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The Sheriff's Auxilary will be providing a tutorial session at the upcoming USAPrepares expo in Lebannon, Missouri (6-7 April) on how to start a county Sheriff's auxiliary. This will be a nuts and bolts presentation on the type of paperwork needed, staffing requirements, how long you can expect it to take, how to write the mission statement and so forth, with access to additional resources.
The National Rifle Association, Naitonal School Shield Task Force has released a report comprised of recommendations for enchancing school security (Scribd document: http://www.scribd.com/doc/133630146/NRA-s-National-School-Shield-Report ). The report has been heavily criticized for focusing almost exclusively on the use of School Resource Officer (SROs), basically Law Enforcement Officers attached to schools, but I will refrain from commenting on this until I have finished reading the report myself.
This article will summarize Missouri Firearms laws and is intended as a companion to our 90-minute talk (60 minutes plus questions). The talk is intended as an introduction for the average citizen and will be first given at the former Church-On-The-Loop (West side of what is now the the MARC) in Mount Vernon on Thursday 14 March 2012 at 19:00 (7pm). This article will contain the talk outline, some citations of law, and links to other resources. What is Open vs. Concealed carry? What are the rules for firearms in vehicles? What are Missouri's self-defense laws? Do I need a CCW?
The question was asked several different ways at the recent Cattlemen's meeting on whether it is lawful to shoot cattle rustlers and was answered by the Barry County Prosecuting Attorney. According to one of our NCOs, this was also discussed at this weekend's CCW training course with Jason Lacey in Mount Vernon. This article will repeat the short answer under Missouri law, address some of the complex side questions, and try to tie in how Auxiliary volunteers fit into the mix.
There has been a lot of discussion locally about the increase in Missouri livestock theft, including recent community meetings hosted by the Cattlemen's Association. Fortunately, actual instances of thefts within Lawrence County are so far very low, but illegal activity in surrounding counties is legitimate cause for concern. Organized rustling ruins livelihoods. Insurance is expensive. The practice must be stopped.
The Lawrence County Sheriff, along with several other Missouri Sheriff's, has sent a letter to President Obama regarding current gun control iniatives. The original letter was drafted by Sheriff Charles Heiss of Johnson County, which each Sheriff has personalized.
This letter underscores the position of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Auxiliary regarding the Right To Keep and Bear Arms.
As I was preparing to write this article on an event twenty years ago today, I noticed the headline that a shooting has just occurred in a Connecticut elementary school with 28 dead, 20 of them children.
I was laid up in bed with my still swollen ankle propped up on a pillow, a zip-lock bag of now melted snow pressed against it. A much-abused copy of Billy Joel's Kohept played on the stereo across the room. The room was sweltering, the window next to me open wide and the snow long-since melted from the overhang, but I wasn't going to limp down the stairs to adjust the thermostat back down again. A knobbed stick lay propped against my milk-crate nightstand surmounted by an ugly lamp, which was now off, the room lit dimly by the lamp-posts of the small cluster of upper class modular apartments, Mods, nestled in the snowy woods. A stack of untouched textbooks lay between me and the window, a Weis and Hickman novel closed and marked on the sill itself.
Susan Drollinger (a NCO in the LCS Auxiliary) sent me this link to an article about the San Bernadino, CA City Attorney telling residents to "lock their doors" and "load their guns" at a city council meeting in response to dramatic shortages of police officers. In character, the economic crisis in San Bernadino leading to the staff shortages are no different than what is going on in Springfield or for that matter, the budgetary stresses in all cities and counties across the US at this moment. The problem this official addresses is real.
We offer a better solution.
Samaritan's Purse, the international Christian relief organization, is still recruiting individuals and teams, including youth groups, to help rebuild homes devastated by the Joplin EF-5 tornado. As we approach the holiday season and look forward to spending time visiting with family, it is important to remember that some of our neighbors are still without homes.