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Dial H For Hero
Dial H For Hero's Journal
Dial H For Hero's Journal
December 24, 2020
Good news.
ATF suspends proposed pistol brace guidance
https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/general-notice/sb-criteria-withdrawal-notice-12-23-20pdfGood news.
December 15, 2020
Hennepin County prosecutors said Monday that they would not bring criminal charges against a south Minneapolis pawnshop owner who fatally shot a man during the unrest that followed George Floyd's death earlier this year, saying they lacked the evidence to rebut the owner's self-defense claim.
County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement that the destruction of potential video evidence by looters and the refusal of key witnesses to testify precluded prosecutors from charging the owner, John Rieple, in the death of 43-year-old Calvin Horton.
"Based upon the facts and available evidence, the state could not prove it was not self-defense and prosecutors are ethically prohibited from filing charges against someone knowing it would not be possible to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt," the statement read. Prosecutors said they reached their decision following an "exhaustive" six-month police investigation.
While the Star Tribune generally does not identify people who haven't been charged with a crime, it is doing so with Rieple because his identity as the owner of the pawnshop is widely known and because he has been identified in other news accounts of Horton's killing.
(excerpt)
Prosecutors: No charges in pawnshop killing during George Floyd unrest
https://www.startribune.com/prosecutors-no-charges-in-pawnshop-killing-during-george-floyd-unrest/573391381/Hennepin County prosecutors said Monday that they would not bring criminal charges against a south Minneapolis pawnshop owner who fatally shot a man during the unrest that followed George Floyd's death earlier this year, saying they lacked the evidence to rebut the owner's self-defense claim.
County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement that the destruction of potential video evidence by looters and the refusal of key witnesses to testify precluded prosecutors from charging the owner, John Rieple, in the death of 43-year-old Calvin Horton.
"Based upon the facts and available evidence, the state could not prove it was not self-defense and prosecutors are ethically prohibited from filing charges against someone knowing it would not be possible to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt," the statement read. Prosecutors said they reached their decision following an "exhaustive" six-month police investigation.
While the Star Tribune generally does not identify people who haven't been charged with a crime, it is doing so with Rieple because his identity as the owner of the pawnshop is widely known and because he has been identified in other news accounts of Horton's killing.
(excerpt)
December 12, 2020
The gun debate in America will soon enter a new chapter with a Democrat in the White House after four years under President Donald Trump in which gun control advocates developed a long wish list for reform amid a spate of large-scale mass killings in places like Las Vegas, El Paso and Parkland, Florida.
But any hope that Joe Biden will usher in a new era of restrictions on firearms is highly unlikely because of the same polarization in Washington that has tripped up similar efforts under past administrations.
The items on the agenda — largely relegated to the political shelf in recent years — include renewing a ban on AR-style rifles, universal background checks, restrictions on high-capacity magazines and a federal red flag law designed to prevent people at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing a firearm.
But virtually all of those will require Congress to act. And regardless the outcome in two Senate races in Georgia that will determine which party holds the majority in that chamber, it will be a tall order to get a majority of lawmakers on board.
(excerpt)
Gun restrictions face uphill battle even under Biden
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/gun-restrictions-face-uphill-battle-biden-74653133The gun debate in America will soon enter a new chapter with a Democrat in the White House after four years under President Donald Trump in which gun control advocates developed a long wish list for reform amid a spate of large-scale mass killings in places like Las Vegas, El Paso and Parkland, Florida.
But any hope that Joe Biden will usher in a new era of restrictions on firearms is highly unlikely because of the same polarization in Washington that has tripped up similar efforts under past administrations.
The items on the agenda — largely relegated to the political shelf in recent years — include renewing a ban on AR-style rifles, universal background checks, restrictions on high-capacity magazines and a federal red flag law designed to prevent people at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing a firearm.
But virtually all of those will require Congress to act. And regardless the outcome in two Senate races in Georgia that will determine which party holds the majority in that chamber, it will be a tall order to get a majority of lawmakers on board.
