GUN WATCH

UT: Concealed carrier stops would-be robbers : “A man with a concealed weapons permit stopped two would-be Midvale robbers from making off with his friend’s stuff. Police say the men were coming home from an errand around 7 a.m. Wednesday morning when they spotted the suspects with their things. The suspects took off on foot. One of the men being robbed grabbed a gun from his truck and started running after them. Midvale police Detective Sgt. John Salazar said, ‘Grabs a loaded .40-caliber handgun and chases with the gun, shooting rounds either into the air or into the ground as they were chasing.’ The gunfire stopped the suspects dead in their tracks. The men held the robbers at gunpoint until police arrived and arrested them. No one was hurt.”


SAF lawsuit forces change in DC gun regulations: "Firearms regulations in Washington, D.C. are being amended today by emergency order in response to a federal lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation that challenged the arbitrary nature of previous regulations enforced in the District of Columbia. The District had adopted new handgun registration regulations following last year's landmark Second Amendment ruling that struck down the city's decades-old handgun ban as unconstitutional. Under the new regulations, which take effect immediately, the city essentially acknowledges the State of California's roster of approved handguns - upon which the District's own regulations were based - is inadequate. Citizens who had been previously denied an opportunity to register their handguns will be invited to re-apply under the new guidelines, which now include information from so-called "safe gun rosters" maintained by Maryland and Massachusetts."


NY: Marking ammo won’t stop crooks: “Shifting political sands in Albany can cause just about any lawful gun owner heartache these days. If you haven’t heard about it already, New York Senate Bill 4397A is a big reason. … According to the bill, ‘firearm micro-stamping is an evolutionary forensic technology that produces an alpha-numeric and geometric code onto the rear of the cartridge casing each time a semiautomatic pistol is fired. The idea is that law enforcement can then use that code to identify the owner of the pistol and generally aid investigations. Every new semiautomatic pistol sold in New York state would have to have this micro-stamping technology built into the gun, or it could not be sold here.”


Crimes against senior citizens show need for defensive arms : “In the wild, large predators like wolves and lions tend to select old or sick animals from the herd to attack. The reason is simple, these are the weakest animals, increasing the chance of a successful kill and decreasing the chance for injury to the predator. It is no different with human predators. Muggers, robbers, carjackers, home invaders, etc. all look for the easiest target that will give them the greatest chance of success with the least chance of injury to themselves. This is demonstrated by the recent increase in crimes against the elderly.”

GA: Cellphone, gun trump attacker with knife: "The robber came in the door of the Beverage Mart liquor store in Roswell, waving a big, black hunting knife. He wanted the money in his knapsack. Now! He lunged at the clerk, Joseph Wescott, 59, who leaned back to get away from that 10-inch gleaming blade. The knife hit the cellphone in Wescott’s breast pocket instead. That bought time. Time enough for Wescott to reach for the Glock .40 he kept under the counter. It was Monday night, about 8:30 p.m., and that’s when robbery suspect Carlos Jeanpierre, 24, of Atlanta, realized this might be the end. He ran for the door, but not before Wescott got off a round, hitting him in the side. The bullet went in the right side and lodged in the left side of the abdomen. “He’ll live,” said Roswell Police Lt. James McGee. After doctors remove the bullet, police will match it against the gun, McGee said. Jeanpierre is charged with attempted armed robbery, aggravated assault and weapons possession. Store owner Mike Burnett watched the crime afterward on the store video and spoke with Wescott, who is the father of a Roswell Police officer. The son had bought his dad both the gun and the phone, Wescott said. The phone was a little one, similar to a Razr, Burnett said. It still worked after the attack, because that is what Wescott used to call police, he said. The phone is in evidence now. It’s unclear if Jeanpierre was a regular customer at the liquor store, but he has been a regular with the Roswell Police."


Women on Target: Preparing women to defend Liberty: “The United Kingdom and Australia instituted gun bans in 1997. Between 1995 and 2006, women in the United Kingdom suffered a 76.5% increase in rape; by 2007 Australian women experienced a 29.9% increase. Meanwhile, rape decreased 31.7% in America. ‘Today, women are raped twice as often in the UK as America, and Australian women are raped three times as often. This is damning evidence that gun control places women at greater risk. American women are hearing this message, and more and more are arming themselves every day, not only to protect themselves and their families from harm, but to ensure our government doesn’t enact laws which disenfranchise women.’”


Anti-gun cabal grows to more than 400 mayors : "The bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal [sic] Guns today announced that the membership of the coalition has grown to more than 400 mayors, making it almost 30 times as large as when it was founded in 2006. The growth of the coalition, which now represents over 56 million Americans, was announced at the United States Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. Mayors Against Illegal [sic] Guns also praised a resolution by the nonpartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors, passed at its annual meeting, in support of efforts to fight illegal guns. The resolution calls on Congress to repeal the restrictions on law enforcement access to crucial gun trace data known as the Tiahrt Amendments.”


TN: Some Nashville bar owners plan to ban guns: “At Doc Holliday’s Saloon, the sign over the bar that says ‘Please Check Your Guns at the Door’ used to be a part of the decor. Now it’s more of a political stance. Owner Josh Green says his location on Second Avenue is a quiet, mostly local haunt, but he acknowledges that he has shut the bar down on several occasions when violence has heated up a few blocks down. He can’t imagine ever willingly letting someone into his bar with a sidearm. Just up the street, Jessie Lee Jones, the owner of Robert’s Western World, says he is worried about armed people with ill intent coming into his bar, but he would feel hypocritical to deny the masses that right since he carries his own firearm most places. In the wake of a new state law that allows guns where alcohol is served, bar owners across Middle Tennessee are planning to post signs banning firearms from their establishments.”

Maine: Woman, 77, escorts armed intruder from home at gunpoint: "Vanessa Gatchell, 50, was home watching television on South Princeton Road when she heard footsteps in the hallway at about 4:30 p.m., according to court documents made available Monday... Vanessa Gatchell went into the hallway and found Moore armed with a gun and a knife just standing there, the affidavit said.... The woman asked him to leave and said no one would have to know he had been there, but Moore declined to leave, the affidavit said. Eventually Doris Gatchell returned home. Moore hid the firearm from view as Doris Gatchell entered the front room, the affidavit said. The two women then went into the kitchen, and Vanessa Gatchell told her mother that Moore had a gun and she “thought he was going to shoot them both,” the affidavit said. Doris Gatchell retrieved her own gun and, according to the court documents, went into the front room and stood behind Moore’s chair... Doris Gatchell told Moore she had a gun and ordered him to leave, the affidavit said. “Mrs. Gatchell escorted the defendant out the door. Once on the porch [Moore] dropped his gun and then picked it up again. It was only at that point that Mrs. Gatchell saw the gun,” the court documents said... Police surrounded Moore’s house and tried to contact him, according to St. Louis, but there was no response. After about 90 minutes, however, Moore stepped out onto his front porch to smoke a cigarette and that was when police arrested him and took him to jail, St. Louis said. Officers found the firearm in Moore’s garage and later recovered the knife from the Gatchell residence, the chief deputy said... According to the affidavit, Moore has a long criminal history"


Texas robbers shot by woman from her bedroom: "A woman opened fire when two robbery suspects broke into her Spring home on Sunday, KPRC Local 2 reported. Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables said the 34-year-old was alone inside the home in the Timberlane subdivision on Briarcreek Boulevard near Cades Cove Drive at about 6 a.m.Investigators said the woman opened fire when the attackers burst through her bedroom door. "She's in her bedroom, locked in her bedroom. And she could hear them rustling through the rooms about the house. She grabbed her weapon and you know, held up inside her bedroom. It wasn't until they forced their way into her bedroom, they kicked the bedroom door in. She fired several shots at the suspects," said Lt. Jeff Stauber with the Harris County Sheriff's Department. Investigators said Gerson Jonathon Linares and Shalom Mendoza, both 17, were wounded. Detectives said the teenagers, who live in the neighborhood, ran out of the home and called for help, claiming to be the victims of a shooting. "Through our investigation, we were able to tie them back to this incident on Briarcreek," Stauber said. Investigators said the pair has admitted that they were involved in the crime".


