Scratch one lizard!

Invasion of the Iguana: Mankind Strikes Back by Terry Gibson on Outdoor Life.

Hunting the overpopulation of invasive iguana in Florida with air guns:

So far, these invaders are mostly sticking to urban areas, especially along canal systems. Feral iguanas crap all over seawalls and docks, destroy tens of thousands of dollars in landscaping, and eat native species. The City of Boca Grande, for example, has spent more than $100,000 per year for four years trying to eradicate the problem. They even had to create an “iguana tax” to pay the trappers…

Obviously, it is unsafe and illegal to shoot iguanas with any kind of gun in urban areas. Trapping and snaring works best. You’re not allowed to transport these reptiles or any other invasive species off your property. “Iguana huggers” want you to call animal rescue so these things can be “euthanized humanely.” While no one promotes animal cruelty, “cruelty” is not well defined in Florida statute. Hopefully, kill-and-grill does not constitute a crime, or I don’t think there’s much hope for us as a species.

Seriously, a $10 “iguana tag” good for a month of air gun hunting would not only help keep these critters in check, it would probably get more young folks into the shooting sports. I mean, who wouldn’t want to shoot a lizard?

Oh, yeah. It would also raise money rather than costing it. Though the majority of these things are apparently in urban areas where shooting is restricted, Murdoc would guess that there are a lot more in the wild than suspected.

Go check out the photo gallery on OL.

Homeowner foils burglary attempt in NW Tallahassee

“There have been several burglaries in this area in recent weeks,” said Sgt. Tony Drzewiecki, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said about northwest Tallahassee. “We don’t know if this is related to those recent burglaries; however, we have uniformed deputies in the area now and we are working on any leads.”

Drzewiecki said the resident, armed with a shotgun, investigated. Upon finding an unknown person breaking into the home, the owner fired a shot, which missed, and the suspect fled.

Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that the “several burglaries in this area in recent weeks” have all been committed by the same person(s). Let’s also say that this near-hit by a shotgun has scared the loser into seeking another line of work. X number of future burglaries by this moron may have been prevented, and another Y number of burglaries by other dead-enders inspired by this moron’s success could also have been prevented.

An ongoing series of shooting or shooting at invaders will eventually convince all but the most hard-core to stop invading. Some will die. That’s okay. You want to be safe? Don’t break into my house.

As long as the trend is tipped in favor of the good guys, the bad guys will have to think twice.

That, friends, is how things work in a near-perfect world.

Via Carl in Chicago: Ocoee Authorities Investigate Shooting, Search For 2 Men

OCOEE, Fla. – A convenience store customer in Ocoee turned the tables on suspected robbers Monday night, and authorities continued to search for two people Tuesday evening.

Authorities said the man grabbed a gun and shot and killed the bottle-wielding bandit.

The customer noticed suspicious men in the store and walked out to his car to get his phone. When he heard the clerk screaming for help, a woman he knew, he grabbed his gun and ended up shooting one of three robbers. The other two are on the run.

Says the resucer:

“I decided to help the lady. I’ve known her for years. She’s a friend of mine, and I wanted to go in and help.“

Bystander Shoots Robber In Mall Parking Lot

Pizza Man Attacked, Shoots At Attempted Robbers (December 8th story)

Florida:

Titusville Police were searching for a group of robbers who attacked a Dominos Pizza delivery man late Saturday night. The attackers hit Jerry Johnson in the face with a brick, but he scared them off when he pulled out a gun and started shooting.

Johnson said he normally leaves his gun in the car, but when he pulled up to the home on Parkland Street, he knew something was wrong.

It’s against Dominos policy for employees to carry firearms. We’ll see if he loses his job.

Nonlethal, to say the least...

Miramar, Florida:

A South Florida pizza delivery man fought back with the only weapon he had when a customer pulled a gun on him: a large, steaming hot pepperoni pizza.

Police said 40-year-old Pizza Hut delivery man Eric Lopez Devictoria threw the pie at the gunman Wednesday afternoon, then ran for safety.

Police said at least one shot was fired as Devictoria fled, but he was uninjured.

Three teens have been arrested and charged.

Utterly ridiculous.

Via Yuri.

UPDATE: Firearms and Freedom:

This story is a perfect illustration: the delivery driver chose not to be a victim. After that, he used the tools at his disposal to defend himself. He may have been better off carrying a gun, but when crunch time came, he used what he had, and made it through.

The 2009 SHOT Show in Orlando, Florida, was going to be split between two halls at the Orange County Convention Center. Overflow has been common for the past several years as the number of exhibitors has outpaced the available floor space. Pressurized tents, outbuilding, and temporary structures have all served to house the extras, and both vendors and attendees have suffered for it.

The announcement was just made, however, that there has been a change in plans:

Because of persistent negotiating, creative planning and the cooperation of the Orange County Convention Center, all of the exhibitors scheduled to display in two separate buildings, North-South and West, instead will be in one central location.

By utilizing lobbies and meeting rooms, all exhibitors will now be in the West Hall.

