So effectively you're saying that theft should attract the death sentance, and that the victim should act as judge, jury and executioner.

From my, admittedly very shallow, understanding of Texas law, that is pretty much the case. You not only have the right to defend your life, but also your property, with deadly force.

Good? Bad? Right? Wrong? Well, I'm not sure. Their state, they make the laws.
Generally crime is declining in the US. Interestingly enough, the level of violent crimes is generally lower in what's known as "shall issue" states (unless there's a specific reason like mental illness, prior convictions etc, a concealed carry license is yours for the asking - and normally a gun class and proficiency test.), compared to states that doesn't issue such licenses or are very restrictive about it. The states that have the largest drop in violent crime rate are the ones that recently instituted "shall issue" laws. Quite well documented by, IIRC, John Lott in "More guns, less crime" Here's what a google search returns. Usenet newsgroups talk.politics.guns, rec.guns and alt.politics.usa.constitution.gun-rights all seem to have many references too.
AFAIK noone has been able to refute his data, though many in the anti gun movement have tried.

/Michael