Florida: Armed homeowner runs off burglars: "Two masked, armed men broke into an Orange City house but fled empty-handed after the homeowner went after them with his own handgun, officials said Friday. The 36-year-old husband and his wife, 37, whom officials did not identify, were watching television in their bedroom at their Cedar Avenue home when they heard a loud crash in another part of the house at 9:45 p.m. Thursday. When they investigated, they were met by two armed men in their kitchen, Volusia County sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught said. The couple ran back to their bedroom where the husband grabbed a handgun and went after the armed men, who then bolted through the front door, Haught said. No one was injured in the incident, Haught said".


Florida man reports shooting intruder: "A Bradenton man reported shooting a man who came into his house and put a gun to his girlfriend's head early this morning, according to a Manatee County Sheriff's Office report. The 52-year-old homeowner said his girlfriend, 47, opened the door to their home, in the 6500 block of Wellesley Drive, just before 2 a.m. this morning. The girlfriend told deputies a man at the door tried to push his way in, while a second man with a gun got into the house and put a gun to her head, according to sheriff reports. The boyfriend said he came back from getting a gun and opened fire on the gunman when he saw the gun to his girlfriend's head. The boyfriend, who claimed his shot hit the gunman, said he only saw one person in his house, while the girlfriend said two men were there. Sarasota authorities later reported to Manatee detectives that a gunshot victim had checked into a hospital there. Manatee detectives have interviewed the man, who had a gunshot wound to the hand, but have not confirmed whether he was the man involved in the Manatee shooting. No arrests have yet been made."




Proposed gun ban in Springfield, MO, parks: "Don Snavely brings one more bad argument for stripping law-abiding citizens of their right to self-defense in parks. It's the classic "argument from authority," which goes: "I'm an 'expert,' therefore, my opinion rules -- never mind any facts to the contrary." Mr. Snavely's 35 years of administering Los Angeles-area parks include precisely no experience at all in parks where normal, law-abiding citizens could freely and legally choose concealed carry for self defense. Not one single day. Snavely also seems entirely unaware of the research into actual effects of license-to-carry laws. He claims no particular statistical expertise. There's no evidence he's ever written on the subject. And oddly, he seems to think that City Council has already committed to push a parks ban in 2009. But other than that, Mr. Snavely's an expert. Now I appreciate Mr. Snavely's service, but it doesn't imply that he knows anything about lawful concealed carry. Not that he should: Don Snavely retired in 1991, years before some 45 scholarly studies and articles on the actual effects of right-to-carry laws were published. And since ordinary citizens can't get permits in Los Angeles to this day, Snavely's claim to be an expert is a bit like someone claiming that 35 years of administering Lake Springfield made him an expert on elephant seals. Still, after 35 years of being happy enough that the law-abiding were legally prohibited from defending themselves in California, Mr. Snavely wants to force his favored policy down the throats of Springfieldians as well. And he doesn't even live here -- he lives in a tiny town of 1,400, 60 miles away! Snavely believes that since one of his own park rangers left a gun in a public locker and another shot himself, the private citizens lawfully carrying weapons are endangering everyone. But not only has he failed to establish that any microscopic risk from lawful concealed carry in our parks outweighs benefits, he's failed to show any known problems in parks from legal permit holders at all. Including in his own parks!


Chicago Handgun Ban Survives First Challenge: "A federal judge on Thursday upheld Chicago's 1982 handgun ban as Mayor Daley disclosed plans to strengthen it by following Washington D.C.'s lead. In a 5-to-4 decision in June, the Supreme Court overturned the D.C. handgun ban on grounds that the Second Amendment establishes the right to own a handgun for personal self-defense, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Hours later, the National Rifle Association and the Illinois State Rifle Association filed lawsuits seeking to overturn handgun bans in Chicago, Morton Grove, Evanston and Oak Park. Wilmette and Morton Grove subsequently repealed their handgun bans. Chicago held fast. "City taxpayers are going to pay more money in legal fees for a fight they will ultimately lose. The city is only postponing the inevitable. They won this round. But if this thing goes to the Supreme Court, we will prevail. The court laid out a very compelling case with a lot of foundation for an individual's right to bear arms," said Todd Vandermyde, the Illinois legislative liaison for the NRA. Following the ruling, Daley said he will host a "gun conference" next month to look for ways to beef up gun laws and get guns off the streets. The mayor said he would bring in leaders from across the country and people who have lost loved ones to gun violence. He said the attendees plan to review recent Supreme Court decisions that limited how cities can regulate guns. "I believe the court's ruling presents us with an opportunity to continue our efforts," Daley is quoted by the Chicago Tribune as saying."