Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Reynolds and Reynolds sells plant to gun supplier RSR
Reynolds and Reynolds Co. (NYSE: REY) has sold a 102,257-square-foot building with acreage at 1010 Avenue J East in Grand Prairie, to gun wholesaler RSR Group Inc., the companies said Monday.
Details of the sale were not released.
Dayton, Ohio-based Reynolds and Reynolds, which says it sold the site of its former automotive forms facility due to a consolidation earlier this year, was represented during sale negotiations by Chesterton Blumenauer Binswanger Real Estate Corp., a commercial real estate company with U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia and an office in Dallas.
RSR supplies firearms and firearm products made by Glock, Ruger and top other gunmakers to licensed retailers nationwide. It is a member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund. RSR's local branch, which goes by the name, RSR Guns Dallas Inc., is located in Grand Prairie and the new site will be used for expansion, RSR said.
Web Sites: www. rsrgroup.com, www.cbbi.com
¶ 7:35 PM 0 comments
Dallas Business Journal (Aug. 31)
Reynolds and Reynolds Co. (NYSE: REY) has sold a 102,257-square-foot building with acreage at 1010 Avenue J East in Grand Prairie, to gun wholesaler RSR Group Inc., the companies said Monday.
Details of the sale were not released.
Dayton, Ohio-based Reynolds and Reynolds, which says it sold the site of its former automotive forms facility due to a consolidation earlier this year, was represented during sale negotiations by Chesterton Blumenauer Binswanger Real Estate Corp., a commercial real estate company with U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia and an office in Dallas.
RSR supplies firearms and firearm products made by Glock, Ruger and top other gunmakers to licensed retailers nationwide. It is a member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund. RSR's local branch, which goes by the name, RSR Guns Dallas Inc., is located in Grand Prairie and the new site will be used for expansion, RSR said.
Web Sites: www. rsrgroup.com, www.cbbi.com
¶ 7:35 PM 0 comments
Cromwell PD hot for Glocks
CROMWELL -- Police are requesting new service weapons, after a series of mechanical malfunctions that have raised concerns about officers? safety -- and the safety of the public.
The department currently uses Smith & Wesson 9 mm handguns. But Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore said those weapons are now nearly 17 years old. "You?ve got to understand that we fire hundreds of rounds every year. And over 17 years that adds up to thousands of rounds."
In recent test firings and qualification shootings, Salvatore said, police have been experiencing some mechanical malfunctions -- including one weapon that failed to fire.
"If, God forbid, one of our officers was called upon to utilize his or her weapon in a real-life situation, we don?t want to have that weapon malfunction," the chief said.
In light of those malfunctions, "our firearms instructors made a request that we need to start looking at new weapons." Last year, Salvatore said, "I gave them the responsibility to look into the situation, and they did an outstanding job."
Not only did they prepare a 21-page report for the chief, they also compiled a nearly two-inch thick compilation of background information.
He identified the officers as Sgt. Roy Nelson, then-detective and now Sgt. Louis Tobias, and Officer Jonathan Mantel, who also serves as the department?s armourer.
As a result of an intensive review of the matter, the department proposes spending $31,549 to purchase Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistols.
The purchase price for the guns, which use a 15-round magazine, also includes holsters, pouches for extra magazines, ammunition, and training in the use and handling of the new guns.
The department has presented its proposal to the Capital Expenditures Committee, and is awaiting additional review from the Board of Finance.
Nelson said the officers were driven to act after seven of the department?s weapons experienced malfunctions on the range, including one "that failed to fire on the first shot." Other weapons failed to extract, or eject, or to feed a new round.
Those malfunctions could be overcome by drills that could teach the officers how to handle a similar malfunction. But with a weapon that fails to fire, Nelson said, "This type of malfunction, occurring on the street, could potentially cause an officer to be severely injure or killed."
The types and number of malfunctions "are unacceptable for a front-line handgun," Nelson added.
Mantel said there is another, more basic problem: Smith & Wesson no longer manufacturers the department?s current service weapon. Consequently, it has become harder to find replacement parts.
But beyond that, the science and technology of gun-making has changed dramatically in the nearly two decades since the department first ordered the current guns, Mantel suggested.
"We are not just looking at replacing a weapon," Mantel said, explaining, "There is new technol-ogy out there, and the way they are manufactured is much more advanced. There are less parts and easier maintenance, which saves time."
Mantel said the Glock has "50 percent" fewer working parts than the current S&W weapons.
Salvatore said the three officers "identified 13 weapons, including everything from 9 millimeters to .45 caliber automatics." The officers "test-fired all the weapons, and then turned around and evaluated all of them" in seven categories, including comfort/feel, sights, trigger pull, recoil, and weight.
Nelson said all the weapons were manufactured by three makers: Glock, Sigarms, and Smith & Wesson. The guns were rated a scale of 1-5, with one the lowest and five the highest. Glocks took the first three places.
The Glock is of Austrian design and manufacture. In a testament to the thoroughness of the re-port presented by the three officers, Nelson even included a brief history of the company, which was founded the Gaston Glock in 1963. In the early 1980s, the company moved into gun manufac-turing at the behest of the Austrian government. Shortly afterwards, Glocks were offered for sale to American police departments.
Nelson said a number of area departments have acquired the Glock, including West Hartford, Rocky Hill, and Glastonbury.
In his report, Nelson spoke to a number of firearms instructors, including James Noonan, a master firearms instructor who is a full-time instructor for the state police. He called the Glock "the most reliable" of all the firearms that have come through the Municipal Police Academy.
Underscoring the seriousness of the issue, Mantel said, "If an officer goes to his firearm, it?s because it is needed." ¶ 7:32 PM 0 comments
The Herald Press (Aug. 29)
CROMWELL -- Police are requesting new service weapons, after a series of mechanical malfunctions that have raised concerns about officers? safety -- and the safety of the public.
The department currently uses Smith & Wesson 9 mm handguns. But Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore said those weapons are now nearly 17 years old. "You?ve got to understand that we fire hundreds of rounds every year. And over 17 years that adds up to thousands of rounds."
In recent test firings and qualification shootings, Salvatore said, police have been experiencing some mechanical malfunctions -- including one weapon that failed to fire.
"If, God forbid, one of our officers was called upon to utilize his or her weapon in a real-life situation, we don?t want to have that weapon malfunction," the chief said.
In light of those malfunctions, "our firearms instructors made a request that we need to start looking at new weapons." Last year, Salvatore said, "I gave them the responsibility to look into the situation, and they did an outstanding job."
Not only did they prepare a 21-page report for the chief, they also compiled a nearly two-inch thick compilation of background information.
He identified the officers as Sgt. Roy Nelson, then-detective and now Sgt. Louis Tobias, and Officer Jonathan Mantel, who also serves as the department?s armourer.
As a result of an intensive review of the matter, the department proposes spending $31,549 to purchase Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistols.
The purchase price for the guns, which use a 15-round magazine, also includes holsters, pouches for extra magazines, ammunition, and training in the use and handling of the new guns.
The department has presented its proposal to the Capital Expenditures Committee, and is awaiting additional review from the Board of Finance.
Nelson said the officers were driven to act after seven of the department?s weapons experienced malfunctions on the range, including one "that failed to fire on the first shot." Other weapons failed to extract, or eject, or to feed a new round.
Those malfunctions could be overcome by drills that could teach the officers how to handle a similar malfunction. But with a weapon that fails to fire, Nelson said, "This type of malfunction, occurring on the street, could potentially cause an officer to be severely injure or killed."
The types and number of malfunctions "are unacceptable for a front-line handgun," Nelson added.
Mantel said there is another, more basic problem: Smith & Wesson no longer manufacturers the department?s current service weapon. Consequently, it has become harder to find replacement parts.
But beyond that, the science and technology of gun-making has changed dramatically in the nearly two decades since the department first ordered the current guns, Mantel suggested.
"We are not just looking at replacing a weapon," Mantel said, explaining, "There is new technol-ogy out there, and the way they are manufactured is much more advanced. There are less parts and easier maintenance, which saves time."
Mantel said the Glock has "50 percent" fewer working parts than the current S&W weapons.
Salvatore said the three officers "identified 13 weapons, including everything from 9 millimeters to .45 caliber automatics." The officers "test-fired all the weapons, and then turned around and evaluated all of them" in seven categories, including comfort/feel, sights, trigger pull, recoil, and weight.
Nelson said all the weapons were manufactured by three makers: Glock, Sigarms, and Smith & Wesson. The guns were rated a scale of 1-5, with one the lowest and five the highest. Glocks took the first three places.
