Biden demands more gun laws after 4 law enforcement officers are killed trying to enforce existing gun law



Four law enforcement officers were killed in North Carolina on Monday and several more wounded as they attempted to serve a warrant in connection with illegal gun possession.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, members of a U.S. Marshals Task Force arrived at a home on the east side of Charlotte, North Carolina, to serve a warrant. The subject of the warrant, 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., was wanted in connection with possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts of felony fleeing to elude out of nearby Lincoln County.

As officers approached the home, shots suddenly rang out, striking several members of the task force. Officers then returned fire as shots from inside the residence continued.

Hughes eventually emerged from the residence, still apparently shooting at the police. Hughes was then fatally shot by one of the officers on scene, and he died in the front yard. Even as Hughes lay dying, individuals from inside the home reportedly continued to shoot at the cops.

Three members of law enforcement who were shot during the gunfire died almost immediately: state Department of Adult Correction Officers Sam Poloche and William "Alden" Elliott and an unnamed deputy marshal with the U.S. Marshals Service. A fourth member of the task force, Officer Joshua Eyer of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, was initially wounded and was raced to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries later that day.

"Officer Eyer faithfully served the CMPD's North Tryon Division for six years and was a member of the 178th Recruit Class," said a statement from CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings. "We are forever indebted to Officer Eyer for his bravery and ultimate sacrifice. His life and service will never be forgotten. Please say a prayer for Officer Eyer's loved ones during this difficult time."

In addition to the deceased officers, four other officers were wounded. Their current condition is unknown.

After the shoot-out, a standoff between CMPD's SWAT team and individuals inside the home began and continued for hours. Two females, one of whom is just 17 years old, were eventually removed from the home. They were taken in for questioning and are considered persons of interest. By 5 p.m., officers declared the area safe for normal road traffic.

Politicians at the local, state, and federal level immediately issued statements expressing their condolences and their support and admiration for law enforcement. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said: "An attack in Charlotte on our brave law enforcement officers who swore an oath to protect and serve us all. Susan and I are praying for everyone’s safety."

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) likewise offered prayers for the victims and claimed he'd "offered state resources to help."

President Biden also weighed in, calling the fallen officers "heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice." However, as is his wont, he then used the deadly incident to demand more gun laws. "Now," he said.

"Leaders in Congress need to step up so that we ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns, and pass universal background checks and a national red flag law," his statement continued.

"Enough is enough."

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New York's 'sensitive location' gun ban goes into effect, but judge flags 'unconstitutional statute'



New York's sweeping new gun restrictions went into effect Thursday after a federal judge declined to block the state from creating gun-free zones in so-called "sensitive" locations.

Under the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, lawful gun owners will not be allowed to carry their firearms in public spaces including parks, houses of worship, theaters, and much more. Democrats introduced the legislation in July after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 109-year-old state law that required citizens to show proper cause to apply for a concealed carry permit. The high court effectively ruled that "may issue" concealed carry permit regimes were unconstitutional, expanding gun rights nationwide.

In response to that decision, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed to enact laws that "go right up to the line" in terms of legally permissible gun restrictions. She claimed that the Supreme Court "destroyed the ability for a governor to be able to protect her citizens from people who carry concealed weapons anywhere they choose."

She signed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, which requires concealed carry applicants to undergo 16 hours of classroom training and two hours of live-fire exercises before being approved for a permit. In addition to banning guns in "sensitive" locations, it mandates that applicants must also undergo a review of their social media accounts over the last three years and must provide four character references who can attest to the applicant's "good character."

Gun rights groups and an upstate New York resident had sued to block the law from taking effect, arguing lawful gun owners could be denied concealed weapon permits on subjective grounds. They also challenged the sensitive locations provision and training requirements, but on Wednesday, Judge Glenn Suddaby of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York dismissed their case.

In a 78-page opinion, the judge said that while many of the plaintiffs' arguments had merit, they lacked standing to challenge any aspect of the law. He gave several reasons why other pending legal challenges to the new concealed carry permit regime may succeed.

The judge said outright that the New York State Legislature "has generated an unconstitutional statute" because the law states, "No license shall be issued or renewed except for an applicant ... of good moral character, which ... shall mean having the essential character, temperament and judgement necessary ... to use [the weapon entrusted to the applicant] only in a manner that does not endanger oneself or others."

The legislature "forgot four important words — 'other than in self-defense,'" Suddaby wrote. "The Court has difficulty imagining how any law-abiding, responsibile citizen could ever 'use' a concealed handgun to defend himself or herself in public against another person in a manner that does not 'endanger' the other person.'"

Suddaby also determined that some of the "sensitive" locations named in the New York law are "nonsensitive by nature."

Gun Owners of America, one of the plaintiffs in the case, vowed to continue to fight the law.

