TX: Homeowner Shoots, Kills Burglar: "A northwest Houston homeowner shot a burglar after he found him inside his home Monday morning, police told KPRC Local 2. Investigators said the homeowner, Mark Brown, returned to his house in the 8500 block of Norton at about 9:30 a.m. when he heard someone inside. Brown grabbed a shotgun hidden under a bed and found the burglar in a bedroom, police said. The homeowner fired several shots after the burglar rushed at him from a closet. The burglar was hit three times, according to investigators. The burglar, whose name was not released, died at the scene. Brown said he felt lucky that the burglar did not find the shotgun. "The guy had already ransacked his bedroom and just so happened that God bless him, and he didn't find the shotgun under the bed," said David Brown, the homeowner's father. "It's obvious it's been burglarized. There's disarray inside. It's a neat, well-kept home and you walk inside and obviously see piles of personal items set out in preparation of being taken -- drawers open, cabinets pulled out, etc.," said Detective C Elliott of the Houston Police Department. Brown was not injured."


Gun groups file lawsuit to validate Montana Firearms Freedom Act: "The Second Amendment Foundation today joined with the Montana Shooting Sports Association in a federal lawsuit filed in Missoula to validate the principles and terms of the Montana Firearms Freedom Act (MFFA), which takes effect today, Oct. 1, 2009. Lead attorney for the plaintiffs’ litigation team is Quentin Rhoades of the Missoula firm of Sullivan, Tabaracci & Rhoades, PC. The MFFA litigation team also includes other attorneys located in Montana, New York, Florida, Arizona and Washington.”


Why Skydivers Would Be Better Off Without Parachutes: "In Philadelphia, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania find, possessing a gun is strongly associated with getting shot. Since "guns did not protect those who possessed them," they conclude, "people should rethink their possession of guns." This is like noting that possessing a parachute is strongly associated with being injured while jumping from a plane, then concluding that skydivers would be better off unemcumbered by safety equipment designed to slow their descent. "Can this study possibly be as stupid as it sounds?" asks Stewart Baker at Skating on Stilts. Having shelled out $30 for the privilege of reading the entire article, which appears in the November American Journal of Public Health, I can confirm that the answer is yes.


UK: Girls warned not to hide boyfriends’ guns: "A campaign warning girls not to stash or carry guns for their boyfriends was launched by London police Wednesday. The hard-hitting adverts, which are aimed at 15 to 19-year-olds of African and African Caribbean heritage, are designed to combat a worrying growth in the number of young women being arrested and convicted of possessing weapons.”