The Glock is of Austrian design and manufacture. In a testament to the thoroughness of the re-port presented by the three officers, Nelson even included a brief history of the company, which was founded the Gaston Glock in 1963. In the early 1980s, the company moved into gun manufac-turing at the behest of the Austrian government. Shortly afterwards, Glocks were offered for sale to American police departments.
Nelson said a number of area departments have acquired the Glock, including West Hartford, Rocky Hill, and Glastonbury.
In his report, Nelson spoke to a number of firearms instructors, including James Noonan, a master firearms instructor who is a full-time instructor for the state police. He called the Glock "the most reliable" of all the firearms that have come through the Municipal Police Academy.
Underscoring the seriousness of the issue, Mantel said, "If an officer goes to his firearm, it?s because it is needed." ¶ 7:32 PM 0 comments
Newspaper: Aussie cops using .22 caliber Glock 40s???
This story isn't just "Down Under", it's ass backward
ORANGE Police had their weapons competency put to the test yesterday near Orange in a combined compulsory training session and coaching for firing under special conditions.
Canobolas Local Area weapons trainer Senior Constable Brenden Turner supervised the testing and training sessions which have to be attended annually by all serving officers.
Officers had to fire 88 rounds from their regulation issue Glock Model 40, 22 calibre pistols with 36 shots scored for a minimum accuracy requirement.
Snr Const Turner said officers were also taken through a number of scenarios during yesterday's session which included firing while moving towards a target, dropping to one knee and firing two rounds from a stationary position, and re-loading from a magazine on the belt.
Firing from the ground while taking cover was also included in the training , with participants required to fire from the right and left sides.
Snr Const Turner said officers were trained to fire to hit the largest mass area of targets at the range.
"People sometimes ask why we aren't trained to aim for the legs, but the reality is that in a stressful situation we train to aim for the largest area," he said.
General duties and highway patrol officers and detectives from junior to the most senior rank are tested on their competency to hold a weapon every 12 months.
Training sessions are held at the Orange Pistol Range in Stagecoach Road (formerly Fannings Lane) off Icely Road.
¶ 7:27 PM 0 comments
Central Western Daily (Aug. 25)
ORANGE Police had their weapons competency put to the test yesterday near Orange in a combined compulsory training session and coaching for firing under special conditions.
Canobolas Local Area weapons trainer Senior Constable Brenden Turner supervised the testing and training sessions which have to be attended annually by all serving officers.
Officers had to fire 88 rounds from their regulation issue Glock Model 40, 22 calibre pistols with 36 shots scored for a minimum accuracy requirement.
Snr Const Turner said officers were also taken through a number of scenarios during yesterday's session which included firing while moving towards a target, dropping to one knee and firing two rounds from a stationary position, and re-loading from a magazine on the belt.
Firing from the ground while taking cover was also included in the training , with participants required to fire from the right and left sides.
Snr Const Turner said officers were trained to fire to hit the largest mass area of targets at the range.
"People sometimes ask why we aren't trained to aim for the legs, but the reality is that in a stressful situation we train to aim for the largest area," he said.
General duties and highway patrol officers and detectives from junior to the most senior rank are tested on their competency to hold a weapon every 12 months.
Training sessions are held at the Orange Pistol Range in Stagecoach Road (formerly Fannings Lane) off Icely Road.
¶ 7:27 PM 0 comments
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Seattle sheriff wants sun to set on AWB
Dave Reichert, King County sheriff and Republican congressional candidate, recently told a group of Second Amendment advocates that he supports letting the federal ban on assault weapons expire.
His position shocked community activists with whom he had worked closely in the past to establish and promote gun-violence prevention programs. It is also at odds with a wide segment of law enforcement officials, including Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske.
But Reichert said yesterday his statement should not come as a surprise to anyone.
"I've never changed my position," Reichert said. "My whole point has always been holding gun owners responsible and accountable and always focusing on those people who were committing crimes with guns. ... I've never felt that the banning of certain weapons has really done anything at all."
But that clear stance has not been so obvious to some who have, up to now, regarded Reichert as a steadfast ally.
"I'm stunned," said Pamela Eakes, founder of Mothers Against Violence in America. "He has been so firm on this issue."
Eakes said she was happy when Reichert told her he was going to run for Congress because she thought she could count on him to uphold the assault-weapons ban based on his past support of it.
"Dave has spoken in support of the assault-weapons ban," Eakes said. "He has been an advocate and a friend of those who care about saving lives and keeping children away from guns."
She said the only reservation she'd ever heard Reichert express about the law was that it was not strong enough.
In 1999, Reichert knocked heads with the King County Council because he wanted to destroy seized semiautomatic assault weapons, rifles and shotguns to prevent them from returning to the streets. The council said a state law prohibited them from amending a county law that required his department to sell or trade surplus and seized rifles and shotguns as well as "handguns of potential value" to licensed dealers.
Yesterday, Reichert said the legislation that bans sales of semiautomatic assault weapons was ineffective.
The federal assault-weapons law was passed in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. It prohibits the manufacture, sale and importation of certain military-style, semiautomatic weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The law will expire next month unless Congress and President Bush renew it.
The bedrock of Reichert's campaign has been the reputation he earned as the man who brought the Green River Killer to justice. His stance on specific issues, including the weapons ban, largely mirrored those of the Bush administration.
In the case of the assault-weapons ban, Bush has been accused of changing course.
In an Op-Ed article that ran this week in The Christian Science Monitor, Kerlikowske implored Bush to follow through on his 1999 campaign promise to support the reauthorization of the ban.
"The ban was passed for very practical reasons," Kerlikowske wrote. "Prior to 1994, criminals were armed with enough firepower to outgun the police, making them nearly impossible to subdue, and allowing them to wreak terrible havoc in public places. The ban kept military-style assault weapons out of the hands of criminals. Since the passage of the ban, federal crime statistics show a dramatic 66-percent drop in the incidence of assault weapons traced to crimes. Given that, I can't think of a rational reason not to renew this law."
Reichert said there are statistics that can be used to support both sides of the debate. And there's at least one other distinction between the two top cops that could have something to do with their differing points of view, Reichert said.
"He's an appointed chief, and I'm an elected sheriff," Reichert said.
He said the confusion is the result of his political opponents trying to "paint" him in a certain light. "This isn't the only issue that has been twisted."
But Reichert admits his support of allowing the weapons ban to sunset is based on only part of the legislation -- the part that bans particular semiautomatic weapons.
He said high-capacity magazines are the real problem for law enforcement. "I don't like the idea of someone having a magazine that can carry 40 rounds and point it at me, as a police officer."
Restricting the magazine capacity to 10 rounds of ammunition gives his men a fighting chance, he said.
"At least (a criminal) has got to reload somehow, which gives us some time. If you've got a guy there with a semiautomatic weapon and he's got a banana clip and he's got 80 rounds, he can shoot at us forever and keep us pinned down."
The assault-weapons ban outlaws such clips, but because the prohibition is linked to the ban to the firearms themselves, the whole bill should be abolished, Reichert said.
And once both parts of the bill are scrapped?
"I wouldn't propose another bill." Reichert said. "It's not my purpose to go back to Congress and introduce any other legislation that would limit gun ownership or limit magazine capacity. I'm going back to Congress because I want to focus on homeland security. I want to focus on jobs and the economy. I want to focus on health care and traffic."
Allan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment foundation, said he appreciated the reassurances Reichert offered his and other gun rights groups in attendance at the fund-raiser at Wade's Gun Range in Bellevue on Aug. 20.
"He definitely has the right instincts," Gottlieb said of Reichert. "He hasn't done anything to lead me to believe we couldn't count on him." ¶ 4:11 PM 0 comments
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER (Aug. 27)
Dave Reichert, King County sheriff and Republican congressional candidate, recently told a group of Second Amendment advocates that he supports letting the federal ban on assault weapons expire.
His position shocked community activists with whom he had worked closely in the past to establish and promote gun-violence prevention programs. It is also at odds with a wide segment of law enforcement officials, including Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske.
But Reichert said yesterday his statement should not come as a surprise to anyone.
"I've never changed my position," Reichert said. "My whole point has always been holding gun owners responsible and accountable and always focusing on those people who were committing crimes with guns. ... I've never felt that the banning of certain weapons has really done anything at all."
But that clear stance has not been so obvious to some who have, up to now, regarded Reichert as a steadfast ally.
"I'm stunned," said Pamela Eakes, founder of Mothers Against Violence in America. "He has been so firm on this issue."
Eakes said she was happy when Reichert told her he was going to run for Congress because she thought she could count on him to uphold the assault-weapons ban based on his past support of it.
