DOJ awards 9 million 4 community policing active shooter training

House | News | Politic | Training

 

 

The Department of Justice on Monday announced $9 million in funding for community policing efforts and active shooter training.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the funding at the the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Philadelphia, according to a news release.

More than a third of the money, about $3.6 million, will go towards the Community Policing Development Program. The money will fund training and technical assistance and will help develop new community policing strategies.

The funds will go to local police departments, schools and other community groups and non-profits focused on training. Organizations in ten states and the District of Columbia are getting the money.

“Community policing builds trust and mutual respect between communities and law enforcement, and that helps us reduce crime,” Sessions said. “Over the last 23 years, the Department of Justice has invested more than $14 billion in community policing—and I have no doubt that it has saved lives across America.”

Additionally, the Community Oriented Policing arm of the DOJ is awarding $5,392,529 to the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University. The grant has been awarded through the Preparing for Active Shooter Situations Training Program.

The training is “designed to increase public safety by providing funds for scenario-based training that prepares officers and other first responders to safely and effectively handle active-shooter and other violent threats,” according to a fact sheet on the COPS website.

The training developed with those funds will be used to train law enforcement and first responders nationally. Training via e-learning modules could be one way the skills are taught.

“Under President Trump’s strong leadership, this Department of Justice will continue to provide law enforcement officers with the resources and tools they need to make this country safe,” said Sessions.

Gun Debate: Should We Permanently Ban Airsoft Guns Too?

News | Politic | Reviews | Training

 

10/22/17 | by Elizabeth

 

If you follow the news, you’ll notice that right after the Las Vegas mass shooting event the entire focus is set on gun control laws. It’s like our lawmakers don’t have anything else to do besides working on a law that will forever ban anything resembling a gun from American soil!

However, because the citizens understand the danger that’s rising right now, we are stuck in an endless debate and there is a constant verbal fight between two factions: those who want guns to be banned and those who don’t.

And yes, while I agree that not everyone should be allowed to carry a gun, I can’t fully agree with gun banning from our country. After all, America’s history is based on the use of guns. Even more, some of the best gunsmiths in the world were born and raised on American soil. And, the Constitution gives us the freedom to own guns for our own protection and for the protection of our ways of life.

However, besides the quarrel between these two factions, another current is on the rise. This one features a plethora of radical ideas in regards to weapons, and one of the most disturbing thoughts is the ban on air soft guns. I personally find this to be an overreaction to our gun violence problem, but in the interest of debate, let’s take a look and check their arguments.

#1: Air soft Guns are very realistic

This is a valid argument and, if you take a look at goog gun, you’ll see why. Today’s air soft weapons are far away from children’s toys we imagine. They come with metallic bodies, full-length barrels, and lots of power. Producers try to create extremely realistic replicas of the real guns and the result can be seen in air soft guns that, from a distance, look like real guns (if you remove the orange tip).

Even more, an air soft gun that is well-designed can feel like a real gun. It feels good in your hands and offers the same texture and grip as a real one. However, the comparison stops here. Air soft guns use plastic pellets as ammo and, even though they can shoot at 450+FPS, these won’t inflict any fatal wounds.

Yes, it is required to wear protective gear on the field, but this doesn’t mean you will be in mortal danger while playing with these weapons.

#2: It is a Violent Game

All I can say is that, someone who makes this argument has evidently never played airsoft. This is a war game where tactics and strategy are held in high regard. Each team is well organized and every player knows his role.

The main purpose of the game is to defeat the enemy team by outsmarting them in military strategies, not by clubbing them with the airsoft weapons.

And finally, airsoft is a game that builds character and teaches teamwork. It’s a game where you learn about focus and patience, and leaders learn how to care for their team. Companies everywhere send their employees to play air soft as a team building exercise, so you can’t actually say this is a game that will teach kids gun violence.

#3: Kids can be Easily Influenced

There are parents who fear their kids will become cold-blooded killers if they get into an air soft game or buy an air soft rifle. Still, if we follow the same reasoning, we shouldn’t allow kids to play video games, watch TV or movies.

