Tips
Tip #77
New Bill, New Products, Local Events & Dumb Criminals
Good evening Folks. Let's start this tip with discussion of the 'Protection of
Persons and Property Bill' due to the large number of queries received and
comments made by students, citizens and clients. Dan Trombini, the 'Firearms
Info Guru' at Knight Shooting Sports, has several new products on premise that
are definitely worth listing and then I will discuss some disturbing local
events. Harvey Martenfeld also asked me to advise that there will be a
'Ballistic Technology Seminar,' hosted by Knight Shooting Sports, Inc., and
First Choice Armor & Equipment, Inc., starting at 10AM, April 28, 2005. This
seminar will include a live fire demonstration and professional LEO guest
speakers. Please note that the seminar is limited to Law Enforcement, Private
Investigators, Bail Bondsman, Commercial Airline Pilots and Military personnel
only! For additional information and to RSVP, please telephone either Harvey at
(727- 546-4447), email to Harvey@knightshooting.com or fax to (727) 545-5558. If
you would like a copy of the flyer, please pickup at Knight's or contact me and
I will email. Also please feel free to call me if I may assist. Remember folks,
you may either call 727-535-9151 or 727-515-1317 or send me an email if I may
assist with your training and security issues. See you at Knight's! Tnx Norm &
Jane
St. Petersburg Times "Easy on guns, tough on slowpokes"
April 6, 2005
This has been a hot topic for weeks and has created many
questions, deep concerns and unending confusion in regard to the actual effect
of the bill. Folks, if you believe what you read in the newspapers, view on
television, receive via Internet and obtain from the NRA, Florida may be the
'Wild, Wild West' as viewed by some political opponents of the bill when the
bill is enacted October 1, 2005. The cited St. Petersburg Times article states
that "The legislation has overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats,
and Gov. Jeb Bush soon will sign it into law." Governor Jeb Bush was quoted as
saying that it is "a good, common-sense, anti-crime issue." Well, it may be but
I am not sure that good, commonsense is a trait shared by all Floridians
particularly when either under stress, fearful or angry. I will reinforce that
comment in this tip my friends. One of my concerns is that the citizens will
only receive their information from the media; a poor source at best. For
instance, it was stated that the new law would legalize retaliation. The bill
says: "A person does not have a duty to retreat if the person is in a place
where he or she has a right to be" and "a person who uses force in such cases
and is not violating another law could not be charged with a crime or sued."
Well, that doesn't sound too bad does it? However, you must remember that what
you do in an instant in a real life event will be viewed by others at their
leisure in completely different circumstances. Remember Reasonable Belief as
discussed in class -- you must convince others in vastly different circumstances
that you did the right thing at the right time in the right situation against
the right person with the right weapon for the right reason! Also don't forget
that you will be responsible for any collateral damage that occurs if your
backstop is inadequate to contain your projectiles even in a real live event.
When I analyze live events, I see three phases: the encounter, the criminal and
then the civil litigation. If you do not go three for three, you lose big! You
have heard me state this in class -- it is easier to avoid it than to extricate
yourself from it! You have also repeatedly heard my favorite answer when asked
about a specific situation -- Yes, No, Maybe! That is the way it will be if you
have a live event my friends. Personally, the Retreat Rule has worked very well
as has the Castle Doctrine in the state of Florida. In addition, you better be
aware that this will be Florida Law and may not apply to other reciprocal
states. I personally have encountered three situations in either an off-duty or
civilian capacity in 23 years in Florida that were serious enough threats to
consider the use of deadly force. In all three events, I chose either another
alternative or multiple alternatives to avoid the use of deadly force based on
my law enforcement training. If this bill had been in effect, perhaps my
responses would have been different if I did not understand the ramifications.
On the other hand, since this will become law, it is only appropriate that you
be educated by the best in the business in the state of Florida my friends,
noted attorney and author of 'Florida Firearms - Law, Use & Ownership,' Jon
Gutmacher. Jon and I spoke a few days ago and he stressed that the action taken
must be reasonable under all circumstances. Jon has been gracious enough to
provide his analysis on his website,
www.FloridaFirearmsLaw.com, in the Legal Q&A section. This copyrighted
document is titled "ANALYSIS OF PROTECTION OF PERSONS AND PROPERTY BILL."
