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I done told you NV is the promised land!
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20071118/NEWS/111180136
Nevada leads in gun deaths, ownership
Owners say responsibility will protect rights to gun ownership
With more guns sold and registered per capita than anywhere in the U.S., Nevada is a gun state - always has been.
It also is the gun-death state. According to the Center for Disease Control, since 2000, Nevada has led the nation with an average of 26 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people.
War-torn Iraq averaged 32 gun deaths per 100,000 people last year, according to the same study.
At least once a year, an accidental gun death here makes national headlines.
Lives cut short
Northern Nevada's latest gun tragedy came Oct. 28.
Charles Coogan Kelly, 21, of Truckee, Derek Jensen, 23, of Reno, and Nathan Viljoen, 23, of Fallon, were all fatally shot after an argument erupted at the party in a quiet, neighborhood in southwest Reno.
Two 19-year-old Reno men, Samisone Taukitoku and Saili Manu, were arrested the next day on suspicion of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and brandishing a firearm. Their bail was set at $500,000 each.
During his arraignment, Taukitoku was charged on three counts of murder with the use of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and coercion. He is being held without bail. Saili Manu also was arraigned on charges of coercion and assault with a deadly weapon.
Manu remained in custody in lieu of $500,000 cash bail. Taukitoku is accused of using a .380 semi-automatic pistol to shoot world-class snowboarder Kelly, University of Nevada, Reno student Jensen, and former UNR student Viljoen.
Police said Taukitoku, Manu and two teen relatives crashed a party at a Heatheridge Lane home rented by UNR students.
Robert Bell, Manu's attorney, said the pair went to the party to have fun, but when they arrived at the party, fights had broken out.
"Then, shots rang out, and three boys were dead," Bell said. "He's in shock, that's the best way to put it. The public needs to see where the real fault lies. He was not charged with murder."
Three dead from a Halloween party is just the latest case of guns cutting young lives short here.
On June 15, 2006, Zack Warren, 18, was accidentally shot and killed by friend Donald Davis at a house on River Road.
Investigators said Davis was playing with a .45-caliber handgun when he pointed it at Warren and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Warren in the forehead and he died at the scene. Davis fled the home and was captured eight hours later in a North Carson Street lumber yard.
Sixteen months later, Davis is serving a four-year-plus term for involuntary manslaughter and felony possession of a firearm.
A mother's reaction
Zack Warren's mother, Karen Ryan, of Dayton, said she has thought about gun issues but has spent the time since her son's death focusing on family, keeping them together.
"I haven't been able to move on," she said. "At some point I probably will do some research.
"It's been 16 months but it's yesterday still - the wounds are very fresh."
Gun-control activists said the time to act on accidental gun deaths here is now.
"They don't have any now and they're crying out because of senseless deaths - especially for children," said Brady Campaign spokesman Peter Hamm, of Nevada's nonexistent gun laws.
Based in Washington, D.C., the Brady Campaign was started in the wake of the March 30, 1981, assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, a Republican and a gun owner, was shot and seriously wounded during the incident.
Brady and his wife, Sandy, became outspoken proponents of gun control and in 1994 the Brady Law went into effect in the 32 states (including Nevada) which before did not have any type of background check system in place.
That year, President Clinton signed into law the Violent Crime and Control act introducing the first-ever federal assault weapons ban. The sheer mention of 1994 still can make many gun-toting Nevadans cringe.
"Well it was that damn Clinton who tried to violate our rights and take all our guns away," said Carson City resident Jack Healy, who frequents the Carson Rifle Range and believes Nevada's gun regs are doing the job.
"You look at D.C. and New York where they've taken away people's rights to arm themselves - they're doing away with the Constitution. And they're still all getting shot at."
Centers for Disease Control studies showed on the eighth anniversary of Brady Law in November 2001, gun deaths in the U.S. dropped 27 percent, from 39,595 in 1993 to 28,874 in 1999.
Consequently, in that time and since, the number of gun deaths in Nevada has increased, according to the CDC; but the studies do not take into account the spike in population during the same timeframe.
A common trend?