“Despite the judge’s dismissal of the complaint, his opinion contains a silver lining for New Yorkers and the nation, as the robust precedent laid out by the Supreme Court in June is clearly making headway," GOA senior vice president Erich Pratt said in a statement. "GOA looks forward to continuing the fight against clear violations of the Second Amendment, as we work to restore the rights of all Americans.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who defended the state law in court, claimed a "major victory" against "baseless attacks by the gun lobby."

"Responsible gun control measures save lives," the attorney general tweeted. "As gun violence continues to impact communities across the country, any attempts by the gun lobby to tear down New York’s sensible gun control laws will be met with fierce defense of the law."

Times Square to become 'sensitive' gun-free zone



As of this Thursday, visitors to Times Square in New York City will not be able to carry concealed firearms, even if they have a permit.

City and state leaders have announced that certain locations, including Times Square, have been designated as "sensitive areas" — a euphemism for "gun-free zones." Other "sensitive" places include government-owned buildings, medical care facilities, theaters, restaurants, houses of worship, and parks.

"As governor, my number-one responsibility is keeping New Yorkers safe," Governor Kathy Hochul (D) stated on Wednesday. "That's why when it came down to the Supreme Court decision, we were ready for it."

Hochul is referring to the NYSRPA v. Bruen decision, in which the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a New York state law that had put severe restrictions on gun permits.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams seemed both supportive of and bemused by the "sensitive area" restrictions newly imposed on his city.

"I never thought, from the days of watching cowboy movies as a child, ‘leave your gun at the door’ becoming reality in the state of New York," Adams said in the press conference.

"The area is a gun-free zone," Adams added. "Think about that. We actually have to say that in our city."

There are some exceptions to the law. Area residents and those who work in the area will be exempted, as will those who "are transiting" through it, according to CNN, though what the term "transiting" means is unclear.

It is also unclear whether these exemptions extend to other aspects of the new law, which include 16 hours of required classroom training and two hours of live-fire training, according to Fox News. Applicants must also submit a list of their social media accounts from the last three years so that officials may assess their "character and conduct."

Gov. Hochul insisted that the new restrictions would be enforced immediately, although no new resources have been allocated and no additional NYPD officers will be dispatched to Times Square specifically for this purpose.

"We always evaluate where we deploy our resources," said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. "If there is a need to increase those resources, we will do so. But as it stands now, we have a robust detail that is assigned to the Time Square area."

To alert visitors to the new policy, several written notices will be posted around the area, as will some video messages.

The New York Post reports that gun permit applications in New York have jumped 54% since the SCOTUS ruling in June. However, sheriffs elsewhere in the state note that the new gun restrictions law will likely create a paperwork bottleneck that will delay the processing of new permit applications.

$27 billion Uvalde class-action lawsuit likely to target law enforcement, gun manufacturer for 'deliberate, conscious disregard' for human life



A class-action lawsuit on behalf of the victims and survivors of the Uvalde school shooting that occurred three months ago will soon be filed, and it is likely to name as defendants several law enforcement agencies and at least two firearms businesses.

Back on May 24, a shooter shut himself inside two adjoining classrooms in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and terrorized children and teachers for over an hour before law enforcement breached the door and killed him. In all, 19 students and two teachers were murdered in the attack, and several others were wounded.

Last week, Charles Bonner of the Law Offices of Bonner & Bonner — located in the Bay Area — announced that he would soon file a $27 billion lawsuit on behalf of the Uvalde victims. He has been meeting with survivors and family members at a local church to discuss a possible lawsuit which will hold law enforcement accountable for their actions that day.

"Up to right now, there's been no accountability, there's no justice for those 19 children and the two teachers," said Daniel Myers, the pastor of Tabernacle of Worship church where Bonner and the victims have met.

Defendants in the lawsuit will likely include: Uvalde city police, Uvalde police chief Pedro "Pete" Arredondo, sheriffs, Texas Rangers, Border Patrol, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The lawsuit will also likely target Daniel Defense, which manufactured the gun used by the shooter, and Oasis Outback, which sold it to him. Members of the Uvalde school board and city council may also be named.

Bonner claims that by their actions — and in many cases, their inactions — these individuals, businesses, and law enforcement agencies violated the victims' constitutional rights.

"People have a right to life under the 14th Amendment, and what we’ve seen here is that the law enforcement agencies have shown a deliberate, conscious disregard of the life," said Bonner, who is also representing victims of the recent mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.

The civil rights lawsuit will be "one-of-a-kind in the whole world," Bonner continued.

The lawsuit is expected to be filed soon.

"Now it's time for all of us to stand up and demand change and protection," a statement on the Bonner & Bonner website says.

Other attorneys from a separate California law firm are preparing to file a federal lawsuit regarding the shooting on behalf of three individual families. Though it will not be a class-action suit, it will likely include many or all of the same defendants as the class-action suit filed by Bonner.

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