Folks, be careful and realize that if you screw this up, you may very well need
the best attorney in the state in the Concealed Weapon field to defend you and
that is my friend Jon Gutmacher! Final comment -- I believe that the very first
event when this is enacted will be a road rage situation!
Knight shooting Sports New Products
Dan recently returned from a trade show and has some
neat products for Knight customers. Those products are:
1. Stack on gun security cabinet that is a California Department of
Justice approved security device. It allows storage of both handguns, long guns
and other items. The cabinet is 55" x 21" x 10" and features a three point
locking system with a key coded cylinder lock. $129.99
2. DAC Gunmaster Tool Box featuring "Old Tyme" wooden construction. The
box is designed to support a rifle while cleaning and includes a 17 piece
cleaning kit. This will make a great gift! $44.99
3. I-Shot Range Bags come in two sizes and are great accessories.
From $49.99
4. Sport Lock Range case features all aluminum construction and a
combination lock. This case will hold two pistols with accessories and
ammunition and is a super gift. $59.99
5. MTM Large Ammo Dry Box is weather sealed and lockable. $14.99
6. Cyclops XCF Xenon Tac Light features 80 lumens, a tail cap with an
on/off switch and is constructed of aluminum. Two 123A lithium batteries are
included. $38.99
7. Radians Pro Amp Electronic Earmuffs with batteries included. The
price is definitely special and definitely right -- Jane and I have electronic
muffs and the price was almost double! $79.99
Road Rage Reigns Supreme!
"Officials search for clues in slaying of driver on I-75" & "I-75 shooting: a
random crime?" St. Petersburg Times March 7 & 8, 2005
"Bumper sticker evokes road rage" St. Petersburg Times March 10, 2005
"Flipped off, driver flips out" St. Petersburg Times March 12, 2005
Holy cow Batman, here we go again! The last time we had
three major road rage incidents was last fall. That string resulted in three
dead and two seriously injured. The first cited incident involved a shooting
that occurred between 10AM and 11AM March 6, 2005, at the I-75 and I-4 junction
in Tampa, Florida. Forensics established that the fatal shot was fired from
another vehicle, no further information, that was slightly ahead of and to the
left of the 49-year-old victim's pickup truck. Law enforcement postulated that
it may have been an accident by a hunter but hunting season is closed and what
type of moronic scumbag would hunt with a high powered rifle or handgun that
close to the interstate? Ooops -- dumb question! Based on crime scene photos in
the St. Pete Times and an experience that I had at Fort Polk, Louisiana while
the MP Operations Officer, it appears that the fatal projectile entered the
drivers door of the pickup in a flat trajectory. We will not know for sure
unless a witness pops out of the woodwork or they capture the scumbag that fired
the fatal shot. The second incident occurred approximately 5:14PM based on a
nine-minute 911 call by a 35-year-old mother of a ten-year-old boy and a
three-year-old daughter who were in the car with her. The cause of this nutjob's
anger? The victim had a 'Bush-Cheney '04' bumper sticker on her car! The scumbag
had his own sign that read "Never Forget Bush's Illegal Oil War Murdered
Thousands in Iraq." Not surprisingly, several other complaints were made about
this mutt's behavior after this article appeared. The chase took place on
Kennedy Boulevard; hardly an isolated roadway any evening at 5PM. As stated, the
event isn't over until the scumbag says it's over. She finally found a police
officer, gave him the tag and law enforcement located him an hour later at his
home. He had a clean record but has one no longer -- he was charged with
Aggravated Stalking, a third degree felony. He did tell the officers that he
became upset with her because she "flipped him off." I'll bet she thinks twice
before she flips anyone else off! The third incident involved a 27-year-old
woman who is seven months pregnant with her first child and a 55-year-old West
Point graduate. She was leaving Tampa General Hospital about 3PM March 1, 2005,
and being very careful merging into traffic apparently due to her pregnancy.
