GUNS IN THE NEWS - October 22, 2004

[CO Liberal]

Please try to adhere to the following voluntary guidelines, in order that we can have an orderly discussion of gun-related news topics:

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[CO Liberal]

1. Police Search for Shooting Suspect (UT)

Police Search for Shooting Suspect
Oct. 22, 2004
(KSL News) A killer on the loose, a community left reeling after a shooting in Salt Lake.

Detectives are still facing many questions this morning in connection with that shooting, most importantly the identity of the killer.

Police say it all began when 21-year-old Jeffrey L. Maestas got out of his car on 700 North to confront a man on the sidewalk. Moments later, witnesses say that man pulled out a gun and began shooting, killing Maestas.

<more>

http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=5&sid=127794

[CO Liberal]

2. Plant shooting suspect turns self in (MO)

Yet another law-abiding gun owner that we don't have to worry about... - Wayne

* * * * *

Plant shooting suspect turns self in

(Earth City, Missouri-AP) Oct. 22, 2004 - A former employee who opened fire at a St. Louis County plant Friday has surrendered.

Authorities say one person suffered a minor gunshot wound.

A former co-worker says the gunman had been fired about a year ago for missing too much work. Marcus Jordan says the gunman told him if he lost his job he wouldn't be able to support his family.

Workers say they heard about a dozen shots fired. The shooting happened during an afternoon shift change.

<more>

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2465264

[CO Liberal]

3. Gordo councilman, wife die in apparent murder-suicide (AL)

Ever notice that virtually EVERY murder-suicide case involves a gun? - Wayne

* * * * *

Gordo councilman, wife die in apparent murder-suicide
10/21/2004, 6:39 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

GORDO, Ala. (AP) — Gordo Councilman Roger Bridges and his wife, Amanda, were found dead at their home Wednesday in an apparent murder and suicide.

Police Chief Todd Hall told The Tuscaloosa News that neighbors called police about 8 a.m. Wednesday after they saw the councilman's body through a window at his home.

Police found Bridges dead with a handgun on the floor nearby and his wife was in bed with a single gunshot to the head. A note found in the home indicated there were domestic problems, Hall said.

<more>

http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1098402241195420.xml&storylist=alabamanews

[slackmaster]

4. Boston fan death may prompt alcohol ban

BOSTON - Mayor Thomas Menino said he was considering banning alcohol sales near Fenway Park during the World Series (news - web sites), following rowdy celebrations of the Red Sox's league championship that turned deadly when a police officer shot a projectile into a crowd.

Menino planned to meet with bar and nightclub owners Friday and also said he would press colleges to expel students found guilty of criminal conduct in the melee.

"Since people won't accept responsibility, I, as mayor, will take it into my own hands," Menino said.

Emerson College student Victoria Snelgrove, 21, died Thursday, hours after being hit in the eye with what was designed to be a non-lethal projectile that would douse the target with a pepper-like spray. Her father expressed outrage at the city's response to her death....

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20041022/ap_on_re_us/red_sox_fans

Sounds like a terrible way to go.

Advocates of "non-lethal" alternatives to firearms please take note. Any projectile can kill. Police refer to pepper balls, bean bag loads, and other alternative ammunition as "less lethal", not non-lethal.

And they're blaming the booze rather than the conduct of individuals.

[CO Liberal]

5. Bear In Mind....

Victoria Snelgrove was alive and well before she was fired on.

[anonymous44]

6. guess that i should turn my guns in

along with bb guns and pepper spray projectiles.

police will take care of me.

i will be much safer without a gun.

[CO Liberal]

7. No - Not At All

I post these stories as a reminder that guns are lethal, and that gun ownership mandates responsibility.

[slackmaster]

8. Absolutely right

Everyone who uses a gun, including police officers, must obey the rules of gun safety at all times. One of those rules is to be sure of your backdrop as well as your target - You are responsible for anything that happens if your bullet (or "non-lethal projectile") misses or penetrates the target and keeps going.

If a shooter misses or shoots through an intended target and destroys something other than the target, the shooter was negligent.

[MrSandman]

9. "Less lethal" is the term I have heard applied...

to these.

on edit...
"Crowd-control weapon touted as `less lethal' can still be deadly"

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=50311