Kevin’s Got A Gun

Robert Paul Reyes
November 15, 2007

“An Oregon high school English teacher will not be allowed to carry her gun to school, a state circuit court ruled on Friday in a decision closely watched by both sides of the gun debate.

Shirley Katz, who has a legal permit to carry a concealed handgun, argued she needed the Glock semi-automatic pistol to protect herself from her ex-husband. She sued the school district when it told her carrying a gun was against a district policy prohibiting guns.”

When I read this Reuters article the first word that popped into my mind was “self-centeredness”. Ms Katz is a narcissist who thinks the world revolves around her — she’s the star and everyone else is a bit player.

If Katz had a smidgen of concern for her young charges she would immediately resign; assuming it’s true she has an ex-husband who is itching to gun her down. A loving and caring teacher would not place her students in danger.

Like any narcissist Katz doesn’t think the rules apply to her; she accepted her teaching assignment knowing full well the school district’s policy on bringing guns to campus.

A teacher armed with a semi-automatic pistol, an ex-husband hell-bent on revenge and a classroom full of students is a recipe for a bloodbath.

I would hate to see the results of someone who is not a firearms experts shooting a semi-automatic in an enclosed area like a classroom.

Thank goodness common sense prevailed in this situation; it’s the job of the judicial system to protect us from self-centered individuals like Katz.

from American Chronicle

Four different people come to four defensible conclusions

Courtesy of Guns Magazine, www.gunsmagazine.com

by Massad Ayoob

One the staple questions of gun magazine readers and Internet gun enthusiasts is, “What’s the best caliber for self-defense?” I found myself recently in a district attorney’s office, chatting with the DA and two of his investigators. The coats were off, and I noticed we were each wearing different caliber pistols.

District Attorney Matt Bingham was wearing Springfield Armory’s neat little EMP, in a Fobus paddle holster he could easily slip off his belt and lock in his desk. EMP stands for Enhanced Micro Pistol, a scientifically size-reduced 1911 from the fertile mind of Springfield’s chief gun designer, Dave Williams. It’s a sweet-shooting little thing, holds 10 rounds of 9mm Parabellum, and conceals remarkably well. That last element is important to someone like Matt, who has to keep his weapon discreetly concealed under a business suit. While most prosecutors around the country are authorized to carry guns, this fact is not widely known and armed prosecutors sometimes “frighten the horses.”

A gun-wise guy who has studied many shootings coming across his desk, Bingham appreciates a large-caliber handgun, but is also convinced a 9mm pistol with the right ammunition can be perfectly adequate for defensive needs. After all, 35,000 or so NYPD officers carry 9mm autos, and complaints are rarely heard about the caliber there since the department switched to 124-grain Speer Gold Dot +P Hollowpoints.

Read the full article at www.findarticles.com

Man Shoots Home Intruder In Southbury
Intruder Involved In Car Crash, Police Say

SOUTHBURY, Conn. — State police said they received a call Sunday from a man who said he had encountered an intruder at his house.

John Nagy told police that he may have shot the intruder at his home, located at 44 Berkshire Road in Southbury.

Nagy told police that he was awakened at about 2 a.m. by a noise in the basement area of the house. Nagy said he went to investigate the basement area armed with a weapon.

He stated that he encountered a man who had entered the basement. The man advanced in the direction of the Nagy, and Nagy said he shot his gun in the direction of the intruder and left his home to wait for police.

Nagy told state police that he believed that the intruder was still in the basement.

State troopers entered the home with a state police K-9 to search for the intruder, police said.

The intruder was located by troopers in the basement of the home suffering from an apparent single gunshot wound.

EMS responded, provided emergency care at the scene and transported the wounded suspect to Waterbury Hospital, where he underwent surgery for his injuries.

The identification of the suspect is being withheld pending notification of family, police said.

Initial investigation by state police determined that the man was in fact the operator of a vehicle that had been involved in a one-car crash on River Road in Southbury.

The man fled the crash scene on foot and walked for about a half a mile and then entered the Nagy’s house, where he encountered the homeowner.

State Police Western District Major Crime Squad will handle the investigation at the crime scene by collecting physical and forensic evidence and conduct follow-up investigation, police said.

Nagy was not injured in this incident, police said.

At the conclusion of the investigation, all facts and circumstances of this incident will be reviewed with the state’s attorney, officials said.

From WFSB Eyewitness News

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Gainesville man’s lack of sight didn’t stop him from defending his home from an intruder.

According to police, Cevaughn Curtis Jr., 28, broke into Arthur Williams’ house in Gainesville at around 3 a.m.

Curtis, police said, knocked on the door, asked to be let inside but Williams refused. Curtis then tried to force his way into the home.

The 75-year-old retired taxi dispatcher, who’s been legally blind for the past 61 years, opened fire on the would-be-thief who kicked down his door, police said.

Police said Williams shot Curtis, who tried to flee but collapsed on the front porch, inthe left side of the neck. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Police said Curtis was charged with burglary of an occupied residence and battery on a person over the age of 65.

Officials are praising Williams for protecting himself.

From WESH News Orlando

Fact: Though the number of firearms owned by private citizens has been increasing steadily since 1970, the overall rate of homicides and suicides has not risen. As the chart shows (see ebook), there is no correlation between the availability of firearms and the rates of homicide and suicide in America.

Fact: “… a detailed study of the major surveys completed in the past 20 years or more provides no evidence of any relationship between the total number of legally held firearms in society and the rate of armed crime. Nor is there a relationship between the severity of controls imposed in various countries or the mass of bureaucracy involved with many control systems with the apparent ease of access to firearms by criminals and terrorists.”

Fact: Five out of six gun-possessing felons obtained handguns from the secondary market and by theft, and “[the] criminal handgun market is overwhelmingly dominated by informal transactions and theft as mechanisms of supply.”

Fact: The majority of handguns in the possession of criminals are stolen, and not necessarily by the criminals in question.

From Gun Facts Ebook

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of August 16, 2007

The shotgun hangs on the wall of the Tattoo Doctor for a reason, its employees say. It’s meant to convey a message to anyone walking in: Don’t mess with us.

Until now, the insinuation worked fine. But when a would-be robber tried to hold up the southwest Atlanta tattoo and piercing parlor Thursday night, he learned the hard way what happens when you disobey.

The store owner shot the man at least three times, sending him scurrying out of the shop and into a nearby apartment complex — where he was promptly arrested.

“Stop trying to rob, that’s not the avenue they need to take,” said the owner’s brother, who goes by the name “Zok” Patrick.

“But if you do,” he added, “be ready for the repercussions.”

About seven people, including patrons and employees, were at the shop on Campbellton Road when two men came in about 8 p.m. asking to get tattooed.

As one of them was called in for his appointment, the second man pulled out a gun, ordered everyone to get down on the ground and demanded money, Patrick said.

“He pointed to the [shotgun] and said nobody touch it,” Patrick said. “We put it up there to curtail exactly this type of behavior.”

As the patrons hit the ground, the store owner — whose business license lists him as Ikeno Patrick, but who goes by “Nomadic” — pulled out a different gun and fired.

“Zok” Patrick says his brother returned fire only after the would-be robber fired some shots of his own. Police had not sorted through the details of the attempted robbery by late Thursday night.

“From what I seen, [my brother] hit him on the mouth, the shoulder, the side,” Patrick said.

The man ran out, firing back over his shoulder as he made his escape through the parking lot.

“The whole neighborhood must have called police. There were so many shots fired,” Patrick said.

The store is in a shopping center that houses, among other businesses, a barber shop and a pizza place.

As the shots flew, the second man cowered in a corner, saying, “Please don’t kill me. I didn’t have nothing to do with it,” Patrick recalled.

Atlanta police Officer Eric Schwartz said the would-be robber, whose name was not released, was arrested and taken to a hospital in stable condition.

“Nomadic” Patrick was taken to a police station to give his version of events. The other employees spent late Thursday night picking up glass shards and sweeping out the debris.

For more articles like this see the Civilian Gun Self Defense Blog