GUNS IN THE NEWS--Earth Day, April 22, 2004

[MrBenchley]

As CO Liberal sez:
Please try to adhere to the following voluntary guidelines, in order that we can have an orderly discussion of gun-related news topics:
1 - Feel free to add any CURRENT stories to this thread by replying to this message. In order to be considered current, stories should have been originally posted on the Internet within the previous 24 hours, or provide follow-up to a story that was previously posted on the J/PS board. On Mondays (since many people do not log in to DU over the weekend), stories can be posted from Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.
2 - Both pro-gun and anti-gun stories, editorials, and press releases are welcome in this thread, as long as they're current. Please do not post links to items from a few years back that support your position.
3 - Bear in mind that any links to extremely right-wing sites (such as Newsmax, CNS, or the Washington Times) or intentionally pro-gun or pro-control sites (such as the NRA or the Brady Campaign) are not considered reliable sources by many DU-ers. If at all possible, try to find a link for your story from a more mainstream source, such as a general-circulation newspaper or magazine site. If you choose to use a slanted site, be prepared for any negative feedback you may receive.
4 - Do not change story titles. In other words, if the Oskosh Gazette's web site runs a story titled "Two Killed in Holdup", the title of your message should read "Two Killed in Holdup". Don't change it to "Gun Owner Kills Two People", or anything else that changes the meaning of the story.
5 - If it's not clear from the title where the story occurred, add the city, state, or country in parentheses after the title.
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8 - If you object to these guidelines, do everyone else a favor and go to another thread.

[MrBenchley]

1. Gun-toting bill adds bars, clubs along with a no-imbibing twist

Wow....the gun lobby and the Republican Party really two shits about public safety, do they?

"The state House on Wednesday added bars and nightclubs to a bill that would let people take guns into restaurants that serve alcohol.
But there's a twist. The gun-carriers would not be allowed to drink alcohol.
The bill, backed by the National Rifle Association and opposed by restaurant groups and liquor wholesalers, gained preliminary approval in the House. It could face a formal vote as early as today.
The House amendment to disallow drinking while packing a weapon did nothing to dampen opposition to the bill from Steve Goumas, owner of Rula Bula Irish Pub in Tempe. Goumas said he wants no part of confronting a gun owner who might be violating the law by drinking, much less trying to figure out who is carrying guns and who isn't.
"How are you going to know who's carrying a gun if it's concealed?" said Goumas, who characterized himself as a gun-owning Republican and member of the NRA. "I can just see it coming. This is going to cause our insurance rates to go up overnight. If there's even one incident in a place, it's going to affect everyone.""

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0422barguns22.html

B-b-b-b-but who cares about your piddly business, Steve? It's guns!!! Wheeeeeeeeee!!

[CO Liberal]

2. Gun Control Group Targets State Fair (IA)

Couldn't they have come up with a different headline? :shrug: - Wayne

* * * * *

Gun Control Group Targets State Fair

New Regulations Could Apply To Large Gun Shows

DES MOINES, Iowa -- An Iowa gun control group is targeting the largest gun shows in Iowa.

Wednesday, Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence asked the Iowa State Fair Board to require criminal background checks on people who purchase firearms at the state fairgrounds.

The regulation would apply to six gun shows held throughout the year at the fairgrounds by Tradeshow Productions, a Montezuma company.

<snip>

The gun control group said the shows need regulation so guns aren't easily available to felons, domestic abusers, and minors.

<more>

http://www.theiowachannel.com/news/3030221/detail.html

[MrBenchley]

3. Sounds like a great idea...

Wonder how many ordinary Iowans are aware that background checks weren't required at gun shows in their states?

[demsrule4life]

4. Is there more than one Iowa?

Couldn't resist.

[MrBenchley]

6. Ever find any posts of yours supporting Democrats?

Neither did I. Telling.

Wonder if we can find one of yours criticizing any Republican even slightly?

[demsrule4life]

9. Wonder if we can find one of yours criticizing any Republican even slightl

What do you want to bet on this one?

[MrBenchley]

15. Geeze, dems....

Thank koresh for small fucking favors. I guess this means you made one post criticizing a Republican slightly somewhere sometime.

Odds are good it was because the Republican weren't being as fucking screwlloose and bigoted as, say, Larry Pratt.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MrBenchley]

20. Saying idiotic crap like "Ed Asner is a communist"?

Beats me, dems. I got no idea why anyone would want to pimp for the gun lobby, or spout mindless slurs against people like Diane Feinstein, or call John Kerry "evil" either.

