News Stories on at least 18 defensive gun uses by concealed handgun permit holders during October

We have already posted a number of concealed handgun permit holders who have used guns defensively during October (see here, here, and here).  But here are some more cases that we hadn't previously included.  All together there are 18 news stories here.

Warren, Michigan (October 4, 2015) -- "A customer who thwarted a bank robbery in Warren Sept. 21 when he used a concealed pistol to shoot the suspect will not face criminal charges, police said after reviewing the facts of the case with Macomb County prosecutors."

Plymouth, Pennsylvania (October 5, 2015) -- "Mike Sharma, owner of Quick & EZ Stop, Plymouth called Rob Ragukus 'the best man' on Monday night after he held an alleged would-be carjacker at gunpoint until the police came.  'He saved all of us,' he said."

Dearborn, Michigan (October 5, 2015) -- "At least one carjacker approached the car, reached in the window and tried snatching the cellphone. Witnesses say an argument then took place over the driver's wallet. The suspect apparently punched the driver in the face.  That's when witnesses say the driver took out a gun and shot at the suspect."

Joliet, Illinois (October 6, 2015) -- "About 1:30 a.m., a 65-year-old man came home to the 500 block of Strong Avenue and was approached by an armed man in his driveway who demanded money, according to Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton. 'The victim pulled a legal concealed-carry weapon and he and the suspect began to shoot at each other,' Benton said."

Sarasota, Florida (October 6, 2015) -- "Surveillance video obtained exclusively by the Herald-Tribune appears to buttress claims by the attorney for a 22-year-old Sarasota man involved in a "road rage" shooting on Monday who says his client was only acting in self defense. . . . . Gunter's defense attorney, Jeffrey Young, says the shooting is a classic example of a "Stand Your Ground" defense."

Houston, Texas (October 9, 2015) -- "One person is dead and another is injured after they allegedly attempted to rob a man carrying a concealed handgun early this morning.  The suspects approached the man with a gun as he was walking on the 600 block Cypress Station Drive around 1am.  That's when deputies say the man surprised the would-be robbers by pulling his own handgun. He fired the gun at both suspects, killing one of them."

Toledo, Ohio (October 20, 2015) -- "Terrance Reid, 21, arrived home from his job as a welder at about 4 a.m. when police say he was approached in the front yard by Antonio Hadley, 40, of Toledo, just outside the house, WTVG Channel 13 reports. . . . Reid, who has a concealed-carry permit, pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at Hadley, who ran away, police say. Reid then called 911."

San Antonio, Texas (October 20, 2015) -- "Officers were called to a Chevron station on the 600 block of Division shortly before 1 p.m.  Tuesday.  Police were told a man caught another man trying to break into his car, which was parked at the station. They say the car owner pulled a gun and shot at the suspected car burglar, who then ran to a “getaway car” and sped off."

Jacksonville, Florida (October 25, 2015) -- "Police say a Domino’s delivery driver was delivering  pizzas near Timothys Landing off 103^rd street when  he was approached by two armed man, demanding money.  The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the deliveryman grabbed his own gun and shot one of the suspects. Action News Jax spoke with crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson . . . .  “This is a clear case of self-defense this person was working and was approached by two armed men,” said Ken Jefferson."

My latest piece at Investor's Business Daily: "Mass Incarceration: Tell Hillary Clinton Punishment Matters"

My newest piece at Investor's Business Daily starts this way:

It's easy to forget that in 1991 the U.S. murder rate was well over twice what it is today. In a speech last week at Atlanta's Clark University, Hillary Clinton showed she doesn't understand her call for an "end the era of mass incarceration" will endanger lives. She now proposes to end mass incarceration by "keep(ing) more nonviolent drug offenders out of prison." 

There are good reasons to decriminalize drug possession, though Clinton mentioned none. Furthermore, she is wrong in believing that decriminalization would end mass incarceration. 

In 2012, less than 7% of inmates at state and federal prisons were in for possessing illegal drugs. And it was rarely just for possession of marijuana. There are no national data, but data from Arizona indicate as few as 0.3% were incarcerated for marijuana possession, and those cases involve people arrested multiple times. 

In California, even adding together trafficking or possession offenses, only 1% of state prisoners are incarcerated for marijuana offenses. . . .

The piece is also available here.

My latest piece at the Daily Caller: "The New York Times Keeps Getting Its Gun Facts Shockingly Wrong"

John Lott has a new op-ed at the Daily Caller:

Last week, a New York Times editorial shockingly claimed that American concealed handgun permit holders have been responsible for 763 non-self-defense deaths since 2007. The Times editorial cites these numbers as proof of the “myth of the vigilant citizen” and “foolhardy notion of quick-draw resistance.” 

But the numbers they rely on from the Violence Policy Center are fatally flawed, quadruple counting legitimate self-defense cases as criminal murders and blaming suicides on permits when the suicides don’t even involve guns. More disturbing, the Times has been called on using these same numbers before, but they keep on using the numbers and never acknowledge any of the problems. 

Take Michigan, which is supposedly by far the worst with over a third of all claimed deaths — 278 of the 763. Of these 278 deaths in Michigan, 215 were suicides. But Michigan State Police reports don’t collect information on whether suicides were committed with their permitted concealed handgun — just that permit holders committed suicide. The police simply match their records on permit holders to the Michigan Department of Community Health’s records on suicides. 

There is a simple response to the New York Times claim that permits cause suicides: Michigan permit holders committed suicide at less than 40% the rate of the general adult Michigan population. . . .

The rest of the piece is available here.

New "Mothers Against Gun-Free Zones" Citing CPRC Research

Christy Stutzman, the mom of a high schooler and the wife of Congressman Marlin Stutzman, announced the formation of a new organization called "Mothers Against Gun-Free Zones."  From her piece in today's Washington Times:

. . . My No. 1 priority is to know with assurance that my son will be kept safe in every way and that, if attacked, he will have the ability and freedom to defend himself. Yes, by all means, we need to discuss the current lack of adequate treatments for mental health. There are obviously major issues that need to be addressed in that area of health care. But until that complicated subject is honestly addressed and corrected, there is one sure-fire, no-fail way to keep our kids safe: No Gun-Free Zones. . . . 

Looking at every mass shooting on record, since 2009, one thing is clear: Gun-free zones don’t protect, they endanger. The Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) released a report in 2014 showing that 92 percent of mass public shootings between January 2009 and July 2014 took place in gun-free zones. Have we become so politically correct that we are willing to ignore the facts to the detriment of our children’s safety? . . .

On Denver's KOA Radio to discuss a Washington Post article on concealed handgun laws

I talked to Mike Rosen on Denver's giant KOA to discuss the Washington Post’s Christopher Ingraham recent article on concealed handgun laws (Thursday, October 28, 2015 from 4:05 to 5:00 PM EDT).

On The Dana TV Show: Discussing the New York Times use of the Violence Policy Center Data to Attack Concealed Carry and Everytown's Attacks on Lott

 I talked to Dana Loesch on her TV show about the New York Times reliance on the Violence Policy Center's discussion about concealed handgun permit holders (6:15 to 6:22 PM, October 26, 2015). The whole segment is available here. 

Classic debates during 1968 between Bill Buckley and Gore Vidal: This is the way debates should be

If I am missing one of the debates, please let me know.  These are quite enjoyable to watch.

Debate 1

Debate 2

Debate 3 part 1

Debate 3, part 2

Debate 4

Vidal calling Buckley a "crypto-Nazi"