Comments on A Letter to the Editor Ban Open Carry

I believe it would be nice to “OPEN CARRY”.  There are many differences of opinion, however, It would certainly make people more conscious of their social manners.  Please let me know your opinions.

Open carry law asking for problems

 Published: January 29, 2012

  Regarding “Open carry gun law bill called crime deterrent” (Tulsa World, Jan. 23): What’s going on that state Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, would even think about an open carry law? I don’t want to go into a store and watch people carrying guns on their hips. We already have a concealed carry law. Guns don’t need to be out in the open — it’s just asking for problems. Not to mention it makes people nervous. It makes more sense to change the concealed carry law from saying you’re breaking the law if the gun pops out in plain sight to saying the wearer isn’t liable as long as he made an effort to keep it concealed.

Those who want to carry a gun should get a concealed carry license and go through the test and background checks. If he can’t pass the requirements, he shouldn’t be able to carry a gun, open or concealed.

Arthur Schofield, Oklahoma City

Read more: http://newsok.com/open-carry-law-asking-for-problems/article/3643953#ixzz1l5DE1ATC

Open and Obvious Carrying of Firearms in Oklahoma Make My Day

In the old west it was not necessary to conceal one’s firearm.   Gamblers, card sharps and crooks  had a need to conceal carry their tiny derringers.  It was very difficult to conceal a Colt Navy Dragoon Six Shooter.  After hundreds of years of so called civilization, the law has permitted the honest citizen to conceal and carry a firearm under strict guidelines.  Presently, the Oklahoma Legislature passed the “Make My Day” laws allowing residents/homeowners to protect their homes against all invaders.  Last year the Oklahoma Legislature passed the “Make My Day” law for the benefit of business owners.  A business owner does not have to hide from a trespassing aggressor and may stand his ground and fight off an attack by thugs or criminals with the full blessing of the local district attorney.

There are pitfalls and caveats.  A recent article published by the Daily Oklahoman shows that there may be some danger in shooting an intruder.  Recent developments in the Ersland Case would be instructive.  Check out the news story:

Some seek expansion of state ‘Make My Day’ law

 By SEAN MURPHY     0

Published: January 30, 2012

Following a series of high-profile shootings deemed justified under the state’s “Make My Day” law, some lawmakers are looking to expand the state’s gun laws to allow citizens to defend themselves beyond just their homes.

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Background

Last week, a Midwest City man shot and killed an armed burglar who had broken into the man’s duplex. The shooting, which was deemed justifiable, came less than a month after a young widow gunned down an intruder inside her Blanchard mobile home.The law, nicknamed after the line by Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty” Harry Callahan character in the 1983 film “Sudden Impact,” was expanded last year to allow the use of deadly force by business owners or employees. It currently applies to those who have a “reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm” after someone illegally enters their home or business.

This year, lawmakers are looking to expand the protections the law provides to include people who may enter a business peacefully but with “violent intent.”

Supporters say several recent high-profile cases underscore the importance of the law.

On New Year’s Eve, a young widow armed with a shotgun and a pistol gunned down a knife-wielding intruder at her rural Blanchard mobile home in a shooting Grady County prosecutors said was clearly justified under the law. It also was cited after a shooting Thursday in which a Midwest City resident shot and killed an armed invader who broke into his duplex.

“This is the third shooting in the last 15 months where a homeowner or resident has killed a suspect trying to unlawfully enter their home,” Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said after the shooting. “The Oklahoma ‘Make My Day’ law is doing what it was exactly designed to do — allow our law-abiding citizens the right to protect themselves from immediate danger while in the security of their home.”

STATE’S HISTORY

With a colorful state history that includes hardscrabble pioneer settlers with the lawless days of the wild West, the use of firearms to protect one’s home and family is interwoven into the fabric of Oklahoma society.

