Are Cops "Overdoing" Tasers?

This story is about cops who tasered a man who was resisting them, then they beat the hell out of him. What does the media concentrate on? He was "tasered." Did it occur to anyone that maybe, just maybe, he died from the beating they gave him and being tasered was the least of his troubles? People who do not have pre-existing medical conditions or are not being severely beaten do not usually die from being tasered. Especially from the ones usually sold for personal use. But I'd think a man with a known precondition ought not to place himself in a position to be tasered. No, I don't think cops are "overdoing" it. Not yet. Because being "tasered," while painful, is a lot easier on the body than is a severe beating. I would personally rather be tasered by a cop than beaten to death. Notice that even the news media (which is prone to blaming tasers) are even asking if the beating, rather than the taser had anything to do with this man's death. If someone attacks me, I'm going to use my taser (as I have in the past). I'm not worried about killing anybody, just from the tasering. (Globe & Mail, 11/24/07)

Trooper Tasers Driver for Refusing to Sign Ticket

Seems to be a little bit of overreaction and lack of training in how, and WHY to use his taser on a citizen. Refusing to sign a ticket while demanding your rights isn't one of the reasons. Seems to me he could have simply arrested this man and put him in the back seat of his car. As I watched the video, I saw him attempt neither. The man was NOT "threatening" him. He was, in fact, walking away from him. Seems to me this trooper needs a lot more training in how to make a proper judgment call. But then, some policemen think ANY resistance to their demands calls for violence. Fortunately, most don't. This is a good example of the improper use of a taser. Nobody, not even a policeman, should ever use a taser on someone who is not threatening them. Carrying one is not illegal in most states, and using them in self-defense is not, either. But using one in an offensive manner could be construed as a felony assault. Hitting someone with your fist without provocation could also be felonious assault. Put simply, these are not toys, and should never be used in an irresponsible manner. (Salt Lake Tribune, 11/21/07)

How Often Are You Alone?

You don't even think about it, but how often do you arrive at work before anyone else, or leave after everyone else is gone? Do you have to walk through a dark, deserted garage or parking lot to get to your car? When you leave for work in the early morning is it still dark, and with no one around? What would happen if someone decided you were an "easy mark" and attacked you? That happens every day, many times, in every city or town on the map. If it hasn't happened to you yet, it's only a matter of time. I lucked out one night when I stopped to make a phone call (before cell phones) at a lonely and dark roadside pay phone. As I got out of my car, a man approached me and asked for a match (THAT old ploy). I reached for the metal flashlight in my right back pocket. I guess I scared him, He said, "Don't shoot me, man!" Then he ran off, and another man I hadn't even seen ran off in the same direction. They must have thought I was armed. So it has happened to me, although not in the way the bad guys thought. Check out getting a stun gun or pepper spray. It might save your life some lonely night. The "bad guys" are essentially cowards and will run off at the first sign of effective defense. (PDC,)

Foiled Carjacking

One of our customers had just left a restaurant and gotten into his car when a man put a knife through his driver's window demanding he get out of the car. So our customer, who had a 650,000 volt "Runt," hit him for two seconds with a jolt that completely changed his mind about carjacking him (if he was, in fact, capable of thinking for a while). He was gibbering on the ground when cops arrived to arrest him. He will probably rethink his profession when he gets out of prison.