TN: Gun rights laws expanded : "“Among the new laws is one that would … exempt from federal regulation guns and ammunition made in Tennessee and kept within its borders … the law exempting Tennessee from federal gun regulations, while having little immediate effect, may have broader implications down the road. It comes as part of a states’ rights movement that aims to test the limits of federal power. The Tennessee bill is nearly identical to one signed into law in Montana and similar to ones under consideration in other states. Since Montana’s law does not take effect until Oct. 1, the one in Tennessee, which takes effect July 1, could become the first test case in the courts.”


PA: Eight cities try victim disarmament despite suit threat : “Eight municipalities in Pennsylvania have approved their own gun control ordinances in an effort to curb firearms violence despite the threat of lawsuits from gun rights advocates who say such measures are illegal. Last week, Lancaster’s council unanimously approved an ordinance requiring owners to report lost or stolen guns. The city joins Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Reading, Easton, Pottsville and Wilkinsburg. … The measure is aimed at curbing illegal guns sales by not allowing legal buyers who sell to felons to claim that their guns were lost or stolen when the firearms are used in crimes.”

SC Man Shoots, Kills Robbery Suspect: "Richland County deputies are investigating a fatal shooting at an apartment complex. The incident took place at 12:01 a.m. Friday at the Colonial Villa Apartments on Garners Ferry Road. According to deputies, a man was sitting in his car doing paperwork at the time of the confrontation. Deputies say he provides security detail for the apartments. Deputies say a male suspect approached the car demanding the victim's handgun; however, deputies say the victim pulled out that weapon and shot the suspect. The suspect was taken to the hospital where he later died.


Colorado: Bear shot to death after breaking into home: "A man shot a bear to death after it broke into his home in Colorado Springs. The bear broke in through the back door of a home on Columbia court around 8 p.m. Friday night. Colorado Springs police say the homeowner loaded his gun, after a roommate yelled that the bear had broken in. The bear roared at the homeowner several times, and went to a part of the house where it couldn't get out. The man shot the bear 4 times, and it died. Division of Wildlife investigated, and say the homeowner was justified in the shooting."


Wisconsin Gun bill sparks controversy: "Senator Russ Decker of Weston has introduced a bill that would change the way hunters can haul their weapons. He wants them to be able to carry uncased guns, bows and crossbows in their vehicles. But not everyone supports the bill. Portage County sheriff John Charewicz, who is also a hunting safety instructor says, "The part that's concerning to me is that people like the little gang bangers, the gangsters that want to have guns in their cars are now going to be within the law to a certain extent." But Senator Decker says his bill is geared towards hunters, "The gang bangers are law breakers, I'm more concerned about the law abiding citizens." But Charewicz thinks the bill is bad news, "It's just another example of a poorly written piece of legislation and I don't know what they're trying to accomplish, I mean I have no idea." Decker says not having to deal with a gun case is a matter of convenience, "It's just unnecessary for us to do it as long as it's unloaded. A lot of times you're hunting and go to your vehicle or someone else's vehicle and there's not a case in the vehicle that may have been left with somebody else."


NY: Controversy surrounds plan to register ammo: "Demonstrators called the event a civil rights rally Tuesday night. "We don't want our privacy violated to be in this database. We don't want local government or law enforcement knowing what we're buying, how much we're buying," said rally organizer Brian Belz. They are against a proposed law in Albany County that would require people to show their gun license when buying ammunition for handguns, and a driver's license or other ID for ammunition for rifles. The rally took place just before a public hearing in front of the Legislature. "You have to stop looking at the average gun owner as a criminal. That's what laws like this do. It makes common, everyday citizens criminals, pre-crime," said one resident speaking at the hearing. But a sponsor of the proposal, legislator Phil Steck, said this is to make sure that only licensed gun owners can buy ammunition, which is already in state law. "I think what's going on here in large part is that a lot of people don't realize that this is the law that's on the books, it isn't being enforced, and a lot of folks are ideologically opposed to gun control of any kind," Steck said".

Sotomayor a danger to gun owners

A Democratic senator said Thursday that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor sees a 2008 ruling affirming Americans' right to own guns for self-defense as settled law. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said Sotomayor told him at a private meeting that she will work from the high court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller in future cases involving gun rights. The 5-4 ruling struck down the Washington, D.C., handgun ban and imperiled similar prohibitions in other cities.

Gun rights activists have accused Sotomayor of being hostile to gun rights because she was part of a panel that ruled that the Second Amendment protection of the right to bear arms did not apply to state and local governments. In that case, Sotomayor and two other judges on the 2nd Circuit appeals court upheld a New York state law banning the possession of "chuka sticks." They said they were bound by an 1886 Supreme Court ruling, but acknowledged the high court could take a different view, particularly in light of the Heller ruling.

Udall said he asked Sotomayor about her view of the Second Amendment during their visit. "Clearly she spoke to the fact that settled law is just that, and the Heller case has been considered by the court, and she sees that as the law, and she will work off of what the court decided as other cases may come to the court's attention," Udall said.

Other senators have come away from their meetings with Sotomayor concerned about her position on gun rights. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said Tuesday that he was disappointed that the judge refused to say during their visit that the Second Amendment "protects a fundamental right that applies to all Americans."

DeMint said Sotomayor's statement on Heller "doesn't tell us much" about her view of the issue, noting that she stands by her ruling that held that the Second Amendment only protects against federal government curbs on the right to bear arms — not state or local limits. "(H)er opinion was that the hundreds of millions of Americans in the 50 states do not have a fundamental right to bear arms. She refused to back away from that opinion in my meeting with her," DeMint said Thursday.

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TX: Knife-wielding boyfriend shot: "Officers talked to a 44-year-old woman who said she was threatened by her live-in boyfriend. She said he was intoxicated and they were arguing in the bedroom. Her 24-year-old daughter lives next door and came over when she heard the commotion. At about the same time, the victim’s 22-year-old son showed up. The woman’s children arrived and found the suspect holding a knife to the woman’s throat. Both children asked the suspect to put the knife down and tried to get him to leave. He threatened them, and said they would all be dead before he left. The son left the room, came back with a handgun, and shot Warrior once in the left leg. The suspect was taken to the emergency room in a private vehicle, where police took him into custody and then to jail. His injury was not considered life threatening. The assault victim’s son does not face any charges for the incident because the shooting was considered self-defense.


