Re: "Blanks" kill actors

["Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

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