WTF! The congressman just set himself up for a lawsuit from the asshat that was trying to steal the wire. He is now probably pemanently "handicapped" from the gunshot wound and needs compensation because he won't be able to hold a steady job. Should have aimed about three feet higher. If ya kill em they can't (because they are dead) sue and neither can there family according to the new law.

I would've emptied my magazine on the scumbag. No way in hell would've he gotten off with a mere shot to the leg either.

My thoughts exactly CharlieDelta. As a former cop, how the heck did he only manage to shoot his leg. The guy obviously meant to do him arm, even if it was a feeble attempt. I mean throwing a pocket knife? Did he at least have the decency to open it first?

After that, it's pretty much fire at will the the movement stops.

Well, once he's down and out of the fight, the misguided Legistlator has a duty and obligation to cease fire.

What I'd like to know:

This was in Texas? And it was news?! Wow. Weird. If someone was committing a burglary against me in my state, I could shoot him in the face, and it probably wouldn't even make page 1.

He should have gone all the way and fired a little higher than the leg. Now he's probably going to get sued. Was it worth it, Borris? You should have killed the guy.

Why the leg? This congressman is either a colossal wuss, or he's a really crappy shot. I'm not even going to get into the hypocrisy of this whole thing. I think that has already been stated quite nicely above me. Res ipsa loquitur.

clearly the laws on this matter are lenient enough. no charges, crime halted. nuff said.

j. adam:

Actually.... The laws that would allow him to shoot the alleged copper taker aren't in effect yet.

He didn't vote for it, either.

So right now, he is in (potential, alleged) violation of the law - the "Stand Your Ground Law" isn't effective, and personally, I'm all for him being arrested.

UJ-

I'm all for him being arrested and charged as well, but only because the asshole voted against common sense legislation when it comes to being able to protect one's self and one's property.

If that was just your average joe American citizen, I would say he should get an award. (Maybe some free shooting lessons, so next time he'll hit the guy in the chest or head instead of a crappy leg shot.)

The copper thefts are an epdemic down here in Texas. The crack heads, meth heads, winos and assorted lowlife are stealing the copper from air conditioning units from local businesses and churches around here on a daily and nightly basis. They climb up on roofs at the shopping centers, crawl under churches steal the copper and render the AC units inoperable. Did I mention it is HOT down here in the summertime! I have a License to carry a concealed weapon and my instructor was a cop. He stressed that you always aim for center mass and fire until the threat is neutralized.

We have the thefts as epidemic here in Kansas as well. A friend of mine purchased a 1.7 million dollar machine on an auction a while back. While waiting for the building to house it to be built, the machine was vandalized. The thieves removed all the copper from inside the control units. The cost to replace it makes the project a bust. Thety also vandalized the radiators from several dozen vehicles stored in the same location, all collectors vehicles.
Meth heads should receive a mandatory sentence of injection with a gallon of the most deadly chemical contained in the meth they were busted with.
I lost about thirty air conditioning units last year. Huffers steal the freon.

Tweekers are everywhere! They will stop at nothing to get their next rock of shit. I work for an electrical contractor and we have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of copper wire in our warehouse at any given time. Alarm systems and cameras don't even stop these fucks from trying to break into our shop to get their next fix. They will even go as far as waiting until the copper is underground at the jobsite before they steal it. They just tie onto one end with their hitch and drive off ripping our conduit and everything else it the way right out of the ground. We've lost a lot of money because of these fuckers! If more people could legally protect their property with lethal force, maybe these tweekers would think twice before fucking someone over like that.

And the bonus: one more dead tweeker.

One word and one ping only: CENTERMASS

The same rules apply if you hit some crack head in the street trying to scam you, in a snatch and grab-back over them until dead so that they can't sue you for your house and all the copper in it. Also, don't let the UPS driver leave any packages at your door, the crack heads follow them and steal anything. No, I'm not kidding.

Every time they "cure" an addict, its by substituting another chemical. Methadone for Heroin is just one example. I put them in the same group as sexual predators. They too have a chemical imbalance in their bodies, specifically a shortage of heavy metals. One tiny injection cures them every time, unlike the cross addiction scenario.
Steady.....
Aim.......
FIRE!!!!!!!
Cured.

Of course you fire at least half the magazine into the scumbag once he's attacked you. However, you might not want to empty the magazine until you know he's alone. (You do carry spare magazines--don't you?) Make sure to shout out commands like "don't move" and "don't get up or I'll shoot you again" before further ventilation. Sounds good to onlookers.

When the police come, tell them two things:
You were afraid for your life and thought he was going to kill you; and
You want to talk to your lawyer.

Then clam up.

I don't know about you Squidley, but I'm not shouting commands before I pull the trigger. If someone is in my house when they shouldn't be, they are going to get some 00 in the chest, whether they like it or not! It's as simple as that...

This whitey doesn't discriminate...