IL: Robber pleads not guilty: "A Waukegan man shot in the chest by a store owner he is accused of robbing pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lake County Circuit Court. Demitrius Newbill, 29, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of aggravated robbery of the Pasteleria Panaderia, 701 Yeoman St., Waukegan, on July 5. Assistant State's Attorney Brett Henne said Newbill, of the 500 block of Poplar Lane, entered the shop about 8:15 p.m. and handed a note to the store owner stating he had a gun and wanted money. The store owner said he believed he saw a gun in Newbill's waistband as he handed over the cash, Henne said. As Newbill was backing up toward the door, the owner told police he believed he saw Newbill reaching for the object. The owner then drew a .38-caliber revolver from underneath the counter and fired three times, hitting Newbill once. Officials said police interviewed Newbill at the hospital and he admitted the robbery and that he told the store owner he had a gun. Police said they did not find a weapon."


WI: Man Shot During Attempted Armed Robbery: "A 25-year-old Milwaukee man was shot during an attempted armed robbery early Tuesday. Milwaukee police said the man and a relative were walking near 16th Street and Kilbourn Avenue shortly after midnight when three men with a gun tried to rob them. During the robbery, the victim was shot. The relative then disarmed the gunman, and the injured victim shot at the suspects with their own gun. He fired several shots at the suspects, but did not hit them. Police say a Marquette University student was nearby and administerd first aid to the victim until paramedics arrived. The victim’s relative flagged down Marquette Public Safety officers. Marquette Public Safety was able to locate and detain two of the three suspects until Milwaukee police officers arrived. Milwaukee police said they are still seeking the third suspect. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to survive his injury."


The fight over the Second Amendment: "“[T]he right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. — Amendment II Those 14 words, perhaps more than any others in the U.S. Constitution, have inspired discussions, arguments and legal debates for years and years. Now, legislation introduced in January by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and lingering in the House Judiciary Committee has stirred up emotions on both sides of the gun control issue and once again brought these words into the spotlight. Rush’s bill, the Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act (H.R. 45), establishes a federal licensing and registration regime under the direction of the U.S. Attorney General and would make it a criminal act not to register as an owner of a firearm.”


Plaxico Burress’s doomsday weapon: “The inanity of gun control is manifesting itself in the case of former New York Giants’ wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Thanks to New York City’s strict gun laws, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence, Burress is facing 3 1/2 years in the penitentiary. Burress, who had an expired concealed carry permit issued by the State of Florida, took his 40-caliber Glock with him to New York. While he was at a bar, the weapon slipped down his sweatpants and discharged when Burress was reaching for it. Burress was injured on the thigh. No one else was injured.”