Still blaming President Obama

Lawsuit filed against Arvada PD in Olde Town shooting

ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — Kathleen Boleyn, the mother of John Hurley, the ‘good Samaritan‘ who was killed during the Olde Town Arvada shooting one year ago, has filed a lawsuit against the Arvada Police Department.

According to the lawsuit filed on June 22, Hurley died needlessly because Arvada police officers failed to confront the active shooter, failed to verify that Hurley was a threat, and an officer failed to announce himself before shooting Hurley from behind.

Chief of Police Link Strate and former officer Kraig Brownlow are specifically named in the lawsuit. Brownlow is the officer who shot and killed Hurley. In November of 2021, the Jefferson County District Attorney announced that Brownlow would not be charged with the shooting.

Strate also bears legal responsibility because he oversees and approves of Arvada’s unlawful policies and training that led to Brownlow’s unconstitutional conduct. In addition to the constitutional claims, Brownlow is also liable under state law for wrongful death, the lawsuit states.

“Under these circumstances, it was unlawful to use deadly force against Johnny, who was merely unloading a weapon and not posing any threat whatsoever. Even more egregiously, Officer Brownlow shot and killed Johnny without any warning or command. The contrast between Johnny’s actions and Officer Brownlow’s actions could hardly be more stark. Whereas Johnny ran toward an active shooter with an assault rifle, Officer Brownlow shot Johnny in the back without so much as a warning,” a release from Boleyn’s attorney states.

https://kdvr.com/news/local/lawsuit-filed-against-arvada-pd-in-olde-town-shooting/

Rep. Boebert introduces bill to label fentanyl as weapon of mass destruction

WASHINGTON (KDVR) — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert introduced a bill that would bring a new classification to fentanyl, involving the Department of Homeland Security.

The “Fentanyl is a WMD Act” would instruct the Assistant Secretary for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office within DHS to treat the deadly drug as a weapon of mass destruction. Title XIX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 created the office and created its mission to coordinate federal efforts to “detect and protect against unauthorized importation, possession, storage, transportation, development or use of weapons of mass destruction in the United States.

A weapon of mass destruction is defined by DHS as “a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological, or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people.”

“Back home in Colorado, almost everyone I talk to knows someone who has died from fentanyl,” Boebert said in a statement. “Fentanyl is America’s silent killer and is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. The saddest thing about the fentanyl crisis is that it is preventable. National security experts know that the vast majority of deadly fentanyl plaguing our communities comes across the southern border. Just last year, Border Patrol encountered enough fentanyl at the border to kill every American seven times over. There is no way around it—the Biden Border Crisis is killing Americans. It is time to call fentanyl what it is: a weapon of mass destruction that is destroying our nation.”

https://kdvr.com/news/rep-boebert-introduces-bill-to-label-fentanyl-as-weapon-of-mass-destruction/

Rolling Stones cancel Amsterdam concert after Mick Jagger tests positive for Covid

AMSTERDAM — The Rolling Stones canceled their concert in Amsterdam on Monday, just hours before it was due to start after lead singer Mick Jagger tested positive for Covid-19.

The band announced the cancellation in a statement, saying the 78-year-old Jagger tested positive “after experiencing symptoms of Covid upon arrival at the stadium” on the outskirts of Amsterdam. There were no further details about his condition.

“The Rolling Stones are deeply sorry for tonight’s postponement, but the safety of the audience, fellow musicians and the touring crew has to take priority,” the statement said, adding that the show would be rescheduled and tickets for the concert at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena would be honored for the new date.

Some fans were already in the stadium when it was announced that the show had been scrapped.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/rolling-stones-cancel-amsterdam-concert-mick-jagger-tests-positive-cov-rcna33320

Boulder bans assault weapons

Manchin wants to raise age to 21 for gun purchases, doesn't see need for AR-15s

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia voiced his support Monday for raising the age to 21 for purchasing semi-automatic weapons and questioned why individuals need to own high-powered AR-15-style weapons, putting him at odds with Republicans who are resisting imposing any restrictions on access to firearms.

"I never thought I had a need for that type of a high-capacity automatic weapon," Manchin told CNN on Monday. "I like to shoot, I like to go out and hunt. I like to go out sports shooting. I do all of that. But I've never felt I needed something of that magnitude."
Manchin also said he "wouldn't have a problem on looking at" backing a ban on so-called assault weapons -- a proposal pushed by the White House and Democratic leaders, but that stands no chance of winning the needed 60-votes in the Senate.
"It depends on what they, how they would approach it," Manchin said. "I'm open to anything that makes gun sense."