Boston Gun Grab

In Boston, they plan to go to homes where they think a teenager might have a gun and intimidate their way in to look. They SAY that if permission is denied, they will just "go away." But don't count on it. The police are very good at intimidation, and what will happen if they find a gun? They'll "confiscate" it and the kid will just go out and get another one. He'll either steal it or find a gun dealer from whom to buy it out of the trunk of his car in an alley. "In the next two weeks, Boston police officers who are assigned to schools will begin going to homes where they believe teenagers might have guns. The officers will travel in groups of three, dress in plainclothes to avoid attracting negative attention [they think-RT], and ask the teenager's parent or legal guardian for permission to search. If the parents say no, police said, the officers will leave. If officers find a gun, police said, they will not charge the teenager with unlawful gun possession, unless the firearm is linked to a shooting or homicide." That's what they say now. But if the citizens of Boston allow them to get their foot in the door this time, there's no telling what they'll do later. Like the camel that asks to put his nose in the tent because he's cold and winds up fully within the tent in the morning, they'll just "nibble away" at gun rights until ALL gun ownership is illegal except for cops and government agents. If they try that In Denver and come to my house, they'll get "the bum's rush." Let them TRY to intimidate this old man. (Boston Globe, 11/17/07)

Mom Goes After Gunman

"A Fort Collins mother is suing the man who held her son at gunpoint after the man was given a plea agreement she calls 'a slap on the hand.' Cherylynn Barber asked Chief District Court Judge James Hiatt on Thursday to reject the plea agreement offered to Kenrick Illidge, who was charged with felony menacing in the July 17 incident. 'The punishment does not fit the crime,' she told Hiatt. 'I'm furious that no action has been taken against him.' " This is something victims need to do more often. If the criminals knew they'd be saddled with suits by the victims seeking damages for their crimes, maybe they'd do something else for a living. It often isn't enough to have and use a stun gun or pepper spray to "fend off" an attacker because our court system often does "let him off with a wrist-slap" which tells him, "go forth and attack someone else and we won't put you away for a long time." (The Coloradoan, 11/9/07)

I LOVE "Crankshaft!"

In fact, I sometimes "identify" with the Crankshaft character in the comic strip by that name, as a rule, because he doesn't care what people think of him. Mostly when people ask me why I never cook out. But I don't identify with his opinion in the October 24 strip, where he tells a "little old lady" she can probably stop carrying her pepper spray, meaning she's too old and ugly to be worried about being attacked (the kind of thoughtless remark Crankshaft is prone to make). But he's wrong this time. "Old people" are prime targets of young thugs, who think they are "easy targets." The thugs just don't expect an "old person" to be carrying something that can put them down in an instant, such as a pepper spray or even a disguised stun gun. A man who didn't like me shaking my head at his "driving style" once tried to attack this "old man" one day and got the surprise of his life when I shocked him with my "Runt" stun gun that is designed to look like a pager (350,000 volts). He'll think twice before trying to assault the next "old man." Crankshaft.

64-Year-Old Man Fights Off Attacker

"UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Police in Uniondale, N.Y., said a crazed man broke into a home, attacked the owner, beat him with a karaoke machine and bit off his ear. A Nassau County police spokeswoman said doctors were not able to reattach the victim's ear but his injuries were not life threatening. The 64-year-old man attempted to defend himself with a vacuum cleaner hose. Police said the attacker then crouched in the hallway until police arrived. A police official said the attack appeared to be random and that the suspect's behavior suggested drug use. 'This guy just randomly picked this house,' said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone. Luis Hidalgo, also of Uniondale, pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary and assault. He was being held at the Nassau County jail on bail of $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond, prosecutors said." Looks like this 64-year-old man could have benefited from having a stun gun or a pepper spray. Or maybe a Bear Spray. Might have saved him an ear. The story doesn't say how he kept the attacker there until the cops arrived, but I've got to say, "You go, gramps!" (Live Leak, 10/15/07)

Waitress Stops Attacker With Pepper Spray

She had had trouble with him before while working. The boss threw him out when he tried to pinch her bottom. When she went home later, he attempted to attack her in revenge; but he didn't count on her key chain pepper spray. He reached for her and she hit him. He tried again and she gave him a shot of hot lightning. He writhed on the ground while she called the police. Then she went home, unhurt. She told him to stick with what's on the menu in the future.

