MO: Homeowner was prepared: "William Whitfield, a 66-year-old retired Navy petty officer, came home one January morning in 2010 to find that burglars had ransacked his small brick bungalow. They took his tools, computer, flat-screen TV. But he figured they'd be back because they left bags stuffed with more of his belongings near a basement stairwell. Whitfield called police but armed himself with a 9mm pistol and slept in a chair in the front room. When three people broke in about 3 a.m., he shot and killed one of them. No charges were filed. "I was worried for my safety," Whitfield said. "I just figured if somebody breaks in, you have a right to defend yourself." Until passage of the castle doctrine, Missouri law didn't necessarily concur."


TX: Neighbor shoots burglar: "A spokesperson for the Converse Police Department says a woman ran to her neighbor's house for help around 4:20 p.m. Saturday after she arrived home and spotted a burglar inside her house on Anderson Court. As the neighbor came out of his house with a gun, the burglary suspect took off. Reportedly, the driver of the getaway car tried to run him over with a vehicle. Police say the neighbor fired shots at the vehicle, hitting one of the suspects in the left arm. Officers said they caught up with 18-year-old Robert Sedberry, Jr and 18-year-old Justin Leal, at Loop 1604 and Old Seguin Road. Leal was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to be all right. Police say he faces charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Burglary of a Habitation, while Sedberry, faces Burglary of a Habitation charges. Police are calling the shooting a case of self-defense."


SAF, ANJRPC will appeal New Jersey right-to-carry ruling: "Second Amendment Foundation and Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs will appeal a federal judge’s ruling Friday that 'the Second Amendment does not include a general right to carry handguns outside the home.' Federal Judge William H. Walls, a Clinton appointee, dismissed a case filed by both organizations challenging New Jersey’s handgun carry laws, which have all but eliminated the right to self-defense with a firearm outside the home."


Illinois only state without concealed carry: "In Illinois, the Family and Personal Protection Act that would allow gun owners to carry loaded firearms — either openly or concealed — in a vehicle and into certain public places came up six votes shy in the Illinois House last year. Anti-gun lawmakers from the Chicago area provided most of the opposition. But the debate is not over: State Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, expects to bring the bill back for another vote this year. “When I start something I fight for it. Right now we’re at the mercy of criminals,” said Phelps, acknowledging he needs support from Cook County for the bill to pass. Under the proposal, applications would be handled by county sheriff’s departments — a process that should make the public feel more confident, said McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery, an avid supporter of concealed carry."