I bet the NRA caused the hurricane just so they could do this . . . How the NRA exploited hurricanes to promote gun ownership
NRATV hosts repeatedly used hurricanes Harvey and Irma to push for both more gun ownership and pro-gun laws, while fearmongering that this type of catastrophe can happen anywhere and people should be prepared with guns to fight looters as law enforcement can’t be everywhere.
The National Rifle Association’s broadcast platform, NRATV, steadily covered the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston during “Stinchfield,” the daily show that runs for 10 minutes at the top of the hour from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Host Grant Stinchfield regularly used these segments to plug “unfettered access to firearms” in order to protect from criminal elements that he claimed take advantage of natural disasters.
The deal is done . . . Bass Pro Shops closes deal to buy Cabela’s
Privately-owned Bass Pro Shops closed a nearly $4 billion deal Tuesday to acquire one of the company’s biggest rivals — Nebraska-based Cabela’s.
The deal, in the works for more than a year, brings Cabela’s 82 stores in the U.S. and Canada into the Bass Pro Shops fold. Bass Pro Shops currently has 95 stores in the U.S. and Canada.
“We are excited to unite these iconic American brands to better serve our loyal customers and fellow outdoor enthusiasts,” said conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris.
Machine guns? . . . Cops with machine guns hunting ‘horny’ heifer terrorising drivers in Essex
A HORNED cow has rammed two cars in Towie’s Essex heartland of Billericay.
Cops with machine guns are hunting the escaped beast, originally thought to be a bull.
The 110st (1500 lb) heifer has been loose since June, when it fled its farm feeding pen.
But no safety warning was known to have been issued.
Then this Tuesday the cow smashed into a motor.
Police rushed to the scene but were unable to find the creature.
The Nation thinks women are incapable of using guns to defend themselves effectively . . . A New Study Debunks the NRA’s Claim That Guns Protect Women
The Violence Policy Center looked at FBI crime data from 2015, the most recent year available. It’s the first analysis of the 2015 data on female homicide victims. The study found there were 328 justifiable homicides committed by private citizens that year, and only 16 involved a woman killing a man with a gun. Conversely, there were 1,686 cases where a woman was murdered by a man with a gun. Those are only single-victim, single-offender incidents, and exclude mass shootings, so if anything it’s an undercount. (Domestic abuse that turns deadly can end up claiming many victims beyond the targeted woman, like the incident in Texas this month where a gunman showed up at his estranged wife’s house and killed her and eight other people who were attending a football party.)
Did they get it right? . . . The 5 of Most Deadly Guns of Modern War
Modern warfare has seen breathtaking advances in the last hundred years, as mortal competition between nations spawns successively deadlier weapons. Aircraft, missiles, tanks, submarines and other inventions—many of which did not exist in practical terms in 1914—have quickly earned key positions in the militaries of the world.
Yet there is still one invention that, although conceived more than five hundred years ago, still has a vital place on today’s battlefield: the infantry weapon and supporting arms. No matter how high tech the armed forces of the world have become, warfare since the end of the Second World War has consistently involved some form of infantry combat.
What will those kooky researchers come up with next? . . . Kids Emulate Movie Characters Who Use Guns
Want to create a society in which a shocking number of children die from gun violence? Here’s a simple recipe: Expose kids to countless images of adults shooting one another to resolve their differences. Then make sure there are enough poorly secured firearms in circulation so that many have access to them.
Sad to say, that describes current-day America—a land where gun violence is an element of many purportedly family friendly movies, and firearms are carelessly stored in many homes. The journal JAMA Pediatrics calls this a “toxic mix,” and that’s not hyperbole: According to research released earlier this year, 7,100 children under the age of 18 are shot every year, and 1,300 of them die as a result.
What could possibly go wrong? . . . Push to solve gun cases fuels rapid growth of New York’s DNA database
New York City is building a vast, unregulated DNA database that police are already using to connect suspects to evidence from crime scenes across the five boroughs.
In the last five years, the number of DNA profiles in New York’s local database has grown dramatically, driven in part by a push to collect DNA in every gun case. As of July, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was storing about 64,000 genetic profiles, The Trace and WNYC have learned.
Details about the size of the database and its rapid growth have not been previously reported.
This is why we can’t have nice things . . . Uber driver’s gun accidentally fires, hits woman
Indianapolis police are investigating a report of a woman injured by a ricocheting bullet when an Uber driver’s gun accidentally misfired Friday night.
The incident happened between 11 p.m. and midnight Friday near the Embassy Suites Hotel downtown.
According to a report documenting the incident, the victim told police her Uber driver’s gun accidentally discharged – causing the bullet to ricochet and injure her.
I’ll take “Useless, Empty Gestures” for $200, Alex . . . Concert held to end gun violence
The event was held by ‘Iowans for Gun Safety.’ They are not against legal gun ownership, but they say too many guns are getting into the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.
Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman says 21 guns have been stolen out of vehicles in Cedar Rapids this year. He says a lot of those vehicles were unlocked.
He says, “There’s 21 guns who are in the hands of who knows who, and that’s concerning.” He adds that police have been more vigilant in their patrols, and that’s help drop the number of shots fired incidents by about 20 from this time last year.
Don’t fall for it . . . Scam website targets those seeking gun permits, sheriff warns
A fraudulent website is falsely claiming to help Pennsylvanians apply for a concealed carry permit — and charging fees for the fake services, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office warned Friday.
The website — concealcarryservices.com — asserts that it can assist with getting firearms licenses in Pennsylvania, as well as Florida, Louisiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus said in a statement.
“Users are directed to select a state and complete an online form, which prompts them to supply personal information almost identical to what would be provided on an application for a Pennsylvania license to carry firearms,” Kraus said.
Raise your hand if you’re a “weapons fanatic,” too! . . . Weapons fanatic had HUGE arsenal of guns and ammunition at home
A huge arsenal of weapons including shotguns and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition was found at a Midlands home.
Police say the collection which was hoarded by Jonathan Knight posed a ‘significant risk to the public’.
Officers from the National Crime Agency’s armed operations unit descended on a house in Sunfield Road, Cannock after suspecting weapons fanatic, Jonathan Knight had been collecting firearms illegally.
Three air pistols, a pair of air rifles, a ME38 revolver, two sound moderators and a huge amount of ammunition was discovered at the 47-year-old’s home.