[demsrule4life]

46. I have never called John Kerry evil

But I guess it would be to much to ask you to act like a man and retract it.

[MrBenchley]

54. Gee, dems, thanks for volunteering...

And here's what you personally did have to say about Super Tuesday...

"demsrule4life 
3. Nobody
Nobody worth voting for.

demsrule4life
7. Ain't it a shame
that the past several elections have come down to voting for the least worse? God our country needs some new politicians, but I don't think I will see it in my remaining life time.

demsrule4life (1000+ posts)
22. Last time I checked
I have the right to dislike who I want even though there are people out there working hard to change that to. I feel politicians give a crap about one thing, themselves. They will do anything, including passing silly laws or not passing needed laws just to get votes."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=118&topic_id=42201#42215

"I guess it would be to much to ask you to act like a man and retract it. "
Tell us Dems, do you want to pretend there's not another "enthusiast" saying about Kerry (and EVERY other Democrat in the race): "The lesser of two evils...Is still evil."?

[demsrule4life]

55. I'm having trouble finding the word evil

in either one of those posts. Maybe it is used in all the posts I linked to Newsmax with.

[MrBenchley]

56. What was that about the "thousand-yard stare"?

Look at post 17 in that thread and you will find, just as I said, a pro-gun "enthusiast" using the word evil, just as I said. In fact, he uses it twice to describe the Democratic field.

How are you coming with finding that pro-Democratic post of yours?

[demsrule4life]

58. And as I said

I never called John Kerry evil. I'm not responsible for what other people say.

[MrBenchley]

61. Yeah, dems, you've said a lot of things...

amazing NONE of them seem to have been pro-Democrat....

But at least when you were running the Democrats and John Kerry down repeatedly, you didn't use the word "evil."

[slackmaster]

59. Nice try but no Havana cigar for you

There is no reply #17.

[CO Liberal]

63. There Was...Between Replies 15 and 20

It was deleted, but the number is still there.

[MrBenchley]

64. You know, occasionally even I have to look to see

what some folks are babbling about...and it's almost never worth it.

Here's the thread I referenced AGAIN.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=118&topic_id=42201#42215

Here's the post, by an "enthusiast."

"17. The lesser of two evils...
Is still evil."

Sure is a lot of raging democratic support among the bullet swofr brains crowd...guess some people put their gun fetish above everything, including the good of the country.

[slackmaster]

66. Um, no

Your link goes to a reply that was not written by demsrule4life.

Pretty deceitful of you, IMO.

[CO Liberal]

26. I Don't Know, Dems.....

Why don't you tell us?

:-)

[enfield collector]

5. only when you buy from a private individual, which you can

do without going to a gun show. anytime you buy from a FFL holder you have to go through NICS, doesn't matter if it's at a gun show or not.

[natasha1]

31. I wonder....

Wonder how many ordinary Iowans are aware that background checks weren't required at gun shows in their states?

I wonder how many ordinary Iowans are aware that background checks aren't required for sales between private individuals, at gun shows or anywhere else?

In any case, it's pretty much a mute point. I've been to lots of gun shows. You will find, at any given time, maybe 5 private citizens wandering around the show with a rifle slung over their shoulder with a flag sticking out of the barrel that says, "For Sale". The vast majority of the tables are run by FFL dealers, which must conduct background checks before completing a sale.

Nat

[MrBenchley]

32. Well, yeah, considering

ordinary Americans are nearly unanimous in wanting background checks before guns are sold.

"The vast majority of the tables are run by FFL dealers"
And Wayne La Pierre is the Queen of the May..

[CO Liberal]

7. Gun club lawsuits settled, bill isn't (FL)

A continuation of a story reported earlier on this board. Underlining emphasis mine - proof that the NRA does not have an IQ requirement for membership. - Wayne

* * * * *

Gun club lawsuits settled, bill isn't

Gov. Jeb Bush brings state agencies to the table on a 4-year-old pollution case, but an NRA-backed bill it inspired lives on.

By CRAIG PITTMAN and STEVE BOUSQUET
Published April 22, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a push from Gov. Jeb Bush, state agencies have settled two lawsuits against a Pinellas Park gun range as Florida lawmakers prepare to pass legislation that would have dismissed the cases.