Violence is everywhere, but children need to understand that there is a correct way to reply. Through education we will manage to help out kids understand the responsibility that falls on your shoulders when you hold a firearm. That’s why I think it is best to send them to a gun club, where they can learn how to use a gun correctly, instead of trying to hide them from the real world!

Massachusetts bump stock ban hearing has few takers

House | News | Politic

 

 

Although both chambers of the Commonwealth’s legislature have already passed a ban on bump stock devices, lawmakers held the first public hearing on the subject on Wednesday.

Few people attended the hearing, held by the Joint Committee on Public Safety, and only one speaker, state Rep. Donald Berthiaume, R-Spencer, addressed the panel, local media reported.

Berthiaume, one of just three lawmakers to vote against the sweeping House version of the prohibition last week, said he “never heard of a bump stock ever or trigger crank, and I’ve been shooting since I was a little kid” but was not inclined to support his chamber’s bill to ban them as he felt it was too vague.

That bill would bar the use on any rifle, shotgun or firearm of a device capable of increasing the rate of fire — a broad net that gun rights advocates argued could be interpreted to ensnare any number of gun accessories far beyond bump stocks. With no provision for grandfathering, those found guilty of possession of such devices would face between three and 20 years in prison.

The Senate version, which Berthiaume said he does back, sets more rigid definitions of “Bump stock” and “Trigger Crank,” regulating each in turn.

The Gun Owners’ Action League, the state’s National Rifle Association affiliate, said in a statement they do not support any legislative action on the devices but did credit the Senate version of the bill as stopping the “runaway train” of the robust House proposal which “granted unbridled regulatory authority to the Commonwealth over all firearms maintenance, enhancements, and modifications.”

Jim Wallace, head of the gun rights group, explained to media he chose not to speak at the hearing this week because there was no point in “testifying about something that has already happened.”

Lawmakers now must work out the differences between the two versions passed by the legislature before they can present the ban to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker who said he would sign anti-bump stock legislation “tomorrow” should it be presented to him.

Similar legislation is underway at the state level in Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington while at least three federal bills have been filed on Capitol Hill.

Judge denies motion to wipe clean Arpaio’s criminal conviction

News

 

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton said she dismissed Arpaio’s criminal contempt case after President Donald Trump decided to issue a pardon. But in an order denying Arpaio’s motion to vacate all records of the conviction, Bolton said not even the president can erase facts.

The no-nonsense sheriff was found guilty in late July. Bolton ruled then that Arpaio had exhibited a “flagrant disregard” of a court order that barred him from rounding up undocumented immigrants. In her ruling, Bolton cited as evidence several comments Arpaio had made to the media.

“Why are they going after this Sheriff? Well we know why. Because they don’t like me enforcing illegal immigration law,” Arpaio was quoted as saying in an April 2012 interview with CBS.

“I’m still going to do what I’m doing,” he told PBS Newshour that same month. “I’m still going to arrest illegal aliens coming into this country.”

After hinting at it during a campaign style rally in August, Trump eventually pardoned the former sheriff. That spared the 85-year-old from up to six months behind bars. But that’s not enough for Arpaio. His lawyers say the pardon entitles him to the erasure of any record of the conviction.

“The President’s pardon moots the case, and it warrants an automatic vacatur of all opinions, judgments, and verdicts related to the criminal charge,” Arpaio’s lawyers wrote in a motion in late August.

Quite the contrary, says Bolton. “The power to pardon is an executive prerogative of mercy, not of judicial record-keeping,” she wrote in her order, citing a previous court case.

Jack Wilenchik, one of Arpaio’s attorneys, told Capitol Media Services that the record of the conviction could be used against the former sheriff in future cases. “We’re not asking to undo facts,” he said.

“We’re not asking for expungement,” he continued. “There’s no such thing in federal law.”

Wilenchik said the pardon functions as if someone had died prior to sentencing or before having a chance to appeal. “The whole case gets undone,” he said.

