Re: "Blanks" kill actors

[JoeRaisin <joeraisin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

There is also the notion that the majority of times a crime is thwarted
because someone simply brandished a gun, the attempted crime is never
reported.
Especially in areas where the possession of the gun by the intended
victim would make him/her a criminal....

Jim wrote:
> Shaun Eli wrote:
>
>>I find it very interesting that people who disagree with me on this
>>thread make the assumption that no facts exist to back up what I have
>>stated as facts, even citing where I found these facts (in one case,
>>the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which is not a
>>gun-control organization but does have research to back up their
>>statistics).
>>
>>I also find it interesting all the name-calling and false association
>>with particular political affiliations.  Such as "liberal pandering for
>>shorter sentencing."  Which is, of course, nonsense.  There may be some
>>thought to reducing the nutty drug sentencing guidelines such as we
>>have here in NY, but aside from that I know of no groups trying to
>>shorten prison sentences.  But it's popular among some conservatives to
>>claim that they're the law-and-order group, and therefore the other
>>side wants to open prison doors and let the bad guys run loose.
>>
>>Let's stick to the issue here.
>>
>>Guns can be dangerous.  So can cars.  But suggesting that we ban cars
>>because they're dangerous is silly and detracts from the debate.
>>
>>I will say that anybody who seriously believes that there is a vast
>>conspiracy among the media to hide any stories about guns being used to
>>stop crimes, well, I can't take that person seriously, and in fact if I
>>were to advocate taking away guns, people who believe in such nonsense
>>ought to be the first to lose their guns.  IF, I said.
>>
>
>
> Shaun, you've overstated your point. We all know what you think. Most
> here either know that you're wrong, don't agree with you or don't care
> what you think. I did a five minute search and for brevity I only offer
> you a couple of pages out of hundreds. Nuff said.
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>
> Sequin Gazette Enterprise, Sequin, TX, 06/12/05
>
>   Jennifer Cooper had never fired a gun before, but when an intruder
> invaded her home as her two sons slept peacefully, she knew she had to
> take action. At 10:40 p.m., she heard the chime of her front door
> sound. Cooper had not set the home alarm system because her husband,
> Gary, was in San Antonio at a Spurs basketball game, and she was
> awaiting his return. "I could hear footsteps," she said. When she
> called her husband's name and no one answered, she ran into the master
> bedroom -- where she had left her children -- and locked the door.
> Seconds later, Cooper heard someone twisting the doorknob. There was no
> phone in the bedroom, so she was unable to call the police. Cooper and
> her children spent the next two hours in fear, hoping whoever was on
> the other side of the door would leave. She yelled through the door
> that the house was alarmed and that the police were on their way, but
> the intruder turned on all the lights and the television and
> periodically twisted the doorknob. "We talked and we prayed a lot," she
> said. Then she retrieved a .357 Mag. from the closet. When she thought
> she heard the lock being picked, Cooper pointed the gun at the door and
> fired. All went quiet, and footsteps and the door chime signaled the
> stranger's exit. When Gary Cooper returned home he found his family
> huddled together, a smoking gun in his wife's hand and a bullet hole in
> his bedroom door. Jennifer Cooper has vowed to never become a victim.
> "I'm going to start taking classes," she said. "My husband said it's
> the first thing on the agenda."
>
>
>  Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, AL, 04/19/05
>
>   A 66-year-old Montgomery, Ala., man and his handgun prevented a
> would-be robber from making off with a bank bag belonging to a church.
> The victim had arrived at a bank on a Monday morning, ready to deposit
> funds from his congregation, when he was approached by a man who forced
> him to the ground and took the money. However, the church courier stood
> up, drew his gun and fired a shot that foiled the crime. His attacker
> initially fell to the ground and subsequently fled, but dropped the
> bank bag in the process. All the money inside was recovered. Police
> said later it was uncertain if the suspect had been struck by the shot,
> or if he had simply fallen.
>
>
>  The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, FL, 04/16/05
>
>   The hooded armed robber likely thought the older, female clerk would
> be an easy mark as he entered a Tampa convenience store, brandishing
> his gun and demanding money. He wasn't counting on confronting someone
> like Janet Grammer. The 64-year-old mother of 10, a former security
> guard, pulled her own gun from under the cash register and fired,
> hitting the criminal in the chest. "I think he thought I was an old
> woman and would just give him the money," Grammer said after the
> incident. "I think I scared the hell out of him. I thought he was
> getting ready to shoot me in the head. My life was at stake." Grammer,
> who also has 32 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and three
> great-great-grandchildren, later said she worried that she had killed
> the hospitalized assailant. "It was very upsetting. The good Lord had
> to be with me," she said.