A Leftist makes the case against gun control: "The gun cannot be un-invented. We can all agree on that, right? So if someone is willing to commit murder, then following the law is clearly not a concern they share with the rest of us, so why would they obey gun control laws? As long as guns exist, what POSSIBLE LAW - come on, seriously, help me out here - what POSSIBLE LAW could prevent someone willing to commit a death-penalty eligible crime from acquiring a gun against the law? Take me down your slippery slope - please - I want to understand your thought process. Even if we completely banned guns and declared "War on Guns" a la our "War on Drugs" - the biggest policy failure in the history of our species - guns would still be as easily and widely available as marijuana. Only then, there would be NO background checks, serial numbers, registration, etc. It's a cliche, but if it's a crime to own a gun then only criminals will own guns. I don't see how anyone could be in favor of that. If complete gun prohibition would not work, then how can anything less than that work? So come on, take me down the path of gun control - explain to me a hypothetical law you'd like passed which you believe would have prevented Von Brunn from committing his act of faith-based terrorism with a firearm."

NC: Self-defense claim accepted after man shoots knife-attacker: "Clark Everett filed a dismissal last Thursday of voluntary manslaughter charges against Ronald Jerome Brown, 34, when an investigation by Grifton police supported Brown's claim that he shot Marquis Graham, 25, also of Grifton, only after his efforts to escape Graham's knife attack failed, Everett said. Brown still faces charges of possession of a firearm by a felon. The police investigation showed that Brown and Graham had been feuding, and Graham was making it known around town that he intended to kill Brown, Everett said. Graham was seen that Tuesday carrying an 8-inch kitchen knife, and the two crossed paths while Graham was riding a bicycle and Brown was the passenger in the back seat of a car (across the street from First Christian Church, near Grifton Elementary School), Everett said.... Witnesses at the scene reported that Graham went at Brown with the knife and Brown shot him once with a gun he had been carrying, Everette said. Officers retrieved the knife next to Graham's body.


Virginia: Motel gunfight downs two robbers: "An attempted robbery led to a gunfight at a Norfolk motel Thursday. Three suspects, one armed with a handgun, stormed into a room at the Econo Lodge. Much to the surprise of the suspected criminals, one of the victims was also carrying a gun. Police say two of the suspects were shot by the victim. One of the suspects died at the scene, the other was transported to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition. The suspect who died has been identified as 22-year-old Dante Cooley of Virginia Beach. Police have not yet released the names of the other two suspects, one of which fled the scene and remains on the run. The victim, who was also shot by one of the suspects and transported to the hospital is expected to recover."


Texas carjacker shot: "An alleged carjacker was shot and killed in north Houston Saturday morning, police said. At about 6:15 a.m., witnesses pulled Darryl Milton Franklin Jr., 37, out of a car that he was reportedly breaking into in the 1100 block of Langwick Drive. As they waited for police to arrive, witnesses saw him attempt to break into other vehicles and even try to commit a carjacking, authorities said. Franklin attacked a man who approached him. The man, who was carrying a permitted concealed weapon, shot Franklin, said Houston Police spokesman Victor Senties. The shooting is being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office and will likely be referred to a grand jury, Senties said.


Tennessee: Man Fatally Shoots Intruding neighbor: "An Oakland, Tennessee man fatally shot an intruder trying to climb in his window early Monday morning. The incident occurred on the 400-block of Bell Grove Road. The homeowner heard what sounded like a knock on his window around 12:30am. When the noise grew, the homeowner found a neighbor, 32-year old Anthony Webb, breaking through his window with a rake. The homeowner tells FOX13 that he told the man repeatedly to stop, but Webb's reply was "What are you going to do?" The intruder was shot three times, and was declared dead upon arrival by local police. The homeowner also tells FOX13 that the intruder's father was a high school classmate of his.

Texas: Bakery worker shoots and kills would-be robber: "A man was shot and killed when police say he tried to rob a bakery. Investigators told News 4 WOAI Roberto Adame tried to rob the Cinderella Bakery in the 1200 block of Saltillo Street on the West Side Wednesday evening. The bakery owner's son, who was working in the back, heard screams and came out with a gun. Police say he shot Adame at least two times. Adame took off running. Police found him a few blocks away from the bakery and called for an ambulance. He was taken to Wilford Hall Medical Center, where he later died. The bakery owner's son is not expected to face any charges."


DETROIT: Gun Turned On Would-Be Robber: "A 16-year-old was shot and wounded with his own gun Thursday morning during an attempted robbery on Detroit's west side, police said. Two teenagers, one carrying a rifle and the other a handgun, approached a man at the BPS Gas Station on Plymouth Road and the northbound Southfield Service Drive around 6:40 a.m. The robbery victim grabbed a gun out of the teen's hand and shot him with it. The wounded teen jumped into a vehicle and attempted to drive away, but crashed into several cars on Forrer Street. He was transported to Sinai Grace Hospital and is in stable condition. The other robber fled the area. There are unconfirmed police reports that the second robbery suspect was arrested in downtown Detroit".




Florida robber shot by victim: "A Sarasota man was targeted by a teenager with a gun early Thursday morning...but the victim happened to be armed as well.... When the father of five pulled into his driveway off Rilma Avenue in Sarasota, he was approached. "I got to the house and opened the gate...guy jumps out on the passenger side with a pump shotgun, tells me to ‘give it up sir...give it up sir.' Which I immediately reached for my weapon, which I had in my pocket, and I did what I had to do to keep from being killed...looking down the business end of a pump shotgun." Firby ended up firing two shots at the suspect. One of them hit the teenager in the abdomen. The suspect was able to return to the vehicle, which was quickly driven away. Detectives say that after checking Suncoast hospitals, they found a juvenile that was dropped off shortly after the shooting. He was at Sarasota Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the stomach. The boy is just sixteen years old. Detectives later caught up with 18-year-old Cadareus Ray [above]. Detectives believe he is the driver and armed the 16-year-old with the shotgun. The 16-year-old suspect is under guard at the hospital. Detectives say he should face adult charges due to the violence in the case."


Holocaust Museum shooting was in DC “gun free zone”: “It should be noted that the museum, as well as all of Washington D.C. are ‘gun free zones’ as far as carrying guns by non-government law enforcement personnel is concerned. Which is ironic when you consider the ‘Personal Histories’ headline on the museum’s ‘Resistance’ page: ‘At that time, a gun and a million dollars, the gun was worth more than a million dollars.’ ‘Never again’ is nothing more than a hollow slogan without the means to protect against it. Disarmament helped make genocide possible.”

NH: Gun Maker Faces Federal OSHA Fines

(Concord, New Hampshire) The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed fines of more than $250,000 for health and safety violations at a New Hampshire firearms manufacturing plant, Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc.

Rosemarie Ohar, area director in OSHA’s Concord office, said, “Our inspections identified a large number of mechanical, respirator protection, electrical, lead, fire, explosive and other hazards that must be effectively and continuously addressed to protect the workers at this plant from potentially deadly or disabling injuries and illnesses now and in the future.”

The company has 15 days to contest the allegations.

It's not known if the inspection was prompted because complaints were made against the company or for some other reason. Typically, full-blown facility inspections by OSHA don't come out of the clear blue, especially when they result in proposed fines.