"Dave has spoken in support of the assault-weapons ban," Eakes said. "He has been an advocate and a friend of those who care about saving lives and keeping children away from guns."
She said the only reservation she'd ever heard Reichert express about the law was that it was not strong enough.
In 1999, Reichert knocked heads with the King County Council because he wanted to destroy seized semiautomatic assault weapons, rifles and shotguns to prevent them from returning to the streets. The council said a state law prohibited them from amending a county law that required his department to sell or trade surplus and seized rifles and shotguns as well as "handguns of potential value" to licensed dealers.
Yesterday, Reichert said the legislation that bans sales of semiautomatic assault weapons was ineffective.
The federal assault-weapons law was passed in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. It prohibits the manufacture, sale and importation of certain military-style, semiautomatic weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The law will expire next month unless Congress and President Bush renew it.
The bedrock of Reichert's campaign has been the reputation he earned as the man who brought the Green River Killer to justice. His stance on specific issues, including the weapons ban, largely mirrored those of the Bush administration.
In the case of the assault-weapons ban, Bush has been accused of changing course.
In an Op-Ed article that ran this week in The Christian Science Monitor, Kerlikowske implored Bush to follow through on his 1999 campaign promise to support the reauthorization of the ban.
"The ban was passed for very practical reasons," Kerlikowske wrote. "Prior to 1994, criminals were armed with enough firepower to outgun the police, making them nearly impossible to subdue, and allowing them to wreak terrible havoc in public places. The ban kept military-style assault weapons out of the hands of criminals. Since the passage of the ban, federal crime statistics show a dramatic 66-percent drop in the incidence of assault weapons traced to crimes. Given that, I can't think of a rational reason not to renew this law."
Reichert said there are statistics that can be used to support both sides of the debate. And there's at least one other distinction between the two top cops that could have something to do with their differing points of view, Reichert said.
"He's an appointed chief, and I'm an elected sheriff," Reichert said.
He said the confusion is the result of his political opponents trying to "paint" him in a certain light. "This isn't the only issue that has been twisted."
But Reichert admits his support of allowing the weapons ban to sunset is based on only part of the legislation -- the part that bans particular semiautomatic weapons.
He said high-capacity magazines are the real problem for law enforcement. "I don't like the idea of someone having a magazine that can carry 40 rounds and point it at me, as a police officer."
Restricting the magazine capacity to 10 rounds of ammunition gives his men a fighting chance, he said.
"At least (a criminal) has got to reload somehow, which gives us some time. If you've got a guy there with a semiautomatic weapon and he's got a banana clip and he's got 80 rounds, he can shoot at us forever and keep us pinned down."
The assault-weapons ban outlaws such clips, but because the prohibition is linked to the ban to the firearms themselves, the whole bill should be abolished, Reichert said.
And once both parts of the bill are scrapped?
"I wouldn't propose another bill." Reichert said. "It's not my purpose to go back to Congress and introduce any other legislation that would limit gun ownership or limit magazine capacity. I'm going back to Congress because I want to focus on homeland security. I want to focus on jobs and the economy. I want to focus on health care and traffic."
Allan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment foundation, said he appreciated the reassurances Reichert offered his and other gun rights groups in attendance at the fund-raiser at Wade's Gun Range in Bellevue on Aug. 20.
"He definitely has the right instincts," Gottlieb said of Reichert. "He hasn't done anything to lead me to believe we couldn't count on him." ¶ 4:11 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Woodridge, Il. won't back AWB
A resolution urging Congress to renew and strengthen the federal ban on assault weapons has been rejected by Woodridge village trustees.
The board's 4-2 vote this week was disheartening to the trustee who sponsored the initiative, but not surprising.
"One of my campaign promises was to enact an assault weapons ban for Woodridge, but that would have been an administrative nightmare and not very effective," Trustee Robert Brandt said Friday. "The next step was to encourage Congress to extend the federal ban, which is more effective than a municipal ban."
The federal ban, which targets certain semi-automatic assault weapons capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, is set to expire Sept. 13.
Brandt said he's shared the resolution with neighboring municipalities in hopes they might approve it, but most officials said they've heard little talk of the idea.
"I haven't heard a word about it," Lisle Mayor Joe Broda said, "but that's not to say it's not in the system somewhere."
The other Woodridge trustee to support the resolution, Richard Wood, said opponents on the board felt the resolution was too far reaching.
"Most of the board members said ... they couldn't support something they didn't think the municipality should be involved in," he said. "I felt strongly enough in favor of it to support it."
Broda said he also thinks the resolution may be too far reaching and suggested other avenues for Brandt's campaign.
"Most communities are only empowered as much as the state law allows," he said. "This could go to the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, where it might be better suited."
A local gun advocacy group, Woodridge Citizens for Firearm Safety, opposed the resolution, saying the existing ban isn't working. Representatives from the National Rifle Association and Illinois State Rifle Association also opposed the measure.
"Not a single one of the studies found any public safety benefit (from the ban) whatsoever and two studies found incremental increases in crime and murder," said the group's president, Dave Mamer.
Strengthening the ban isn't going to help it, either, he said.
"We're doing more of something that doesn't work already? I don't see the logic in that," he said.
The federal ban is supported by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
"Assault weapons are routinely the weapons of choice for gangs and drug dealers," said Elmwood Park Chief Tom Braglia, also president of the state group. "Weapons of this nature exist for one reason only, and that is to kill people."
Brandt said it was his intention to bring the pending expiration of the assault weapons ban to light and urge its renewal. He said he's not interested in taking people's sporting weapons away.
"It's just common sense," he said. "I received support from numerous Woodridge residents."
¶ 12:20 PM 0 comments
Chicago Daily Herald, (Aug. 21)
Woodridge won't back ban on assault gunsA resolution urging Congress to renew and strengthen the federal ban on assault weapons has been rejected by Woodridge village trustees.
The board's 4-2 vote this week was disheartening to the trustee who sponsored the initiative, but not surprising.
"One of my campaign promises was to enact an assault weapons ban for Woodridge, but that would have been an administrative nightmare and not very effective," Trustee Robert Brandt said Friday. "The next step was to encourage Congress to extend the federal ban, which is more effective than a municipal ban."
The federal ban, which targets certain semi-automatic assault weapons capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, is set to expire Sept. 13.
Brandt said he's shared the resolution with neighboring municipalities in hopes they might approve it, but most officials said they've heard little talk of the idea.
"I haven't heard a word about it," Lisle Mayor Joe Broda said, "but that's not to say it's not in the system somewhere."
The other Woodridge trustee to support the resolution, Richard Wood, said opponents on the board felt the resolution was too far reaching.
"Most of the board members said ... they couldn't support something they didn't think the municipality should be involved in," he said. "I felt strongly enough in favor of it to support it."
Broda said he also thinks the resolution may be too far reaching and suggested other avenues for Brandt's campaign.
"Most communities are only empowered as much as the state law allows," he said. "This could go to the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, where it might be better suited."
A local gun advocacy group, Woodridge Citizens for Firearm Safety, opposed the resolution, saying the existing ban isn't working. Representatives from the National Rifle Association and Illinois State Rifle Association also opposed the measure.
"Not a single one of the studies found any public safety benefit (from the ban) whatsoever and two studies found incremental increases in crime and murder," said the group's president, Dave Mamer.
Strengthening the ban isn't going to help it, either, he said.
"We're doing more of something that doesn't work already? I don't see the logic in that," he said.
The federal ban is supported by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
"Assault weapons are routinely the weapons of choice for gangs and drug dealers," said Elmwood Park Chief Tom Braglia, also president of the state group. "Weapons of this nature exist for one reason only, and that is to kill people."
Brandt said it was his intention to bring the pending expiration of the assault weapons ban to light and urge its renewal. He said he's not interested in taking people's sporting weapons away.
"It's just common sense," he said. "I received support from numerous Woodridge residents."
¶ 12:20 PM 0 comments
Marshal bypasses city, buys Glocks for deputies from public donors
The Muscogee County marshal has raised $9,500 from private donors to buy each of his deputies new guns.
Marshal Kenneth Suddeth purchased 15 Glock .45-caliber pistols. The guns cost about $365 each with trade-ins. The rest of the money will be used to buy new holsters and magazines for the guns, Suddeth said.
Suddeth made his announcement at a press conference Thursday morning in the Government Center. He spent most of the time talking about how great the weapon is and even had a representative from Glock welcoming his office to the "Glock family." There were no city officials present.
Suddeth wrote a letter to private citizens dated Dec. 10, 2003, soliciting funds for uniforms and weapons for his deputies.
"The weapons we have been using have been in service for the past 11 years and we want to update them with Glock handguns that are more accurate and easier to handle," Suddeth said in the letter.
