FL: Argument at auto shop ends in shooting: "A business deal turned violent Saturday afternoon at Action AC and Auto when a customer attacked a mechanic with a weapon, police said. The mechanic then shot the customer several times, they said. Lt. Scott Pardon of the Hollywood Police Department said the mechanic appears to have acted in self defense. The 24-year-old victim, Juan Howard, is expected to live. Pardon did not know what kind of weapon Howard had, but he said it was not a gun. The mechanic and owner of the shop, Randy Morla, 47, has not been charged. The investigation is ongoing."


WA: Self defense was assault? "A Spokane man who shot another man at a park nearly two years acted maliciously, but he didn’t try to kill his victim, a jury ruled Friday. Aleksandr V. Pavlik, 26, was convicted of first-degree assault but acquitted of first-degree attempted murder for a shooting in the Mission Park parking lot on May 19, 2008, that injured Gabriel Leenders.... Pavlik drove away but returned minutes later, when Smith and Leenders rushed his car, and Leenders leaned in and began punching Pavlik in the face, according to court testimony. Pavlik shot Leenders, whom medics said was drunk, in the chest. Spokane Police Officer Stephen Arredondo saw Leenders punching Pavlik and witnessed the shootings. Defense attorney Anna Nordtvedt said Arredondo’s testimony was the strongest evidence that Pavlik shot in self-defense when confronted by two drunk and belligerent men who were the aggressors in the confrontation."


Gun Rights Supporters Tote Weapons at Rally Outside Kentucky's Capitol: Gun rights supporters unabashedly toted weapons at a rally outside Kentucky's Capitol on Saturday in a show of political muscle aimed at sending a message to policymakers to protect the Second Amendment. Speakers stressed the importance of guns for self-defense, drawing cheers from about 300 people at the rally where American flags were plentiful. Many in the crowd had weapons holstered at their sides or strapped to their backs while attending the Kentucky Second Amendment March. The event is part of a national, grass-roots campaign culminating with a planned rally next month in Washington. Bartley said gun ownership is the "one right that protects all others"


MSNBC.com report hammers myth that more guns lead to more homicides: "This morning’s report carried by MSNBC.com headlined “Record numbers now licensed to pack heat” further confirms what gun rights activists have been arguing for years: More guns in private hands does not equate to more homicides. It’s obvious that Senior News Editor Mike Stuckey did his homework, invested a lot of effort and worked hard to make this a balanced, objective report. What his story revealed comes as no surprise to Second Amendment advocates. America’s homicide rate has declined while gun ownership has risen dramatically, and an increasing number of law-abiding citizens are now packing heat. The highest gun homicide rate is in Washington, D.C., which has had the nation’s strictest gun-control laws for years"