Using a Stun Gun or Pepper Spray

A stun gun is a battery-operated device that gives an electrical shock to an attacker using two metal prongs located on top of the device. It can be used as protection from attackers, muggers, or even your husband, if he's an abuser (don't let him know you have it). The current of the gun interrupts the nerve impulses that control muscle movement. It can cause a person to be disabled for nearly 30 minutes. You should always have your stun gun or pepper spray in your hand and ready for use whenever you are in a potentially dangerous situation such as a dark parking lot or while walking your dog. Other dangerous situations are when your spouse or boyfriend (or in some cases your girlfriend) has shown him/herself to be an abuser. Do not "threaten" him (or her) with it. Just use it without warning. If that person is capable of abusing you, showing it to them will only give them warning. Do not tell them in advance that you have it. These things work because you can use them without warning, giving your attacker, whoever it is, a big surprise when he/she attacks you. You need to touch the stun gun to the person's body because, unlike those used by police, the smaller ones normally carried by individuals do not "shoot something out." You must touch the person's skin (even under clothes), preferably on the upper hip, below the rib cage or the upper shoulder. This is because there are nerve centers there that make the stun gun more effective. But it will still work when touched at any point on the body. Touch the trunk of the body because stunning a limb may only stun that limb without affecting the rest of the body. Doing so will not cause a shock to you, even if he/she is holding you. Hold it there from one to five seconds, however long it takes to incapacitate them and allow you to escape. With a pepper spray, aim it at the attacker (preferably the eyes) and push the button, holding it long enough to incapacitate the attacker. Then run away and get help. Always touch the points of contact to a metal source (without touching the trigger) soon after using the stun gun to "discharge" any residual charge so as not to hurt yourself. On some of the smaller ones using a 9-volt battery, it's a good idea to replace the battery if you held the trigger for a while.

Why is This Discussion Even Necessary?

The simple answer is that the anti-gun freaks are STUPID and just don't understand that banning guns ANYWHERE is an INVITATION to criminals to attack us. "The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is taking issue with a crass remark by Peter Hamm, spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, in which Hamm contended in a Fox News report that self-defense advocates have no business on college campuses. Hamm's remark, reported by Fox News on Wednesday, was, 'You don't like the fact that you can't have a gun on your college campus? Drop out of school.' CCRKBA Executive Director Mark A. Taff, himself a part-time college student, fired back, 'For a fairly bright, though philosophically misguided guy, Peter said a remarkably stupid thing and he ought to apologize to every college student who believes that their right of self-defense should not be nullified simply by stepping onto a college campus.' Taff said the Virginia Tech outrage might never have happened if that university had not adopted a campus gun ban, and actively lobbied against a proposed statute that would have allowed legally-licensed students and instructors to be armed. A shooting at Virginia's Appalachian Law School a few years ago ended when the gunman was confronted by two armed students. A high school shooter in Pearl, Mississippi was taken down at gunpoint by a school administrator who ran to his private vehicle, retrieved a pistol and confronted the gunman." For Hamm to make such a stupid statement, in the face of such evidence shows just how stupid such people really are. (CCRKBA, 10/25/07)

Guns in Self-Defense

I never have any problem finding enough examples of guns being used in self-defense, sometimes without a shot being fired. My biggest problem is trying to decide which ones to leave out. So I'm not going to leave ANY out. Check out the link below to see the latest ones on the NRA web site. Why do I have to go to the NRA web site to find these? Because they are ALL treated as "local stories," and the national media just ignores such stories because they don't reflect their predisposed position that armed people would be more likely to shoot themselves instead of the criminals. (The Armed Citizen, 10/07)

