Weapons & Guns

MLB prospect Bubba Derby -- who heroically used his body as a human shield during the Las Vegas massacre -- has reported to Brewers spring training with a "58 Strong" glove to honor the people who were killed in the shooting.

The 23-year-old pitcher was in the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 1 when a deranged man opened fire on the crowd from the Mandalay Bay hotel.

Derby threw his body over two women in the crowd to shield them from the bullets -- and then stayed with the girls until they were reunited with their friends.

We reached out to Derby who tells us he's dedicating the 2018 season -- and every season -- to the 58 people who lost their lives in the shooting ... "They will never be forgotten."

Derby says he plans to use the "58 Strong" glove for the entire 2018 season.

President Trump seems to think the way to solve the problems with school shootings is more guns ... specifically, arming teachers.

Trump fielded suggestions Wednesday at the White House during a "listening session" he hosted with survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. He came prepared with a cheat sheet that included questions, and even a comment ... "I hear you." That was number 5 on his list.

A father of a Stoneman Douglas High survivor suggested allowing certain school personnel to be secretly armed so they can immediately respond before cops arrive. Trump was receptive, and said it was something he'd consider, among other things.

Trump said "maniacs" would be deterred from even attempting a school shooting if they knew bullets could be coming in their direction. The room was torn on the issue.

Interesting ... almost no one squarely addressed the biggest issue ... banning assault weapons. Also interesting ... Trump has taken a position on this before, and appeared to be against guns in the classroom.

Derek Jeter is vowing to use his experience playing after the 9/11 attacks to help Florida fans cope with the massacre that left 17 people dead in the Parkland school shooting.

Jeter was in Ft. Lauderdale at a Chamber of Commerce meeting when Evan Golden -- a TV producer who graduated from Stoneman Douglas in '99 -- asked for advice on handling the tragedy.

Jeter and the Yankees -- and the sport of baseball -- are credited with playing a big part in returning a sense of normalcy to life following the 2001 attack.

"Sports has that great ability to bring people together. The fan base in New York really rallied around us on September 11th," Jeter says.

"Those horrific events that happened last week, nothing will change that. We can learn from it. Hopefully over time we find something to cheer for."

When an audience member yelled out, "Hopefully the Marlins will do it here" ... Jeter's response?

Nikolas Cruz is getting a second look by a judge to determine if he's eligible for a lawyer paid for by the State of Florida.

The Broward County Public Defender's Office has just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, noting that a probate case has just been opened in his mother's death. The Public Defender's Office notes, although Cruz has already been found indigent by the court clerk and therefore eligible for a free lawyer, there may be funds from his mother's estate or a possible life insurance policy that would disqualify him.

The Public Defender wants the judge to review the various financials to determine if he's still eligible for a court-appointed lawyer.

President Trump's doing something about gun control -- he says he's signed paperwork directing Jeff Sessions to get the ball rolling on banning "all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns."

Trump says this process actually started after the Las Vegas massacre in October, when he told the Attorney General to look into whether the bump stocks used by Stephen Paddock were illegal under current law.

The Prez must have been encouraged by what Sessions reported back, because now -- in the wake of the Florida school shooting by Nikolas Cruz that left 17 people dead -- he's made a big move to propose regulations almost all gun control advocates support.

It's unclear what Sessions will do from here, but steps are clearly being taken to address the gun crisis.

However, don't count on the Florida State House to follow suit. Around the same time Trump made his announcement, state legislators voted down a measure to hear a bill banning assault rifles 71-36.

Judd Apatow is just one of thousands of people who've donated to a child who was shot and critically injured during the Florida high school shooting ... TMZ has learned.

Judd's rep confirmed to us that the comedian had, in fact, contributed $1,000 to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Anthony Borges, who was shot multiple times while attempting to save others last week in the mass shooting.

According to the official GoFundMe page, Anthony took bullets to both legs and his back while trying to close and lock a door to a classroom full of classmates. He's alive and stable, but has "a long road of recovery ahead." The fund has raised over $400k so far.

There are 2 other donors who might be famous -- a Kevin Smith donated $1,000 and Eric McCormack donated $500. We haven't heard back from reps to confirm it's the filmmaker and the "Will and Grace" star.

Tomi Lahren doubled down on her stance the Florida school shooting wasn't about guns ... it's about a lunatic who wouldn't have slaughtered 17 people if he had more religion in his life.

We got the FOX News contributor at LAX Sunday and asked her about Trump tweeting that the FBI could have thwarted Nikolas Cruz if it wasn't so focused on him and Russia. Tomi dodged that controversy, and stuck to her own social media crisis.

Tomi's getting a ton of backlash online for calling for Christians to pray more in the wake of the shooting, instead of talking about gun control.

Survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week are crying out for something to be done about it ... and thousands have gathered in support.

Emma Gonzalez, a senior at the Parkland, FL school, gave a passionate speech at the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale Saturday ... calling out for gun control in the wake of the massacre by Nikolas Cruz that left 17 people dead.

