Skynet weaponization continues apace . . . The Military is Using Human Brain Waves to Teach Robots How to Shoot – “Modern sensors can see farther than humans. Electronic circuits can shoot faster than nerves and muscles can pull a trigger. Humans still outperform armed robots in knowing what to shoot at — but new research funded in part by the Army may soon narrow that gap. Researchers from DCS Corp and the Army Research Lab fed datasets of human brain waves into a neural network — a type of artificial intelligence — which learned to recognize when a human is making a targeting decision. They presented their paper on it at the annual Intelligent User Interface conference in Cyprus in March.
It’s high time we arm German Shepherds, Dobermans and Malinois with AR’s . . . Oregon police respond to report of cat armed with gun-shaped stick – “Police in Oregon issued a ‘verbal warning’ to a cat reportedly seen armed with a gun-shaped stick. Newport Oregon Police Department shared a photo of a black and white cat perched in a tree with its paw draped over a stick that appeared to resemble an automatic rifle. Officers responded to the scene and were ultimately able to determine the cat did not pose any real threat.”
Our Continuing Efforts to Help Prevent Suicide by Firearm – “Since suicides account for nearly two-thirds of all fatalities involving firearms, far more than homicides or accidents, the issue also deserves our attention. In recent years, a number of groups dedicated to suicide prevention recognized they could be more successful educating the firearms-owning community about suicide risk factors and warning signs, as well as options to safely store their firearms when not in use, if they partnered with NSSF. As the trade association for the firearms industry, NSSF enjoys credibility with gun owners and is known for its longtime safety efforts such as Project ChildSafe, which has distributed more than 37 million firearm safety kits that include a gun lock in more than 15,000 communities across the country, and has seen firearms accidents plummet to less than 1 percent of all accidental deaths.”
Let’s Money Ball Gun Violence Reduction – “My amazing wife has hit the nail on the head. Like winning baseball games, sustainable gun violence reduction does not come from high-profile arrests like your occasional home run. It comes from unheralded but consistent prevention-focused deterrence strategies and overall violence de-normalization. In large part, the conventional approach to reducing violence has focused on arrests and closing cases as they are both easily observable and sexy (just like batting averages and RBI’s) but may have little impact on actual violence prevention.” This groundbreaking idea is actually a commercial for ShotSpotter.
Chicago’s criminal justice revolving door . . . Chicago police superintendent supports bond reforms for gun crimes – “Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Sunday he supports efforts to reform Illinois law to make it harder for those charged with gun crimes to post bail after a Chicago Tribune report detailed how the state’s bond system has become a revolving door for violent gang members arrested on weapons charges. The Tribune report found that over the course of five years, 1 in 10 of those who were arrested and bonded out on gun charges committed serious crimes within a year — then bonded out of jail yet again. The vast majority of suspects were arrested on new gun charges.”
Texas officer charged with murder in shooting death of 15-year-old leaving party – “A white Texas police officer faces a murder charge in the shooting of a black teenager after being fired earlier in the week over the incident, authorities said Friday. Roy Oliver turned himself in Friday night, just hours after the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest in the April 29 death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards. Oliver, a former officer in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs, was later released after posting bail at the Parker County Jail in Weatherford, about 95 miles west of Dallas. His bond had been set at $300,000.”
Report: Spike in number of guns obtained legally by right-wing extremists in Germany – “Around 750 right-wing extremists in Germany have legally acquired guns, up from 400 in 2014, the ‘Welt am Sonntag’ newspaper reported on Saturday. The newspaper acquired the statistics after German lawmaker Martina Renner, member of the socialist Left party, submitted a request for information to the federal government. ‘Police and those responsible for the enforcement of gun laws must deal urgently with the 750 right-wing extremists who have obtained gun licenses,’ Renner said after the figures were released”
Anything to advance the anti-gun narrative . . . IUPUI prof warns about danger of guns — and it’s not what you think – “The study by an IUPUI scientist found that firing a gun at a shooting range, either indoors or outdoors, releases a high level of lead-filled dust that coats the shooter. This dust can enter the shooter’s bloodstream, potentially resulting in elevated lead exposure. Or, a shooter who has young children can bring this dust home on his or her skin or clothes, exposing the children to the lead. Too-high levels of lead can cause poor judgment as well as problems with impulse control.”
Fortunately, New York Staters won’t have to worry about the Dowager Empress of Chappaqua degrading their gun rights . . . Clinton fear fuels jump in NY pistol permits – “Presidential politics appears to have played a role in more people seeking handgun permits in New York last year. Gun owners’ fear of a Hillary Clinton presidency may have helped spur a spike in pistol permits issued in the Empire State in 2016, increasing 34 percent from the 2012 presidential election year and rivaling numbers last seen when the SAFE Act passed four years ago. A total of 29,910 handgun permits were issued outside New York City from January through October of last year, up from 27,547 in all of 2015 and 22,282 in 2012, according to State Police data obtained by the USA Today Network’s Albany Bureau through a Freedom of Information request.”
Hastings Man Accused Of Aiming Shotgun At Man After Beer Pong Loss – “A Hastings (Minnesota) man accused of pointing a loaded shotgun at a man who had just beaten him in a game of beer pong now faces criminal charges. The Dakota County Attorney’s office says Ian Skylar Narow, 26, was charged Friday with one felony count of threatening violence, one count of fifth-degree assault and one count of disorderly conduct.” Wonder if he said, “Here, hold my beer.”