The settlements end a contentious four-year legal battle capped by the National Rifle Association's push to ban state agencies from ever suing a gun range. NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer called such lawsuits "back-door gun control."

State House members spent an hour Wednesday debating a watered-down version of the NRA-backed bill (SB 1156) and could pass it today and send it to the governor.

Bush, an NRA member for 16 years, said he would sign it.

<more>

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/22/State/Gun_club_lawsuits_set.shtml

[MrBenchley]

16. Shoot and pollute...

[CO Liberal]

8. Gun-toting bill adds bars, clubs along with a no-imbibing twist (AZ)

Remind me to stay out of Arizona if this moronic bit of legislation passes. - Wayne

* * * * *

Gun-toting bill adds bars, clubs along with a no-imbibing twist

Robbie Sherwood
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 22, 2004 12:00 AM

The state House on Wednesday added bars and nightclubs to a bill that would let people take guns into restaurants that serve alcohol.

But there's a twist. The gun-carriers would not be allowed to drink alcohol.

The bill, backed by the National Rifle Association and opposed by restaurant groups and liquor wholesalers, gained preliminary approval in the House. It could face a formal vote as early as today.

"I find the best safety we have in society is good citizens who are armed," said Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who supported the measure, Senate Bill 1210. It is a revised version of one previously approved by the House.

<more>

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0422barguns22.html

[demsrule4life]

11. You two really do need to communicate with

each other more.

[CO Liberal]

13. What The Hell Are You Talking About, Dems?

:shrug:

[demsrule4life]

14. Look at the first post

[CO Liberal]

24. Oh, La-Di-Freakin'-Da - So I Posted a Dupe!!!!

It's that's the biggest problem in your life, Dems, you lead a charmed life.

[demsrule4life]

34. When people constantly make the same mistake

it tends to make them look stupid.

[MrBenchley]

40. You mean like slurring Democrats on a Democratic board, dems?

Some humholes around here do THAT over and over and over again.

You'll notice so few posts accuse the RKBA crowd of any intelligence whatsoever...they're barely bright enough to understand gun specifications, and so grotesquely stupid that they think understanding gun specifications means a fucking thing.

That's why refuting their imbecilic right wing talking points brings nothing but that "thousand yard stare" you were accusing others of having, and more idiot repetition of the same discredited horseshit.

[demsrule4life]

42. discredited by whom?

You? Since I don't really credit you with much, there is no reason for me to believe something isnt right because you say so.

[MrBenchley]

43. By facts, dems...

You know, those things the RKBA crowd never have....the ones they pretend they're mining from right wing cesspools like Newsmax and the Stentorian....

[CO Liberal]

41. "People Constantly Making The Same Mistake"

You mean like calling Ed Asner a Communist??

:shrug:

[demsrule4life]

45. You forgot

I also said he was an over rated actor. I know let's have a contest, how many times have I called Ed Asner a commie? Once? how many dupes have you posted?

[CO Liberal]

47. Well, EXCU-U-U-U-U-U-U-USE ME!!!!

There's a world of difference between an honest mistake (such as posting a dupe) and viciously maligning a respected individual like Ed Asner.

[slackmaster]

48. Always use the Jerry Seinfeld qualifier when you label someone

e.g. "So-and-so is a Scientologist. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

:D

[demsrule4life]

49. See that is where the difference is between us

You respect him, I don't. Get over it. Like the old saying goes opinions and assholes.

[CO Liberal]

50. Another Difference Between Us

I want to have orderly discussions on this board - you seem to want to start battles.

[demsrule4life]

51. I dont agree with that

usually I respond to people that have already started them.

[CO Liberal]

52. Oh????

By bitching and moaning that I posted a dupe?

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Romulus]

21. Pennsylvania law does not "bar" firearms from restaurants, either

(pun intended)

And we all know what a lawless outpost that place is, what with Gov. Rendell and all. :eyes:

[CO Liberal]

27. Is That Why The Nuts Ruining America Had Their Convention There?

:-)

[MrBenchley]