Bolton disagrees. “Indeed, a pardon ‘carries an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it,’” she wrote, citing earlier court precedent.

“The Court found Defendant guilty of criminal contempt,” Bolton wrote. “The President issued the pardon. Defendant accepted. The pardon undoubtedly spared Defendant from any punishment that might otherwise have been imposed. It did not, however, ‘revise the historical facts’ of this case.”

Arpaio’s lawyers have already filed paperwork to appeal the decision.

“It’s not going to be dropped,” Arpaio said.

Sight Alignment & Mag Grip – Did you know?

News

 

 

 

Be honest … when you first began shooting did you know that you could adjust the sight alignment? Were you also aware that sight alignment, mag grip and hand positioning are key in shooting accuracy? I didn’t.
I remember purchasing my first firearm, a Smith & Wesson M&P 9c AKA ‘Method Man’, and no matter how much I practiced I could never seem to hit the intended target. I did much better using Tim’s full size 9mm and his Neos U22 Beretta but my new firearm, not so much. My grouping was all over the place and I had one hell of a hand “jerk”. As a new shooter, I knew my accuracy would not be perfect but I felt I should see some improvement with time. Tim explained a few things to me, 2 of which I still deal with today; sight alignment and mag grip.
I’ll start with sight alignment. Many people are unaware of the ability to adjust this, I was one of those people. I would, and still do, move position, stance as well as sight picture in an attempt to solidify my grouping but nothing seems to work. (Side note: sight alignment correction was in the process of being done as I typed this. Even though the Allen wrench loosened the screw it would not move. After review, purchasing a sight pusher was recommended but before doing that, using a bench rest to assure an adjustment is actually needed was also recommended. Next step, finding an affordable bench rest to use for the next range visit.)
Secondly, the purchase of Method Man included two magazines. The mag grip with the ‘pinky extension finger rest’ is a better fit for me when shooting. I noticed my trigger pull technique is more fluent when I use that one instead of the one without the extension. I have a better grip on the handle which in turn gives a smoother trigger pull and helps my accuracy. Once the sight alignment is corrected I do believe that I will have better accuracy and superb grouping. I am going to claim that right now.
As I go through this process I will be sure to share and hope that anyone else in the group would share their stories as well. We can all learn from one another. I would love to hear more from the ladies in the group so I know I am not alone.

House Dems propose bills to stop online ammo sales, ban mags

House | News | Politic

House Democrats have introduced a number of new gun control measures in the wake of a deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Among the proposals are HR.3962 to ban online ammunition sales, H.R. 4025 requiring gun dealers to report the sale of two or more rifles to the same person in a five-day period, and HR. 4052, which would ban magazines able to hold greater than 10 rounds.

“Several of my colleagues and I have introduced commonsense legislation that, if enacted, would reduce gun violence and the tragic impact it has on our communities,” said U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, the New Jersey Democrat sponsoring the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act.

Coleman’s proposal is much like a state law approved last year by voters in California in the respect that it would require federally licensed ammo dealers to directly confirm the identity of those buying ammo over the Internet by verifying a photo I.D. in-person. Also, the measure would require the vendor to report any individual sales of more than 1,000 rounds in a five-day period to the U.S. Attorney General. Garnering 29 co-sponsors, all Democrat, the measure has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Gun reporting

The Multiple Firearm Sales Reporting Modernization Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calf., would require FFLs to report the sale of two or more long guns to the same buyer within a five-day period to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Currently, dealers must report multiple handgun sales while a 2011 rule that requires only dealers in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas report multiple rifle sales. Under the new proposal, it would be the law of the land.

“This bill is a long-overdue update,” said Torres. “Our law enforcement agencies need to know if anyone is stocking up on AR-15s and AK-47s.”

The measure, referred to the Judiciary Committee, has three co-sponsors including Nevada Democrat Dina Titus, whose district includes Las Vegas.

