Over the weekend, an eighteen-year-old turd who was allowed to fall through the cracks after being put in a mental hospital for threatening to shoot up a school, committed a racist mass murder in Buffalo. The death weapon was an AR15, supposedly legally purchased and illegally (under New York law) modified. Predictably, the call went out to ban AR15s from people his age.
Interestingly, a group of gun owners’ civil rights organizations had won a decision in the Ninth Circuit of the Federal court, overturning just such a ban.
It’s simply not right to punish the law-abiding many for the sins of the evil few.
I think if you’re old enough to die for your country with a government-issue machine gun in your hand, you’re old enough to buy an AR15.
So does the Second Amendment Foundation, which offers the following:
BELLEVUE, WA – A three-judge panel for the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday struck down a California prohibition on sales of semiautomatic rifles to young adults in the 18-20-year-old range, remanding the case back to the district court for further proceedings in a win for the Second Amendment Foundation. The case is known as Jones v. Bonta.
SAF was joined in by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc., Firearms Policy Foundation, Calguns Foundation, Poway Weapons and Gear and PWG Range, North County Shooting Center, Inc, Beebe Family Arms and Munitions, and three private citizens including Matthew Jones for whom the case is named.
The majority opinion was written by Judge Ryan Nelson and joined by Judge Kenneth Lee, both Donald Trump appointees, and in part by Judge Sidney Stein from the Southern District of New York, a Bill Clinton appointee. Judge Stein also dissented in part.
Writing for the majority, Judge Nelson observed, “(T)he Second Amendment protects the right of young adults to keep and bear arms, which includes the right to purchase them. The district court reasoned otherwise and held that the laws did not burden Second Amendment rights at all: that was legal error…(T)he district court erred by applying intermediate scrutiny, rather than strict scrutiny, to the semiautomatic centerfire rifle ban. And even under intermediate scrutiny, this ban likely violates the Second Amendment because it fails the ‘reasonable fit’ test.”
“We are delighted with the opinion,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The court majority rightly recognized that delaying the exercise of a right until age 21 does irreparable harm. It also applied strict scrutiny to the semi-auto ban.”
He noted this ruling could have an impact on another case challenging a similar prohibition in Washington State, which is also part of the Ninth Circuit. There, the prohibition was adopted via a citizen initiative in 2018, and was challenged by SAF and the National Rifle Association.
That people will commit destructive (including self destructive) acts has been a part of human existence since the beginning. However, some people manage to delude themselves into believing (variety of self destruction?) that if certain items are banned, despite thousands of years of experience proving otherwise, that behavior will miraculously cease. Being inventive, people will often find another way (see IED) to accomplish what they want to.
Be interesting to see if the full 9th upholds the decision. Predict not. But, it would seem to set the stage for a SCOTUS review. Give to the Foundation till it hurts!
“..But, it would seem to set the stage for a SCOTUS review. ” <~~~~ When THIS institution refused to hear arguments concerning the last presidential election, when there was enough evidence, provable evidence, all "hopes" for the SCOTUS to be an impartial institution were realized by many. Even Honorable Clarence Thomas said as much recently. Face it, way too many 2A cases have been shelved for too long, and with what we have in there now, offers no hope for impartial rulings. You watch, the summer of rage will scare the piss out of the justices now that they know they are not insulted from the evil lunatics that walk among us.
Epstein didn't hang himself, G. Maxwell's list of clients haven't been made public and Seth Rich didn't commit suicide either. The list is endless…
Indeed. I *only* went Life Member on the strength of Mas joining the leadership team.
“*…insulated from the evil…”
When thing could get worst this story happens.
WTNH Hartford
WTNH Hartford
18-year-old arrested for manufacturing illegal AR-15 rifles in East Hampton
Olivia Casey – 3h ago
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EAST HAMPTON, Conn. (WTNH) – An 18-year-old was arrested in East Hampton for manufacturing illegal AR-15 assault rifles, police said.18-year-old arrested for manufacturing illegal AR-15 rifles in East Hampton
© Provided by WTNH Hartford
18-year-old arrested for manufacturing illegal AR-15 rifles in East Hampton
The East Hampton Police Department responded to a report of an adult resident in town manufacturing illegal guns. During an investigation, police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Clayton Hobby and found that he was manufacturing the guns with his grandfather, Kerry Schunk.
Police said they located and seized multiple “ghost gun” AR-15 rifles in various stages of assembly, including one that was converted to shoot fully automatic. In addition to the rifles, three “ghost gun” polymer handguns were located.
15 high capacity magazines and approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition were also located in close proximity to the weapons, police said.
Hobby was charged with three counts of possession of an assault weapon, three counts of criminal possession of a pistol criminal possession of ammunition. Hobby was also charged with the manufacturing of a machine gun, 15 counts of high-capacity magazines, and risk of injury.
