Gun debate prompts some stores to pull certain guns off shelves

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, a heated debate over gun control may have prompted some major retailers to pull certain semi-automatic rifles off their shelves.

You'll see semi-automatic rifles displayed at the Shiloh Indoor Shooting Range, but that's no longer the case at three big retailers.

Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods and now Academy have pulled certain types of guns from stores and the Internet following last week's deadly school shooting in Connecticut.

"It's the knee jerk reaction from people that we're having to deal with, and the knee jerk reaction is 'Oh my God, we have to do something,'" said Jeff Sanford with the Shiloh Shooting Range in northwest Harris County.

In a statement on its corporate website, Dick's Sporting Goods said:

"During this national time of mourning, we have removed all guns from sale and from display in our store nearest to Newtown and suspended the sale of modern sporting rifles in all of our stores chainwide."

Walmart yanked the "Bushmaster" military-style assault rifle from its web store. The weapon is in the same family of guns as the one Adam Lanza reportedly used to kill 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT.

And while Academy refused comment, viewers contacted us saying, as of Tuesday afternoon, the chain's AR-15s were no longer displayed at stores.

"It's unfortunate that they're being pulled off the shelves, but at the same time, people are buying them," Sanford said.

For Sanford's customers, who fear a ban on certain guns, the time to buy is now.

"It doesn't have a mind of its own, it's not going to do anything without the user doing it," Sanford said. "We need to stop blaming the tool and start blaming the person behind it."

To offer some perspective, Sanford says that so many people are trying to buy guns that the FBI, which performs background checks, can't answer the phones fast enough and their phone line has been disconnected.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Texans fans swarm stores to grab up 'AFC South Division Champions' gear

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Fans aren't wasting any time updating their Houston Texans wardrobe to reflect the AFC South Division Championship the team clinched Sunday.

Fans started lining up at an Academy store on Kirby just minutes after the game ended, and the store was ready with a table full of T-shirts reading "AFC South Division Champions."

One woman says she even left her godson's college graduation to make sure she got a shirt.

"My husband is texting me, 'Please go get me a shirt from Academy,'" she said. "So I had to leave the graduation and come and get him a shirt because he is the Texans' number one fan."

The shirts are in gray and white and are available for men, women and children. If you don't want to wait in line, they are also on sale online.

Fans across the area were celebrating the Texans' victory Sunday night. Those we spoke to were dreaming of what the future could have in store, but were also realistic about the challenges that lie ahead for the team.

"Beat the next teams and go to the playoffs," fan Randy Grimaldo said when we asked what is next for the Texans. "We have the division. I'm ready for the Super Bowl."

"A little disappointed our offense scored one touchdown," fan Jimmy Kilduff said. "Special teams scored one then five field goals. That's not championship football but we'll get it together."

And at the Texans Grille, you never know who you might run into. Player Johnathan Joseph was there Sunday night, surrounded by his friends and family post-victory.

"Obviously, I have friends and family in town -- my family and my wife's side," Joseph said. "It's great to have that support from them as well as the fans in the city."

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Texans hold autograph sessions at local stores

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- This weekend, Houston-area shoppers are invited to attend Best Buy's grand re-opening celebrations in five locations including: Woodlands, Bay Brook, Galleria, Price Plaza, and West Oaks.

Festivities include appearances and autograph sessions by some of the Houston Texans. The following are scheduled to appear: T.J. Yates starting at 1:30pm at the Galleria locationJohnathan Joseph starting at 2:00pm at the Baybrook locationBen Tate starting at 2:00pm at the Fry Road (Price Plaza) locationBrooks Reed starting at 2:00pm at the Woodlands locationRobert Horry of the Houston Rockets starting at 2:00pm at the West Oaks location

For celebrity appearances, wristbands will be distributed 2 hours prior to the start time and are available on a first-come, first-served basis -- maximum 1 wristband per person

Go to BestBuy.com for scheduling information.

Locations: WOODLANDS, 1550 Lake Woodlands Dr., Pinecroft Center The Woodlands, TX 77380 Phone: 281-292-1355BAYBROOK, 19425 Gulf Fwy, Webster, TX 77598 Phone: 281-554-3004GALLERIA, 5133 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77056 Phone: 713-552-1512Price Plaza, 20290 Katy Fwy (Fry Rd Exit), Katy, TX 77449 Phone: 281-398-2938WEST OAKS, 2480 Highway 6 S Village At West Oaks, Houston, TX 77077 Phone: 281-493-2365(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Man wanted for stealing hard drives, radar detectors from area Target stores

Sugar Land police are looking for a man who has stolen computer hard drives and radar detectors from numerous Target stores throughout Fort Bend and Harris counties

  SUGAR LAND, TX (KTRK) -- Sugar Land police are looking for a man who has stolen computer hard drives and radar detectors from numerous Target stores throughout Fort Bend and Harris counties.

