"... the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Shortly before 5:30 a.m. on June 16th, Stephen Heller was chatting with a young woman who had arrived moments earlier at his home in Sanger, Texas, when two masked men dressed in black and wearing gloves suddenly barged into the residence. At least one was armed.

The intruders apparently intended to rob Heller, but the homeowner resisted fiercely. He was able to stab one with a knife he had nearby and shoot the other several times with a handgun he grabbed during the brawl.

Scott Howard was pronounced dead at the scene from the gunshot wounds. The other interloper, Travis Lee Smith, fled with the woman (who was apparently an accomplice) to Marietta, Oklahoma, some 40 miles north of Sanger. Smith eventually went to a hospital for treatment of his knife wounds. Acting on tips, police took both Smith and the woman into custody. Smith was transferred to a hospital in Ardmore, Oklahoma, while the woman was jailed in Marietta pending extradition back to Texas.

Homeowner Heller suffered only a few minor injuries during the scuffle with Howard and Smith.

Shawn Larsen of Clackamas County, Oregon, awoke on August 2nd to find that his bedroom window had been forced open, and that a number of his belongings had been stolen by a stealthy burglar. While searching for clues, he found the pilfered items hidden under his deck.

Surmising that the thief would return later to retrieve the booty, Larsen decided to keep watch. When the culprit did indeed reappear around midnight, the homeowner was waiting — this time with a gun. "I told him to freeze and he wouldn’t," Larsen told Portland television station KGW the next day. Feeling threatened, Larsen fired at least two shots, striking Justin Jimmy Hawkins in a shoulder and a leg.

Hawkins fled, but police soon found him after he sought help at a nearby home. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of his wounds. Following his release the next morning, he was taken to jail.

KGW reported that, according to police, Hawkins is a transient with an extensive criminal history including at least 17 arrests for crimes ranging from aggravated murder and assault to burglary, robbery, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Oregon law allows homeowners to take reasonable steps to protect themselves against intruders. The would-be victim expressed relief that he had not killed Hawkins, but was also (in the words of KGW) "relieved to know the suspect who broke into his home twice in one day is in jail."

Near sundown on August 4th, three-year-old Sangchul Bae was watching his dad hit practice balls at the Jess Ranch Golf Course in Apple Valley, California, when a coyote suddenly emerged from nearby bushes and lunged at the boy. The aggressive predator clamped its jaws on the toddler’s face and began dragging him toward the bushes. The child’s father pummeled the coyote with his golf club, causing the animal to release its grip and momentarily back off. But the coyote was undeterred and repeatedly attacked the terrified boy.

At this point, as reported by Los Angeles television station KNBC the next day, "an off-duty deputy stepped in, fired a round at the coyote and wounded him." Other accounts questioned whether the bullet actually found its mark, but in any event, the animal scurried away in the wake of the gunshot and did not return. A helicopter was called in to search for it in the open desert surrounding the golf course, but to no avail.

Sangchul Bae was rushed by ambulance to a medical center for treatment of what were described as moderate lacerations to his jaw and arm. According to KNBC, he was "stable and will undergo plastic surgery on his wounds."

Ray and Annie Friesen had been married for 53 years when, at around 2:30 p.m. on June 30th, someone knocked at the door of their home in the Beaver Valley area of Payson, Arizona. Mrs. Friesen, 73, was resting in a bedroom, so Mr. Friesen, 79, opened the door. A middle-aged stranger claimed that his car had broken down and asked if he could make a phone call for assistance.

Mr. Friesen did not invite him in but brought him a cordless phone, and the stranger then pretended to call someone from outside. However, when the stranger returned the phone to Mr. Friesen, he suddenly pulled a hunting knife and forced the elderly homeowner into the dining room, where he tied him to a chair and demanded his wallet, credit cards, and car keys. Mr. Friesen complied. The intruder then went to the room where Mrs. Friesen was resting. When Mr. Friesen heard his wife scream, he mustered the strength to break himself free of his bindings. Grabbing a handgun, he rushed to the bedroom.

According to a Gila County Sheriff’s Office report, Mr. Friesen heard his wife scream again, and, upon entering the room, saw the thug towering over her, knife in hand. She was bleeding profusely. Mr. Friesen shot the murderous thug several times, then called 911. When medical personnel arrived, they pronounced the suspect — and, tragically, Mrs. Friesen — dead at the scene. It is likely that Mr. Friesen, too, would have been killed if he had not shot the deranged intruder.

A few days later, authorities identified the killer as Mitchell Bell, believed to be a transient who had lived along a nearby river.

From an August 1st Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed by Dr. John R. Lott Jr., resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and author of the newly released The Bias Against Guns:

"In 2001 (the last year available), ABC, CBS and NBC ran 190,000 words’ worth of gun-crime stories on their morning and evening national news broadcasts. But they ran not a single story mentioning a private citizen using a gun to stop a crime. The only network I could find that ran any defensive gun-use stories was the Fox News Channel.

"The print media were almost as lopsided: The New York Times ran 50,745 words on gun crimes, but only one short (163-word) story on a retired police officer who used his gun to stop a robbery. For USA Today, the tally was 5,660 words on gun crimes versus zero on defensive uses."

James L. Karnes Sr., 51, resides with his family in Cedar Grove, Kentucky. For many years he and a neighbor, Ronald S. Richardson, 52, had been feuding over property lines and rights. Richardson once filed a lawsuit against Karnes about boundary lines and alleged damage to the Richardson property, after which Karnes filed two trespassing complaints against Richardson. In 2000 Richardson pled guilty to trespassing and in 2001 was found guilty of the same offense. He agreed to have no further contact with members of the Karnes family.

On January 29th of this year, however, sheriff’s deputies were summoned to the Karnes residence three times between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to investigate complaints that Richardson had not only trespassed again, but had fired shots near the Karnes property. The deputies concluded that Richardson had not violated any laws, so could not be taken into custody. Shortly after 8:30 p.m., however, dispatchers received a fourth call, this time from Karnes’ wife, reporting that Richardson had shot her husband in the stomach with a .357 Magnum handgun as the feuding duo stood near a barbed wire fence.

When Mrs. Karnes ran outside to be with her seriously wounded husband, son James Karnes Jr., 26, grabbed a 9-mm handgun and followed. Fearing that Richardson now posed a threat to his mother, he fired twice, striking his father’s assailant in the chest. Richardson was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bullitt County Coroner, while the elder Karnes was airlifted to the University of Louisville Hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition.

Details of the tragic confrontation were submitted to a Bullitt Circuit Grand Jury to determine if young Karnes had violated any laws in protecting his mother. On April 30th, jurors ruled that, all things considered (including the record of past differences between the neighbors), he had indeed acted in justifiable self-defense.

Shortly after noon on April 29th, Yong Do Cho, owner of Joe’s Food Market in Houston, Texas, was returning to his store from a bank when three men in a gray Isuzu began following him. When one of the trio, later identified as 18-year-old Francis Dalton, fired a shot through a window of Cho’s car, the terrified small businessman sped up and raced three blocks with his assailants in hot pursuit before pulling into the parking lot of a check-cashing business. He hoped that someone in the shop, well-known for its zero-tolerance policy toward thugs, could help him.

When owner Fabern Dale Cossey emerged from the check-cashing facility, Dalton shot at him, but missed. Cossey, who was armed, returned fire, wounding the youth. Dalton and 33-year-old accomplice Flenzy Ray Jones then scurried from the scene on foot, but were soon apprehended by police. The third man escaped in the Isuzu.

Jones was charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Dalton faced the same charge pending his release from a local hospital, where he was listed in fair condition.

At around 2 a.m. on Sunday, April 14th, someone began banging on a door at the residence of Gerald and Audrey Heggstrom in Glendale, Oregon. Mrs. Heggstrom, a millworker who describes herself as a night owl because she works the late shift, had dozed off in the living room when "there was a loud enough noise that it startled me. I looked out the window and he was standing by the front door."

"He" was Keith W. Newman, 39, described in a subsequent police report as a "transient from New York via Eugene."

Mrs. Heggstrom woke her husband (also a millworker, though on the day-shift), who handed her his Glock .45-caliber handgun before answering the door. When he asked the stranger what he wanted, Newman said he was looking for a woman named "Katy." Told that no such person lived there, he walked away and Mr. Heggstrom went back to bed. Mrs. Heggstrom, however, was now wide awake. "The adrenaline was still pumping from being startled like that," she told Roseburg News-Review reporter Chris Pollock. "I was sitting watching TV and the security light on the front porch came on 15 minutes later. I went into the kitchen and looked out the window, and just then I saw him [Newman] go into the garage."

She roused her husband from bed a second time, and with gun in hand he went outside to confront the intruder. "I walked over to him with the gun pointed right at him and asked him what … he was doing," he recalls. Needless to say, "It got his attention."

Mrs. Heggstrom had in the meantime called the sheriff’s office. Deputies arrived within about 20 minutes and took Newman — still held at gunpoint by Mr. Heggstrom — into custody. He was charged with burglary and criminal trespass.

Gerald Heggstrom told Pollock, "I was just protecting my family and my property, as far as I was concerned." He added that Newman "would’ve been all right if he’d left the first time."

From a May 9th USA Today op-ed piece captioned "Gun laws don’t reduce crime," by Dr. John R. Lott Jr., a resident scholar at the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute and the author of More Guns, Less Crime: "One would never know from reading the news that there exists not one single academic study showing that the federal Brady Act, assault-weapons bans, state waiting periods, background checks, one-gun-a-month rules or safe-storage laws reduce violent crime. Some research even finds that these rules increase crime.

"… Europe has everything American gun-control proponents favor, but the three worst public shootings in the past year all occurred in Europe. All took place in so-called gun-free ‘safe zones.’

"Around the world, from Australia to England, countries that have recently strengthened gun-control laws with the promise of lowering crime have instead seen violent crime soar. In the four years after the U.K. banned handguns in 1996, gun crime rose by an astounding 40%. Since Australia’s 1996 laws banning most guns and making it a crime to use a gun defensively, armed robberies rose by 51%, unarmed robberies by 37%, assaults by 24% and kidnappings by 43%. While murders fell by 3%, manslaughter rose by 16%."

At around 2:30 p.m. on December 15, 2001, police in Hartford, Connecticut, responded to a burglar alarm at Bacon’s Antiques, a secondhand merchandise store owned by Manchester resident Jeffrey Andrews. They found a broken front window, but did not find an intruder during a search of the premises.

Mr. Andrews arrived during the search and, after the police left, remained to board up the broken window. Shortly before 6:00 p.m., a man armed with a gun emerged from a back stockroom. He had apparently been hiding among old paintings, statues, commercial signs, and other paraphernalia during the police search, but finally concluded that everyone had left. As he and Andrews began arguing, the latter grabbed a gun he kept at the store for protection and fired, striking the intruder twice in the stomach. He then called the police. When officers arrived for a second time, they found Rafael Santana, 32, on the floor. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that evening.

As reported by the Hartford Courant for December 17th, Andrews "has a state permit to carry a gun" and "police said they did not expect to file charges" against him. According to Courant staff writers Matt Burgard and Lee Foster, the mother of Santana’s 15-year-old son acknowledged that Santana "had a history of drug abuse and criminal arrests, including a record of drug possession charges."

Since opening in 1968, Avalon Jewelers in downtown Hayward, California, had never been victimized by armed robbers. Then on December 18, 2001, two armed men walked into the family-owned store and threatened one of the owners and an employee. Unbeknownst to them, however, Rod Vargas (another owner) was sequestered behind a one-way mirror with a small arsenal of guns by his side. When the military veteran realized that a robbery was in progress, he grabbed an M1 rifle and confronted the two thugs. As he pointed the rifle at one’s head, they both turned tail and ran from the store empty-handed.

Vargas called police, who arrived within minutes. Despite combing the area for the suspects, both men got away.

Vargas, recalling how one of the miscreants "was looking right down the barrel of the rifle," told the Hayward Daily Review for December 22nd: "If we don’t fight back, we are encouraging crime."

Shortly after 2:00 a.m. on November 24, 2001, Cedar Springs, Michigan, police officer Jack Peters was on patrol when he noticed two hitchhikers who appeared to be drunk. They ran when he flashed his lights on them. One was apprehended, but the other — 22-year-old Kevin Lee Salinas — got away.

Less than two hours later, at about 3:30 a.m., Valerie Clarke was awakened by the sound of someone rattling windows and doors at the Clarke home. She woke her husband Robert, 48, who grabbed a flashlight and went to investigate while Mrs. Clarke called 911. When Mr. Clarke opened the back slider door and peered outside with the flashlight, he noticed a man standing near some outbuildings in the back yard. It was Salinas.

Rather than flee, Salinas began walking toward the house. Clarke, concerned for the safety of himself and his family, retrieved a 9 mm handgun from inside the home and, at least twice, ordered the trespasser to leave the property. Instead, Salinas continued to approach and climbed onto the back porch. When he was within about five feet of Clarke, the homeowner fired a single shot that struck him in the abdomen. He died about eight hours later in a Grand Rapids health facility.

It was later learned that Salinas was on probation for a larceny conviction. He was also wanted on a bench warrant related to an April domestic assault charge, and had been scheduled to stand trial on December 3rd for a July home invasion during which he allegedly assaulted an ex-girlfriend. He faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the litany of felony charges.

In an opinion released December 19th, Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth stated that Robert Clarke had acted in self-defense and would not face any charges for shooting Salinas. While believing that Clarke should have opted not to confront the inebriated trespasser, Forsyth noted that the Clarkes "had five kids in the house," that Salinas was drunk (two-and-one-half times the legal driving limit) and incoherent, and that he kept coming even when Clarke had "a gun pointed at him."

John Samanns, 37, owns John’s Drive-Thru, a liquor store in south Lakeland, Florida. In the wake of previous break-ins, he was sleeping at the store on December 4, 2001 when, at about 1:45 a.m., he heard an alarm go off. Armed with a Taurus 9 mm handgun, he went to the south side of the establishment, where he confronted a man who had gained entry by using a crowbar to break the deadbolt on an exterior metal gate. When the burglar raised the crowbar over his head in a threatening manner, Samanns fired two shots, one of which struck Larry D. Russell, 41, in the abdomen. Russell died.

Shortly before Christmas, the state attorney’s office ruled that Samanns was justified in using lethal force to defend himself against Russell.

Robert Gresham operates his business, Clothes Line, in Nashville, Tennessee. Shortly before 11 a.m. on December 15, 2001, John D. Buchanan, 19, attempted to rob the clothing vendor. As the youth began pulling a gun from his waistband, Gresham, who has a state-issued permit to carry a firearm, drew his own .44-caliber revolver and opened fire. As reported by the Nashville Tennessean for December 18th, the seriously wounded Buchanan fled, and Gresham "saw him drive away when he went outside in the parking lot.... Gresham told police that a second man fired at him. Gresham returned the fire, but neither man was hit...."

Shortly thereafter, several young men arrived at the emergency room of a local hospital, helped take Buchanan inside, then drove away. Gresham subsequently identified Buchanan (who died) as the man who had attempted to rob him.

According to The Tennessean, "The Metro Police Department has ruled that a clothing vendor who shot and killed an alleged would-be robber Saturday acted within his rights to self-defense. The department is calling the death a justifiable homicide.

On July 9th, a man and woman entered Norton’s Jewelry in downtown Marietta, Georgia, and asked to see some expensive items. They left without making a purchase, but owner Ronnie Norton, 54, felt uneasy, suspecting that they may have been casing the store. He mentioned the incident, along with his concern, to wife Barbara that night.

The next afternoon, as they were preparing to close the store, Mrs. Norton noticed two men loitering outside. She told her husband, who promptly retrieved a .32-caliber handgun from its carrying case and slipped it into his belt. As the Daily Oklahoman for July 17th noted, "Norton always carries a gun or keeps one within arm’s reach."

The two men eventually entered the store. One asked to see a $2,500 wedding set. As Mr. Norton walked toward the safe, with one of the men close behind, Mrs. Norton noticed the latter place his hand in his pocket. Suspecting the worst, she bolted for the front door, but was grabbed and thrown to the floor by the other man (who was also armed) before she could escape.

When Mr. Norton turned around, he found himself staring at a 9mm pistol pointed at his chest. As described by Daily Oklahoman reporter Ed Godfrey, "The gunman ordered Norton to the floor but he refused," whereupon the thug "repeated the order and waved the weapon in front of Norton, giving the jeweler a chance to grab the man’s wrist and push the gun away."

During the ensuing skirmish a shot rang out and Dexter B. Dunnum, 23, slumped to the floor, seriously wounded. Norton believes that Dunnum may have been one of the persons who had raised his suspicions the day before.

