"How often do Americans use guns for defensive purposes?"

Larry Elder has a very nice piece on defensive gun use that is well worth reading. My only comment deals with Jim Wilson's comments. Jim is right about the range of estimates, but it would be useful to provide some context for the lowest estimates because they are based upon a government done set of surveys that does not directly ask people about defensive uses.

Guns used to stop crime in New Orleans 2

From the New York Times:

In a city shut down for business, the Rite Aid at Oak and South Carrollton was wide open on Wednesday. Someone had stolen a forklift, driven it four blocks, peeled up the security gate and smashed through the front door.

The young and the old walked in empty-handed and walked out with armfuls of candy, sunglasses, notebooks, soda and whatever else they could need or find. No one tried to stop them.

Across New Orleans, the rule of law, like the city's levees, could not hold out after Hurricane Katrina. The desperate and the opportunistic took advantage of an overwhelmed police force and helped themselves to anything that could be carried, wheeled or floated away, including food, water, shoes, television sets, sporting goods and firearms.

Many people with property brought out their own shotguns and sidearms. Many without brought out shopping carts. The two groups have moved warily in and out of each other's paths for the last three days, and the rising danger has kept even some rescue efforts from proceeding. . . .

"NBC sends armed guards to lawless Gulf Coast"

NBC News has sent private security personnel to the increasingly dicey Gulf Coast region to help keep its employees safe while covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The private security officers, usually former soldiers or police, are licensed to carry firearms and are trained to keep the situation under control so that journalists can do their jobs safely. That's becoming increasingly difficult in New Orleans and in Gulfport, Miss., where there aren't enough police or National Guardsmen to keep the streets safe. . . .

It's not unusual for networks to hire security forces. Armed personnel accompany news crews in Iraq and Afghanistan; they've been used domestically for situations like the Los Angeles riots in 1992, when dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured. But NBC News is the first to publicly acknowledge that it had taken such a step. . . .

Debate on piece defending price gouging

For a running debate on piece that defended price gouging: follow this link to FreeRepublic.com.

Guns used to stop crime in New Orleans

From the New York Daily News:

I went looking for the Big Easy yesterday. I found Dodge City instead. Looters ran wild, some desperate for food and water, others just taking advantage of a chance at free cigarettes and beer.

In the Carrollton neighborhood, two armed men - self-appointed sheriffs in a white pickup - confronted them. Spotting thieves who had commandeered a forklift and smashed into a Rite Aid store, the two men fired above the looters' heads and ran them off.

Hurricane Katrina Damage

It is almost inconceivable to image what people are going through in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I am sure that everyone's hearts go out to the people there. I have made a donation to the Red Cross and it seems that the least we can do.

Yet, whatever problems they are facing in New Orleans they have been compounded by the problems with violence they have experienced after the storm. I did a rough calculation of the murder rate in the Superdome in New Orleans, and it was amazingly high. It appears that at least 12 people were murdered there on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I keep on getting conflicting numbers on the number of people who were in the Superdome, but if there were 20,000, that is a two day murder rate of 60 per 100,000 people. If there were 10,000 people, that obviously raises it to 120 per 100,000. By comparison, the US murder rate for the year is 5 per 100,000. New Orleans in for the entire year 2003, it was 58 per 100,000 people (or about 2.3 murders for a three day period). In other words, the murder rate seems over 100 times higher than normal for the city.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair admits the obvious

Despite spending huge amount being spent by Canada on gun control, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair notes: "The problem with bad guys is they don't register their guns and it is unlikely they would turn in their gun." Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have stopped the the new regulations and all the money spent on enforcement.

Concealed handgun permit holder saves a life at a New Mexico Walmart

A fatal shooting at an Albuquerque Wal-Mart last week was the state's first by someone with a concealed-carry gun permit, authorities said.

Police said Felix Vigil was attacking his ex-wife with a knife near the store's deli counter where she worked when an armed customer intervened and shot him. The woman, Joyce Cordova, was treated for multiple stab wounds and later released from an Albuquerque hospital.

The armed customer, 72-year-old Due Moore, was interviewed after the shooting last Thursday and released.

Police spokeswoman Officer Trish Hoffman said it appeared the shooting was justified. However, it will be up to the district attorney to decide whether Moore, a volunteer with the police department's cold case unit, will be prosecuted.

In another story:

“It’s probably a very good thing he (Moore) was there,” says APD Sgt. Trish Hoffman. “Ms. Cordova may not be here today if it had not been for him.”

I would like to thank multiple readers for sending me links to this story: John Corry, Dennis McMurtrey, and Bill Bulgier. Thanks.

A look at the positive side of price-gouging and greed

Sonya Jones and I have a new op-ed in today's Houston Chronicle. The point is pretty simple:

Understanding economics has never been a requirement to be a politician. With gas prices reaching $70 per barrel on Monday and hotels outside of the disaster area raising rates, "price-gouging" seems to be politicians' favorite phrase these days. In the coming weeks, as people living in the disaster area try to get everything from fallen trees removed to food, the outcry against higher prices will only get worse. Yet, if political threats of price controls and price-gouging lawsuits prevent prices from rising now, it is the consumers who will suffer in the long run.

New op-ed on Judicial Confirmation Process up at Foxnews.com

I have a new op-ed up at Foxnews.com. The piece previews my predictions on Judge John Robert's confirmation, and I think that the confirmation will be much rougher than most others seem to think. I am willing to bet people that his confirmation will be longer than the last two Democratic appointees and that there is no way he will be confirmed before the start of the Court's term in October.

California's Attorney General Bill Lockyer has too much time on his hands

In a lawsuit filed after business on Friday, "Potato chips and french fries could soon come with a warning label if the state's top attorney prevails in a lawsuit filed Friday against nine fast food chains and snack-food makers." The concern is a chemical that has not been really shown to be linked to cancer that exists in very low amounts in potato chips and french fries. Possibly since Burger King's hamburgers are flame broiled they will also have to have a cancer warning lable. If Lockyer isn't trying to ban guns, he is doing things like this.