Mrs. Peel

I don't disagree with that at all! I'm more referring to the news magazine-type programs, "Dateline: Survivor", etc. With all of the various survival scenarios that have played out on those programs, I don't recall EVER seeing one on a DGU.

Thanks, 10X, for doing this great thread. I'm going to enjoy following it.

Yeah, doesn't that just tick you off? I have a real problem with how the occasional lunatic mass shooter is covered 24x7 on cable news, but an inherently dramatic story of a self-defense gun use dies on the vine... it either never rises higher than the local paper, or at best, might get some light coverage by the far-right press. And that explains why many "ordinary" people that I know are initially completely skeptical that guns really are used for self-defense (and quite frequently). Why wouldn't people be skeptical? They never see/hear these stories! I mean, for god's sake, even this woman's name - 'Miracle' - is TV-ready! You couldn't have scripted that better... it cries out for better coverage. The suppression of stories like this... the attempt to paint legal gun owners as wackos... the insidious campaign to "erase" guns (and even images of guns, like the recent emoji nonsense)...it may seem at times irritating or even laughable, but it is powerful marketing... that will win hearts and minds of Americans over time. It's simply incompetent(?) that the major gun lobby groups (particularly the NRA) aren't doing better promotion of these self-defense cases to counter that movement. I don't know who's in charge of their digital marketing program - but IMO, they need a dramatic overhaul! It isn't hitting the target (pun intended)!

My sympathies to you and your wife. I cannot imagine the pain of that loss, particularly as it comes on the heels of such joyful anticipation. Please stay strong, hold each other up, reach out to loved ones and professionals, and know that there are so many heartfelt, good wishes (from people you'll likely never even meet) being sent directly your way.

My main concern is an outage in winter. I need a generator big enough to power the boiler and a few essentials. So, I have OIL...no natural gas - which means I need a generator AND a propane tank. Pricey. And yes, much of the knob and tube was removed - I'm SURE there's still some in the house though. (Pray for me! LOL.)

On reason is that lots of areas in NJ are infamous for having miserable red clay soil - it drains poorly and it's also so compact that some plants won't even grow well in it (they just have trouble sinking their roots down into it). A raised bed allows you to make a much better environment for the plants..

I live in a very old house (civil war era) in an even older town. Moved here about a decade ago and I'm still astounded at how many power outages we get. I'm not sure if it's because there's so many mature trees (that keel over if you sneeze on them), or whether our infrastructure is just badly outdated... or maybe because we only have one traffic light(?) and so we're the last town to get turned back on? But, I grew up in Bridgewater - and if there was an outage every couple of years it was a lot. In my current town however, you can literally bank on at least 3-4 outages a years... and not for a few minutes either. I'm camped out in a local Panera Bread right now, because the power went out at around 6:30 p.m. tonight, and the power company doesn't expect it to be back on until 10 p.m. And this is a "brief outage" compared to some I've experienced in this town. The worst was after Sandy - just over 10 days. I would love to get a generator, obviously! But, with an old house, I've found there's a never-ending list of things to do/buy - right now a generator is about #200 on the list. (sigh)

Just curious... since long guns don't require a permit (is that, in fact, the same in Mass as it is here?), why would any police force even know that a Mass. resident owned a much-dreaded, soul-sucking AR-15 (or any other kind of long gun for that matter)? As I understand it, there's a NICS check done (which doesn't verify a purchase even happened, right?); and then there's a sales record kept, I presume, with the firearms dealer who sold it. But, there's no "registry" per se, right? The sales receipt doesn't go to the Feds, is that right? If above is correct, is that why the rate of non-compliance has supposedly been so high with the NY SAFE act? Have a lot of NY owners basically rolled the dice and said, "well, chances are really good they don't even know I have this AR-15... so why should I turn it in?" Is that the gist of it? (Still don't have a good handle on the legal process, I'm afraid - so, thanks in advance for any clarifying answers).

I thought the chart with this article was interesting. Stats seemed to align with other things I've seen... EXCEPT THIS one: 41% of households own guns... Really? I thought I had seen other references showing about 25% of households as gun owning. Am I wrong? Anyway, sharing link here: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/americans-urged-to-buy-a-gun-get-trained-carry-it-always/article/2596052

This I do tend to agree with. It's a farce. A means to an ends. Here's an idea: free shooting instruction for DV victims by designated police instructors... and once she's really hitting the target well... the cop in charge takes one of her targets, sits down with the accused abuser, and says "Daaaaamn, she's really become a great shot, huh? I'd stay away if I were you!" (And I'm only half-joking...!)

Should domestic abusers be armed...? My knee jerk reaction is "No, of course not." But the devil is in the details as they say. The definition of "abuse" is being stretched beyond recognition these days. Also, anyone can claim abuse - in the heated case of a divorcing couple, for instance, I don't ignore the fact that sometimes people lie (on both sides). I guess answer is: I don't know!

"CQB"???