As Dunnum fell, his accomplice began shooting at Norton, who initially thought that the shots were coming from Dunnum. When Norton realized they were coming from the accomplice, he ducked behind a counter and began trading shots.

Norton was not injured. Apparently, neither was the accomplice, who ran from the store, jumped into a waiting car with two other men who had stayed outside during the robbery attempt, and escaped.

Dunnum also attempted to flee, but collapsed and died on the sidewalk in front of the store. According to state Corrections Department records cited by the Daily Oklahoman, Dunnum’s criminal record included convictions for first-degree robbery, grand larceny, and possession of stolen property.

Norton thought that he had killed the gunman with his own weapon, but it was subsequently confirmed that the fatal shot had come from Dunnum’s gun during the scuffle. The news surprised Norton, as "I had it visualized I had pulled my own gun and done it."

Mr. Norton told reporter Godfrey that once the gunman pointed the gun at his chest, "From that point on, all I could think about was him shooting me in the back of the head. I thought I was going to die, and I had to do something."

Ronnie Norton now keeps a gun with him everywhere he goes, and told Godfrey that he may start carrying two. "I have it on me when I go to the shower," he asserted to underscore the point. "I will have it on me from now on. I don’t ever see me not having that gun...."

Shortly after 2:00 a.m. on July 5th, Dale Clinton Beatty, 22, emerged naked from his residence in East Naples, Florida, and began causing a ruckus in the driveway of neighbor Gerald House, 55.

House’s wife Jill and their 20-year-old son Justin were awakened by the noise and went to investigate. They asked Beatty to leave and, when he refused, returned home to call 911. Beatty followed and pushed his way into the residence.

Gerald House, 55, is a former Marine. Armed with a handgun, he confronted Beatty (a second-degree karate black belt) and ordered the intruder to leave. Beatty balked, and House repeated the demand several times as his neighbor became increasingly agitated and menacing. According to Collier County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Sheri Mausen, "there was some kind of confrontation" during which House fired a single shot that struck Beatty in the chest. The wounded man was rushed by Medflight to a hospital in Fort Myers, where he was later pronounced dead.

The sheriff’s office did not charge Gerald House in the shooting since, according to Mausen, investigators believed that he had acted in self-defense. State prosecutors told reporters, however, that they would take a closer look at the evidence to confirm if House was indeed justified in using deadly force. Under Florida law, persons are allowed to protect themselves from imminent danger or great bodily harm, but according to Assistant State Attorney Mike Provost, "If you can run away, you are obligated to run away." On the other hand, Provost explained, that obligation does not apply to persons under siege in their homes.

At 6 p.m. on July 13th, Brian Bloom left his home in Conover, North Carolina, to investigate the source of some animal sounds coming from his front yard. As he looked around, a fox suddenly scampered from under his car and charged at him. During an interview with the Hickory Daily Record for July 17th, Bloom recalled that when he attempted to fend off the aggressive creature by kicking it in the snout with his right leg, it sunk its teeth into his left leg. "I then tried a couple of karate moves, and tried to snap its neck," he told Daily Record staff writer Kim Gilliland, "but he wouldn’t let go. Then when I started to choke him, my fiancee got me my pistol, and I shot him one time with my .40-caliber hollow points, but he didn’t budge. I shot him again, and then a third time, but he still had a-hold of my leg. My fiancee finally got a stick and pried his mouth open, but he was dead by then."

Bloom called animal control and the Conover Police Department. Since the fox had behaved so strangely, he was advised to begin treatment for rabies, since early care is crucial (there is no remedy for the disease once symptoms appear). "They gave me a tetanus shot first," he told Gilliland, "then they shot me in the left calf twice, the thigh, right and left arm, and in the butt, both sides." He also faces an additional three-month vaccination regimen, since the state laboratory in Raleigh confirmed that the fox was indeed rabid.

According to Catawba County Animal Control, it was the county’s first confirmed case of rabies in a fox this year, though a half-dozen raccoons had been diagnosed with the malady. "That was one crazy fox," Bloom reflects, "and I hope I never see one like that again."

"... the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

John Yun, 36, owns the Spenard Motel in Anchorage, Alaska. The motel had already been robbed twice since the first of the year when, on January 30th, a young man waving a gun and wearing a mask entered the office at about 3:30 a.m. He pointed the gun at Yun, the lone clerk on duty, and demanded money from the cash register. Yun complied, but when the thug realized that there was little cash in the drawer, he became agitated and aimed the gun at Yun’s head.

As Yun stated in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News for February 2nd, "he said he was going to kill me. And I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to have to do something.’" As summarized by Daily News reporter Elizabeth Manning, Yun "pulled a .38-caliber handgun from his vest pocket and shot the man at least twice. The robbery suspect fell to the ground, and Yun tried to call 911." Upon attempting to dial, Yun saw the man move, thought he was reaching for his gun, and heard him say he was going to kill him. And so, "Yun pointed his gun down toward the floor and fired more shots, this time not looking at the man as he pulled the trigger. Then he moved to another phone in the office away from the motel’s front desk and dialed 911 again. Police and an ambulance arrived a few minutes later."

The 19-year-old would-be robber survived. He was taken to a local medical facility for treatment of arm, leg, and face wounds. Police declined to identify him until charges are filed following his release from the hospital. Police said Yun would not be charged since he acted in self-defense and has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Johnny Tyson, 39, entered Lin’s Super Market in Savannah, Georgia, on January 27th. Carrying a brick, he hit store owner Xiao Ming Lin in the head, knocking him to the floor. Then Tyson reportedly jumped the counter and went to the cash drawer. Lin’s son, who also works at the store, pulled out a gun and opened fire. Tyson, struck by multiple shots, died at the scene. Lin was treated for a relatively minor brick-inflicted forehead injury prior to giving his statement to police. The market had been robbed on two previous occasions since the Lin family assumed ownership six years ago.

The next day’s Savannah Morning News quoted police Lieutenant Richard Zapal as saying, "you’re supposed to protect yourself. If he [Tyson] went in there to rob him, he deserved to be shot." Zapal told crime and public safety reporter Paula Reed Ward: "we’re looking at justifiable homicide. Right now, we’re not looking at any charges [against Lin]."

On January 24th, South Carolina Attorney General Charles M. Condon issued a memorandum to all solicitors, sheriffs, and police chiefs directing that Palmetto State citizens who act to defend their homes will not be arrested, charged, or prosecuted. Condon described homes as "the family’s fortress of protection" and "the line in the sand where criminals dare not cross."

Condon’s action was taken in response to a recent rash of home invasions in North Charleston and elsewhere. "As Chief Prosecutor of South Carolina, I am today declaring open season on home invaders," Condon wrote. "That season is year-round. Citizens protecting their homes who use force — even deadly force — will be fully safeguarded under the law of this State and subject to no arrest, charge or prosecution. In South Carolina, would-be intruders should now hear this: invade a home and invite a bullet."

Condon believes that the new policy will help local police protect private property and homes against break-ins because "law enforcement officers cannot be everywhere at once." He is convinced that home invaders "will think twice, and even a third time, knowing the risk of their own death is waiting on the other side of the innocent homeowner’s door."

On January 13th, 21-year-old Tariq Beaudouin attempted to break into a home in Omaha, Nebraska. However, 19-year-old resident Anthony Sims was home. Upon pulling his gun, Sims shot and killed Beaudouin. Incredibly, police arrested the teen and charged him with criminal homicide.

Two days later, however, the Douglas County Attorney’s office announced that Sims would not be prosecuted. Chief Deputy County Attorney Ron Kleine told reporters: "There’s no question of who was the shooter here. The question is was it justified or not and we don’t have any evidence to show that it wasn’t justified at this point." Nebraska law allows homeowners to use lethal force to protect their homes.

The Associated Press reported on February 2nd that a state wildlife agent was patrolling a remote area of Galliano, Louisiana, for deer and rabbit poachers when he stopped to check a vehicle parked in a sugar cane field. The driver, Shawn M. Esponge, 36, exited the car armed with a revolver and fired at the agent. The agent returned fire, mortally wounding Esponge.

When the confrontation was over, the agent discovered a body later identified as Thomas J. Gavin near the car. Apparently, Esponge had shot Gavin shortly before the wildlife agent arrived. Police found marijuana and crack cocaine inside the car, and believe that the two men knew each other. Authorities said Gavin’s death would be investigated as a homicide.

On January 13th, Danea Maurice Fogle, 21, tried to rob Hillcroft Car Stereo and Alarm in Houston, Texas. Wearing a ski mask and carrying a semi-automatic handgun, he entered the business shortly before 6 p.m., emptied the cash register, and demanded that the store owner hand over a miniature TV on display in a glass case. The store owner complied.

Meanwhile, the store owner’s two brothers were watching the robbery on a closed-circuit TV in the back room. As reported in the next day’s Houston Chronicle, "one of them grabbed a shotgun and shot the robber, who died at the scene." Houston police told reporters that the handgun wielded by the miscreant was stolen. The slain man was a suspect in a number of other robberies in the Richmond and Chimney Rock areas.

Exercising the Right
by Robert W. Lee

"... the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Alaskan Defense

Market Robber Buys Bullets

Open Season Declared on Home Invaders

Teen Defends Home

Poacher Patrol Drug Bust

Brothers to the Rescue

EXERCISING THE RIGHT
by Robert W. Lee

"... the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Lethal Hideout

Robbers Outgunned

Vargas called police, who arrived within minutes. Despite combing the area for the suspects, both men got away.

Vargas, recalling how one of the miscreants "was looking right down the barrel of the rifle," told the Hayward Daily Review for December 22nd: "If we don’t fight back, we are encouraging crime."

Inebriated Trespasser

So Much for the Crowbar

Shortly before Christmas, the state attorney’s office ruled that Samanns was justified in using lethal force to defend himself against Russell.

Dressed for Defense

===============

By MARY KAYE DAVIS
marykaye@register-news.com
http://www.zwire.com/news/newsstory...BRD=987&PAG=461

BLUFORD — Midway Mart owner Bob Buttrum has seen his fair share of shoplifters and people pumping gas, then driving off without paying.
Late Wednesday morning, it happened again.

Around 11:30 a.m., a black Blazer pulled into his gas station/convenience store on Illinois 15 near Markham City Road and a man got out and starting pumping gasoline.

“He started acting really suspicious and nervous,” Buttrum said. “He would look in the windows of the store and then look down. I turned to my friends in the store and said, ‘Boys, I think he’s getting ready to steal some gas.”
No sooner did he get those words out when he saw the man drop the gas hose and speed out of the parking lot, his vehicle spinning gravel into the air, Buttrum said.

Buttrum called the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, but was told it didn’t have a squad car in the area.

While most store owners probably would have just thrown up their hands, Buttrum and his two friends took a different route; they jumped in their vehicles and chased the man down.

Armed with cell phones and, in Buttrum’s case, a 9 mm pistol, the three men also sped out of the parking lot and headed south down Markham City Road.
Buttrum said another friend in town, who was standing outside during the chase, estimated the Blazer was traveling about 70 to 90 mph down the road.
“The people in the Blazer were throwing things out of the vehicle left and right as they were heading down the road,” Buttrum said. Finally, one of Buttrum’s friends was able to pass the Blazer and blocked it in. Buttrum and the other friend caught up and did the same.

“At that point, I got out of my vehicle and let the four guys know I did have a gun,” Buttrum said. “I really didn’t know what I was getting into because I knew one of them also had something in their hand, but I couldn’t tell what it was because the windows were all tinted. I ordered the person to put it down, but they were too busy acting crazy, mouthing off and yelling” profanity, the business owner said. “I called the sheriff’s department back and told them I had a gun and I was holding them at bay until someone could arrive.”
Buttrum told the vehicle’s occupants to show what they had in their hands. It turned out to be a cell phone.

The sheriff’s department arrested Larry Mitchell, 18, of 3805 Robin Drive, Mt. Vernon, at 2:22 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of theft of services, a sheriff’s department spokesman said. His bond was set at $1,000; he posted bond and was released.

The three other occupants in the Blazer have not been charged.
Buttrum said even small thefts can drive a small business into the ground, and he wasn’t going to let it happen again.

“Most owners just blow stuff like this off, but I can’t and I won’t,” Buttrum said.
The store owner said he makes about $30 to $35 profit a day on gas sales, working a 14-hour day, and he wasn’t going to let those profits just drive off.
“I’m just tired of it,” the businessman said. “People are running all over small stores. You read in the paper every day that someone drives off without paying for gasoline, but how many times do you read about them catching the person. We just wanted (the thieves) to know that even though we’re a small store about 10 miles out, we’re not going to put up with this kind of stuff. Hopefully, people will get the point.”

For those itching to make a difference now....you know, those of you who love to make phone calls to make politician uncomfortable, State's Attorney Gary Duncan phone number is 618 244-8025 and his personal cellular phone is 618 214-2157.

the local NAACP chapter is leaning on the SA office because Buttrum is white and the "victim" who stole the gas is black. I don't see how that could possibly be a racial issue unless Buttrum allows white people to steal from him.

===================

"In the eyes of some, Bob Buttrum might be a vigilante."

"To others, including Buttrum himself, he's just a hard-working businessman trying to eke out a living at his Bluford business while at the same time protecting his business."

"During the past 60 days, Buttrum has sparked cheers, questions and controversy, and prompted Jefferson County authorities to sponsor a community training program to advise business owners and property owners about remedies -- lawful remedies -- to protect their property." ...

"'There was never a chase and the other car was not blocked in,' Buttrum said. 'And I kept the gun pointed at the ground the entire time, except when he raised his hand to show me that he had a cell phone.'"

"Buttrum kept the gun in his hand and three people in the vehicle until police arrived." ...

"A Bluford store owner will not be charged on a weapons violation for holding at bay a teen who allegedly stole gasoline from his store. Instead, he has been asked to take training on property protection rights."

"In May, Bob Buttrum, owner of Midway Mart ... helped chase a vehicle of teens after the driver of the car allegedly pumped gas and then drove away without paying for it. Once Buttrum and several of his friends blocked the car with their vehicles, Buttrum displayed a gun and held the teens until deputies could arrive. The teen driver was later charged with theft."

"After reviewing sheriff’s department reports, Jefferson County State’s Attorney Gary Duncan said Wednesday afternoon Buttrum won’t be charged." ...

====================

A 23-year-old woman used a BB gun to scare would-be burglars away from her Bath Twp. farm house Thursday

"Jessica Shafford said she was reading poetry at 2:30 p.m....when two men pulled up to the property. One of the men went to the rear of the house and began to remove a screen window."

"Shafford said she got her boyfriend's BB gun, pointed it at the man and ordered him to leave. The men ran back to the truck and drove away."