Hobby was held on a $100,000 surety bond.
Copyright 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
The despicable shooter left a ‘manifesto’ tat detailed his plans, his preparations, and his philosophy. Predictably, he has been labelled as a ‘right wing white supremacist’, yet his manifesto states unequivocally that he is a left leaning environmental radical. It also states that he picked NY State for his murder spree since the gun laws there would minimize the possibility of his spree being interrupted by a concealed carry holder. Of course the media narrative twists that to suit their purposes.
Our friend Andrew Branca just posted an interview with John Lott that talks about other examples of media twisting their ‘facts’ and snippets from interviews to support their bias.
Tom in NC,
As Mas has said, gun free zones are criminal empowerment zones. All of NY is a “criminal empowerment zone.”
Everyone on this forum knows that if the New Yorkers in that grocery store had been allowed to be armed, eleven people would not be dead. Maybe three people would be dead, maybe five. But if someone had returned fire (Fight Crime, Shoot Back), then the goblin would have been forced to stop his assault. He would either be killed, wounded, or distracted enough by the counter-attack that his attack plan would be interrupted. Instead, we see what happens when there is one criminal with a gun, in a room with multiple unarmed victims. The unarmed victims do not counter-attack, so the criminal’s assault continues, and more victims are produced.
Keeping black people from owning guns could rightly be called, “racist.”
Would someone please provide a legal definition of an ‘assault weapon’? Is there one? If not, how can anyone be charged with criminal possession of one?
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle chambered for an intermediate cartridge such as the 5.56X45mm or 7.62X39mm. I don’t believe anyone has defined what an assault weapon is, but logic would dictate it’s a weapon used primarily in an offensive capacity. Of course any weapon can be used either offensively or defensively, depending on the person in possession of it.
Any weapon used in an assault.
Which could be as simple as a phrase.
It seems each jurisdiction makes up its own definition as it suits them. When BloomingIdiiotBurg bought a new “ssaault weapons” ban in Washington State couple years back, I had a very amusing experiende. Tuesday evening, election day, I went to bed not owning a single “ssault weapon”. When I awoke Wednesday morning I suddenly found myself in possession of near a doen of them. Didn’t cost me a cent. Seems all my Ruger, Mossburg, Remington .22 WRF rifles were now legally classified Assult Weapons. Hoonoo? Funny, none of them look, feel, shoot, or behave differently now they’ve become “assault weapons”.
Ain’t they pawl a TISH uns wunnerful fokes?
I’ll offer this definition for your amusement.
“Assault weapon” — Definition:
A fictitious category of firearm – invented for the purpose of deceiving members of the American Public who are not familiar with firearms.
The meaning and use of the word “assault” is intentionally twisted to cause confusion and aid in the deception.
The term is based on the valid firearm category “assault RIFLE”, which describes a selective fire (can be fired like a ‘machine gun’), intermediate caliber rifle (in between pistol and high-power rifle ammunition) – resulting in a light-weight, low-recoil weapon, well-suited for short-range use when fired like a ‘machine gun’ at close range in the ASSAULT PHASE of a MILITARY attack, and which still has an effective and accurate range out to 300 meters, when fired one shot at a time. It is NOT a type of rifle that can be bought without a lot of Federal and state approvals, and a lot of time, investigation, and expense.
The “ASSAULT PHASE” of a military attack is closing in on the enemy, advancing on his position to drive him from that position, or kill him if he attempts to remain.
The word “assault” is re-utilized in the term “assault WEAPON” to suggest the common civilian concept of “assault” as meaning a violent, criminal attack committed against an innocent victim, as in the statement:
……….“Assault weapons– their name describes their purpose!”
Clever — fiendishly clever. Lots of semantic trickery at play.
The meaning of the word “assault” in the term “assault RIFLES” as a MILITARY term, a phase of a MILITARY attack, is psychologically re-directed toward the popular understanding of the word “assault” as a CRIMINAL attack against an innocent victim in the term “assault WEAPONS”, to confuse people by making them think such guns have only criminal use.
In addition to this twisting of the word “assault” to cause deception and fool the general public, the valid category of firearms — “assault RIFLES” — was simultaneously expanded to a new, and unashamedly false, more general category of “assault WEAPONS”.
This was done to rationalize including not just rifles, but shotguns, and even pistols, in the newly invented pseudo-category. This reflects the twist in the meaning of “assault”, from a phase of MILITARY ATTACK to criminal violence.
First they invent a new pseudo-category of firearm. They name that category in a way that suggests that the only use for such weapons, in civilian hands, is criminal “assault”.
