BALTIMORE'S FLOW OF ILLEGAL GUNS SUPPLIED BY OUT OF STATE SOURCES (NON-DISCRIMINATORY GUN LAWS)

BALTIMORE'S FLOW OF ILLEGAL GUNS SUPPLIED BY OUT OF STATE SOURCES:

WHY CAN'T POLICE AND MD STATE TROOPERS STOP THE FLOW WITHOUT TARGETING BLACK MEN ONLY??


Sources: BALTIMORE SUN, Fox News, WBALTV, Youtube


***** I-Team finds illegal guns in Baltimore coming from out of state


Amid the hot debate over gun laws, the WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team reveals the steep challenge of reducing the supply of guns often used in crimes.

The problem: laws vary state to state.

It wasn't known at the time, but it turns out that a .40-caliber Glock handgun recovered during a traffic stop by Maryland State Police in Anne Arundel County in 2015 was part of a much larger conspiracy to funnel guns from one state to another.

"The firearm came back to a person who purchased it in the state of Georgia," Maryland State Police Sgt. Frank Lopez said.

Lopez runs the state police gun center, which traces guns and performs background checks on people arrested in possession of guns.

The Glock recovered in Anne Arundel County was actually one of 25 guns legally purchased by a man in Georgia, who then sold them to a man in Maryland. The buyer was Jaleel Wulu, an aspiring rapper known as Trill Castro.
The two men were convicted on federal charges of gun trafficking after some of the guns were recovered from other people during criminal investigations.

"This gentleman purchased many firearms, and they were turning up, the majority of them, in Prince George's County," Lopez said.

An unusual pattern? Not at all.

More often than not, guns seized by police in criminal investigations are coming from someplace other than Maryland.
"I would say approximately 60 percent statewide of firearms that are seized by Maryland law enforcement are not Maryland guns, that goes up exponentially in places like Baltimore City and Prince George's County," Lopez said.

Maryland has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. Buyers are required to wait seven days after purchase to actually take possession of a handgun.

There is no instant background check, and buyers are limited to one purchase per month.
Laws are far more lax in states to the south and west.

In West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, background checks are instant, and there is no waiting period and no limit on how many guns you can purchase at once.

The disparity between gun laws state by state complicates the effort to reduce gun violence, currently an urgent priority in Baltimore.

There is no shortage of supply.

Shantay Guy, who runs the Community Mediation organization in Baltimore, said it is not hard to get a gun in Baltimore.

"It's not difficult at all," Guy said. "Not only are those that are involved in intentionally violent activities have quick access to guns, but even those kids that are fearful that if they are not protecting themselves, they could be another victim, but it's easy for them to get guns too."

Earlier this week, the Baltimore City Council opened debate on increasing the penalty for illegal gun possession in Baltimore.

Guy's organization, which files surveillance video of shootings, is taking on a much harder question: How do you head off people from using a gun to resolve conflict and dispute?

"There are a fair amount of folks in our city who have low levels, quite honestly, of emotional intelligence.

I would offer that I am still working on mine," Guy said. "The more folks that we could get involved in this work to help heal rifts and relationships that have been damaged in Baltimore City, the better likelihood we are going to have in significantly reducing the violence in Baltimore City."

To date, just over 1,000 illegal guns have been seized in Baltimore, and more than 520 people have been wounded or killed in gun violence.

MCCORY TO REPEAL HB2 AFTER CHARLOTTE LEADERS REPEAL LGBT BATHROOM SHARING ORDINANCE

GOV MCCORY TO REPEAL HB2 AFTER CHARLOTTE LEADERS REPEAL LGBT BATHROOM SHARING ORDINANCE:

CHARLOTTE'S MAYOR JENNIFER ROBERTS WANTED TO HELP HILLARY BUT IT BACKFIRED.

CHARLOTTE'S POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED LGBT BATHROOM ORDINANCE WAS ONLY FORCED ON PRIVATE BUSINESSES & PRIVATE SCHOOLS NOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

THUS THE REASON WHY GOV MCCRORY SIGNED HB2 INTO LAW IN THE FIRST PLACE.

CHARLOTTE'S BATHROOM SHARING ORDINANCE WAS ABOUT 2016 POLITICS NOT DISCRIMINATION.


Sources: CBS News, Charlotte Observer, YouTube


****** Gov. Pat McCrory calls for special legislative session Wednesday to repeal HB2


Following a surprise move by Charlotte City Council on Monday, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has called for a special session Wednesday to consider repeal of House Bill 2.

