Tennessee homeowner kills break-in suspect: "A 58-year-old homeowner shot a robbery suspect to death early Tuesday after a struggle at a home in Raleigh. The man caught the 20-year-old intruder trying to come inside his home at 3161 Scenic Highway through a patio door at 12:25 a.m, police said. He fought the man and is believed to have been struck several times with a pistol before he shot the intruder, who died at the scene. The resident was treated for injuries he suffered during the struggle. He has been released from the hospital. No charges have been filed pending a full investigation.


Texas robber shot by victim: "A party at an apartment on Oltorf Street in South Austin turned into a crime scene over the weekend. According to police reports, 26-year-old John Crayton robbed a number of party goers and ended up getting himself shot in the stomach. "They heard a gunshot from inside the closet, and they wondered where the gunshot came from," said Sgt. Brian Miller with the Austin Police Department. "They opened up the closet, and Mr. Crayton jumped out. He proceeded to rob everybody inside the apartment." There were seven people in the front part of the apartment. Police said Crayton pointed his gun at those in the room and even hit several of his victims with the weapon. All he got was a pack of Marlboro Light cigarettes and $3 from one victim. Crayton apparently planned to exit out of back of the apartment and kicked in the door to a bedroom. Police said there were two other victims in that room, and one had a gun. "I don't think he anticipated that," Miller said. "I don't think he anticipated anyone being there." The victim in that room took aim and shot Crayton in the stomach. "It was registered, he owns it and by Texas law, you have the right to defend your property and yourself," Miller said."


In many US airports, guns are OK outside security: "Flying in the U.S. has been transformed since Sept. 11, with passengers forced to remove their shoes, take out their laptop computers and put liquids and gels in clear plastic bags. Yet it's perfectly legal to take a loaded gun right up to the security checkpoint at some of the nation's biggest airports. An Associated Press survey of the 20 busiest U.S. airports found that seven of them - Philadelphia, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and San Francisco - let people with gun permits carry firearms in the general public areas of the terminal. Some anti-terrorism experts say that is a glaring security loophole that could endanger airport workers, passengers and people waiting to pick them up or see them off. Some suggest that allowing guns in terminals is practically asking for them to be smuggled aboard a plane. "If your airport is not secure, then the security of your airplanes is jeopardized," said Rafi Ron, former security chief at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel who now works as an aviation consultant. "You cannot separate the two." Other authorities say the nonsecure areas of the terminal are no different from other public venues and do not warrant special restrictions."


State AG says Seattle's proposed gun ban is illegal: "Attorney General Rob McKenna says that Seattle's proposed firearm ban is illegal. Cities in Washington do not have the authority to enact a local law that prohibits gun possession on city-owned property. In response to several violent incidents, Mayor Greg Nickels proposed a ban on handguns on city property that would have included guns owned by licensed carriers. At the time, legal experts pointed out that Washington state law specifically prohibits local governments from adopting policies that are more restrictive than state law. The Washington Constitution also provides strong protection for gun owners: "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired...." At the time of the proposal, Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "I wouldn't quite say there is a constitutional right to carry a gun at every city-sponsored event or in many buildings that already exist throughout the state."