73-year-old Utah man arrested for shooting at kids he thought were driving too fast

 A 73-year-old Ivins, Utah man was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault and felony discharge of a firearm after alleged firing a gun at a group of teens he thought were driving too fast. The man told police that he chased the car driven by the teens because they were "driving fast and kicking up dust and rocks." 

The teens told police the man pulled up behind them when they parked their car at their house.  According to the police report "the driver of the van opened the door, ordered the juveniles onto the ground, and then shot a round into the ground. The juveniles ran into the house and the man proceeded to follow with the pistol still in his hand." 

The man was not able to get into the house and eventually left. He was stopped by police a short time later. Two guns were found in his car, including the .38 special that had just been fired. 

Utah is one of the 26 states in this country that do not require any sort of permitting process or firearms training in order to carry a gun in public. 

Student Unintentionally Shoots Himself While Walking on Campus

 A 39-year-old college student at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida is in critical condition after unintentionally shooting himself in the thigh. 

According to police, the student was running late to class when surveillance footage showed him pulling into the parking lot and hurrying towards a building. Seconds later the gun tucked into his waistband unintentionally discharged and he fell to the ground. The student was found unconscious, laying on top of a 9mm handgun. 

Police noted that while the student did have a concealed weapons permit, carrying a firearm on school grounds is illegal. 

"We don't know what his intentions were," said police. "He could have forgotten that he had it tucked in his waistband, or he could have been intentionally taking it with him to class." The student is facing charges for violating the campus firearm policy. 

Just this week Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that would allow residents to carry a concealed loaded weapon without a permit or any firearm training.  A recent study out of Johns Hopkins University found that loosening concealed carry laws was associated with a 24% increase in the rate of assault with firearms. 

Man Pulls Gun in Road Rage Incident Ends Up Shooting Himself

 A man was driving on Buchanan Highway in Paulding County, Georgia around 7:45 in the morning.  Traffic was backedup due to a lumber truck trying to make a delivery. Two men were wearing reflective vests and directing traffic. Deputies stated that the road rage suspect was "clearly impatient and annoyed by the delay." The man got out of his car, pulled out a handgun and started threatening the workers.  

Eventually the angry man returned to his vehicle. While trying to re-holster his gun he unintentionally shot himself in the hand. No one else was injured. 

He was taken to the hospital for treatment. Deputies stated that they are reviewing the incident and will determine whether to charge the man after he is released from the hospital. 

TSA Stops Record Number of Firearms at Airport Security Checkpoints in 2022

 TSA officers stopped 6,542 firearms from getting through airport security checkpoints in 2022.  This is an increase of over 300% in just the last decade. Firearms were caught at 262 airports nationwide. TSA reports that of the guns caught in 2022 approximately 88% were loaded. 

At Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Georgia TSA officers found more than one gun every day. The 2022 total for Atlanta was 448 firearms. The next top airports were Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, 385 firearms, George Bush Airport Houston, Texas, 298 firearms, Nashville Airport, Tennessee, 213 firearms and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Arizona, 196 firearms. 

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms if they are in their checked baggage. Guns must be unloaded and packed in a locked case. Ammunition must be in its original box. The firearm must be brought to the attention of the airline at the check-in counter. Firearms are transported in the belly of the aircraft so that they are not accessible during flight. 

Earlier this week a man was stopped at Washington National Airport when security found a loaded .25-caliber handgun in his carry-on bag. The man claimed he forgot he had his gun with him. He was cited on a weapon charge that carries a penalty of no more than $15,000.  

Question - should someone who forgets they are carrying around a loaded gun be allowed to own a deadly weapon?

Armed Road Rage Suspect Arrested At Drive-Thru

 A Houston, Texas man with a criminal history of road rage was arrested after allegedly waving a gun at another driver. The 32-year-old man was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 

According to police, a man reported he was being tailgated by a driver who was waving a gun around. He watched as the man with the gun pulled into a McDonald's parking lot. Police arrested the man while he was waiting for his order in the drive-thru lane. They found a loaded handgun inside his car. 

The man had been arrested in 2018 for allegedly threatening someone with his car. 

