Of course anything that happened would happen then... <sigh> Either way statistics i've seen from the FBI for crying out loud said that attacks w/ these types of weapons happen in less than 1% of all attacks....
facts... doncha hate em?
Found this (of course) on that johnkerry forum site....
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/9656831.htm
Dade attack fuels gun debate
BY SOFIA SANTANA, LUISA YANEZ AND AMY DRISCOLL
[email protected]
A man who sprayed a barrage of bullets at a Miami-Dade police officer Sunday, wounding her and torching her cruiser, had just left a youth football team party with his son -- where he supposedly also fired shots during an argument, police said Monday.
Detectives want to question Jack Keith Holt, 36, of Miami Gardens, in connection with the assault-weapon shooting of Officer Keenya Hubert, 26, now recovering at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
The attack, which took place one day before a federal ban on assault weapons expired Monday, quickly became fodder for the national debate about gun control.
On the campaign trail, Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry accused President Bush of endangering the public by caving in to the powerful gun lobby. His campaign issued a statement from former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno charging that failure to reenact the ban, ``sends a dangerous signal to criminals and further increases the danger to our communities.''
''That officer experienced firsthand why the ban on military-style assault weapons needs to be renewed,'' Reno said.
The White House countered that Bush's administration has a ''strong record'' of prosecuting crimes committed with guns and that violent crime is at a 30-year low.
STARTED AT PARTY
According to police, the shooter attended a Sunday morning party in the Skylake section of North Miami Beach, when he got into a quarrel, opened fire and drove away. The officers heard the gunshots and pulled over a white 2000 Chevrolet Impala at 184th Court and North Miami Avenue to investigate. Police say the driver opened up with an assault rifle and sprayed nearly two dozen bullets at Hubert and her police car.
Hubert, the single mother of a young boy, was hit in the shoulder and grazed on the forehead. Her cruiser caught fire when one of the bullets struck the fuel tank or a fuel line, police said. The shooter sped off with his gun.
One of Hubert's supervisors rushed to the scene. ''Like a scene out of a horror movie,'' Maj. Glenn Theobald said. ``One of my worst nightmares.''
Holt -- not named as a suspect -- is nonetheless considered ''armed and extremely dangerous,'' police cautioned Monday.
His rap sheet includes a 1997 conviction for attacking two officers. A judge sentenced him to 6 ½ years in prison. He was released on June 15, 2003, and lists an address near Carol City.
In January, officers charged him with driving with a suspended license -- as a habitual offender -- and resisting arrest without violence. Holt served two days in jail.
Authorities on Monday cited the attack on Hubert as proof that the federal assault weapons ban should not have been lifted. The measure, which was signed by President Bill Clinton, had outlawed 19 types of assault weapons.
DANGEROUS WEAPONS
''The shooting we just had is a prime example of how dangerous these weapons with the high-capacity magazines can be,'' Miami-Dade police Cmdr. Linda O'Brien said.
Said Miami Police Chief John Timoney: ``Forget police officers who can be fired on, how about average people on the street? This is the weapon used by drug dealers to spray street corners. . . . The NRA's argument is that if bad guys have assault weapons, then good people should have them, too. But they don't understand that the more assault weapons out there, the more they will be used.''
The National Rifle Association did not return calls for comment Monday, but gun control proponents said they fear more such shootings in the future.
''This shooting in Miami is a sign of what may come,'' said Elizabeth Haile, staff attorney with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Though many assault rifles already were in circulation when the ban was instituted in 1994, the overall number of the weapons had declined over the years, Haile said.
''Now, there will be an influx of many more, as well as the high-capacity magazines -- clips that hold 50 rounds and 100 rounds. Those clips are what make those weapons so dangerous,'' she said. ``It's very difficult for police officers when the criminals don't even have to stop to reload.''
Gun shop owners, however, predicted little would change with the law's expiration.
At AZ Guns & Pawn in Pompano Beach, owner Luigi Gandolfo said that when the ban went into effect, manufacturers circumvented it with minor alterations -- eliminating the bayonet lug, the flash suppressor and the collapsible stock, for example. Then they gave the guns new model numbers and put them on the shelves.
''The Tech-9 assault weapon became the AB10,'' Gandolfo said. ``The MAAD-90 took the place of the AK-47.''
Assault weapons were always available, he said: ``The only difference now is the price will go down.''
At Big Al's Gun Shop in Pembroke Park, manager Richard Donofrio said the price drop is likely to be significant. Older model AK-47s with the collapsible stock and the flash suppressor cost about $2,200, he said. With the ban lifted, he expects assault weapons will be available for about $800.
Javier Alonso, owner of Miami Police Supply, expects the assault weapon business will remain steady.
KERRY'S POSITION
The issue spilled into presidential politics Monday, as Kerry called for the ban to be reinstated.
''Today, George Bush made the job of terrorists easier and made the job of America's law enforcement officers harder and that's just plain wrong,'' Kerry said, as he picked up a police organizations endorsement.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan called the charge ''another false attack from Senator Kerry'' and said that Bush's position -- he would sign the bill to reenact the ban if Congress passed it -- was well-known.
