From: [c r philli] at [hound.edaca.ingr.com] (Ron Phillips) Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns Subject: Armed Citizen - May '94 Date: 10 May 1994 17:18:54 GMT THE ARMED CITIZEN +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Studies indicate that firearms are used over 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life or limb, or, in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ===================================================================== The burglar who broke into Joseph Thompson's Saranac, Michigan, home hit Thompson in the face with a steel pipe as he slept, breaking Thompson's jaw. But that didn't stop Thompson from nabbing his assailant and holding him for police. The crook had stopped at the home earlier in the evening, professing car trouble, and returned later when Thompson was asleep and assaulted him. After a struggle, Thompson managed to get a rifle and held the intruder for police. (The Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 02/12/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== "He picked the wrong guy to pick on," was one Washington Court House, Ohio, resident's assessment of an armed robber who was killed by his intended mark. The armed, masked man entered the town pharmacy and demanded money, prompting pharmacist Larry Lehman to shoot and mortally wound the gunman. (The Dispatch, Columbus, OH, 02/24/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== Brenda Jones, a 24-year-old University of Virginia graduate student, was leaving her Charlottesville, Virginia, apartment when a man grabbed her from behind. During the ensuing struggle, Jones and her attacker fell back into the apartment, where Jones managed to break free of her assailant. Jones sprinted to her bedroom and grabbed her revolver. Training it on the criminal, she demanded he leave, which he did. (The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, VA, 02/11/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== Bernie Ames, a Hempstead, New York, bookstore owner, didn't count on his 69th birthday being quite so exciting. Ames was behind the counter of his store when a crack addict walked in and demanded money. Ames threw a bag of money at the robber and pulled his own .38 and fired. Wounded, the crook fled, but was quickly apprehended. Police, affirming Ames' actions, said the drug abuser had a long criminal record. (Newsday, Long Island, NY, 02/11/94 ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== "This is my ID and this is a robbery," a teenager told San Diego liquor store owner Norman Mansour while drawing a gun and demanding money. In response, Mansour grabbed his wrist, and the culprit sprayed the store with bullets. Reaching under the counter for his revolver, Mansour traded shots with the teen and his accomplice. The pair fled, but two suspects were captured the next day, apparently as they tried to retrieve the handgun they had abandoned before fleeing the store. (The Union-Tribune, San Diego, CA, 02/03/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== Robert White was reading his morning paper at this Tacoma, Washington, home when his wife informed him there was an intruder in the basement. White, 73, got his revolver and went downstairs, where he found the housebreaker. He knelt at White's order, but then grabbed a bar stool and threw it. White ducked. As the assailant picked up another stool and prepared to throw it, White fired, killing him. (The Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA, 02/10/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== After an attempted break-in at her Charleston, West Virginia, home four years ago, 74-year-old Ruby McFarland decided to keep her antique revolver loaded. She recently needed it to scare away two would-be robbers who cut her phone lines and tried to break into her home. As the two tried to get in through the front door, McFarland fired two shots, prompting their flight. "They were going to get me and I wasn't going to let them," said McFarland. (The Daily Mail, Charleston, WV, 02/09/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== A handgun provided the margin of protection Camden, New Jersey, store owner Raoji Prajapati needed when a thief armed with a knife burst into the business, threatened Prajapati's wife with the knife and demanded money. Prajapati drew his pistol and fired, killing the crook. The local prosecutor cleared Prajapati. (The Courier-Post, Cherry Hill, NJ, 02/06/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== Returning home one evening, a Garland, Texas, woman was set upon by an armed robber in her driveway. Witnessing the developing situation, the woman's husband confronted the thug, who ordered him back inside the house to get money. The homeowner complied, but also retrieved his shotgun. When the criminal fired at him with a .25 cal. pistol, he responded with a 12-ga. blast that killed the crook. (The Morning News, Dallas, TX, 03/03/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== Brenda Lackey runs a convenience store in Gastonia, North Carolina. She is also a former police officer. The man who attempted to rob the store apparently didn't know that. Suspecting the "customer" might try to rob her, Lackey was ready when he demanded money. She drew her 9 mm -- a retirement present commemorating her 16 years as an officer -- and chased him from the store. "I'll always be a police officer," she commented. (The Gaston Gazette, Gastonia, NC, 02/03/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== Bob Weaver, owner of the Old West Gun Room in El Cerrito, California, probably thought he was seeing double when twin brothers entered his shop and, after feigning a bit of shopping, pulled handguns and announced a robbery. Weaver knocked the gun out of one's hand and then dove under the counter, where he grabbed his own pistol and started firing. The twins, both wounded, fled, but were quickly apprehended. (West County Times, Richmond, CA, 02/12/94) ===================================================================== - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ===================================================================== Shelly Greenbaum returned to college to get a degree to help troubled youths. But she was forced to shoot and kill a troubled teenager when he robbed her at gunpoint in a Miami parking lot. Convinced the youthful criminal was going to end the robbery by killing her, Greenbaum pulled her .38 out of her back pocket and fired twice. The dead 19-year-old had juvenile and adult records, police said. (The Herald, Miami, FL, 03/04/94) =====================================================================