Local law enforcement officials were reluctant to lump the irresponsible gun owners into one category, especially by age, socioeconomic background or race.
Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said both old and young can abuse guns, even noting the number of older (over-40) gun users arrested for illegal gun use.
The one commonality he saw was with those who come to his office, register their weapons, pick up locks for them or apply for carry of concealed weapon permits; these "responsible" gun owners he said, "are usually not the ones who pose a problem."
Furlong characterized most guns involved in crimes as unregistered guns used by untrained gun owners.
"There are exceptions to every rule," he said. "You have to take things on a case-by-case basis; but almost every gun involved in a crime either 'disappears' or is not registered here locally, or at least to the person who used it in a criminal act."
Carson Sheriff's Chief Deputy Steve Schuette said more Carson residents have applied for concealed weapons (CCW) permits each year since 2001 - and touts it as "progress."
"With CCW's legal, that portion of the public is better-educated," he said. "I don't know if the general public is doing more to arm themselves, but I haven't seen the amount of general gun (crimes) go up substantially at any one point."
The responsible gun owners are not the population the gun control lobby is pointing their fingers at, said Hamm. In fact, a new tack has been to recruit "responsible" gun users to combat scofflaws.
"We tend to approach the gun problem in Nevada armed, I guess," Hamm said. "You know one of the things we truly believe, the more guns there are the more gun violence there is.
"Older Nevadans who have an open mind about public policy would likely agree that there are more people who are purchasing guns, more people who now have access to guns that are not qualified or are serious about bringing themselves to be qualified - that leads to more accidents and more unnecessary shootings."
In Colorado and Oregon, neighboring pro-gun states, ballot measures to require buyers to undergo a background check before making purchases at gun shows have been approved since 2005.
But don't expect to see stricter laws in Nevada anytime soon, Hamm said.
"Unfortunately, it usually takes a significant (event) for people take notice and enact change," he said. "But Nevada's an interesting case study either way - what's happening now, especially in Northern Nevada, is noteworthy.
"Not too long ago, most people who had guns had great respect for the power and the danger that the weapon entailed. With a more casual public attitude - rap singers and professional athletes going on and on about how cool it is to be armed - more people taking advantage of owning a gun without taking a gun safety class; they don't learn it from their grandfather, they don't learn it from their father - they simply arm themselves."
A solution from gun owners
Recently visiting Carson City's shooting range, a man who identified himself as a Lyon County sheriff's deputy - but refused to give his name - said he's seen "more questionable weapons, more automatics and more careless use, not so much at shooting ranges, but anywhere people go to drink and shoot."
"Look, the majority of the guys out at the (ranges) shooting are great great folks," he said at the Carson Rifle Range on a recent morning while shooting. "They're friendly. They know what they're doing. They help each other out. They're upstanding citizens. Have I seen more automatics? Yes. Have I seen people using weapons they probably don't know how to use? Yes.
"But this is our right. I'm not going to ask anyone to have their rights taken away. I held my first gun when I was 5. I learned how to use it. I learned how to be responsible. I know how to defend myself. It's like, if you don't teach someone how to use a toaster, they're going to get burned."
• Contact reporter Andrew Pridgen at [email protected] or 881-1219.
Nevada Gun Laws
Concealed Carry Weapons
On July 7, 1995, Senate Bill 299 was signed into law, and soon afterward, thousands of Nevada residents took advantage of the law that allowed them to carry a handgun concealed upon them. A steady stream of Nevadans have been obtaining carry of concealed weapon permits ever since. In 1999, Assembly Bill 166 made legal concealed carry possible in more public places.
Registration
Clark County (minus Boulder City) requires registration of handguns only. All other counties have no registration of any guns.
Background Check
All Nevada counties implement the national background check through the Nevada Highway Patrol. By state law, any private party may access Nevada's background check system for the purpose of checking the background of a potential gun purchaser. Currently, the check costs $25.
Open Carry
In Nevada, you may carry a loaded or unloaded firearm on your person without a permit so long as the firearm is fully exposed (known as "open carry"). An example of open carry is when a handgun is carried in an "outside the pants" hip holster. Full or partial concealment (such as a purse, jacket, etc.) is considered concealed carry.
