Texas: Homebuilder shoots suspected burglar in head: "A homebuilder, who police believe was tired of thieves targeting a home under construction, shot a suspected burglar in the head early Tuesday morning. .... homebuilder Ricky W. Otis, 47, of New Caney, spent the night at the home after having fallen victim to several overnight thefts of construction materials from the house in the Northcrest Ranch subdivision off Texas 242. He decided to spend the night Monday in an upstairs bedroom of the partially finished home. .... Otis told investigators he was awakened by the sound of a downstairs door being forced open. He called the Sheriff's Department before going downstairs to investigate, Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. Dan Norris said. When Otis went downstairs, he found two men loading building materials from inside the home into a van that had been backed into the driveway .... When confronted by Otis, one of the men reached into the vehicle, according to the Sheriff's Department. "Not knowing whether the man was reaching for a weapon inside the vehicle, the homebuilder used deadly force," Norris said. Otis fired a shotgun at the man at least once, striking him in the head and upper back."





Virginia: Senate panel defeats victim disarmament bill : "Virginians can continue to pack heat the real thing, not toys -- in child day-care centers. The Senate Courts of Justice Committee yesterday killed 8-7 a bill that would extend the gun ban that currently applies to schools to privately operated day-care centers. The sponsor, Sen. Yvonne B. Miller, D-Norfolk, did not cite any incidents in which a gun was used in a day-care center in Virginia but said she was worried about the potential."