Then, they include in that pseudo-category any firearm they can rationalize as somehow being too dangerous, or “unsuitable” for “civilians” (more properly CITIZENS) to own, claiming that such weapons “only belong on foreign battlefields”.
He was also reportedly wearing body armor so don’t be surprised when the bills to ban it are introduced. I would think that you should default to head shots upon encountering an attacker wielding a rifle and/or tactical gear & military style clothing as there is a good chance they are armored. The retired cop/security guard supposedly made several hits that were stopped on the armor. Even lower body hits may stop their movement & limit access to more victims. This horrific act checks all the Democrat’s boxes & they will go to any lengths to take advantage.
I am curious about the distance between the killer and the security guard when that fatal shot took place. I would advocate that security guards carry handy long guns with slings like red-dot/scoped carbines or especially short-barreled shotguns with an effective range of 35 yards or more using buckshot that gives high-percentage head-and-neck shots against criminals wearing ballistic vests.
I find it absolutely despicable, Mas, that our 18-20 year old adults are diacriminated against and denied any right whatsoever which is secured at 21. And I don’t just mean guns.
What Do Most Mass Shooters Have in Common? They Bought Their Guns Legally.
Glenn Thrush
May 16, 2022, 8:17 p.m. ETMay 16, 2022
May 16, 2022
Glenn Thrush
A memorial outside the grocery store in Buffalo where a gunman killed 10 people on Saturday.
A memorial outside the grocery store in Buffalo where a gunman killed 10 people on Saturday. Credit…Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times
WASHINGTON — Of all the wrenching similarities between the massacres at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, the Walmart in El Paso and the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, one stands out most starkly: Each gun used was purchased legally.
From 1966 to 2019, 77 percent of mass shooters obtained the weapons they used in their crimes through legal purchases, according to a comprehensive survey of law enforcement data, academic papers and news accounts compiled by the National Institute of Justice, the research wing of the Justice Department.
In upstate New York a few months ago, the 18-year-old suspect in the Buffalo shooting walked into Vintage Firearms in sleepy Endicott, passed an instant background check without a glitch and bought a used Bushmaster XM-15 semiautomatic rifle, a copy of the ubiquitous AR-15 used in many other mass shootings.
The suspect, Payton Gendron, had recently been required to undergo psychological evaluation after making menacing, violent comments to high school classmates, but the episode was not enough to set off the state’s “red flag” law, which bars the mentally ill from buying weapons.
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Then he went home, borrowed his father’s electric drill, and removed a restraining bolt, required by state law, that limited its capacity to a 10-round clip. That modification allowed him to load multiple 30-round magazines, making it easier for him to hunt, target and kill Black people, according to a manifesto he posted online.
While mass shootings, defined by many experts as episodes involving four or more fatalities, represent a relatively small percentage of overall gun crimes, they have risen drastically in recent years, with at least eight of the 20 deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history taking place since 2014.
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That a majority of these criminals have made their gateway purchases though legal means reflects the profound inadequacy of local, state and federal statutes to detect or deter mass shooters, say law enforcement officials, researchers and the families of people they killed.
“The reality in this country right now, is that anyone who wants to cause harm to themselves, or do someone else harm, can easily acquire the means to do so — legally,” said Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.
“Based on what we know about Buffalo, the system seems to have been followed, but the problem is with the system itself,” he added. “The reality of life in America, the big problem, is that these people don’t have to jump through enough hurdles to get a gun.”
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The Biden administration renewed its calls to ban semiautomatic weapons and expand national background checks in the wake of the attack in Buffalo on Saturday, as it has done time and again after mass shootings. While White House officials have taken some executive actions — such as nominating a permanent director to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — their legislative efforts have little chance of success.
At the state level, hopes for new gun control measures are even bleaker.
One by one, Republican-controlled state legislatures have enacted laws to undo existing gun regulations that place restrictions on the purchase and carrying of firearms, while some states, like Missouri, are challenging the federal government’s right to impose any regulation on firearms.
The biggest threat to gun control looms just over the horizon: Over the next month or two, the Supreme Court is expected to strike down all or part of a New York State law that curtails the concealed possession of a gun without a special permit, a case seen as a potential landmark decision that could invalidate dozens of similar laws in liberal-leaning states.
“The infuriating part is that we seem to be going backward,” said James Densley, a co-founder of the Violence Project, a nonpartisan research center that compiled the data used in the National Institute of Justice report.
While it is hard to make broad generalizations, Mr. Densley and his partner, Jillian Peterson, discerned several patterns among gunmen in recent mass shootings. Many have clean records and can buy guns legally. If they are underage or young adults, they often obtain guns as gifts from the parents — or borrow or steal weapons from their house.
Many favor long guns, like AR-15s and AK-47s. Semiautomatic rifles account for fewer than 1 percent of overall shootings in the United States, they found — but 25 percent of mass shootings.