>
>
>  The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, CA, 03/26/05
>
>   "This is a robbery!" someone hollered. Colton, Calif., liquor store
> owner Dan Lee grabbed for a pistol that was beneath the cash register,
> but in an instant he found himself staring down the barrel of a
> robber's gun. At the same time, he noticed another man climbing over
> the counter toward his mother. Lee grabbed his gun and shot them both.
> "He pretty much made the decision for me when he came over the counter
> at my mother and threatened her life," Lee said. After three recent
> robberies and three slayings of business owners and clerks in the San
> Bernardino Valley, Lee recommends that people in high-risk businesses
> consider what they will do in the event of a worst-case scenario.
>
>
>  The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC, 02/26/05
>
>   The attempted holdup of a Charlotte area shoe store was foiled when a
> store employee returned fire against robbers who had begun shooting
> inside the store. According to witnesses, three or four men wearing ski
> masks and carrying guns entered the store, announcing, "This is a
> robbery." One of the thieves began searching store patrons and, shortly
> thereafter, the men began shooting. However, a store clerk quickly
> grabbed a gun of his own and fired back, striking at least two of the
> crooks. One crumpled in a doorway and later died at the hospital.
> Another man, whom police suspect was involved in the robbery, arrived
> at an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. Neither the clerk
> nor any store employees or customers were injured. "The [clerk] did a
> good job. He saved us. He saved my kid. He saved our lives," said store
> customer Ramon Lopez.
>
>
>  The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, GA, 01/25/05
>
>   Shoats Grocery & Package is a small store where neighbors often stop
> for breakfast or lunch, but owners Bobby and Gloria Doster said two
> strangers who entered their business had more nefarious intentions.
> Gloria Doster was rearranging boxes by the front door when a wigged man
> came through it; behind him, another masked man announced they were
> robbing the store. One intruder grabbed her and pushed her toward the
> register, while the other kept his gun on her 62-year-old husband. As
> Gloria tried to open the register, the assailant told her she wasn't
> moving fast enough and shot at her husband. Not only did he miss, but
> his gun jammed. Bobby Doster then retrieved a .380-caliber handgun and
> shot one of the men while his wife drew a 9mm pistol she keeps near the
> register. They both opened fire on the other robber. "I was trying to
> shoot and dial 911 at the same time," Gloria Doster said. Police
> arrived about five minutes after her call and took the men to the
> hospital, where both died soon after.
>
>
>  Florida Today, Jacksonville, FL, 03/20/2005
>
>   A Jacksonville, Fla., cabbie was dropping off two passengers when a
> robber with a gun burst onto the scene. The cab driver halted the
> attack by shooting the culprit in the chest. Police said the criminal,
> who died at the scene, had been hiding in the bushes and made his move
> as the passengers were exiting the car.
>
>
>  The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, LA, 02/06/05
>
>   For the second time in four days, a New Orleans, La., armed citizen
> turned the tables on would-be robbers. In this instance, according to
> authorities, two teenage brothers, Micah and Darius Adams, approached
> an unidentified man who was returning to his car late one night. Just
> as the man reached his car, Micah Adams drew a gun and demanded money.
> The man produced his own firearm and fired at Adams, hitting him
> several times in the torso. Although he tried to escape, Micah Adams
> was later found dead on a nearby street. Darius Adams was subsequently
> apprehended by police and was facing murder charges since he was
> accused of helping to commit a felony that resulted in a death.
>
>
>  Dayton Daily News, Dayton, OH, 01/15/05
>
>   Thanks to the quick thinking of a sub shop owner in Dayton, Ohio, a
> robbery attempt was quickly thwarted. The manager and his wife were
> working the morning shift when they spotted a man with a mask and
> sunglasses heading toward the store with a gun in hand. The owner
> triggered the security system and retrieved his gun. One employee
> described what happened next: "[The suspect] got up on the counter. I
> was scared. I just dropped to the floor." The robber, however, who was
> pointing his gun at the manager, did not even have time to speak
> because the manager pointed his gun and shot him in the arm. He fled
> and was later apprehended at his sister's house. He was expected to be
> charged with aggravated robbery.
>
>
>  Press-Telegram, Los Angeles, CA, 01/22/05
>
>   A 24-year-old Long Beach, Calif., resident was sitting in his car at
> a fastfood restaurant when an armed man forced his way into the car.
> The carjacker, later identified as Maurice Adams, ordered the victim at
> gunpoint to drive to another neighborhood and then robbed him. While
> Adams was rooting through the trunk looking for more items, the victim
> grabbed his own gun, which was concealed in the glove compartment, and
> began to run. Adams opened fire on the victim, striking him; in turn,
> Adams was shot multiple times by the victim. Adams died shortly after
> arriving at the hospital. The victim, whose name was withheld for his
> own protection, was said to be recovering from his wounds.
