TX: Suspected intruder shot, killed by resident: "Residents living along the 1300 block of Belmont Drive in San Marcos were stunned to learn that a teenager was shot multiple times in an apparent home invasion on their quiet street. ‘I’m just shocked that there would be that type of criminal and crime going on in this neighborhood and in San Marcos,’ Evelyn Johnson said. The suspected intruder was 19 year old Elijah Espinoza. Commander Chase Stapp with the San Marcos Police Department says Espinoza was shot by a resident as he tried to enter the back door of the home around 3 a.m. Sunday.”


NC: Pipe mistaken for gun leads to shot fired as warning: "A pickup driven by David Dunnigan of King cut off another pickup driven by Ricky Lee Stanley of Advance about 1:30 p.m. near the westbound rest area on I-40, about 8 miles east of Mocksville, said Sheriff Andy Stokes of Davie County. Both vehicles then continued to travel west on I-40. As the vehicles approached the Farmington Road exit, a pipe that Stanley thought was a gun was pointed at him from Dunnigan’s pickup, Stokes said. Stanley then applied his brakes and tried to pull over, trying to avoid Dunnigan’s pickup, Stokes said. But Dunnigan stayed with Stanley’s vehicle. Stanley then fired a shot from his .44 caliber handgun in the air to warn Dunnigan and Brandon Dodson, a passenger in Dunnigan’s pickup, Stokes said. No charges have been filed against Stanley or Dobson, Stokes said, adding that he will discuss the matter with the Davie County district attorney’s office. “Once he (Stanley) saw what he thought was a barrel of a gun, he was placed in the position of self-defense,” Stokes said."


SCOTUS OKs longer prison terms for druggies: "The Supreme Court has upheld longer prison sentences for people convicted of carrying or using a gun while committing drug trafficking crimes. The court voted 8-0 Monday to affirm lower court rulings involving defendants who had five years tacked onto their drug trafficking prison terms because they had a gun with them."


Pa.: State House approves 'stand your ground' self-defense bill: "By a more than 4-1 margin, the state House tonight sent to Gov. Ed Rendell a bill that expands the use of self-defense in Pennsylvania. Called "stand your ground" legislation, the bill enables people to use lethal force to defend themselves without retreat outside their homes. Currently the law allows those protections within one's home. The bill was approved by a 161-35 vote. Gun groups, many of them from Western Pennsylvania, pushed for the bill's passage over the past five years. Rendell on several occasions has said he will have to review the bill before deciding whether to sign or veto it. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association opposed the bill. But Rep.Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery County, a former police officer, noted that the Fraternal Order of Police and Pennsylvania State Troopers Association did not oppose the bill."