Gun-Grabbers Are Afraid of this Book

It's called, "America Fights Back: Armed Self-Defense in a Violent age." Written by a prominent advocate of Second Amendment rights, Alan Gottlieb, and Dave Workman, this book puts the lie to the anti-gun fanatic's contention that people are more likely to shoot themselves or a loved one if they had a gun. Former Congressman Bob Barr said, "During my years in the U.S. House of Representatives serving on the Judiciary Committee, I tired of listening to the arguments of one gun-control advocate after another endlessly repeat the same tired, baseless arguments in support of their efforts to disarm law-abiding American citizens. Now, in "America Fights Back – Armed Self Defense in a Violent Age," we have a well-written defense of the Bill of Rights that provides both sound substantive arguments in support of the right to keep and bear arms, as well as true-life stories of how the Second Amendment works in practice not just in theory. This book ought to be required reading for every Member of the House and Senate; and every occupant of the White House." Maybe then, they'd understand that laws against gun ownership by criminals don't work -- because they're criminals -- who break laws for a living. (Amazon) By the way: I get no commission from any sales. I just think as many Americans as possible should read this book.

Sleepy Woman Dozes For Thirty Miles

Karen Steinhert, 28, of Littleton, Colorado, dozed off and on for thirty miles while Christian Peuett and his wife followed, videotaping all the way and trying their best to interest a cop, any cop. She weaved from lane to lane as her head went up and down. Finally, after almost a half an hour, a state trooper pulled her over, gave her a ticket, and told her to find a parking lot and get some sleep. All this would not have happened if she had had a "Nap Alarm," available from Personal Defense Consultants in Denver. You hang it on one ear and if your head falls, as hers did when she dozed off, it emits a loud noise, waking you up. Some people will just not admit when they're too tired to drive. This woman is lucky to be alive and if the Pruetts hadn't cared, she'd have been on her last drive.

Chuckie Schumer Wants to Disarm All Veterans

The government enlisted these people and trained them in how to use guns and other military equipment. Now Chuckie Schumer wants to deny them the right to have guns at home. But another Senator disagrees: "Senator Tom Coburn isn't going to go away quietly. As you know from previous GOA alerts, the Republican Senator from Oklahoma has placed a hold on the noxious legislation that is being pushed by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. Because of his actions, the Veterans Disarmament Act (HR 2640 and S 2084) has been stalled in the Senate for a few weeks. But not content to remain silent, Sen. Coburn sent a pointed letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs, asking them to justify their actions. Coburn states in his letter that the Veterans Affairs continues to send the names of "approximately 1,000 additional veterans" to the Department of Justice every month. According to the Congressional Research Service, Coburn says, this has resulted in 'approximately 140,000 Veterans' being added into the NICS background check system. 'This situation is concerning to me,' he continues, 'as the vast majority of these veterans have committed no crime.' Coburn correctly notes that if these veterans should continue to own a firearm, they could 'unknowingly be in violation' of federal law." If we can't trust these people, as civilians, to own guns, how could we ever trust them as soldiers? This is so typical of the ignorant laws people like Chuckie Schumer want to pass. We should have a way of getting rid of such idiots from congress, even if we don't live in his state. (GOA, 10/18/07)

Woman Stabbed to Death

Two women were unloading a "Meals on Wheels" van at a Montessori School in Rocky Mount, NC, when a man suddenly attacked them in a robbery attempt, stabbing one to death and putting the other in the hospital with serious injuries. The women attempted to fight him off, but were unarmed, while he had a knife. Does that suggest anything to you? It does to me. If one of those women had been armed with a stun gun or pepper spray, the ending might have been different. (Rocky Mount Telegram, 10/18/07)

Stun Gun, Anyone?

"On November 4th, the manager of a NY café was stabbed to death by a delivery person who was just fired. While the manager was known for being generous and flexible, the assailant became enraged when he was told he was being let go in the back of the restaurant. The 26 year old manager staggered to the tables area that was filled with customers with the knife still sticking out of his chest. The assailant fled and evaded capture." I wonder how much difference a stun gun or pepper spray in the hands of this manager would have made? In Aukland, NZ, this: "The Auckland-based Framework Trust in New Zealand provides mental health services for mentally and intellectually disabled people as well the dangerous. A young man who is patient struck a staff member in the head without warning on October 4th while they were out in public. The worker was not responsible for watching the client but was standing close by. The staff member was hospitalized with serious head injuries and concussion. The same client had struck another employee in the head with a cricket ball which then required stitches. Workers and family members are concerned about the safety and security of their positions. The government's Occupational Safety and Health department is holding an investigation." Again I wonder: what difference would a stun gun or pepper spray in the hands of this victim have made?