>
> 2theadvocate.com, Baton Rouge, LA, 02/17/05
>
>   Georgia Belle Sullivan of Clinton, La., will never know if her former
> employee, Arthur Sanford, came back for money, revenge or both.
> Sullivan was up late watching television when she heard a noise that
> caused her two dogs to start barking wildly. She took her pistol and
> went to investigate, but before she fully realized what was happening a
> shadowy figure lunged at her. Although she fired at the intruder, he
> kept coming and the two struggled for the gun. Sullivan said, "He beat
> me with his fists. He was trying to get the gun out of my hand, but he
> never did." Sanford continued to attack, saying that he wanted money,
> until his grip finally loosened and he died on the spot from the
> gunshot wound to his chest. Sanford had worked on Sullivan's cattle
> farm for years, but had been fired three years earlier because of
> suspected drug use. Sanford also had a history of arrests for armed
> robbery.
>
>
>  The Telegraph, Nashua, NH, 01/19/05
>
>   A Hollis, N.H., man was awakened one night to the sounds of screaming
> in his back yard. The homeowner, Donald Narkis, grabbed his gun and
> headed downstairs when he heard glass breaking in the kitchen. Narkis
> fired in the direction of the intruder, who, undeterred, continued to
> advance as he screamed and smashed furniture. Together with his armed
> daughter, Narkis ordered the intruder onto the floor, but the man
> wouldn't stay down. Narkis fired again, but the shot hit next to the
> intruder's leg. When police arrived on the scene, the intruder,
> identified as Peter Camplin, complained, "that psycho tried to shoot
> me." Camplin, who had moved into the neighborhood only months
> previously, was found to have a significant amount of cocaine and
> alcohol in his system.
>
>
>  The Dickenson Star, Clintwood, VA, 12/22/04
>
>   As Clyde Colley looked down at the gunshot wound in his leg and then
> up at his wife, he decided that if he did not do something, they would
> both die. Almost two hours earlier, two men had broken into their
> Sandlick, Va., home, shot Mr. Colley and ordered the elderly couple to
> get on the floor. As one of the intruders held the couple at gunpoint,
> the other ransacked the house. Finally, Colley said that he was not
> feeling well and needed to go to lie down. This excuse gave him enough
> time to get to his gun, which he fired twice, killing one intruder and
> sending the other fleeing into the night. As their phone lines had been
> cut, Mrs. Colley was forced to run down the driveway and flag down
> help. Police later apprehended the surviving intruder, Mazel Sexton,
> and charged him with numerous felony counts. Colley was not expected to
> be charged in the death of the intruder, who was identified as Hubert
> Howard, Jr.
>
>
>  Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 01/26/05
>
>
>   Gloria Turner remembers firing with one hand and dialing 911 with the
> other. Turner and her husband, Bobby Doster, had owned their grocery
> store for eight years and, although they were prepared for the worst,
> they did not expect it. But one evening, while the Turners were
> stocking their shelves, two teens walked in and demanded money. Turner
> recounts, "I was about to give it to them when the first guy said,
> 'You're not moving fast enough' and pulls out a gun." The robber aimed
> at Doster and fired, missing him. When their attackers' gun jammed, the
> couple had enough time to retreat behind the counter and grab their own
> guns. A gun battle erupted in the store. When it was over, both robbers
> were dead. Sheriff Mike Smith said that the store owners would not be
> charged, adding that, "People have a right to protect their lives and
> their property."
>
>
>  Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ, 01/22/05
>
>   Richie Chapman of Bowie, Ariz., did not know that in exercising his
> right to protect his property, he was also aiding in bringing a
> murderer to justice. Chapman was working at a Bowie RV store when a man
> entered and demanded all the money in the cash register. The man then
> pulled out a gun, prompting Chapman to draw his own gun and fire,
> hitting the robber. "If he had gotten a shot off, I would have been
> dead," said Chapman. The robber fled and was later apprehended at a
> local hospital. The man turned out to be Johnny Lee Williams, who was
> being sought in the kidnapping and murder of an east Texas Wal-Mart
> employee, Megan Holden. After being treated at the hospital, Williams
> was turned over to the FBI.
>
>
>  The News Journal, Wilmington, DE, 12/13/04
>
>   A string of armed robberies finally came to an end in Wilmington,
> Del., when one victim fought back. Michael Brown had been on a
> three-month robbery spree when he decided to rob a local liquor store.