=================

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram of July 16, 2004

Resident describes Home Invasion robbery that led to fatal shooting

James Burnett was taking a shower Wednesday afternoon when he heard his friend screaming from the living room.
Two men, armed with a handgun and a crowbar, had forced their way inside Burnett's north Grand Prairie apartment, he said. The intruders held Burnett and his female friend inside the bathroom at gunpoint while they ransacked the apartment for valuables, he said.
The robbers did not know that Burnett also had a gun.
"I could not believe what was going on," said Burnett, 38, who lives at the Fairways apartment complex on north Texas 360. "I tried to crack the door open. That's when they said, 'Touch the door again, and I'll shoot you.' "
They dragged him in the bedroom and made him unlock the safe they had found in the closet, he said. While one robber scooped dozens of valuable coins and jewelry from the safe, Burnett said he reached for his handgun sitting in a recliner by his bed.
"They hollered, 'What are you doing, what are you doing?' " Burnett said.
At that moment, Burnett said, the men began hitting him in the head and back.
"It felt like my eyeholes and brain were rattling."
Burnett grabbed the gun and began firing. He chased the men out the front door and down three flights of stairs, firing at them at least four times, according to police reports.
One suspect, 28-year-old Gerald Marshall of Arlington, was fatally shot in the side as he ran, police Sgt. Alan Patton said.
The second suspect got away, along with Burnett's collection of 1920s and 1930s peace silver dollars valued at $5,000, a $2,000 diamond ring and $400 in cash, he said. Burnett was unable to provide officers a detailed description of the suspect, and police are hoping to locate him via the rare coins.
Patton said investigators believe that Burnett was justified in using deadly force, but the case will be referred to a Tarrant County grand jury as standard procedure.
============
Three people in a black Cadillac pulled into the Fuel-N-Go in Coburg, Oregon, about 11:35 p.m. One man got out of the vehicle and entered the convenience store. Motioning as though he had a gun in his sweatshirt, he demanded money from the store clerk, who gave him about $200 in cash. Apparently dissatisfied, the robber threatened to kill her. The clerk then drew her own gun, and the man ran out to the parking lot where he fought with a male attendant. Meanwhile, the clerk followed the thug outside and, when he motioned again to indicate he was armed, she fired a shot that blew out the Cadillac's back window. The robber then jumped into the car, and the threesome took off as remnants of their ill-gotten gains floated through the air. Two men and a woman surrendered to a police canine unit soon after. Knives were seized during their arrest, and the three faced first-degree robbery charges. (The Register-Guard, Eugene, OR, 06/25/04)

2004

October, 2004

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James Shema, owner of Shema's Outdoor Sports in Merriliville, Indiana, knew immediately he was in a deadly situation. A man entered his store with a sawed-off shotgun and ordered Shema, his wife, Kathy, and three customers to drop to the floor. As Shema moved toward the floor, he grabbed a .40-caliber handgun he kept behind the counter and fired two shots at the robber. The wounded gunman fled the store and was soon apprehended by authorities who found him bleeding in the back seat of a nearby SUV. Shema said he just did what he had to do. "When he came in here with a shotgun and no mask on his face I didn't think he planned to leave survivors," Shema explained. (The Times, Munster, IN, 07/29/04)

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A young man was coming out of a bedroom in his grandmother's house in Gulfport, Mississippi, when he encountered two men who had entered the home. One of the intruders struck the young man on the head. The grandson said that after he fell he grabbed a gun hidden under the bed and began firing at the two men who then left and drove off in a gray Oldsmobile. No one was injured at the house, but at least one victim of the home invasion had been tied up with duct tape, police at the scene said. (The Sun Herald, Biloxi, MS, 07/27/04)

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Lisa Hansen awoke one morning when she heard someone moving around inside her house. She then heard someone run up her stairs and attempt to open her bedroom door. "I waited to listen to see how many footsteps I heard," Hansen said. Upon determining there was only one person in her house, Hansen grabbed her cell phone and reached for a gun she keeps under her bed. She ran out of the room, confronted the burglar, and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. The would-be burglar turned out to be a teenager who lives in the neighborhood and who had done some lawn work for Hansen previously. The teen said he had only entered her home because he saw a man in there, but Hansen did not believe the explanation. Police later discovered Hansen's cousin's checkbook in the boy's pocket. (The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, 07/9/04)

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Roy Rhodes had closed his shop and was returning home just after midnight when he was attacked from behind by two armed men. One or possibly both men fired at Rhodes, who suffered a gunshot to his leg. Rhodes returned fire, killing one of the robbers. The other gunman was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault. (Waycross Journal-Herald, Waycross, GA, 07/22/04))

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Two Tennessee women responded to a knock at their door at about 1:30 a.m. and saw two masked men standing outside. The women, who are cousins, ran to an upstairs bedroom as the men kicked in their back door. Police spokesman Don Aaron described what happened next: "As one of them [the intruders] came to the doorway of the bedroom where the two women were hiding, the older cousin, who had retrieved a pistol from a nightstand, fired one time. The intruder was hit and died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head." The other intruder fired twice but neither woman was injured. The deceased intruder was identified as Maurice Wilson who had been charged with 38 offenses in the past three years, Aaron said. (Tennessean, Nashville, TN, 07/19/04)

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An East Oakland, California market employee thwarted a robbery attempt at the 3M Market early one Saturday. The alleged robber, identified as David Mosely, was wounded in his head and back, and left the store. Police were called to a nearby apartment to investigate a call about a man covered in blood, but did not locate the suspect when they arrived. Mosely was arrested a short time later when he attempted to steal a car. He was charged with attempted robbery and taken to the hospital. (The San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA, 07/25/04)

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A Pacific Beach, California, resident heard someone breaking into his home at 1:52 am. Fearing for his wife and young child's safety, the homeowner retrieved a gun and fired at the intruder who suffered a wound to his ankle and fled the scene. Police apprehended the suspect, took him for medical treatment and then to jail. (The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego, CA, 07/12/04)

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September, 2004

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Erica Rodeheaver said she and her husband, Russell, owners of Casteel's Store and Dairy King in Hazieton, West Virginia, had an agreed-upon routine to follow in case their store was ever robbed. They followed that plan when the alarm was tripped at 12:42 a.m. one Wednesday. "My husband checked the back door, and it was secure," said Rodeheaver. "He went to the kitchen door and it was ajar just a little bit" She illuminated the outside of the building with the headlights~ on her Explorer while her husband continued to check the windows. The back door opened slightly, noted Rodeheaver, and then she noticed the robbers inside. She called out to her husband, who came around the back holding a shotgun. He told the intruders to come out of the building and sit down. Russell Rodeheaver held the pair, identified as David Elvis Dalton, Jr., and Ray Funk, until police took them into custody, charging them with breaking and entering. (The Dominion Post, Morgantown, WV, 06/17/04)

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Shop Rite clerk Abdrab Ashishi was preparing to close the convenience store for the night when a man dressed in black and wearing a white Halloween mask moved behind the counter. The masquerader, later identified as career criminal David Billups, pointed what appeared to be a gun at Ashishi, who retrieved a handgun and fired several shots at Billups, killing him. Hamilton County prosecutor Mike Allen commented that Ashishi was within his rights. "He did what he had the legal right to do: He got his weapon and fired," said Allen. (Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME, 06/21/04)

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Three people in a black Cadillac pulled into the Fuel-N-Go in Coburg, Oregon, about 11:35 p.m. One man got out of the vehicle and entered the convenience store. Motioning as though he had a gun in his sweatshirt, he demanded money from the store clerk, who gave him about $200 in cash. Apparently dissatisfied, the robber threatened to kill her. The clerk then drew her own gun, and the man ran out to the parking lot where he fought with a male attendant. Meanwhile, the clerk followed the thug outside and, when he motioned again to indicate he was armed, she fired a shot that blew out the Cadillac's back window. The robber then jumped into the car, and the threesome took off as remnants of their ill-gotten gains floated through the air. Two men and a woman surrendered to a police canine unit soon after. Knives were seized during their arrest, and the three faced first-degree robbery charges. (The Register-Guard, Eugene, OR, 06/25/04)

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A man attempting to carjack a Cadillac DeVille from a gas station was shot and killed by the car wner. Brian Dean told DeKalb County, Georgia, police that when he stopped at a gas station on Glenwood Road about 3 a.m., an armed man approached and attempted to steal his car. Dean drew his own gun and shot the would-be carjacker, later identified as Banarrek Von Clayton, in the leg. Von Clayton managed to drive a short distance in the Cadillac, but succumbed to his wounds and crashed into a utility pole a few feet away. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 06/21/04)

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Samuel "Lucky" Parker didn't live up to his name when he was shot and killed during a store robbery- his second of the night. Parker had robbed a Texaco station just a half hour before entering the Sunrise Mart. Near closing time, Tamer Abdulwahab and his cousin, Abdulwahab Zeidan, were standing at the counter. Parker entered wearing dark clothing, a face mask, and a single glove. Abdulwahab thought it was some sort of prank until the masked man pulled a gun, aimed it at his cousin, and demanded money. Abdulwahab slipped out of sight long enough to draw his own gun and point it at Parker. Zeidan had been frozen behind the register, but when Parker cocked his gun, Zeidan slipped and fell. Parker then fired several shots, which hit the cash register just above Zeidan's head. Abdulwahab fired at Parker, striking him twice. Realizing his luck had run out, Parker fled the store. Authorities later found his body in a nearby ditch. Neither cousin was injured, and when police recovered Parker's pistol, they found it had jammed after he fired five rounds. "He was shooting at my cousin, my blood," said Abdulwahab. "We are lucky to be here." (The Town Talk, Alexandria, LA, 06/21/04)

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A Bergen, New York, homeowner returned to his house around 10 am. to discover two men and a woman in the process of burglarizing his home. The resident drew a handgun on the trio. When the men attempted to escape in a van, the homeowner punched out one of its windows. One of the men then threw gasoline at him from a can and the men took off. The homeowner continued to hold the woman at gunpoint until police arrived. Police later arrested the two men, and all three suspects were charged with burglary. (Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY, 05/26/04)

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August, 2004

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Andrew Atkinson was looking for trouble one Wednesday night as police were called to investigate a disturbance he had caused at a Malta, Montana, tavern. Still on the scene at the tavern, police were then called to a nearby home where an intruder had been reported. Robert Taylor said that a man, later identified as Atkinson, had forced his way through Taylor's front door. After a fierce struggle, the 59-year-old homeowner shot Atkinson in the leg. Both men were hospitalized, and Taylor was released with minor injuries. Upon his release from the hospital, Atkinson was to be arrested and charged with burglary, according to Phillips County Sheriff Tom Miller. (Great Falls Tribune, Great Falls, MT, 06/03/04)

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When they heard two fugitives were on the loose in their Paradise Valley, Wyoming, neighborhood, Eugene Summers and his stepson, Bobby Allison, armed themselves with a shovel and a gun and took a look around Summers property. They discovered the two men hiding under a tarp in Summers shop. One of the crooks snatched a crowbar off the wall and swung it at Summers, who responded by hitting the man in the head with his gun. When the accomplice approached Summers' stepson, Allison whacked him with his shovel. "They minded a lot better after that," Summers reported. Police arrived soon after and led the pair of criminals away in handcuffs. The men, identified as Christopher Sylvester and Joel Schott, were charged with buying and receiving stolen property and criminal entry. (Casper Star-Tribune, Casper, WY, 04/24/04)

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A female employee at the Tobacco Rack was in the back of the store when she heard someone enter bout 7:15 a.m. The woman looked toward the entrance and saw a man holding a shotgun, pointing it down toward the floor, and possibly loading it. The employee drew a revolver and demanded the intruder leave the store. The gunman pulled his jacket hood down to cover his face, saying, "I'm going, I'm going," and left the premises. Police were looking for the suspect, who was wearing a baby blue, hooded jacket. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock, AR, 05/15/04)

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Three men entered the Mount Vernon Liquor store in Colton, California, and attempted to rob the store. One man I jumped over the counter and approached the owner's mother, who was standing there. Fearing his mother would be shot, the owner, Mr. Lee, fired at the bandits, striking all three. Police arrived to find one of the suspects dead in the doorway. His two accomplices were apprehended and taken to a hospital for treatment. No one else in the store was injured. Despite that robbery and one the previous year, the Lees said they planned to keep the store open as they felt an obligation to their community. (The Sun, San Bernardino, CA, 05/25/04)

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During the entire robbery, Habib Howard focused on the gun pointed at him. The intruder had entered Howard's Carryout just moments before, walked to the back, picked up a 12-pack of beer, and brought it to the cash register where Howard had just relieved a female employee. Before Howard could ask for an ID required to purchase the beer, the man drew a handgun, pointed it at Howard, and demanded money. Howard complied, opening the cash register and trying to back away. The robber demanded Howard place the money on the counter. Again he complied and then stepped back. As he took the money and began backing out of the store, the robber raised his gun. Howard responded by drawing his own gun and shooting the gunman, who fled the store. The gunman and an accomplice, identified as Jose CustodiaMota and Alberto Martinez, respectively, were apprehended and charged with aggravated robbery. (The Blade, Toledo, OH, 05/18/04)

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A 63-year-old South Phoenix homeowner was alarmed to see his living room window shatter and an arm ome through the opening during an attempted break-in. Aware of other burglaries in his neighborhood, the resident feared for his safety and fired at the intruders, killing one-identified as Ronald Freese. The other burglar, Freese's brother, Rudy, ran to a relative's nearby home seeking help for Ronald. Rudy Freese was arrested and charged with attempted burglary when he returned to the scene. He faces first-degree murder charges if found guilty of a crime that resulted in a death. (The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ, 04/30/04)

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As her ex-boyfriend proceeded to kick in her back door, a Manor Township, Pennsylvania, woman called police and then ran upstairs. Fearing help would not arrive in time, the woman locked herself in a bedroom and grabbed a rifle from under the bed. The man entered the home and raced upstairs where he began pounding on the locked door. When the woman's warnings to stop went unheeded, she fired a shot, injuring him. Police arrived as the man was leaving and placed him under arrest. Said one investigator, "He wasn't there to deliver flowers. She was defending herself." (Lancaster New Era, Lancaster, PA, 05/06/04)

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July, 2004

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George Finch, 75, was sleeping in his recliner when he heard the sounds of glass breaking. Sorneone had broken a back window and was now entering his home. Finch got his gun and encountered the interloper in his kitchen. "He stepped into the kitchen and he [the intruder] was right there. My dad told him to stop," Finch's daughter Debbie Skaggs, recalls her father telling her. Finch told her the man "just kept coming" so he fired one shot, hitting the would-be thief in the leg. The wounded man, later identified by police as Kevin Richardson, made his escape through the same window he had entered, ran a short distance, and collapsed. Richardson, who died shortly thereafter, had a history of theft, trespass, and prostitution arrests. (The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, IN, 4/4/04)

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A Cambridge, Minnesota, man awoke to the sound of breaking glass. He retrieved a shotgun and began checking rooms when he encountered three men who had entered his home. Two of the intruders fled, but the homeowner held the third man later identified as Robert Hanson at gunpoint while he awaited the arrival of police. The other two suspects were apprehended and the three were charged with aiding and abetting felony first-degree burglary. (Isanti County News,Cambridge, MN, 4/21/04)

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A man approached the clerk at Forest Service Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, and asked for change. When he approached the clerk a second time, he brandished a knife, pointed it at the clerk, and said, "Don't do anything stupid, and give me all the money." The clerk responded by drawing a handgun and ordering the would-be bandit out of the store, reported Lowell Police Chief Bernard P. Nally. (Lowell Sun, Lowell, MA, 4/15/04)

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Barbara Holland closed her used car lot for the day and drove home. She had checked to make sure the handgun she has carried since 1992 was loaded after a strange encounter at the car lot left her feeling uneasy. Holland pulled the car into her driveway and, as she entered her side door, Holland bent down to retrieve something she had dropped. Suddenly a man armed with a gun came rushing at her. Holland tried to slam her door on him, but the man shoved the door open and Holland fell back on her landing. Lying on her back, Holland snatched her pistol from its holster, ready to protect herself and her 15-year-old daughter who was home at the time. Her assailant's glare changed. "He looked surprised," she said. Holland recalls firing three times, but authorities later confirmed six shots. Police identified Holland's attacker, who died at the scene, as an ex-con named Clabe Hunt. (Detroit Free Press, Detroit, MI, 4/29/04)

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Ronnie Breland and his son, Joshua, drove out to some property the family owned after a neighbor warned them that trespassers had been seen in the area. Breland drove a pickup truck, and his son rode beside him, armed with a 9mm pistol. Breland discovered two men standing by a truck hidden in some trees. As the Brelands approached the trespassers, one man crawled deeper into the woods as the other raised his arm, holding a gun in his hand. Joshua Breland raised his gun in response. When his father yelled to the interloper, "Hit the ground or you're dead," the younger Breland said the man hit the dirt immediately, and the other man crawled back out of the woods on his belly. "I held them at gunpoint while my dad duct-taped their hands and feet," Joshua said. "Duct tape was all we had." Mobile County Sheriff's Department deputies picked up the two men, charging them with manufacturing methamphetamine and second-degree criminal trespass. (Mobile Register, Mobile, AL, 4/14/04))

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Tree armed men attempted to rob jewelry store on East Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles. They confronted the store owner demanding jewels and cash. When they began shooting, the owner returned fire, shooting one of the gunmen. The three fled the store, but the wounded robber collapsed in a nearby market and died. (Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, 4/7/04)

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Four armed men wearing masks robbed the Central Mart in Pomona, California. One of the robbers fired several shots at the grocery's owner when the owner and his wife refused to open the store's safe. The owner fired back at the gunman, who limped along with his accomplices as they ran from the store. One of the robbers fired a second time at the owner when he went outside to check on his wife who was lying on the ground. The owner returned fire, but the gunman got into a blue van and drove off. Neither the store owner nor his wife was injured in the incident. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Ontario, CA, 4/15/04)

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June, 2004

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Paul Ham and his son, Jimmy, entered a mobile home on their property to repair a water leak for tenant Kevin Clark. As they walked in, the Hams encountered a couple staying with Clark, William and Kristina Thell. William Tuell immediately began shooting at the Hams, hitting the elder Ham in the head and shooting Jimmy Ham in the face. Both Hams then ran for their house, with Tuell and his wife on their heels. The attack continued in the Hams' home as Tuell and his wife attempted to shoot the entire Ham family. Kristina Tuell was wrestled to the ground by Ham's daughter, Sherry, but managed to escape. Though wounded, Jimmy Ham finally managed to secure a gun and kill Tuell with one shot. Kristina Tuell was later arrested after a massive manhunt and faces multiple charges, including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. (Jefferson Post, West Jefferson, NC, 02/17/04)