More than $750 in merchandise has been stolen from the Target store at 16300 Southwest Freeway in Sugar Land during six separate incidents. These crimes occurred on June 6, June 13, June 18, June 23, June 29 and July 10.

The Sugar Land thefts were all discovered on surveillance video after the crimes occurred.

In each incident, the man placed electronics in a basket and later left the store without any visible merchandise. Empty merchandise packages are later found in the store.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 20s, with a thin build, light brown or dark blond hair and square-framed glasses. He often wears a baseball cap, shirts with collars, khaki short and brown flip flop sandals.

A female has been seen on surveillance video dropping the man off and picking him up in a dark green Chevrolet Cavalier. She is described as a white female in her 20s with a thin build and brown hair

Anyone with information should call the Sugar Land Police Department at 281-75-2540 or Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers at 281-342-TIPS (8477).

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Suspects sought in series of armed robberies at Cricket stores

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are hot on the trail of thieves who've been barging into cell phone stores and demanding money.

There have been at least a dozen robberies in just the past three months. One of the latest stores to be hit was at FM 1960 and Aldine Westfield.

Humble police tell us there have been at least 15 armed robberies of Cricket stores in the area in about a month and a half, some of them violent. Inside this store, surveillance cameras were rolling with the volume up as one employee quickly realized the men she thought were customers actually were armed robbers.

It started off as a slow day at work. With no customers and all alone inside the Cricket store, the employee is heard happily singing. She stops when she notices what she thinks were customers heading into the cell phone store.

Constantly looking around then reaching for his shoe laces, the suspect continues to stall. The surveillance video clearly shows him raising his sweatshirt and pulling out a gun. The suspect then walks around the counter.

Scared, the employee refuses to open the register, even arguing with both suspects, one of them heard in the background saying, "Open the register, you open it, you open it. You better open that register."

Grabbing a handful of cash the suspect walks away, but before leaving he warns her to keep quiet, "You better keep your mouth closed, too."

Humble police believe these three people -- two males and a female -- as well as a fourth suspect are behind this robbery and more than a dozen others, including one where a Cricket employee was assaulted.

People in the area say they hope the suspects are caught before they strike again.

"You are terrorizing this young lady for the rest of her life, you figure 15, 20 minutes of terror, it's going to last for the rest of her life," said resident Calvin Davis.

We're told that employee quit after the robbery at this cell phone store.

Humble police say they have gotten several tips and that the investigation is progressing well.

If you have any information about any of these robberies, you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. There is a cash reward.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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New types of synthetic pot being sold at stores

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The sale of synthetic marijuana was banned by the state of Texas a little over a year ago. So why is it back on store shelves in Houston tonight?

Twenty-six-year-old Will Knickle is lucky to be alive. He has been doing drugs since he was a kid.

"So I started using probably around 12," he said.

He's been arrested, been put on probation, been forced to submit to drug tests. But even that didn't stop him. Knickle found a way to circumvent the tests by smoking synthetic pot. He bought stuff like Primo, Killa Gorilla, Killa Skunk and Brain-Freeze. But you may recognize it by what it used to be called --- K2 and Spice.

Now, this new form is being sold in smoke shops all over Houston.

"Once I found out I didn't come up dirty, it was just something I could pretty much walk in and be like I'm high and there is nothing you can do about it," Knickle said.

Urine analysis doesn't test for the man made compounds found in synthetic pot. So Knickle kept using, until one day.

"I started sweating real bad and it felt like the first time I ODed on heroin," he said. "My vision started going blurry, and like I said, I could feel my heart slowing down."

Knickle's bad trip is a story health professionals are hearing over and over.

"It's a dangerous bag to open" said Dr. Jason Powers with The Right Step.

Dr. Powers says since not all synthetic pot is regulated, you never know what each bag will bring.

"They will put in Sudafed and they will put in God knows what, and in the same batch one time you smoke it, it may not do that much then, the next time you get a huge dose of the active ingredient and the adulterants and then that can cause problems with the heart and even cardiac arrest," Dr. Powers said.

The Southeast Texas Poison Control has taken as many as a 600 calls in a month, with most coming from right here in Harris County.

"Now that's down to about a third of that but it's beginning to go up and down. It certainly went down when Texas banned a number of these synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic marijuana drugs," said John Thompson, director of Southeast Texas Poison Control.

Last year, Texas lawmakers banned over 140 different compounds found in products like K2 or Spice. But substances that carry similar effect are back on store shelves; the compounds and the names have simply been changed.

"Many police departments, many police officers, sheriff's departments came and testified for this bill. I don't understand why they're not enforcing it now. They have the legal grounds to enforce it," Sen. Florence Shapiro said.

