Iowa: Elderly Des Moines woman puts .22-caliber stop to break-in: "An intruder bashed in the front door of Turner’s east-side Des Moines house about 5:30 a.m. Turner said she yelled at the man, telling him he had the wrong house and warned him she would shoot if he came inside. “He was a big, burly guy,” Turner said. “He was pulling at his shorts and talking crazy. If they stay outside, OK. But I always said if they come inside, it’s me or them. Turner fired one shot – and missed. “I squeezed it again but it didn’t go off,” she said. “By then he was pounding on the coffee table.” A neighbor who heard the gunshot called police. When officers arrived at Turner’s house, located north of Hiatt Middle School, they found Nelson McAlpine, 37, standing in the front yard. McAlpine, who has an extensive police record, was being held in the Polk County Jail on Tuesday on a charge of second-degree burglary. Bond was set at $10,000."


Texas: Citizen shoots man attempting to hijack Metro bus: "A wild crime spree ended in gunfire Tuesday when a citizen shot a suspect who was trying to hijack a Metro bus, Houston police said. Torres said the suspect entered the bus and began assaulting the driver, in an apparent attempt to hijack the bus, until the driver of a car idling behind the bus noticed what was happening. “This person is a licensed concealed handgun carrier. He got out of the vehicle [and] went to the bus to try to intervene in the assault that was taking place,” he said. “He did pull the suspect away from the driver and engaged in a physical confrontation with the suspect.” As the two men struggled, the gun discharged and struck the suspect in the upper abdomen, Torres said. Police said Hankston faces several charges, including aggravated robbery, failure to stop and render aid and aggravated assault."


The Obama Administration Year One: The flight from gun control: "Much to the surprise of many, President Obama’s first year in office has not featured a push for new gun control legislation. In fact, not only has he not pushed for new legislation, he has actively resisted calls by gun control groups while signing legislation allowing open and concealed carry in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges as well as allowing firearms on Amtrak trains. … President Obama’s gun rights transformation is proof, not of a change in his core beliefs, but of a change in America itself as gun rights escapes the historical bounds of hunting and becomes mainstream. In order to maintain the momentum of this trend, it is incumbent upon those of us who believe … in gun rights, to continue to reach out.”