“Just look at the thieves, outlaws, vagabonds and gangsters that have seeded Oklahoma’s history,” said state Sen. Steve Russell, an Oklahoma City Republican who has been a fierce proponent of expanding gun rights. “We understand the need to protect ourselves, as do these innocent victims who had to kill these criminals as they burst into their homes.”

Russell says he intends to push this year for fewer restrictions on those who can purchase a concealed carry permit and an “open carry” bill that will allow law abiding citizens over the age of 21 to openly carry a firearm.

Don Spencer, who teaches classes that are required to obtain a concealed carry permit, said students frequently ask about the state’s “Make My Day” law.

“Most people are curious about the point at which it’s absolute that they can defend themselves,” said Spencer, who is also the deputy director of the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association. “Obviously, if the Girl Scouts appear on your door step, you don’t have the right to blow them away.

“But if a guy tries to kick down your door, absolutely you do.”

Spencer said his organization offered a free class to the Blanchard widow, 18-year-old Sarah Dawn McKinley, who was at her rural home with her 3-month-old son on New Year’s Eve when an intruder broke into her home. Authorities suspect the intruder, 24-year-old Justin Shane Martin, was looking for prescription drugs he believed belonged to McKinley’s late husband.

McKinley, who was armed with a small-caliber pistol and a shotgun, fired the shotgun as Martin burst through the door.

“She’s been through a lot, and I have a lot of respect for that young lady,” Spencer said.

And while McKinley’s case was a relatively simple one for prosecutors to determine justified, that’s not always the case, said Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn.

“Those are the easiest calls, because the stranger obviously brought the threat to the homeowner who was there,” Mashburn said. “But each case is different.

“It may be a true situation where it’s one defending their home, but you have to look at if it’s someone they had an argument with earlier in the day, or if there’s a prior relationship or bad blood. That could fuel it, and sometimes makes us skeptical.”

Oklahoma also has a so-called “Stand Your Ground” law that applies outside of the home and allows people to meet force with force, even deadly force, if they feel their life is threatened. And Mashburn said those cases can be even more difficult to determine, especially if one of the parties is killed.

“You have to look at all the surrounding circumstances and see what happened,” he said. “You have to really turn it inside out and look at it from every angle.”

Criminals also are familiar with state law and can often tailor their story to investigators to cover up a killing.

“We’ve even had situations where people try to bait someone to come over to their house and then claim ‘Make My Day,’” Mashburn said.

Read more: http://newsok.com/article/3644653#ixzz1l57lrNYM

Make My Day Law In Oklahoma

Recent developments in Oklahoma show that armed aggressors are being confronted and killed by residents and homeowners who with good reason fear for their lives.  The unthinking burglars, robbers and thieves forget the maxim:  God did not create men equal Colonel Colt did..

A recent burglar met his untimely fate at the hands of a prepared, locked and loaded resident in Midwest City, Oklahoma.  The Daily Oklahoman published a story detailing the sordid series of events:

MIDWEST CITY — A resident alerted to a break-in by his growling dog shot and killed an armed burglar as the intruder kicked in the front door Thursday morning, police said.

Reginald Keith Joseph Jr.

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Burglar shot and killed in Midwest City

Jan 26A man inside his home said he fatally shot an intruder…

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Article Gallery: Midwest City resident fatally shoots burglar

 Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said Thursday’s shooting marks the third time in 15 months someone was killed by a resident while trying to break into a home in Midwest City.

“Maybe next time, these violent offenders will think twice about committing first-degree burglaries in Midwest City,” Clabes said.

The resident at a duplex in the 300 block of N Kendra Drive said he heard his dog growl then heard two hard kicks on his front door about 7:45 a.m.

He grabbed a gun from his bedroom and confronted a man who broke in. The intruder was also armed with a handgun, Clabes said.

The resident opened fire and hit the intruder once in the chest. The intruder, Reginald Keith Joseph Jr., 27, was taken to Midwest Regional Medical Center, where he died, Clabes said.

The name of the resident who shot the intruder has not been released. Clabes said the man is afraid of retribution from those who might have known Joseph.

