Owner Fights Back

posted on February 19, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
rackley2015_fs.jpg (1)

Back in May 2013, a group of armed robbers charged into Pepe’s Grocery in West Dallas and found an owner willing to defend his life, his employees and his store. Upon seeing the altercation, the owner grabbed his own handgun and opened fired on the assailants, hitting one of them and scaring all of them enough to flee from the premises.

As great as this was, it is the story behind the story that shows why citizens should be willing and able to stand up to criminals. After the robbers fled, the owner dialed 9-1-1 to report the crime, but it took more than an hour for police to arrive. Supposedly, a communication error between the store owner and the operator listed the crime as a robbery, rather than a shooting, so the incident was not considered an emergency.

As hard as they work, police can’t be everywhere, and because of the sheer volume of calls, they often have to gauge the seriousness of every crime reported to 9-1-1. Even in the most drastic emergencies it’s a standard case of “when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.”

Police have a hard job, and they try to prevent as much crime as possible, but according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports there were only 2.4 officers for every 1,000 citizens nationwide in 2011. That same year, Texas reported 55,386 law enforcement officers policing an estimated population of 25.5 million.

Sadly, police often only clean up and investigate, because it is all they can do. As such, law-biding citizens have to rely on themselves to keep from becoming a victim and a statistic.

Latest

Gotw Wilson Combat Divison 77 Project 1 Web
Gotw Wilson Combat Divison 77 Project 1 Web

Gun Of The Week: Wilson Combat Division 77 Project 1

Join American Rifleman staff on the range in this video to get a closer look at Wilson Combat’s somewhat cryptically named “Division 77 Project 1.” 

The Armed Citizen® July 18, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Review: POF-USA LMR BASE Rifle

The Patriot Ordnance Factory LMR Base offers a .308 Win. chambering in a lightweight, AR-15-size package, which makes it a capable platform for today's new gun owner. And it comes at a fair price.

2025 Accessory Of The Year: Wyoming Sight Drifter

For each of the past 23 years, the editors of American Rifleman have convened to select our top picks for the past year’s best and most innovative products. Here are the most recent winners.

Henry Donates Rifles To Support Young Leukemia Victim

Henry Repeating Arms has donated a limited run of 50 “Team Keane” Golden Boy .22 lever-action rifles to support 13-year-old Keane Rhodes of Universal City, Texas, who is currently undergoing aggressive treatment for ALL T-cell leukemia.

Rifleman Review: Springfield Armory Echelon

Springfield Armory introduced its Echelon in 2023, bringing a modernized, chassis-style, striker-fired handgun to the market that has since seen several notable line extensions.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.