The comments from the Senate's most conservative Democrat -- who hails from a state with a strong gun culture -- show growing Democratic support for imposing tough new gun laws as senators try to see whether there can be any compromise with Republicans to deal with episodes of gun violence ravaging communities nationwide. The position underscores how the two sides still have a number of major disagreements to resolve as they race to cut a deal this week amid public outcry over mass shootings nationwide.
Manchin is part of a small bipartisan group of Senate negotiators trying to finalize a deal on guns. The negotiators are not discussing some of President Joe Biden's demands such as renewing the expired assault weapons ban, but they are looking at a handful of changes, including incentivizing states to enact red flag laws, which allow guns to be temporarily taken away from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others, expand background checks on gun purchases, bolster the mental health care system and beef up school security. There is also discussion about new regulations on gun trafficking between states and potential new legislation on storing weapons safely at gun owners' residences.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/06/politics/manchin-gun-purchase-age-ar15s/index.html

Four Boulder County municipalities prepared to pass several gun ordinances next week

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — As conversations of gun reform dominate the national discussion, Colorado lawmakers find themselves at a stalemate when it comes to passing additional gun laws. But for four Boulder County municipalities, six new gun ordinances are expected to pass next Tuesday — measures local lawmakers believe the state should have passed following the Boulder King Soopers mass shooting last year.

Governor Jared Polis signed three gun bills into law after the Boulder King Soopers shooting, which expanded background checks, reversed a ban on prohibiting local governments from creating their own gun regulations and prohibited local jurisdictions from creating laws less lenient than the state's.

The cities of Boulder, Louisville, and Lafayette, along with the Town of Superior, took advantage and began drafting their own ordinances, which include:

banning the sale and possession of assault weapons
banning magazines containing more than 10 rounds
raising the firearm purchasing age from 18 to 21
outlawing open and concealed carry in sensitive places like hospitals, schools and places of worship
instituting a 10-day waiting period to purchase a firearm
requiring firearm dealers to post signs outside of their stores explaining the dangers of firearms

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/four-boulder-county-municipalities-prepared-to-pass-several-gun-ordinances-next-week

Kinzinger says he is 'open to' assault weapons ban after Uvalde shooting

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on Sunday that he is “open to” an assault weapons ban after a gunman killed 21 people in Uvalde, Texas, with an AR-15-style rifle.

“I have opposed a ban fairly recently. I think I’m open to a ban now,” Kinzinger told co-anchor Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“It’s going to depend on what it looks like because there’s a lot of nuances on what constitutes certain things, but I’m getting to the point where I have to wonder,” he added.

Kinzinger also proposed potentially continuing to allow assault weapon purchases while requiring extra training or licenses.

(snip)

“The problem is for those that support the Second Amendment like me, we have to be coming to the table with ways to mitigate 18-year-olds buying these guns and walking into schools,” Kinzinger said. “My side is not doing that. My side is not coming forward with reasonable ways to defend an amendment that we think is very important.”

https://thehill.com/news/sunday-talk-shows/3505333-kinzinger-says-he-is-open-to-assault-weapons-ban-after-uvalde-shooting/

The 1994-2004 federal Assault Weapons Ban worked.

Gun massacres fell 37 percent while ban was in place, rose by 183 percent after ban expired

NRA myth: The NRA says the 1994-2004 federal Assault Weapons Ban didn’t work.

Fact: The ban did work, and a number of studies lay that out.

University of Massachusetts researcher Louis Klarevas, author of the book “Rampage Nation,” found that the number of gun massacres dropped by 37 percent and the number of gun massacre deaths feel by 43 percent while the ban was in effect compared to the previous decade. After the ban lapsed in 2004, those numbers dramatically rose – a 183 percent increase in massacres and a 239 percent increase in massacre deaths.
A 2019 study in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Surgery found that, based on data from 1981 to 2017, there were fewer mass-shooting deaths while the ban was in place.
A 2017 study in the Journal of Urban Health observed that law enforcement recovery of assault weapons fell nationwide while the ban was in base, indicating that they were used in fewer crimes, but increased after the ban expired.
A 2004 University of Pennsylvania study conducted for the Justice Department explained that the use of assault weapons in crime declined by 70 percent nine years after the Assault Weapons Ban took effect.

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/dem/releases/studies-gun-massacre-deaths-dropped-during-assault-weapons-ban-increased-after-expiration

Covid-19's full death toll is nearly three times higher than reported, WHO data suggests

(CNN)About 14.9 million people around the world died as a direct or indirect result of Covid-19 in the period between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization -- nearly three times more deaths than were officially reported.

There were 5.4 million Covid-19 deaths reported to WHO during that timeframe, resulting in an excess mortality estimate of 9.5 million more deaths than what was reported.

"Excess mortality is the difference between the number of deaths that have been recorded and those that would be expected in the absence of the pandemic," said Samira Asma, assistant director-general for the Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact Division of WHO.

The 14.9 million deaths include "deaths directly attributed to Covid-19 that were reported to WHO, deaths directly attributed to Covid-19 that were not counted or reported ... deaths indirectly associated with the pandemic due to the wider impact on health systems and society," Asma explained. The figure also subtracts any deaths that were avoided due to changes in social behaviors, such as fewer fatalities from car wrecks because of lockdowns or travel restrictions.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/05/health/covid-excess-mortality-who-data/index.html