According to the comment thread accompanying the linked article, most participants believe that the inspection and results are simply an episode of targeted harassment of a gun maker by the federal government. Harassment or otherwise, the elements of the inspection and the outcome do seem uncharacteristically and unnecessarily heavy-handed.

North Carolina: Resident shoots intruder: "A resident shot and wounded one of four men who forced themselves into his apartment Tuesday night, police said. About 10:18 p.m., Joseph Tyler Cox, of 5039 Winster Dr., Apt. 203, responded to a knock on the door, according to Winston-Salem police. Four men dressed in dark clothes with their faces concealed forced themselves inside. One was armed with a knife. Cox retrieved a handgun and began to fire at the suspects, police said. Quenton Alphonzo Taylor, 18, of 5489 Country Side Drive, Apt. F, was struck by several rounds, according to police. Cox also shot himself in the hand and was stabbed several times in the back. The three other suspects fled on foot, leaving Taylor behind, police said. Cox and Taylor were taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where they were treated for their injuries. Charges are pending for Taylor, police said."


California: Attempted robbery at pawn shop ends with robber, employee shot: "Three would-be robbers stormed a North Long Beach pawn shop Tuesday morning armed with one gun and a lot of bravado. When the suspects fled Long Beach Pawn & Jewelry, however, all they had to show for their efforts was a bullet from the shop supervisor's gun lodged in one suspect's leg, witnesses said. The 64-year-old supervisor from Long Beach was also shot, and hit in the face, but is expected to survive, authorities said. The witness told the Press-Telegram that he was walking into the pawn shop to pay his bill when the armed suspect walked in right before him. He recalled the gunman vividly due to his custom-looking, three-piece white suit, which looked like it belonged in church more than a pawn shop. "(The shop's employees) even complimented him on his dress," the witness recalled, saying the suspect asked a female employee to show him some rings because he was shopping for his girlfriend. After she took the armed man to the back of the shop, the other two suspects - dressed in casual clothes - rushed in, the witness said. One man jumped the counter and the other stayed by the front door as the armed suspect ordered everyone on the floor. That prompted the shop's supervisor - who the witness knew only as Bob - to confront the trio, the witness said. As the other employees ran to the back of the store and customers hit the ground, the shop's supervisor and the gunman faced off and both opened fire, the witness said. The supervisor was shot in the cheek and fell back while one of the suspects was hit in the leg, the witness said. "After the first shots I heard three more shots, and then (the suspects) crawled out of there," the witness said. "They got nothing...but one of them left his gun behind," he added. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics treated the victim at the scene and took him to a hospital. He was listed in mild distress and stable condition... The three suspects were described as black males in their 20s"


Pennsylvania: Police nab shirtless, tipsy home intruder: "Oakmont police said they arrested an intoxicated man early Sunday as he attempted to enter a house in which the owner had armed himself. The man, Brian Adam Witkovitz of Elicker Road, Plum, gave no statements and indicated no motive as to why he tried to enter two houses in the 600 block of Ninth Street about 3 a.m., according to the police report. Police said officers responded about 30 seconds after the owner of a house called the Allegheny County emergency dispatcher to report a burglary in progress. Officer Joseph Cattani observed Witkovitz, who was shirtless, open the storm door to the attached garage, according to police. Despite instructions to the contrary from the dispatcher, the homeowner had armed himself in anticipation of meeting the intruder. Cattani, backed up by another officer, entered the garage and subdued Witkovitz without incident before the suspect entered the house. Witkovitz has been charged with burglary, criminal attempt, public drunkenness, loitering and prowling at night, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and simple trespass. He is free on a non-monetary bond. Oakmont Police Chief Dave DiSanti praised his officers for their quick response. "They managed to keep the burglar from bumping into the armed homeowner," he said. "You can see how bad it would have been, had there been a confrontation. It took a lot of fortitude for Cattani to enter the garage."


Illinois: Burglar Shot During Home Invasion: "A home invasion late Tuesday night ended with an alleged burglar in the hospital, according to Hardin County Sheriff Tom Seiner. The sheriff reported in a press release that the woman in the home shot the intruder. The home on Tower Rock Road outside Elizabethtown belongs to Marty Impastato and her husband Bruce, who was not home. Impastato's daughter tells News Three that the man entered the home through an unlocked window. Shawna Stevens says the man is a friend of the family who visits the home regularly. She says she's not sure why he broke in. According to Stevens, Impastato grabbed her gun when she heard the man make his way across the house. Stevens reports that when the man entered the bedroom and rustled through the safe where the family keeps jewelry and prescription drugs, Impastato shot him. Illinois statute makes it legal for the victim of a home invasion to shoot someone in their home if they believe they can prevent violence to themselves or others in the dwelling or they reasonably believe that force is necessary to prevent a felony."

GA: Man Fires In Self-Defense, Kills Attacker: "An act of self-defense leaves a Lookout Mountain, Georgia man dead and a family grieving. Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said his deputies tried to stop an on-going, heated family dispute but it was just too late. "Unfortunate for the victim, the victim's family and the person that had to do the shooting," Sheriff Wilson said. Harry Lee Derryberry, known as Chuck, was just 45-years-old when his life ended in a field on his family's property in Rising Fawn on Lookout Mountain. He had been shot in the groin with a 12-gauge shotgun. His family called 911 earlier saying they needed help quickly with a domestic dispute that turned violent. "Upon speaking with the deputy arriving on the scene, he told me he actually heard the gunshot when the gun was fired," Sheriff Wilson explained. Sheriff Wilson said Brian Lee Walden fired the gun, acting in self-defense and is not being charged. He and several family members were assaulted by Derryberry - the result of an argument over one of his sons. "It appears that a 62-year-old female victim sustained injuries along with maybe one or two other people, along with the shooter," Sheriff Wilson said. The family told a story of Derryberry that included a life of alcoholism and depression. The family said Derryberry had threatened his own life and others during a fit of rage Monday evening. They and the sheriff said after Walden was struck in the face Walden got his shotgun and told Derryberry to stay away. "Pretty well warned the victim, said stay away but he came at him in an aggressive manner," Sheriff Wilson said."


Wisconsin burglar nabbed: "This Town of Ripon homeowner was craftier than the armed burglar trying to rob his house. Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department officials say the homeowner held a 23-year-old man attempting to steal cash, firearms and other items by gunpoint until police arrived around 1:20 a.m. Friday. Lt. Bill Flood says the homeowner saw lights on in his house, crept into his driveway, retrieved a handgun and waited for the burglar to come out. Ripon police and sheriff's deputies arrested the victim's 24-year-old girlfriend in a nearby vehicle. Officials say she dropped him off."


NY school official wrestles gun from armed man: "Police in suburban New York say an armed man who was wrestled to the ground by a superintendent at a middle school is a former police officer and parent of a student. Police say a letter from the district about swine flu may have played into Tuesday's incident at the Blauvelt school. Police identified the suspect as 37-year-old Tappan resident Peter Cocker. There's no phone listing for the former New York City police officer there. Police say South Orangetown Central School District Superintendent Ken Mitchell wrestled Cocker to the floor of his office, took the weapon and pinned him until police arrested him. No one was injured. Police used a shotgun to blast their way into the superintendent's office. It's unclear whether any other shots were fired."


