Philadelphia store owner with shotgun thwarts would-be robber: "A gunman did not get the cash he demanded when he walked into a South Philadelphia locksmith shop yesterday morning, police said. He got something unwanted. Instead of complying, the owner of Todaro's Locksmith pulled out a shotgun and released a single blast, critically injuring the gunman, police said. The drama began at 10:38 a.m., when the man entered the store in the 1500 block of Federal Street, said Lt. Frank Vanore of the Public Affairs Unit. "He demanded money, and the store owner was able to get to the shotgun," Vanore said. The owner, whom police did not identify, had moved behind a partition where the shotgun was stored, Vanore said. Authorities were still trying to confirm the identity of the gunman late yesterday afternoon and did not immediately release his name. Police recovered a handgun at the scene. The gunman was sprayed with pellets in the hands, neck and face, Vanore said. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and later transferred to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he remained in critical condition yesterday. The gunman faces charges of robbery and related offenses, Vanore said. The store owner immediately called police and cooperated with detectives and does not face charges, Vanore said.


MI: "Open carry" group to gather: "Ron Gibson carries a semi-automatic pistol on his hip for anyone to see, and insists he's not out to intimidate. When he goes to bed, the .45 caliber firearm is nearby and loaded. 'Just because I'm carrying a gun, I shouldn't be viewed as a threat. I don't bring any attention to it whatsoever,' he said.Gibson is among about three dozen members of a gun rights group who will 'pack' a picnic with their families Saturday afternoon in Warren. They are part of a growing movement of advocates promoting the Second Amendment and the open carrying of handguns."


TX: School district to allow guns on campus: "A Texas school district has decided to allow some employees to have guns on school campuses. The Harrold Independent School District near Wichita Falls has decided to allow specific employees to carry firearms on school property and at school events. The school district said it will allow the guns to protect students, because board members estimate it would take first responders nearly 30 minutes to get to the school if there was an emergency."


The Second Amendment and non-citizens: "The Second Amendment / illegal alien decision discussed in the post below reminds me of a broader question -- do noncitizens who are legally present in the U.S. have Second Amendment rights? 1. Federal law generally bars gun possession by noncitizens who are here under a nonimmigrant visa. Some state laws go further and ban all possession by noncitizens, including by permanent residents. ... Generally speaking most constitutional rights have been extended (at least where criminal punishment, as opposed to the threat of deportation, is involved) to legal aliens. Should this apply to the Second Amendment? The reasoning in the illegal alien opinion seems to potentially apply to legal aliens as well, though that's not clear."