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Two men and one woman broke into the apartment of a 20-year-old college student at 5:48 a.m. One invader was armed with a pellet gun, and the three overpowered the resident and tied him up. As the intruders began to ransack the apartment, the student was able to free himself and get hold of his handgun. He fired three shots, hitting one of the burglars in the chest, and then ran from the apartment and called for help. Police discovered the body of one suspect, identified as Juan Herrera, on the stairs leading to the apartment. The other two suspects had not been apprehended. (The Salinas Californian, Salinas, CA, 03/23/04)

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At 6:30 in the morning, a woman was walking from her car to her office when she noticed a car on the lot with two people inside. A man got out of the car and started toward her, his hands in his pockets. The woman realized she would not be able to reach the office door before the man reached her. Believing she was in imminent danger, the married mother of two opened her purse and drew her gun. The man reacted immediately, turning and walking back to the car, which had pulled up alongside him. The man got into the car and it sped off. Thinking quickly, the woman called police on her cell phone and provided a detailed description of the car and the couple, who were picked up within minutes of the attempted robbery. A 9mm handgun was found in the couple's car and they were charged with attempted armed robbery. Farmington Hills, Michigan, Police Chief William Dwyer, who had not been a proponent of the state's recently enacted concealed carry law, said the situation had changed his view. "She took the appropriate action," Dwyer said, "and probably saved her life." (The Daily Oakland Press, Pontiac, MI, 03/20/04)

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Lance Myers of Anderson, South Carolina, awoke around midnight to a thumping sound. He then heard a shuffling sound and saw a man crawling into his bedroom. Alarmed, Myers switched on a light beside his bed and the man, dressed in a black hooded shirt and jeans, jumped to his feet, holding an ax with a 3-foot handle. Myers hastily retrieved a gun from his nightstand and told the intruder to drop the ax. When he repeated his demand to drop the ax, the man raised the ax higher and appeared to come at Myers, who fired one fatal shot, dropping the man instantly. Police identified the suspect as Ernest Leroy Miles, who had been arrested multiple times for burglaries, robberies, and drug offenses. (Anderson IndependentMail, Anderson, SC, 03/09/04)

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A Plainview, Texas, family was awakened about 2 am. by the chilling sound of someone breaking a window in their home. Since his father worked nights and left him in charge, a 13-year-old took it upon himself to protect his mother and younger brother. Upon hearing the noise, the boy got his father's shotgun and, when he saw someone attempting to enter through the broken window, fired one shot. No one was injured, and the would-be burglar was not located. But Capt. Michael T. Carroll praised the boy's quick thinking that prevented his family from becoming crime victims. "We commend his bravery for protecting his mother," Carroll said. (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Lubbock, TX, 02/20/04) )

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Melany Yancey was home alone when two men wearing bandannas kicked in her front door and came upstairs about 2:50 am. Yancey later told police that she had locked herself in her bedroom and retrieved a handgun when she first heard the commotion. The intruders then attempted to break through the bedroom door. She fired a shot in their direction, and one man fired back at her. The men then moved into another bedroom and Yancey took the opportunity to flee her house, firing two more shots at the invaders as she ran outside. She was able to call 9-1-1 from a neighbor's home. Police found one of the suspects lying on the driveway, dead from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The other suspect remained at large. (Springfield News-Sun, Springfield, OH, 03/22/04))

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May, 2004

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The only crime jewelry store owner Gilbert Dorland previously experienced in his shop was the occasional shoplifter trying to steal an antique watch. But he reacted quickly when two armed men attempted to rob his store. The men, wearing bandannas over their faces, entered Western Jewelry and Coin at 4:19 p.m. Both drew guns and called out, "Nobody move." Dorland didn't heed that warning and drew his own gun, firing at the masked bandits and injuring one. Dorland and a friend who was in the store at the time of the robbery attempt were not injured. The would-be robbers fled in a dark green Jeep Cherokee. Police said that a man suffering from a gunshot wound later pulled into a local hospital in a vehicle matching that description. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA, 02/21/04)

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Perry Tatsch and his wife were sleeping when a man drove his truck through a gate on their property and kicked in the front door around 2 a.m. The intruder, later identified as Steven Ray Foster, then assaulted Tatsch. Coming to her husband's aid, Tatsch's wife managed to push Foster into the kitchen. When Tatsch then ran into his bathroom, Foster followed him and continued beating him. Tatschs wife intervened a second time giving Tatsch enough time to secure a handgun. Tatsch then ordered Foster to leave. The two men struggled and Tatsch shot Foster in the chest, killing him. The Tatsches had separated for a while and Foster reportedly had been interested in dating Mrs. Tatsch, who told authorities she did not share Foster's interest. (Austin American-Statesman, Austin, TX, 02/14/04)

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A liquor store clerk thwarted a robbery attempt at Latam Wines & Liquor in Tampa, Florida, when he grabbed a gun kept under the counter and aimed it at the crook. The robbery attempt occurred at 8:30 p.m. when a man wearing a bandanna over his face entered the liquor store. The masked man approached the counter and pointed a gun at the clerk who, in turn, pulled out a gun and aimed it at the would-be robber. The masked man fled the store without shots being fired and took off in a late model Camaro or Trans Am. Three other men were in the vehicle when it sped off, according to police. (Tampa Tribune, Tampa, FL, 01/10/04)

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Ivory Grayson responded to a knock at his front door early one morning. The young man on his doorstep asked for Grayson's grandson. The 65-year-old homeowner replied that his grandson was not there. During the conversation at his front door, Grayson noticed a second man trying to hide from view. When the two men returned and knocked on his door again, Grayson retrieved a handgun before answering. Both men were armed, and they forced their way into the home. Grayson took cover behind a living room chair and "a gun battle ensued," reported Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Justin Risley. Grayson exchanged gunfire with one of the armed intruders and killed the gunman. He then exchanged fire with the second man at the front of the house, until the intruder fled. (Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, CA, 01/08/04)

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Michael Spearman heard an unusual noise in his house one morning and went to investigate. Spearman discovered two men rummaging through his gun cabinet. The homeowner had armed himself with a .357 Mag. revolver and, when he confronted the intruders, shot at one would-be burglar, who fled. Spearman then held the other man at gunpoint until sheriffs deputies arrived. "I didn't know what to think when I saw two men in my house," Spearman recalled. "One kept advancing at me; I had to do something." Sheriff Herbie Johnson praised Spearman's quick thinking. "Every person has the right to defend themselves and their homes," Johnson said. "This man had the presence of mind to handle the situation. He captured one suspect and was able to give us a good description of the other." Johnson said Spearman's actions might help them solve several burglary investigations. (Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, AL, 01/07/04)

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A series of increasingly violent incidents culminated in the death of a former handyman who broke into the home of a previous employer and his wife. James Butler returned fire, killing David Brown after Brown shot the couple. The incident occurred around 11 p.m. when Brown entered the house, armed with a handgun and rifle. He shot Butler once in the neck, and Butler's wife, Suzanne, in the arm. Butler managed to reach a handgun he kept in the home and shot Brown several times. Butler told police he had hired Brown to do odd jobs a few years ago. Last year Brown was seen peering in the Butlers' windows, behavior which subsequently escalated to threats, unwanted phone calls, and break-ins. Brown had previously been charged with assaulting Mrs. Butler on Christmas Eve when she came home and discovered him in the house. (News-Leader, Springfield, MO, 02/08/04)

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April, 2004

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Three men entered a Houston, Texas, plumbing business and attempted to rob the owner. Proprietor Andrea McNabb was in a back office when the attempted robbery took place. When confronted by the men, McNabb drew a gun and shot two of the miscreants. All three men ran from the store. One suspect was arrested after stealing the owner's car and driving himself to the hospital for medical assistance. A second man suffering a gunshot wound to the leg was picked up within two blocks of the crime scene. The third suspect was not located. (Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, 12/03/03)

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Four men broke into an Indianapolis, Indiana, home and confronted the homeowner who fired at the intruders with a shotgun. One of the suspects was shot, and his accomplices took him to a local hospital where he later died. The remaining three men were arrested and charged with burglary and felony murder, according to Indianapolis Police Department spokesman Lt. Paul Ciesielski. (The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, IN, 01/29/04)

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Baltimore Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller was confronted at his Tallahassee, Florida, home by an armed man about 2:30 a.m. when he and a houseguest went outside to retrieve something from his car. The gunman chased after Fuller who ran back into his home to get his revolver. After an exchange of gunfire the assailant fled and no one was injured. Fuller is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of his assailant. (St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL, 01/22/04)

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A Somerville, Massachusetts, resident had just stepped out of his shower when he heard unusual sounds at the back of his house. When a man broke through his back door, the homeowner retrieved a handgun, confronted the intruder, and shot him in the shoulder. The wounded burglar ran from the house, but police were able to track him by following a trail of blood to a nearby rail station. The suspect was treated at a local hospital for the gunshot wound, and police were expected to charge him with breaking and entering. (Boston Herald, Boston, MA, 01/23/04)

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Oran Stark, an 81-year-old used car dealer, owes his wellbeing and that of 83-year-old Violet Wells to a 1903 Springfield rifle he hadn't fired in over 40 years. Stark leases the dealership from Wells and both were on the premises when a man, later identified as Benny Breathitt, threatened him with a knife. Breathitt tied up Stark and searched him for money. The robber asked Stark, "Is that all you have?" He then turned his interest to Wells who was in the business office. Wells screamed for help as the knife-wielding thug threw her against a wall and then pushed her to the floor and tied her up. Stark then managed to free himself and pull out the old rifle. When Breathitt saw the gun, he didn't wait to see if it was loaded. "He burst into a high run," Stark said. Breathitt was arrested a few blocks from the dealership and charged with two counts of aggravated robbery. (Brownwood Bulletin, Brownwood, TX, 01/16/04)

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Kersten Von Seebach met his match when he attempted to break into an Erwin, Tennessee, home. The 56-year-old homeowner heard the commotion when Seebach broke through her porch door and then tried to force his way through her front door. At that point the woman grabbed her cordless phone and a pistol and went out the back door. The angry homeowner confronted the would-be burglar in front of her house fired a shot in his direction, and called the police. She told them to hurry as she had shot at him once and would do it again if she had to. It took authorities only six minutes to arrive at the scene where they arrested Seebach and charged him with aggravated burglary and unlawful possession of a weapon. (Johnson City Press, Johnson City, TN, 01/28/04)

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Butch Thomas dialed 9-1-1 when he looked outside and saw two strange men enter his mother's nearby house. Once he knew police were on the way, Thomas grabbed his shotgun and drove his own car into his mother's driveway to block the intruders' vehicle. Then he went in to confront the men. Thomas ordered the two at gunpoint into the back yard, where he made them lie down, and then tied their hands behind their backs. The duo was arrested and charged with burglary. Corporal Mike Parsons of the Jackson County Sheriffs Department commented, "It's rare when we get a call that a burglary is in progress and the suspects are still there when we arrive. To have them tied up and waiting ... was really something." (The Jackson Star News, Jackson, TN, 01/22/04)

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March, 2004

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A 34-year-old man tried to make good on threats he had made to his ex-wife, but was himself shot instead. Despite a court order demanding he stay away from his ex and her home, the man broke into her house. The woman was fearful, as her ex-husband had previously caIled her several times threatening to kill her. She immediately picked up the phone and began to dial 9-1-1. The intruder hit her in the face and knocked the phone out of her hand. Another man, who lives in the home, picked up a .30-30 Win. rifle and shot the attacker in the leg. The wounded man was airlifted to a local hospital. Sheriffs deputies say they had responded to the same house numerous times prior to the shooting. (Times-News, Hendersonville, NC, 12/28/03)

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Alex Patlakh, owner of Rush Jewelers in North Philadelphia, shot one of a pair of thugs during an attempted robbery and was wounded in the struggle when a bullet grazed his head and another hit him in the shoulder. It was not the first business robbery the Patlakh family had experienced. In 1999, Patlakh's son, Brogdan, was killed when his jewelry store was robbed. This latest attempt occurred just before 9:45 a.m. Two men stood at the door of the shop and motioned that they wished to enter. Patlakh pressed a buzzer to open the door and the men came inside, asking to look at some jewelry. One man suddenly drew a gun, and a struggle ensued. Shots were exchanged, leaving Patlakh and one of the robbers wounded. The second robber escaped. (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, 12/18/03)

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Mario Cassola and his sister Lia Mercuri, co-owners of Vinnys Pizza in Rockford, Illinois, are no strangers to crime as one of their deliverymen was beaten and robbed, and their restaurant had been burglarized. When two armed men burst into the pizzeria one Monday night, the brother-sister team fought back and won. After the men entered the establishment one man began beating Cassola with a hammer while the second man aimed a rifle at him. Cassola shook off the blows and grabbed his assailant, then used him as a human shield against the man with the rifle. While her brother held the men's attention, Mercuri pulled out a gun kept at the restaurant and began firing. The two bandits fled empty-handed. Police later recovered the hammer and rifle and arrested Michael Buck and Vaughn Gulley in connection with the crime. (Rockford Register Star, Rockford, IL, 11/19/03)

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Two men entered Ann's Market one night in an apparent robbery attempt, and one of them was shot by a store employee. Inside the store, one of the would-be robbers brandished a handgun. Upon seeing the gun, the clerk on duty pulled a firearm and shot the assailant. The accomplice then fled the store. The wounded crook faces robbery and firearms violations charges-once he is released from the hospital. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, PA, 01/04/04)

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Two armed men tried to hold up a tire store, but a teenage employee with a shotgun got the best of them. The men entered the store armed with pistols and wearing black masks. A 16-year-old employee grabbed a shotgun in the shop's office and, after a tense 30-second standoff, the would-be bandits vacated the premises. (Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, FL, 12/08/03)

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Uzair Khan and two other employees at Dani's Food Mart were preparing to close the store just before midnight when a young man-his face partially disguised-entered the store and began waving a handgun around. Khan later told police that he immediately handed the gunman the cash drawer and begged him to leave. The robber later identified as Melvin Dugger, seemed in no hurry to leave and kept looking around the store. "I begged him not to shoot me," Khan said. "But he kept looking around. He wouldn't leave." Fearing he would be shot, Khan drew a handgun and shot Dugger, who dropped the cash drawer and his gun and ran from the store. Police discovered his body behind a nearby apartment building. (Macon Telegraph, Macon, GA, 12/19/03)

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A man shot and killed a dog menacing his family when the dog charged within a foot of his wife and child. Mother and child first encountered the snarling animal in their driveway. The mother told her child not to move as she used her cell phone to call her husband who was inside the home. When the man tried to get his family inside to safety, the dog charged them and he shot it. Police had warned the dog's owners earlier that day of complaints filed by other neighbors. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer,, Seattle, WA, 12/10/03)

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Feruary, 2004

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A 73-year-old St. Louis County, Missouri, man looked up from his television one night to see an armed man holding 4-inch shears to his wife's throat. The intruder had broken into the couple's basement through a window tied a curtain around his face as a mask. The man grabbed the homeowner's wife when she came downstairs and forced her into the living room where he demanded money from her husband. The homeowner managed to keep his wits about him and told the bandit that he needed to retrieve his wallet from the bedroom. He returned instead with a gun and, as his wife pulled away, shot her captor. The man was able to pull the woman outside with him, but finally succumbed to his wounds and collapsed. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, 11/20/03)

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Jeff Pantzer of Stuart, Florida, was awakened in the night by the sound of blinds rattling. Someone had broken in just five months previously, and Pantzer now kept a shotgun just in case. He took up his gun and fired as he saw a man's legs enter his window, scaring the would-be burglar right out of his shoes. "My safety was my first consideration," Pantzer said. "It was real quick, he was halfway in the window ... I fired, and he exited the window at the same time The suspect was not apprehended, but police say he may be linked to four similar burglaries in the area. (The News, Stuart, Florida, 11/27/03)

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Two armed men burst into a Coatesville, Pennsylvania, home and demanded money from the two occupants in the living room. One of the armed invaders went up to the master bedroom and threatened to shoot or beat the couple in bed if they didn't hand over some money. The man in bed, identified as Omar Reid, grabbed a pistol from the nightstand drawer and shot the robber just as he shot at Reid. With one intruder down Reid then raced down the stairs where he encountered the second man and they exchanged fire. The second home invader fled the scene. Reid was not injured during the gunfire. The wounded invader was taken to the hospital. (Daily Local News, Westchester, Pennsylvania, 11/07/03)

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When Judy Abram had her sisters over to play dominoes a man walked up to the house and attempted to break through Abram's living room window. She yelled at the man to leave, but he continued coming in the window. Abram then ran to her bedroom and returned with a pistol. She aimed it at the home invader saying, "Can't you see I have a gun? Get out of here!" The intruder continued to advance on her so she fired at him, emptying her gun. Suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest, the home-invader then went to a neighbor's house, where he crashed through the living room window and collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene. (San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, Texas, 11/03/03)