Herald staff writers Lesley Clark, Wanda J. DeMarzo and Jay Weaver and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
facts... doncha hate em?
Found this (of course) on that johnkerry forum site....
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/9656831.htm
Dade attack fuels gun debate
BY SOFIA SANTANA, LUISA YANEZ AND AMY DRISCOLL
[email protected]
A man who sprayed a barrage of bullets at a Miami-Dade police officer Sunday, wounding her and torching her cruiser, had just left a youth football team party with his son -- where he supposedly also fired shots during an argument, police said Monday.
Detectives want to question Jack Keith Holt, 36, of Miami Gardens, in connection with the assault-weapon shooting of Officer Keenya Hubert, 26, now recovering at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
The attack, which took place one day before a federal ban on assault weapons expired Monday, quickly became fodder for the national debate about gun control.
On the campaign trail, Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry accused President Bush of endangering the public by caving in to the powerful gun lobby. His campaign issued a statement from former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno charging that failure to reenact the ban, ``sends a dangerous signal to criminals and further increases the danger to our communities.''
''That officer experienced firsthand why the ban on military-style assault weapons needs to be renewed,'' Reno said.
The White House countered that Bush's administration has a ''strong record'' of prosecuting crimes committed with guns and that violent crime is at a 30-year low.
STARTED AT PARTY
According to police, the shooter attended a Sunday morning party in the Skylake section of North Miami Beach, when he got into a quarrel, opened fire and drove away. The officers heard the gunshots and pulled over a white 2000 Chevrolet Impala at 184th Court and North Miami Avenue to investigate. Police say the driver opened up with an assault rifle and sprayed nearly two dozen bullets at Hubert and her police car.
Hubert, the single mother of a young boy, was hit in the shoulder and grazed on the forehead. Her cruiser caught fire when one of the bullets struck the fuel tank or a fuel line, police said. The shooter sped off with his gun.
One of Hubert's supervisors rushed to the scene. ''Like a scene out of a horror movie,'' Maj. Glenn Theobald said. ``One of my worst nightmares.''
Holt -- not named as a suspect -- is nonetheless considered ''armed and extremely dangerous,'' police cautioned Monday.
His rap sheet includes a 1997 conviction for attacking two officers. A judge sentenced him to 6 ½ years in prison. He was released on June 15, 2003, and lists an address near Carol City.
In January, officers charged him with driving with a suspended license -- as a habitual offender -- and resisting arrest without violence. Holt served two days in jail.
Authorities on Monday cited the attack on Hubert as proof that the federal assault weapons ban should not have been lifted. The measure, which was signed by President Bill Clinton, had outlawed 19 types of assault weapons.
DANGEROUS WEAPONS
''The shooting we just had is a prime example of how dangerous these weapons with the high-capacity magazines can be,'' Miami-Dade police Cmdr. Linda O'Brien said.
Said Miami Police Chief John Timoney: ``Forget police officers who can be fired on, how about average people on the street? This is the weapon used by drug dealers to spray street corners. . . . The NRA's argument is that if bad guys have assault weapons, then good people should have them, too. But they don't understand that the more assault weapons out there, the more they will be used.''
The National Rifle Association did not return calls for comment Monday, but gun control proponents said they fear more such shootings in the future.
''This shooting in Miami is a sign of what may come,'' said Elizabeth Haile, staff attorney with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Though many assault rifles already were in circulation when the ban was instituted in 1994, the overall number of the weapons had declined over the years, Haile said.
''Now, there will be an influx of many more, as well as the high-capacity magazines -- clips that hold 50 rounds and 100 rounds. Those clips are what make those weapons so dangerous,'' she said. ``It's very difficult for police officers when the criminals don't even have to stop to reload.''
Gun shop owners, however, predicted little would change with the law's expiration.
At AZ Guns & Pawn in Pompano Beach, owner Luigi Gandolfo said that when the ban went into effect, manufacturers circumvented it with minor alterations -- eliminating the bayonet lug, the flash suppressor and the collapsible stock, for example. Then they gave the guns new model numbers and put them on the shelves.
''The Tech-9 assault weapon became the AB10,'' Gandolfo said. ``The MAAD-90 took the place of the AK-47.''
Assault weapons were always available, he said: ``The only difference now is the price will go down.''
At Big Al's Gun Shop in Pembroke Park, manager Richard Donofrio said the price drop is likely to be significant. Older model AK-47s with the collapsible stock and the flash suppressor cost about $2,200, he said. With the ban lifted, he expects assault weapons will be available for about $800.
Javier Alonso, owner of Miami Police Supply, expects the assault weapon business will remain steady.
KERRY'S POSITION
The issue spilled into presidential politics Monday, as Kerry called for the ban to be reinstated.
''Today, George Bush made the job of terrorists easier and made the job of America's law enforcement officers harder and that's just plain wrong,'' Kerry said, as he picked up a police organizations endorsement.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan called the charge ''another false attack from Senator Kerry'' and said that Bush's position -- he would sign the bill to reenact the ban if Congress passed it -- was well-known.
Herald staff writers Lesley Clark, Wanda J. DeMarzo and Jay Weaver and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