Emma blasted the treatment of her fellow students following the shooting, statements by President Trump and other politicians, and the NRA ... before leading chants of "We call BS!" Check out her full speech below.

Meanwhile in Miami -- less than 50 miles away from the site of the school shooting -- one of the region's largest gun shows is also going down. More than 140 vendors were reportedly at the Miami Gun Show Saturday morning, selling a variety of weapons ... including AR-15s.

As we reported ... Cruz used an AR-15 bought from a local gun shop to carry out his attack.

Cassie Scerbo used to walk the same hallways where Nikolas Cruz gunned down 17 people, and believes school officials shouldn't be blamed for the massacre.

Cassie graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 2008. She says it was always a safe and nurturing environment, and while some critics are pointing fingers at administrators for a lack of security leading up to Wednesday's mass shooting -- she says they did everything they could.

The "Sharknado" and "Bring It On: In It to Win It" actress says she's close family friends with Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo ... who's also an MSD grad.

The Florida gun store that sold Nikolas Cruz the weapon he used to kill 17 people is getting attacked online by people blaming them for the massacre, and it's gotten so bad ... Yelp's offering the business some protection.

Sunrise Tactical Supply sold Cruz the AR-15 a year ago. Although cops say the sale was completely legal, the backlash against Sunrise has been swift and severe on its Yelp page. Some commenters call the company "merchants of death," and say it's "complicit" in the Florida shooting because they sold the rifle to an 18-year-old "with mental problems."

Not shockingly, they're also getting a wave of 1-star reviews.

A Yelp rep tells TMZ ... they've now placed an active cleanup alert on Sunrise's page to remind users that comments not based on firsthand experience will be removed. We're told the goal is to "shield businesses from online harassment" as a result of media attention.

Cardi B's not ready to say if she's pregnant, but she's also not gonna say she isn't.

We got the rapper leaving her hotel in NYC Friday morning -- presumably to catch her flight to L.A. for NBA All-Star Weekend -- but she waved off any talk about babies on board.

But here's something ... Cardi also posted a vid of herself dancing in a bra and sweats Friday -- apparently, the same sweats we saw her in -- and she certainly doesn't look 3 to 4 months pregnant like one of her people told a staffer at a Super Bowl party.

There has been a run on bulletproof backpacks in the aftermath of the slaughter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School ... TMZ has learned.

A company called Bullet Blocker sells the fortified knapsacks for anywhere between $200 and $500. We're told the company sold 500 of the bags Thursday, a 30% spike in regular sales since the shooting.

The company's owner, Joe Curran, tells us the majority of the backpacks sold this week are headed to Florida.

The item is made with a Kevlar lining and weighs about 4 1/2 pounds.

Joe's company sells a bunch of bulletproof gear on a regular basis, but he says Thursday, backpacks were at the top of his sales list, and most of those sales were in Florida.

BTW ... the company also sells bulletproof luxury items, like Gucci bomber jackets and Hermes bags.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren says the Florida mass shooting is sadly a vicious cycle set on repeat ... and her colleagues won't do anything about it because they're a bunch of muppets for the NRA.

We got Senator Warren Thursday night at LAX and asked her to offer us a ray of hope following Wednesday's tragedy in Parkland, Fla. ... where Nikolas Cruz brutally killed 17 people at his old high school.

Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo choked back tears while delivering a powerful speech at the vigil for those lost in the tragic shooting at his H.S. alma mater ... and he's calling for the government to make a change.

Rizzo -- who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL -- addressed the crowd mourning the 17 people killed in Wednesday's massacre ... promising to do whatever he can to help his community.

"I've been very impressed with talking to the students and how they're taking care of each other and how they're coming together," Rizzo said.

"I want you to know that you're not alone in your grief."

Rizzo added "I'm a baseball player, but I'm also an American, I'm a Floridian, and I'm a Parklander for life."

"While I don't have all the answers, I know that something has to change before this is visited by another community and another community and another community."

We also talked to PGA golfer Nicholas Thompson -- who was born and raised in the area, and graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S. -- about the impact the shooting has had on his family, and how he plans to help the community heal.

Sen. Ted Cruz doesn't want to hear a peep from Hollywood about gun control -- in the wake of the Florida high school shooting -- 'cause he says they're operating under a double standard.

We got Cruz Thursday in D.C. and he says celebs weighing in on gun control is totally hypocritical -- considering the kind of firepower their security details use. The Senator added, the cry for new gun laws after tragedies like the Parkland shooting undermines the true intent of the 2nd Amendment ... in his eyes.

He held up the heroics of a citizen during the Sutherland Springs, TX mass shooting as an example of ordinary Americans needing to be armed.

Nikolas Cruz -- the alleged shooter who killed 17 people at a Florida high school -- casually blended in with fleeing students while making his getaway ... then stopped at Subway for a drink.

Law enforcement says Cruz entered a nearby Walmart shortly after ending his shooting spree and went inside to order a drink at the Subway inside the store. He then left the store on foot and walked to McDonald's, where he laid low for a few minutes ... before taking off on foot.

Cops caught up with Cruz about 40 minutes later and arrested him.