Defending Against Forced Entry USCCA/Gregg Kielma In a quiet Chicago neighborhood, where witnesses say “nothing ever happens," an 80-year-old man answered a knock at his door and found a young man and a woman waiting for him. The duo pushed their way in, demanding the homeowner give them money and then assaulting him. The bigger, younger and stronger male beat the homeowner badly, putting him in critical condition when he was later hospitalized. But the gentleman fought back. Despite being beaten nearly to unconsciousness, the defender retrieved his firearm and shot the attacker once in the chest. The woman fled. Both intruders were arrested. The attacker was later hospitalized and was reportedly in critical condition from his gunshot wound. In Review: No two self-defense incidents are ever the same. From what we know from the reports of this incident, here are my key takeaways: Legal: The defender faced a pair of deadly threats. The robbers had both the intention and the means to critically injure him … and did so. In addition, they were engaged in a felony. This case appears to be an appropriate use of force. Tactical: First, our defender had a firearm available and in a location he could get to under stress. But that stress would not have been present had he done two things: installed cameras to monitor the front door and refused to open the door. In most cases, a home invader will not invade if you make it difficult. Additional barriers such as dead bolts and an alarm system would also have been helpful. Training: Our defender learned the hard way that in today’s world, the rule needs to be “pants on, gun on.” Having to retrieve a firearm once a fight has started is not a viable solution for anyone, but particularly not for an 80-year-old gentleman. How important is it to have quick access to your firearm in a home-invasion scenario? What are effective ways to ensure your firearm is both secure and accessible?
Winter Garden Man Who Backed Vehicle Into Business And Stole Six Firearms Pleads Guilty Friday, September 27, 2024 U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Edward Vincenzo Camacho (20, Winter Garden) has pleaded guilty to theft of a firearm from a federal firearms licensee. Camacho faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, just before midnight on August 18, 2023, Camacho backed a sports utility vehicle into the front of a federal firearms licensee business. After smashing the front door and wall of the business, Camacho entered the store and broke a glass case where multiple firearms were housed. Camacho stole six firearms and then fled in his vehicle. Camacho was apprehended less than two hours later after a foot pursuit with law enforcement. During the foot pursuit, Camacho was seen tossing three firearms onto the ground, two of which were confirmed to be stolen from the federal firearms licensee business. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Winter Park Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Alexa McNeff. This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Updated September 27, 2024
Kamala Owns a Firearm or Does She? By Larry Keane The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump didn’t provide voters with much regarding a topic that is one of the most important issues to them as they consider which candidate they’ll support on Nov. 5: the Second Amendment. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have operated for three and a half years as the most hostile presidential administration against the firearm industry and the right to keep and bear arms. The vice president is talking on the campaign trail like she’ll continue that approach. Many believe she would be even more antigun, anti-industry as president than she is as the Biden administration’s “gun czar” leading The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention that is staffed by Everytown’s former top lobbyist. It took more than 90 minutes before there was even a mention of firearms and it was the candidates who brought it up, not the transparently biased moderators. Voters will be looking for more as they rightfully have serious concerns about what a potential Harris administration would mean for law-abiding Americans and their Constitutional rights to purchase and possess firearms. Surprise Gun Owner? ABC News debate moderator Linsey Davis referenced the vice president’s flip-flopping on mandatory gun buybacks, which amount to confiscation, during one question that was more about changing policy positions generally than it was about the Second Amendment specifically. Near the end of the debate, Davis asked, “You wanted mandatory buybacks for assault weapons. Now your campaign says you don’t,” Davis said before asking Harris why so many of her policy positions had changed, according to The Reload. Vice President Harris didn’t address the question and was only forced to respond later to a criticism by former President Donald Trump warning voters that if elected, the vice president would have “a plan to confiscate everyone’s gun.” She jumped in with a comment that caught viewers’ attention. “And then this business about taking everyone’s guns away, Tim Walz and I are both gun owners,” Vice President Harris stated. “We’re not taking anyone’s guns away. So stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.” The vice president’s remark about being a gun owner drew attention. She practically never mentions being a gun owner in all her calls for more gun control and the only reference before is a glancing mention in a 