weapons in their cars, I would believe they would still have access to their guns in their cars,” said Dehn.
The fat lady has yet to actually sing, but she’s warming up . . . Chance for Constitutional Carry in Texas
Texas has been getting a bit of press lately for a new law that allows any resident over the age of 18 to openly carry knives with blades longer than 5.5 inches in public, but one lawmaker is pushing a new bill during a special session that offers a glimmer of hope for constitutional firearms carry in the Lone Star State. . . .
During the regular session, a similar bill, also backed by Stickland, failed to make it to the floor before Texas House Speaker Joe Strauss called for a close.
Oops . . . Secret Service special officer accidentally shoots himself while on duty
A Secret Service special officer on Tuesday afternoon accidentally shot himself and is hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, according to the agency.
A news release from the Secret Service said a special officer assigned to the Washington field office accidentally discharged his weapon while on duty.
The incident has been referred to the Office of Professional Responsibility for further review.
Is it us, or do they sound almost sad that there haven’t been any incidents? . . . Campus carry: No problems so far at UT-Austin. What does that prove?
University of Texas police responded to four gun-related incidents in the past 12 months, but only one — involving a photo shoot for a newspaper — can be tied to the controversial state law permitting students to carry concealed handguns in most campus buildings.
Campus carry went into effect Aug. 1, about two weeks before the fall semester opened at UT. Opponents of Senate Bill 11 feared there would be a rise in gun-related violence at the campus.
But as the one-year anniversary approaches, those concerns have been unfounded.
Told ya so, say pro-gun activists.
Here comes the PETA patrol . . . Anti-Hunting Group Sues for Right to Harass Hunters
Joseph Brown, a documentarian and assistant professor of digital media and performing arts at Marquette University, has been documenting the work of Wolf Patrol, a conservation movement to support the recovery of gray wolves and promote co-existence with wolves and other predators, according to the suit.
Brown wants to continue filming Wolf Patrol’s work and has a continued interest in documenting hunter activity on public land. Wolf Patrol searches for hunters violating hunting laws and documents hunting activity. Now he says he chooses not to because of his fear of civil and criminal liability under the statute.
The new law imposes criminal and civil penalties against anyone found “interfer[ing] or attempt[ing] to interfere with lawful hunting, fishing or trapping,” according to the complaint. The activists say the law suppresses the speech and expression of ideas of those opposed to hunting.
There’s a lot more dividing us than just an ocean . . . Brits Vs. Guns
When a soft target is hit (by terrorists in the US), the numbers of gun sales and carry permit applications soar. This is a country in which self-reliance is still cherished.
Is it cherished in Britain, a nation that has been on the front lines of late? In this area, no, it is not. I traveled back to my home country just after the latest terror attack to cover the recent elections. While there, I put Noble’s idea to my family and friends, and was met with the sort of incredulous, mouth-agape reaction that I’d expect if I had suggested invading Norway with just a pocket square for protection. “If these attacks become quotidian,” I asked, “do you think that the British will need to rethink guns?” The answers: No, no, no, no and no. Indeed, my interlocutors could scarcely have been more emphatic if I’d advised them to buy a fighter jet.
And along those lines . . . London police given 1,000 acid response kits after surge in attacks
Acting Det Supt Mike West, the Met’s lead officer for corrosive-based crime, told the Evening Standard: “These are life-changing injuries. While the volumes in comparison with knife and gun crime are small, the injuries are a life sentence for victims.
“I am confident that we are stepping up our response to this crime and we are looking for a safer way to identify some of the substances on the streets. So you might be walking down the street with what appears to be a bottle of Lucozade, but officers will now be testing you to establish what is in that bottle.”
Hey, it can’t hurt . . . Kansas City Is Looking Toward Its Barbershops to Curb Gun Violence and Give Youth Guidance
While there certainly is no magic formula to ending a multifaceted problem like gun violence, the Kansas City community has decided it’s time to give grassroots action a try.
As part of Operation Ceasefire, eight barbershops in the area remained open for 24 hours over the weekend. Their goal? Give kids free hair cuts and more importantly, free advice.
This is the second annual Operation Ceasefire, and organizer Ronell Bailey told NBC News affiliate KSHB that he got the idea to use barbershops to curb the murderous “epidemic” from the film “Barbershop: The Next Cut.”
Nice shooting, kid (just don’t get cocky) . . . Bamberg’s Ahlin makes U.S. National Open men’s shotgun team
There was a time when Alexander “Alex” Ahlin of Bamberg carried a shotgun and it looked too big for him to handle.
But that was seven years and a few thousand shattered skeet shooting targets ago. Now Ahlin has grown up quite a bit and, as of this month, has a medal from national competition to prove he knows how to handle a shotgun quite well.
As of last week’s USA Shooting National Championships for Shotgun in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the 15-year-old has qualified for a spot on the U.S. National Open men’s shotgun team.
Ahlin broke 244 of 250 targets in the qualification rounds of the national championships through the weekend of July 16, which advanced him to the men’s open finals in men’s skeet. Then to finish the four days of competition, it took a shootoff in the final round on Monday, July 17, in which Ahlin edged out Robert Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona, by a 10-9 score.
Seriously though, congrats and good luck.
Yeah, we can be funny that way . . . Gun owners up in arms over possible restrictions
Princeton residents Brian Cristman and Phoebe Moore of Bigelow Road were concerned after hearing gunfire close to their homes.
“I’m a hunter and not interested in taking anyone’s guns away, but I’m not interested in living next door to automatic gunfire,” said Cristman, adding that he was concerned about whether the activity was being done 500 feet away from dwellings and roads. “There are small children and horse farms in the neighborhood.”
Moore said she also respects the neighbor’s rights to own guns “but neighbors should be protected from noise and danger,” she said, adding that the sounds were “extremely loud and alarming.”