What About the Kids?

I've often wondered what we can do to ensure the safety of children too young to be responsible with a stun gun or pepper spray. I was afraid if we allowed them to carry them, they'd use them to "have fun" at somebody else's expense. This is not my imagination. It's reality. But a friend of mine has come up with a solution. Equip them with electronic whistles and inform everybody you know that if they hear this whistle, there's a child in trouble. Teach the lids never to use it unless they're in trouble. Not to "cry wolf." In one area, they did this. A child used the whistle when some thugs were accosting her. Within seconds, about thirty people responded and ran the thugs off. Someone who had a cell-phone camera got their pictures and they will soon be apprehended. This proves that you don't always have to hurt them to stop them. Alert everybody around and they will run away to find easier victims. PDC can supply you with these whistles. (Personal Defense Consultants)

"Air America " Host Blames "Talk Radio"

She fell down while walking her dog and apparently thought that would give her a good opportunity to blame "talk radio." But it turns out she was lying: "Air America Radio host Randi Rhodes is temporarily off the air, but cops and her lawyer say reports she was mugged near her Manhattan apartment were bogus [They came from her. -RT]. Fellow host Jon Elliott said on the liberal network that Rhodes was attacked at 39th St. and Park Ave. on Sunday night while walking her dog, Simon. Elliott, who said Rhodes lost several teeth in the attack, waxed about a possible conspiracy. 'Is this an attempt by the right-wing hate machine to silence one of our own?' he asked on the air, according to the Talking Radio blog. 'Are we threatening them [Not in the slightest. -RT]?' A police source said Rhodes never filed a report and never claimed to be the victim of a mugging. Rhodes' lawyer Robert Gaulin told the Daily News she was injured in a fall while walking her dog, but she wasn't sure exactly what happened." Thus the liberal network is shown to again foment a lie. (NY Daily News, 10/17/07)

Abolish "Gun-Free Zones"

That's the best, and ONLY answer to the significant increase in school shootings (many of which are "copycat" shootings by people who got the idea from Columbine). If the principal at Columbine had been armed, he could have put a couple into the head of one of the shooters, whom he was able to watch while he was shooting into a room. Instead, he just "backed away" so as to stay alive himself. CCKRKBA says, "BELLEVUE, WA - While anti-gun organizations are demanding that Congress quickly pass new legislation in response to the Virginia Tech massacre, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms suggests another approach: Abolish the concept of 'gun free zones.' 'Every tragic school shooting, and attacks such as those at Salt Lake City's Trolley Square, Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, and the Tacoma Mall had one common denominator,' said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. 'They all happened in so-called 'gun-free zones'." Last spring's attack at Virginia Tech occurred months after the university proudly lobbied the Virginia Assembly to continue prohibiting legally-licensed students and faculty from carrying defensive handguns on campus. Thirty-two students and instructors died when Cho Sueng- Hui went on a rampage that might have been stopped short by an armed student or instructor." But NO! Our idiot legislators will cling to the idea that you can stop criminals and potential school shooters from obtaining guns by passing a law that says they can't be armed. I wonder how many laws the Columbine shooters violated (22, according to news reports)? I wonder how many laws were violated by Cho Sueng when he shot up Virginia Tech? Laws do NOT stop such people, who are planning on violating the law, anyway. You have to allow innocent and responsible citizens to defend themselves, since the cops admit they can't do the job. All they can do is clean up and catch the murderer later. Even a stun gun in the hands of someone the shooter does not suspect of having one could have helped. (CCRKBA, 10/17/07)