MI: Second Amendment support: "It resembled most any Sunday afternoon picnic in Bronson Park. Except most of the people assembled around tables filled with watermelon and grilled goodies had firearms in holsters strapped to their waists. The Glocks and the Smith & Wessons remained holstered but visible during a three-hour Open Carry Picnic designed to raise public awareness of what organizers called Second Amendment rights in Michigan to openly carry a firearm in most places.”

CA: No arrest expected in weekend shootout: "A man injured during a shootout near Covelo is not a homicide suspect as Mendocino sheriff’s detectives say he apparently was acting in self defense when he shot and killed another man. “He didn’t draw first,” said Mendocino County sheriff’s Lt. Rusty Noe Monday. Round Valley resident Jason McLean, 22, died in the gunfire exchange early Saturday during a party in the woods. Andrew Card, 23, was shot once, according to sheriff’s officials. The two apparently have a long-standing feud, involving Card stabbing McLean two years ago at a Labor Day rodeo. Card served time in county jail for the stabbing. Early Saturday, as a party in the woods was winding down, McLean reportedly got a high-powered rifle from his car and fired at Card. Card pulled out a handgun and began firing back. The two men, standing about five feet apart, fired several times at each other. McLean was hit at least four times and died. Card was flown to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for surgery. He was not at that hospital Sunday, said a hospital spokesman. Noe said he may have been transported closer to home. Noe said Card’s status wasn’t known by detectives as the man wasn’t a suspect."


AZ: Employee fires back at armed robbery suspect: "On June 6, 2009, at about 12:30 p.m., two men went into a liquor store at 23rd Avenue and Northern Avenue. Both men had been in the store about two hours earlier and one of them bought a beer. They left and returned the second time. One of the men went outside while the other remained inside. That man, the 29-year-old suspect, asked the clerk, 23, for a piece of paper. As the clerk was waiting on other customers, the suspect wrote something on the paper. After the other customers left, the suspect handed the note, a robbery not to the clerk. The clerk acted as though he couldn’t read. At that time, the suspect came towards the clerk and opened a gate, which separates the clerk from the customers. While doing so, the suspect pulled out a knife. Seeing this, the clerk grabbed a gun and shot the suspect. The suspect ran out of the store and across the street to a friend’s apartment. He knocked on the door and as it was being answered, he collapsed. That individual called 911. The police arrived shortly after that and the suspect was taken to a local hospital where he is listed in critical condition."


OK: Police Say Shooting Possibly Self-Defense: "The shooting death of a Cameron man Monday evening is being investigated as a possible act of self-defense, but homicide has not been ruled out. Heath Lomon, 37, was killed on the property of a neighbor during a physical altercation with an unidentified man at the scene, according to Jessica Brown, public information officer for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation into the shooting death. Authorities were dispatched to a rural residential area on Blaylock Lane, just south of Williams Road, in response to a report of a man shot. When deputies with the LeFlore County Sheriff's Office arrived, they found Lomon dead, the shooter and multiple witnesses. "Lomon was shot and killed after he fired his shotgun in the direction of several people across the street from his property," Brown stated in a news release. After firing the shotgun, Lomon walked over to the neighboring property and engaged in a physical altercation with one of the men at the scene, Brown said in an interview Tuesday. Sometime during or soon after the altercation, the man Lomon was fighting with produced a handgun and shot Lomon once in the chest, according to Brown."


DC's gun regulations officially in place, but for how long?: "The District’s permanent handgun regulations that took effect Friday could be obliterated by Congress or the federal courts in less time than it took to write them. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the city’s 30-year-old handgun ban as unconstitutional last June. The city has been operating under emergency and proposed gun rules since Jan. 16., but those rules became permanent Friday. Despite strong opposition from gun rights advocates, the Metropolitan Police Department reported in Friday’s D.C. Register that no comments were received since January. District leaders believe they have met the Supreme Court’s directive, that the Second Amendment guarantees D.C. residents the right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense. But the city’s fledgling laws are being challenged on two fronts. Dick Anthony Heller, the plaintiff in the original lawsuit, is suing again over the city’s “onerous firearm registration, expiration and re-registration requirements” and its continuing prohibition of “commonly possessed” firearms and magazines. Registration requirements include five hours of certified training, ballistic testing, numerous fees and a maze of bureaucratic hurdles. “What we’re trying to do with the lawsuit is invalidate them as soon as possible through the court system,” Richard Gardiner, Heller’s lawyer, said of the regulations".

GA: Robber shot in foot: "The Tift County convenience store owner who stared down the barrel of a gun during an armed robbery tells us the thieves are now in custody. An armed woman wearing a ski mask entered the Holiday Market of Highway 319 and demanded the clerk for money. That was when a customer already at the register pulled out his gun and shot the woman in the foot. She dropped her gun in the store and dropped her drivers license in the parking lot as she tried to get away in a Ford F-150. A man was driving that getaway pick-up. The store owner tells us police caught up with that driver later that night. The woman was later taken into custody after she tried to get treatment at Tift Regional hospital for her gunshot wound. The Tift County Sheriff's Office would not give us the suspects names."


IN: Suspect in home invasion robbery shot during struggle: "A 21-year-old Evansville man was shot in the hand this afternoon as he wrestled with a man he was trying to rob, authorities said. Bassil Mohammad Kamali was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail after being checked out at Deaconess Hospital for a minor wound. He is being held without bond pending an initial court appearance Monday. Preliminary charges are listed as robbery with a firearm, armed burglary, intimidation with a weapon and criminal recklessness, all felonies. Evansville Police Department Sgt. Greg Motz said Kamali was armed with a handgun when he knocked on the victim's door in the 900 block of Douglas Drive. It happened shortly before 2 p.m. The victim was asleep and his two children - ages 6 and 8 - answered the door. The children started screaming when the armed suspect barged in, Motz said. "(Then the victim) comes out and wrestles with the guy with the gun and pushes him out," Motz said. "At some point, the gun goes off and shoots the suspect in the hand." A man nearby heard the children screaming for help during the struggle, Motz said. He then stopped Kamali from fleeing and physically held him on scene until authorities arrived."


IL: Concealed guns would help “gun-toting granny” feel safer: "“I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a typical supporter of Mayor Jim Ardis’ concealed-carry proposal. But my last guess might be Wanda and Ron Swenson, a pair of gray-haired retirees who live in a nice condominium in northwest Peoria. Their dwelling and station in life seem far removed from the gangs, shootings and mayhem that regularly plague certain slices of the city. Still, they feel the creep of crime, so much so they often feel like prisoners in their own home. They’d feel much safer if they could pack a firearm when about town. The couple, married for 18 years, were thrilled to hear the mayor’s suggestion that Peoria become a test city for concealed carry. The Legislature would have to approve such a move.”


The real reason Texas campus carry failed: “Republican legislators in the Texas House of Representatives were so hell-bent on passing this repressive and useless ‘Voter ID’ law that they scuttled their own time-honored rules of procedure just so they could keep Democrats from blocking a vote on the Voter ID bill. The result was a five-day filibuster on the House floor, courtesy of Democratic legislators, that stretched over Memorial Day weekend. When the dust settled, Voter ID was dead, but so were hundreds of other bills which were simply tossed aside by House Republicans in a vain effort to save Voter ID. One of those bills thrown on the funeral pyre was the campus concealed-carry bill, which had already passed the Texas Senate and was simply awaiting a vote in the House.”