The governor’s statement came in a series of rapidly unfolding events that could signal an end to the nine-month drama that has catapulted North Carolina into national headlines. HB2, seen by critics as an anti-LGBT measure, prompted boycotts and cost the state millions of dollars as well as lost jobs.

Monday’s events also underscored the continuing tensions between Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper.

McCrory’s call came hours after Charlotte City Council voted 10-0, with the support of Cooper and Democratic Mayor Jennifer Roberts, to rescind the LGBT ordinance that prompted HB2.

“This sudden reversal, with little notice after the gubernatorial election has ended, sadly proves this entire issue, originated by the political left, was all about politics at the expense of Charlotte and the entire state of North Carolina,” McCrory said in a video statement.

Cooper, who lobbied for the council action, announced earlier that GOP legislative leaders had promised to repeal HB2.

“Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore assured me that as a result of Charlotte’s vote, a special session will be called for Tuesday to repeal HB2 in full,” Cooper said in a statement. “I hope they will keep their word to me and with the help of Democrats in the legislature, HB2 will be repealed in full.”

In a joint statement of their own, Berger and Moore said politics was behind the council vote.

“Today Roy Cooper and Jennifer Roberts proved what we said was the case all along: their efforts to force men into women’s bathrooms and shower facilities was a political stunt to drive out-of-state money into the governor’s race,” the Republican leaders said. “For months, we’ve said if Charlotte would repeal its bathroom ordinance that created the problem, we would take up the repeal of HB2.”.



This is the third time such an offer has been floated.

First in May and then in September there were efforts to get the council to rescind the ordinance that extended anti-discrimination protection to the LGBT community and allowed transgender people to use the public bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

Most council members never went along with the deal.

Since then Cooper defeated McCrory in a hard-fought race that wasn’t settled until McCrory conceded Dec. 5 as a recount entered its final hours.



Late-night lobbying

Council’s Monday morning vote came after late-night lobbying by Cooper himself. He called Democratic Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles at 10 p.m. Sunday and Democrat Julie Eiselt a half-hour later.

He said “if we cleaned up our books, that the General Assembly was motivated to call a special session to repeal (the law), and we felt this was our best opportunity,” Eiselt told the Observer.

Cooper and others believe that the best chance to repeal HB2 is this month before new legislators take office in January.

Roberts and council members had considered a similar deal earlier in the year but had rejected it.

Roberts on Monday was in the difficult position of defending the repeal. The vote “should in no way be viewed as a compromise of our principles or commitment to nondiscrimination,” she said.

But earlier this year, and as recently as last week, the mayor said that LGBT rights weren’t negotiable. Local and national gay rights organizations had adamantly opposed a symbolic repeal vote. The Human Rights Campaign said earlier this month that there should be no compromise between the city and the state.

But Monday they applauded the city’s move.

“HB2 is precisely why North Carolinians went to the polls and ousted Gov. McCrory last month,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “It’s time for state lawmakers to repeal HB2 and begin repairing the harm this bill has done to people and the damage it has done to North Carolina’s reputation and economy.”

State Rep. Chris Sgro, a Guilford County Democrat who is president of Equality NC, said earlier this month that he opposed any compromise.

“I firmly believe that Roy Cooper, Jennifer Roberts and the majority of City Council are committed to winning the full complement (of rights) for LGBT people both in Charlotte and across the state,” he said Monday. “All eyes …are on Raleigh watching for the General Assembly to do the right thing.”

Republican council member Kenny Smith, who is considering running for mayor, said the Democratic-controlled council was “playing politics” with the decision. He said the same deal has been available for months, but that council members waited until McCrory lost the election.

State GOP Chairman Robin Hayes agreed. He said the Charlotte ordinance was “never more than a nakedly partisan political weapon aimed at sabotaging Gov. McCrory’s re-election bid, while inflicting economic suffering on the people of North Carolina.”

It’s unclear how a vote to repeal HB2 would go. Democratic votes are virtually assured. Many Republicans remain in support of the bill.

“Lawmakers shouldn’t now betray those who supported them and compromise common sense principles, like privacy, dignity, and freedom for all citizens,” Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the N.C. Values Coalition, said. “To do so would be to advance the Obama administration’s agenda, not freedom and common sense.”

A ‘reset’

The city’s repeal includes language that says its nondiscrimination ordinance will be revived if the General Assembly doesn’t repeal HB2 by Dec. 31.

Republican council member Ed Driggs said he’s worried legislators will see that deadline as Charlotte dictating to Raleigh. He proposed that the Dec. 31 deadline be removed, but his motion failed.