And many of those accused of these crimes, like the suspect in the Buffalo shooting, see their killings as public performance, making them inclined to stealthily plan their attacks until they take action, in hopes of maximizing the attention paid to them. That makes them harder to detect, even in a state with relatively strong gun laws, like New York.
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“In a lot of cases, you can’t really stop people from buying a gun, unless they are disqualified because they have committed a felony, or because they have been involuntary committed to a mental hospital,” Mr. Densley added. “It doesn’t matter if the red flags are there. The legal bar is high.”
The 19-year-old attacker who killed Jaime Guttenberg and 16 others in Parkland bought his Smith & Wesson M&P15, another AR-15 clone, from a licensed dealer after passing an instant background check, even though school officials warned local law enforcement he had made violent, racist threats.
The 21-year-old man who murdered more than 20 people at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019 targeted Latinos and espoused many of the same racist theories as Mr. Gendron. He ordered his AK-47 clone online, from Romania, and later picked up the gun and ammunition at a Dallas-area gun shop after passing the requisite background checks.
The antisemitic extremist who killed 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 also legally bought the weapon he used.
T. Christian Heyne, the vice president of the gun control group Brady, said the only way to stop mass killings was to enact strengthened universal federal background checks, to compensate for the wide variation in state and local laws. But that proposal has stalled in the Senate despite enjoying overwhelming public support.
“Without a federal baseline, we can’t achieve anything,” he said. “We have just had a report showing gun violence is at historic levels, and now his happens. What are we going to do about it as a country? Are we really this desensitized?”
Image
The suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store was able to legally purchase a semiautomatic rifle.
The suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store was able to legally purchase a semiautomatic rifle.Credit…Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times
Robert Donald, the owner of the store in Endicott who sold Mr. Gendron his gun, was stunned when federal law enforcement officials contacted him about the purchase.
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He said nothing about the young man raised any suspicions; in fact, he hardly remembered him at all. But he told The New York Times on Sunday that “any gun can be easily modified if you really want to do it,” when asked about the illegal modifications Mr. Gendron made to the Bushmaster.
For his part, Mr. Gendron boasted of his handiwork, complete with painstakingly composed how-to pictures, in his online manifesto.
The document is 180 pages. About half of it is a racial screed. About half of it is devoted to a matter-of-fact discussion of the ideal gear — guns, ammunition, pistol grips, body armor, helmets — to buy, online or at flea markets, when planning a mass shooting.
From NY state senate (not sure if this is current law, but it is close enough):
22. “Assault weapon” means
(a) a semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable
magazine and has at least one of the following characteristics:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of
the weapon;
(iii) a thumbhole stock;
(iv) a second handgrip or a protruding grip that can be held by the
non-trigger hand;
(v) a bayonet mount;
(vi) a flash suppressor, muzzle break, muzzle compensator, or threaded
barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor, muzzle break, or
muzzle compensator;
(vii) a grenade launcher; or
(b) a semiautomatic shotgun that has at least one of the following
characteristics:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a thumbhole stock;
(iii) a second handgrip or a protruding grip that can be held by the
non-trigger hand;
(iv) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of seven rounds;
(v) an ability to accept a detachable magazine; or
(c) a semiautomatic pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable
magazine and has at least one of the following characteristics:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a thumbhole stock;
(iii) a second handgrip or a protruding grip that can be held by the
non-trigger hand;
(iv) capacity to accept an ammunition magazine that attaches to the
pistol outside of the pistol grip;
(v) a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash
suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer;
(vi) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely
encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm
with the non-trigger hand without being burned;
(vii) a manufactured weight of fifty ounces or more when the pistol is
unloaded; or
(viii) a semiautomatic version of an automatic rifle, shotgun or
firearm;
Thank you, I was wondering what was being used as a definition – anywhere. Appreciate the information.
I could write better reply with what happen in Texas . So gone post this.
A breakdown of gun terminology to help you in discussions on mass shootings and debates over gun control
A breakdown of gun terminology to help you in discussions on mass shootings and debates over gun control
John Haltiwanger
Tue, May 24, 2022, 3:18 PM
AR 15
AR-15 rifles are displayed for sale at the Guntoberfest gun show in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 6, 2017.Joshua Roberts/Reuters
The language surrounding firearms can be tricky.
“Assault-weapons,” for example, is among the most divisive phrases in debates over gun control.
There’s been a renewed discussion over gun control following recent mass shootings.
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Given the ongoing and divisive debate over gun control in the US, it’s helpful to understand the breakdown of some of the most important terms that frequently come up after mass shootings.