Those who contributed include Mary G. Walker Realty Co., Ashley Motor Co., Korean Association of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 665 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 56, Suddeth said.
In December, when city officials found out Suddeth was soliciting private donations, they questioned why he felt he needed to go to the public.
City Manager Carmen Cavezza was not aware Suddeth had bought the weapons Thursday evening.
"I didn't realize he had the money," Cavezza said. "I'm kind of surprised by it."
Usually, city departments coordinate with Cavezza and the Finance Department to make purchases and take it before Columbus Council for approval.
"Since he's an elected official, I have no control over it," Cavezza said.
Suddeth said he requested the funding for the guns as part of the 2005 budget, but was told by the city manager's office that "the city cannot afford the costly purchase for my department."
Councilor Nathan Suber said if the marshal would have come before council requesting the funds, he would have received them. "I think it's wonderful that citizens want to support public safety, but the city government provides funding for weapons."
In January, council authorized the purchase of 30 semi-automatic Glock pistols for Muscogee County sheriff deputies.
Mayor and Public Safety Director Bob Poydasheff said Suddeth should have discussed the matter with him before buying the guns and he didn't see the necessity of the purchase.
"He's been provided by the budget with what he really needs," Poydasheff said. "I have never been told by him that he needed new weapons."
The marshal's duties include providing security for Municipal Court and serving papers.
"I don't, candidly, know if the weapon is what is needed," Poydasheff said. "I just don't understand it."
¶ 12:16 PM 0 comments
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Aug 20)
The Muscogee County marshal has raised $9,500 from private donors to buy each of his deputies new guns.
Marshal Kenneth Suddeth purchased 15 Glock .45-caliber pistols. The guns cost about $365 each with trade-ins. The rest of the money will be used to buy new holsters and magazines for the guns, Suddeth said.
Suddeth made his announcement at a press conference Thursday morning in the Government Center. He spent most of the time talking about how great the weapon is and even had a representative from Glock welcoming his office to the "Glock family." There were no city officials present.
Suddeth wrote a letter to private citizens dated Dec. 10, 2003, soliciting funds for uniforms and weapons for his deputies.
"The weapons we have been using have been in service for the past 11 years and we want to update them with Glock handguns that are more accurate and easier to handle," Suddeth said in the letter.
Those who contributed include Mary G. Walker Realty Co., Ashley Motor Co., Korean Association of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 665 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 56, Suddeth said.
In December, when city officials found out Suddeth was soliciting private donations, they questioned why he felt he needed to go to the public.
City Manager Carmen Cavezza was not aware Suddeth had bought the weapons Thursday evening.
"I didn't realize he had the money," Cavezza said. "I'm kind of surprised by it."
Usually, city departments coordinate with Cavezza and the Finance Department to make purchases and take it before Columbus Council for approval.
"Since he's an elected official, I have no control over it," Cavezza said.
Suddeth said he requested the funding for the guns as part of the 2005 budget, but was told by the city manager's office that "the city cannot afford the costly purchase for my department."
Councilor Nathan Suber said if the marshal would have come before council requesting the funds, he would have received them. "I think it's wonderful that citizens want to support public safety, but the city government provides funding for weapons."
In January, council authorized the purchase of 30 semi-automatic Glock pistols for Muscogee County sheriff deputies.
Mayor and Public Safety Director Bob Poydasheff said Suddeth should have discussed the matter with him before buying the guns and he didn't see the necessity of the purchase.
"He's been provided by the budget with what he really needs," Poydasheff said. "I have never been told by him that he needed new weapons."
The marshal's duties include providing security for Municipal Court and serving papers.
"I don't, candidly, know if the weapon is what is needed," Poydasheff said. "I just don't understand it."
¶ 12:16 PM 0 comments
Thursday, August 19, 2004
NIJ: Ban on assault weapons didn't reduce violence
The federal assault-weapons ban, scheduled to expire in September, is not responsible for the nation's steady decline in gun-related violence and its renewal likely will achieve little, according to an independent study commissioned by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
"We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence," said the unreleased NIJ report, written by Christopher Koper, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
"It is thus premature to make definitive assessments of the ban's impact on gun violence. Should it be renewed, the ban's effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement," said the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times.
The report also noted that assault weapons were "rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban."
NIJ is the Justice Department's research, development and evaluation agency ? assigned the job of providing objective, independent, evidence-based information to the department through independent studies and other data collection activities.
The assault-weapons ban is set to expire Sept. 13, and at least six bills reauthorizing it are pending in the Senate and House.
The issue has sparked nationwide debate: The National Rifle Association has called the ban ineffective in curbing crime and a violation of the Second Amendment, while gun-control advocates have said the nation's streets will be filled with automatic weapons if the ban is not reauthorized.
The assault-weapons ban imposed a 10-year moratorium on the "manufacture, transfer and possession" of certain semiautomatic firearms designated as assault weapons. It banned 18 models and variations by name, as well as revolving-cylinder shotguns, and prohibited flash hiders, folding rifle stocks and threaded barrels for attaching silencers.
A number of the banned weapons were foreign semiautomatic rifles that have been barred from importation into the United States since 1989. The ban also prohibited most ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
According to recent surveys by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), firearms-related crime has declined to record levels. The violent crime rate has fallen 54 percent since 1993, and there were more than 980,000 fewer violent crimes in 2002 than in 2000.
But in the past three years, according to the BJS, federal gun prosecutions have increased by 68 percent, with the number of persons charged with federal firearms offenses rising by more than 22 percent in fiscal 2003, the largest single-year increase ever recorded.
The 102-page NIJ report said the assault-weapons ban was intended to "reduce gunshot victimizations by limiting the national stock of semiautomatic firearms with large ammunition capacities," although it said the automatic-weapons provision of the bill targeted a "relatively small number of weapons" based on features that had little to do with the weapons' operation.
The report said the removal of those features, such as detachable high-capacity magazines, was "sufficient to make the weapons legal."
In 1994, when the ban was approved by Congress, 1.5 million privately owned assault weapons were thought to be in the United States. The report said assault weapons were used in 2 percent of gun crimes reported nationwide before enactment of the 1994 ban. It also said assault weapons and other guns equipped with large-capacity magazines accounted for a higher share of the guns used to kill police officers and in mass public shootings, although such incidents were "very rare."
The report said the relatively rare use of assault weapons in crimes was attributable to a number of factors: Most assault weapons are rifles, which are used much less often than handguns, a number of the weapons were barred from importation before the ban was enacted, and the weapons are expensive and difficult to conceal.
"The ban's success in reducing criminal use of the banned guns and magazines has been mixed," the report said, noting that because the ban had not yet reduced the use of large-capacity magazines in crime, researchers could not "clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence."
The report said although the ban's reauthorization or expiration could affect gunshot victimizations, predictions were "tenuous." It said restricting the flow of large-capacity magazines into the United States from abroad might be necessary to achieve the ban's desired effects.
But it said it was not known whether mandating further design changes in the outward features of semiautomatic weapons ? such as removing all military-style features ? would produce measurable benefits beyond restricting ammunition capacity.
Past experience also suggests that congressional discussion of broadening the assault-weapons ban to new models or features would raise prices and production of the weapons being considered, the report said, adding that if the ban were lifted, gun and magazine manufacturers could reintroduce weapons and magazines in substantial numbers. But, the report said, any resulting increase in crimes with assault weapons and large-capacity magazines might increase gunshot victimizations, "though this effect could be difficult to measure." ¶ 7:34 PM 0 comments
Washington Times (Aug. 16
The federal assault-weapons ban, scheduled to expire in September, is not responsible for the nation's steady decline in gun-related violence and its renewal likely will achieve little, according to an independent study commissioned by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
"We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence," said the unreleased NIJ report, written by Christopher Koper, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
"It is thus premature to make definitive assessments of the ban's impact on gun violence. Should it be renewed, the ban's effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement," said the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times.
The report also noted that assault weapons were "rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban."
NIJ is the Justice Department's research, development and evaluation agency ? assigned the job of providing objective, independent, evidence-based information to the department through independent studies and other data collection activities.
The assault-weapons ban is set to expire Sept. 13, and at least six bills reauthorizing it are pending in the Senate and House.
The issue has sparked nationwide debate: The National Rifle Association has called the ban ineffective in curbing crime and a violation of the Second Amendment, while gun-control advocates have said the nation's streets will be filled with automatic weapons if the ban is not reauthorized.
The assault-weapons ban imposed a 10-year moratorium on the "manufacture, transfer and possession" of certain semiautomatic firearms designated as assault weapons. It banned 18 models and variations by name, as well as revolving-cylinder shotguns, and prohibited flash hiders, folding rifle stocks and threaded barrels for attaching silencers.