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A Freeport, New York, woman has her boyfriend and his brother to thank for rescuing her from a rapist. First Squad Det. Lt. Andrew Fal of Nassau, New York, reported that the suspect was believed to have been hiding 'in the basement of the home for some time. When the woman's boyfriend left for work, the intruder hid his face with a surgical mask and went upstairs. He attacked the woman in her bedroom, punching her repeatedly in the face, and then tried to rape her. The boyfriend's brother, who also lives in the home, heard the commotion and thought his brother was having a fight with his girlfriend. He called the brother on his cell phone to see what was going on, and when his brother told him he was driving to work, the two realized the woman was in real trouble. The brother called the police and retrieved a 9mm pistol. The woman's boyfriend returned to the house where he and his brother confronted her attacker, holding him at gunpoint until authorities arrived and placed her attacker under arrest. (Newsday, New York, New York, 11/22/03)

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Madison County, Mississippi woman shot and killed her attacker during a home invasion. The woman had answered her door late one evening when a man armed with a gun forced his way inside. "He physically assaulted her," reported Madison County Sheriff Toby Trowbridge. The homeowner managed to pull her gun just as her attacker drew his. The home invader, shot in the abdomen, ran from the house and collapsed in the driveway, according to police reports. A suspected accomplice drove away in a car and has not been located. The homeowner was taken to the hospital suffering from a gunshot wound to her side, and was reported to be in stable condition. (Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, 12/02/03)

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Salem, Massachusetts, resident learned what a great deterrent owning a gun can be. The resident called police, not to report being a victim of a crime, but to say that he discovered a man "all dressed in black" trying to break into his home. The resident aimed his gun at the would-be intruder, who decided to cut his losses and run. (The Salem News Salem, Massachussetts, 11/28/03)

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January, 2004

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A 26-year-old Portsmouth, Virginia, mother had used her new .40-caliber pistol at the target range for the first time and ended up relying on it to defend her family from an assailant that night. Temesha Greene was fearful of the increasing crime rate in her community and had purchased the gun to protect her family. After learning to shoot the gun at the range, she went to a grocery store later that day with her boyfriend and her two sons. Upon returning home and while they were unloading groceries from the car, Greene said a man got out of a van and approached them in the driveway. Greene and her boyfriend, Cedric Williams, asked the man who he was but he did not respond. When Greene saw the man draw a gun, she pulled her handgun and the two exchanged fire. Williams found cover behind a tree and told the two boys to duck down. Greene was not injured, but managed to shoot the gunman, later identified as Emmitt Warren. When the gunfire subsided, the driver of the van started to leave, but Warren called out to him to wait. When the van was later located, Warren was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He and an accomplice have been charged with attempted murder and weapons violations. (The Virginian-Pilot, Hampton Roads, VA, 11/04/03)

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A young, armed thug was so startled by his would-be victim's defending himself that he turned tail and ran, leaving his gun- and his pride-behind. The inept robber entered JP Liquors in Wilmington, Delaware, and chatted with the clerk for a moment before pulling a semi-automatic pistol and demanding money. The 60-year-old clerk responded by pulling his own gun, firing two shots at the bandit who ran from the store, fell down some steps, and dropped his gun in his haste. (The News Journal, Wilmington, DE, 10/25/03)

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Two would-be robbers found their presence was most unwelcome at a Syracuse, New York, restaurant. The owner of the Welcome Inn was in the restaurant's kitchen when a masked man entered the establishment and aimed a gun at him, demanding money. Ready to defend himself, the innkeeper drew his own .45-caliber pistol and aimed it at the gunman, who fled the restaurant with another man. (The Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY, 11/01/03)

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Norman Woodall shot and killed one of the two men who broke into his home at 1:40 a.m. Woodall told police that one of the men had been armed with a gun when the two kicked open his front door and stormed in, apparently intending to rob him. Woodall struggled with the would-be robbers and fired his own gun, striking one of the men in the face and causing the second man to flee. The wounded assailant, later identified as Darnell Woodward, was pronounced dead at the scene. (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, 10/30/03)

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Two armed men entered Shamrock Liquor in Quartz Hill, California, wearing black masks over their faces. One of the masked bandits pointed a gun at the clerk on duty, who reached into a drawer by the counter, pulled a gun, and fired at the men, hitting one would-be robber in the chest. The suspects fled the store and a man fitting the description of the wounded robber was later located at a nearby hospital where he was being treated for a bullet wound to the chest. The second suspect was not located. (Antelope Valley Press, Palmdale, CA, 09/21/03)

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Kim Fedje shot and killed two dogs that had viciously attacked a herd of 13 llamas in her care before turning and charging her. Fedje was out on her morning rounds feeding the animals. As she approached the llamas, she noticed they were huddled together in a defensive stance. That's when she saw two dogs circling the herd. When she called out to the llamas, the dogs turned in her direction. "I could hear them growling from 40 yards away," Fedje recalled. "They were making a beeline for me. I thought I was dead." Fedje reacted by firing her rifle at the attacking dogs. The first dog fell after two or three shots, the second dog continued toward her until she had emptied her gun. Fedje called her fiance who went back out with her to examine the animals. All 13 llamas had suffered dog bites. The dogs, a Labrador/rottweiler mix, belonged to a neighbor who had taken them out for a walk the night before. Both animals had run off into a cornfield and did not return. (The Forum, Fargo, ND, 10/30/03)

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Action Video store manager Ron Simpson says he knows guns. And he knew the "gun" pointed at him in a robbery was fake. A man approached the counter and pulled a gun from his waistband, demanding money. Simpson, a Vietnam vet and gun aficionado, said the gun resembled a 9mm, but the muzzle was far too small to project a bullet. "That is not a real gun," Simpson said. "This is a real gun," he added, pulling a .25-caliber handgun from his pocket. Simpson used the phone to call authorities. Caught in his "fake out," the bandit fled when Simpson called the police. (News and Record, Greensboro, NC, 10/17/03)

The Apartment

On the evening of May 15, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, city councilor Matthew Straight and friend Barren Bessette heard loud banging noises coming from an apartment on the third floor of a three-unit apartment building owned by Straight's sister. Bessette is a first-floor tenant: Straight lives in a nearby home.

With Bessette carrying a licensed handgun, the two went to investigate and found a burglary in progress. The apartment door had been forcibly removed and two young intruders were inside. Straight grappled with one of the youths, 18-year-old Michael Gilbert, and suffered a few minor injuries during the tussle. Gilbert eventually broke free and fled, but was apprehended by police two days later.

The other young burglar, Jonathan Duval, 17, brandished a knife in a threatening manner, whereupon Bessette fired two shots. One missed, but the other struck the teen in an upper leg. The wound required treatment at a local hospital, but was not life-threatening.

Gilbert was charged with assault and battery and for breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony. He had recently been released from jail. And according to authorities had an extensive record of such crimes. Duval was also charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, and with several charges related to assault with a dangerous weapon.

According to the May 22 Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, police believe that the actions of both Bessette and Straight, including the gunshot, were in self-defense.

Viper's Nest

On July 6, two Loveland, Colorado, girls on vacation in Montana climbed a hillside in the Paradise Valley area of Livingston to improve cell phone reception so they could call friends. "We were just going up for a hike, and my dog sniffed out a hole," Izzy Effler, 13, remembers. The curious canine apparently spooked a large rattlesnake, which emerged from the hole and struck at (but did not bite) Izzy. Morgan Beadwell, 12, then stepped on another rattler, but quickly jumped away unharmed. Within moments, other snakes began appearing until the youngsters were surrounded by at least a half-dozen deadly vipers. Utilizing the cell phone, the frightened youngsters called Izzy's father, Brian Effler, for help. Accompanied by a teenage nephew, Mr. Effler grabbed a pellet gun and rushed up the hillside. They shot two snakes, and when two others slithered into holes, the girls scurried through the clearing and down the hillside to safety.

Teamwork

On July 1 at a bank in Eldersburg, Maryland, off-duty Baltimore County police officer Hugh Engle was conducting personal business when a teller noticed that a man wearing a mask and carrying a bag had entered the bank. Alerted by the teller, Engle drew his handgun and identified himself as a police officer, whereupon the bandit, who was apparently unarmed, fled.

Engle gave chase and caught the would-be robber, Albert Collins, in the bank's parking lot. Engle held him at gunpoint until state police (summoned by a passing motorist at Engle's request) arrived. After taking Collins into custody, the troopers followed up a tip that two other suspects had been waiting in a vehicle outside the bank. Their investigation led to Baltimore, where the two men were apprehended.

In addition to the new charges related to his role in the botched July 1 escapade, Collins still faced a late-July sentencing hearing in Howard County for his conviction in an earlier bank robbery there.

Wrong Victim

At around 3 p.m. on June 29, a retired Orange Count}, California, sheriff's deputy (whose name was withheld for his protection) and his wife were in the parking lot of an Anaheim shopping center when an armed man approached. The experienced former lawman, well aware of what was happening, deftly pulled his own gun and fired a shot that struck the armed antagonist in the upper torso. As a brief report by Los Angeles television station KNBC put it that night, "Robbers targeting a man at an Anaheim mall picked the wrong victim Tuesday."

The wounded man did not return fire, and the deputy and his wife were not injured. The man and an accomplice instead jumped into a waiting van driven by a third person and sped away. Police notified area hospitals to be on the lookout for a gunshot victim, and that night Lavan Jackson Jr., suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper torso, was dropped off at a medical center in Gardena. The hospital called police who arrested Jackson as a prime suspect in the foiled robbery before having him transferred to the Orange County Jail medical ward. Jackson is expected to survive. His accomplices, at last report, remain at large.

Stop Sign

At about 4 .m. on June 20, Brian Dean was filling up at a gas station in DeKalb County, Georgia, when he was approached and threatened with a gun by would-be car-jacker Banarrek Von Clayton. Rather than meekly submit, Dean pulled a gun of his own and shot Clayton in the leg.

The wounded man attempted to drive off in Dean's vehicle, but after a few feet crashed into a utility pole. He later died at an Atlanta hospital, though it was unclear if his demise was due to the gunshot or the injuries he sustained in the crash.

The next day's Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that "police did not charge Dean in the shooting."

Hard Lesson

Lisa Hansen lives near the city limits of Spokane, Washington. When she awoke on the morning of July 8, she heard someone rummaging through her house. After the intruder tried, unsuccessfully, to open her locked bedroom door, she grabbed her cell phone and the gun kept under her bed.

Emerging from her bedroom, Hansen confronted the interloper, a 14-year-old youth who lived in the neighborhood and had done yard work for Hansen's landlord. As she held the boy at gunpoint, he claimed that he had entered the house to investigate after seeing a man inside. Miss Hansen didn't believe him, especially since he had her roommate's checkbook in his pocket.

Spokane Count}' sheriff's deputies eventually arrived at the scene after Hansen placed an emergency call. The youth, whom authorities declined to identify due to his age, was charged with residential burglary.

Case Closed

The Shelby Food Mart is located in Louisville. Kentucky. Shortly after store employee Firas Al Kurdi began his shift on October 12. 2002, a man brandishing a knife entered the store and demanded money. The thug, later identified as James Abdul-Shajee, grabbed Al Kurdi and held the knife to his throat. After inflicting a few cuts, Abdul-Shajee made numerous swipes at Al Kurdi's face, nearly severing the beleaguered employee's nose.

Meanwhile, another employee retrieved a handgun kept under the cashier's counter for self-defense, but put it down when Abdul-Shajee, who was still menacing Al Kurdi, ordered him to do so. A struggle then ensued between Al Kurdi and his knife-wielding assailant, during which Al Kurdi managed to grab the gun and shoot his attacker three times. When police arrived minutes later, they found Abdul-Shajee lying in front of the store. He was pronounced dead later that day at a local hospital. Al Kurdi survived, but required extensive plastic surgery for his wounds.

Abdul-Shajee was charged posthumously with first-degree robbery. His extensive criminal record, dating back to 1988, included six convictions for armed robbery, two for wanton endangerment, and one for kidnapping. He had been granted parole in the fall of 2001.

Incredibly, despite persuasive evidence that the store employee had shot Abdul-Shajee in self-defense, in March 2003 a Jefferson County grand jury indicted Al Kurdi on one count of murder. His jury trial commenced on May 4 of this year; with Jefferson County circuit judge Martin McDonald presiding.

Attorneys for the prosecution argued that while Abdul-Shajee had entered the store to rob it, he did not deserve to die. They called a number of eyewitnesses who gave seriously conflicting accounts of what they had supposedly seen. After they rested their case on May 6, Al Kurdi's attorney moved to have Judge McDonald decide the case with a directed verdict from the bench, rather than leave it to the jury. Judge McDonald granted the request, ruling that there simply was not enough credible evidence against Al Kurdi to continue. The judge declared: "If there is a victim in this room right now, it's Mr. [Al] Kurdi. He was viciously assaulted by this animal [Abdul-Shajee] and his actions were completely reasonable under the circumstances." Describing the case as "troubling to me from the get-go," the judge wondered how it "got by the grand jury" in the first place. He contended that it "screams out for justice" and "needs to be dismissed, and that is exactly what I am going to do."

The May 8 Louisville Courier-Journal further quoted Judge McDonald from a subsequent interview as explaining that "the proof was overwhelming that the shop owner was fending for his life. And the perpetrator was not just a robber. This was an attempted murder."

Since the directed verdict cannot be appealed, the case, at last, is closed.

To Catch a Thief

Ernest Galloway, 77, owns the Oak View Auto Service in High Point, North Carolina. At about 11:20 p.m. on December 29, 2003, someone broke into the business and stole some cash and a few snacks. An employee's son later drove by and noticed that the bay doors of the garage were open. He called his father and Galloway.

When the shop owner and employee arrived with police, they discovered the burglar alarm torn down, all but one phone line cut, filing cabinets destroyed, some windows broken, and a few doors smashed. The crowbar used by the intruder was found under a counter.

Due to the broken windows and damaged doors, Galloway decided to guard the store overnight. First, however, he went home to fetch his .22-caliber rifle, since he thought that there was a remote chance the thief might return.

After police left, Galloway turned off the lights and settled into a front-office chair. He recalled for the January 12 Greensboro News-Record, "I was completely relaxed," figuring that the chance of the thief returning "was 1 in 100." But around 4 a.m., Galloway heard a glass door slide open and saw the silhouette of the returning thief.

Galloway shined a flashlight on the intruder's face and ordered him to raise his hands and not move. At first the man, later identified as Terry Wayne Combs, complied with the shop owner's command. But then Combs lowered his hands and began moving toward Galloway. Galloway told the News-Record, "When I was sitting in the dark, before the guy showed up, I would have said I would have shot him. When I was facing him, looking at him, it was totally different. I couldn't bring myself to shoot." Instead, he fired a warning shot into the floor.

Combs stopped, backed up momentarily, then lunged for the rifle. During the struggle for control of the weapon, the two combatants knocked over tables and chairs as they wrestled to the floor. Eventually, Galloway regained control of the gun and followed as the intruder scurried into a back office. As Galloway dialed 911 on the working phone, however, Combs rushed at him again. Understandably fearing for his life, Galloway fired a second shot that struck Combs in the torso. "He went down on his hands and knees and got right back up," the elderly businessman told the News-Record. "Shooting [him] was a last resort. There was nothing else for me to do. I didn't try to kill him, I just tried to stop him."

As summarized by the News-Record, Combs "clambered out a window and ran across the street with Galloway in pursuit." When police arrived, the wounded thug "was still trying to struggle to his feet and run as officers were forcing him to the ground." Following treatment for his wound at a local hospital, Combs was taken to the High Point jail. Galloway suffered a few cuts and scrapes on his elbows and hands, but was otherwise unharmed.

Combs was charged with two counts of felony breaking and entering and one count of felony larceny. His prior criminal record, spanning two decades, includes convictions for breaking and entering, larceny, forgery and possession of stolen goods. During a May 11 court appearance, he pleaded guilty to all three counts, which were consolidated under a plea bargain agreement that resulted in a sentence of 10 to 12 months in prison.

Ernest Galloway, reflecting on his decision to shoot Combs, told the News-Record: "It's a terrible, tough thing to do," but "I felt like I had been pretty much forced to do what I did. When I was on the floor, fighting for the rifle, getting exhausted, I was thinking, maybe I should have shot him [initially, instead of firing a warning shot]. When it was all over, I'm glad I didn't."

Son Protects Mom

A mother and her son are the co-owners of a convenience store in Colton, California. They were both working in the store on the morning of May 24 when three men wearing hoods entered the business. One jumped over the counter, pointed a handgun at the mother, and demanded that she empty the cash register. Her son, however, pulled a handgun from underneath the register and opened fire, killing one of the bandits and wounding the other two.