2019 CNN interview. Not surprisingly, Second Amendment supporters were skeptical of her statement. “So now Harris owns a gun? Ha, I’d love to know what kind/caliber and how often she trains with it,” competitive shooter, GunsOut TV founder and CNN commentator Shermichael Singleton posted on social media. Podcast host and former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly jumped in, too. “KH: we’re not taking anyone’s guns away. Truth: She is literally on camera saying she supports a mandatory buy-back program.” Kyle Smith posted on X about the vice president’s track record on gun confiscation as well. “Um Harris did support mandatory gun confiscation aka ‘buybacks’ and the people deserve an explanation of why she has reversed course on this, ABC News.” Smith posted a Bloomberg News article after his comment with the headline “Kamala Harris Supports Mandatory Buyback of Assault Weapons.” Outkick founder and sports and political commentator Clay Travis also added some important questions in his post about the remark. “Kamala owns a gun? Where does she keep it? Aren’t they illegal in DC? Has she ever talked about having a gun before? Genuinely curious.” Pro-Second Amendment attorney Kostas Moros added a salient point. “Kamala Harris is why Californians couldn’t buy a modern handgun for a decade,” he posted. And Ashley St. Clair posted about the hypocrisy of VP Harris’ remark. “Kamala Harris just said Trump is lying about her support of a mandatory gun buyback because she ‘is a gun owner’ The reality is, Kamala will get to keep the guns protecting her while she forces you to turn yours in. But don’t listen to me, listen to Kamala herself,” she posted while linking to a video of the vice president. Crime Fact Check Earlier in the debate, former President Trump brought up the fact that voters were still very concerned about crime while attacking the Biden-Harris administration track record on law enforcement and keeping Americans safe in their communities. ABC News moderator David Muir jumped in to attempt to fact check the former president in real time, suggesting President Trump was wrong. “President Trump, as you know, the FBI says overall violent crime is actually coming down in this country,” Muir falsely suggested. The former President didn’t let it slip, either. “Excuse me, the FBI made defrauding statements. They didn’t include the worst cities,” former President Trump corrected. “They didn’t include the cities with the worst crime.” That’s true and the former president was correct in fact-checking Muir. NSSF has reported on this in detail – nearly a third of America’s cities where most of the crime is being committed are no longer reporting crime statistics to the FBI. It’s an important fact that deserved more attention in the debate as well as “self-defense” and keeping one’s family and home safe remains the top reason given for why Americans continue to buy firearms during an historic stretch. Record of Concern Americans who value their Second Amendment rights can make their voices heard at the ballot box on Nov. 5. There are estimates of 10 million hunters who remain unregistered to vote, and over 22 million Americans who purchased a firearm for the first time since the previous presidential election. That’s a tidal force in a close-polling election and NSSF urges everyone to #GUNVOTE.Vice President Kamala Harris has a 20-plus-year fervently antigun record. Her top surrogates still vouch that she supports gun confiscation, upending the U.S. Supreme Court with antigun justices, “reimagining” the Constitution and would be more radical on gun control than she is right now as partner in the Biden-Harris administration. Don’t Risk Your Rights. #GUNVOTE on Nov. 5.
Did Biden falsely say that “you can buy whatever you want” at a gun show with “no background check”? Gregg Kielma Well, first you must know what you can buy at a gun show, right? Private sales - where the seller is not in the business of transacting guns. He has the inclination to sell something of his collection but doesn’t buy and sell guns as a primary means of getting a profit. Nope - no background check there in most states. But to say this is a gun show failure is flat wrong. A gun show is merely a convenient place to be selling a gun as that is where the buyers are. You don’t try to sell collectible beanie babies or postage stamps at a gun show, that’s not where the buyers are. The key here is that these are private sales using the convenience of a concentration of gun buyers. The last group is people selling because that’s their business. Those are DEALERS and as such must be FFLs and therefore must run a background check. The exception is in 22 states where the ATF says their carry permit is a good substitute for the NICS check. Texas is one such. For a dealer at a gun show Biden is lying. A check is required. So, what is the actual ratio of dealers to private sellers? About 99:1 from my observation. Perhaps 199:1. The reason is that a private vendor must rent a table and have alarmed cables securing his small inventory. To show one gun he must disconnect the cables, meaning for that interval none of his guns are alarmed, and can disappear in the crush of a crowd. Secondly, he really can’t have much of an inventory lest the ATF thinks he’s in the business of selling. Net result, given the competitive pricing of the other vendors, and cost of the table rental, he won’t sell enough to much cover his costs. So, Joe, you get 5 out of 5 Pinocchio’s. You twist the truth to fit your narrative. Shame on you.
