EMPLOYEES AT TEXAS Components were stunned when the daughter of an employee entered the business armed with archery tackle and a realistic-looking toy gun. Police say the crazed woman drew her bow and fired an arrow into an employees chest, then pointed the fake pistol at others. Fearful for their lives, two employees, both of whom had concealed-carry licenses, drew pistols and shot the woman several times. She fled to an office and police were called. When the woman pointed an arrow at a responding officer, he shot her once more. The suspect and injured worker were both listed in stable condition at the hospital. (The Houston Chronicle, Houston, Texas, 01/20/09)
POLICE SAY TWO suspected burglars have already been dealt a great deal of punishment. First, a homeowner caught the suspects rifling through his garage. "I asked him what the hell he was doing and he said, 'Cleaning the garage,'" the homeowner recalls. The homeowner ran inside to get a gun, and the suspects fled. Police caught one of the men hiding under a nearby vehicle. His accomplice was arrested after he brazenly broke into a second home. In that incident, the homeowner shot the suspect with a shotgun and held him for police. (The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Okla., 12/20/08)
NINETY-YEAR-OLD Berlie Mae Johnson was watching the evening news with her husband when two men burst through the back door. "Be quiet. Don't say a word. Don't move!" demanded one of the intruders as he put a gun to her head. "It's terrible. You expect at any moment..." she said, her voice cracking. "My nerves are shot. He'd probably have killed me." But her husband, Charles, age 91, came to the rescue. He grabbed his .38-caliber revolver from under a sofa cushion. One of the intruders fled immediately. "He saw the gun and, boy, he was gone," Mr. Johnson recalls. The other intruder was still threatening his wife, but a single shot from Johnson's revolver sent him running. Johnson said he has a message for others: "Be prepared. Keep
The other intruder was still threatening his wife, but a single shot from Johnson's revolver sent him running. Johnson said he has a message for others: "Be prepared. Keep your doors locked. And be alert." His wife added, "And have a gun ready."
your doors locked. And be alert." His wife added, "And have a gun ready." (Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, Fla., 12/25/08)
THE OWNER OF Midwest Grillz and Jewelry, Andre McKesson, let two men into his store while a third man waited outside. The men expressed interest in purchasing a decorative mouthpiece known as a grill, but an argument ensued. The man outside recalls hearing, "Why you playing games with us, man? Where's our teeth? Can you give a refund? Then give me my teeth!" Police say one of the men pulled a gun and fired two shots into the wall where McKesson had been standing. McKesson grabbed a semi-automatic rifle from behind the counter and killed both assailants. (Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Neb., 01/17/09)
WHILE FETCHING WOOD from her garage one evening, a 70-year-old woman heard what sounded like people fighting. "I looked over into the road to see what was going on, and about that time a guy comes running around the house," she explained. The woman ran inside, got her gun and dialed 9-1-1. The man circled the house, pounding on all the windows. He broke through the living room window and knocked over the television. The woman can be heard on the 9-1-1 tape yelling at the man, "You stay right where you're at!" Police say she aimed her gun at the intruder and told him, "If you come any closer, you're going to be dead." She then ordered him to the floor and he obeyed, collapsing into a fetal position. He remained that way until police arrested him. (South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind., 01/06/09)
A FREQUENT CUSTOMER at a
convenience store noticed a man looking around the store as if casing it. Suspicious, he decided to go to his vehicle and call for help. "As soon as I touched my cell phone, I heard [the store clerk] screaming, 'Help, help, help!" the customer explained. The 5-foot-4 man grabbed his Smith & Wesson 40-caliber pistol from the vehicle and bravely ran back inside the store. Surveillance video shows the suspect hitting the female clerk with a beer bottle and wrestling her to the ground. The customer fired two shots, killing the suspect. Police found a knife and a wad of cash on the attacker. (Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, Fla., 01/08/09)

If you have had a firsthand "Armed Citizen" experience, call II.A/PR Communications at (703) 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 "Vic Armed Citizen" 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400.

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