(excerpt)
December 11, 2020
Brandon Bernard executed after Supreme Court denies request for a delay
Source: CNN
(CNN)Brandon Bernard was executed by the federal government on Thursday at the Federal Correctional Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, according to a pool report.
Bernard, 40, was one of five gang members convicted in Texas of killing Stacie and Todd Bagley -- who were youth ministers -- in 1999. The gunman, Christopher Vialva, was executed in September, while the other co-defendants were given lesser sentences.
Bernard was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m. He was the youngest person in the United States to receive a death sentence in nearly 70 years for a crime committed when he was an adolescent.
Bernard said he had been waiting for his chance to apologize to the family of the Bagleys and his own family for the pain he caused.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/politics/brandon-bernard-executed/index.html
November 28, 2020
SALT LAKE CITY — Ermiya Fanaeian looks down the barrel of her AR-15, sighting the pink paper target hanging about a dozen yards in front of her.
She fires off five rounds, exhaling each time before she pulls the trigger and the bone-rattling crack of the gunshot rips through the indoor shooting range. Keeping the rifle pointed forward, she slides the safety lever up and disconnects the banana-shaped magazine, placing them both on the counter before her. Then, she presses a button to her left, sending the target, fixed to a track on the ceiling, rocketing back toward her booth.
The first time Fanaeian shot a gun was three months ago.
“I’ve definitely gotten better,” she says as she inspects the target. One bullet hole sits a few inches above the white X in the center of the target, another slightly to the right.
(excerpt)
How a Utah gun control advocate changed her mind and launched a pro-gun group (Pink Pistols)
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/11/27/21515321/pink-pistols-salt-lake-city-lgbtq-pro-gun-2nd-amendment-trans-deaths-hate-crime-southern-poverty-lawSALT LAKE CITY — Ermiya Fanaeian looks down the barrel of her AR-15, sighting the pink paper target hanging about a dozen yards in front of her.
She fires off five rounds, exhaling each time before she pulls the trigger and the bone-rattling crack of the gunshot rips through the indoor shooting range. Keeping the rifle pointed forward, she slides the safety lever up and disconnects the banana-shaped magazine, placing them both on the counter before her. Then, she presses a button to her left, sending the target, fixed to a track on the ceiling, rocketing back toward her booth.
The first time Fanaeian shot a gun was three months ago.
“I’ve definitely gotten better,” she says as she inspects the target. One bullet hole sits a few inches above the white X in the center of the target, another slightly to the right.
(excerpt)
November 23, 2020
Teen Suspect in Custody After Friday Shooting That Injured 8 at Wisconsin Mall, Police Say
Source: NBC Chicago
Police say they have arrested a teen suspect in connection to a shooting that left eight people injured at a suburban Milwaukee shopping mall Friday.
According to authorities, the 15-year-old was taken into custody this weekend in connection with the incident, which occurred after an altercation between two groups near the entrance of a Macy's store at the Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa, a suburb of Milwaukee.
Police first received word of the shooting just before 3 p.m. Friday, and according to Weber, officers were on the scene within 30 seconds of being summoned. Officers provided medical aid to some of the injured after the shooting, according to authorities.
Authorities say the suspect was not in the mall when they arrived, but officers were forced to order patrons to shelter in place so the mall could be swept. The process to secure the 1.2 million square foot mall took approximately six hours to complete, authorities say
Read more: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/police-say-teen-suspet-in-custody-after-shooting-that-injured-8-at-wisconsin-mall/2377901/
November 12, 2020
New York (CNN Business)Joe Biden's projected White House win could boost gun sales in what has already been a landmark year for gun makers.
"The election of a Democratic president who has promised to tighten gun control legislation could very well prompt increased demand for firearms," says Rommel Dionisio, managing director of Aegis Capital.
Biden has long been vocal on the issue of gun control. The former vice president has said gun manufacturers are "the enemy" of the Democratic party's gun control efforts. His campaign website calls for a ban on manufacturing and future sales of assault weapons like the AR-15, a position he has maintained since a string of high-profile mass shootings in 2019.
Dionisio says gun owners' fears of Democrats passing gun control legislation fuels a predictable surge in sales before and after elections.