FL: Tampa tattoo parlor owner shot while chasing robbery suspects: "A man was shot after trying to chase down several suspects who robbed his business, according to Tampa Police. Tampa Police say the incident began just after 5 pm, when one of the suspects entered K and B Tattooing on 4806 1/2 East Busch Blvd and asked about a tattoo. About 15 minutes later the man returned with 2 other suspects, one of them armed with a gun, and demanded money, police said. The men then tied up the shop's owner and his girlfriend using plastic zip ties, then fled the scene with the woman's purse, some cash, and a rifle from inside the store. Detectives say the owner, 23-year-old Daniel B. Perez took off after the suspects after managing to free himself. Perez armed himself with a gun and confronted the suspects, police said, and gunfire was exchanged. Perez was shot in the head, but was conscious and talking when he was taken to Tampa General Hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Officers found the suspects near the scene and took them into custody. Arrested were Antonio Madden, 19, Dominic Baldwin, 20, and Melvin Munroe-Wilson, 21, of Lakeland. They have been charged with attempted homicide, armed robbery and armed kidnapping. None of them were injured, police said. A car believed to belong to the suspects was found at the scene. Police say purse belonging to Perez's girlfriend was found inside."


WV Supreme Court frees battered woman: "The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has reversed a Cabell County jury and judge. Tanya Harden had been convicted of first degree murder in the death of her husband. She has been serving a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole. The Court ordered a remand with directions to “enter a judgment of acquittal” on the grounds of self-defense. Although the state argued that the battered woman did not face imminent death from her husband and that she had time to call the police, Justice Ketchum writing for the 4-1 majority stressed that the woman endured hours of beating, sexual abuse, beating by a weapon, and actions that threatened her children and other occupants. He points to a portion of the testimony in which Harden’s youngest child testified that the decedent father hit mom with a gun and heard him say, “I am going to go get the gun and shoot you.”


MD: Homeless man’s conviction for discharging firearm struck: 'A homeless man who acted as his own lawyer Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court had his conviction for discharging a firearm within Hagerstown’s city limits struck, and received probation before judgment. Probation before judgment means if he successfully serves a year of probation, the conviction will not appear on his record. Devine, who has been homeless for about 20 years, has testified in Annapolis for a state law that would make crimes against him and other homeless people considered hate crimes. He currently lives out of his van, which is parked at a farm in Washington County. During his testimony in March, Devine said he suffered almost daily abuse while living in his van in Hagerstown and Sharpsburg. Devine said the abuse he suffers from children who throw items at his van, call him names and threaten to hurt him should be considered hate crimes, The Herald-Mail reported. While speaking in court Thursday morning before he was sentenced, Devine said he had been trying to stay out of trouble. He discharged the firearm in self-defense after several weeks of being harassed by a group of kids, Devine said Thursday in court".


FL: Woman attempts armed robbery: "Cordera Bracy, 22, targeted the wrong person when she chose to follow Michael Page, 50, from a Sanford Amscot business to his Volusia Drive home about 8 p.m. Wednesday, he said by phone Thursday. Page was still in his car with his window cracked when Bracy pulled into his driveway. He was trying to get the key back into the ignition so he could drive off, he said. Out of her car, Bracy ran up and stuck the nose of what he thought was a semi-automatic pistol in his face. "I grabbed it and pulled it down away from my body," he said. "That's when she cocked the gun." Page, who owns firearms but didn't have one with him in his car, said the gun "didn't sound right. "Nonetheless, I thought 'I have to do something or get shot,' " he said. He grabbed a flashlight, opened the door and struck Bracy. "This caused her to back off a little," Page said. Page grabbed the gun during a struggle and Bracy ran across the street. Page, who still thought Bracy was a man, chased her and tackled her to the ground. The off-duty security guard hit Bracy with the gun, which caused it to shatter, but he continued to hit her. "She uncovers her face and says, 'Sir, I'm a girl. Sir, I'm a girl,' " Page said. "I told her I'm a security guard." Page said he held her down with one hand while he called 9-1-1. When deputies arrived and searched Bracy, they found a container with two pieces of crack cocaine inside, according to a Volusia County Sheriff's Office report. Bracy was arrested and charged with armed robbery and possession of cocaine."

FL: Burglar chased off by shotgun-wielding homeowner: "An unemployed man who reportedly sneaked into a home shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday was chased away by a shotgun-wielding homeowner. According to officials, Stephen Cody Hand, 18, was later arrested and charged with occupied burglary. The victim, Harold D. Chick, told officials that he and his wife and daughter were watching television in his bedroom when the women fell asleep. Chick said he had just closed his eyes when he heard the television shut off. He said he opened his eyes and saw a white man, about 5-foot-7, with dark hair, wearing a white tank top and plaid shorts, standing in the room. Chick said he grabbed his shotgun, which was nearby, and the intruder slowly walked out of the home. Chick told deputies the man may have silently entered the home through the unlocked front door. The door was left unsecured so his other daughter, who was visiting a friend, could come in. Deputies were called and a perimeter was set up. During their search, deputies spotted a man wearing plaid shorts, but no shirt, who fit the description of the man they were looking for. Authorities brought Chick to the location, where he identified Hand as the man who was inside his home."


MI: Resident who shot man outside home cleared: "The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office has cleared a 27-year-old Ferndale resident who fired two shots and critically injured a man outside his apartment window because the resident said he feared a break-in. “When they examined all the facts, they decided it was self-defense,” said Ferndale Police Lt. William Wilson. Neither man’s name is being released. The man who fired the shots lives with a woman who is a Detroit police officer, Wilson said. The injured man, 58, is being treated at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak and is expected to recover, although he was struck in the esophagus by a bullet outside the apartment on West 9 Mile and remained in critical condition this morning, the lieutenant said at 1 p.m. today.... The apartment dweller is a mall security guard who legally possessed his Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol. Shortly after the shooting at 2 a.m. Wednesday, he walked to a nearby 7-Eleven store and turned over his gun to Michigan State Police troopers at the store. The State Police, in turn, gave the handgun to Ferndale police, who investigated. “We probably will return his gun to him. That’s my decision,” Wilson said".


CT: Gun-savvy man thwarts would-be robber: "Robert Dwyer, a counselor at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, has trained with 9 mm handguns every year in his other role as a weapons instructor for the Department of Justice. So he knew just what to do when an assailant approached him Tuesday night outside his Waterbury home brandishing a handgun... That's when Dwyer's expertise with weapons kicked in. "I reached down and grabbed the gun by the upper receiver," he recalled. A struggle ensued, during which a shot was fired that did not hit either man. Dwyer said because of the way he grabbed the gun, the spent shell casing could not be ejected from the chamber, and the gun jammed. But by then, his two sons, Robert Jr., 27, and Christopher, 25, had heard the commotion and left the house to come to his aid. Christopher tackled Marte, Dwyer said, and he and Robert Jr. subdued the assailant and kicked the gun away while a neighbor called police. After officers took Marte into custody, he was charged with a bevy of crimes -- attempted first-degree robbery, attempted first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, illegal discharge of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit. He was arraigned Wednesday in Waterbury Superior Court and ordered held in lieu of $600,000 bond. He is now behind bars at New Haven Correctional Center. Dwyer, who also served eight years in the Army before his career in corrections began, was thankful Friday for his familiarity with 9 mm guns, but said he never thought he'd get the kind of hands-on experience he did Tuesday."