A number of the banned weapons were foreign semiautomatic rifles that have been barred from importation into the United States since 1989. The ban also prohibited most ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
According to recent surveys by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), firearms-related crime has declined to record levels. The violent crime rate has fallen 54 percent since 1993, and there were more than 980,000 fewer violent crimes in 2002 than in 2000.
But in the past three years, according to the BJS, federal gun prosecutions have increased by 68 percent, with the number of persons charged with federal firearms offenses rising by more than 22 percent in fiscal 2003, the largest single-year increase ever recorded.
The 102-page NIJ report said the assault-weapons ban was intended to "reduce gunshot victimizations by limiting the national stock of semiautomatic firearms with large ammunition capacities," although it said the automatic-weapons provision of the bill targeted a "relatively small number of weapons" based on features that had little to do with the weapons' operation.
The report said the removal of those features, such as detachable high-capacity magazines, was "sufficient to make the weapons legal."
In 1994, when the ban was approved by Congress, 1.5 million privately owned assault weapons were thought to be in the United States. The report said assault weapons were used in 2 percent of gun crimes reported nationwide before enactment of the 1994 ban. It also said assault weapons and other guns equipped with large-capacity magazines accounted for a higher share of the guns used to kill police officers and in mass public shootings, although such incidents were "very rare."
The report said the relatively rare use of assault weapons in crimes was attributable to a number of factors: Most assault weapons are rifles, which are used much less often than handguns, a number of the weapons were barred from importation before the ban was enacted, and the weapons are expensive and difficult to conceal.
"The ban's success in reducing criminal use of the banned guns and magazines has been mixed," the report said, noting that because the ban had not yet reduced the use of large-capacity magazines in crime, researchers could not "clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence."
The report said although the ban's reauthorization or expiration could affect gunshot victimizations, predictions were "tenuous." It said restricting the flow of large-capacity magazines into the United States from abroad might be necessary to achieve the ban's desired effects.
But it said it was not known whether mandating further design changes in the outward features of semiautomatic weapons ? such as removing all military-style features ? would produce measurable benefits beyond restricting ammunition capacity.
Past experience also suggests that congressional discussion of broadening the assault-weapons ban to new models or features would raise prices and production of the weapons being considered, the report said, adding that if the ban were lifted, gun and magazine manufacturers could reintroduce weapons and magazines in substantial numbers. But, the report said, any resulting increase in crimes with assault weapons and large-capacity magazines might increase gunshot victimizations, "though this effect could be difficult to measure." ¶ 7:34 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Students shoots self at LFI class
DUNBARTON--A Concord attorney accidentally shot herself in the leg while attending a firearms course yesterday.
Penny Dean was not hurt badly when she fired her handgun while attempting to put it in a gun holster she was wearing.
Dean was taking an advanced shooting course offered by the Concord-based Lethal Force Institute at the Pioneer Sportsmen shooting range on Clinton Street when the accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. yesterday.
"Miss Dean was holstering a handgun, at which point the weapon discharged and fired a bullet into her left leg," said Dunbarton police officer Christopher Connelly. Police determined the shooting was accidental after a brief investigation at the pistol range.
Dean was wielding a 10mm Glock Model 29 automatic handgun, which is popular with both men and women, according to Lethal Force shooting instructor Massad Ayoob. She was among five students involved in a five-day firearms course.
Ayoob described Dean as a "very skillful and confident gun handler." He said she was using a holster that was not right for the gun and said that it was not immediately obvious to the instructor prior to the accident.
Ayoob said it was the first such accident in his 23 years as a firearms instructor.
Dean had taken previous firearms instruction from the Lethal Force Institute prior to the advanced training she was involved in yesterday, according to Ayoob.
Dean was taken by ambulance to Concord Hospital, where she was treated and released.
¶ 1:58 PM 0 comments
The Union Leader (Aug. 17)
DUNBARTON--A Concord attorney accidentally shot herself in the leg while attending a firearms course yesterday.
Penny Dean was not hurt badly when she fired her handgun while attempting to put it in a gun holster she was wearing.
Dean was taking an advanced shooting course offered by the Concord-based Lethal Force Institute at the Pioneer Sportsmen shooting range on Clinton Street when the accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. yesterday.
"Miss Dean was holstering a handgun, at which point the weapon discharged and fired a bullet into her left leg," said Dunbarton police officer Christopher Connelly. Police determined the shooting was accidental after a brief investigation at the pistol range.
Dean was wielding a 10mm Glock Model 29 automatic handgun, which is popular with both men and women, according to Lethal Force shooting instructor Massad Ayoob. She was among five students involved in a five-day firearms course.
Ayoob described Dean as a "very skillful and confident gun handler." He said she was using a holster that was not right for the gun and said that it was not immediately obvious to the instructor prior to the accident.
Ayoob said it was the first such accident in his 23 years as a firearms instructor.
Dean had taken previous firearms instruction from the Lethal Force Institute prior to the advanced training she was involved in yesterday, according to Ayoob.
Dean was taken by ambulance to Concord Hospital, where she was treated and released.
¶ 1:58 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Banning "Terrorist Specials"?
Who could possibly oppose continuing a ban on "plastic" guns? Referencing threats of terrorist sneaking plastic guns onto airplanes, last week Senator Ted Kennedy called renewing the legislation "clearly necessary in today's America." Yet, despite broad support in the past from both the NRA and gun-control groups, it was a bad law, providing placebo cures for imaginary ills.
The terrorist Firearm Detection Act of 1988 banned both the creation and the possession of plastic firearms. The current furor is about the reauthorization of the law, which expires this coming December. Senators Kennedy and Frank Lautenberg have just introduced legislation to reauthorize the law, and it appears to have caught the Bush Administration off-guard. And last week the House passed reauthorization of the law.
The hysteria over "plastic guns" arose in the mid-1980s when the Austrian company Glock began exporting pistols to the United States. They were labeled "terrorist specials" by the press, and fear spread that their plastic frame and grip would make them invisible to metal detectors. Nobody mentioned that there was over one pound of metal in them. Try going through an airport detector with that. In fact, no working guns have ever been produced without at least some metal and nobody has even shown that such guns can be made.
So what were the effects of the law? Actually, none whatsoever, it had nothing to do with Glocks. The minimum metal requirement was set at 3.2 ounces, less than a fifth of the metal contained in the then-controversial Glocks and significantly less than in any other gun. No congressional testimony linked the standard with any potential security breaches.
The standard was picked precisely because it did not affect anything. No gun maker was hurt, while politicians pretended they were "doing something." Glocks are now-a-days common and one of the favorite pistols of American police officers. They are reliable and lightweight.
The real problems regarding airline security run much deeper than yet to be invented plastic guns. Recently a college student embarrassed the Transportation Security Administration by hiding box cutters (obviously made of metal) for over a month on two Southwest Airline planes. He had even e-mailed the TSA immediately after he did it. No tests of airport screening have been made public since the government took over screening last fall, and, in private meetings that I have attended, the TSA acknowledges there is a wide range of undetectable lethal weapons that can be smuggled onto airplanes.
Without full-body searches, there exists no way to detect ceramic or plastic knives that are taped, say, to the inside of a thigh. People who have flown recently are well aware that they are simply not patted down all over their body. Unless you are going to conduct full-body searches on people, determined terrorists are going to be able to get weapons on planes no matter how carefully screeners monitor x-ray machines and metal detectors.
Obviously no one but terrorists wants terrorists to easily smuggle weapons onto airplanes. But shouldn't we pass the law just in case someone should ever invent such a gun? Unfortunately, the law not only wastes time, it distracts from the real issue. It will not keep terrorists from getting those guns if the right plastics are ever invented.
In addition, terrorists would have to figure out how to make bullets out of plastic and find some way to prevent gunpowder from being detectable.
Whether the debate is over assault weapons, cop-killer bullets, or gun show "loopholes," much of the debate focuses on things that just don't exist. Passing laws simply to "do something," can be worse than doing nothing. Conjuring up phantom guns may be fine for Halloween, but the imaginary fears behind plastic guns keeps us from addressing the real problems.
Copyright © 2003 Tech Central Station - www.techcentralstation.com
John Lott researches crime, antitrust, education, gun control, campaign finance, and voting and legislative behavior. He is the author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws.
¶ 11:01 AM 0 comments
Source: American Daily
Who could possibly oppose continuing a ban on "plastic" guns? Referencing threats of terrorist sneaking plastic guns onto airplanes, last week Senator Ted Kennedy called renewing the legislation "clearly necessary in today's America." Yet, despite broad support in the past from both the NRA and gun-control groups, it was a bad law, providing placebo cures for imaginary ills.
