By Gerard Valentino
CNSNews.com Commentary
December 16, 2004

Few people remember the school shooting in Pearl, Mississippi that took place in October 1997. Fewer people remember how it ended.

This episode came to a close when Pearl High School Assistant Principal Joel Myrick sprinted a quarter mile to retrieve a personal handgun from his car and confronted the shooter who was unwilling to continue the attack against an armed victim.

Myrick parked so far away from the school to keep from violating federal gun free zone statutes. By the time the shooting spree ended, two students lay dead and seven others were wounded. Myrick's heroic defense of the children at his school was sparsely reported, going mostly unnoticed by the establishment media who were unwilling to report that he used a gun to end the mayhem and murder.

They were also unwilling to ask the hard question - how many children died while Myrick sprinted to his car?

Compare the carnage at Pearl High School with that of the Luby's cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, where a gunman murdered 22 people and wounded 18 others before turning the gun on himself. Among those at Luby's on October 16, 1991 was a woman who was licensed to carry a handgun, but obeyed the law by leaving her legally carried handgun in her car because of signs banning weapons.

At times she was within feet of the killer and instinctively reached for her gun which wasn't there. By the time it was over, her mother and father were among the dead.

Once again, the media never asked how many people were killed because the license holder was disarmed.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

A group called "Peace At Work" has inadvertantly proven the need for legalized self-defense in the workplace with results from their own study.

December 15, 2004
"Peace At Work" press release

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) December 15, 2004 -- On November 29th, two women were murdered at work by their husbands at almost the exact same time though they were a world apart. Shennel McKendall of Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Dikeledi Onica Nkatingi of Pretoria, South Africa share more than a tragic death; the factors that characterize their homicides fit the most common scenario surrounding this type of workplace violence. A new study by Peace at Work has discovered disturbing trends in its research of 155 cases of domestic violence assaults in the workplace. The majority of the cases (31%) occur in the parking lot and at the beginning of the workday, just as both McKendall and Nkatingi were confronted by their killers before they began their day as receptionists.

Just as 25% of other victims who were assaulted on the job had done, both victims had attempted to protect themselves by obtaining restraining orders. In these recent cases, both abusers had violated the order but were released from jail when they committed their final act of control. Just as 77% of these crimes are carried out with a fire-arm, both of these suspects used a handgun, despite a US federal law banning gun possession of anyone who has a restraining order placed against them.

If a piece of paper could not stop these perpetrators, would other security measures?

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

The Fremont News-Messenger reported yesterday that a Fremont man was arrested Tuesday morning, accused of holding up a local bar, threatening and assaulting at least one patron, and discharging his weapon.

Fremont police arrested Anthony Howey, 27, 412 Chestnut St., around 11 a.m. after he was accused of an armed robbery early Tuesday morning at Copper Penny, Inc., 502 E. State St.

Police Detective Tony Emerich told the News Messenger that around 12:58 a.m., witnesses said a man entered the bar brandishing two handguns and demanded cash from the bartender.

The man then threatened a person, firing a round in the victim's direction and demanding money. After the victim handed him money, police said, the robber then threatened a second customer, putting a gun to his head and assaulting him before fleeing the scene.

Emerich said the assault victim was taken to Memorial Hospital in Fremont where he was treated and released.

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December 7, 2004

NEWTOWN, Conn.—A report from the National Safety Council shows that accidental firearm-related fatalities continue to decline and are at the lowest level in the history of record keeping. Statistics in the council’s “Injury Facts 2004” reveal a 54 percent decrease over a 10-year period ending in 2003.

Last year, 101,537 U.S. residents died in accidents of all types. Less than one percent, 700, involved firearms. The most common deadly accidents involved motor vehicles, falls and poisonings, claiming 72 percent of all accidental deaths.

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“The continuing decline is good news that’s attributable to a number of factors, but certainly the overarching theme is increased awareness of gun safety and responsibility,” said Doug Painter, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearm industry. NSSF directs a number of initiatives focusing on safety. The most visible is Project ChildSafe ®, which, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice, has distributed more than 20 million free gun safety information kits, including gun locks, across the country.

NSSF also distributes safety literature and videos that emphasize outreach to schools. Additional support is provided for hunter safety programs. Learn more at www.nssf.org or 203-426-1320.

Many other organizations, most notably the National Rifle Association, also effectively promote gun safety.

Painter added that NSSF, on behalf of the firearm industry, is committed to working toward continuing the downward trend in accidental firearm-related fatalities.

Other new findings from the National Safety Council include: