Via Sebastian: TV cameras miss how guns save lives

Of course, corpses are newsworthy in our sensational culture, but when an armed citizen stops an attack, the heroism rates barely a blip on the national radar screen.

Well, for one thing, if people realized how often guns were used defensively, a lot of the anti-gun message would go down the toilet.

Dashboard video of the incident has been released:

Also, lots of comments here.

I posted on this story about an altercation between Oklahoma state troopers and an ambulance driver a couple of weeks back. Suddenly GunPundit is getting all sorts of hits from search engines on the topic. What happened to spark the sudden interest?

Click HERE to see the video.

UPDATE: Dasboard video from the trooper’s cruiser is now available.

Via the NRA-ILA:

On June 11, the top law enforcement officials of nearly half the states signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, expressing their opposition to reinstatement of the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms.

“We share the Obama Administration’s commitment to reducing illegal drugs and violent crime within the United States. We also share your deep concern about drug cartel violence in Mexico. However, we do not believe that restricting law-abiding Americans’ access to certain semi-automatic firearms will resolve any of these problems,” the letter said.

The letter notes congressional opposition to bringing back the ban, and calls for increasing enforcement of existing laws.

We encourage NRA members to let these state officials know we appreciate them standing up to the incessant clamor for gun control that is currently coming from anti-gun groups and their media allies.

The 23 state Attorneys General, in alphabetical order, by state, are:
(more…)

EMT In Confrontation With Trooper Speaks Out

Oklahoma state cops pulled over an ambulance transporting a patient to the hospital:

“As my partner was pulling onto the shoulder, the cruiser came alongside our unit and gestured for my driver to pull over,” [EMT Maurice] White says. “When the officer came to a complete stop behind the ambulance, I noticed a woman in the front seat. Based on the officer’s erratic driving behavior, I thought that the woman in the front seat of the cruiser was in need of immediate medical attention; hence I exited the rear of the ambulance in order to assess the situation.”

White says the officer was in a rage when he approached them and yelled “get your a– back here! I am giving you a ticket for failure to yield.” White says he told the trooper they had a patient in the ambulance and that they were on their way to the hospital.

“He ignored my statement, became even more belligerent, and demanded my partner come to his patrol car so he could write him a ticket,” White says.

The whole incident was filmed with a cell phone:

Murdoc’s guess is that we’ll be seeing more “you can’t videotape the police” comments from certain corners.

I’m still a bit fuzzy on how this all started. It looks like the troopers must have been in pursuit of someone, but I don’t know who or what happened with the target while these guys were wasting time with the ambulance. I guess I hope that some other cars were still after the original target. (via Uncle)

UPDATE: Dasboard video from the trooper’s cruiser is now available.

You don’t see this out of a politician very often, let alone one with a ‘D’ after his name:

A Tulsa lawmaker said Tuesday he will file legislation to repeal the sales tax on the purchase of guns or ammunition in Oklahoma.

“As Americans, we should not have to pay a tax to exercise our constitutional rights — especially our Second Amendment rights,” said Rep. Eric Proctor, D-Tulsa.

Via a reader who adds:

We could use some Dems like that in Chicagoland … sigh.

Over at Dr. Saturday, we see that a classy University of Colorado fan decided to try to help his team by shining a green laser into the eyes of the Oklahoma State quarterback. What an idiot.

Moore, Oklahoma:

The break-in happened just before 12:00 p.m. at 1300 Odom Way in Moore. The two homeowners were at home in bed when they heard someone inside.

Police say the man shot the intruder after discovering he had broken in. He then held the man at gunpoint until police arrived.

I’d guess that it was 12:00 AM, not noon, as the homeowners were “at home in bed” at the time.

Congress OKs Va Tech-inspired gun bill

No, not a law allowing legal gun owners from carrying their guns in free fire gun free zones, but a law

that would more easily flag prospective gun buyers who have documented mental health problems.

See Wizbang for more.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) opposed the measure.

His chief concern, he said, was that it did not pay for successful appeals by veterans or other people who say they are wrongly barred from buying a gun.

Just before midnight Tuesday, Coburn and the Democratic supporters of the bill struck a deal: The government would pay for the cost of appeals by gun owners and prospective buyers who argue successfully in court that they were wrongly deemed unqualified for mental health reasons.

The compromise would require that incorrect records — such as expunged mental health rulings that once disqualified a prospective gun buyer but no longer do — be removed from system within 30 days.

That, at least, seems to make a fair amount of sense.

UPDATE: David Hardy also comments.

On David Hardy’s Of Arms and the Law: Fed. court voids law forbidding employers to ban guns in parking lots

There are a lot of negatives there, but what it means is that employers ARE free to ban guns in their parking lots in Oklahoma. Now that the battle over concealed carry permits has been lost by the anti-gun crowd, the next rounds will be over things like this in an effort to limit the places that gun owners can defend themselves.