Some of these terms might appear inconsequential, but they relate strongly to discussions on what type of guns and firearm accessories should be regulated more strictly or even banned. And some in the pro-Second Amendment camp have been known to mock people calling for new gun laws when they use incorrect terminology in reference to firearms.
In the renewed discussion surrounding gun control following high-profile mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, Laguna Woods, California, and Uvalde, Texas, familiar disagreements are arising over terminology surrounding firearms.
Here’s a summary of some of the more common and contentious terms linked to guns and the broader discourse surrounding them in the US.
Semi-automatic vs. automatic
Semi automatic
Customers view semi-automatic guns on display at a gun shop in Los Angeles, California, on December 19, 2012.Gene Blevins/Reuters
A semi-automatic firearm refers to a gun that fires a single round or bullet each time the trigger is squeezed or pulled, and then automatically reloads the chamber between shots.
An automatic firearm is essentially what many Americans likely think of as a machine gun, or a firearm that continuously fires while the trigger is squeezed or pulled and reloads the chamber automatically.
The vast majority of firearms in the US are semi-automatic and include rifles and handguns. Semi-automatic firearms are available across the US with few restrictions.
Automatic weapons are heavily regulated and expensive.
The manufacture and importation of new automatic firearms has been prohibited since the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act of 1986. But this still allows for the purchase of automatic firearms made before a certain date in 1986, meaning automatics are technically legal in certain circumstances.
Magazine vs. clip
Magazine
A gun and a magazine is pictured in this evidence photo released by the Connecticut State Police on December 27, 2013.Connecticut State Police/Reuters
“Magazine” and “clip” are often used interchangeably, though they aren’t the same thing.
A magazine is a container that holds cartridges or rounds of ammunition and feeds them into the firing chamber of a gun. Some magazines are internal, while others are detachable.
A clip holds multiple rounds of ammunition together, often on a metal strip, to be fed into a magazine. Most guns have magazines (revolvers and some types of shotguns do not have magazines), but not all firearms use clips.
Assault-weapons
Assault weapons
Frank Loane, owner of Pasadena Pawn and Gun, stands in front of a wall of assault rifles at his store in Pasadena, Maryland, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013.Brian Witte/Associated Press
“Assault-weapons” is among the most contentious phrases in discussions on gun control.
There’s not a universal definition of what an assault weapon is, which is part of the reason this subject tends to antagonize the gun lobby or pro-gun advocates.
But in 1994, after the now-expired assault-weapons ban passed, the Justice Department said, “In general, assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use.”
The gun industry often defines an assault rifle as a firearm with “select fire capabilities,” or the ability to adjust or switch the firearm between semi-automatic and automatic settings or modes.
In short, pro-Second Amendment groups typically say a firearm should only be called an assault-weapon when it’s capable of fully automatic fire — or they reject the terminology altogether.
“None of the so-called ‘assault rifles’ legally owned by US civilians are assault rifles as the term is used in military contexts,” Florida State University criminal justice professor emeritus Gary Kleck, told PolitiFact.
Kleck added, “Assault rifles used by members of the military can all fire full automatic, like machine guns, as well as one shot at a time, whereas none of the so-called ‘assault rifles’ legally owned by US civilians can fire full automatic.”
Based on the idiosyncrasies of this issue and the broader debate surrounding it, many gun control advocates tend to refer to semi-automatic firearms that have been used in mass shootings as “assault-style” or “military-style” weapons.
Polling has consistently shown that the vast majority of Americans would support an assault-weapons ban.
AR-15
AR 15
AR-15 rifles are displayed for sale at the Guntoberfest gun show in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 6, 2017.Joshua Roberts/Reuters
The AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle and has been referred to by the National Rifle Association as “America’s most popular rifle.”
The “AR” in AR-15 does not stand for “assault rifle,” but is linked to the original manufacturer of the firearm: ArmaLite, Inc. The name stands for ArmaLite Rifle.
The AR-15 was originally developed by ArmaLite to be a military rifle, designing it for fast reloading in combat situations, but the company hit financial troubles. By 1959, ArmaLite sold the design of the AR-15 to Colt, which had success in pitching it to the US military.
The rifle’s automatic version, the M-16, was used during the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, Colt sold the semi-automatic version, the AR-15, to the public and police.
“If you’re a hunter, camper, or collector, you’ll want the AR-15 Sporter,” a 1963 advertisement for the firearm said.
Colt’s patent on the rifle’s operating system expired in 1977, opening the door for other manufacturers to copy the technology and make their own models.
The AR-15 was prohibited from 1994 to 2004 via the assault weapons ban. Gun manufacturers promptly reintroduced the AR-15 after the ban expired, and sales went way up.
There are “well over 11 million” AR-15 style rifles in the hands of Americans, according to an investigation by CBS News’s “60 Minutes,” which also notes handguns kill “far more people.”
