Arizona officers fight concealed gun proposal

It allows concealed weapons without permit

Casey Newton - Jun. 19, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Law-enforcement officials are working to quash a proposal that would allow gun owners in Arizona to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

The proposal, which is scheduled to be heard today in the Senate Judiciary Committee, has sparked a debate over what restrictions should be placed on gun owners who wish to carry weapons in public buildings, schools and other places.

Opponents said the bill would endanger law-enforcement officers and the public by eliminating permits and the training courses now required to obtain them. This bill would make a radical and very dangerous change to state law," Attorney General Terry Goddard said at a Thursday news conference. "The current law in Arizona is not broken. It has worked exceptionally well."

To receive a concealed-carry permit today, gun owners have to take an eight-hour course on gun laws and safety and pass a shooting test. The course costs about $100. About 125,000 Arizonans have obtained the $60 permit since the concealed-carry law was established in 1994.

Senate Bill 1270, sponsored by Sen. Sylvia Allen, would make the safety course optional. It also would allow people to carry guns into public buildings and onto school campuses if they were picking up their children or responding to an emergency.

Supporters of the bill say existing concealed-carry laws are confusing and can lead to unfair prosecution. A woman could be arrested for a concealed-carry violation if she was driving in her car and inadvertently placed a newspaper on top of a gun in the passenger's seat, they say.

Gun owners who want to untuck their shirts to conceal a weapon when they walk into a store shouldn't have to take a training course, said John Wentling, vice president of the Arizona Citizens Defense League.

"Do you need a permit to untuck your shirt? Do you need training to untuck your shirt?" Wentling said. "It's just too subjective."

Police chiefs around the state have objected to the proposal, saying it would heighten tensions between officers and the community. By increasing the number of gun owners who have not received safety training, it could increase the potential for tragic accidents, they said.

"It's going to put officers on edge," said Mike Frazier, police chief of El Mirage. "Who's armed? Who's not? Who's the victim? Who's the subject? There are a lot of issues involved there."

But Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he would support the bill, saying carriers of concealed weapons should not face permit requirements when people who carry their weapons openly do not.

"A gun is a gun, whether it's concealed or not," Arpaio said.

If passed, Arizona would become the third state to allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit, after Alaska and Vermont. Of states that allow concealed weapons, 39 require a permit or training, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Allen, the bill's sponsor, said critics of the bill have overreacted. Violent crime will decrease if the bill passes, she said.

"Law enforcement is never in support of citizens protecting themselves," said Allen, R-Snowflake. "Why do we have to pass a law that says, 'This is the only way you're going to protect yourself'? . . . It's a God-given, constitutional right that you have."

 

Oy.  Everyone should have training with a gun.  Not because of Government, but because it’s the smart thing to do.  I have a CCW permit, and don’t want some hair triggered idiot having the legal right to hide his cheap 9mm in his pants.  He’s more likely to blow his nuts off, but he might injure someone else too.  And ease off on the “GOD GIVEN” rhetoric, will ya?  You make all gun owners look like paranoid hillbillies.

 

 

 

Girl: Parents Arrested In Arpaio's Raid

PHOENIX -- She's only 9 years old, but Katherine Figueroa is learning a lot about county politics and immigration laws.

The Phoenix girl learned by watching the news that her dad had been arrested in an immigration raid at Lindstrom's Family Auto Wash on Saturday.

Figueroa's parents, Sandra and Carlos, both worked at the car wash about 11 years. Prosecutors charged them with using false identification.

"I never thought this would happen to my parents," said a teary-eyed Figueroa in a video on YouTube.com.

An community activist posted Figueroa's plea to President Barack Obama.

"I asked him to help me get my parents back," she said.

Katherine is 9 years old and a U.S. citizen, but her parents came here 12 years ago from Mexico City.

"They're not here to rob or kill people, they're just here to work," Katherine said.

The girl now blames the man behind the raid, Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

"I think it's not fair what they're doing, what the Sheriff is doing to my parents," she said.

But in an interview with CBS 5 News, Arpaio said Katherine is the victim in all this, and said the man who put the video on YouTube.com is just exploiting her.

"That's what this is all about -- to embarrass the sheriff and use young children," Arpaio said.

He contends Katherine's parents are in jail because they broke the law when they allegedly used fake ID cards.

"The children suffer," Arpaio said. "Once again, they're the victims. It's the parents that have caused this situation."

For now Katherine is staying with relatives and wondering when she'll see her parents again.

"On Father's day, I don't know what's gonna happen," she said. "I'm not going to have my dad at my side or neither my mom to celebrate father's day."

Katherine's parents go to court June 22 for the false identification charges.

 

 

1)    It’s not Arpaio’s raid, it’s an illegal immigrant raid.  Looks like they found some too..

2)    Poor Kitten’s parents have been here illegally for 12 years using forged or stolen ID’s.  Two felonies in one sentence.