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20071118/NEWS/111180136
Nevada leads in gun deaths, ownership
Owners say responsibility will protect rights to gun ownership
With more guns sold and registered per capita than anywhere in the U.S., Nevada is a gun state - always has been.
It also is the gun-death state. According to the Center for Disease Control, since 2000, Nevada has led the nation with an average of 26 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people.
War-torn Iraq averaged 32 gun deaths per 100,000 people last year, according to the same study.
At least once a year, an accidental gun death here makes national headlines.
Lives cut short
Northern Nevada's latest gun tragedy came Oct. 28.
Charles Coogan Kelly, 21, of Truckee, Derek Jensen, 23, of Reno, and Nathan Viljoen, 23, of Fallon, were all fatally shot after an argument erupted at the party in a quiet, neighborhood in southwest Reno.
Two 19-year-old Reno men, Samisone Taukitoku and Saili Manu, were arrested the next day on suspicion of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and brandishing a firearm. Their bail was set at $500,000 each.
During his arraignment, Taukitoku was charged on three counts of murder with the use of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and coercion. He is being held without bail. Saili Manu also was arraigned on charges of coercion and assault with a deadly weapon.
Manu remained in custody in lieu of $500,000 cash bail. Taukitoku is accused of using a .380 semi-automatic pistol to shoot world-class snowboarder Kelly, University of Nevada, Reno student Jensen, and former UNR student Viljoen.
Police said Taukitoku, Manu and two teen relatives crashed a party at a Heatheridge Lane home rented by UNR students.
Robert Bell, Manu's attorney, said the pair went to the party to have fun, but when they arrived at the party, fights had broken out.
"Then, shots rang out, and three boys were dead," Bell said. "He's in shock, that's the best way to put it. The public needs to see where the real fault lies. He was not charged with murder."
Three dead from a Halloween party is just the latest case of guns cutting young lives short here.
On June 15, 2006, Zack Warren, 18, was accidentally shot and killed by friend Donald Davis at a house on River Road.
Investigators said Davis was playing with a .45-caliber handgun when he pointed it at Warren and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Warren in the forehead and he died at the scene. Davis fled the home and was captured eight hours later in a North Carson Street lumber yard.
Sixteen months later, Davis is serving a four-year-plus term for involuntary manslaughter and felony possession of a firearm.
A mother's reaction
Zack Warren's mother, Karen Ryan, of Dayton, said she has thought about gun issues but has spent the time since her son's death focusing on family, keeping them together.
"I haven't been able to move on," she said. "At some point I probably will do some research.
"It's been 16 months but it's yesterday still - the wounds are very fresh."
Gun-control activists said the time to act on accidental gun deaths here is now.
"They don't have any now and they're crying out because of senseless deaths - especially for children," said Brady Campaign spokesman Peter Hamm, of Nevada's nonexistent gun laws.
Based in Washington, D.C., the Brady Campaign was started in the wake of the March 30, 1981, assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, a Republican and a gun owner, was shot and seriously wounded during the incident.
Brady and his wife, Sandy, became outspoken proponents of gun control and in 1994 the Brady Law went into effect in the 32 states (including Nevada) which before did not have any type of background check system in place.
That year, President Clinton signed into law the Violent Crime and Control act introducing the first-ever federal assault weapons ban. The sheer mention of 1994 still can make many gun-toting Nevadans cringe.
"Well it was that damn Clinton who tried to violate our rights and take all our guns away," said Carson City resident Jack Healy, who frequents the Carson Rifle Range and believes Nevada's gun regs are doing the job.
"You look at D.C. and New York where they've taken away people's rights to arm themselves - they're doing away with the Constitution. And they're still all getting shot at."
Centers for Disease Control studies showed on the eighth anniversary of Brady Law in November 2001, gun deaths in the U.S. dropped 27 percent, from 39,595 in 1993 to 28,874 in 1999.
Consequently, in that time and since, the number of gun deaths in Nevada has increased, according to the CDC; but the studies do not take into account the spike in population during the same timeframe.
A common trend?
Local law enforcement officials were reluctant to lump the irresponsible gun owners into one category, especially by age, socioeconomic background or race.
Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said both old and young can abuse guns, even noting the number of older (over-40) gun users arrested for illegal gun use.
The one commonality he saw was with those who come to his office, register their weapons, pick up locks for them or apply for carry of concealed weapon permits; these "responsible" gun owners he said, "are usually not the ones who pose a problem."
Furlong characterized most guns involved in crimes as unregistered guns used by untrained gun owners.
"There are exceptions to every rule," he said. "You have to take things on a case-by-case basis; but almost every gun involved in a crime either 'disappears' or is not registered here locally, or at least to the person who used it in a criminal act."
Carson Sheriff's Chief Deputy Steve Schuette said more Carson residents have applied for concealed weapons (CCW) permits each year since 2001 - and touts it as "progress."
"With CCW's legal, that portion of the public is better-educated," he said. "I don't know if the general public is doing more to arm themselves, but I haven't seen the amount of general gun (crimes) go up substantially at any one point."
The responsible gun owners are not the population the gun control lobby is pointing their fingers at, said Hamm. In fact, a new tack has been to recruit "responsible" gun users to combat scofflaws.
"We tend to approach the gun problem in Nevada armed, I guess," Hamm said. "You know one of the things we truly believe, the more guns there are the more gun violence there is.
"Older Nevadans who have an open mind about public policy would likely agree that there are more people who are purchasing guns, more people who now have access to guns that are not qualified or are serious about bringing themselves to be qualified - that leads to more accidents and more unnecessary shootings."
In Colorado and Oregon, neighboring pro-gun states, ballot measures to require buyers to undergo a background check before making purchases at gun shows have been approved since 2005.
But don't expect to see stricter laws in Nevada anytime soon, Hamm said.
"Unfortunately, it usually takes a significant (event) for people take notice and enact change," he said. "But Nevada's an interesting case study either way - what's happening now, especially in Northern Nevada, is noteworthy.
"Not too long ago, most people who had guns had great respect for the power and the danger that the weapon entailed. With a more casual public attitude - rap singers and professional athletes going on and on about how cool it is to be armed - more people taking advantage of owning a gun without taking a gun safety class; they don't learn it from their grandfather, they don't learn it from their father - they simply arm themselves."
A solution from gun owners
Recently visiting Carson City's shooting range, a man who identified himself as a Lyon County sheriff's deputy - but refused to give his name - said he's seen "more questionable weapons, more automatics and more careless use, not so much at shooting ranges, but anywhere people go to drink and shoot."
"Look, the majority of the guys out at the (ranges) shooting are great great folks," he said at the Carson Rifle Range on a recent morning while shooting. "They're friendly. They know what they're doing. They help each other out. They're upstanding citizens. Have I seen more automatics? Yes. Have I seen people using weapons they probably don't know how to use? Yes.
"But this is our right. I'm not going to ask anyone to have their rights taken away. I held my first gun when I was 5. I learned how to use it. I learned how to be responsible. I know how to defend myself. It's like, if you don't teach someone how to use a toaster, they're going to get burned."
• Contact reporter Andrew Pridgen at [email protected] or 881-1219.
Nevada Gun Laws
Concealed Carry Weapons
On July 7, 1995, Senate Bill 299 was signed into law, and soon afterward, thousands of Nevada residents took advantage of the law that allowed them to carry a handgun concealed upon them. A steady stream of Nevadans have been obtaining carry of concealed weapon permits ever since. In 1999, Assembly Bill 166 made legal concealed carry possible in more public places.
Registration
Clark County (minus Boulder City) requires registration of handguns only. All other counties have no registration of any guns.
Background Check
All Nevada counties implement the national background check through the Nevada Highway Patrol. By state law, any private party may access Nevada's background check system for the purpose of checking the background of a potential gun purchaser. Currently, the check costs $25.
Open Carry
In Nevada, you may carry a loaded or unloaded firearm on your person without a permit so long as the firearm is fully exposed (known as "open carry"). An example of open carry is when a handgun is carried in an "outside the pants" hip holster. Full or partial concealment (such as a purse, jacket, etc.) is considered concealed carry.
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