Metal Theft Goes Political

In yet another story about copper theft, this time from a construction site, a Texas state lawmaker confronted the thieves, wounding one of them in the leg. The story, and Instapundit, stress the irony of the lawmaker voting against a bill that protected his right to defend his property with deadly force. I found it cool that even a Texas democrat has a concealed-carry permit for his handgun. But I wonder if the lawmaker might also become a champion for increasing the scrutiny that scrap metal buyers must give to metal sellers. Ten states have laws on the books for dealing with keg thefts to take advantage of high prices in the industrial metal market, but it may be time to broaden those laws to cover cable and wiring as well.