Some business leaders were surprised but happy at the news. Maxwell Hanks, a broker with Spectrum Properties leasing the new 300 South Tryon office building, said HB2 has been hurting business recruitment in the state

“Rescinding HB2 will be a great way to close out 2016 and start 2017,” said Hanks. He said the move would be a “reset,” and that it would help him and other brokers lure companies to move to the state.

There was no advance notice that the ordinance would be discussed at the City Council meeting. The city charter allows the manager or mayor to place any item on the agenda – even without public notice first. Democrat James Mitchell made the motion to vote on the matter and Smith seconded.

Roberts said voters’ feelings about the issue have been known and voiced. But when the issue was last discussed, many in the LGBT community urged the city not to repeal the ordinance.

“The community always has a chance to weigh in,” Roberts said. “There will be much more conversations about equality.”

Lyles said council members would try in 2017 to pass some LGBT protections, though it’s unclear what they would be.

It’s possible the state might allow Charlotte to pass legal protections for gay and lesbian individuals in places of public accommodation, but any new ordinance that allowed transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity would likely be rejected again by legislators.

Some Democratic council members have long said they don’t want to “leave the transgender community behind.” But if there are future protections, the city will likely be forced to do just that.

Democratic council member John Autry said Monday’s vote turned his stomach. But he said he decided to support the compromise after talking with one of his daughters, who is gay.

He said she told him that the city’s vote was the best thing to do “in the long run.”

Democratic council member Patsy Kinsey didn’t attend the meeting.

A special session on Wednesday would come five days after lawmakers completed another special session in which they passed measures taking away many of the new governor’s appointment powers.

By itself, Charlotte’s move will not have any immediate impact on the status of lawsuits against HB2 by the federal government and the American Civil Liberties Union, among other groups.

UNC law professor Maxine Eichner, an expert in LGBT matters, said if the General Assembly follows through with the removal of HB2, the opposing sides in the court fights could both ask that the cases be dropped. Or the courts could rule that the lawsuits are now moot.

TARGET CHRISTIAN BOYCOTT GROWS (HRC & PAYPAL'S INTIMIDATION)

@Target

NATIONAL CHRISTIAN BOYCOTT OF TARGET GROWS:

IT'S NOT ABOUT LGBT DISCRIMINATION; IT'S REALLY ABOUT SILENCING CHRISTIANITY FOREVER.

OBAMA'S STRATEGY TO DIVIDE AMERICA FOR 2016 POLITICS SUCCEEDS.

@HB2

Sources: MSN, Fox News, USA Today, Youtube

***** More than 500,000 boycott Target over transgender bathroom policy

A conservative Christian activist group has gained more than half a million signatures and counting from people pledging to boycott Target over its transgender bathroom policy.

The petition started by the American Family Association on Wednesday raises concerns that Target's inclusive stance on transgender rights encourages sexual predators and puts women and young girls in danger, because "a man can simply say he 'feels like a woman today' and enter the women's restroom."

The boycott has more than 503,000 signatures as of Monday morning, marking it as one of AFA's most popular campaigns.

"This is the best response we’ve ever had this quick," says AFA President Tim Wildmon, attributing the protest's viral nature to the fact that "everybody knows who Target is, and it’s an easy-to-understand issue." 

Wildmon says Target stands "to lose a lot of customers who won't come back." But Target is standing by its policy.

"We certainly respect that there are a wide variety of perspectives and opinions," says Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder. "As a company that firmly stands behind what it means to offer our team an inclusive place to work — and our guests an inclusive place to shop — we continue to believe that this is the right thing for Target."

She added that hundreds of Target stores "have single-stall, family restrooms for those who may be more comfortable with that option."

Target made its position public in a blog post last week, stating that the company welcomes "transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity." The announcement comes as legislation on transgender issues in multiple states has spurred several major corporations and businesses to take a stance on LGBT rights. 

The American Family Association, a non-profit based in Tupelo, Miss., frequently protests on issues that target what it considers traditional family values.

Its more recent campaigns include canceling the organization's use of PayPal after that company pulled back on plans to open a new facility in North Carolina, which recently passed a law requiring transgender people using public bathrooms to use the one that aligns with their gender at birth.

HB2 IS THE 2016 ELECTION LITMUS TEST

HB2 IS THE 2016 ELECTION LITMUS TEST

OBAMA FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORMED AMERICA'S FABRIC.

Sources:  NCSPIN, WRAL, News Observer

The HB2 Political fray is NOT about Anti-Discrimination or LGBT Rights.

Instead it's about forcing 2016 voters to choose whom they will serve Fundamentally.

