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November 2017
Ohio case on restraining orders and firearms
Eugene Volokh discusses it here. The Ohio Court of Appeals held that a civil restraining order cannot forbid possession of firearms unless the alleged conduct had some nexus to firearms, such as a threat to shoot someone.
Volokh is right about courts issuing restraining orders at the drop of a hat, without much consideration of due process, or even the law. I've seen one that was issued locally where the allegation was "we've having arguments." That was it. No force, no threats; it came nowhere close to meeting the statute.
Concealed carry reciprocity makes it out of committee
The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 has been voted out of House Judiciary Committee! Now for the media storm against it....
This was predictable...
Hawaii registers guns, and also keeps lists of users of medical marihuana. So it was a simple matter for the state to write all people who appear on both lists and order them to turn in their guns. The Hawaii statutes forbid possession by anyone who is a federal prohibited possessor, the federal statute make any "unlawful user" of marihuana a prohibited possessor, and medicinal pot may be legal under Hawaii's laws but is not legal under federal law.
NCIS actress gets flak over picture showing her with a rifle
Maria Bello is taking flak over posing with an AR-15 platform rifle.
Supreme Court denies cert in Kolbe v. Hogan
Story here. As always, we have no way to know why.
Robbery isn't safe in Arizona
"Phoenix Woman Shoots Armed Robber Dead"
Clayton Cramer on mass killings: is the US exceptional?
As usual, Clayton nails it.
Brian Terry Foundation dinner tonight
Tonight was the dinner and reception for the Brian Terry Foundation, a worthy cause that benefits Border Patrol agents killed or injured in the line of duty. Brian Terry is the agent who was killed by a "rip crew" (border criminals who rip off cartel drug smugglers) using guns supplied by the government in Operation Fast and Furious. Present were "whistle-blower" ATF agents John Dobson (who was honored), Vince Cefalu, and Jay Dobyns. The keynote speaker was Steve Bannon. It was a very nice gathering, but I'm too tired now to write more.
Great lead-in to an editorial
At the Detroit News:
"For a guy who likes to get naked and shoot off rifles (who doesn't?) State Sen. Virgil Smith has been consistently hostile to the rights of gun owners."
We're in the best of hands
TSA screeners fail to catch 80% of testers trying to get weapons, etc., past them.
Thought on the assault on Sen. Rand Paul
18 USC §111 provides that whoever "forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person designated in section 1114 of this title while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties" shall be punished "where such acts involve physical contact with the victim of that assault" with up to 8 years imprisonment for a federal offense. If the offense "inflicts bodily injury," which this clearly did, the penalty escalates to up to 20 years imprisonment.
18 USC §1114 in turn defines its coverage as "any officer or employee of the United States" when the person is engaged in "or on account of the performance of official duties."
UPDATE: Note the "or on account of" performance of his official duties. The assault doesn't have to happen on the Senate floor, if it's in retribution for his legislative actions.
I've got get one of these....
USA Today shows how an AR can be equipped with a chainsaw bayonet.
Drat, I just remembered -- my AR doesn't have a bayonet lug.
From the Daily Caller
"Everything that could possibly go wrong with the gun control narrative went wrong in Texas. Indeed.
More on the Texas killer
According to this story, he not only had the court-martial convictions for domestic violence, he had been "jailed" (convicted? the story is unclear) for DV in a civilian court, and had escaped from a mental health facility (an involuntary commitment? another bar to gun ownership, if so. There is a mention of "danger to self or others," with the commitment based on threats he had made).
More on the men who stopped the Texas church shooter
I'm favorably impressed. The mainstream media actually is covering the story. And these guys were not only heroic, but pretty wise for men under that much stress.
From CNN:
"He saw that the guy was wearing body armor, and there was a velcro strap, from the back to the front," detailed Leonard, speaking live on Monday. "He knew from that ... that the vulnerable spot was going to be in the side. And so that's where he shot him."
Leonard added that the shooter carjacked a nearby vehicle and engaged his cousin in a firefight.
"As he was doing that, [my cousin] shot him again, in the neck."
More from the Washington Post and USA Today.
Mass murder in Texas--killer halted by armed citizen
Story (unlikely to be covered by the mass media) here.
What they are covering: he used an extraordinary rifle, a Ruger AR assault rifle.
UPDATE: an eyewitness report that says the civilian shot the killer.
BIG UPDATE: when it comes to American news, count on the British press. It's reporting that there were two civilians involved, and they not only shot the murderer, but chased his car and ran it off the road, putting an end to his killing spree and also him.
Justice Thomas
City Journal has an excellent brief biography of Justice Clarence Thomas and a study of his thinking. The man is a phenomenon -- I hope he lives forever.