But AR-15 style rifles have frequently been used in mass shootings, placing the firearm at the center of the debate over gun control — particularly in relation to whether an assault weapons ban should be reimposed.
High-capacity magazines
High capacity magazines
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut speaks at a news conference on a proposed amendment to ban high-capacity magazines in guns in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2019.Andrew Harnik/Associated Press
High or large-capacity magazines are typically defined as ammunition-feeding devices holding more than 10 rounds. Nine states currently ban high-capacity magazines.
High-capacity magazines are capable of holding up to 100 rounds of ammunition, allowing for dozens of shots to be fired off before reloading. The rifle used in a 2019 mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, was affixed with a 100-round drum magazine.
Bump stock
Bump stock
A bump fire stock that attaches to a semi-automatic rifle to increase the firing rate is seen at Good Guys Gun Shop in Orem, Utah, on October 4, 2017.George Frey/Reuters
A bump stock is an attachment that allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire at a more rapid rate.
It replaces the standard stock of a rifle, or the part of the firearm that rests against the shoulder. A bump stock uses the recoil effect to bounce the rifle off of the shoulder of the shooter, which in turn causes the trigger to continuously bump back into the shooter’s trigger finger.
In effect, bump stocks allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns.
Bump stocks were banned by the Trump administration in a large part due to the Las Vegas shooting in 2017, which was the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
Red flag law
FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a sign during a rally against guns and white supremacy in the wake of mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso in front of the White House in Washington, U.S., August 6, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Rally against guns and white supremacy in front of the White House in WashingtonReuters
Red flag laws, also known as Extreme Risk laws, allow judges to temporarily confiscate a person’s firearms if they’re considered a danger to themselves or others.
Nineteen states and Washington, DC, have implemented some form of a red flag law, according to Everytown for Gun Safety: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
Gun show loophole
gun show
In this Jan. 26, 2013 file photo, a customer looks over shotguns on display at the annual New York State Arms Collectors Association Albany Gun Show at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, New York.Associated Press/Philip Kamrass
The so-called “gun show loophole” is among the most discussed topics in relation to calls for gun reform advocates for expanded background checks.
“Gun show loophole” is a catch-all phrase referring to the sale of firearms by unlicensed, private sellers at gun shows and other venues — including the internet — without the involvement of background checks.
Federally licensed gun dealers are required to run background checks, but not all sellers are required to be licensed — laws vary from state to state. In this sense, there is a “loophole” that allows private sellers to sell firearms without conducting background checks.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is the federal agency that licenses gun dealers.
“As a general rule, you will need a license if you repetitively buy and sell firearms with the principal motive of making a profit,” the ATF states. “In contrast, if you only make occasional sales of firearms from your personal collection, you do not need to be licensed.”
The implementation of a federal law requiring universal background checks, or background checks for all gun sales, has been at the top of the wish list for gun control advocates for years.
It’s also a policy that the vast majority of Americans support. According to polling conducted by Pew Research Center in late 2018, 91% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans favor background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows.
Read the original article on Business Insider
May be on to something. Perhaps the only persons under 21 eligible to legally purchase a semi-automatic detachable magazine firearm should be active duty military or veterans. And we should admit the braced pistol foolishness is just a game to bypass SBR requirements. And why are aliens eligible to purchase firearms? It should be a right for citizens only. If they don’t want to become a citizen, no firearms.
You’ve been successfully crate trained! You said, “…And we should admit the braced pistol foolishness is just a game to bypass SBR requirements.” Personally myself and several here think the SBR requirements ARE foolishness.
crate training a dog takes time, but is bigly successful.
Just today, 5/17/22… news of a mass killing. 132 people were deliberately killed by a nutjob that had been disciplined on his job. Will this precipitate a ban on his weapon? Of course not because the killer was a pilot for China Airlines and the weapon was a Boeing 737-800 airliner.
No call for banning ANY weapon (knife, car, airplane, ANYTHING) unless it’s a firearm. Not a gun? Blame the killer. Gun? Blame the gun.
I well blame nut jobs terrorist after all 3000 people die on 911 before put arm Air Marshall on commercial flights stop them Captain Bob. Where still flying Jets with arm Air Marshall to his very day and sad parts have better arm Alcalde in Afghanistan thank to Joe Biden want disarm all of us well leave ever weapon we had over there for them. Let talk about fact I do blame firearms for mass death because they do shoot them self. Sad part nut jobs find cracks in FBI Nic back round check system. There get firearms they should be have.
Preventing Mass Shootings: Seizing Guns Under ‘Red Flag’ Laws From Baltimore To Buffalo
Syndicated Local – CBS Baltimore – 1h ago
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — What could have been done to prevent the Buffalo tragedy and stop more in the future?
