U.S. Marshals Raid Wrong Apartment, Force Mother and Children to Stand Outside Naked at Gunpoint

A Washington, D.C. woman is traumatized after U.S. Marshals mistakenly raided her apartment in the early AM hours this past Thursday morning.

Hannah Lanes, her daughter, and her 4-year-old son were still sleeping when they heard a knock on their door at 6:30 AM on Thursday but when her daughter went to see who it was knocking on the door, one of the officers had apparently covered the peephole.

Before her daughter had any time to react, eight U.S. Marshals burst open the door with their guns drawn and pointed at the family inside.

"My daughter went to the peep hole. They had the finger over the peep hole, so we couldn’t identify who they were . . . they just knocked down the door. We didn’t have on any clothes. I was completely naked. My daughter didn’t have on any clothes. They started screaming, telling everybody to get out of the house."

Being held outside at gunpoint by the U.S. Marshals and wrapped in only a bed sheet, the mother, still unaware of why police were even at her apartment, screamed to the officers that her 4-year-old son was inside. She begged for them not to hurt him. ‘Please don’t shoot my son,'” she pleaded.

Eventually, one of the U.S. Marshals noticed something wrong.

“Isn’t this apartment 203?” one of the Marshals said.

At that moment, both Hannah Lanes and her daughter exclaimed, “No!”

“Oh, we have the wrong house,” the Marshal replied.

Lanes and her family live in room 201 which was marked clearly on the door.

"So we're standing outside with no clothes on, shaking, crying, scared. Guns have been pointed at us from the time we wake up and they have the wrong house," she said.

The U.S. Marshals, showing NO warrants, had meant to perform the surprise raid on the neighboring apartment.

After the horrifying incident that will most likely leave the Lanes family terrified of police for the rest of their lives, the U.S. Marshals nonchalantly admitted to their error and released a statement basically patting themselves on the back and minimizing the situation.

"Annually, the U.S. Marshals arrest more than 100,000 fugitives, with the safety of the public and law enforcement personnel as an utmost concern.  Whenever U.S. Marshals deputies and task force officers enter private residences, they do so in accordance with the laws of the United States. 

Today, while serving both a search warrant and an arrest warrant for a fugitive wanted for First and Second Degree Child Sexual Abuse, USMS task force members mistakenly breached the door of a neighboring apartment.  Immediately thereafter, the fugitive was apprehended in his nearby apartment.  USMS personnel notified building management, who then repaired the door locks and provided the occupant with new keys prior to the USMS personnel leaving the scene.  

At this time we cannot comment on potential or pending litigation.  However, any member of the public who believes that their property has been damaged as a result of a USMS operation may submit a claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act."

Jason Matthew

Deputy United States Marshal

DC Superior Court

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Seattle primed for gun and ammo tax hike, regulations

The Seattle city council is ready to vote on a measure that would add a $25 tax to the price of every weapon and a nickel to every box of ammo as well as certain regulations that might make criminals out of law-abiding citizens.

From Seattle PI blog:

Gun-rights advocates protested, but a Seattle City Council committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a two-pronged gun-safety plan, which would tax sales of guns and ammunition in Seattle and require that gun owners report the theft or loss of any firearm within 24 hours.

The council is slated to give final approval to the measure on Monday.

Harborview Medical Center treated 253 victims of gun violence in 2014 at a cost of $17 million, $12 million of that borne by the taxpayers, so it is right to “ask the gun industry to chip in and help defray those costs,”Seattle City Council President Tim Burgess, sponsor of the legislation, told colleagues.

If the legislation passes, the gun lobby is certain to draw a bead on it in court. The lobby prevailed three years ago, arguing state preemption and overturning a newly enacted Seattle ordinance that banned firearms in Emerald City parks.

The $25 tax on gun purchases will cause buyers to “travel to retailers outside Seattle,” Trevor Santos, manager of government relations for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, told council members. The burden of the tax, which also includes a five-cents-per-cartridge tax on ammunition, would fall on “law-abiding gun owners,” argued Santos, because criminals don’t patronize legitimate gun dealers (who run background checks).

The tax is expected to bring $300-500,000 a year to city coffers, although officials said Wednesday that the estimate is not one you can take to the bank. 

Read the Rest

Anti-gun fanatics are utterly clueless. They so blinded by their ideology that they refuse to use any reason or common sense at all when approaching the subject of gun laws.

First of all, the Constitution says “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” At what point does a “tax” become an infringement on someone’s 2nd amendment right? A $25 tax? A $1,000 tax? If the government is making it impossible for the average citizen to be able to own and bear a weapon (taxes, fees, licenses, training classes, etc), isn’t that a violation of the Constitution?

Furthermore, are they asking car manufacturers to “chip in” because hospitals treat car accident victims? Nope.

And yes, a $25 tax is either going to discourage good people from owning weapons, thereby raising the crime rate, or it’s going to cause people to drive out of the city to get their guns and Seattle isn’t going to see that revenue anyway.

Look, it’s not about safety or covering costs or any of the other things they say it’s about. They just don’t like guns. And through their efforts of trying to get rid of them, they are simply giving opportunity to bad guys to get their hands on weapons and use them in crimes. 

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VIDEO: Twice Looted Ferguson Market Owners Sit Outside Store With Shotguns

Last year the Ferguson Market and Liquor store was looted and destroyed by protesters.

The store was hit hard last year.

The Mike Brown protesters were back out on the street tonight in Ferguson.

This year the Ferguson Market owners sat outside their store with shotguns.

Ferguson Market owners are sitting outside with shotguns guarding their store http://pic.twitter.com/iSw8XCEPvr

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) August 10, 2015

Here’s the video…

Peace through strength.

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Social media use linked to depression

Children who often spend time browsing social media could be in need of extra emotional support from their guardians, new research has warned.

Teenagers who use social media for more than two hours each day were found to be more likely to have symptoms of depression.

The study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking discovered the link between heavy social media use and increased probability of mental health problems, including psychological distress and suicidal thoughts.

“Youth with mental health problems may be frequently using [social networking sites] to seek interaction or support,” the study found.

“The present results showed that more than a quarter of students reported an unmet need for mental health support. Of these, the majority reported frequent use of [social networking sites].”

Expanding your friendship group online might not be the best idea for the young. Photo: Getty

The researchers examined data taken from 750 students in the 2013 Ontario (Canada) Drug use and Health Survey. 

Health professionals should factor in social media usage when treating youth with potential mental health complications, the authors recommended.

“Youth with poor mental health are spending significant time on social networking sites.

 

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