10. Relatives of DC sniper victims march for gun control

"ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- A year and a half ago, they were mourning the loss of a son and a brother gunned down during the Washington area sniper spree.
Now, Vickie Snider and Sonia Wills are pushing for the greater gun control, and hoping to get thousands of women to join this year's Million Mom March.
Organizers hope to draw hundreds of thousands of women to the U.S. Capitol on May 9 -- Mother's Day -- which Wills calls the perfect time and place for women to try to prevent anything like her son's death from happening again.
And now, Wills wants the federal government to do more to stop such attacks -- starting with a renewed ban on assault weapons. The current ban is due to expire in September, and activists -- including those behind the Million Mom March -- are pushing for a renewal. They insist President Bush promised to extend the ban, but has done nothing to live up to that pledge. "

http://www.wvec.com/news/local/stories/wvec_top_042204_sniper_relatives.14d3ea896.html

For more information or to take part, go to

http://www.mmm2004.com/

[OpSomBlood]

18. Perhaps the solution is...

For the military to keep better tabs on their mentally ill veterans so that they can intervene before they go on kill-crazy rampages.

Just an idea.

[slackmaster]

23. Naw, that makes waaaaaaaaaaay too much sense

:toast:

[CO Liberal]

12. Teen athlete killed after pointing fake gun, witness says (OH)

I'm afraid we'll see many more stories liek this as more people in the Buckeye State start carrying. - Wayne

* * * * *

Teen athlete killed after pointing fake gun, witness says

04/22/04

Lila J. Mills
Plain Dealer Reporter

Lorenzo Hunter was shot dead after he pointed a phony gun at a man packing a real one, police said.

The Benedictine High School sophomore was trying to rob 20-year-old Rodney Roberts with a plastic gun when Roberts shot him, a witness told police.

City prosecutors charged Roberts on Wednesday with aggravated murder. He is to appear in court this morning. He is accused of shooting Lorenzo in the chest, arm and hip about 2 a.m. last Friday.

David King, president of the Cuyahoga Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said that while he is not privy to the evidence, Roberts may be able to claim self-defense. "It may be a viable defense," King said. "There are certainly the basics for it. He had to believe he was being threatened with a real gun."

<more>

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/108263911158560.xml

ON EDIT: Related Story -


Cleveland man jailed in killing of teen athlete

04/21/04

Lila J. Mills
Plain Dealer Reporter

A 20-year-old Cleveland man was in jail Tuesday, accused of gunning down a star high school athlete.

Rodney Roberts was arrested on a murder warrant in the shooting death of Lorenzo Hunter. Police will present evidence to city prosecutors today seeking a homicide charge against Roberts.

<snip>

Lorenzo, 16, was found dead Friday morning near East 124th Street and Craven Avenue, about two miles from his Mount Auburn Avenue home. He had been shot in the chest, left arm and hip.

Lorenzo's school was on spring break and he was hanging out with friends when he was shot about 2 a.m., police said. Roberts lives with his family a few doors from the shooting scene.

<more>

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1082544945238020.xml

[Romulus]

22. salient part

The Benedictine High School sophomore was trying to rob 20-year-old Rodney Roberts with a plastic gun when Roberts shot him, a witness told police.

Play with fire, risk getting burned.

Roberts lived with his family just a few doors away on Craven Avenue. Neighbors said he was polite and friendly. But his block was sometimes so busy with drug activity that it resembled a drive-through lane at a fast-food restaurant, some said. Roberts has never been convicted of a drug-related crime. His only convictions were minor traffic violations in Cleveland Municipal Court. He was wanted for a traffic case out of Bedford.

and

Lorenzo was well known for his work on the football field. He was a sophomore at Benedictine High School on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and played on the school's state champion football team last fall. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound wide receiver-safety got his first varsity start in his freshman year and started in five post-season games that year.


The Roberts guy could have pulled out a knife and stabbed the "kid," or wrestled him to the ground and caused him to die after sitting on his chest while waiting for the LEOs to show up, as what (IIRC) happened in Rockville, MD a few months back.

Anyway, the Ohio CCW law only allows those 21-and-over to get a permit. So the guy who shot the teenager was obviously carrying illegally (though I sympathize with him). What was the high schooler doing hanging out on the street at 2AM, anyway?

[slackmaster]

25. Whoops! Never mind.

On edit: Now that I've actually read the article, make that "tough shit".

The Benedictine High School sophomore was trying to rob 20-year-old Rodney Roberts with a plastic gun when Roberts shot him, a witness told police.

Sounds like a pretty clear case of self-defense.

[CO Liberal]

30. But If the Guy Didn't Have a Real Gun.....

...the teen would be in juvenile hall right now, instead of a cemetary.