The terrorist Firearm Detection Act of 1988 banned both the creation and the possession of plastic firearms. The current furor is about the reauthorization of the law, which expires this coming December. Senators Kennedy and Frank Lautenberg have just introduced legislation to reauthorize the law, and it appears to have caught the Bush Administration off-guard. And last week the House passed reauthorization of the law.
The hysteria over "plastic guns" arose in the mid-1980s when the Austrian company Glock began exporting pistols to the United States. They were labeled "terrorist specials" by the press, and fear spread that their plastic frame and grip would make them invisible to metal detectors. Nobody mentioned that there was over one pound of metal in them. Try going through an airport detector with that. In fact, no working guns have ever been produced without at least some metal and nobody has even shown that such guns can be made.
So what were the effects of the law? Actually, none whatsoever, it had nothing to do with Glocks. The minimum metal requirement was set at 3.2 ounces, less than a fifth of the metal contained in the then-controversial Glocks and significantly less than in any other gun. No congressional testimony linked the standard with any potential security breaches.
The standard was picked precisely because it did not affect anything. No gun maker was hurt, while politicians pretended they were "doing something." Glocks are now-a-days common and one of the favorite pistols of American police officers. They are reliable and lightweight.
The real problems regarding airline security run much deeper than yet to be invented plastic guns. Recently a college student embarrassed the Transportation Security Administration by hiding box cutters (obviously made of metal) for over a month on two Southwest Airline planes. He had even e-mailed the TSA immediately after he did it. No tests of airport screening have been made public since the government took over screening last fall, and, in private meetings that I have attended, the TSA acknowledges there is a wide range of undetectable lethal weapons that can be smuggled onto airplanes.
Without full-body searches, there exists no way to detect ceramic or plastic knives that are taped, say, to the inside of a thigh. People who have flown recently are well aware that they are simply not patted down all over their body. Unless you are going to conduct full-body searches on people, determined terrorists are going to be able to get weapons on planes no matter how carefully screeners monitor x-ray machines and metal detectors.
Obviously no one but terrorists wants terrorists to easily smuggle weapons onto airplanes. But shouldn't we pass the law just in case someone should ever invent such a gun? Unfortunately, the law not only wastes time, it distracts from the real issue. It will not keep terrorists from getting those guns if the right plastics are ever invented.
In addition, terrorists would have to figure out how to make bullets out of plastic and find some way to prevent gunpowder from being detectable.
Whether the debate is over assault weapons, cop-killer bullets, or gun show "loopholes," much of the debate focuses on things that just don't exist. Passing laws simply to "do something," can be worse than doing nothing. Conjuring up phantom guns may be fine for Halloween, but the imaginary fears behind plastic guns keeps us from addressing the real problems.
Copyright © 2003 Tech Central Station - www.techcentralstation.com
John Lott researches crime, antitrust, education, gun control, campaign finance, and voting and legislative behavior. He is the author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws.
¶ 11:01 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
PHILIPPINES: Journalists permitted to carry guns
Arroyo's claim of press freedom scorned after third reporter in nine days shot dead
The police chief in the Philippines said journalists would be allowed to carry firearms after a radio reporter was gunned down in the third such killing in nine days and the fifth this year.
But many journalists are not waiting for official sanction, they are already carrying weapons. One said he recently survived an ambush because he had a bigger gun.
In the latest murder of a journalist, radio station reporter Jonathan Abayon was shot dead yesterday while being driven in a car in South Cotabato province.
William Bael, the man police have named as the prime suspect in the killing, is allegedly a bodyguard of former world flyweight boxing champion Manny Pacqiao. The motive for the killing has not yet been established.
The killings of journalists have put pressure on the government of President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo to keep a pledge to uphold press freedom.
Police Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao said the office of police chief Hermogenes Ebdane would issue journalists with permits to carry firearms outside their place of residence "provided their lives are under threat".
Chief Superintendent Goltiao added: "The PNP [police] is doing everything to solve the cases."
The offer of weapon permits was slammed by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. It demanded an independent probe of the killings and justice for the victims' families.
"At least 54 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since 1986, seven in 2003," the union pointed out.
"If the trend continues this year, we may see the country breaking its infamous record of being tied with Colombia as the world's most dangerous place for journalists," it said.
The union branded Mrs Arroyo's claim of upholding press freedom as "a sham".
A growing number of reporters, especially those working outside the capital of Manila, have armed themselves.
Last week radio reporter George Benaojan said he and his two companions survived an ambush in the central city of Cebu because he had "superior firepower" to his assailants. He holds an Ingram machine pistol and two .45 calibre pistols.
Even Manila-based Ramon Tulfo, a Philippine Daily Inquirer writer, said he always carries a loaded Glock pistol "because I've offended many people through my hard- hitting column".
He said the blazer he wears "is not a fashion statement but meant to conceal the holster I carry on my waist".
He said "newsmen are defence- less in a society where there's a gun culture".
On July 31, Rogelio Mariano was gunned down after finishing his radio show in Laoag City, northern Philippines. On Thursday, reporter Arnel Manalo was shot dead by assailants on motorbikes in Batangas, south of Manila.
¶ 1:14 PM 0 comments
South China Morning Post--Aug. 10, 2004
Arroyo's claim of press freedom scorned after third reporter in nine days shot dead
The police chief in the Philippines said journalists would be allowed to carry firearms after a radio reporter was gunned down in the third such killing in nine days and the fifth this year.
But many journalists are not waiting for official sanction, they are already carrying weapons. One said he recently survived an ambush because he had a bigger gun.
In the latest murder of a journalist, radio station reporter Jonathan Abayon was shot dead yesterday while being driven in a car in South Cotabato province.
William Bael, the man police have named as the prime suspect in the killing, is allegedly a bodyguard of former world flyweight boxing champion Manny Pacqiao. The motive for the killing has not yet been established.
The killings of journalists have put pressure on the government of President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo to keep a pledge to uphold press freedom.
Police Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao said the office of police chief Hermogenes Ebdane would issue journalists with permits to carry firearms outside their place of residence "provided their lives are under threat".
Chief Superintendent Goltiao added: "The PNP [police] is doing everything to solve the cases."
The offer of weapon permits was slammed by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. It demanded an independent probe of the killings and justice for the victims' families.
"At least 54 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since 1986, seven in 2003," the union pointed out.
"If the trend continues this year, we may see the country breaking its infamous record of being tied with Colombia as the world's most dangerous place for journalists," it said.
The union branded Mrs Arroyo's claim of upholding press freedom as "a sham".
A growing number of reporters, especially those working outside the capital of Manila, have armed themselves.
Last week radio reporter George Benaojan said he and his two companions survived an ambush in the central city of Cebu because he had "superior firepower" to his assailants. He holds an Ingram machine pistol and two .45 calibre pistols.
Even Manila-based Ramon Tulfo, a Philippine Daily Inquirer writer, said he always carries a loaded Glock pistol "because I've offended many people through my hard- hitting column".
He said the blazer he wears "is not a fashion statement but meant to conceal the holster I carry on my waist".
He said "newsmen are defence- less in a society where there's a gun culture".
On July 31, Rogelio Mariano was gunned down after finishing his radio show in Laoag City, northern Philippines. On Thursday, reporter Arnel Manalo was shot dead by assailants on motorbikes in Batangas, south of Manila.
¶ 1:14 PM 0 comments
Mumbai Cops gung-ho about Glock guns
The Special Protection Unit (SPU), which looks after the security of VIPs and politicians is finally being trained to handle sophisticated Glock pistols. This is a consequence of the Mid Day report on July 5, that the pistols were lying unused in godowns.
A few months ago, the Maharashtra police bought 300 Glock pistols, at a cost of Rs 1 lakh each. But most of them were lying in a godown, as the cops simply refused to pick up the weapon, saying they had not been trained to use the "ultra-delicate" gun.
Last week, a training session was arranged to familiarise officers with the gun. The training team comprises senior officials from the police department and few experts from the company who sold the weapons to the Mumbai police.
Additional Commissioner of Police (security and protection) Surindra Kumar said, "Since the suppliers of the Austrian weapon are more familiar with its working, we have also involved them in the training session. They had a demonstration on the working of the pistols at the Mumbai police headquarters some days ago."
Meanwhile, SPU officials were delighted with the training. "It is good that they have thought of it at last. I will claim my pistol from the armoury immediately," said an officer. Adds another officer, "Handling Glocks was never so easy. Thanks to the workshop, we are now very comfortable using it."