One of the wounded thugs was apprehended and taken to a hospital. The other eventually showed up at a local medical center for treatment and was also arrested. They were tentatively identified as Jerry Giles and Dewon Franklin. Police believe that a fourth suspect, possibly the driver of the getaway car, may also have been involved.

The store owners' names were not released, but the Colton police told the May 25 Riverside Press-Enterprise that the son's quick action had "basically thwarted the robbery" while "protecting his mother and his store." The Press-Enterprise further reported that, according to police, "the owner will not be arrested or charged with any wrongdoing."

Toy Gun vs. Real Gun

Abdrab Ashishi of West Chester, Ohio, was working at his Shop Rite convenience store in Avondale on the evening of May 27 when a man wearing a ski mask and black leather gloves entered the store. The masked man, David Billups, was also carrying what appeared to be a real handgun. Ashishi quickly reached for his own weapon, shot Billups five times, and then called 911. Billups was pronounced dead at the scene. Only then was it learned that the gun he had wielded was a toy.

Billups had a lengthy criminal record that included convictions for aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and kidnapping. Until late April of this year, he had been staying at a halfway house as a condition of his early release from a 50-year prison term.

Brothers Busted

At about 12:45 p.m. on April 27, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, heard a living room window shatter, then saw an arm reach through the opening. Two brothers, later identified as Ronald and Rudy Freese, were attempting to break into the residence.

The homeowner, whose name was not released, grabbed a handgun and opened fire. At least one shot struck and mortally wounded Ronald Freese, who was later pronounced dead at the Maricopa County Medical Center. The April 12 Arizona Republic reported that "Freese had dozens of major and minor infractions over several stints in prison on charges ranging from escape to trafficking in stolen property."

Rudy Freese was not injured. In the wake of the gunfire, he ran to his nearby home, but later drove back to the crime scene. Police were still there conducting an investigation, and, when they discovered that Freese was in the car, they arrested him in connection with the attempted burglary. Conceivably, under Arizona law, he also faced a possible first-degree murder charge for participating in a crime that resulted in a death.

Treacherous Trio

In the late afternoon of May 26, Richard Frazier received a visit by a female acquaintance, Angel Raymer, at his home in Nashville, Tennessee. Raymer left shortly before 6 p.m. and walked to a car where two men, Thurman Dillon and Jason Lynn, were waiting. A few minutes later, all three of them walked to a side door of Frazier's home and broke in. They fought with Frazier, demanded money, and took his wallet and other items.

During the scuffle, Frazier managed to break free and retrieve a handgun kept in the house for protection. He exchanged shots with the three assailants, who promptly fled. No one was hit during the brief shootout.

Frazier got a good look at the getaway car. so was able to give police a detailed description. Three days later, officers of the Metro Nashville Police Department spotted the vehicle parked outside a house. They waited for the suspects — all three of whom were inside — to emerge from the home, then arrested them without incident. The suspects were jailed on aggravated robbery charges.

Mom-and-Pop Store Saved

On January 22, television station KYW in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reported that "a North Philadelphia store owner has shot and killed a man he says shot a store employee during an armed robbery attempt." According to police, "the suspect walked into the B&S grocery store ... pulled out a gun, and demanded money." The gunman then "fired one shot, wounding a shop employee," whereupon "the owner of the mom-and-pop store pulled out his own gun and fired one shot, hitting the gunman in the head." The wounded employee and the would-be robber were taken to the same hospital, where the employee "was listed in stable condition with a hip wound" and the gunman "was pronounced dead on arrival."

Concluding its account of the incident, KYW noted that "no charges are expected to be filed against the store owner."

Homeowner Chases Thief

On December 9, 2003, Mr. and Mrs. Jorge Portillo, their two daughters, and a few other family members (including Mr. Portillo's father) gathered together at the Portillo home in west Phoenix, Arizona, to hang Christmas lights. Shortly after finishing, Jorge Portillo remembered that he had left the garage door open. When he went to close it, he saw a man run from the garage, throw something into a pickup truck, and drive off. The stolen item was a drill Portillo had borrowed to assist with hanging the lights.

Portillo ran back to the house. As his wife locked their children in a bedroom and her sister called 911, he grabbed both a gun and the keys to his father's truck. Portillo and his father then jumped into the truck and began searching for the thief. Portillo told the December 11 Arizona Republic that he wanted to stop the suspect because he thought police might not otherwise be able to track him down.

Initially, the Portillos failed to spot the getaway vehicle, and when Mrs. Portillo called to say that police had arrived at the residence, they abandoned the search and headed back home. On the way, however, they noticed the elusive pickup at an intersection. Portillo yelled for the driver, Justin Russey, to pull over. Instead, Russey tried to ram the Portillos' truck. Then Portillo saw that Russey was pointing a gun out a window, so the homeowner fired a number of shots, at least one of which struck Russey. Russey's pickup went out of control, rolled on its side, and slid into a fence. Russey died at the scene.

The pickup had been stolen. It contained, in addition to the pilfered drill, loot from another burglary and the gun which Russey had pointed at the Portillos. The dead man's criminal record included a string of arrests since 1999 for such offenses as shoplifting, burglary, theft, forgery and drug possession.

Jorge Portillo believes that he had no choice but to defend himself and his father after seeing Russey's gun. "My life was threatened at the time. I had to protect myself and my dad," he told the Republic. "I wasn't going to wait for him to shoot first."

Following their investigation, Phoenix police concluded that the shooting was justified, and that no charges would be filed against Portillo.

"Just Our Womenfolk"

At around 9 p.m. on February 6, Rancho Cordova, California, resident Carolyn Lisle and his three friends were watching television in the living room of Lisle's home. When they heard strange noises near her sliding glass door, a male guest went to investigate. Lisle, however, hurried to a back room and retrieved one of her two .357-caliber handguns.

It turned out that an intruder, William Kriske, was trying to enter through the sliding door. When Kriske shattered the glass and entered the room, the male guest and the other two female friends fled, but Lisle stood her ground. She emptied her gun at Kriske, who crashed through a window to escape. None of the bullets struck him.

Kriske then went lo Lisle's garage, where he began tearing things up before breaking through a garage window and again moving toward the house. In the meantime, Lisle had fetched her other gun, and as Kriske approached the front door she opened fire a second time, this lime wounding him in an arm.

Scurrying across the street, the injured man attempted to hot-wire a motorcycle, but the bike's owners chased him away (having heard the earlier gunfire, They were also armed and on the way lo assist Lisle). According to Lisle, as Kriske fled, one of the owners yelled, "And that's just our womenfolk."

Kriske ran another block or two before a California Highway Patrol officer stopped and arrested him. Following treatment for his injuries, he was charged with suspicion of burglary and resisting arrest.

A spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office told reporters that Lisle, whose guns were duly registered as required by state law, would not face any criminal charges. California law allows persons to use deadly force when they reasonably believe that intruders pose a threat to their lives.

Lisle, a retired state employee who once worked as a corrections officer, believes that "you need protection in this day and age," but admitted that she had not visited a shooting range for some time. "After last night," she told the Sacramento Bee. "I might go once in a while."

Clerk Thwarts Robbery

Shortly before 2 p.m. on November 14. 2003, two armed men entered Compadres Market in Gait, California, and announced a robbery. But before clerk Jose Antonio Gutierrez could comply with their demands, one of the thugs shot him in the back. Though seriously injured, Gutierrez managed to pull a gun of his own and return fire, killing one of the thugs. The dead man was eventually identified as Pedro Montes.

Montes' accomplice fled on foot and escaped. No money was taken and none of the customers in the store at the time were injured. Gutierrez was airlifted to a medical center in Sacramento, but was sent home a few days later with the bullet still lodged near his spine after physicians concluded it would be too risky to remove it.

Gait police Lt. Ken Erickson told reporters that it was apparent from the store's security videotape that Gutierrez (who had a permit to keep a handgun in the market) fired his weapon in self-defense and would not face any criminal charges. Erickson also noted that Monies' accomplice could be charged with murder if and when captured, since "it doesn't matter who shot those rounds. Each individual [suspect] is responsible for what happened."

A mother and her son are the co-owners of a convenience store in Colton, California. They were both working in the store on the morning of May 24 when three men wearing hoods entered the business. One jumped over the counter, pointed a handgun at the mother, and demanded that she empty the cash register. Her son, however, pulled a handgun from underneath the reg-ister and opened fire, killing one of the bandits and wounding the other two.

Toy Gun vs. Real Gun

On June 1, the Hamilton county prosecutor announced that no charges would be filed against Ashishi, since he had clearly acted in self-defense. The prosecutor confirmed that the store owner's statement to police jibed with the evidence, asserting: "A guy comes in dressed head to toe in black and carrying what appears to be a real gun, I think you can assume he's no: there collecting for the Red Cross." At about 12:45 p.m. on April 27, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, heard a living room window shatter, then saw an arm reach through the opening. Two brothers, later identified as Ronald and Rudy Freese, were attempting to break into the residence.

Following a Burglar's Trail

Shortly after 3 a.m. on April 27, David Moore arrived at his home in Shreveport, Louisiana, to find a burglar rummaging through his belongings. It appeared to Moore that the thief, later identified as Ronald Reeder, was primarily interested in electronic equipment and guns.

Grabbing a handgun kept in the arm of a chair, the homeowner fired a single shot that struck Reeder in the leg. Reeder fled, but a police officer later followed the trail of his blood to the back yard of a nearby house and arrested the suspect. Reeder, who was taken to LSU Hospital for treatment of his wound, faced a charge of aggravated burglary because, when apprehended, he possessed a gun he had stolen from the Moore residence.

Later that day, Shreveport television station KTBS reported that the police "said they would not file charges against the homeowner, concluding the shooting was justified."

And Not a Shot Was Fired

Shortly before 3 a.m. on May 9, two men armed with a handgun and wooden clubs kicked in the front door of a home in Monongalia County. West Virginia. The intruders. Jonathan Lowe and Robert Thrasher, then broke into a locked bedroom and demanded money from the two unidentified residents who had taken refuge there. Robert Lewis, another resident in the home at the time, heard the commotion and grabbed his shotgun. Lewis confronted Lowe and Thrasher, and held them at bay until police arrived to take them into custody. No shots were fired and nobody was injured.

Lowe and Thrasher were both charged with armed robbery and released on $18,000 bond the next day pending a preliminary hearing on the case.

Hard Lesson

In early May, after multiple attempted burglaries of his mobile home in Cross, South Carolina, Jerron Richburg was understandably concerned for the safety of his wife, their child and himself. On May 2, for instance, someone sought to gain entry to the residence, leaving pry marks on the dead bolted front and back doors.

Since the culprit(s) seemed to strike only when the family cars were gone, Richburg decided to set a trap. On the morning of May 12, he left for work as usual, but had his wife take him back home, after which his wife and child left the area. With no vehicles in the yard, it appeared that nobody was home.

At around noon, Richburg heard a noise. A 16-year-old youth had used a file and a screwdriver to pry open a door and enter the residence. Armed with a shotgun, Richburg went to investigate.

When Richburg saw the intruder coming toward him in a hallway, he fired a blast that struck the youth in the left leg. After calling 911 to report the incident and request emergency assistance for the injured teen, Richburg waited in the front yard for the ambulance to arrive while a neighbor, a law enforcement officer, went inside and applied pressure to the youth's wound to reduce the bleeding.

The teen, whose name was not released by authorities due to his age, underwent surgery later in the day. His leg had to be amputated. In early August, he was indicted on a charge of second-degree burglary, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Investigators suspected that he was also responsible for the earlier break-in attempts at the Richburg home.

On August 21, Berkeley County Deputy Solicitor Blair Jennings announced that Richburg would not face any charges in the incident, since he had acted in self-defense.

Bear Scare

Bear sightings in western Massachusetts have become increasingly common in recent years. According to state wildlife officials, black bears alone now number at least 2,500 in the region, so it is hardly a surprise that confrontations between humans and bears have also increased. In early August, for instance, a 300-pound male black bear meandered onto the property of Mrs. and Mrs. Alien Jurkowski in Palmer, then reached through a window of their farmhouse and took a swipe at one of their three Chihuahuas. The dog was not injured, and the bear eventually lumbered off, but according to Al Jurkowski it returned every day or two for a week as if stalking the couple and their pets.

At around 8 p.m. on August 15. the Jurkowski's were watching television when they heard a loud bang coming from the front porch. The bear was back again Jurkowski told his wife to call 911. As reported by the August 18 “Boston Herald" Palmer police arrived minutes later and chased the bear into the woods with flashlights and sirens," then "told the Jurkowskis” not to worry; the bear would probably be too scared to return."

At around 9 p.m., however, Mr. Jurkowski saw the animal heading once again for the farmhouse doorway, which was protected by only a flimsy screen. Mrs. Jurkowski went to a bedroom and locked herself in as her husband grabbed a shotgun and confronted the bear. "He was 5 feet away when I fired my first shot," Mr. Jurkowski told the Herald. "I shot three more times and then my gun jammed. He gave a humongous roar, and I ran into the house." The bear, mortally wounded, retreated about 50 feet, then laid down and died.

Mr. Jurkowski told the August 17 Springfield Republican that he felt bad about having to kill it, but feared that it had returned to harm the Chihuahuas, his wife or himself. "The thing was right in my face.... I'm not a vengeful person, but I had to do something."

The Republican further reported that Palmer "Police Chief Robert P. Frvdryk and Environmental Police Lt. John S. Pajak both said Jurkowski was justified in shooting the bear because it was a threat."

Fighting Words

On December 12, 2003, Freddie Johnson was trying to break up a fight in a Macon,. Georgia, neighborhood when the altercation spilled into the front yard of Marshal Lee Wright's home. When W right came out and told the men to leave. Johnson pushed him in the face and told him to mind his own business. When Johnson also threatened to harm the homeowner, and shoot into his house, Wright went inside, grabbed a shotgun, and returned to again order the trespassers to leave. Undeterred, Johnson approached Wright in a menacing manner and dared him to shoot. Wright fired a single blast, mortally wounding Johnson, who died at the scene.

According to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, Johnson's criminal record included at least 21 arrests, mostly on drug charges. After the shooting, police found five pieces of crack cocaine in his car. They did not, however, find a weapon on the dead man, but Wright said he had believed Johnson was armed, and had fired to defend his home and family.

Prosecutors disagreed. Contending that it was a case of vigilante justice, they charged Wright with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

During Wright's recent trial, witnesses called by his attorney testified about the extensive criminal activity in the neighborhood and vouched for the homeowner's reputation as a "hard-working, middle-class American." On the other hand, as assistant district attorney Eugene Felton Jr. acknowledged, many of those who testified for the prosecution had themselves been convicted of prior illegal activity.

On August 13, the Bibb County jury deliberated for about six hours before finding Wright not guilty on all charges.

Family Feud

On July 13. John Anderson of Tulsa. Oklahoma, was confronted on his front porch by his 21 -year-old son Steve, and Carl Billetdoux. Steve's 56-year-old roommate.

Arming himself with a shotgun, John Anderson told them to leave. Instead. Billetdoux went to a truck, retrieved his own gun, and returned. He pointed the firearm at the father, who fired first, striking Billetdoux in the chest.

Steve Anderson took his wounded friend to a local hospital, where Billetdoux was pronounced dead. Two weeks later, following an investigation of the incident, prosecutors announced that no charges would be filed against the elder Anderson. They described it as "a classic case of self-defense."

Disarmament Controversy

On September 18, in the wake of increasing congressional support for legislation seeking repeal of many of the District of Columbia's draconian domestic disarmament statutes, the notoriously anti-gun Washington Post editorialized against the move, claiming that it would amount to a virtual "human hunting license."

Somewhat ironically, that day the Post also published a letter indicating why such legislation is needed. District resident Tony Snesko described what happened one day when, shortly after midnight, he and his wife were awakened by pounding at their front door. He said, "When I went to the window, I saw a large man trying to kick down our door. I warned him to stop, but he started swearing, insisting that I give him money. He then started kicking the door again."

Mr. Snesko called 911, but was put on hold. "I waited for about 30 seconds," he said, "and then realized that the man at my front door probably would be inside before the 911 operator answered. Despite the D.C. gun laws, I have a gun for just such a situation."

Retrieving the gun from his closet, he "went to the window and pointed it at the man. I warned him that I would shoot if he came through my door. He stopped kicking and ran away."

"It is absurd," Snesko contends, "for Washington to outlaw guns [since] it guarantees that only outlaws will have guns." Citizens should, he rightly believes, be allowed to protect themselves. He added, "[A]s a homicide detective once told me when I confessed to keeping a gun, 'I would rather be judged by 12 of my peers than carried out by six of my friends.'"