(excerpt)
Gun sales expected to set new records after Joe Biden's White House win
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/business/gun-sales-joe-biden/index.htmlNew York (CNN Business)Joe Biden's projected White House win could boost gun sales in what has already been a landmark year for gun makers.
"The election of a Democratic president who has promised to tighten gun control legislation could very well prompt increased demand for firearms," says Rommel Dionisio, managing director of Aegis Capital.
Biden has long been vocal on the issue of gun control. The former vice president has said gun manufacturers are "the enemy" of the Democratic party's gun control efforts. His campaign website calls for a ban on manufacturing and future sales of assault weapons like the AR-15, a position he has maintained since a string of high-profile mass shootings in 2019.
Dionisio says gun owners' fears of Democrats passing gun control legislation fuels a predictable surge in sales before and after elections.
(excerpt)
November 8, 2020
USTIN (KXAN) — With two months still left in the year, the FBI has already set a record for the number of firearm background checks conducted in 2020.
Licensed gun dealers must legally run this check every time someone purchases a firearm or multiple firearms. The agency began tracking this data with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in 1998. While it doesn’t account for every gun sold, it does indicate Americans purchasing patters.
Amid a pandemic, civil unrest and a presidential election, the 2020 numbers show Americans have increasingly turned to firearm ownership.
In Texas, the FBI conducted 1,922,440 checks. The last time Texas saw this much interest was in 2016, when 1,721,726 checks were done throughout the year of the last presidential election. The state also saw spikes in in 2012 and 2008.
(excerpt)
2020 sets all-time record for FBI firearm background checks amid election, pandemic
https://www.kxan.com/news/consumer/2020-sets-all-time-record-for-fbi-firearm-background-checks-amid-election-pandemic/USTIN (KXAN) — With two months still left in the year, the FBI has already set a record for the number of firearm background checks conducted in 2020.
Licensed gun dealers must legally run this check every time someone purchases a firearm or multiple firearms. The agency began tracking this data with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in 1998. While it doesn’t account for every gun sold, it does indicate Americans purchasing patters.
Amid a pandemic, civil unrest and a presidential election, the 2020 numbers show Americans have increasingly turned to firearm ownership.
In Texas, the FBI conducted 1,922,440 checks. The last time Texas saw this much interest was in 2016, when 1,721,726 checks were done throughout the year of the last presidential election. The state also saw spikes in in 2012 and 2008.
(excerpt)
November 4, 2020
AP calls Texas for Trump.
November 3, 2020
A grizzly bear seriously injured a father and son who were hunting in northern Montana in a "surprise" attack, wildlife officials said. The bear charged out of a thickly wooded area and attacked the two on a road Saturday near Smith Lake north of Whitefish Lake in the Flathead Valley, according to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks state agency.
The hunters "sustained significant injuries" before they shot and killed the bear, the agency said in a statement. They were later flown to a hospital.
Investigators found a deer carcass nearby. They concluded the nearly 20-year-old female was defending the food and her cubs.
"Based on the evidence gathered at the scene and interviews with the victims, we believe this was a surprise encounter involving an adult female grizzly bear defending a food source and her offspring," FWP Regional Game Warden Captain Lee Anderson said.
(excerpt)
Grizzly bear killed after "surprise" attack on father and son in Montana
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/grizzly-bear-surprise-attack-father-son-montana/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1hA grizzly bear seriously injured a father and son who were hunting in northern Montana in a "surprise" attack, wildlife officials said. The bear charged out of a thickly wooded area and attacked the two on a road Saturday near Smith Lake north of Whitefish Lake in the Flathead Valley, according to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks state agency.
The hunters "sustained significant injuries" before they shot and killed the bear, the agency said in a statement. They were later flown to a hospital.
Investigators found a deer carcass nearby. They concluded the nearly 20-year-old female was defending the food and her cubs.
"Based on the evidence gathered at the scene and interviews with the victims, we believe this was a surprise encounter involving an adult female grizzly bear defending a food source and her offspring," FWP Regional Game Warden Captain Lee Anderson said.
(excerpt)
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