TN: County employee who took shotgun to work resigns: "The Knox County employee disciplined for taking a shotgun into his workplace last week resigned Friday because he couldn't afford a two-month suspension without pay... "Given the harsh financial and emotional burden that would be placed on my family and me by having to endure two months with(out) any income whatsoever, and the intractability of the county regarding this condition, I am faced with only one option," Rockett wrote. "Therefore, I am tendering my resignation effective this date." Rockett allegedly took a shotgun to the county's Department of Engineering and Public Works office to show to another employee May 27. Knoxville police were called to the scene but determined no laws had been broken".

TN: Senate overrides “guns in bars” veto: “The Tennessee Senate has voted 21-9 to override Gov. Bredesen’s veto of the so-called ‘Guns in Bars’ bill. The Tennessee House voted 69-27 Wednesday to override the veto. The bill becomes law July 14. … The Senate originally passed the bill by a vote of 24-7 ahead of Gov. Bredesen’s veto.”


NRA appeals anti-gun ruling to the US Supreme Court: “Today, the National Rifle Association filed a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of NRA v. Chicago. The NRA strongly disagrees with yesterday’s decision issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, holding that the Second Amendment does not apply to state and local governments. ‘The Seventh Circuit got it wrong. As the Supreme Court said in last year’s landmark Heller decision, the Second Amendment is an individual right that ‘belongs to all Americans.’ Therefore, we are taking our case to the highest court in the land,’ said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist.”


KY: Gun-loving pastor to his flock — piece be with you: “A Kentucky pastor is inviting his flock to bring guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment.New Bethel Church is welcoming ‘responsible handgun owners’ to wear their firearms inside the church June 27, a Saturday. An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety. ‘We’re just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation,’ said pastor Ken Pagano. ‘And we’re not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms — without that this country wouldn’t be here.’ The guns must be unloaded and private security will check visitors at the door, Pagano said.”


Well-armed Americans influenced Japan’s invasion: “The best reason that I can think of for American citizens to keep and bear arms for their own defense … is a quote attributed to Japan’s Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943), the commander-in-chief of Japan’s combined fleet during World War II. He was a student of Harvard from 1919 to 1921, and had observed that Americans were not subjects of the government, but were, instead, well-armed citizens that were ready, willing and able to defend their homeland against all comers.He is credited with having stated that his reason for attacking Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, instead of America’s west coast, was that invading America would be a suicide attack because there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass. ”

SC: Citizen holds suspected burglar, aids in arrest: “Citizens doing their part to stop the rash of burglaries paid off after a Richmond County man was taken into custody by an armed homeowner Wednesday afternoon. Jamie Tyler, of Garrett Road, said he saw the man the Sheriff’s Office was hunting run from behind a shed in his yard and pulled his Glock 9 mm pistol and ordered the man to the ground. ‘I had my gun on him and yelled at him to get down, get down, or I’ll put you down.’ When the suspect turned around and saw the gun pointed at him he complied and deputies arrived moments later to take him into custody.”


WI: Robbery Suspects Shot by Security Guard: "Milwaukee Police are investigating a deadly shooting at a check cashing business near 76th and Melvina. Witnesses said a security guard shot and killed a 24 year-old robbery suspect Wednesday afternoon outside the Check Into Cash store at 3906 N. 76th Street. Police said the two suspects entered the business and ordered everyone to the floor including the armed security guard. One suspect later told the other to shoot the guard. That's when the guard got up and fired shots at both armed robbers. The 24-year-old suspect was found at the rear of the business in the alley with a gunshot wound to the back. He died at the scene. A second suspect was also shot, but took off on foot. That 22-year-old suspect later turned up at St. Joseph's Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was transferred to Froedtert Hospital and was in critical but stable condition. Police won't say yet whether or not the guard will face any criminal charges. Police said no one else inside the check cashing store was injured. The money taken in the robbery was recovered. Police said both suspects were arrested in 2005 for an armed robbery which they committed together".


WA: State law trumps county law: "Gun-toting members of a firearms advocacy group took to Silverdale Waterfront Park on Sunday to protest a county ordinance that appears to be at odds with state law. Kitsap County bans firearms from its parks, despite state law that allows gun owners to carry arms in the open in most public places. County sheriff’s deputies saw no reason to interfere with local members of the national organization Opencarry.org, which organized the Silverdale protest, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Spokesman Scott Wilson said.”


Bill to remove Ohio's ban on self-defense while dining introduced: "One of the most frequently requested changes to Ohio law by concealed handgun licensees is to remove the ban on self-defense while dining in a nice restaurant. Under current Ohio law, concealed handgun license (CHL) holders are prohibited from carrying their handgun into any restaurant which has a class D liquor permit and serves liquor regardless of whether or not that person is consuming alcohol. This means virtually all restaurants other than fast food places or diners are off limits. Ohio is one of the few states with such severe restrictions, as thirty-nine states, including every state surrounding Ohio, have a provision for self defense while dining and several more are considering an exception as well. Earlier this year, OFCC's Secretary/Treasurer Daniel White worked with the OFCC Coordinator committee and drafted a bill to address this shortcoming. We are pleased to announce that this bill has been introduced!"

TX: Pistol-packing patron shoots robbery suspect: "A 77-year-old Korean War veteran fired one round Monday, wounding one of two masked men suspected in the robbery of a game room on the outskirts of the city, authorities said. There were about 12 patrons inside Players Paradise, 4801 state Highway 146 Suite B, when a frequent guest knocked on the door, Capt. Brian Goetschius of Texas City police said. The game room, which was robbed at 12:44 a.m., was open only to members, Goetschius said. “They looked through the monitors and recognized him as being there before,” Goetschius said. “They ordered everyone to the ground, went through several wallets and got the apron from the attendant.” The veteran, Robert Hays of Texas City, was thrown to the ground, and then a suspect went through his wallet, Goetschius said. “The 77-year-old concealed gun permit carrier drew his .38-caliber revolver and shot one of the crooks,” Goetschius said. “The crook immediately fell to the floor, and he dropped his gun and he lost a shoe.” The men fled through the back door with an unknown amount of cash, and at 1:18 a.m. police were notified of a man suffering from a gunshot or stab wound checking himself into Clear Lake Regional Medical Center. Tyreese Ross, 34, of Texas City, suffered one gunshot wound to his right shoulder. Hays, who hasn’t been charged, had a permit to carry a concealed handgun, Goetschius said. Having a valid permit makes it lawful to enter a game room with a firearm, Goetschius said."


NC: Home robbery attempts foiled Monday when residents freed themselves from restraints and chased down their alleged assailants: "Spencer Cockrell told authorities he cut himself loose and grabbed his gun late Monday night after he and his wife were tied down at their Nash County home and robbed at gunpoint by two Rocky Mount men, later identified as Jesus Pryor and Justin L. Shaw. Deputies said Cockrell freed himself as Pryor, 27, and Shaw, 22, fled the scene. Cockrell chased after them with a gun, officials said. Cockrell told authorities he found Pryor outside the home, attempting to cut the phone line. Pryor allegedly raised his gun, deputies said, and Cockrell fired shots at the suspect, striking him in the arm and buttocks. Pryor ran and later was found bleeding in the back of a pickup truck on Old Carriage Road, near the alleged crime scene. He was taken to Nash General Hospital then airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital, where he remained in stable condition Tuesday. Authorities were continuing to search for Shaw on Tuesday."