This is a difficult merge under any circumstances. This scumbag gets irritated
and lays into the horn. She admitted to waving at him without using all her
fingers and the guy went ballistic. He pulled in front of her, stopped, tried to
open her car door and tried to have her roll down her window but she advised
that she was pregnant. She thought the incident was over but as they drove
downtown on Florida Avenue. He tried to run her off the road three times and
then turned off. She did not report the incident until March 6, 2005, and
provided the scumbags very distinctive license plate which was a reference to
his military service. He was then arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault
With a Deadly Weapon, a third degree felony, and reckless driving, a
misdemeanor. I will also bet that this victim won't flip off anyone again
either! Please remember -- try to leave the playing field, don't provoke your
nutjob opponent, call 911 or *FHP, don't go to nay location that you frequent
such as your home or business and drive to lights and people! Most importantly,
when you wave at someone, please use all your fingers!
St. Petersburg Times "Real to reel" March 5, 2005, and "Gunman
pops out of car's sunroof, kills three" March 16.2005
Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? The St.
Pete Times did a story about a movie being filmed in Safety Harbor. The story
line required that an actor with an AK47 pop up through the sunroof of a
speeding Nissan and fire that weapon. It just so happened that this action was
witnessed by one of my clients and his wife but they were not aware that it was
a movie! They became part of the movie without warning since no signs were
posted and the event was filmed on a street busy with civilian traffic. As a
sidebar, they questioned whether this was a real good idea and were basically
told by all and sundry that if you don't like it, tell someone who cares! Neat
huh? Well, 11 days after that story in the Clearwater Times section, they print
another story; the second article. In this case, some scumbag in Dallas pops up
through the roof in a moving Jaguar (now that's a classy hit man) about 2AM near
Southern Methodist University and opens fire with an 'assault rifle' on another
moving vehicle killing three men and critically wounding a juvenile. When they
have a scuffle in Dallas, things get a little rough!
St. Petersburg Times
"Ten die in student shootings" March 22, 2205
"Prozac focused on in shooting" March 26, 2005
"20 teens may be involved in rampage" April 2, 2005
Folks, here's another dadgum Columbine type school
shooting. This occurred at Red Lake High School on the Red Lake Indian
Reservation in Minnesota. The killer was a 16-year-old boy who was armed with
two handguns and a shotgun. His first victims were his grandparents followed by
an unarmed school security guard, six students and then himself. This scumbag
murderer also wounded 14 or 15 other students. The shooter began taking Prozac a
year before the massacre and significantly increased his dosage to three 20
milligram pills a day after a suicide attempt. The FDA reports that "suicide
risk is particularly acute when therapy starts or a dosage is changed." It was
noted in the second story that either Prozac or similar class drugs were
apparently linked to other mass shootings such as the 1989 printing plant in
Louisville, KY (nine dead) and Columbine High School, Littleton, CO (14 dead) in
2001. The Red Lake shooting is eerily similar to Columbine in that about 20
other students knew in advance at some point but did not take the necessary
action to prevent the bloodbath. Folks, it's tough due to the code that we all
had in school, but please try to convince your children that incidents of this
type transcend all other considerations. When I present basic firearm training
classes for the youngsters, I discuss these events and do my best to convince
them that it is OK to trust adults with this type of information since it is a
matter of life and death. I even give them my business card with my cell phone
number and let them know that if they are unable to discuss either with their
parents, school authorities, counselors or law enforcement, give me a call and I
will get the ball rolling immediately!
St. Petersburg Times "Gun goes off in student's bag, injuring him" March
15, 2005
A. Columbus, Ohio second grader was in a classroom with
about 15 other children. He has a . 45 caliber handgun in his bookbag. The
firearm discharges and shoots him in the hand. He tells the authorities that he
found the loaded firearm on the way to school. Dadgum, I grew up in the wrong
school district. I had to have all my firearms either issued by the US Army,
Clearwater PD or buy them! The big mystery to the authorities is how the gun
fired. Well, gee whiz. That is a stumper! Could it possibly be that there was a
round in the chamber, the hammer was locked to the rear in single action mode,
the thumb safety was not engaged and he pulled the trigger? His mother is
probably not going to be very helpful since there may be a real good possible
that he actually found that gun at home! Nah -- no way!