Like New York, Maryland already has what is known as the “red flag” law to take away weapons from those found to be dangerous to themselves and others.
An Extreme Risk Protective Order under the red flag law also prevents people from buying guns, but lawmakers put limits on it.
In Baltimore County last year, a man who neighbors described as a “ticking time bomb” finally exploded.
It was May 8, 2021, when police responded to a frightening scene: an armed man, Everton Brown, shot and killed three of his neighbors and set off an explosion that destroyed his townhome in Woodlawn.
Brown, who died after a shootout with police, legally owned guns purchased years prior to the incident. He posted videos on social media with paranoid theories that the FBI was spying on him.
Neighbors described Brown as delusional and filed peace orders against him. Police responded to his home more than 100 times.
Nothing worked.
“I’m very thankful for the officers who came and took action, but at the same time, this could’ve been avoided,“ victim Sagar Ghimire’s cousin Kanchan Ghimire told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren last year. “We’ve lost a brother, son, a friend. He was the backbone of this family. For me, I am more angry . . . If someone is complaining that this guy has a mental illness, how come nobody questioned him when he was buying the weapon?“
Maryland’s red flag law, in effect since 2018, allows family members along with medical and law enforcement professionals to petition to remove a person’s guns and stop them from buying more weapons.
Neighbors cannot file such a petition.
In the wake of the Woodlawn shooting, lawmakers pushed for another look at whether it can be expanded and made more effective in the most recent Maryland General Assembly session.
Maryland State Police report 12 guns seized this year under Extreme Risk Protective Orders.
14 students, 1 teacher dead after shooting at elementary school: Governor
33m ago
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Fourteen students and a teacher are dead after a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
The 18-year-old suspect, a student at Uvalde High School, is also dead, he said.
“He shot and killed horrifically and incomprehensibly 14 students and killed a teacher,” Abbott said during an unrelated press briefing.
The suspect also allegedly shot his grandmother before entering the school and again opening fire, Abbott said. He did not say anything further about her condition.
Abbott said the shooter had a handgun and also possibly a rifle.
“When parents drop their kids off at school, they have every expectation to know that they’re going to be able to pick their child up when that school day ends. And there are families who are in mourning right now,” Abbott said. “The state of Texas is in mourning with them for the reality that these parents are not going to be able to pick up their children.”
Two responding police officers were among those injured, Abbott said. They are expected to survive, he said.
Children get on a school bus as law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
© Marco Bello/Reuters
Children get on a school bus as law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
Uvalde Memorial Hospital had said 15 students were being treated in the hospital’s emergency department in the wake of the incident. Two patients were transferred to San Antonio for treatment, while a third was pending transfer, the hospital said. A 45-year-old was also hospitalized after getting grazed by a bullet, the hospital said.
University Health in San Antonio said it had two patients from the shooting incident — a child and an adult. The hospital said the adult — a 66-year-old woman — is in critical condition. It did not have an update yet on the condition of the child.
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio said it has also received patients from the shooting.
Law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
© Marco Bello/Reuters
Law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin did not confirm casualties, but told ABC News in a text message that “this is a very bad situation.” He said the office is trying to contact parents before releasing any information.
Earlier, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District had said a shooter was located at Robb Elementary School and asked people to stay away from the area.
“There is an active shooter at Robb Elementary,” the school district said on Twitter. “Law enforcement is on site. Your cooperation is needed at this time by not visiting the campus. As soon as more information is gathered it will be shared.”
A school official initially told ABC News that the shooting took place off campus, and that Robb Elementary School was under lockdown.
Police walk near Robb Elementary School following a shooting, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
© Dario Lopez-mills/AP
Police walk near Robb Elementary School following a shooting, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
The school informed parents shortly after 2 p.m. local time that students had been transported to the Sgt. Willie Deleon Civic Center, the reunification site, and could be picked up.
A board with the list of classes/teachers is displayed outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School to be picked up after a suspected shooting, in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
© Marco Bello/Reuters
A board with the list of classes/teachers is displayed outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School to be picked up after a suspected shooting, in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
Uvalde, Texas, is located about 90 minutes west of San Antonio.
Law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
© Marco Bello/Reuters
Law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and San Antonio Police Department are sending aid, and the FBI is responding.
MORE: 50% jump in active-shooter incidents from 2020 to 2021: FBI
The Houston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also said it is assisting in the investigation.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been briefed on the situation and the agency “is actively coordinating with federal, state, and local partners,” a spokesperson said. Customs and Border Protection officials in the area also responded to the scene.
The National Counterterrorism Operations Center believes there is “no known terrorism nexus” at this time, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News.
ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Luke Barr, Aaron Katersky, Nicholas Kerr and Mireya Villarreal contributed to this report.
