Pa.: Man shot attacking teens in self defense: "A 16-year-old boy is dead, another teenager is wounded and another was arrested after a shooting on a popular trail in Cumru Township. Wednesday night the Berks County District Attorney gave police the go ahead to release the man they say shot at the teens. Police say the teens knocked the man off his bicycle and onto the ground. They say two of the teens were assaulting the man when he pulled out a gun and shot them. The coroner says a 16-year-old Reading boy suffered a gun shot wound to the chest. Police say the other teen and the man were taken in for questioning. Afterwards, police say they spoke with District Attorney John Adams and decided to release the man and commit the uninjured teen to the Youth Detention Center."


MO: Woman scares off burglars: "Neighbors said three people forced their way into the woman's home in the 7600 block of Richmond Avenue. Police said the intruders were looking for the basement, where multiple firearms were stashed away in safes. Investigators said that while the intruders were trying to access the safes, the woman crept away to her bedroom and got another gun. Two of the men ran off and the victim held the remaining intruder at gunpoint and told him police were on the way. The woman eventually let the third person go. "What I'm shocked about is that she let him go," Porter said. "One of the guys sat on the couch and begged for his life for her to let him go, but you just broke in and could have killed her." No injuries were reported in the case. Because of Missouri's Castle Doctrine, which allows homeowners to use deadly force to protect themselves, the woman is not expected to face charges."


Do we need a law to make people think?: "The answers are obvious. Who says gun buyers are thoughtless and irresponsible? About 60 million Americans own roughly 270 million firearms, and 99.99 percent of them never hurt anyone. Firearms sales have jumped in the past couple of years, yet violent crime has plunged. Gun crimes in bars and restaurants fell after Virginia allowed permit holders to carry concealed guns into them. Firearm violence, while immensely regrettable, does not obviate the right to bear arms any more than media scandals obviate freedom of the press."



Virginia man acquitted in Philly self-defense shooting in 2010; Now sued by attacker: "One year ago, Gerald Ung was acquitted of attempted murder during a jury trial at Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. After a night out on the town in January 2010, he and a female companion got into an altercation in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood with Eddie DiDonato, Jr. and two of DiDonato’s buddies. The altercation ended with Ung pulling his legal handgun and firing a half-dozen times at DiDonato. The story seemed to be over – until now. On Dec. 30, prominent Philadelphia personal injury lawyer Robert Mongeluzzi filed a lawsuit on behalf of DiDonato. The defendants named in the civil action are Ung and a handful of drinking establishments that served alcohol to Ung on the night the shooting occurred. It’s anyone’s guess how things will turn out, but at this point, it appears the law is on DiDonato’s side. DiDonato is reportedly the son of prominent Philadelphia attorney Edward DiDonato, Sr., of the firm Fox Rothschild."