[slackmaster]

33. Again, because he was trying to rob a man

In a society where some people carry real guns, I say "tough shit."

The robbery victim had no way to be sure the gun wasn't real.

[CO Liberal]

37. So In Other Words...

...people who you consider to be scum have no worth as human beings.

But any asshole with a real, live gun does.

I think I get it now..... </sarcasm>

[demsrule4life]

38. I have heard it is a right wing concept

personal responsiblitly, he pulled a gun, real or not and ended up dead. Cause and effect, he caused the situation and the effect is he is dead.

[slackmaster]

39. Let me explain my attitude a little more clearly

The kid with the toy gun made a very stupid set of decisions:

1) Attempting to commit a robbery, and

2) Going into a potential gun fight without a gun, and

3) Using something that looks just like a gun to intimidate someone in a society where the probability of your targeted victim being armed with a gun is greater than zero.

Those were all very stupid things to do. Using a fake gun in a place like Great Britain where the chance of your victim being armed with a gun is essentially zero isn't such a bad idea, if you really want to be a robber. But doing that in the USA is just plain dumb.

I make no judgement as to the scuminess or lack thereof of the dead kid. I'm simply saying it's 100% his own fault that he is dead.

Does that help?

Edited for multiple grammatical and spelling errors. Need coffee.

[Wickerman]

36. Play with fire, risk getting burned. eom

[MrBenchley]

19. Double Shooting Sends 2 To Hospital

"Police said the people shot each other in the 1400 block of Cibola just west of Loop 12 in Oak Cliff late Wednesday night.
Police believe they knew each other."

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/3030453/detail.html

[MrBenchley]

28. One Dead, Three Wounded In SW Baltimore Shooting

"BALTIMORE -- Authorities said one man is dead and three people were wounded in a shooting overnight at a bar in southwest Baltimore.
It happened just after midnight in the 2100 block of Frederick Avenue.
Police said a man carried a shotgun into the bar and fired five times. The man got into a car and rode off with someone who had been waiting for him."

http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/3030255/detail.html

[MrBenchley]

29. Braddock teen shot in face (PA)

"Police said the teen was standing on the porch while arguing with a man inside the home.
The man then opened the door and fired a handgun at the youth.
William Ackerman, 28, who lives at the residence, was arrested and was expected to face charges of criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault and receiving stolen property."

http://www.pittsburgpost-gazette.com/pg/04113/304644.stm

[MrBenchley]

35. Cab Driver Shot Twice In Neck (WI)

"A Milwaukee cab driver is clinging to life after someone shot him.
Police said someone shot the 56-year-old driver twice in the neck area.
It happened at Palmer and Garfield early Wednesday morning; the motive is unknown.
"He has a young wife, he has a baby, and they are totally destroyed," said Barbara Miles, the general manager of Yellow Cab. "The whole family is from another country, and they don't know what to do right now." "

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040422/lo_wisn/2104993

[MrBenchley]

44. Federal indictment against New Haven man

Well, here's the answer to the burning question, "Who needs an assault weapon?"

"NEW HAVEN , Conn. -- A city man who has been in custody for more than two years on state weapon charges has been indicted on federal weapon and identity theft counts.
When police and federal agents raided his parent's home on Dec. 11, 2001, they seized five Social Security cards, one U.S. passport, seven birth certificates, three state identification cards and two drivers licenses. Those items led to the identity theft charge.
In state court, Cornelius faces charges including illegal possession of an assault weapon, false statements in purchasing a firearm, identity theft, and manufacturing of a bomb.
During the raid, authorities seized five metal boxes containing ammunition and shotgun shells, along with a variety of ammunition magazines for assault rifles, a pistol-gripped shotgun and several handguns, authorities said.
They also found literature on how to make bombs and incendiary devices and pamphlets denouncing a variety of ethnic and religious groups,"

http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2004/04/22/federal_indictment_against_new_haven_man/

[MrBenchley]

57. Gunsmith tied to Mexican Mafia pleads guilty

<sarcasm>Good thing it's impossible to convert assault weapons to full auto...as the RKBA crowd tells us with monotonous regularity. </sarcasm>

"Michael Wayne Jackson, 50, pleaded guilty to illegal gun making and faces about five years in prison when sentenced this summer.
Prosecutors say Jackson modified semiautomatic .223-caliber Bushmaster rifles to fire automatically and obliterated serial numbers to make the weapons harder to track.
The informant bought two machine guns for $5,000 each from Jackson through Marquez and fired the guns with Jackson and Marquez at a North County shooting range, prosecutors said.
After Marquez mentioned silencers he used on handguns in Tijuana, the informant gave Jackson two Ruger pistols in January and asked him to fit them with silencers, prosecutors said.
"These aren't the first ones I've ever made," Jackson said nine days later when returning the modified guns, according to court documents. "

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20040422-9999-1m22jackson.html

The assault weapon ban needs to be strengthened and renewed, just as John Kerry, Diane Feinstein, Charles Schumer, Carolyn McCarthy and others propose.

