The Armed Citizen® October 2009

*Police say an 18-year-old carjacker approached August Peters, 74, as he exited his vehicle. "Give me your car or I'll kill you," the carjacker said, putting a knife to Peters' throat. Luckily for Peters, he had an item that made him the physical equal of his youthful adversary-a firearm. Peters grabbed his pistol from inside the car and fired, striking the carjacker at least once. The suspect fled through a nearby home, struggling to run in his baggy pants, which fell off in the kitchen as he ran for the back door. Police caught up with the pantless suspect nearby. (Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, 07/23/09)

*Two men trying to enter Cassidy Lockett's home had to be aware it was occupied. They'd likely seen Lockett in the front window as they arrived, and there was a lot of noise as she hurried her three young, frightened children into a bedroom. With the children secure, she phoned police and loaded her .22-cal. semi-automatic pistol. Police say the men, escapees from a nearby state prison, thrust a window open. One of the men leaned inside. "I was pointing the gun at him and, you know, I used a few choice words and told him to get out or I was going to shoot," Lockett said. The men fled the property, only to be caught within minutes by police. The next day Lockett's husband helped her pick out a new home defense firearm. "I'm definitely more prepared," she said. "We bought a 12-ga. shotgun." (Lewiston Tribune, Lewiston, ID, 07/27/09)

*A man dressed like a ninja-with a black shirt, black pants and a blue bandana over his face-allegedly forced his way into Bradley Harvell's home. Police say the man demanded money and shocked Harvell with a stun gun several times, causing him to collapse on his bed. All Harvell could think about was survival. "I'm 82 years old," said the military veteran. "I've made it this far, and I want to keep on living." Harvell gathered all the strength he could muster, retrieved his .357 S&W magnum revolver from under the bed and shot his assailant, killing him. Police arrested three others in connection with the home invasion. (Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, FL, 07/21/09)

*Margaret Parrish heard her puppies barking, so she went to check on them. "As soon as she cracked the door [an intruder] grabbed her by the hair, put the gun in her ear and said, ‘If you make a sound I'll blow your brains out,'" said John Parrish, her 83-year-old husband. The intruder bound Margaret's arms and legs with duct tape. John tried to help her but met the same fate. The intruder left to ransack the home, giving John time to wriggle free. "I had to get my gun," he recalls. Meanwhile the intruder tied up another man, Danny Carlson, and a 10-year-old girl who were also in the home. He had just finished tying up Carlson when Parrish arrived on the scene with his .22-cal. revolver. Parrish fired several shots and believes he hit the intruder, who fled. Carlson's leg was injured when the intruder returned fire, but he would be okay. "I don't know what that guy would've done if [Parrish] had not come up here," Carlson said. (The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 07/16/09)

"The Armed Citizen" Extras

(The following accounts did not appear in the print version of American Rifleman.)

When a suspect chose to break into a house on a quiet city block, he definitely picked the wrong house. 91-year-old Robert E. Thompson woke in the middle of the night to the sound of his dog attacking a would-be burglar. Rett the dog gave Thompson ample time to grab his .38-caliber revolver loaded with hollow-point bullets and call 9-1-1. He then went out to the backyard-completely naked-and faced the man. After firing a warning shot, the two waited for police to arrive. The intruder is now in prison on a burglary charge. (Sun Sentinel, South Florida, 09/20/09)

Even at age 75, one mother's maternal instinct prevailed. According to police, a burglar broke into to David Bradenburg's home, and a struggle ensued between the men. When the fight spilled out onto the front lawn, Bradenburg's elderly mother Ruth, who lives next door, heard the commotion and rushed over to help. After the attacker assaulted her, she shot him once in the leg near the groin. The suspect was charged with burglary, aggravated assault and simple assault.

(The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, TN, 09/18/09)

From The Armed Citizen Archive:

October 1968: Using a cal .32 pistol he bought last year after being stabbed in the head by a holdup man, Leon Beach, 53, a Newark, NJ., grocer, routed 3 gunmen who tried to rob him and his partner, Joseph Opatowski. Beach drew his holstered pistol and fired a shot which sent 2 of the gunmen running. The third, holding a pistol to Opatowski's head, stood his ground. Beach dropped him with a bullet that wounded him critically. (The New York Sunday News, New York, NY)