Sadly most wood frame houses do not stand much chance against fire or say a RPG Missile. So I’ll pass. Better in my humble opinion to have cover and hides outside the living quarters. Bunker up if you want, I want fire and maneuver. Grumpy
The ordinance, authored by San Diego Councilmember Marni von Wilpert (a name that sounds like it would also be good for a Disney villain), in essence mirrors existing California law, which already prohibits the possession of an unserialized firearm. The San Diego ordinance specifically creates a misdemeanor offense to possess or sell any firearm that does not have a serial number on it, which is supposed to make criminals think twice about carrying a home-built gun around. As of March of this year, the law wasn’t having any impact on violent crime, with homicides up 80% compared to the same time period in 2021 and 77 unserialized firearms seized by police. There were also 295 serialized firearms seized by police, which is another sign that going after “ghost guns” isn’t going to stop the individuals committing the shootings in the city.
But none of that matters to the virtue-signaling politicians in San Diego, including von Wilpert, who are instead now eagerly singing the praises of the “ghost gun” ordinance now that someone’s been sentenced for violating the law.
“The city’s novel ghost gun ordinance is an effective tool for removing untraceable firearms from the hands of criminals,” City Attorney Mara W. Elliott said. “We thank Councilmember Marni von Wilpert for bringing forward this ordinance, which keeps San Diego at the forefront of our nation’s battle against gun violence.”
… “It’s clear from this conviction that San Diego’s landmark ghost gun law is starting to work to stop the proliferation of dangerous, untraceable firearms in our community,” said von Wilpert.
Is it though? I realize I haven’t actually said what the sentence the defendant received here, so let’s delve a little deeper into the events that led to 23-year old Rene Orozco having the dubious distinction of being the subject of a press release by the city attorney.
Orozco’s arrest apparently didn’t make the news at the time, but according to the Elliott’s account he was arrested after fleeing from police and leading them on a car chase through San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood, allegedly tossing the unserialized gun as he then continued to try to elude officers on foot.
Would Orozco would have avoided arrest and prosecution if the gun he’d been caught with had a serial number? Of course not. So what exactly is the point of a misdemeanor charge for possessing a “ghost gun” when he could already be charged with illegal possession of a weapon for simply having a gun in the first place. Then there are the charges of eluding police, tampering with evidence, and any number of traffic misdemeanors that were committed during the police pursuit. But the City Attorney needs to show that this new ordinance is working, and so Orozco was charged with having a ghost gun, and now gets to experience firsthand the draconian punishment that will surely cause him to rethink the decisions he made.
He was sentenced last week to 45 days in custody and one year of probation. As a result, his driver’s license will be suspended from six months and he is prohibited from owning firearms for a year.
45 days in custody with good credit time means that Orozco will likely spend about three weeks in the county lockup, which doesn’t sound like much time considering how scary “ghost guns” are supposed to be. And again, he could have gotten that same sentence just by charging him with misdemeanor crimes in California state statute that have nothing to do with unserialized firearms. What’s the point?
San Diego’s “ghost gun” ordinance is pure political theater; designed to have an impact on the electorate, not armed criminals. As long as politicians like von Wilpert can convince constituents that she’s “doing something” to address their fears about violent crime, she doesn’t have to bother coming up with doing something that actually works. And in California, “doing something” means putting another gun control law on the books that at best is worthless, and far too often ends up harming the law-abiding instead of curtailing violent criminals.
Sorry guys but as a track guy, I would not wish this on anybody. As burns are the gift that keeps on giving! Grumpy
SIG Sauer is expanding the SIG Custom Works Spectre pistol lineup with the new P365XL Spectre Comp, which stands out with its innovative integrated compensator.
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A 9 mm polymer-frame pistol, the SIG Custom Works P365XL Spectre Comp is loaded with features that all shooters will appreciate. In addition to the integrated compensator, performance oriented enhancements include the laser stippled XSeries (LXG) grip module, an optics-ready slide with custom serrations, optics plate and rear dovetail sight, a titanium-nitride gold 3.1-inch barrel and XSeries gold flat trigger, along with X-Ray3 day and night sights. Plus, the P365XL Spectre Comp fits in all standard P365XL holsters.
MSRP is $1,299. The SIG Custom Works P365XL Spectre Comp ships with two steel 12- or 10-round magazines and comes with a limited-edition case, coin and certificate of authenticity.
A terminally ill teen has fulfilled her dying wish of firing a Taser at a willing person weeks after she drew up a bucket list of things she would like to do before she passes away.
Alyssa Elkins, 16, is suffering from leukemia and decided not to go through with a second round of treatment to spend more time with her family.
And the young woman from Morgan County in Ohio decided that firing a taser at a police officer volunteer was one of the things she most wanted to do after doctors gave her between one to six months to live earlier this month.
The 16-year-old prepares to fire at Sgt. Doug Bline who is flanked by two assisting officers
Newark Police Department, New York agreed to partake in the unique event after her family and friends contacted the force for filmed event.
The first to volunteer out of six, Sgt. Doug Bline, was selected to receive the tasering and after some training, Alyssa, who donned a fitted Newark Police uniform shirt with her name on it, took aim and fired.
Around 50 people were in the room to witness the girl, from a farm in the village of McConnelsville, shoot at the policeman who winced in pain and slowly fell to the ground, flanked by two other officers, after she pulled the trigger.
Sgt. Al Shaffer asked those present to shout ‘Taser! Taser! Taser!’ with Alyssa firing on the third ‘Taser.’
Alyssa also took up the unexpected opportunity to fire at her uncle Barry, who is a State Highway Patrol trooper and gave her the inspiration to fire a Taser after she watched a video of him getting hit by one during his police training.
The Taser makes impact and the officer winces in pain and Alyssa can barely look
Bline falls to the ground. He said the pain he endured was worth it for Alyssa’s happiness
Connell asked if her uncle had done anything in the past that she might like to get back at him for to which she agreed, reported the Columbus Dispatch.
‘It’s painful, but given her situation, it’s a no-brainer,’ said Bline, the first officer to be shot.
‘If I were her parent in this situation, I’d be happy to know that someone was willing to do this for her.’
He also said it was an educational opportunity to show that Tasers ‘are a very safe, effective way to subdue someone.’
A photo from the Alyssa Elkins Support Page. A post from January 23 read: ‘The results to Alyssa’s biopsy shows that she has indeed relapsed and has leukemia. She has decided to refuse another transplant. As it has a much higher risk of relapse then even the first’
Her bucket list also included petting a miniature pig which came along to the taser firing with her.
Speaking on the day Alyssa said: ‘God loves everybody and he’s for us and not against us. He puts us through trials,’ she said. ‘In the end, I’m not really scared. If he takes me, I know where I’m going.’
‘She’d never hurt anyone,’ said her mother Tiffany Elkins. ‘My other daughter wasn’t even sure Alyssa could push the button, that she’d be too afraid to hurt somebody.’