Yikes. What a remarkably chilling little film. And, I agree - the level of "oh, let's feel sorry for these poor boys" is a bit much. I remember that Short Hills Mall crime well, because I do like to go to that mall a few times a year. I was there exactly a year after that crime. Met a friend there and I walked back to my car alone about 10 pm. And guess what? Not a SOUL anywhere... no obvious cameras... certainly not a guard in sight anywhere. And this was the very next Christmas season! So, that mall obviously has NO intention of spending one extra thin dime on security. Nothing that will take away from profits, I guess. I've hit the mall once since then - but it was during the day, and I drove around until a had an open (not garage) parking right in front of a store. And frankly, I kept my eyes open. And I pretty much totally gave up on going into Newark a few years back (despite the good Spanish/Portugese restaurants and NJPAC events). I've always though of myself as a risk-taker in many ways... but that town just started to feel not quite worth the risk anymore (as a female traveling either alone or with a girlfriend). I have girlfriends who go there ALL the time - and they blithely point out that there are tons of cops around NJPAC for example. But, personally, I always thought that was a bit of a red flag. I mean, if NJPAC feels they need THAT MANY cops onsite, what the hell must be lurking outside that perimeter? After watching this film, yeah, I think I'll continue to avoid Newark! I won't miss it one bit.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/04/us/florida-father-shoots-son/index.html My 2 cents (3 thoughts) on this: 1) The heartbreak for that dad and entire family... I cannot even fathom. Just awful. Dark days ahead for them. 2) Horrific as it is... as a beginner, I guess any of these stories should also stand as stark (though horrific) safety lessons as well. So, what was done wrong here? Finger on the trigger, right? Not pointed downrange? And maybe shirt with a loose collar factored in as well? Am I missing anything obvious? 3) Note the coverage - it's the lead story AND they have it juxtaposed alongside OTHER tragic gun stories (even resurrecting the girl who killed her instructor with an uzi many, many months ago). If I was a betting woman, I'd say expect to see this story prominently positioned and covered extensively for at least a week. (Meanwhile, not a peep about any deaths in Chicago, Baltimore, etc., etc.) Such manipulation. The press really shames itself these days.

Totally agree! There are lots of browsers/lurkers on this site who don't see the hidden content. A topic like this should be trumpeted from an "open" page IMO.

Ahhh... I did not know about this at all. Interesting. Thank you for the info!

OK. I'll play, too... That community has been more targeted, abused and beat upon probably than any other... arguably, they wear a target on their backs. (Of course, what happens here is positively mild compared to some other areas of the world). Still, my only surprise is that they haven't seriously considered armed self-protection before now. The idea is certainly going to get traction among some, I'm sure. Did you hear about this? A Texas range reached out to the community with an offer of free training - got a huge response apparently: https://theextract.net/2016/06/25/texas-gun-range-offers-free-course-for-lgbt-community-sees-record-attendance/

Another NRA-ILA "alert" - I guess this is the latest info on the status of these new proposals... https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160624/new-jersey-anti-gun-politicians-going-for-the-knockout-punch Edit: Sorry 'bout that, trying this link yet again: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160624/new-jersey-anti-gun-politicians-going-for-the-knockout-punch If that doesn't work, perhaps you'll have to copy/paste into browser?

Was this almost unbelievably, epically moronic? Yes, of course. BUT, if this ringleader actually did lose his daughter to a heroin overdose a mere 4 months ago... I can't help but feel a big dose of sympathy. I mean, losing a child? That's a life-altering event. Even enough to make someone take leave of their senses. Grief can really spin someone off in a bad direction. Go ahead. Call me a softie. Guilty as charged.

Now 65.25% - for "no more regs"

An article was just published that is relevant to this thread. Though I must say, the author is only saying what you guys have already pointed out quite effectively. Link: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/436839/gun-control-fact-free-debate

As I have gotten more interested in shooting, I've signed up to a few email lists - so I hope I'm not posting too much, LOL. I only share if I think there's something others might enjoy, too! 2 articles this time: First one is an interesting situation in a NJ H.S. very local to me. Shows the heightened sensitivity to guns in schools (or even a picture of a gun). It's particularly interesting in in the article how they compare NJ to what's going on in other states. Link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/n-j-high-school-rejects-armed-patriot-photo-shoot/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=20160617_FridayDigest_34&utm_campaign=/blog/n-j-high-school-rejects-armed-patriot-photo-shoot/ Second article is the perspective of one of the grieving parents from the Orlando tragedy: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/father-orlando-victim-son-wouldve-traded-everything-world-loaded-gun/

Thanks for all of your very interesting comments. I was suprised (shocked?) to see a writer at HuffPo - of all places - touting the importance of "due process" and actually aligning with the NRA on that point. Link here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nra-gun-control_us_575f08ece4b071ec19eebbdf Will wonders never cease? Politics really does make strange bedfellows. Enjoy the day....

Still struggling (personally) to make heads or tails of this proposed new legislation... but the link below (latest NRA-ILA "alert") shows that more stuff is happening this week re: justifiable need - apparently now joined by some companion bills...? Might make more sense to those of you who've been following these issues longer than me. Here's the link: https://act.nraila.org/takeaction.aspx?AlertID=264

Cranky: No easy answers to any of this, I guess. But, you nailed one problem - there IS no "due process" for an innocent person on the Watch List (and there are many) to get their name removed. Even the ACLU hates the list for that reason. As long as there's no due process on some nebulous, ever-expanding and highly inaccurate government list, you can't strip away people's rights IMO. The other uncomfortable fact though is that you can't eradicate all risks either. Free societies have to accept some risk. I realize that's of NO comfort to the loved ones of the poor slaughtered victims. An awful crime, for sure.