But local law enforcement tell us it's tough to regulate. The synthetic pot is being sold everywhere, and they have no quick means of proving what is and what isn't on the banned substance list.

"For us, it usually requires us sending it to a lab, to a crime lab and having them analyze it and then finding out what chemicals are in it and find out if it's any of the chemicals that are currently ban," said Josh Bruegger with the Pasadena Police Department.

We sent an ABC 13 producer undercover to several smoke shops around town. They all said the same thing.

"Didn't they ban some of this stuff?" we asked one clerk.

"Yeah, they put a different formula or whatever," the clerk replied.

And get this, you don't have to be 18 to buy it.

"The biggest thing is availability; it's legal so they can walk into the store and get it, where marijuana is a little harder to get. And so with this, it's legal," Bruegger said.

For will Knickle, his days of smoking synthetic pot are over. He says he has been drug-free for a year and a-half now and wants all of it taken off the streets. He hopes drug users heed his warning.

"It's not good. This fake stuff, there is something wrong with it. I don't know exactly what it is," Knickle said.

Texas is one of 23 states that have passed laws trying to ban synthetic pot, but Sen. Shapiro believes it will take the backing and the funding of the federal government before it can be truly be policed.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Breastfeeding protest held at Target stores

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A battle over breastfeeding -- a mother who claims she was bullied by employees at a local Target rallies other mothers to fight back. A Friendswood mother says she was bullied and made to feel ashamed for feeding her child while shopping.

Michelle Hickman claims she was trying to be discreet, but she says store employees harassed her and stared at her. So now she's doing something about it.

More than 50 moms showed up to the Super Target on Bay Area Boulevard in Webster with babies in tow on Wednesday morning, all of them ready to breastfeed inside the store. It's part of a nationwide movement these moms have called for in response to what they call bullying of Hickman.

Michelle Hickman is the Friendswood mother at the center of the Target breastfeeding controversy. She says she was breastfeeding her child inside the store last month when she says she was approached by several Target employees and asked to move from a secluded area of the store to the fitting rooms to breastfeed.

Hickman says when she refused, she was even told she could be cited for indecent exposure. She was outraged by the store's response and says when she didn't get a better answer from Target's corporate office, she called for backup from other mothers, turning to social media to organize the multi-state nurse-in protest.

Hickman says moms should never have to go to fitting rooms or bathrooms, but should be allowed to nurse in public.

"I definitely am not going to go nurse my baby in a bathroom," Hickman said. "Would you want to eat your lunch in a bathroom, sitting on a toilet in your mom's lap? No. It's not about me, it's not about Target. It's not about that. It's about women, everywhere, all over the world that this is having an effect upon on a daily basis, and them standing up for their rights."

Target has released the following statement: "As a family-oriented retailer, Target has a long-standing corporate policy that supports breastfeeding in our stores. We continually educate our team members in stores across the country on store policies to ensure all guests have a great experience. We worked with this guest directly to address her concerns and are sorry any inconvenience it has caused. Target is proud to support all mothers who breastfeed year-round, including today."

Hickman says she has not received a formal apology from Target. She says she hopes this protest will help raise awareness.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Adult novelty stores hit by robbers

  By Demond FernandezHOUSTON (KTRK) -- A trio of robbers was caught on camera holding guns to the head of a clerk in part of what could be a crime spree at several adult businesses in our area.

In just the past week, at least three Zone D' Erotica stores have been held up -- one on Highway 249 and FM1960, the others off of I-45. Investigators are trying to figure out if the same group is responsible.

A guy racing into the store with a shotgun, a masked man with a handgun and a woman propping open the door to Zone D' Erotica for a quick escape were all caught on camera.

"This was the first time that we got robbed with a shotgun," said Christine, the store manager.

The manager of the adult novelty shop doesn't want to show her face, but she is hoping someone recognizes the crooks who robbed her clerk in the middle of the night last Thursday.

13 Eyewitness News has obtained surveillance video which shows the clerk putting his hands up as the thieves demand money. You can also see the crooks cleaning out the cash register before terrorizing the clerk even more.

"They picked him up and dragged him to find more money," Christine said.

The entire robbery lasted less than two minutes before the thieves ran off.

Christine said, "I guess because of hard times everybody just assuming going to the snatch and grab, instead of working for what they want. They are trying to find a fast, easy way."

The store manager told me similar robberies happened at two sister stores in north Houston this week and detectives are comparing notes.

Police say they don't have many leads on these robbers, but one store manager is giving the thieves a big warning.

She said, "They are being caught on tape and the police is looking for them."

Workers say they have beefed up security. Police are encouraging anyone with information about these robberies to give Conroe police a call.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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