Shooting appears to have been justified Clabes said it appears the shooting was justifiable.

“Based on the facts that we know, the suspect did actually kick the front door in as he entered the residence,” Clabes said. “The suspect was also armed with a handgun.”

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater will determine whether the shooting was justified after police have finished their investigation.

Dan Stephens said his sister-in-law is engaged to the shooter and lives at the duplex. Stephens said the woman was not home during the shooting. He said they had never seen the man, and the break-in was random.

Stephens said his sister-in-law does not want her name released because she fears retaliation from those who might know the intruder.

“She doesn’t want nobody else, I’m sure, to come, you know, and try to retaliate,” Stephens said. “They’re pretty shook up. He just took somebody’s life.”

Clabes said Joseph had previous arrests, including one in Edmond in 2010 for possession of a firearm after a previous conviction.  Similar cases in Midwest City

Read more: http://newsok.com/midwest-city-resident-fatally-shoots-burglar/article/3643628#ixzz1l53dREPP

Similar cases in Midwest City In the two most recent “make my day” cases in Midwest City before Thursday, prosecutors ruled the shootings by the residents were justified.

Two 15-year-old stepbrothers were shot in October 2010 by Midwest City resident Amanda Walworth, who found them in her living room. One of the teens, Marquis Lee Patterson, was killed. The other, Dewayne Edward Kemp, survived. Kemp and another man accused of being involved in the burglary are currently on trial, accused of murder, in the case.

In April 2011, a dispute between two men ended when one tried to force his way into the other’s home and was shot to death. Mark Wilkinson, 32, of Norman, was reportedly angry at Raymond Stauffer, 38, because of comments he made about Wilkinson’s wife possibly being involved in drugs.

Wilkinson tried to force his way into Stauffer’s Midwest City home and was shot to death.

“The Oklahoma ‘make my day’ law is doing what it was exactly designed to do — allow our law-abiding citizens the right to protect themselves from immediate danger while in the security of their home,” Clabes said.

Read more: http://newsok.com/midwest-city-resident-fatally-shoots-burglar/article/3643628#ixzz1l55CrBta

New DUI Law Snares Big Fish

According to the Daily Oklahoman, Ronald “Skip” Kelly, Oklahoma City Councilman, was arrested for DUI and under the current law must be accused as a felon.  A local news story paints a dark picture against a good Councilman.  A search of the OSCN data base does not support the story.

New law made Oklahoma City councilman’s felony DUI charge automatic

An Oklahoma law that took effect in November automatically made Oklahoma City Councilman Ronald “Skip” Kelly’s DUI charge a felony.

BY MICHAEL KIMBALL     0

Published: January 29, 2012

Oklahoma City Councilman Ronald “Skip” Kelly is among the first people affected by a new state law that makes a felony charge automatic against arrestees with previous DUI convictions.

Ronald “Skip” Kelly The city councilman was arrested Jan. 20.

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The law, which took effect Nov. 1, mandates a felony charge for anyone arrested on a drunken driving complaint within 10 years of the end of their sentence for a previous DUI conviction.

Those convicted of the felony face punishment of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $2,500 and must be evaluated at their own expense for possible substance abuse treatment.

Kelly, 62, was charged last week in Oklahoma County District Court with felony DUI after his arrest Jan. 20 in northwest Oklahoma City.

He had previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of DUI in 2009, and his 10-year clock created by the new law started ticking when his two-year deferred sentence ended in May.

Some, but not all, repeat DUI offenders were charged with felonies before the new law took effect.

Kelly, who will lose his council seat if convicted of the felony, did not respond late last week to messages seeking comment. It isn’t clear whether he has hired an attorney. A pretrial conference for the new DUI charge is set for Feb. 16.

Defendants in criminal cases often negotiate with prosecutors to plead guilty to lesser charges.

TOUGHER DUI LAWS

The new law affecting Kelly is one of several changes state lawmakers made last year to make Oklahoma’s DUI laws tougher.