3)    Obama, like it or not, is head of the Executive Branch or Government, which makes him head of Law Enforcement in the US.  He must enforce the law when crimes are committed, he has no choice: it comes with the office.  Send them home to Mexico, let them enter legally.

4)    Kitten; if you want mama and papi to be by your side this father’s day, go to the Madison Street Jail.  I’m sure you have some legal relative that can drive his uninsured jalopy there.

 

 

Homeowner With Shotgun Kills Intruder

Second Intruder Shot, Wounded

PHOENIX -- A Mesa homeowner used a shotgun to defend himself during a home invasion late Wednesday night, authorities said.

According to Mesa Police Department spokesman Sgt. Ed Wessing, two men armed with guns and demanding money forced their way into the home near Stapley Road and Southern Avenue.

The intruders rounded up the four men who live there and forced them into a room, Wessing said.

"At some point during this crime, one of the residents was able to grab a shotgun," Wessing said. "(He) shot and killed one of them, and then fired at the second suspect (who) was injured but then fled the area."

Police said the second intruder ended up at a nearby hospital, where he is expected to survive.

The four men were not injured.

Neighbor Ron Hahn has surveillance cameras set up around his home for security, and he shared copies of the video with police.

The video appeared to be too dark to determine what was going on inside the home; however, Hahn said his cameras did catch someone two months ago.

A person jumped the fence into his back yard and dismantled the security light.

"He sat in the corner of my yard for about, I would say, five minutes or so, watching the house behind me (where the homicide occurred) with a two-way radio," Hahn said.

Police also have the surveillance video from the second incident; however, they said it's too early to tell if it's related to the home invasion.

 

 

Yeah, sounds fishy to me too.  Methinks Mr. Homeowner is into some shady dealin’s with pirate types.  Swim with sharks, expect to get bit.  BUT…. Supposin’ the pirate types got the address wrong and were kicking in your front door by mistake?  Do you think they’d realize it before they kill you, or would they just apologize and go tottering off to the right house?  This is why responsible people need to be armed and trained.

 

Suspect in photo-van death kept small arsenal at home

by Michael Ferraresi - Jun. 3, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Thomas DeStories kept a small arsenal at the home where police arrested him in April on suspicion of fatally shooting an Arizona Department of Public Safety photo-enforcement van driver on Loop 101 in Phoenix.

A Phoenix police report released Tuesday detailed how during a search of his north Valley home, investigators seized hundreds of rounds of live and spent bullets for everything from a .357 Magnum to rifles and small-caliber weapons.

They found shells in a kitty-litter bucket in a closet, the report showed.

Among the weapons was a .40-caliber Beretta found in the saddlebag of DeStories' Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which investigators said was the gun DeStories admitted to using during the April 19 shooting of Doug Georgianni.

DeStories, 68, was arrested one day after the shooting. He told police he was "sorry" and that he intended on turning himself in after seeing TV news reports that Georgianni, 51, was shot to death inside the DPS vehicle, which was on a deployment near the Seventh Street exit on Loop 101.

"I'm honest. It was an accident . . . I mean it wasn't an accident, but . . . oh my God," DeStories told Phoenix investigators, according to a transcript of a taped conversation.

The report showed how a girlfriend and others who knew him said it was out of DeStories' character to try to kill someone - that he drove cautiously and was a good neighbor.

Others provided police with a different description. An ex-wife who was married to DeStories for 20 years said he had " 'masked depression,' where he pretended he was OK."

She told investigators he is "the kind of guy that thinks he has rights that are being stepped on," according to the report.

A neighbor said he was "bizarre," and that he stopped at his home in his underwear in the middle of the night to complain about his dogs.

DeStories was indicted in April on charges of first-degree murder, drive-by shooting and discharge of a firearm at a structure.

 

There’s nothing wrong with owning a small arsenal.  Unless you are a lunatic.  And I’m sure that his totally impartial ex wife can vouch for his insanity.  

 

A little severe, but when in Rome... or Riyadh as it may be...

Saudi murder convict beheaded, crucified

May. 30, 2009 08:22 AM
Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi authorities beheaded and crucified a man convicted of brutally slaying an 11-year-old boy and his father, the Interior Ministry announced.

According to the statement issued by the ministry Friday, shop owner Ahmed al-Anzi molested the boy and then strangled him with a length of rope. He then stabbed the boy's father to death when the man came looking for his son.

He hid both the bodies in his shop, the statement said, adding that al-Anzi threatened police with a knife when they came to arrest him. Al-Anzi had previously been convicted of sodomy and owning pornographic films, a crime in conservative Saudi Arabia.

Crucifying the headless body in a public place is a way to set an example, according to the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islam. Normally those convicted of rape, murder and drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia are just beheaded.

London-based rights group Amnesty International criticized al-Anzi's execution and crucifixion.

"It is horrific that beheading and crucifixions still happen," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui of Amnesty International in a statement Friday.

"King Abdullah should show true leadership and commute all death sentences if Saudi Arabia is to have any role to play as a global leader or member of the G20," said Sahraoui.

