This story comes from the Philadelphia Daily News, via Clayton Craymer –

BRIAN LEWIS was leaving his apartment, heading to a gig as a disc jockey in January 2005, when three guys jumped him.

Two of them pulled pistols.

The men wanted his gear, including two CD mixers worth $499 each.

They also wanted Lewis to turn around and go back inside his house with them.

What the robbers didn’t know was that Lewis had a gun, and a permit to carry it.

Lewis reached for his gun, telling the robbers he was pulling out the key to his door.

Lewis aimed across his body, drawing a bead on the head of one man aiming a pistol at his back.

Click.

The gun was loaded, but there was no bullet in the chamber.

The two robbers heard the pistol’s dry fire and blasted away, shooting Lewis in the back.

You can read the rest of the story here. But that’s the most important part. If you carry a concealed weapon, always remember that you cannot predict when you will need it. You will neve have the time to ‘rack the slide’ when trouble comes calling. Part of being prepared is being fully prepared, have your weapon ready to use at a moments notice — you may not get another chance. This guy is very lucky to be alive, and I hope he has learned from the experience.

The Press Enterprise is reporting this disgusting case of CA laws run amok –

Thomas Lee McKiernan, who was arrested earlier this month when his house caught fire and exposed his arsenal to authorities, remains in jail awaiting a sentence that could range from probation and psychological counseling to five years in prison.

The prosecutor said the reduced charges are appropriate given the circumstances of the case.

“He isn’t a bad guy,” said Mayman. “This guy has no criminal history, and nobody was hurt.”

Most of McKiernan’s guns were collected over decades, and they include collector’s pieces such as pre-World War II guns. His illegal assault rifles were bought before they were outlawed in 2000, indicating that McKiernan was at least trying to be a law-abiding collector, Mayman said.

Ok, so you say he’s not a bad guy. So then why are they trying to ruin his life after the poor guy’s house burned down?

The problem, said Mayman, is that McKiernan’s stockpile of gunpowder was a threat to the community. He had more than 185 pounds of gunpowder — dozens of times the legal limit. One container of gunpowder exploded during the fire, he said.

Ok, so storing that much gunpowder is dangerous. Write him a citation and tell him not to do it again. But throw him in prison? Make him a felon? You couldn’t pay me enough to live in the Peoples Republic of California.