Suspect at Trump International Golf Course Charged with Firearms Offenses Monday, September 16, 2024 Office of Public Affairs Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, has been charged by a criminal complaint in the Southern District of Florida with firearms charges related to an incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15. Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe in the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach. A detention hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23. The investigation remains ongoing. According to allegations in the criminal complaint, a Secret Service agent walking the golf course perimeter saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line. After the agent fired a service weapon in the direction of the rifle, a witness saw a man later identified as Routh fleeing the area of the tree line. Routh was later apprehended by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The complaint alleges that in the area of the tree line from which Routh fled, agents found a digital camera, a backpack, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope and a black plastic bag containing food. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated. According to the complaint, Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010. The FBI is leading the ongoing investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Secret Service are providing assistance. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ohio Man Sentenced For Making False Statements To Purchase Firearms And Unlawful Sale/Transfer Of Firearms To Juveniles Monday, September 16, 2024 U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Gabriel Gladman (23, Akron, Ohio) to four years in federal prison for making false and fictitious statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer with the intent to purchase firearms, and unlawful sale/transfer of firearms to juveniles. Gladman was also ordered to forfeit the following: a Smith & Wesson (SD40) semi-automatic firearm, a Taurus G2 semi-automatic firearm, a Glock 26 semi-automatic firearm, a FMK 9C1 semi-automatic firearm, 2 - Taurus G3 semi-automatic firearms, and 2 - Tara TM-9X semi-automatic firearms which are traceable proceeds of the offense. According to court documents, on eight separate occasions between November 2022 and June 2023, Gladman provided false information to federally licensed firearm dealers in Tampa with the intent to purchase eight semi-automatic firearms. On six separate dates, Gladman sold/transferred some of those firearms to juveniles under the age of 18. It was determined that some of those firearms were used by the juveniles during violent crimes in Tampa. At the time of Gladman’s arrest in Ohio, he was found in possession of two additional firearms. This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman. Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky will handle the forfeiture. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Kamala Harris: Firearms and The Second Amendment. She Wants Are Guns. A Lying Democrat Can Never Be Trusted WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris surprised some viewers during her debate with Donald Trump when she said that she's a gun owner, raising the fact to counter her Republican opponent's accusation that she wants to confiscate firearms. “Tim Walz and I are both gun owners,” Harris said, referencing her running mate. “We’re not taking anybody’s guns away.” Harris previously talked about owning a gun in 2019 during her first campaign for president. “I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do — for personal safety,” Harris previously said. “I was a career prosecutor.” At the time, her campaign said that Harris purchased a handgun years earlier and kept it locked up. A spokesperson did not provide any additional details when asked on Tuesday. The exchange about gun ownership came as Trump tried to paint Harris, who started her political career as a San Francisco district attorney, as radically liberal. “She is destroying our country,” he said. “She has a plan to defund the police. She has a plan to confiscate everybody’s gun. She has a plan to not allow fracking in Pennsylvania or anywhere else.” Harris rebutted each of Trump's allegations, adding that he should “stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.” Trump claims he wanted to send Harris a 'MAGA hat' for copying his policies Walz, the Minnesota governor, has also talked about gun ownership and boasted of his marksmanship. Republicans frequently describe Democrats as a threat to the Second Amendment, while Democrats describe their proposals as common sense measures to protect public safety. Harris has called for implementing universal background checks and expanding red flag laws to take away guns from people who are deemed dangerous or unstable. She also wants to ban so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Boone County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime Friday, September 6, 2024 U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Billy Ray Castle Jr., 40, of Bim, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 24, 2023, Castle possessed a Beretta Pietro SPA Model APX 9mm pistol and a Sig Sauer model P250 .40-caliber pistol in the Bim area of Boone County. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Castle knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for robbery in Boone County Circuit Court on November 18, 2003. Castle is scheduled to be sentenced on December 11, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Boone County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-71.
Baltimore Man Sentenced For Possession Of A Firearm And Ammunition By A Prohibited Person And Possession Of A Firearm In A School Zone Friday, September 6, 2024 U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Troy Spencer, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, to a total of 96 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm in a school zone and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”); and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department (“BPD”). On March 6, 2023, Spencer attended an elementary school basketball game at Leith Walk Elementary Middle School in the Northeastern District of Baltimore. Toward the end of the game, Spencer confronted the coaches of his son’s team over what he believed to be a lack of playing time. An argument escalated into a physical altercation, during which Spencer withdrew a firearm from his waistband and pointed it one of the coaches. The firearm was wrestled from Spencer, who then fled the scene in his car. Spencer was arrested on March 15, 2023 by the Baltimore Police Department’s Warrant Apprehension Task Force. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. U.S. Attorney Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their help in the investigation as well as the Leith Walk Elementary Middle School community for their support. Mr. Barron also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Gordin, who prosecuted the case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. Contact Angelina Thompson USAMD.Press@usdoj.gov (301) 344-4338
Firearms Straw Purchaser Convicted Friday, September 6, 2024 U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas HOUSTON – A federal jury has returned a guilty verdict against a woman with ties to the Houston area on one count of conspiracy and seven counts of making false statements to licensed firearms dealers, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Karina Deluna, 37, guilty after a four-day trial. From approximately Sept. 29, 2018, through at least Aug. 11, 2022, Deluna conspired with others to knowingly make false written statements to licensed firearms dealers aka straw purchasing. Deluna and her co-conspirators conducted straw purchases of at least 13 firearms, including multiple AR-15 style rifles, 9 mm handguns and a .50-caliber rifle. Testimony revealed Deluna’s co-conspirators intended to export the illegally obtained firearms to Mexico. The jury also heard that on Aug. 11, 2022, law enforcement discovered that conspirators were picking up a straw purchased Barrett, .50-caliber rifle from a federal firearms licensee in Houston. Authorities quickly responded and seized the $9,000 firearm from Deluna and others. The investigation revealed it had been destined for Mexico. During trial, the jury also heard from experts regarding the regulations and various licensing requirements necessary for exporting firearms to Mexico. The jury also saw the straw purchased .50-caliber rifle. U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks presided over the trial and set sentencing for Nov. 19. At that time, Deluna faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Previously released on bond, Deluna was taken into custody following the guilty verdicts where she will remain pending sentencing. This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation with the support of Homeland Security Investigations and the departments of Commerce and State. ATF Mexico provided substantial assistance in recovering some of the straw purchased weapons. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron Black are prosecuting the case.