[slackmaster]

60. Original article in print edition of the paper had pictures

And it was discussed in this forum.

The guy is an experienced machinist and gunsmith. He had two Bridgeport milling machines, a lathe, and a whole bunch of other metalworking equipment in his shop. How many people have the know-how and equipment to do that kind of work, AND an inclination to break the law?

The informant bought two machine guns for $5,000 each from Jackson...

We should all live in fear because there are illegal black-market machineguns selling for $5,000. I'm sure every gang-banger is rushing out to buy one right now.

:eyes:

<sarcasm>Good thing it's impossible to convert assault weapons to full auto...as the RKBA crowd tells us with monotonous regularity. </sarcasm>

That's not even good sarcasm. It's just a plain-old Straw Man argument.

[MrBenchley]

62. Colt Sues Heckler & Koch, Bushmaster Over Copies of M4 Rifle

Guess gun control advocates aren't the only ones who think some gun manufacturers are evading the assault weapon ban....

"April 21 (Bloomberg) -- Colt Defense LLC, the exclusive supplier of the M4 rifle to the U.S. military, claimed in a lawsuit that Heckler & Koch Inc. and Bushmaster Firearms Inc. are selling ``copycat'' versions of the weapon.
Closely held Colt seeks a court order to block Bushmaster and Heckler & Koch from using the M4 name or design in any of their products. Colt claims Bushmaster's XM-15 E2S ``M4 Type'' and Heckler & Koch's planned ``HKM4'' are ``identical'' to Colt's, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia.
West Hartford, Connecticut-based Colt has sold more than 7 million M16 rifles and M4 carbines, which are lightweight rifles with short barrels. The M4, which is used by the U.S. military and armed forces in more than 80 countries, isn't available to the general public. "

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000100&sid=abXnyAwo5zX4&refer=germany

[slackmaster]

68. This is a trademark violation suit

You left out the most salient part of the article:

``Bushmaster has intentionally copied the names used by Colt and the look and feel of Colt's M4 carbine in order to mislead the consuming public into believing that Bushmaster's products are comparable to Colt's,'' according to the suit.

:eyes:

The suit doesn't allege copying of a firearm, just unlawful use of a trade name.

Pretty deceitful of you, MrBenchley. The assault weapons ban has nothing to do with trademark law.

[MrBenchley]

65. Police: Boy Shot, Killed While Playing With Gun (MI)

"The parents of a 7-year-old boy may face charges after he was shot and killed Thursday afternoon while playing with a loaded gun, Local 4 reported.
Police say the child and his older brother, 13, were alone inside a home in the 19000 block of Annchester Street when the teen heard a gunshot around 3:30 p.m.
The boy apparently found a loaded gun in an upstairs room and shot himself in the neck while playing with it, according to police. His body stumbled down a flight of stairs, according to Local 4 reports. "

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040422/lo_wdiv/2107404

[RamboLiberal]

67. Police Say CHP Officer Was Teen's Random Target

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-042204copshot_lat,1,7810566,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines

A veteran CHP officer who was fatally gunned down in front of the Pomona courthouse was the randomly chosen target of a 16-year-old boy intent on "killing a cop," the Pomona police chief said this morning.

Detectives arrested a suspect in the case, who lives both in Fontana and Pomona, early today.

Authorities believe the suspect did not know the officer and just happened across him during a hunt for a police officer to shoot. Because the suspect is a juvenile, officials would offer few details about the case.

"It's clear he wanted to kill a cop, but not this particular cop," said Police Chief James M. Lewis at a press conference this morning.

The shooting took place moments after the officer, Thomas Steiner, 35, had testified in a series of minor traffic cases, authorities said.

Steiner was struck repeatedly in the attack and suffered one gunshot wound to the head, authorities said. The five-year CHP veteran died at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.