St. Petersburg Times "Couey's life path mostly a dead end"
March 27, 2005
I am sickened and enraged by the horrendous abuses and
unceasing murders of innocent children by miserable, disgusting, slimy,
nefarious pieces of human excreta that we refer to as 'Child Molesters and
Sexual Predators!' The latest victim was innocent 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford of
Homosassa. The scumbag that raped, strangled her and very well may have buried
her alive was staying in a trailer approximately 100 yards from the child's
home. There are other indications that the child may have been alive when the
police knocked on the trailer door the first and even possibly the second time.
There is also a dadgum good possibility that three other persons in the trailer
who knew Couey's history helped shelter him from the police during their visits
while Jessica may have been alive. By the way folks, the state will not
prosecute them for their role in this heinous crime. Now, that flat pisses me
off! Couey, a registered sex offender due to many other sexual crimes against
children, who was apparently considered a deviate by his employers and
acquaintances, slipped through the cracks of the system and in August 2003 was
working as a mason's helper at Crystal River Middle School. This school had a
strict policy that construction workers could not mingle with staff and
students. His next construction job was at Homosassa Elementary School early in
2004. This school did not prohibit construction worker contact with either staff
or students. Oh, by the way, this was Jessica's school. Must have been a
coincidence! This is neat -- Couey's parole officer "wasn't informed" that this
POS Couey was a registered sex offender! Holy crap -- if the parole officer did
not know that why didn't he? I may be just an old, beat up dumb grunt and broken
down retired police officer but it really, really seems that he should have
known that as well as where in the Hell he was! Why do we pay him to do a job
that is too complicated, too detailed, too demanding and too important to our
children and that apparently exceeds his limited capabilities? Why do we pay a
supervisor who apparently doesn't supervise? How many more innocent Carli's and
Jessica's will it take to induce the state to crack down on these miserable,
sick scumbags? Let's face it my friends -- if you are concerned you need to
become personally involved in your children's and our children's safety. Let's
push to correct this disaster before any more children die! The St. Petersburg
Times April 3, 2005, edition had great information in regard to the tracking of
sex offenders. Let's check some stats:
# Sexual Predators # Sexual
Offenders # Absconded* # Registration Failure
Convictions**
Citrus County 7 191
7 5
Hernando County 5 199
12 3
Hillsborough County 93 1,172
135 143
Pasco County 34 532
40 46
Pinellas County 47 1,089
85 69
* The number of absconded includes both sexual
offenders and predators who have either absconded from either probation or
registration.
** Some sexual offenders/predators were convicted more than once for
failing to register
Source: FDLE Sex offenders/predators database
Times Chart
If you are interested and I hope you are, please refer to the Florida State
registry of sex offenders and predators. That direct web address is:
http://www3.fdle.state.fl.us/sexual_predators/
By the way, there is another possible abduction of a 13-year-old Tampa girl that
was reported tonight, April 12, 2005!
2005 Darwin Award Winner Candidate
Usually we have to wait till the end of the year for a
Darwin Award winner but we may have the 2005 Winner! You know, these stories
really make me feel better about crime and criminals. A scumbag like this is
definitely not a rocket scientist and more than likely too stupid to pour urine
out of a combat boot! This is absolutely mind boggling my friends! It is
apparent that Washington State needs a smarter class of scumbags!
1. His target was H & J Leather & Firearms -- guns are sold there!
2. The shop was full of customers -- firearm customers!
3. To enter the gunshop, the robber had to step around a marked police patrol
car parked at the front door. This is usually a pretty good indicator that there
is a police officer in the area!
4. A uniformed police officer was standing at the counter drinking coffee before
his shift. Upon seeing the officer, the inept robber announced a holdup and
fired a few wild shots from a . 22 target pistol; a great choice for the armed
robbery of a gun shop!
5. Of course, the officer (9MM Glock 17) and a clerk (. 50 caliber Desert Eagle)
promptly returned fire. They were assisted by several customers who also drew
their guns with several firing.
6. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics. Crime scene
investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent
autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from seven
different weapons.
7. Not surprisingly, no one else was hurt in the exchange of fire. The late and
not to be missed, in many regards, scumbag was thoughtful enough to soak up all
the hits!