The Erin Elizabeth Swezey Act, named after a 20-year-old Edmond woman killed by a drunken driver in 2009, requires an interlocking ignition device installed on the vehicles of first-time DUI offenders. The offenders’ driver’s licenses also say “Interlock required,” signaling to a police officer the driver isn’t allowed to drive vehicles without the lock.

The device, which already was required for all repeat offenders and part of the sentences of some first-time offenders, requires a person’s blood alcohol content to be below the legal limit of 0.08 for the car to start.

The Swezey Act also lengthens the amount of time the devices are installed on the cars, which is longest for the most serious offenses and for those convicted multiple times.

BACKGROUND

Kelly was arrested Jan. 20 when a patrolling police officer found him in his wrecked car on NW 63 east of Western Avenue. Kelly has denied he was drunk, and said he was trying to avoid another vehicle that almost hit him at Shartel Avenue.

Police concluded Kelly’s account of the crash didn’t match the physical evidence. Police reported Kelly showed signs of being drunk and failed sobriety tests, and Kelly refused to take a breath or blood test.

Kelly has said he won’t resign and will serve out the remainder of his term, which expires in 2013. He has not committed to running for re-election.

His colleagues on the Oklahoma City Council who have commented about his arrest have expressed support for him, and some suggested he has a problem with alcohol and should receive the community’s support if he seeks treatment. Kelly has publicly denied being an alcoholic.

Read more: http://newsok.com/article/3644372#ixzz1kyTzUa88

Fear and Ignorance Fuel Anti Fracking Controversy

Aubrey McClendon, CEO, Chesapeake Energy, blasted anti-drilling, anti-fracking critics and called them anti-drilling extremists.  According to McClendon, fear mongering extremists want Americans to live in a world where “it’s cold, it’s dark and we’re all hungry.”

These broadsides were directed at environmentalists who in the words of McClendon  say that fracking and the drilling boom it’s created has led to polluted air, has tainted groundwater and has made people sick.

McClendon made a point.  The criticism and protests of the environmentalists added nothing to the wealth of the nation, found an alternate source of energy or created jobs.

McClendon accused those critics of distorting the facts. He asserted there have been only a few dozen cases of methane migration of well-water supplies in northeastern Pennsylvania, and that residents were merely inconvenienced.  “Looking back, was anybody hurt? Was there any permanent or even temporary environmental damage? No, no and no. Some folks were inconvenienced, for sure, and for that we’re deeply sorry,” McClendon said. But he said the industry’s benefits — including lower home-heating bills, tens of thousands of new jobs, and millions of dollars of landowner wealth — more than outweigh the isolated cases of contamination.

Read more: http://newsok.com/chesapeake-ceo-takes-on-anti-drilling-extremists/article/3602038#ixzz1XUBgn2qC

 

Modern Fracking Delivers Bonanza to Royalty Owners

Devon Energy, Oklahoma City, Independent Oil and Gas Production Company bought Mitchell Energy in 2001.  For the last ten years Devon, standing on the shoulders of George Mitchell’s success,  developed and expanded the success of Mitchell Energy to bring a veritable bonanza of oil and gas production to Oklahoma.

The oil was always there, however, the economics and the technology were missing.  Oil and Gas prices were low in 1999, when George Mitchell put his company up for sale and there were no takers.  Larry Nichols, aka, Devon Energy, like a shark, smelled blood in the water, however, he bided his time until the price was right.  At the time he closed on the purchase of Mitchell Energy, paying $3.5 Billion Bucks, not many investment pundits were impressed.  However, Nichols’s vision and implementation of his vision proved the philistines of wallstreet wrong.

It would be three years after Devon purchased Mitchell Energy before the “modern era” of horizontal drilling with huge, AC/DC power and the robust construction to drill 30,000 feet would appear on the scene.

Horizontal drilling and slick water fracking technology was in its infancy in 1999 and it was not until about 2004 that the big rigs made their appearance.  Big rigs had always been around, however, they were few and far between.

