CA: Burglar Wounded by Homeowner: "A Fresno burglar wound up in the hospital with a gunshot wound Thursday after he picked the wrong house -- then ran the wrong way to try to escape. It took place near Herndon and Milburn Avenues. A man went to the front door of a house and "found entry by kicking the door open," police Lt. Burke Farrah told KMJ News. The homeowner turned out to be a former Fresno County juvenile probation officer, who opened fire on the suspect, wounding him. After the burglar was shot in the leg, he ran off, only to be captured with the help of a Kings County Welfare Department investigator, who was in the area."


CA: Off-duty officer pulled gun in defense: "The off-duty San Rafael police officer who allegedly pulled out a gun in a dispute with man outside of a downtown restaurant on New Year’s Eve was acting in self-defense, his lawyer claims. Prosecutors have not filed formal charges, but are investigating the incident, involving Cpl. Michael Augustus, and a court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 3. Attorney Matthew Pavone of Novato says that Augustus, 43, had been dining with his wife, stepson and the boy’s father at Kabuki Restaurant & Sushi Bar, at 17 Petaluma Blvd. North, and was leaving a bathroom when he mistook a man for a criminal defendant. Pavone says that the two men exchanged words, but that Augustus then left the restaurant, and two men followed him. The men then approached Augustus in a threatening manner, prompting him to take a gun out of his holster and tell them to stay back, Pavone says, adding that the men cooperated, and Augustus then put his gun away and quickly left the area to keep the situation from escalating."


Calif. handgun ammo rules thrown out: "A trial court judge in central California has thrown out key sections of a state law restricting handgun ammunition sales, barring authorities from registering bullet buyers' thumbprints on the grounds that it would be unconstitutional. Gun rights supporters applauded Tuesday's ruling in Fresno County Superior Court, saying the law would have created uncertainty by forcing local sheriffs and firearms shops to decide for themselves what caliber of bullets were covered under the regulations. The statute also would have compelled customers to buy their handgun ammunition in face-to-face transactions, which they said would not have prevented a tragedy like the Jan. 8 shooting rampage in Arizona that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords."