The Armed Citizen September 2009

NRA MEMBER VERNON Allen was watching television when an unknown male darted into his apartment. According to police, it was the third residence the suspect had unlawfully entered that evening. Allen asked the suspect, who mumbled unintelligibly, if he needed help. The suspect responded by raising his fist in a threatening manner. Allen retreated to the bedroom, got his 12-gauge shotgun and told the intruder to get out. But the suspect ignored him, instead advancing and trying to grab the shotguns barrel. "When he grabbed the barrel of that shotgun," Allen recalls, "I had to make a choice so I pulled the trigger on him." The suspect was killed. (Morris Sun Tribune, Morris, Minn., 06/21/09)
GAYLORD COX, AN 82-year-old church minister, was sleeping when a young man knocked on his bedroom window. The juvenile, who unbeknownst to Cox had recently escaped from a detention center, said he needed to use the phone because his car had broken down. Cox said he would meet him at the front door. As a precaution, Cox placed a .38-cal. revolver in his pocket before letting the juvenile inside. Police say the suspect used the phone, then immediately turned and sucker-punched the older, weaker Cox in the face, knocking him to the floor. Cox sat up, drew his pistol and fired one shot, causing his assailant to flee. The youth was apprehended nearby. (Morning Journal, Lisbon, Ohio, 06/16/09)
HEARING FOOTSTEPS, A 50-year-old woman assumed her mother had returned home from work. When she

called out but received no answer, she investigated. The footsteps belonged not to her mother, but a convicted felon wielding a knife and a gun. He threatened the woman, who attempted to appease him with cash and liquor, but his threats only grew more violent. After 30 horrible minutes, the woman's mother, 77-year-old Doris Gatchell, returned home. She proved to be a woman of action. "When someone
After 30 horrible minutes, the woman's mother, 77-year-old Doris Gatchell, returned home. She proved to be a woman of action.
comes into your house and threatens you, you don't have to tolerate that," Gatchell said. "I have taken a course in gun safety. I knew what to do." Police say Gatchell got her gun and ordered the suspect to leave the house. He promptly ran out the front door. "... It is a good thing to take a gun safety course and I recommend it for everyone, particularly women in this day and age," Gatchell added. (Calais Advertiser, Calais, Maine, 06/18/09)
ABOUT A YEAR ago, Elliott Firby and his wife grew concerned about increasing crime, so they purchased their first firearms and obtained concealed-carry permits. "You have to do something to protect yourself?' Firby said. "The police can't be there all the time." Firby began carrying his .380-cal. handgun regularly. He was glad he carried it one evening when a man leapt from a truck and accosted him. Police say the suspect pointed a shotgun at Firby, but chose polite words to announce the armed robbery. "Give it up, sir," he said. Firby slowly went to his knees, pretending to comply, before drawing his handgun in a fast, smooth motion and firing two shots. The suspect and his accomplice were arrested at the hospital when he sought treatment for a gunshot wound. (Herald-Tribune, Sarasota, Fla., 06/12/09)
POLICE SAY A 17-year-old approached Michael Dawes and asked for a dollar. Dawes said he didn't have any money, so the teen moved along. Not long after, a man approached Dawes and asked for marijuana. Dawes said he didn't have any and told the man to shove off. At that point, the teen returned to the scene and the two suspects began assaulting Dawes. A concealed-carry permit holder, Dawes drew a handgun and opened fire. The suspects fled the scene but were arrested shortly thereafter. (The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., 06/28/09)
"WHAT WAS HE going to do?" Harold Chick asked regarding a home invader. "I don't know if he had a weapon." Chick can ponder those questions now, but it's fortunate he did not have to discover their answers on the night of the crime. Chick, who had been watching television with his wife and daughter, had just fallen asleep when he heard his television automatically shut off. When Chick opened his eyes, he was alarmed to find a man standing over him. "He was standing there at the foot of the bed, and I was wondering, 'Who the hell is standing there?"' Chick said. According to police, Chick grabbed his shotgun, which he'd kept nearby, and the intruder fled the home. (Ocala Star-Banner, Ocala, Fla., 06/05/09)

If you have had a firsthand "Armed Citizen" experience, call ILA/PR Communications at (70s) 267-1193. Studies indicate that firearms are used more than 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that the 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, limb or, in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts, which are condensed from individual newspaper clippings sent to "The Armed Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400.
22 AMERICA'S 1" FREEDOM | September 2009