Monday, May 16, 2005



LUCKY BREAK: COPS COME PROMPTLY FOR ONCE

A pair of suspected burglars got a rude surprise while allegedly breaking into a Scottdale-area home Friday. A gun-toting relative backed up by state police descended on them so quickly that the alleged burglars couldn't return to their waiting car and fled on foot. The troopers happened to be in Scottdale, where 12 people accused in an unrelated burglary ring were being arraigned. The incident occurred near the border of Fayette and Westmoreland counties. The alleged burglars appeared to have scouted homes in Upper Tyrone Township as well. Neighbors complained about two hour-long response times by police after their homes were ransacked.

But not yesterday. "I got here, and police were all over the place. They brought the one (suspect) back here, and he was bold. He looked right at me," said Ted Huffman, where the break-in attempt occurred. "I'm just thankful for my neighbors who were watching." The Huffmans were not at home, but a suspicious neighbor, wary after two prior daytime burglaries, called police and Huffman when an unknown car with two black men inside was seen cruising through the neighborhood. A relative of the Huffmans arrived, confronted the men with a pistol and ordered them to the ground. When they ran, the relative fired several warning shots. Police arrived moments later.

In the manhunt that followed in and around the borough of Everson, police took three people into custody -- one of the suspects and two women from Wilkinsburg who said they had been called to give the alleged burglars a ride.

More here




Bill would allow registration of old war-trophy weapons: "Veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War could legally register firearms brought home as war trophies under a bill introduced May 4 by Rep. Jim Gibbons [R-NV]. The bill, HR 2088, allows veterans and their heirs to register firearms that troops were allowed to bring home under U.S. military policy in effect at the time. It would not change existing policy for combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are barred from bringing back any captured weapons. Called the Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act, Gibbon's bill applies to firearms brought back to the United States between June 26, 1934 and October 31, 1968. The veterans who brought back the firearms or their lawful heirs would have 90 days to register the guns without fear of prosecution."



It's time to arm pilots: "Arming airline pilots is an issue that should pack the wallop of a .44 magnum with grassroots organizations. In March the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations [CAPA] issued a report card assessing aviation security in our country. Aviation security is a complicated subject but on several vital subjects CAPA has assigned low grades to the Transportation Security Administration [TSA] and the airlines. The TSA received a 'D' for its Federal Flight Deck Officer [FFDO] program, which arms pilots but has been minimally effective because 'poor operational policies' restrict the number of pilots who should be trained and armed to handle terrorists."

No comments: