Posted on 03/12/2004 11:16:01 AM PST by chance33_98
Sen. Means introduces legislation to increase penalty for firing into school bus
Sen. Larry Means (D-Etowah) is introducing legislation that would make it a Class C felony for shooting or discharging a firearm into unoccupied school bus and the penalty for shooting or discharging a firearm into an occupied school bus would be a Class B felony.
“After the Cherokee County School bus shooting, it became apparent that we needed more stringent laws that protect school children from individuals who shoot into school buses,” Means said.
On March 2, James Allen Waddell allegedly firest at least five bullets into a Cedar Bluff school bus. The bus was at the end of its route on Alabama 9. There were several children on the bus. “Fortunately none of the children were harmed,” said Means. “This was a terrible incident. My hope is that tougher sentencing laws for firing on innocent children in school buses will deter sick individuals from attempting to harm our children.”
Currently, SB419 is scheduled for a vote in the Judicial Committee next week and should be up for a full vote in the Senate within the next couple of weeks. “I will fight to ensure this bill gets passage in both the House and the Senate and is signed by the governor.
“Our children are much too precious. We must do everything we can to protect them. I will work with the superintendents of our schools to ensure that our laws are strict enough to protect our children,” Sen. Means stressed.
It just came to mind.
Preparing for Jihad … in Alabama
July 25-02 — A training camp linked to Islamic militants has been operating in Alabama, and European law enforcement officials believe Muslim extremists were using it to prepare for a holy war.
British authorities also thought that militants from overseas were training in the United States to take advantage of America's gun laws, sources told ABCNEWS. The looming question for law enforcement is whether there is a connection between the camp and the al Qaeda terror network. An investigation by Britain's Scotland Yard led to the discovery of the camp in Marion, Ala. The facility is called "Ground Zero USA."
Bullet-riddled police cars and a school bus with mannequin targets are scattered around the property. Inside a huge shed is an equally macabre scene — shot-up mannequins, male and female, in domestic settings, some with red, blood-like stains on them.
What about discharging a firearm from "inside" the bus?
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