Magazine restrictions

Billed as the Keep Americans Safe Act, Connecticut’s Elizabeth Etsy would ban detachable magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. Backed by several gun control groups including the Brady Campaign and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Esty contends it is needed for public safety.

“There is simply no good reason why sportsmen and women need more than 10 rounds in a magazine,” said Esty in a statement. “No sportsman or woman needs 30 rounds to kill a deer. It’s shameful that we protect our deer better than we protect our people.”

Referred to the Judiciary committee, Esty’s bill has 85 partisan supporters including virtually Nevada’s entire delegation to the House apart from U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican whose district hails from the more conservative Northern part of the state including Reno and Carson City.

The bills join measures to ban bump stocks and other devices that can accelerate a gun’s rate of fire, mandates for smart gun use, expanded background check proposals and efforts to increase federal funding for gun crime research, all introduced in the past two weeks.

4th Green Beret missing after Niger ambush has been found dead

House | News | Politic

 

US officials say an American soldier missing for nearly two days in Niger has been found dead. He was one of four US troops killed in a deadly ambush.

His body was found and identified Friday after an extensive search. Four Niger security forces were also killed.

The Department of Defense on Friday also identified the first three Green Berets killed as Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Washington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Georgia.

The name of the fourth Green Beret killed has yet to be released.

US officials say they believe extremists linked to ISIS were responsible for the attack about 200 kilometers north of Niger’s capital of Niamey.

The joint patrol of US and Niger forces were leaving a meeting with tribal leaders and were in trucks. They were ambushed by 40-50 militants in vehicles and on motorcycles.

Eight Niger soldiers and two US troops were wounded. The officials weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Gun stocks surge amid administration plans to ease export rules

News | Politic

 

Stocks for major gun makers surged Tuesday after a report surfaced claiming the Trump administration will ease export restrictions on small arms effective next year.

Four senior U.S. officials told Reuters the rule change would shift oversight of commercial arms sales from the State Department to the Commerce Department — giving American manufacturers more leeway to sell guns internationally, creating more jobs stateside and adhering to the president’s “Buy American” policy platform.

“Commerce wants more exports to help reduce the trade deficit. Amd State wants to stop things because it sees (arms) proliferation as inherently bad,” one of the officials, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, told Reuters. “We want to make a decision that prioritizes what’s more important. This will allow us to get in the (small arms sales) game for the first time ever.”

Sturm, Ruger and Co. and American Outdoor Brands — Smith & Wesson’s holding company — closed with double digit increases Tuesday. Vista Outdoor stock likewise gained more than 3 percent. The sudden boost follows a “difficult” summer for gun makers and retailers still standing in the shadow of last year’s record-breaking sales. Since the November election, stocks for Smith & Wesson and Ruger fell 50 percent and 26 percent, respectively. Both companies blame weak demand, with Smith & Wesson’s CEO predicting as much as a 17 percent decline in annual profits through 2018. Ruger’s second quarter net sales dropped 22 percent and its quarterly earnings fell by almost half compared to 2016.

The prospect of eased restrictions, however, could cure the industry’s malaise. Lawrence Keane, senior vice president for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, told Reuters the rule change would boost annual sales by as much as 20 percent.

The details of the new regulations could become public this fall before full implementation in 2018, according to the report.

Governor sidelined Nevada expanded background check law

House | News | Politic

 

Nevada’s Republican governor, Brian Sandoval, has asked for further legal guidance on implementation of a voter-approved universal background check law that never took effect.

The measure won by a thin margin at the polls last November but was suspended by Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt over concerns on how it would be applied. Now, Sandoval has asked Laxalt’s office to take another look at the law, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Laxalt pumped the brakes on the measure after receiving a letter from the Federal Bureau of Investigation explaining the state’s private party background checks are in the purview of Nevada’s own resources as one of the 13 “point of contact” states that conduct their own checks through a central repository. With the federal government declining to process the expanded checks directly, and the Nevada Department of Public Safety neither authorized nor funded by the ballot measure’s language to run the checks, Laxalt contends the law is unenforceable.