Up date story from Texas.
Associated Press
Gunman kills at least 18 children at Texas elementary school
By EUGENE GARCIA and DARIO LOPEZ-MILLS, Associated Press – 16m ago
UVALDE, Texas (AP) — An 18-year-old gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Texas elementary school, killing at least 18 children as he went from classroom to classroom, officials said, in the latest gruesome moment for a country scarred by a string of massacres. The attacker was killed by law enforcement.
Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
© Provided by Associated Press
Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
The death toll also included three adults, according to state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who said he had been briefed by state police. But it was not immediately clear whether that number included the attacker, or how many people were wounded.
The massacre at Robb Elementary School in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, almost a decade ago.
“My heart is broken today,” said Hal Harrell, the school district superintendent, announcing that all school activities were cancelled until further notice. “We’re a small community and we’re going to need your prayers to get through this.”
Police walk near Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
© Provided by Associated Press
Police walk near Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
The attack also came just 10 days after a deadly, racist rampage at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket that added to a yearslong series of mass killings at churches, schools and stores. And the prospects for any reform of the nation’s gun regulations seemed as dim as in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook deaths.
President Joe Biden appeared ready for a fight and called for new gun restrictions in an address to the nation hours after the attack.
“As a nation we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name are we going to do what has to be done?” Biden asked. “Why are are willing to live with this carnage?
This preview image of an AP digital embed map locates Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman opened fire Tuesday. (AP Digital Embed)
© Provided by Associated Press
This preview image of an AP digital embed map locates Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman opened fire Tuesday. (AP Digital Embed)
Many of the injured were rushed to Uvalde Memorial Hospital, where staff members in scrubs and devastated victims’ relatives could be seen weeping as they walked out of the complex. The gunman, who was wearing body armor, crashed his car outside the school before going inside, Sgt. Erick Estrada of the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN.
He killed his grandmother before heading to the school with two military-style rifles he had purchased on his birthday, Gutierrez said.
“That was the first thing he did on his 18th birthday,” he said.
Officials did not immediately reveal a motive, but the governor identified the assailant as Salvador Ramos and said he was a resident of the community about 85 miles (135 kilometers) west of San Antonio.
Ramos had hinted on social media that an attack could be coming, Gutierrez said, noting that “he suggested the kids should watch out.”
A Border Patrol agent who was working nearby when the shooting began rushed into the school without waiting for backup and shot and killed the gunman, who was behind a barricade, according to a law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about it.
The agent was wounded but able to walk out of the school, the law enforcement source said.
The school district’s police chief, Pete Arredondo, said that the attacker acted alone.
It was not immediately clear how many people were wounded, but Arredondo said there were “several injuries.” Earlier, Uvalde Memorial Hospital said 13 children were taken there. Another hospital reported a 66-year-old woman was in critical condition.
Robb Elementary School has an enrollment of just under 600 students, and Arredondo said it serves students in the second, third and fourth grade. He did not provide ages of the children who were shot. This was the school’s last week of classes before summer break.
Heavily armed law enforcement officers swarmed to the school, with officers in tactical vests diverting traffic and FBI agents coming and going from the building.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting on Air Force One as he returned from a five-day trip to Asia. Biden was scheduled to deliver remarks Tuesday evening at the White House.
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14 children and teacher killed in Texas school shooting
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Uvalde, home to about 16,000 people, is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the border with Mexico. Robb Elementary is in a mostly residential neighborhood of modest homes.
The tragedy in Uvalde was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, and added to a grim tally of mass shootings in the state that has been among the deadliest in the U.S. over the past five years.
In 2018, a gunman fatally shot 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area. A year before that, a gunman at a Texas church killed more than two dozen people during a Sunday service in the small town of Sutherland Springs. In 2019, another gunman at a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 people in a racist attack.
Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.
Lawsuit well be file over this.
Report: AR-15 used by Texas school shooter made by Coastal Georgia gun manufacturer Daniel Defense
43m ago
WJCL has learned the suspect in Tuesday’s deadly school shooting in Texas was found with an automatic rifle made by a Georgia manufacturer.
daniel defense
© WJCL
daniel defense
Officials told the New York Times that Salvador Rolando Ramos, 18, bought a Daniel Defense AR-15 days before Tuesday’s massacre.
The weapon was found in the school with Ramos after he was killed by authorities.
Officials say Ramos killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Daniel Defense was founded in Savannah in 2000. The headquarters is now located in Black Creek, in nearby Bryan County.
When contacted Wednesday, the company declined to comment.
Earlier in the day, Daniel Defense removed its contact form from the company’s website and switched its Twitter account to private.
On Wednesday, the governor of Texas said Ramos warned on social media minutes before the attack that he was going to shoot up a school.
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