On September 29, the House handily (250 to 171) approved H.R. 3193, which would, among other things, repeal the district's registration requirement for possessing firearms; eliminate criminal penalties for possessing unregistered firearms; scrap the requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms must be kept locked up, disassembled, or with triggers locked (i.e., rendered virtually useless for self-defense); and amend federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol (loaded or unloaded) in one's home, place of business, or on one's land. The Senate is not expected to consider its version of the legislation before the end of the congressional term.

Bungled Robbery

Shortly after 11 p.m. on June 19, a car pulled up to an International House of Pancakes in south Kansas City, Kansas. One of two male occupants went inside the restaurant, pulled a gun on the manager, then emptied the cash register. Before the bandit could flee, however, he was confronted by a security guard who was also armed.

The guard and the suspect, Gary Dameron, began scuffling. During the brawl, Dameron was shot in the upper chest. When police arrived, they found Dameron lying wounded on the floor near the cash register. He later died at an area hospital.

Realizing that the robbery had gone awry, his accomplice fled and was not apprehended.

According to court records, Dameron's previous criminal history included convictions for first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.

Clear Cut Case

Michael Moore of Fremont, Michigan, owns D&M Produce in Egelston Township. On September 19, he was working in his office shortly after 1:15 a.m. when he heard a doorknob jiggle.

Armed with a loaded pellet gun and dressed in camouflage clothing and dark boots, 17-year-old Scott Lamb had gained entry to the building by removing some metal siding. He jumped over a counter and grabbed some money from change jars. Moore grabbed a shotgun and ordered him to freeze. When Lamb refused, the store owner fired a single blast of birdshot that struck the youth in a shoulder.

Moore called 911. He then used a blanket to cover the wounded teen and tried to comfort him until authorities arrived. Lamb was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but recovered. On October 5, following his release, he was charged with breaking and entering a building and possession of burglary tools, both felonies that carry potential 10-year prison sentences.

The September 30 Muskegon Chronicle reported that Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague concluded that no charges would be filed against the businessman. There was, Tague asserted, no question about what happened, since the investigation revealed that "both the suspect and the store owner gave the exact same description of what occurred inside the store."

Domestic Duel

Chad Hill and girlfriend Ashley New had been dating about four months when, on June 14, New arrived badly beaten at a hospital in Missoula, Montana. She was suffering from several facial fractures, a concussion, two black eyes, and sundry scrapes and bruises.

Ashley New claimed that she did not know who had assaulted her, but the investigating police officer became suspicious of Hill because it appeared that New had been choked and punched from the front. The officer tried to follow-up, but was not successful.

On the morning of June 20, New and Hill were in the apartment when Hill became angry and, according to a subsequent affidavit supporting a warrant for his arrest, bellowed that he "was going to break the other side of her face." He began kicking and striking New and dragging her around by her hair.

The enraged Hill then took a handgun from a dresser drawer, placed it on the corner of a bed, and threatened to kill New unless she grabbed the firearm first. She did manage to grab the gun, whereupon Hill went to the kitchen and returned with two knives. He threatened to kill both New and her three-year-old son, twice making moves toward the child's door. When he made a third move toward the door and actually opened it, New fired a shot that struck Hill in the stomach. She then ran to a neighbor's home to call 911. Hill, who was rushed to a local hospital for treatment of his wound, survived.

On June 24, a justice of the peace signed a warrant for Hill's arrest. The charges included aggravated assault (a felony), misdemeanor counts of assault, partner assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. According to the June 26 Missoulian, he also had "a pending case in state District Court, on charges that he beat his previous girlfriend and hurt his mother as she tried to protect her."

When Seconds Count, the Police Are Minutes Away

In a June 27 editorial at www.BigGovernment.com, Robert Allen Bonelli asked, “Do We Have the Right to Life Without the Right to Self-Defense?” Bonelli highlighted a tragic incident that occurred in Medford, New York, where on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 19, four innocent people were murdered in cold blood during a robbery of a pharmacy. As Bonelli pointed out, gun-control advocates argue that citizens should wait for the police to deal with criminals, but since the robber killed the people within seconds and even with the fastest response time the police would not make it to the scene until minutes later, the victims couldn’t afford to wait for the police. Bonelli places the blame for such a tragedy squarely on the onerous anti-gun legislation in New York State:

The legal environment makes it difficult, if not impossible, to purchase a weapon, train to use it properly or have it available and use it for self defense without first exhausting a checklist of what must be done so that the victim does not end up criminally charged. This is an impossible situation when under attack.... The right to self-defense should not be impaired by government in any way. Robbers and attackers bent on assault would think twice before approaching a home, place of business or a person if they thought that their potential victims would be armed. Recent FBI statistics show that while gun sales were surging from 2008 through 2009, the rate of violent crime fell dramatically. Think about it. Have you ever heard of a gunman shooting up a gun show? … Gun control legislation and other laws restricting the purchase and possession of a weapon of any kind are supposed to prevent those weapons from getting into the hands of criminals. Unfortunately, all these laws are doing is making honest citizens vulnerable to those who have no intention of following any law.... Without the right to self-defense, our guarantee of the right to life is meaningless.

Defense of Property: How Far Can You Go?

A recent shooting in Chicago has stirred up controversy once again over the delicate question of how far you can go with the use of deadly force to defend yourself or your property. A 57-year-old man, Donald Rattanavong, fatally shot an 18-yearold man who, he believed, was trying to break into his car. The District Attorney’s office later charged the 57-year-old man with involuntary manslaughter. In an interview with the Courier News (a Chicago Sun-Times publication) legal experts and criminal defense attorneys cautioned readers against going too far in “counterattacking” criminals outside of the victim’s home. John Paul Carroll started out as a homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department before he eventually became a criminal defense attorney. “The rule of thumb is that you can only use force likely to cause bodily harm if you believe that a person is about to commit a forcible felony on you.... If someone pulls a knife on you, it’s okay to come back at them with a gun.... But if they’re 18 feet away from you with that knife and you shoot them, you might be in trouble.

Were you really in imminent danger? And even if a guy has just shot your mother, if he then starts running away from you, you have no right to shoot him.” The turning point is that the violent force used against the criminal must be used only in the limited circumstances of keeping yourself from being hurt and not to simply to protect property or to get revenge. The bar rises even higher if the incident occurs outdoors. In the present case, Donald Rattanavong saw three or four teenagers trying to break into his car. Rattanavong emerged from his house and fired at the teens fatally hitting one in the head. The charges against Rattanavong are involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm, rather than murder or voluntary manslaughter. Attorney Carroll added, “If it’s just property at stake, let it go.... I don’t care if your car cost $200,000. It’s not worth taking a human life and the law doesn’t think so, either. Don’t shoot. Call 911.”

The Gun Controller’s Dialectic

A July 1 posting at Ammoland.com by Kirby Ferris, the public affairs director of Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership, took aim squarely at the effort by gun controllers to create words to advance their agenda. In a piece entitled “The Insidious Semantics of Gun Control,” Ferris said that advocates of gun control fall into two categories: the liars and the ignorant. “The Liars invent the lies. The Ignorant believe the lies and repeat them.... The main thing that the Liars and the Ignorant share in common is a corruption of the linguistic meaning of firearms related words.

They, because they also control the mainstream media to a huge extent, have been able to actually invent terminology, or in many cases change the everyday meaning of words!” One example he mentions of word smithing is using “gun control” instead of “gun owner registration” or gun taxation or revocable permission. Another example is the creation of the word “assault weapon,” which was a “truly sleazy piece of semantic sedition [that] can be laid right at the feet of Josh Sugarmann, Minister of Propaganda for the Violence Policy Center, and also an apparently compulsive liar. Sugarmann INVENTED the phrase, with the help of the liberal anti-gun mainstream media shills. An ‘assault weapon’ is now any semi automatic rifle greater than .22 caliber....

Sugarmann has truly earned ‘The Joseph Goebells of Gun Control Award.’ He’s one of a kind. A naked, and unashamed, manipulative liar.” Other invented words include “personal arsenal” (which refers to anything over two guns), a “weapons cache” (three or more guns), a “stockpile of ammunition,” (anything over 20 rounds), and “highcapacity magazines” (the same type of magazine used by nearly every cop in America). Hopefully, those who argue for the right to armed self-defense will refuse to play that game and not use the words invented by anti-gun activists. n — Patrick Krey

Sarah Palin, Paul Revere, & Guns

Former Governor of Alaska and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin once again caused a media frenzy — this time over some comments she made in early June on her “One Nation” bus tour. Palin was quoted as retelling the story of Paul Revere with a pro-gun slant. Palin said that Revere “warned the British that they weren’t going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells and making sure as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free.”

The mainstream media was all too quick to pile on that comment and repeat the narrative of a dumb-woman-inover-her-head they have been trumpeting since Palin first became a national figure in 2008, but it appears that Palin actually might have been right. On Fox News Sunday, Palin insisted that she was right. “Part of his ride was to warn the British that were already there. That, hey, you’re not going to succeed. You’re not going to take American arms.” A 1798 letter written by Paul Revere himself appears to back up Palin’s claim.

After Revere was captured by the British, he warned them “there would be five hundred Americans there in a short time for I had alarmed the Country all the way up.” Brendan McConville, a history professor from Boston University, also supported Palin’s comments. “Basically when Paul Revere was stopped by the British, he did say to them, ‘Look, there is a mobilization going on that you’ll be confronting,’ and the British are aware as they’re marching down the countryside, they hear church bells ringing — she was right about that — and warning shots being fired. That’s accurate.” Other academics jumped to Palin’s defense. Cornell law professor William Jacobson also argued that Palin was indeed correct, and said that it was Palin’s critics who are the ones most in need of a history lesson.

Professor Robert Allison, chair of the history department at Suffolk University, said that Sarah Palin’s interpretation of Revere’s ride has some merit and that while Revere did not personally ring bells himself, he told people along the way to Lexington, and they rang church bells to raise the alert. In a blog post dated June 17 on Forbes. com excerpted below, Bill Flax did an excellent job explaining the important issue forgotten in the mainstream media consumed with gotcha-styled news bytes covering the Palin-Revere comment:

The latest Sarah Palin controversy over Paul Revere distracts from the essential lesson of this pivotal slice of American lore.... It matters greatly though why the British marched and how the Colonists responded. Dissension had been brewing between the colonies and London for some time, but it only cascaded into violent revolution when the British sought to seize the colonial magazine at Concord.

The minutemen understood something lost on most Americans today, that disarming the people is always the necessary precursor to tyranny. When the British disembarked to seize the Colonists’ stores of powder and ammunition, the militia resisted. Americans in 1775 wanted government to leave them be. Many Americans today want the state to care for us.... Sadly, the perception of the very nature of rights has been slowly shifting as America slides into a socialist cesspool. No longer are rights considered protections for our persons and property against government.

Now “rights” have become entitlements dispensed from government. Freedoms to pursue healthcare, housing and sustenance are being transformed into collective obligations that the state offer subsidies.... An armed populace represents the ultimate check and balance preventing federal encroachment. As self reliant individuals, we owe it to our neighbors to remain vigilant in defense of liberty. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, should the unthinkable occur, private gun ownership ensures it is the blood of tyrants watering the tree of liberty and not the bones of martyrs broken under the boot of oppression. Arm thyself.

Background Check Errors Are Common

Gun-rights enthusiast John Lott recently explained that the Brady Law background check process is filled with holes. Lott explained that “the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) … accidentally flags many law-abiding people, stopping those who simply have the same name as a prohibited individual from buying a gun.” Lott also noted that, after reviewing the numbers for 2009, 93 percent of the initial 71,010 denials were found to be okay to purchase a gun. Of the seven percent that went on for a deeper review involving being referred out to other agencies (i.e., FBI, BATF, etc.), over 51 percent resulted in cases where the check wasn’t even completed.

Ultimately, Lott calculated an “initial false positive rate of roughly 94.2%,” and this “still doesn’t mean that the government hasn’t made a mistake on the remaining cases.” Lott calculated another higher error rate, based on those cases where the denied party was actually proven to be unable to purchase a gun in a court of law, of 99.98 percent, which might be higher than the actual rate since an assumption can be made that some banned parties did not pursue their case to trial. Still, with numbers like this (a false-positive rate somewhere between 95 percent and 99 percent), it’s no wonder that, as Lott puts it,

no study by criminologists or economists has found that the Federal Brady Law has reduced national crime rates.

Lott continued on to explain that the delays involved for those who trigger false positives add up. Those unfortunate people have to wait long periods of time for their case to be resolved even though they ultimately do get their gun. With results like this, it’s no wonder that gun-controllers view the NICS as a move in the right direction. It’s a logical step on their path to total civilian disarmament. — Pat rick Krey

Law Enforcement Profiling Gun-rights Supporters?

Ammoland.com reported on June 6 that the Baltimore Police Criminal Intelligence Section issued an “Intelligence Bulletin” warning fellow officers about persons displaying a pro-Second Amendment decal. The decal advertises “Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore” and depicts three individuals shooting firearms, a target, and the state of Maryland. Specifically, the bulletin warned officers in bold red letters that “while the individual who is displaying the symbol may not be armed, the presence of the symbol provides an early warning indicator that you MAY be about to encounter an armed individual.” Critics of this law-enforcement alert were concerned that such a notice might lead officers to profile gun owners and gun-rights supporters. The association featured in the decal contacted the police to ask them about their warning, and James H. Green of the Baltimore City Police Department responded with the following statement:

I have spoken with our Criminal Intelligence Section and the bulletin was created in response to a number of recent inquiries asking about the decal and its meaning and information generally provided to law enforcement about officer safety. All law enforcement agencies attempt to inform our officers or citizens as appropriate when inquiries such as this arise. I certainly disagree with your characterization of “profiling.” Clearly the bulletin is informational and does not remotely suggest a suppression of Constitutional rights. In fact, as you are aware, many law enforcement personnel are members of the NRA or affiliated organizations.

As you are also aware, traffic stops are the single most dangerous encounter for law enforcement. It certainly is practice for law enforcement to ask operators about weapons for safety reasons only. The presence of a decal is NOT justification in itself for a traffic stop. I hope that this addresses your inquiry and clears up any confusion about the bulletin. The response didn’t satisfy the pro-Second Amendment organization, which is in the process of submitting a freedom of information request regarding any similar bulletins warning about people who show support for their constitutionally protected rights.

Self-defense or Execution?

A trial based out of Oklahoma City sparked a national outcry after the defendant was found guilty of first-degree murder stemming from a May 19, 2009 shooting during a robbery in a pharmacy. The defendant was 59-year-old pharmacist Jerome Ersland, who found himself in harm’s way when two men barged into the drugstore hoping to get away with money and drugs to use for sale on the street. The 911 calls from the night of the robbery tell the story of frightened employees being threatened by armed robbers. In one 911 call, Ersland told the operator, “Emergency. People down.... Hurry. One of them crooks got away. I got one. He’s dead.”

After the shooting, the local District Attorney’s office filed charges of first-degree murder against Ersland, and the jury found him guilty and recommended a life sentence. (Formal sentencing is not scheduled until July 11.) The actual details of the incident were disputed between accounts by the pharmacy workers and what the prosecutors said occurred. Ersland contends that the robbers fired at him and both were armed, but the D.A. contends that the only robber who was armed was the one who fled the scene, and that only Ersland fired any shots. The verdict has received national attention owing to the fact that Ersland was the victim of a robbery, and it has stirred a new public debate over the fine line between self-defense and excessive deadly force.

There are numerous supporters of Ersland who say his conviction is a travesty of justice where the system is being used to punish a hero. The most damning evidence against Ersland was a silent security video that the jurors reviewed. The first part of the video shows Ersland shoot one robber in the head and then chase a second robber outside. It was the second part that damaged Ersland in the eyes of the jurors. The video shows Ersland return to the store, retrieve a second gun, and then shoot the fallen robber five more times. That robber was 16-year-old Antwun “Speedy” Parker of Oklahoma City, who died at the scene.

This was the moment where the prosecutors contend Ersland’s actions moved from justified self-defense to a ganglandstyle execution. The prosecutors told jurors that Ersland was wrong to shoot “Speedy” again because the boy was unconscious and not moving on the pharmacy floor. Defense attorneys argued that Ersland, who retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2000 with the rank of lieutenant colonel, courageously defended himself and two female employees with his actions. Supporters set up a website, www.jeromeersland.org, hoping to raise both money and public support for a full pardon. The following was featured on the main page.

Lt. Col. (Dr.) Jerome Ersland is a disabled veteran who retired from the United States Air Force. Jerome joined the military and became a pharmacist because he wanted to serve our Country and help his fellow Americans. Due to inoperable broken back / spinal cord injury Jerome is forced to wear a back brace at all times that severely restricts his movement. In spite of this, Jerome still works full time and continues to serve his community. He belongs to the DAV, the American Legion, the VFW, serves as Vice President of his Church and as an advisor for the Boy Scouts.... Jerome is now bankrupt, having spent his whole retirement and all of his current salary goes to lawyer fees. He pays 100k in bond every year (twice so far) and even though he hasn’t been convicted, he is on house arrest. Jerome wears a GPS ankle tracking device that also cost around $480 a month!