According to an Associated Press count, Friday's execution brought the number to 35 beheading this year in the kingdom. In 2008, 102 people were beheaded.

Yeah, I think the criminal should die. Yeah, I think it's pointless to use death as punishment, and to torment this guy and then do barbarism to his corpse is only useful as a worning to the living... Problem is, he lives in a place where justice is beheading, chopping off hands and stoning. He still committed the crime, and he had a record of doing so. Maybe a little proactivity would help?

You won the war, Now be sweet.

 

U.S. urges Sri Lanka to reach out to Tamils

Mon May 18, 2009 4:51pm

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sri Lanka should reach out to Tamils and build a political accommodation that protects the rights of all its citizens, the United States said on Monday after Colombo declared victory against the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Sri Lanka said it had militarily defeated the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and taken control of the entire country for the first time since 1983, apparently ending one of the world's most intractable civil wars.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly declined to say whether the United States still opposed the International Monetary Fund giving Sri Lanka a $1.9 billion loan, seen as vital to helping it recover from the global financial crisis and rebuild after the war.

U.S. officials told Reuters in late April they were seeking to delay the loan to pressure the government to better protect civilians caught in the fighting and do more to forge a political settlement with the Tamils.

"This is an opportunity for Sri Lanka to turn the page on its past and build a Sri Lanka rooted in democracy, tolerance and respect for human rights," Kelly told reporters.

"Now is the time for the government to engage the Tamils, Sinhalese and other Sri Lankans to create a political arrangement that promotes and protects the rights of all Sri Lankans," he added.

The Sri Lankan government has to provide basic assistance and services to the estimated 280,000 people who fled the fighting in the northern part of the country, Kelly said.

 

The US has no business telling them what to do with their victory.  Many fought and died, if they want to drive the enemy into the sea, or invite them in for cupcakes and tea, it’s none of our business.

 

Buttinskis

 

 

Gun owners' rights no joke for outspoken musician

Ted Nugent, set to speak at event, talks freedom, politics with 'Republic'

by Glen Creno - May. 15, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

The National Rifle Association kicks off its annual convention in Phoenix today, an event expected to draw more than 50,000 firearms fans. It runs through Sunday with a lineup of displays, speakers, auctions and lots of evangelizing for gun rights.

Some big-name politicians, including U.S. Sen. John McCain, will be there. So will high-energy rock guitarist Ted Nugent, an outspoken NRA board member who has a TV show, writes books and a newspaper column, and plays in a band.

Nugent is speaking at the convention Sunday. He gave a telephone interview to The Republic a few days ago. He has no problem giving an opinion and cracking a joke.

Question: What will you be doing in Phoenix?

Answer: I'll be doing security for the entire city, securing the perimeter of Phoenix, making sure there are no carjackings or any other criminal activity while I'm there.

Q: All by yourself?

A: Actually I'll be celebrating this wonderful little ditty called freedom with families that celebrate the right to self-defense. . . . Plus, I have so many invitations to your fine dining establishments. . . . When word gets out that Uncle Ted's coming to town, they love me because they know I'm the god of flesh.

Q: How did you get involved in the NRA?

A: I finally woke up from the convenient denial doldrums of the American education system. I became politically aware, studied history and decided to get involved. . . . Over the years I watched how our gun rights were being attacked with just nonsense, hyper denial entrenched misrepresentation. I decided to become more and more involved. . . . I have an intellectual, moral and spiritual obligation to participate in this unique experiment in self-government. I think it's serious, serious stuff.

Q: You write about politics in your newspaper column.

A: Quality of life comes from quality of politics. I'm an activist on all levels. I believe that quality of life comes from quality of effort. I see a tragic downgrade in education, our court system, the vulgarity of our tax system, the vulgarity of bureaucratic engineering to abandon accountability. It's a target-rich environment.

Q: You think we're in trouble?

A: I'm way past the thinking stage. . . . (Nugent says the Marines defending the U.S. embassy before the Iran hostage ordeal should have been better armed). Nobody can take me hostage, and I'm just a guitar player.

Q: A heavily armed guitar player.

A: That's my favorite kind of guitar player.

Q: Do you have a lot of guns?

A: A lot of guns. You don't have the time or the tape to list them all. I love guns, I collect guns, I've had guns since I was a teenager.

Q: How about examples?

A: I have an MP5 submachine gun in 10-millimeter. I have probably three dozen AR15-type guns of various design from long-range varmint sniper rifles to big-game sniper rifles to semiautomatic versions of the military M4 for home defense.

Q: Do you worry about accidents?

A: We know that accidents can occur. But the chance of negligence in the Nugent household is about as realistic as us chopping our arm off with a chainsaw. We've got gasoline in the barn, we've got chainsaws and rototillers and machetes and gunpowder. We don't have any accidents. We pay attention to what were doing. Call us weird.

Yep.... what a weirdo indeed.