With backers of the measure threatening a lawsuit, Sandoval has asked Laxalt to explore the bifurcated approach that would let the FBI handle person-to-person checks and the state others, The Nevada Independent reported. This “partial point-of-contact” concept would split responsibility for background checks between the Nevada and the feds.

Everytown President John Feinblatt argues Sandoval should direct state officials to immediately work with the FBI to implement the law, pointing out that nine other states already operate as partial point-of-contact states

“It is unconscionable that, after months of refusing to enforce the will of the people, the Governor is now passing the buck,” Feinblatt said in a statement. “He doesn’t need another opinion from the attorney general—particularly not the same attorney general who starred in the NRA’s ads opposing this law.”

The referendum backed by gun control advocates, Question 1, failed in 16 of the state’s 17 counties with only voters in Clark County approving the measure, in the end passing by around 10,000 votes. The initiative was funded by a $19.7 million campaign fueled in large part by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Republican leads bipartisan House effort to ban ‘bump stocks’

News

 

 

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who represents the Florida Keys area in Congress, wants to ban bump fire stocks (Photo: House Republican Conference)

 

Backers hope co-sponsors will join in supporting the legislation “Noah’s Ark-style,” with each lawmaker bringing another from across the aisle.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, joined by U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, announced their proposal Thursday, which aims to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and use of “bump stocks” which have become a hot-button item after their use in the Route 91 Harvest shooting in Las Vegas where a gunman reportedly had as many as a dozen rifles equipped with the devices.

“For the first time in decades, there is growing bipartisan consensus for firearm reform, a polarizing issue that has deeply divided Republicans and Democrats,” Curbelo, who represents the Florida Keys area in Congress, said in a statement. “Common sense legislation that does not restrict Second Amendment rights is an important first step in addressing gun violence in our country. By banning devices that blatantly circumvent already existing law, we can show that Congress is capable of working constructively to make Americans safer.”

Moulton, Curbelo’s opposite from across the aisle, made headlines earlier this week when he refused to participate in a moment of silence on the House floor for the Las Vegas victims. He argued for action instead.

“It’s time for Members of Congress to find the courage to come together and finally do something to help stop the epidemic of mass shootings,” said Moulton.

The new proposal would compete with S.1916 and HR 3947, a pair of partisan bills introduced on Wednesday by Democrats banning both bump and slide-fire style stocks as well as “crank triggers” with exceptions for military and law enforcement use.

While the language of the Curbelo-Moulton act is not available, the Democrat proposal seemingly has no provision outlined to grandfather the thousands of stocks and triggers already in circulation.

Several Republicans have voiced support for a ban on the devices while House Majority Leader Paul Ryan said he was open to a vote on the matter.

It’s not just GOP members in Washington looking to outlaw the ATF-approved accessories which until last week were uncontroversial. Republican governors John Kasich of Ohio and Charlie Baker of Massachusetts also came out this week as backing a prohibition on bump fire stocks with Baker going so far as saying he would sign such a bill “tomorrow” if it was sent to him by lawmakers.

However, there at least a few Republicans are non-committal on an outright ban, with Montana’s entire Congressional delegation– including Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester– shying away from the concept as a block at least until they get more information on the subject.

“I think we should hold a hearing on the issue so we can hear from firearms experts, disability advocates, and law enforcement,” said Tester.

Gun rights groups are wandering in the political landscape on a looming prohibition with NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre saying it may be time to “take a look at that and see if it’s in compliance with federal law, and it’s worthy of additional regulation” which some Dems have characterized as a dodge. The more conservative Gun Owners of America, meanwhile, is staunchly against any ban.

The devices are already reportedly illegal in California and New York while Democrats in New Jersey and Washington are backing statewide prohibitions of their own.

0

DONATE TO HELP OUR MISSION TO
PROTECT 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS

BGOA plays a crucial role in Gun Rights by facilitating Gun Ownership, providing training and providing our members with supportive services and legal protection.

Donation form

$
Personal Info

Billing Details

Donation Total: $5

×