> When he displayed his gun, the store owner produced a gun of his own.
> Brown fled, but a police officer who was patrolling the neighborhood
> spotted him. He was able to track down Brown, who was found hiding
> under a porch. Brown was linked to at least three other armed robbery
> attempts and was charged with each of them.
>
>
>  Daily News Express, Monroe County, TN, 12/12/04
>
>   William Tyler had lived alone for many years in his small house at
> the end of Knob Road in Monroe County, Tenn., and this was not the
> first time his home had been burglarized. But one night, the phone
> lines were cut and the shadowy figure outside his house was undeterred
> by Tyler's warning. Tyler had no choice but to wait up all night with
> his gun in hand. At day-light, he made his way to a local grocer to
> call a friend, who agreed to meet him back at Tyler's house. Upon
> returning to his house alone, Tyler found a hatchet-wielding intruder
> in his home, who began to attack. Tyler endured several blows to the
> head before he was able to escape, retrieve his gun and fire a shot.
> Despite this, the intruder kept coming, and it was only then that Tyler
> shot him. The intruder died at the scene. "It appears to have all the
> ingredients of a self-defense case," said Det. Sgt. Mike Morgan.
>
>
>  Fayetteville Observer, Fayetteville, NC, 11/30/04
>
>   A Lake Waccamaw, N.C., store manager was stocking his shelves 15
> minutes before closing time when an armed robber burst into the store
> and fired a shot. He then ordered the manager and other employees into
> the back room. One employee, however, "just sort of froze," and the
> robber went to grab her. This gave the manager a chance to retrieve his
> own gun, which he fired, hitting the robber at least twice. The slain
> gunman was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities believe that he
> was behind at least one other armed robbery in the area.
>
>
>  The Herald, Pembroke Pines, NC, 10/19/04
>
>   "He didn't know my wife was a pit bull in a skirt," said John Moss,
> whose wife was accosted as she was getting out of her car. Felicia Moss
> of Pembroke Pines, N.C., was coming home to her apartment complex one
> afternoon when a man with a gun walked up to her and demanded money.
> Moss instead pulled out her pistol and a struggle ensued. Moss then
> shot the thief, who fled on foot, leaving behind a stolen vehicle.
> Shortly thereafter, a man fitting the same description approached
> another woman, demanded her keys and sped off. No one has been
> apprehended in either incident.
>
>
>  Journal-Star, Toluca, IL, 10/27/04
>
>   I've got a gun, don't come any farther," shouted Toluca, Ill.,
> homeowner Brad Burns. But the warnings went unheeded and Burns fired,
> killing the intruder who was later identified as Douglas Sullivan.The
> incident began that night at 2 a.m., when Sullivan began shouting and
> swearing outside the home loudly enough to wake the neighbors. Sullivan
> then used a playground slide to smash a window and enter the house.
> Burns sent his wife and child into a closet while he retrieved his gun.
> He tried to scare off the intruder, but to no avail. Marshall County
> State Attorney Paul Bauer declared the shooting justifiable, saying,
> "There is no doubt in my mind that they were in fear of their lives."
>
> News-Observer, Raleigh, NC, 10/20/04
>
>   Jewelry store owner Larry Dickerson was working in his Raleigh, N.C.,
> store when he noticed that the three men who had come inside were
> acting suspiciously. Dickerson was making sure that his gun was handy
> when he noticed one man had taken a gun out of his pocket. "When he
> wheeled around, I hit the floor. He fired three shots at me," said
> Dickerson. A retired police officer, Dickerson, who never fired a shot
> in more than 20 years of duty, returned fire. No one was injured in the
> exchange. The three men then fled the store and have not been
> apprehended. "You have to have a gun," Dickerson said. "If I didn't
> have it, I'd be dead."
>
>
>  Pahrump Valley Times, Pahrump Valley, NV, 10/20/04
>
>   Nevada resident Dan Simmons was awakened early one morning by his
> houseguest who warned him that someone was trying to break into the
> house. The police were called, but no one was found. Shortly after the
> police left, a man approached the front door telling Simmons to come
> outside; he instead retrieved his gun. A moment later the glass in his
> front door shattered and the intruder made his way inside. Simmons
> fired, hitting the intruder, who in turn fled. Simmons said he believed
> the man may have at one time worked construction at his home. "I don't
> feel safe. I am taking precautions," Simmons later said of the
> incident, adding, "I advise everyone else in town to do the same."