Man Unintentionally Shot and Killed by Dog

 A 30-year-old Wichita, Kansas man was on a hunting trip when a dog stepped on a rifle causing the gun to fire. The bullet hit the man in the back killing him instantly. 

According to police, the man was sitting in the passenger seat of a pickup truck. "The back seat contained hunting gear and a rifle. A canine belonging to the owner of the pickup stepped on the rifle causing the weapon to discharge. The fired round struck the passenger who died of his injuries on scene."

According to a coworker "he was a truly amazing man. He was kind, funny, smart, and very loving. Every time he walked through the door, he would make someone smile. Either from being a goofball or just his natural presence making everything better. It wasn't hard to love Joe because he always made you feel like you were one of a kind and never left a conversation without letting you know he loved you."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with funeral costs. 

Guns are the only consumer product you can buy that are not regulated by consumer protection laws. There is no legal requirement that a rifle be safe from unintentional discharge when it is dropped, bumped, or stepped on by a dog. 

Mass Shooter in Monterey Park Used Military Style Pistol

Saturday night, a 72-year-old man opened fire at the Star Ballroom in Monterey Park, California, killing 10 people and injuring 10 more. An 11th victim died a day later in the hospital. People had gathered to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The victims, five men and six women, were all over 50. 

According to news reports, the shooter was armed with a MAC-11 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a large capacity ammunition magazine. MAC stands for Military Armament Corporation. The gun is a machine pistol developed in the 1970s. It is capable of emptying an entire 30-round magazine in less than two seconds. The gun was designed for combat and is currently being used by the special operations and terrorism unit of the Brazilian Navy as well as Venezuela's largest National Police Agency. Police found at least 42 shell casings and an empty magazine at the scene. 

While the motive of the shooter has yet to be determined what is clear is that he intended to inflict maximum harm by using a military pistol with a large capacity magazine giving him the ability to fire many bullets in a short period of time.  Why is a gun with such deadly firepower readily available to the public? 

Bullets From Gun Range Keep Hitting Nearby Homes, Gun Range Owner Says Concerns 'No Big Deal'

 A gun range in Conroe, Texas is raising concerns for neighbors and customers alike. Bullets from the gun range have been hitting homes, cars, and garages in a subdivision that borders the range. One homeowner found a bullet in his backyard. Another discovered a bullet lodged in his car. A local news crew filmed bullet holes in a chimney, garage, window and wall of nearby homes. 

One neighbor said he knew he was moving next to a gun range but didn't expect stray bullets to be flying near his home. "We are concerned we can't be outside without being in danger, especially the frequency it has been happening."  

The gun range owner told the reporter that concerns were "not a big deal" and he was not looking to make any changes. When asked about an recent incident where a man was hit in the face by a cartridge ejected from the rifle he was shooting the owner said what happened was human error and it was "more funny than anything." The man had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. 

Recently two men took their sons skeet shooting at the range when they suddenly heard bullets flying towards them. "It was terrifying. I was scared to death for my son and his friend," one of the men said. The group hid behind a truck and called the owner of the range who didn't show any urgency. The shots continued for another 20 minutes. "They need to reassess their protocols and safety situations. If they can't do that, they do need to shut down." 

Young Teen Unintentionally Shoots and Kills Boy. Will an Adult Be Held to Account?

 A 14-year-old Dallas, Texas girl has been charged with murder after unintentionally shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy. 

According to a police statement, the girl was arguing with another 14-year-old girl in the parking lot of her apartment complex. She "retrieved a handgun and shot in the direction of the female she was fighting. However, the shot struck a male juvenile bystander." The boy, De'Evan, died at the scene. 

Where did the 14-year-old get the handgun? Every gun in the hand of a child had to pass through the hands of an adult first.  Will the adult who enabled this girl be held accountable? News reports give no indication of where the gun came from, who owns it, or how the girl came to possess it. 

De'Evan's mother wants people to know that "he was a very talented young man, he had a great future ahead of him." She also wants people to "take this story and do something productive with it. Let my son not have died in vain and let this save somebody else's child."