Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Hundreds gather on the day Gov. Martin O'Malley testifies in favor of gun legislation he proposed earlier this year.
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Wednesday, February 6
By Rashee Raj Kumar Capital News Service Hundreds of gun rights advocates rallied outside the State House Wednesday in opposition to new gun control measures proposed by Gov. Martin O’Malley. As O’Malley testified in favor of new gun restrictions before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, protesters outside said his proposals to ban assault weapons, limit magazine sizes and strengthen licensing measures would erode their rights. Jay Hanlon, a retiree from Silver Spring, held a sign arguing that the Second Amendment protected gun ownership, including assault weapons, as a check against “Domestic Enemies.” “That’s the weapon we need to defend ourselves against a government gone bad—against our oppressors,” said Hanlon, 65. Kerry …
The details on panic buttons, electronic doors, armed police, camera's and radios being proposed to the county's school board Thursday protect school children.
Security Services for Prince George's public schools plans to present a proposal calling for increased school security Thursday. Rex Barrett, deputy director of Security Services talked about the plan and how its timeline sped up after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Below are details of the long-term plan as explained by Barrett. Adding Armed Police Officers to Middle and Elementary Schools All 22 of the county's public high schools already have armed security officers who are members of the Prince George's County police department or three local police forces, that include Hyattsville city, Bowie city and the city of Greenbelt. The new proposal recommends increasing that protection. It advises having armed police officers at …
Installing panic buttons, electronic doors, and increasing armed police officers are on Thursday's agenda for the county's education board.
The Security Services department for the county's public schools will propose a beefed up security plan to the Prince George's County Board of Education Thursday that recommends panic buttons in every public school and more armed police on campuses. The department's proposal includes having two cameras and an electronic entry door controlled by an access buzzer at all public schools. Director of Security Services Michael Blow and Deputy Director Rex Barrett have teamed up with security staff to develop the recommendations, which will increase school security in a post-Sandy Hook world, according to Barrett. "It was such a catastrophic event," Barrett said of the mass shooting at the Newtown, CT elementary school. "It's kind of changed …
Friday, December 21, 2012
'The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,' the NRA's Wayne LaPierre said.
In a Friday morning press conference, the National Rifle Association broke its weeklong silence following the horrific shooting of 26 people at a school in Newtown, CT, and called for a surge of gun-carrying "good guys" around American schools. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called for a new kind of American domestic security revolving around armed civilians, arguing that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." "We care about our president, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents," LaPierre said. "Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by Capitol Police officers. Yet, when it comes to our most beloved, innocent, and vulnerable members of the American family, our children, …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Sales jumped following the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Following the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, sales of bullet proof backpacks are soaring, according to a story in The Washington Post. Bullet Blocker, a company that sells bullet proof tactical gear, saw sales jump from 15 to 20 backpacks a week to 50 to 100 per day, according to the report. Patch contacted several manufacturers, but none returned comment before publication. The Washington Post wrote: In Arizona, a body-armor manufacturer called Amendment II says sales of its bulletproof childrens’ backpacks -- Avengers for boys, Disney Princesses for girls -- have jumped more than 500 percent. Black Dragon Tactical, a survivalist company in New Hampshire, is promoting armored backpack-inserts on its Facebook page.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School has sparked broader debate over gun control and whether semi-automatic weapons should be banned.
The Sandy Hook shooting has opened a broader discussion over gun control and whether there should be tighter restrictions on semi-automatic weapons like the one used by shooter Adam Lanza. As Columbia Patch points out, citing an article from The Washington Post, current law bans fully automatic assault weapons, but semi-automatic assault weapons are legal, as well as high-capacity magazines. Since the shooting, Walmart stopped selling online the Bushmaster Patrolman's Carbine M4A3 Rifle, which is in the same family of firearms as the weapon Lanza used, The Huffington Post reports. Wheaton Patch is reporting that Dick's Sporting Goods has suspended the sale of "modern sporting rifles" at all of its stores. The shooting has sparked a …
The Maryland 2-1-1 hotline is staffed 24 hours a day.
For those in Prince George's County still dealing with the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings in Newtown, CT, there is a hotline to help. Maryland 2-1-1 is a free service that connects residents to mental health and human services professionals. The number is staffed by professionals who quickly assess the callers’ needs and refer them agencies or resources to assist them or family members who are struggling with emotional issues according to a news release about the hotline. The number operates 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, in over 200 languages. "If you or any loved ones need mental health advice, please call ‘2-1-1.’ Maryland’s 2-1-1 professionals will connect everyone who needs help with the right resources," Prince George’s County …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Counties across the state took measures to deal with the Newtown, CT school shooting.
Communities across Maryland have been reeling in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Some residents said they feared dropping their children off at school while others demanded action from legislators. Hyattsville Elementary School's new principal, Julia Burton, addressed her students Monday before Prince George's County schools observed a minute of silence to honor the victims of Friday's school shooting in Newtown, CT. "Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. And take care of the place," she told students. In Wheaton, parents reacted to the tragic news and talked about school safety in Montgomery County. Frances Frost, a contributor to the Local Voices section on Wheaton Patch, wrote in an email: "As a mom of 4…
In Montgomery and Prince George's counties, many organizations honored the victims with vigils, flags at half staff and more.
There has been an outpouring of support for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Connecticut. A candlelight vigil will be held Monday at 7 p.m. in Ijamsville, MD, the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce announced in a news release. Noelle Tate, a mother of 5- and 1-year-old girls, organized the memorial to show respect and support for the Newtown, CT, victims and their families. “I’ve been deeply affected by the tragic events that took place on Friday," Tate said in a statement. "As a mother, I weep at the thought of those children being brutally murdered while innocently going about their school day. I grieve for the parents whose pain will never subside." Havre de Grace Seventh-day Adventist Church in Rockville …
In response to a deadly school shooting in Newtown, CT Friday, Prince George's County Public Schools officials discuss school safety with teachers and talking to children about trauma.
With news outlets focusing on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT Friday, many parents and teachers are now grappling with how to talk with children about the tragedy taking over the headlines and television channels. Officials from Prince George's County Public Schools shared tips for talking to students about the school shooting and even shared signs that your student is having trouble coping with the event. For more on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, its victims and to learn how you can help, click onto Newtown Patch. Although there is no immediate danger to county schools, Prince George's County Police have increased patrols near elementary schools across the county. Officials also sent school safety …
Adrian Reast
10:53 am on Sunday, March 31, 2013
How can a union thug call anyone a nut case Steve? Its delusional thinking and at least under the new gun laws people like Steve would be banned from owning guns. Adrian Reast more ›