Pennsylvania gangster shot: "Rob Pierce Jr.'s walk through Easton's West Ward for dinner at his fiancee's mother's house Tuesday almost cost him his life. He was mugged by two men, one a self-proclaimed Crips gang member, the other wearing a hooded jacket and carrying a handgun, police said. ''It was like hell,'' Pierce, 27, of Easton said Wednesday night in a brief phone interview. While being told to be quiet and cooperate, he was dragged across the street in the darkness and told he was going to be shot. But in an instant, the hunted became the hunter. Pierce, who carries a handgun for protection, pulled out a .357 revolver and shot Maurice Cook of Easton, who had thrust a .45 handgun into Pierce's back and the side of his head. Cook, 22, who was shot in the abdomen, was taken to St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill, where he underwent surgery and was expected to survive, police said. He and the other mugging suspect, Tyrone Wright, 22, of Newark, N.J., were charged Wednesday with robbery, aggravated assault and conspiracy. Wright told a district judge he was recently freed from a New Jersey prison, where he had been held on a drug charge. Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said the good guy won in a botched armed robbery. But at a news conference Wednesday, he also cautioned against a return to the vigilante days of the Wild West. He said Pierce violated no law by protecting himself and will face no charges."


Missouri home invader shot in head: "A man suspected in a St. Louis home invasion was critically injured after being shot by a resident of the home, and a police spokesman said the suspect was not expected to survive. Police spokesman Richard Wilkes said the suspect was taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital and was in very critical condition Thursday morning. His name has not been released. The man was among three who allegedly entered a home Wednesday night with intent to commit robbery, Wilkes said. The man became involved in a struggle with one of the home's occupants. The suspect was shot in the head."


All our attempts to regulate guns come to nothing: "No one can deny that handguns are used in crimes, but it does seem like the media loves to jump on the bandwagon condemning them, while ignoring that many other weapons are used in crimes. A recent print news article displayed an almost life-size photo of a pistol, but I don't recall seeing a photo of a knife accompanying articles on stabbings. It seems like every time a gun is used in a crime, the anti-gun crowd revels in another "I told you so," while conveniently ignoring those times that guns are used to defend oneself and property or that the weapon used in the crime isn't even a firearm. For years I didn't belong to the National Rifle Association because I just didn't feel it necessary that people could own some of the fancy stuff available for purchase. Actually, I still don't, but I've come to realize that every little chip in the right to bear arms weakens that right and other rights for all of us.