Colt Detective Special Revolver
What would you do if someone broke into your home while you and your children were sleeping? Yell? Call 911? Hide in the closet and hope for the best? Good luck with that. The stories below chronicle people who defended themselves and others with lawfully owned guns…pay attention, it might save your life.
NRA member Geoffrey Tilga purchased items from a convenience store and began walking home. Unbeknownst to Tilga, two men – one of them wielding a knife – quietly trailed him. Police say one of the suspects approached Tilga and grabbed cash out of his back pocket. Tilga spun around and the suspects threatened him with a knife. Tilga, however, is one of the fortunate few New York state residents licensed to carry a handgun. He drew his Colt Detective Special .38-cal. revolver and fired a shot. The robbers fled the scene. (Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y., 04/22/10)
A 15-year-old boy was alone in his mother’s apartment when he heard a strange sound. Upon glancing into the living room, he discovered a masked man armed with an illegally possessed firearm. Police said the boy fled to his mother’s bedroom and grabbed a .22-cal. pistol. He then locked himself inside the attached bathroom and listened to the burglar ransacking the home. When the burglar attempted to enter the bathroom, the boy fired three shots. The burglar fled the scene. It is unknown if he was injured. (Times Daily, Florence, Ala., 06/18/10)
Desperate for narcotics, a man wearing a ski mask and armed with a spear and a baseball bat burst into a pharmacy. Technician Paul Hemmer confronted the masked man before he had a chance to toss the spear. Police said Hemmer drew his licensed handgun and asked the man, “Do you really want to do this?” The masked man considered Hemmer’s logic for a moment and quickly fled the scene. Law enforcement lauded Hemmer’s actions. “Not only did Paul Hemmer defend himself, co-workers and a customer…he also prevented dangerous drugs from getting out on the street,” said Sullivan County, N.Y., Sheriff Michael Schiff. “Mr. Hemmer acted courageously and with great restraint.” (Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y., 06/04/10)
Police said a couple sat in their car deciding what to order from a fast-food restaurant when two men carrying guns leapt into the backseat and announced a robbery. The boyfriend, a concealed-carry permit holder, drew his handgun and shot both robbers. One robber was immediately incapacitated and the other ran a short distance before he collapsed. Both will be arrested upon release from the hospital. The boyfriend received leg injuries when the robbers returned fire, but he’s been released from the hospital. A St. Louis homicide detective said criminals should take note of the incident. “It was a victim defending himself. [Nowadays] you’ve got a lot of people carrying guns in their cars to defend themselves with, so, too bad for the robbers,” said Lt. John Green. (KSDK-TV, St. Louis, Mo., 06/2910)
Two children — a 15-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister — were home alone when two suspects smashed the back window and crawled inside. The boy heard the commotion and, fearing for his safety and that of his sister, quickly got his father’s AR-15-style rifle. According to police, the boy fired several shots and the burglars fled, suffering from gunshot wounds. One suspect was hospitalized and the other was sent to jail. The boy’s father, a county deputy constable, was the first officer to respond to the scene. The rifle was a personal-use firearm. Fellow officers praised the boy’s actions. “As parents, we protect our kids, and as an older brother, he was protecting his sister and himself,” said Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Officer Lt. Jeff Stauber. (KTRK-ABC13, Houston, Texas, 06/30/10)
One afternoon, a woman heard the doorbell ring while she was alone in her home. She did not recognize the two men standing on her porch, so she chose not to answer the door. Police said she hoped the men would leave, but instead they circled the home and threw an object through the glass back door. The woman quickly obtained a firearm. She yelled at the men as they entered the home and fired two shots. The suspects hastily fled the scene. (WHNS-TV, Greenville, S.C., 05/31/10)
His odd style of dress for a warm, summer day was what first made a woman notice the suspect. Sporting a black knit cap, winter gloves, a scarf and goggles, she observed him as he approached her husband’s car and broke into it. Her husband got a gun and confronted the suspect, forcing him to lie face down in the driveway. The husband held the suspect at gunpoint for police. The suspect, who was on probation, was found to be in possession of drugs, a knife and other burglary tools. (The News Journal, Wilmington, Del., 06/30/10)
The stories above are representative of those that happen in nearly every city in the United States but you almost never see them lead the news. Why don’t news organizations show real life examples of people defending themselves against criminals with their guns? Is it because they would rather you didn’t have the right to own a gun and don’t want to “glorify” gun ownership? Maybe. Stand up and assert your right to keep and bear arms or it may be lost. Help protect your rights by joining the NRA. The NRA fights to keep your right to keep and bear arms intact.
More True Stories Of Armed Citizens:
The Armed Citizen Report: July 2010
The Armed Citizen Report: June 2010
The Armed Citizen Report: May 2010
The Armed Citizen Report: April 2010
The Armed Citizen Report: March 2010
The Armed Citizen Report: February 2010
Defend Yourself As Armed Citizens Do
It Is Good News When Armed Citizens Defend Themselves
Still More Armed Citizens Defending Themselves And Others
The Continuing Tales Of Armed Citizens
True Stories Of Armed Citizens Defending Themselves
Elderly Woman In Maine Chases Away Armed Intruder
Real People Really Do Defend Themselves With Guns
A Public Service Message To Criminals – Stay Away From Texas
Armed Citizens
