Northwest Indiana Discussion

A Marine Corps veteran with a concealed carry permit stopped a suspect in a brutal beating in West Allis, Wis., on Tuesday morning when he drew his gun and called the police.

Charlie Blackmore, Jr. told Wisconsin Fox affiliate WITI that he saw a man kicking a woman in the head and belly at the side of the road as he was driving to work early the morning of March 12. He pulled his car over and told the suspect to stop, but the man came towards him.

That’s when Blackmore, who served in the Marines from 2005 to 2007, decided to draw his weapon, a 9mm handgun. Blackmore told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the suspect, who he estimated stood more than 6 feet tall and weighed about 220 pounds, proceeded to taunt him, reportedly saying “Shoot me, then.”

According to WITI, audio of Blackmore’s 911 call reveals the suspect tried to walk away when confronted.

“There’s a black male that just beat up a female in the street. He’s walking away from me. I told him to stop,” Blackmore said on the call. “If you come at me, I will shoot you,” he told the suspect

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters on Tuesday that he would not have been able to get a gun control bill to the Senate floor if it included the assault weapon ban.

Reid explained that the decision to move a comprehensive bill sans an assault weapon ban was made because otherwise there would not have been 60 votes. He said members will still be able to vote on the assault weapon ban through an amendment.

“Dianne has worked so hard on this,” Reid said, referring to the ban’s sponsor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). “She understands going back to the day she found the mayor dead in his office. I know that, but right now her amendment, using the most optimistic numbers, has less than 40 votes. That’s not 60. I have to get something on the floor so we can have votes on that issue and the other issues.”

Marine Pulls Gun To Save Woman Being Beaten

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) shot back late Tuesday at the notion her federal assault weapons ban bill was doomed after Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) decided against including it in a base bill of gun control measures.

“This is very important to me and I’m not gong to lay down and play dead,” she said on CNN. “I think the American people have said in every single public poll that they support this kind of legislation.”

Reid earlier Tuesday said the Senate would vote on Feinstein’s bill as an amendment to the broader gun-reform package, but that it would not be packaged with some of the less-controversial measures that deal with increasing school safety, and cracking down on straw purchasers.

Reid defended the decision to reporters, predicting Feinstein’s legislation wouldn’t pull a majority even in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The commercial is an unambiguous appeal to gun owners: a middle-aged hunter, rifle in hand, vows that he will fight to protect the Second Amendment. But in a sensible, father-of-the-house tone, he also urges voters to support comprehensive background checks, “so criminals and the dangerously mentally ill can’t buy guns.”

The man behind the advertisement is not known for his kinship with the gun crowd: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the nation’s fiercest advocate of restrictions on firearms since the December rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Determined to persuade Congress to act in response to that shooting, Mr. Bloomberg on Monday will begin bankrolling a $12 million national advertising campaign that focuses on senators who he believes might be persuaded to support a pending package of federal regulations to curb gun violence. The ads, in a dozen states, will blanket those senators’ districts during an Easter Congressional recess that is to be followed by debate over the legislation.

The White House today announced that President Obama plans to campaign for the assault weapons ban after he returns from his trip to Israel.

According to the Associated Press, Obama will travel outside of Washington D.C. to “rally support for the measures, including the assault weapons ban.”

Obama focused his weekly address on the Senate’s gun control efforts, reminding Americans of the Sandy Hook massacre.

“It has now been three months since the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut,” Obama said. “Three months since we lost 20 innocent children and six dedicated adults who had so much left to give.

Three months since we, as Americans, began asking ourselves if we’re really doing enough to protect our communities and keep our children safe.”

White House press secretary Jay Carney suggested Tuesday that GOP Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul are out of step with the public on gun-control measures.

The three lawmakers have threatened to filibuster “any legislation that will serve as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions.”

Carney said he hasn’t spoken with President Obama about the threat, but the White House position is clear.

“Filibusters of efforts to move forward with common-sense measures to reduce gun violence would be unfortunate,” he said. “We have worked with Congress, with the Senate, to try to advance the elements of the president’s plan that require legislative action and these again are common-sense measures.

President Obama will hold an event Wednesday with law enforcement officials and mothers of gun violence victims, marking the 100th day since the Newtown, Conn., mass shooting.

The president is looking to build momentum for a package of new gun control measures to be considered by the Senate early next month.

The legislation would expand background checks on firearm purchases, create new penalties on straw purchases and include new funding for school security. But the bill will not include other aspects of the plan introduced by the president in the aftermath of the shooting, which left 20 children and six educators dead, including the renewal of an assault weapons ban or limits on magazine capacity.

President Obama is quietly moving forward on gun control.

The president has used his executive powers to bolster the national background check system, jumpstart government research on the causes of gun violence and create a million-dollar ad campaign aimed at safe gun ownership.

The executive steps will give federal law enforcement officials access to more data about guns and their owners, help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, and lay the groundwork for future legislative efforts.

It is unclear whether the National Rifle Association (NRA) will challenge any of the executive actions in court. A spokesman for the NRA did not return a request for comment.

The moves, which have not been widely touted by the administration, come as Obama ups his pressure on Congress to take action on gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. The Senate is expected to begin floor consideration of legislation when it returns in April.

the meaning of ironic

"I'm ahead of everybody else because, basically, I'm a soldier.

April 1, 2013, Fort Collins, CO –HiViz Shooting Systems (a division of North Pass Ltd.), announces plans to relocate operations out of the state of Colorado due to recent changes in Colorado state gun control legislation. HiViz President and CEO, Phillip Howe, states that talks are currently under way with officials of a neighboring stater egarding the move.

Mr. Howe comments, “I make this announcement with mixed emotions. Colorado is a beautiful state with great people, but we cannot in clear conscience support with our taxes a state that has proven through recent legislation a willingness to infringe upon the constitutional rights of our customer base.” Mr. Howe notes that prior to the changes in law in Colorado, he made several attempts to persuade state officials via emails and telephone calls to proceed slowly with gun control legislation that would impact individual shooters and the shooting industry as a whole.

Although the relocation will be expensive and time consuming, he adds, “It is in the best interest of our company and our customers.” Starting with corporate headquarters, the operations will be moved over an extended period of time ensuring no interruption of services to its customer base, and HiViz states that the majority of its employees will make the move with the corporate operations. More details regarding the location and timing of the relocation will be announced as details are finalized.