The director general circulated 160 weapons among the officials. "Earlier there was some misunderstanding among our men about the weapon after a misfire by one of our officers. But now they are familiar with it," said Uttam Khairmure senior police inspector of the SPU.
-------------------------------------------------
Related stories
Cops unwilling to handle Glock pistols
¶ 11:46 AM 0 comments
Mid-Day Mumbai, India --A ug. 9
The Special Protection Unit (SPU), which looks after the security of VIPs and politicians is finally being trained to handle sophisticated Glock pistols. This is a consequence of the Mid Day report on July 5, that the pistols were lying unused in godowns.
A few months ago, the Maharashtra police bought 300 Glock pistols, at a cost of Rs 1 lakh each. But most of them were lying in a godown, as the cops simply refused to pick up the weapon, saying they had not been trained to use the "ultra-delicate" gun.
Last week, a training session was arranged to familiarise officers with the gun. The training team comprises senior officials from the police department and few experts from the company who sold the weapons to the Mumbai police.
Additional Commissioner of Police (security and protection) Surindra Kumar said, "Since the suppliers of the Austrian weapon are more familiar with its working, we have also involved them in the training session. They had a demonstration on the working of the pistols at the Mumbai police headquarters some days ago."
Meanwhile, SPU officials were delighted with the training. "It is good that they have thought of it at last. I will claim my pistol from the armoury immediately," said an officer. Adds another officer, "Handling Glocks was never so easy. Thanks to the workshop, we are now very comfortable using it."
The director general circulated 160 weapons among the officials. "Earlier there was some misunderstanding among our men about the weapon after a misfire by one of our officers. But now they are familiar with it," said Uttam Khairmure senior police inspector of the SPU.
-------------------------------------------------
Related stories
Cops unwilling to handle Glock pistols
¶ 11:46 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 06, 2004
Ohio honors Tennessee CHP
As of July 12, Ohio has entered into a reciprocal agreement with Tennessee on Handgun Carry Permits. A Tennessee permit is now valid in Ohio. This brings to 27 the number of other states which honor a Tennessee permit.
One major Eastern state which does not is Pennsylvania. I go to Pennsylvania a couple of times a year to teach, and I am covered there by my non-resident Florida permit. A Florida non-resident permit can be obtained completely by mail. Contact springb@doacs.
state.fl.us and request an application packet. A Rangemaster certificate of training meets the training requirement, and your fingerprint cards can be completed
locally. The permit costs $117.00 for a five year period. ¶ 5:09 PM 0 comments
Rangemaster Newsletter, August 2004
As of July 12, Ohio has entered into a reciprocal agreement with Tennessee on Handgun Carry Permits. A Tennessee permit is now valid in Ohio. This brings to 27 the number of other states which honor a Tennessee permit.
One major Eastern state which does not is Pennsylvania. I go to Pennsylvania a couple of times a year to teach, and I am covered there by my non-resident Florida permit. A Florida non-resident permit can be obtained completely by mail. Contact springb@doacs.
state.fl.us and request an application packet. A Rangemaster certificate of training meets the training requirement, and your fingerprint cards can be completed
locally. The permit costs $117.00 for a five year period. ¶ 5:09 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Ex-LEO sues holster seller over shooting
WOODBURY -- A former Deptford Township police officer who was shot during a scuffle when a fugitive took his pistol claims in a civil lawsuit that a defect in the gun's holster allowed the shooter to grab his gun.
Former Deptford police Sgt. Steven B. Kummer filed a civil complaint in Superior Court on Tuesday against the companies -- Safariland Limited, Inc., its parent company Armor Holdings Inc, and Safariland Government Sales Inc. -- that could have sold the gun to the police department.
The suit alleges that the holster the police department had purchased for Kummer failed to secure his gun during a struggle with Lamar Wyatt on Aug. 12, 2002.
Wyatt, now 20, pleaded guilty in October to shooting Kummer in the left ear during a scuffle outside the Wenonah Gardens Apartment complex in Deptford.
Authorities had alleged that Wyatt fled with Kummer's Glock 23 semi-automatic pistol and used it to shoot another man in the stomach during an attempted robbery in Chester City, Pa., two days later.
Gun holsters used by police are generally designed so that an assailant cannot remove the gun from its holster, said William Popjoy III, an attorney who filed the complaint on Kummer's behalf.
"In this case, Mr. Wyatt was actually able to pull the gun out of the holster," Popjoy said. "We believe it was because of a defect in the holster itself."
Because of the injury, Kummer retired from the township's police force last year on disability and has since moved to Florida, Popjoy said.
The suit alleges that Kummer suffered "severe and painful bodily injuries" that incapacitated him from his usual work and activities.
The suit contends that the gun holster was not safe because it contained dangerous and incorrect instructions, did not contain adequate warnings and was designed in a defective manner.
Representatives for Safariland Limited, Inc., did not return two calls for comment Wednesday.
The suit -- which seeks unspecified damages, as well as legal costs -- also lists Kummer's wife, Kyle, as a plaintiff.
A Superior Court judge sentenced Wyatt to 20 years in state prison in November for disarming a police officer, as well as to a concurrent 10-year prison term for aggravated assault.
Kummer was attempting to arrest Wyatt after a police chase that led to the Deptford apartment complex when Wyatt grabbed the officer's gun during the scuffle, authorities reported shortly after the incident.
Five weeks after Wyatt fled the scene of the shooting, police in Boston caught Wyatt during a drug raid.
The incident was not the first time a Deptford Township police officer lost control of his gun during a struggle with an offender.
On Aug. 13, 1986, a 32-year-old East Willow Avenue man allegedly disarmed and tried to shoot a policeman in the stomach as the officer escorted him from his parent's home. Earlier that year, an Oak Valley man disarmed a different patrolman, pointed the gun at the back of his head, and pulled the trigger after the officer confronted him during a burglary stakeout, according to reports.
In both cases, according to police reports at the time, safety devices on the guns prevented them from firing.
¶ 6:40 PM 0 comments
The Spectator Newspapers, NJ - Jul 29, 2004
WOODBURY -- A former Deptford Township police officer who was shot during a scuffle when a fugitive took his pistol claims in a civil lawsuit that a defect in the gun's holster allowed the shooter to grab his gun.
Former Deptford police Sgt. Steven B. Kummer filed a civil complaint in Superior Court on Tuesday against the companies -- Safariland Limited, Inc., its parent company Armor Holdings Inc, and Safariland Government Sales Inc. -- that could have sold the gun to the police department.
The suit alleges that the holster the police department had purchased for Kummer failed to secure his gun during a struggle with Lamar Wyatt on Aug. 12, 2002.
Wyatt, now 20, pleaded guilty in October to shooting Kummer in the left ear during a scuffle outside the Wenonah Gardens Apartment complex in Deptford.
Authorities had alleged that Wyatt fled with Kummer's Glock 23 semi-automatic pistol and used it to shoot another man in the stomach during an attempted robbery in Chester City, Pa., two days later.
Gun holsters used by police are generally designed so that an assailant cannot remove the gun from its holster, said William Popjoy III, an attorney who filed the complaint on Kummer's behalf.
"In this case, Mr. Wyatt was actually able to pull the gun out of the holster," Popjoy said. "We believe it was because of a defect in the holster itself."
Because of the injury, Kummer retired from the township's police force last year on disability and has since moved to Florida, Popjoy said.
The suit alleges that Kummer suffered "severe and painful bodily injuries" that incapacitated him from his usual work and activities.
The suit contends that the gun holster was not safe because it contained dangerous and incorrect instructions, did not contain adequate warnings and was designed in a defective manner.
Representatives for Safariland Limited, Inc., did not return two calls for comment Wednesday.
The suit -- which seeks unspecified damages, as well as legal costs -- also lists Kummer's wife, Kyle, as a plaintiff.
A Superior Court judge sentenced Wyatt to 20 years in state prison in November for disarming a police officer, as well as to a concurrent 10-year prison term for aggravated assault.
Kummer was attempting to arrest Wyatt after a police chase that led to the Deptford apartment complex when Wyatt grabbed the officer's gun during the scuffle, authorities reported shortly after the incident.
Five weeks after Wyatt fled the scene of the shooting, police in Boston caught Wyatt during a drug raid.
The incident was not the first time a Deptford Township police officer lost control of his gun during a struggle with an offender.
On Aug. 13, 1986, a 32-year-old East Willow Avenue man allegedly disarmed and tried to shoot a policeman in the stomach as the officer escorted him from his parent's home. Earlier that year, an Oak Valley man disarmed a different patrolman, pointed the gun at the back of his head, and pulled the trigger after the officer confronted him during a burglary stakeout, according to reports.
