Tennessee Gun Report

Whew, we’ve got some doozies this week! And Nashville is unduly represented in this week’s gun report. WTF, Nashville?

• July 17, 2013:

Looks like employers in the state are still unhappy that the Tennessee State Legislature rammed guns-in-trunks down their throats.

• July 16, 2013:

1- A Nashville area teenager has been arrested for stealing a Remington shotgun, a 40 caliber pistol, ammo and body armor from the home of police officer Michael Clark.

Apparently the teen had been in Officer Clark’s home several times and knew where the guns were located.

Let me say, this story sounds a little fishy. But what do I know.

2- Athens, TN: “Nobody had to die that day.” Mental illness + gun + clueless law enforcement = disaster.

3- Yo, Dayton, TN, maybe check Snopes before you start spending your money on pro-gun billboards:

FUN FACT: HITLER NEVER SAID THIS

From the story:

“Hitler’s infamous quote … is probably a fraud and likely never uttered,” Harcourt wrote. “It has been the subject of much research, all of it fruitless, and has now entered the annals of urban legends.”

[…]

A 1938 Nazi government law prohibited Jews from owning guns, “but simultaneously liberalized gun restrictions for most everyone else. The law totally deregulated the sale of rifles, shotguns and ammunition,” the blog states.

Idiots. Dayton, TN was first in the news for giving us the Scopes Monkey Trial, and back in 2004 they tried to outlaw homosexuality. Looks like ignorance and stupidity still reign supreme down there. Must be something in the water.

• July 15, 2013:

1- Mother of the year nominee Marte Reese of Nashville settled a Facebook fight with two guns:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A fight that started on Facebook between two girls ended up with a mom pulling out guns and attacking one of the girls.

Police said Marte Reese intervened when her daughter and the other girl started throwing punches,

She allegedly told one of the girls, “You’re not going to fight my daughter unless you fight me first.”

Witnesses said she pulled two pistols during the fight and struck one of the girls in the head with the gun, and kicked her while she was down.

Reese was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Just another responsible … aw, fuhgeddaboudit.

2- Grifters gotta grift:

Company offers help for gun owners shooting in self-defense

A company called Second Defense Alliance promises help for those who become victims of a home invasion.

For a small monthly fee, the company will pay for legal support, cleanup and even counseling for gun owners who shoot a home invasion suspect in self-defense. One of the company’s top leaders says it also buys peace of mind.

Pardon me, boys, is that the George Zimmerman Wingnut Gravy Train pulling into the station? All aboard!

• July 13, 2013:

How the Aurora shooter got his bullets:

The answer appeared to be an online company in St. Louis, a detail widely reported one year ago. But recently released search warrants and additional reporting by the Post-Dispatch have shed new light on the path traveled by those thousands of rounds.

The trail leads not to St. Louis but to Knoxville, Tenn., and on to Atlanta, to a secretive 4-year-old company considered to be among the nation’s top online ammunition dealers. Its founders — a pair of former real estate developers — sell bullets using far-flung P.O. boxes, different corporate identities and online marketing tactics that have offended even some firearm enthusiasts. By last summer, these entrepreneurs stood perfectly positioned to close on a quick, legal sale to a deranged killer.

Apparently Tennessee state records show “BulkAmmo.com” is registered to a company helmed by Jordan Mollenhour and Dustin E. Gross, both of Knoxville, who also operate such companies as LuckyGunner.com, Ammoforsale.com and Ammo.net. Mollenhour’s dad writes a pro-gun blog. You can read their story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Way to go, Tennessee. Be proud.

• July 6, 2013:

A guns in parking lots FAIL:

[…] gun belt, uniform and badge, an MPD issued 40 caliber handgun, two loaded magazines, handcuffs, an MPD radio, another Ruger 9mm handgun, and a loaded 40-caliber Smith and Wesson magazine […]

… all stolen from his personal vehicle while it was parked at the Sekisui Pacific Rim restaurant in Memphis.

{sigh}

How the fuck can we expect average citizens to secure their guns in their vehicles if police officers can’t?

• July 1, 2013:

In Nashville, a “sovereign police officer” stands his (wet) ground:

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – A man is accused of impersonating an officer and pulling a gun on a security guard outside a Nashville business.

A security guard spotted Eric Stanberry urinating in the parking lot of the Crazy Horse strip club Saturday morning, according to the affidavit.

When he asked him to leave, the guard said Stanberry pulled out a 9-millimeter gun and pointed it at him.

Police arrived and ordered Stanberry to the ground. Officers said he refused and pulled out his gun again, pointing it at the ground.

Police said Stanberry told them he was a sovereign police officer and was a higher authority. They eventually used a Taser on Stanberry and took him into custody.

So thrilled these George Zimmerman Jr.’s are walking among us, armed and deciding which laws apply to them and which ones do not.

Be safe, y’all!