Unwelcome House Calls

by
posted on December 1, 2015
gsagi2015_fs-1.jpg

Rather than echo the sound advice to keep your carry gun on you and doors locked—even when you’re home and it’s broad daylight—I’ll let the criminals do the talking in this short list of home invasions in the last month. 

Indiana’s incident is sickening. The pastor left for the gym, but when he returned at 8:30 a.m. his 28-year-old bride—12 weeks pregnant—was unconscious on the floor. She had three bullet wounds, including one to the back of her head, execution style. To quote the ABC News headline, “Suspect stood over pastor’s pregnant wife after shooting her and watched her bleed, court documents say.”  The couple’s infant son, upstairs in a crib, was unharmed.  Despite the best efforts of doctors, she remained unresponsive and later died. Authorities arrested two who now face murder charges. A third allegedly violated parole in driving the getaway car.  An unlocked front door provided the criminals access for what began as a burglary.

I have to admit the pastor is a much bigger man than I could ever be. After the arrests, he’s still choosing “love over hate.”  

The 81-year-old California woman beaten during this broad daylight home invasion should make a full recovery. In Illinois, one criminal ended his lunch break (if they take one) and started shooting as he broke in. Here’s another post-brunch incident in Wisconsin.

It was 5:38 p.m. in Pennsylvania, about the time you expect Dominos to deliver, but it was four or five men making a house call. And, you just never know. An Ohio neighbor killed a couple and their 7-year-old son at sometime around 5 p.m.

Obviously, criminals usually prefer the work under cover of darkness, but some of the reports emphasize the fact they don’t care who they target. Duct tape was used to tie up a 91 year old in New York while the house was ransacked. The house was torched after an elderly man was killed in Michigan and the perpetrator(s) remains at large.  

With holiday school vacations quickly approaching, here’s another ominous safety reminder from Delaware. And if you want to read something really creepy, a baby monitor’s camera photographed a New York burglar crawling around the house while the family slept through most of the incident.  

There are a lot of criminals who view this time of year as one of opportunity, and precisely why lawful citizens should get training and own/carry a gun. The unthinkable can—and does—happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone. 

Latest

heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees
heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees

Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun

While the Browning .50-cal. M2 machine gun has been unequaled for more than a century, John Moses Browning’s genius design has had one significant 12.7 mm competitor: the Soviet DShK.

Support The NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) On Giving Tuesday

With more than 1,200 students having graduated from the program and over $700,000 in scholarships awarded since 1996, NRA's YES is an immersive leadership program for high school students eager to learn about the foundations of our nation, the importance of civic engagement and the role of the Second Amendment.

Rifleman Review: Remington 360 Buckhammer

Remington Ammunition's 360 Buckhammer is a straight-wall hunting cartridge that's designed to give deer hunters an ideal round for their Midwestern hunt.

New For 2025: EAA Girsan Witness2311 Brat, Match and MatchX

European American Armory Corp. (EAA) introduced an affordable variation of the double-stack 1911 design with their Girsan Witness2311 in 2023, continually adding additional chamberings and slide length options. New for 2025, the company is adding three new versions of the Witness2311 with the Match, MatchX and Brat models.

Review: Citadel Trakr

At less than 4 lbs., this repeating rifle is easy on the back while also being extraordinarily easy on the budget.

Freedom Munitions To Move Ammo Component Production To Idaho

Freedom Munitions has announced it will be consolidating its projectile component production from X-Treme Bullets out of Nevada into its Lewiston, Idaho, facilities.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.