“It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” said Jeanette Mannuzza, the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s manager of exhibitions & conferences. “For the attendee, it means the convenience of being under one roof and not having to cross a pedestrian bridge or wait for shuttle busses to go from one hall to another.

For the exhibitor, it translates into a lot of exposure,” she added.

At first glance, this is great news. No more trudging long distances between the main halls and the outliers. No more missing a whole group because you overlooked some little building off in the corner of the parking lot. Without fail, I’ve found that when I need to follow up with someone, they’re in the other section. The show is big enough as it is. Miles and miles and miles of walking each day. The lack of half hour “transits” out to the overflow will be a welcome change.

The only thing I worry about is the fact that the exhibitors scheduled for the huge North/South building are being put in “lobbies and meeting rooms.” I’m not sure how much of the other building was going be used for the SHOT Show, but now I worry that vendors are going to be scattered throughout the maze of upper-floor corridors in the West building.

We’ll see.

Additional details of the Plaxico Burress incident came to light at the New York Giants wide receiver’s arraignment yesterday afternoon. For earlier GP coverage, see this and this.

In the New York Times:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the Police Department criticized the Giants, who they said neglected to notify the authorities of the shooting, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where Burress was treated, for failing to call the police about his gun-related injury, as state law requires.

The NFL says that it did, in fact, contact the police. Burress is out on $100,000 bail.

Here’s the story of what went down:

Burress arrived at the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan at 1:20 a.m. Saturday morning, with four others, including two teammates.

The criminal complaint, released by prosecutors Monday, said that an onlooker then saw Burress near the V.I.P. area of the club holding a drink in his left hand and fidgeting his right hand in the area of the waistline of his pants. The witness then heard a single “pop” sound before hearing Burress say, “Take me to the hospital.”

Burress was on the ground, with his legs shaking, when a bloody gun — a .40-caliber Glock pistol — fell out of his pant leg and onto the floor, the onlooker said. Investigators believe that Pierce was standing next to Burress when the gun went off. The bullet, which broke through the skin of Burress’s right thigh and pierced muscle tissue, traveled through the leg before lodging itself somewhere in the club.

The handgun was later found, minus magazine and with an empty chamber, in teammate Antonio Pierce’s vehicle.

I think it’s safe to say that no one was following any safety rules. Or common sense. Or the law, for that matter.

Expect the Brady Bunch to jump on this and claim that Burress represents one of the “law abiding gun owners” and, as one, is an example of why gun ownership should be outlawed. Never mind that Burress was in possession of an illegal gun without a permit to carry any concealed weapon in a state that didn’t honor the permit he previously had in an establishment that serves alcohol and was drinking.

Tampa, Florida:

Police say 42-year-old Jerome Haggins, armed with a pistol, entered a Tampa home Saturday night, ordered six men to the ground and demanded they give up their wallets and jewelry. He then forced them to take off their clothes and noticed that one of the men had not given up his bracelet.

Police say Haggins put his pistol on a table, walked over to the man and snatched the bracelet. But while Haggins was taking the bracelet, police say another victim grabbed the gun and pointed it at Haggins. The would-be victims held Haggins until police arrived.

Oops. (via Wizbang)

Plaxico Burress & Antonio Pierce partying after their Super Bowl win in February

He surrendered to New York City police this morning, and more details about this incident are emerging:

[His lawyer, Benjamin] Brafman said Burress held a gun permit in Florida. Online records show that the permit expired May 21. Even if it were renewed, it would not matter. According to New York law, one must hold a New York gun permit to carry a concealed weapon in the state. Burress does not.

Burress also did not have a permit to carry a firearm in New Jersey, his state of residence, according to Chief Robert Coyle of the Totowa Police Department. He added that a Florida permit was not recognized in New Jersey. “He wouldn’t be able to carry here at all,” he said.

Linebacker Antonio Pierce is directly involved as he appears to have carried Burress’ gun into New Jersey.

The story includes some comments by Giants co-owner and president John Mara:

To prevent situations like Burress’s, the league and its teams meet with players every year to try to educate them about gun possession and the complications of it, Mara said.

“Players, for whatever reason, feel the need to carry guns,” Mara said before the game. “It’s not something that we’re particularly pleased about, but that is the choice that they make. You’d like to think that most of them are licensed to do that, but I’m not sure that is always the case.”

Just a week ago I pointed out a post at Rustmeister’s Alehouse discussing security issues surrounding NFL players.

Uncle points out that Mike Ditka says the NFL should prohibit players from owning guns.

What’s a bigger problem in the NFL? Gun incidents or motor vehicle incidents? I’d be there are a thousand speeding/DUI/accident stories involving NFL players for every gun-related story.

I missed the part where Ditka said the NFL should prohibit players from owning cars.

And, yes, I’m aware that there’s a difference between owning guns and owning cars.

The difference is that one of them is a God-given right that is guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

UPDATE: Link to the NYT story corrected to point to the same story it pointed to when I wrote this. More details about exactly what happened: Burress Arraigned; More Details