https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2007-07-10/500867/

Who Steals a Faucet?

By Richard Whittaker, July 10, 2007, 11:15am, Newsdesk

So Rep. Borris Miles, D-Houston, has probably inadvertently picked up a few votes for shooting some guy who was stealing copper plumbing supplies from the house he's renovating.

Seems that's become a big business – copper theft, that is, not gun-toting state reps. Copper prices have been soaring for the last couple of years, mainly because of a global rise in construction. Even though the U.S. housing market is slowing, there's still huge demand down here in the fastest growing state in the union. Thieves have been breaking into building sites and making off with copper pipes and wiring, or stealing air-conditioning units straight out of houses and business, to sell for scrap. There's even been more than a few instances of potential robbers breaking into electricity substations and getting fried for their pains.

Miles is already talking about introducing new copper-sales legislation next House session, possibly based on rigorous new ordinances introduced in Houston. That could be a bit redundant, since there's already strict rules classifying copper as a regulated metal. As of Sept. 1, recyclers and scrap-metal dealers have to inform the Texas Department of Public Safety about any large purchases and keep authenticated purchase records. It hands down jail time for repeat offenders, whether sellers or buyers. Miles should know this – he voted for the bill.