**** WRAL Poll: HB2 Could Have An Impact On Elections

The conflict over House Bill 2, the recently passed measure setting statewide discrimination standards, could reverberate into the fall general election, likely voters told a WRAL News poll.

Conducted by SurveyUSA exclusively for WRAL News, the poll found Republican Gov. Pat McCrory trailing Democratic challenger Roy Cooper 43 percent to 47 percent, with more than two-thirds of voters saying that a politician’s position on the bill will either “strongly” or “somewhat” influence their votes.

“Probably the past two weeks have taken a toll on McCrory, and he needs to hope for a short ‘short’ legislative session this summer so he can get into the summer and re-balance the political equation,” said Michael Bitzer, a professor of political science at Catawba College.

McCrory has defended the bill after signing it only hours after it passed the General Assembly on March 23. Cooper has labeled the bill “a disgrace” and refused to defend it in court.

“For both McCrory and Cooper, it’s a dynamic that probably both of them want to go away, except that it seems to energize their respective bases,” Bitzer said.

Both of the candidates have used House Bill 2 to raise money and have been regularly communicating with supporters about the bill.

The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, meaning that Cooper and McCrory are still in a statistical tie. However, the result is the reverse of a finding by liberal-leaning Public Policy Polling, which found McCrory leading Cooper by 2 percentage points just before lawmakers passed House Bill 2.

The WRAL News poll reflects a “significant” gender gap, Bitzer said, with Cooper leading McCrory among women 50 percent to 38 percent.

It’s unclear whether House Bill 2 played a role in Cooper’s overall lead on McCrory. The numbers of voters who said they approve or disapprove of McCrory’s job performance did not move significantly between a WRAL News poll released just before the March 15 primary and this week’s survey. However, Cooper’s approval rating climbed 18 points during the same time period.

Similarly, only 30 percent of respondents said they approve of the job the North Carolina General Assembly is doing, with 51 percent disapproving. Those numbers are about the same as a month ago.

Of respondents likely to cast ballots in November, 58 percent said a candidate’s position on House Bill 2 would strongly influence his or her vote, while another 24 percent said a candidate’s position would somewhat influence his or her vote. Only 14 percent said the bill would have no impact. Voters who identified themselves as strongly liberal or conservative were more likely to report that the measure would have a strong impact on their votes.

It’s one of those cultural issues that can get legs,” said Carter Wrenn, a veteran Republican political consultant. “It has landed in politics where it has gotten plenty muddied up, but it’s a cultural issue.”

Wrenn said it was typical for partisans to feel more strongly about an issue like House Bill 2. But 56 percent of voters who identified themselves as truly independent – leaning neither Republican nor Democratic – said it would also be on their minds when they go to the polls.

Gary Pearce, a longtime Democratic consultant, pointed out that the law has dominated newspaper headlines and local television news and has even been featured on national news programs.

“Here’s the one thing that is different right now – there’s an enormous amount of coverage. It dominates anything else in North Carolina politics. The question is, will that continue?” Pearce said.

If the intensity of news coverage slackens, he said, so will electoral passions with regard to the bill.

MCCRORY HANDLES HB2 BACKLASH WITH BALANCED APPROACH - EXPANDS ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTION

  HB2 UPDATE:

MCCRORY HANDLES HB2 BACKLASH WITH BALANCED APPROACH - EXPANDS ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTION:

...

MAINTAINS COMMON SENSE PRIVACY PROTECTIONS FOR SCHOOL BATHROOMS & LOCKER ROOMS.

I STAND WITH MCCRORY FOR HIS COURAGE AND LEADERSHIP CHARACTER.

 Sources:  Charlotte Observer,  CBS, YouTube

**** Gov. McCrory, Facing HB2 Criticism, Expands Anti-Discrimination Protections 

~ Executive order expands state employment policy to cover sexual orientation and gender identity 

~ Order affirms rights of local governments and businesses to establish their own anti-discrimination policies for employees

~ Order maintains ‘gender-specific restroom and locker room facilities’ in government buildings and schools

Gov. Pat McCrory on Tuesday responded to growing criticism of HB2 with an executive order that expands state employment policy to cover sexual orientation and gender identity and affirming the rights of local governments and businesses to establish their own anti-discrimination policies for employees. 

McCrory also promised to seek legislation to reinstate the right to sue in state court for discrimination, a right eliminated by House Bill 2.

At the same time, the governor said he would maintain “common sense gender-specific restroom and locker room facilities” in government buildings and schools.

“Simply put I have listened to the people of North Carolina and the people of North Carolina are entitled to both privacy and equality,” the governor said in a video message.