NY: Deli owner pulls gun, robber begs forgiveness: “Mohammad Sohail, who owns the Shirley Express, says a bat-wielding man entered the convenience store and demanded money on Thursday, May 21, just after midnight. Sohail responded by pulling out a rifle. The suspect then reportedly dropped to his knees and begged forgiveness, blaming the tough economy for his turn to crime.”


Appeals Court upholds Chicago handgun ban: "A Chicago ordinance banning handguns and automatic weapons within city limits was upheld by a U.S. Court of Appeals panel, which rejected a challenge by the National Rifle Association. The unanimous three-judge panel ruled today that a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year, which recognized an individual right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, didn’t apply to states and municipalities. ‘The Supreme Court has rebuffed requests to apply the second amendment to the states,’ U.S. Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote, upholding lower court decisions last year to throw out suits against Chicago and its suburb of Oak Park, Illinois.”

FL: Homeowner shoots would-be intruder: "A homeowner confronted a pistol-wielding, bandana-wearing man at his front door, wrestled the weapon away and shot the would-be intruder late Saturday, deputies said. The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said Christopher Mullins, 23, answered the door at his Bradenton home about 11 p.m. Saturday and found Tron Calloway, 26, on the doorstep. The two struggled over Calloway's gun and Calloway fired several shots, wounding Mullins, the sheriff's office said. Mullins got control of the weapon and shot Calloway. Mullins was treated and released from Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petesrburg, the sheriff's office said. Calloway was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he is listed in critical but stable condition. No charges have been filed and the investigation is continuing."


CA: Suspect Leads Deputies On Wild Foot Chase; Homeowner Shoots: "A suspect wanted on charges of armed robbery led deputies on a foot chase through a McFarland neighborhood Sunday night and one homeowner opened fire. Residents said at about 10 p.m. Sunday their neighborhood was swamped with deputies looking for 37-year-old John Henry Lopez. Deputies said they recognized his car on the 200 block of Brentwood Court. Deputies said they detained his 16-year-old son who was sitting inside the car, but Lopez began running through back yards to evade deputies. They said Lopez tried to get into one home, but the owner fired a single gunshot and missed. Another neighbor said he was watching TV when he heard the gun shot, then his wife heard someone trying to get into their house through a side door. The neighbor said he went outside to see who was there, and then he saw Lopez jump off his roof. Deputies were able to tackle Lopez to the ground after he jumped."


TN: Veto of “guns in bars” bill may not stick : “Gov. Phil Bredesen vetoed a bill Thursday that would have allowed handgun carry permit holders to take their weapons in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, sending a message that may prove only symbolic. Bredesen delivered the veto before an assembled group of law enforcement officers, saying that he opposed the bill while supporting Second Amendment rights. … The veto is the sixth of Bredesen’s tenure. He has never been overridden. Nashville attorney John Harris, executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, said Bredesen’s veto was ‘futile’ in the face of lawmakers’ previous support.”


Obama’s court nomination validates America’s rush to buy firearms: “President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court validates the concerns of millions of American citizens who have been rushing to gun shops for the past seven months, fearing their Second Amendment rights are in jeopardy, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. Judge Sotomayor was part of a Second Circuit Court panel that ruled in January that the Second Amendment does not apply to the states, in Maloney v. Cuomo.”

CA: Suspect Shot, Woman Hit By Car In Store Robbery: "Two teens were allegedly robbing a Huntington Park store when one of them was shot. The pair fled, striking an elderly woman with their getaway car, and were later arrested, police said Saturday. The robbery was reported at 6:25 p.m. Friday in the 2400 block of Florence Avenue, near Santa Fe Avenue, said Huntington Park police Lt. Cosme Lozano. Someone at the business shot one of the teens, Lozano said. As they sped from the scene in a car, the robbers hit a woman, who was seriously injured and taken to a hospital, Lozano said. The alleged robbers, 14 and 19 years old, were later arrested, Lozano said."


FL: Pensacola man says he shot another man in self-defense: "A Pensacola man says he shot another man in self-defense over weekend, according to a police report. Trenton Copeland, 25, of Pensacola was wounded Saturday night outside Ram Tool & Supply in the 3000 block of Davis Highway. He was in critical condition Sunday. The report said Copeland argued with Keith Crosby over a woman. Marquis Kyle, 28, Crosby's cousin, told police he intervened in the argument because Crosby and Copeland were about to fight. Kyle said he thought he had ended the dispute until he saw Copeland walking toward him and his cousin with a knife, the report said. "Kyle stated that he fired one shot and then reholstered his weapon," the report said. Kyle said he was then beaten up by a group of Copeland's friends and his .45-caliber gun was taken, the report said. Kyle was taken to West Florida Hospital on Saturday night to be treated for several cuts and other injuries. His condition was not available Sunday evening. No arrests have been made in the shooting."


MI: Accused gun-toting robbers could face additional charges in shooting of Dearborn teen hit by stray bullet: "During the robbery, on the Detroit side, the victim was shot by the three men, but apparently returned fire, striking a 13-year-old boy playing basketball on the Dearborn side. The three face charges on the robbery, but the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is now looking at charging them in the shooting of the boy, because he was injured during a felony they committed. Coridale Francillon, 19, Tommy Lee Walton, 20 and Marshall Thomas Ellis, 21 all of Detroit, are accused of shooting and attempting to rob a 26-year-old man May 22 on Robson, north of Tireman in Detroit. When the man refused to surrender his sunglasses, the suspects allegedly shot him in the chest before fleeing south on Robson into Dearborn, where Dearborn police took them into custody. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma. The department hopes to charge the three suspects in connection with the shooting of the Dearborn teen, who was struck by the stray bullet May 22 while playing basketball on Mead, south of Tireman. Police say the bullet was fired by the robbery victim in self-defense and traveled up the street until it struck the juvenile in the back. He remains in stable condition at a local hospital. No charges have been filed against the 26-year-old robbery victim, who is still hospitalized".


Second Amendment rights: Use ‘em or lose ‘em : “I’ve had some requests for follow-up on the group of local residents who met for lunch in North Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17, and then proceeded to a downtown park — adjacent to the North Las Vegas police station — to pick up trash.The idea was to conduct a demonstration of their right to carry firearms openly on their hips, the way U.S. Navy vessels occasionally transit the Bosporus and other international waters to demonstrate we still have a right to do so. Billy Logan, who bills himself as "NRA member, GONV member, staunch Libertarian, proud gun owner and Second Amendment advocate," writes: "Everything went smoother than we could have imagined (minus the problem with Buffalo Wild Wings). The outcome is exactly how we wanted and it couldn't have ended better." Apparently responding with some sarcasm to my explanation that no photo of the gathering was published in the newspaper because nothing of an exciting nature happened, Billy adds, "Feel free to tell the photo editor (or whoever is in charge of publishing stories) that we're all deeply saddened we weren't able to get into a fire fight with the police or accidentally shoot a bystander"