In both cases, according to police reports at the time, safety devices on the guns prevented them from firing.
¶ 6:40 PM 0 comments
Mississippi Highway Patrol switching to Glocks
JACKSON (AP) - The Mississippi Highway Patrol is buying new weapons after a survey showed 90 percent of its troopers choose Glock weapons over their standard-issue Smith & Wesson handguns.
The troopers who tested the .40-caliber Glock pistol saw their accuracy scores rise and deemed it easier to fire than the Smith & Wesson 40/46 guns the state Highway Patrol has always used, said Capt. Tony Thornton. The agency ordered 650 of the guns and is in the transition process to phase out the Smith & Wesson guns, Thornton said.
The pistols cost about $360 each, but the agency hopes to lower that cost to less than $100 by giving troopers the option of buying their Smith & Wesson guns, said Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
Troopers are being acclimated to the Glock in classroom courses where they learn the basics of the gun before being allowed to fire it, Thornton said. The transition should be completed by September, Thornton said.
Trooper 1st Class Reed Harrington, one of about 20 who is training fellow troopers to use the Glock, said the pistol has improved his accuracy scores from the low 90s to between 98 and 100. The Glock 22, a full-sized pistol issued to troopers, is a polymer-framed pistol, which makes it lighter and easier to fire than the Smith & Wesson, he said.
"The Glock has helped all of our accuracy scores," said Harrington, who patrols Rankin County. "That gives you confidence in the event that you do have to pull your weapon. You can't be skeptical about your ability and ask your suspect to give you a time out so you can shoot a couple of practice rounds."
About 70 percent of law enforcement agencies around the country use Glock weapons, said Kent Guntharp, a Tupelo-based regional manager for Glock. Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia and Tennessee state police agencies use Glock weapons, he said.
¶ 1:24 PM 0 comments
Picayune Item, MS - Jul 13, 2004
JACKSON (AP) - The Mississippi Highway Patrol is buying new weapons after a survey showed 90 percent of its troopers choose Glock weapons over their standard-issue Smith & Wesson handguns.
The troopers who tested the .40-caliber Glock pistol saw their accuracy scores rise and deemed it easier to fire than the Smith & Wesson 40/46 guns the state Highway Patrol has always used, said Capt. Tony Thornton. The agency ordered 650 of the guns and is in the transition process to phase out the Smith & Wesson guns, Thornton said.
The pistols cost about $360 each, but the agency hopes to lower that cost to less than $100 by giving troopers the option of buying their Smith & Wesson guns, said Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
Troopers are being acclimated to the Glock in classroom courses where they learn the basics of the gun before being allowed to fire it, Thornton said. The transition should be completed by September, Thornton said.
Trooper 1st Class Reed Harrington, one of about 20 who is training fellow troopers to use the Glock, said the pistol has improved his accuracy scores from the low 90s to between 98 and 100. The Glock 22, a full-sized pistol issued to troopers, is a polymer-framed pistol, which makes it lighter and easier to fire than the Smith & Wesson, he said.
"The Glock has helped all of our accuracy scores," said Harrington, who patrols Rankin County. "That gives you confidence in the event that you do have to pull your weapon. You can't be skeptical about your ability and ask your suspect to give you a time out so you can shoot a couple of practice rounds."
About 70 percent of law enforcement agencies around the country use Glock weapons, said Kent Guntharp, a Tupelo-based regional manager for Glock. Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia and Tennessee state police agencies use Glock weapons, he said.
¶ 1:24 PM 0 comments
Mumbai cops unwilling to handle Glock pistols
Three months ago, Mumbai police bought 300 sophisticated Glock pistols, each costing more than Rs 1 lakh.
Most of them are still lying in the godowns. Reason: the cops simply refuse to pick the gun, saying they have been given no training in the use of the "ultra-delicate" weapon.
Of the 300 Glocks, 160 have been set aside for the Special Protection Unit (SPU) that looks after the security of politicians and other leading personalities, while the rest have been given to officers of the rank of Director General.
However, only a handful of SPU officers have taken the pistol; the others are too scared even to keep it.
"Glocks are so sensitive to handle that the trigger may go off even when the gun's resting. But there is no appropriate training for us&mdash:and officers were asked to practise on their own at firing range,? an officer attached to the SPU said. Pointing out some differences between the Glock and the semi-automatic 9mm pistols that the police have been using for years, an SPU inspector said, "The hammer of the Glock is on the inside, not outside as in the case of the 9mm gun. Also, unlike the gun now in use, the Glock has no slide locks. That raises the possibility of a misfire."
Though the SPU has now been given the Glocks "on trial," the police department's plan is to work towards total replacement of the 9mm gun. However, the officers' unwillingness to touch the gun in the absence of training defeats the purpose of the trial.
Additional Commissioner of Police Surendra Kumar, however, believes training is unnecessary. "Glocks are in fact similar to 9mm pistols and not as sensitive as AK-47 rifles, which require training. I have used Glocks. They are lightweight, easy to handle and more accurate," he says.
Assistant Commissioner of Police S M Sabde of the SPU said instances of misfire had also occurred with 9mm pistols, so the point that Glocks are more prone to misfire was not accurate.
What happens to the 9mm gun?
The Glocks are intended to eventually replace the 9mm gun currently used by Mumbai police.
Old weapons are accumulated in the police armoury, until the government passes a resolution and auctions them off. The department advertises the date and venue of the auction.
Such weapons are usually bought by either security agencies or by influential people. In any case, a licence is a must in order to buy a gun.
The Glock pistol
Glock was founded by Austrian engineer Gaston Glock in 1963 and initially supplied the Austrian army with machine gun belts, practice hand grenades, plastic clips and field knives. It began making guns in the early 1980s.
The Glock pistol has the highest magazine capacity of any other pistol in its class, and no external operation controls to be deactivated before shooting.
Pulling the trigger automatically deactivates the three independent safeties ? trigger safety, firing pin safety and drop safety.
Nearly 25,00,000 Glock pistols have been sold in over 100 countries to government and civilian customers. ¶ 1:19 PM 1 comments
Mid-Day Mumbai, India - Jul 4, 2004
Three months ago, Mumbai police bought 300 sophisticated Glock pistols, each costing more than Rs 1 lakh.
Most of them are still lying in the godowns. Reason: the cops simply refuse to pick the gun, saying they have been given no training in the use of the "ultra-delicate" weapon.
Of the 300 Glocks, 160 have been set aside for the Special Protection Unit (SPU) that looks after the security of politicians and other leading personalities, while the rest have been given to officers of the rank of Director General.
However, only a handful of SPU officers have taken the pistol; the others are too scared even to keep it.
"Glocks are so sensitive to handle that the trigger may go off even when the gun's resting. But there is no appropriate training for us&mdash:and officers were asked to practise on their own at firing range,? an officer attached to the SPU said. Pointing out some differences between the Glock and the semi-automatic 9mm pistols that the police have been using for years, an SPU inspector said, "The hammer of the Glock is on the inside, not outside as in the case of the 9mm gun. Also, unlike the gun now in use, the Glock has no slide locks. That raises the possibility of a misfire."
Though the SPU has now been given the Glocks "on trial," the police department's plan is to work towards total replacement of the 9mm gun. However, the officers' unwillingness to touch the gun in the absence of training defeats the purpose of the trial.
Additional Commissioner of Police Surendra Kumar, however, believes training is unnecessary. "Glocks are in fact similar to 9mm pistols and not as sensitive as AK-47 rifles, which require training. I have used Glocks. They are lightweight, easy to handle and more accurate," he says.
Assistant Commissioner of Police S M Sabde of the SPU said instances of misfire had also occurred with 9mm pistols, so the point that Glocks are more prone to misfire was not accurate.
What happens to the 9mm gun?
The Glocks are intended to eventually replace the 9mm gun currently used by Mumbai police.
Old weapons are accumulated in the police armoury, until the government passes a resolution and auctions them off. The department advertises the date and venue of the auction.
Such weapons are usually bought by either security agencies or by influential people. In any case, a licence is a must in order to buy a gun.
The Glock pistol
Glock was founded by Austrian engineer Gaston Glock in 1963 and initially supplied the Austrian army with machine gun belts, practice hand grenades, plastic clips and field knives. It began making guns in the early 1980s.
The Glock pistol has the highest magazine capacity of any other pistol in its class, and no external operation controls to be deactivated before shooting.
Pulling the trigger automatically deactivates the three independent safeties ? trigger safety, firing pin safety and drop safety.
Nearly 25,00,000 Glock pistols have been sold in over 100 countries to government and civilian customers. ¶ 1:19 PM 1 comments
