Have a hankering for a Tommy gun? . . . Ohio sheriff to auction Depression-era submachine gun valued at $37,000
A relic of the Al Capone era that has been sitting in the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s office for 83 years will be sold at auction next month to help pay for modern policing equipment for deputies in the northeastern Ohio community.
The office will auction a Thompson Model 1921 machine gun on Sept. 11. It was purchased by Sheriff Abe Laird on May 13, 1934.
Current Sheriff Orvis Campbell is unsure why Laird bought it, but Campbell speculated that deputies might have been used it during riots at deep mines in Tuscarawas County during the Great Depression.
But I’ve been told having a gun is more dangerous for the gun owner than the bad guy . . . Seminole, Florida, stabber stopped by — drumroll, please — a gun
Once again, it’s the Second Amendment to the rescue.
A mass stabber cutting into three victims in Seminole, Florida, was apparently stopped dead in his tracks when his fourth target pulled out a gun.
Don’t expect this story to make CNN headlines.
Does anyone really care enough about Britney this much any more? . . . BRITNEY SPEARS Bum-Rushed Onstage ‘HE’S GOT A GUN?!’
Britney Spears got bum-rushed by a guy who is probably hurting this morning, because her dancers and bodyguards annihilated him.
It went down Wednesday night in Vegas at Britney’s Piece of Me show at Planet Hollywood. As Britney sang “Till the World Ends” … a man crept onto the stage and made his move.
Security and the dancers lunged at the guy as Britney seemed oblivious to the danger. You hear her ask if everything is OK. Check it out … Britney’s knee buckled as she clutched a security guard and asked, “He’s got a gun?”
What caliber for goat . . . It took 4 shots and 2 guns to kill an aggressive goat in Portland
Two deputies used two different firearms and fired four shots before they were able to put down a truculent goat that escaped a Northwest Portland farm last weekend.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office released a police report detailing the events of Sunday, Aug. 6. The move came after various reports of an incident that left a goat allegedly worth $1,200 dead in a Portland neighborhood.
“While we believe the use of force was appropriate given its prolonged aggressiveness towards the deputy,” Deputy Jeff Talbot wrote in an email to the media Wednesday, “we are also saddened for the goat and the owner.”
Don’t worry, you’re in good hands in secure gun-free zones . . . Airport workers not properly trained for Fort Lauderdale shooting, union says
A lack of emergency training for civilian airport workers aggravated the chaos that followed last January’s mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale airport, according to a report by a union that represents baggage handlers, cabin cleaners and other employees.
“Most passenger service workers reported being asked by passengers in various levels of panic about what was happening and what they needed to do,” states a report from the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, which says it represents more than 600 of these workers. “…. Sadly, workers reported frustration at not being able to assist passengers with their queries, as they themselves did not know what was happening and what to do.” . . .
The chaos broke out after the arrest of Esteban Santiago for fatally shooting five passengers and injuring six others at a baggage claim area. More than an hour later, reports of additional shooters spread through all four terminals, prompting passengers and workers to barricade themselves in stores, closets and restaurants and stampede through the exits. Dozens of people were injured in the panic. Law enforcement officers found no other shooters, as thousands of passengers waited outside for hours.
It’s complicated . . . An intruder, a handgun, and what happened next
In May I went to my local firearms store to buy a shotgun for my city home (I already have one at our weekend place). I was persuaded by the readers who advised it. Shotguns are less likely to lead to fatalities, and they are effective for home protection. It’s also hard to accidentally shoot yourself with one. After the mandatory California waiting period (I’m reminded of Homer Simpson’s words, “Five days? But I’m mad now!”), I went to two different rifle ranges to practice. The people at the gun shop and at the ranges were friendly sorts. I told them my home invasion story and that it ended without me using my weapon.
Their replies surprised me. These were people who depend on widespread gun ownership to earn their living. I imagined they might be vendetta-crazed, vigilante-minded, ready to kill any man, woman or rodent that got in their path. None of them called me a coward for exiting the house. All were genuinely pleased that the situation was resolved without violence. Two of them patted me on the back. One of them didn’t charge me for my range fees, and praised my responsible gun ownership.
The UK is always looking for new, innovative ways to disarm its subjects . . . Nosy neighbours and the outsourcing of UK gun control
Police forces are cracking down on gun owners in the wake of heightened concerns over terrorism. Some lawyers are now claiming that the police are even revoking legal firearm owners’ licences and guns because of a new array of “indicators” which show a lack of suitability to own them. These include spent convictions, depression, domestic disputes and discord and even neighbour conflicts.
The caricature of the nosy neighbour has been a staple of many a popular sitcom, from Australia’s Neighbours to the UK’s Ever Decreasing Circles and One Foot in the Grave. Even when neighbourly relations turn sour, they continue to entertain. But the question is whether we should be criminalising legal gun-owners and outsourcing the job of the police to the neighbourhood watch?
Crowdsourced policing is not new. Cybercrime vigilantes have been helping the police solve crime for some time. See, for example, the case of the British woman who put a live cat in a wheelie bin. In this case outraged online communities rallied to help identify her and bring her to justice. But does this suit gun control?
