The Armed Citizen October 2009

NRA MEMBER LYNN Bonds Fourth of July holiday did not go as planned. He was expecting a visitor, so he thought nothing of it when he heard someone arrive at his home. As he entered the garage, however, he discovered that a man wearing only boxer shorts was ransacking the place. "I asked him who he was and what the [expletive] he was doing there," Bond wrote in an e-mail to the "Armed Citizen" editor. According to police, Bond ordered the intruder to leave, but he refused. Bond retrieved his 45-cal. semi-automatic handgun and suddenly the suspect found Bond's demands much more persuasive. Police nabbed the suspect nearby and found drugs on him. A .22-cal. rifle belonging to the intruder was later discovered at the scene. (The Coldwater Daily Reporter, Coldwater, Mich., 07/07/09)
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, Texas, 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
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."
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, Idaho, 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 witii 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. Carlsons 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)
IT'S BEEN A while since Everett Skinner has been hunting, but he's always kept a shotgun handy to protect his family. "In this case, I'm glad I did," he said, recalling a recent incident in which a bear tore through a screen and climbed inside his Oregon home. His daughter, Nicole, was the first to hear the bear, and she rushed to her parents' room for help. Her father grabbed his shotgun. Skinner says he and the bear saw one another simultaneously. The bear stood up and headed toward Skinner, so he fired. "It didn't even faze him," Skinner recalls. He fired three more rounds, dispatching the bear. "We were very blessed that this didn't go badly;' Nicole said. (Associated Press, 07/29/09)

If you have had a firsthand "Armed Citizen" experience, call ILA/PR Communications at (703) 267-1193. Studies indicate that firearms are used over 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot beingfired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life, limb or, in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings via email to armedcitizen@nrahq.org, or by mail to "Tlic Armed Citizen" 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400.
12 AMERICA'S 1" FREEDOM | October 2009