>
>
>  Central Maine News, Eliot, ME, 11/05/04
>
>   In the dark of the night, an Eliot, Maine, homeowner was awakened to
> the sounds of pounding and screaming at his front door. David Oeser
> went to the entrance to find a 6-ft., 2-in., 330-lb. man breaking down
> his door. Oeser then fled to his bedroom but was followed by the
> intruder, who continued to scream incoherently. Oeser grabbed his gun
> and yelled several times, "Stop or I will shoot," but the man kept
> coming. Oeser fired, hitting him once. The man was apprehended at the
> scene. Police later revealed that less than 24 hours earlier, the
> intruder had been arrested and given a psychiatric exam after an
> unprovoked attack on a man in a local restaurant.
>
>
>  Times Daily, Florence, AL, 11/04/04
>
>   A man came looking for some easy money from what he thought was an
> easy target, but left empty-handed. The clerk at the convenience store
> in Colbert Heights, Ala., recounts that he arrived for work at 5:20
> a.m. and noticed someone in a car outside. Shortly thereafter, the man
> in the car entered the store and got a drink from the cooler. When he
> approached the counter, he produced a large knife and demanded all the
> money in the cash register. The clerk, in return, produced his gun and
> asked, "Do you want this or the money?" The robber fled the store, but
> was later apprehended and charged with first-degree robbery.
>
>
>  Savannah Morning News, Savannah, GA, 10/30/04
>
>   Eighty-year-old Lonnie Morgan was just trying to be of help when he
> showed a stranger to his garage to get a tool to fix his broken-down
> car. When they got to the garage, the intruder hit Morgan over the head
> with a barbell, knocking him unconscious. When Morgan regained
> consciousness, he returned to the house only to find the intruder
> attacking his wife with a lamp. Morgan offered to get money for the
> man, but instead retrieved his gun and shot the intruder once. Police
> charged the intruder with aggravated assault and battery. The Morgans
> were both listed in fair condition at a local hospital.
>
>
>  The Daily Times, Rio Rancho, NM 10/13/04
>
>   When you are a judge, angry defendants come with the territory, but
> Judge Calvin Shields never expected he could lose his life over it.
> Shields was letting his dogs out late one evening when he saw a man
> looking into his house. He grabbed his gun and went outside to trigger
> the motion detector light. At that moment, Michael Tinervia opened fire
> on Shields who returned fire, fatally wounding Tinervia. Shields was
> only grazed in the knee. It was later discovered that Tinervia had been
> found guilty of reckless driving and interfering with a police officer
> in Shields' court and was awaiting sentencing by Shields. According to
> Shields' wife, Tinervia had called the house at 6:30 p.m. that night
> and asked for Calvin. When the judge answered, there was no one on the
> line. "It was to check if Calvin was home," she said, adding, "I had a
> bad feeling about it."
>
>
>  Birmingham News, Birmingham, AL, 10/13/04
>
>   An unwitting Shelby County, Ala., homeowner unknowingly helped in the
> capture of four inmates who had escaped from a Georgia prison. When the
> citizen arrived home early one morning, he found four men attempting to
> rob his house. The homeowner retrieved his gun and fired, hitting one
> in the face. The men fled but dropped off their injured conspirator at
> a nearby store so that he could get medical attention. Shortly
> thereafter, the three other men were apprehended in the area without
> incident. The homeowner was not charged, according to the local
> district attorney, because, "If we as a society ever get to the point
> where people are not entitled to defend themselves in their own home,
> then the law has totally lost its perspective."
>
>
>  The Times-Union Sampler, Jacksonville, FL, 10/14/04
>
>   A Jacksonville, Fla., man got the surprise of his life after he came
> home to find a knife-wielding teenage girl inside demanding his car
> keys. When the girl headed to another room to retrieve the keys, the
> homeowner, Richard Clark, ran to retrieve his gun. Moments later the
> two faced off in the house, and the teen charged at Clark with the
> knife. Clark shot once, hitting the teen in the face. She was charged
> with aggravated battery and armed burglary.
>
>
>  Muskegon Chronicle, Muskegon, MI, 09/30/04
>
>   Muskegon, Mich., store owner Michael Moore was working late one night
> in his office when he heard strange noises that he thought were
> probably animals. But when he heard the doorknob jiggle, he retrieved
> his gun and went to investigate. Seeing an armed man jump over the
> counter, Moore demanded that the intruder freeze. When he did not,
> Moore fired once, hitting the intruder in the shoulder. Moore
> immediately called 911 and waited for police and an ambulance to
> arrive.
>
>
>  Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, 12/21/04
>
>
>   Woken up at 1:30 a.m., a 79-year-old man discovered a burglar in his
> Aldine, Tex., home. His first response was to ask the intruder to
> leave. After repeated requests were refused, the homeowner retrieved a
> gun and shot the intruder once, fatally
>