Mechanical drilling rigs, where diesel engines powered the draw works, turntable, pumps and provided incidental electricity to operate the rig were the primary rigs available. Diesel electric rigs, primarily DC current rigs were bigger, more expensive and available for deep holes, however, it would be later before the big AC/DC rigs would be available for contract or lease.  For example a recent ad for the sale of a modern drilling rig shows:

Today’s new drilling realities require more power 
than conventional wells and have given rise to 
the development of the AC/DC SCR drill rig 
powered by multiple generator sets. Deep 
horizontal drilling is a growing practice around 
the world and in areas of North America such as 
the Barnett Shale in Texas, the Haynesville Shale 
in Louisiana, the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas and
the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania/New York. 
While AC/DC electric rigs with SCR controls 
dominate petroleum exploration today, operators 
are constantly looking for ways to increase total 
power availability, reliability and fuel efficiency. 
The economics of petroleum exploration demand 
that drilling costs be minimized and that drilling 
speed be maximized. Savings won on the drill rig 
translate directly to the bottom line for the 
exploration company or well service provider. 
These economic realities require generator sets 
to deliver high specific power, low fuel 
consumption and less maintenance. 
n the search for new petroleum supplies and 
better production from existing wells, drillers 
have transitioned from boring simple vertical 
wells to boring horizontal wells using relatively 
new steerable drill motors. By drilling down and 
then turning horizontally once the petroleum 
structure has been located, more of the well 
bore is exposed to the oil- or gas-producing 
zone. Horizontal wells can therefore significantly 
increase production from a fossil fuel deposit 
while also reducing the number of secondary 
wells needing to be drilled. 
Other techniques, such as hydraulic fracturing of 
the petroleum-bearing rock structure to increase 
the flow of oil or gas, are now almost routinely 
done as soon as drilling is completed. Today’s 
wells are also significantly deeper than in the 
past — up to 30,000 feet — involving heavier well 
strings, higher drilling power requirements and 
higher mud pumping pressures.

Devon’s drilling engineer, David Fortenberry said the first rig H&P developed for Devon is still working for the company in western Oklahoma‘s Cana play.

“That was the first application of the high-efficiency rig to an unconventional horizontal play,” he said. “We really feel like we set the standard. “That’s the model that most companies are following now.”

In addition to breaking in new technology, Fortenberry said Devon had to learn the nuances of operating horizontal wells. Many of their intricacies are the opposite of vertical wells.

He said input from H&P and other consultants helped to cut its well completion time from 33 days in 2004 down to 12 days.

David Foster a Devon engineer has been quoted, that wells in some shallower areas of the Barnett can be completed in about seven days.  From Spud to Completion in seven days?  Incredible.

Devon currently has more than 4,200 producing wells in the Barnett Shale.

Thanks to Jay F. Marks for some of the content of this article.

 

Flashing Red Lights, What do I do Now?

Flashing red lights.  What do I do now, either throw the shit out or find someplace to stash it.  Famous last thoughts.

When the cops come into contact with a subject, a suspect, or an AR, as the euphemisms pile up on the police reports, one has to keep a cool head and better yet know who to call.  Any last minute admissions of participation in a criminal enterprise will be sure to haunt the defense.  Things like…yeah, that’s mine or my friend must have left that in the car, will do very little to convince the police that they should turn the “AR” loose.

The expression:  name, rank and serial number come to mind and the less said the better.  I don’t believe there are very many mutes in prison, however, many a suspect has talked himself or herself behind bars.

Rule number one:  Keep quiet.  There will be no way to talk your way out of trouble.

Rule number two:  Call your lawyer.  If you don’t have one pretend you do.  Remember it is easier to find one if you have a defense than if you don’t.

Rule number three:  Cultivate some assets like friends, money or relatives.  The guy who has no friends, no money and no relatives has no chance to get bailed out of jail.

Just a little friendly free advice.