Gun Training for Safety

The Denver Post reported on April 24 that a company started by former Navy SEALs is teaching personal security tactics to individual customers, training that used to be reserved for high-end bodyguards. The company is called BluCore and was launched in 2009 by Eric Frohardt and Sean Haberberger. The Post reports that with “a host of offerings from weapons training, hand-to-hand combat, tactical driving, property security evaluations and self-defense classes, BluCore is enabling people … to defend themselves simply by expecting trouble.”

Co-founder and 10-year Navy SEAL sniper Eric Frohardt told the news that “we originally started to help professional athletes, but we saw the need not just for them but for everyone.” Frohardt also had a lot of advice about using a gun for selfdefense. “Having personally been in a lot of gunfights, you always shoot more ammo than you plan.... A lot of training really goes out the window when you find yourself in a two-way gun range.... It’s better to be moving while you are shooting. That’s saved my life more than once.” BluCore now also has its own high-tech shooting center featuring 12 shooting lanes, a training center, a retail outlet, and classrooms, which will soon offer a series of unorthodox shooting classes designed to attract veteran shooters as well as first-timers.

Gun-control False Flag?

Wikipedia defines “false flag operations” as “covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one’s own. False flag operations are not limited to war and counter-insurgency operations, and can be used in peace-time.” Such operations have been used by governmental intelligence services throughout the years to support their policy.

As previously reported in this column, some critics of the federal government are openly criticizing covert efforts to arm Mexican outlaws with U.S. weaponry as the latest false-flag operation. Vocal critics and defenders of gun rights claim that this is an intentional effort to mislead the public and advocate for stricter gun control here at home in the United States. When faced with these accusations, leaders of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) feign incompetence and hide behind plausible deniability, but the facts tell a much different story.

Now, owing to a WikiLeak release of diplomatic cables, details are emerging that paint an even more damning picture of U.S. government policy, policy done out in the open that has had the same deadly effect as the covert one previously criticized in this column. On April 28, Fox News reported that even more heavy-duty armament is making its way into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. According to leaked diplomatic cables, weaponry that is not available at U.S. gun stores is making its way into the hands of the drug cartels via three sources:

“U.S. Defense Department shipments to Latin America, known and tracked by the U.S. State Department as ‘foreign military sales,’ weapons ordered by the Mexican government, tracked by the State Department as ‘direct commercial sales’ and aging, but plentiful arsenals of military weapon stores in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.” What is most shocking is not that these guns ended up in the hands of the drug cartels and other violent criminals south of the border, but rather the reaction by high-ranking members of the Obama administration when the bad guys did obtain the guns.

Knowing full well that the source of the weapons was none other than the U.S. government itself, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Barack Obama used it as a pretext to argue for stricter domestic gun-control laws! In a February 2009 speech, President Obama blamed the violence on private U.S. gun dealers. “More than 90 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States, many from gun shops that line our border,” said the President. Lynn Kartchner, owner of Allsafe Security, a gun shop in Douglas, Arizona, told Fox News, “We in the gun industry knew from day one the allegations that the preponderance of sales came from gun stores like this one was totally not true.... Most of the M16s were sold legally to the Mexican government and disappeared.”

The cold truth of the matter was that many of these weapons were and still are getting to Mexico via the U.S. government, not “mom and pop” gun shops. Fox News explained: “Tens of thousands of firearms and explosives are sold legally through the U.S. State Department to the Mexican government. These weapons are then funneled to the traffickers and cartels by corrupt officials within the Mexico Ministry of Defense and local and state police departments. According to State Department documents, in 2009 Mexico bought nearly $177 million worth of American-made weapons, exceeding sales to Iraq and Afghanistan. That number includes $20 million in semi-and-fully automatic weapons.”

A confidential informant who has worked for federal agencies such as the FBI, ATF, and DEA told Fox News that these “are weapons that have been stockpiled either through U.S. aid programs or currently being shipped there under the guise of military support.... The governments and military in those countries realize that the economy is such that they are far better off to push these weapons north and sell them than they are to keep them in their own arsenals and reserves.”

Demanding Holder Resign

The fallout continues to get greater as more and more information is released regarding the gun-running operations to Latin America by U.S. law enforcement. On Saturday, April 30, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) CEO, Wayne LaPierre, called for Eric Holder to step down for allowing an operation by the ATF to occur on his watch that involved the sale of guns to Mexican drug cartels. LaPierre said, “Operation Fast and Furious [the code name for the ATF’s covert operation] may have gotten one or perhaps two federal agents killed, and countless other innocent victims have been murdered with the illegal guns that our own government allowed into Mexico all to advance a political agenda.”

New Children’s Book on Open-carry

Michigan-based Brian Jeffs and Nathan Nephew are the gun-enthusiast co-founders of Michigan Open Carry Inc., a gun-rights group that challenges unlawful gun-control laws. Jeffs and Nephew decided that they needed to broaden their message and recently authored a book on the subject of open carry for children. The soft-cover book is published by White Feather Press of Hamilton, near Grand Rapids. The book’s description is as follows:

Come join 13-year-old Brenna Strong along with her mom, Bea, and her dad, Richard, as they spend a typical Saturday running errands and having fun together. What’s not so typical is that Brenna’s parents lawfully open carry handguns for self-defense. The Strongs join a growing number of families that are standing up for their Second Amendment rights by open carrying and bringing gun ownership out of the closet and into the mainstream.

Besides explaining the reasons for gun ownership as well as open carry, the book also includes lessons on safety for children. In a phone interview with the Lansing State Journal, co-author Jeffs explained that the book’s main message is that you “can’t rely on others to protect you. You have a natural right to self-defense. The cops do the best they can, but can’t be there all the time.” My Parents Open Carry can be ordered through www.myparentsopencarry.com

“I Shot a Man in Reno… ”

The Reno Gazette Journal reported on April 7 that a “32-year-old homeowner … shot and killed a 19-year-old man who drove up to his home [in Northwest Reno] and confronted him with a gun while demanding his property.” Local police lieutenant Mohammad Rafaqat told the media that the homeowner had just arrived home when he noticed a dark-colored pickup drive past his house several times. It finally parked with its headlights shut off. The homeowner was immediately suspicious and ran inside his home to write down the license plate. The homeowner also tucked his 9mm gun inside his sweatshirt pocket and approached the truck to determine what was going on. At that moment, a man hopped out of the truck, pointed a firearm at the homeowner, and demanded his property. With no time to lose, the homeowner fired several shots at the man who fled the scene with his accomplices. The would-be robber was later dropped off at a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. The authorities are saying that the shooting appears to be a case of justified self-defense.

Wisconsin Concealed Carry Ban Ruled Unconstitutional

The Wisconsin Radio Network reported on October 14 that a Clark County judge ruled that a state ban on carrying concealed weapons is unconstitutional. The defendant in the case was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, after he admitted he had a knife in his waistband but had never actually threatened anyone. Citing the landmark Supreme Court ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago, defense attorney William Poss filed a motion to dismiss the case on constitutional grounds. Judge Jon Counsell agreed and granted the motion. Counsell ruled that the law is overly broad and violates both the Second and 14th Amendments of the Constitution. In his decision, Counsell wrote that the law forces citizens to “go unarmed (thus not able to act in self defense), violate the law or carry openly.”

The ruling’s precedence is limited only to Clark County and will likely get appealed to a higher court by the District Attorney’s office. Defense attorney Poss told the news that there’s “a lot of interest in this obviously.... It’s not a left or right type of thing quite frankly. It’s a liberty thing.... Like many of my counterparts, I believe strongly in the Constitution.... As Ronald Reagan once said, ‘It’s not a buffet.’ The Bill of Rights is not a buffet where you can pick and choose, where some people say they want the First Amendment applied to everyone, but somehow they jump over the Second Amendment.” Wisconsin is one of only two states that completely ban carrying concealed weapons. Perhaps this ruling is just the beginning of lower court rulings throughout the nation that will protect the individual right to armed self-defense. Readers of this column can only hope that more judges like the Honorable Jon Counsell take a stand for the Second Amendment.

Flint, Michigan, Felons

The Flint Journal out of Flint, Michigan, reported on August 5 that Sheldon Golden, 54, was standing in the driveway of his home around 11 p.m. when he was approached by a group of five young adults. The gang had a gun in their possession and tried to rob Golden. In response, Golden opened fire and killed one of the suspects and wounded two others. The other suspects ran off before the authorities arrived. Neighbors spoke approvingly of Golden’s actions. Forty-year-old neighbor Melissa Taylor told the news, “He has to do what he has to do to protect himself.... I would have probably done the same thing. I have two kids.” Even a spokesman for a Washington, D.C.-based gun-control advocacy group reluctantly agreed that Golden had a right to protect himself. Peter Hamm, communications director of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, told the news through grinding teeth, “We’ve never taken issue with law abiding citizens who have a weapon legally.... They have the right to defend themselves when in danger.” The authorities have charges pending against the two wounded suspects, said assistant Genesee County prosecutor Randall Petrides. Petrides would not address the specifics of the Golden case, but did tell the news, “In general, if a person feels if his life is in danger, he can protect himself.”

Delivering Lead

On Friday, March 11, a Kentucky “Wing Zone delivery driver” pulled up to the curb behind an apartment complex, expecting to deliver pizza to customers within. Unbeknownst to him, four men were waiting behind a nearby dumpster and sprang up as he exited his vehicle. Two of the men cornered the driver, and one was armed. The armed assailant pointed his gun at the hard-working victim and demanded all his cash. The driver, aware that similar robberies of pizza delivery men had occurred in the area, was prepared. He dashed back into his car and retrieved his pistol, which was “legally stored” inside. He fired at the would-be robbers as he tried to make his escape. Everything that occurred is not clear, but authorities suspect the robber fired back — a total of six shell casings were recovered at the scene. The driver escaped from the scene in his car and alerted the police. One of the four conspirators suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and collapsed. The other three fled in fear of their lives. The suspected robber who was shot was taken to a nearby hospital, and his condition was not immediately available.

ATF “Anti-gun Zealot”

When President Obama nominated Andrew Traver, who is currently the Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Chicago Field Division, to be the new Director of the ATF, a firestorm was touched off among gun-rights activists, who described Traver as an “anti-gun zealot.” On the other hand, gun-controllers like the Brady Campaign were enthused when Traver was nominated by President Obama to be the head of the ATF. Those looking to preserve Americans’ God-given right to armed self-defense have much to be concerned about. Dave Kopel of the Colorado-based Independence Institute told the Christian Science Monitor, “This is a demonstration that Obama has … the same attitudes about Second Amendment rights now as he did [when he was an Illinois state Senator], which is quite hostile....

He’s picked a strong anti-Second Amendment person for an administrative job that has far more influence over the practical exercise of Second Amendment rights than any other job in the country.” Conservative pundit Michelle Malkin wrote that “Traver allied with the progressive Joyce Foundation to lobby for tighter federal restrictions of Second Amendment freedoms. He ... opposes privacy protections for gun owners. He has also compared automatic black-market weapons to legal semiautomatic assault weapons.” Such criticisms have stalled Traver’s nomination and, at the time of this writing, it hasn’t yet come up to a vote by the U.S. Senate.

Operation Gunrunner

On the topic of the ATF, a new controversy has stirred up that might permanently damage the unconstitutional organization if fully exposed. The latest claims involve ATF operations that “allegedly have helped to supply Mexican drug cartels with weapons, as part of a ‘controlled trafficking of arms’ to Mexican authorities.” The allegations come from ATF whistle-blowers who allege the poorly run operation may have resulted in weapons that were used in the murder of federal law-enforcement agents. Now there is pressure mounting among Mexico City lawmakers for an investigation into this U.S. law-enforcement operation that may have allowed hundreds of weapons to flow into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. A ranking Mexican legislator claims that at least 150 Mexicans have been killed or wounded by guns trafficked by smugglers under the watch of U.S. agents in what many are criticizing as an ATF coverup.

A Washington Post article entitled “ATF’s tactics to end gun trafficking face a federal review” reports that a “controversy over tactics … has prompted federal officials to reevaluate an aggressive law enforcement strategy to stop firearms trafficking. The new scrutiny comes after two separate shootings in the past three months in which federal agents were killed and guns recovered by investigators were later traced back to people already under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.” But were these tactics really about stopping firearms trafficking, or were they instead an attempt to bolster the gun-controllers’ argument that it is U.S. guns being used by Mexican drug cartels? Katie Pvalich, writing for Townhall.com, believes that the plot is only thickening:

It is important to remember that the Obama Administation and the Department of Homeland Security have implied that much of the violence in Mexico is to blame on law abiding gun shop owners who “sell to cartel members” and the Second Amendment, yet continued exposure of Operation Gun Runner shows the government approving the sales reported by shop owners to ATF, giving the green light for weapons to flow freely across the border into dangerous hands, resulting in thousands of innocent deaths in Mexico and Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Arizona earlier this year. ATF sat by and watched as known criminals purchased the weapons they needed to carry out lethal operations with no take downs of cartels as a result, all while using law abiding gun shop owners as a cover.”

More and more gun-rights enthusiasts are arguing that these operations are part of a larger overall effort by the federal government to bolster the contention that lax U.S. gun-control laws are behind the increasing violence on the border with Mexico. An April 3 blog post at www.LubbockOnline.com entitled “Did the Obama White House Authorize Gun Smuggling into Mexico?”

observed:

The corruption and criminal activity apparently sanctioned by the Obama White House is staggering. The apparent fact that White House ATF agents have been smuggling guns into Mexico and the Department of Justice and politicians are using thissmuggling as an excuse to place more restrictions on the ability of law abiding citizens to own guns is both appalling and criminal.

X-ray Vision

A February 23 news report from KRQE out of Hobbs, New Mexico, reported that 70-year-old Watson Greene frantically called 911 to report someone breaking into his home. Not content to simply wait until the authorities arrived, Greene grabbed his handgun and pointed it at the back door where he could hear a would-be intruder struggling to enter his home. Greene steadied his weapon on where he envisioned the thug was standing and fired a single shot through the back door. The shot hit the would-be robber, mortally injuring him, and sending the gravely injured criminal fleeing the scene. Paramedics later found him bleeding in a nearby alley, and he eventually died from his injuries. It turned out that the dead suspect had just been arrested two weeks prior to the incident for burglary, and also had prior convictions for aggravated assault and battery dating back four years.

Officer Mike Stone told the media that the Hobbs area had recently experienced “a lot of break-ins … and we’ve had even a few home invasions.... It appears that the residents of the home were probably scared.” Chief Deputy District Attorney Dianna Luce also told the news that if the investigation shows there is sufficient evidence to prove the dead suspect was trying break into Greene’s house, it would give him the right to defend his property and the shooting would likely be ruled as justified.

Double Standard

A January 26 press release from the group GrassRoots GunRights of South Carolina, on www.Ammoland.com, supporters about a new proposed state law. It explained that a proposed bill in South Carolina would “let any elected or appointed public official — that means politicians — to carry a self-defense firearm anywhere in the state.” Why is this newsworthy? It would appear that some politicians have realized that the prohibitive carry restrictions required by the concealed weapon permit laws are unreasonable and detrimental to personal safety.

The annoying part is that they only want to exclude themselves from the requirement, whereas were taxpayers must continue to follow the onerous state regulations necessary to become fully licensed. As Bill Rentiers, executive officer of GrassRoots GunRights of South Carolina, put it, the proposed law “is nothing more than a self serving bill that proves that politicians think their lives are more important than your life or the lives of your family! … [The law] is another example of how politicians seem to forget the fact that they are public servants, not our lords and masters.” Invoking a literary giant, Rentiers told readers that “some politicians think like the pigs from George Orwell’s book Animal Farm where the ruling pigs said ‘All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.’”

This law is not unique, as there is a similar proposal out West. A March 15 Washington Times editorial reported that the California state Senate is considering a similar bill that would “grant legislators permission to carry concealed firearms. The measure highlights the growing rift between the bureaucratic class and taxpayers who don’t have the luxury of exempting themselves from bad laws.... In practice — outside of conservative, rural counties — only celebrities and the well-connected end up obtaining the coveted document. In a state of nearly 37 million, about 40,000 permits were issued in 2007.”

The law currently under consideration would automatically define politicians at the federal, state, and local levels as eligible for a permit. The editorial bemoaned the fact that coddled “lawmakers living in gated communities may think they face heightened risk, but it’s unlikely poor residents in sketchy urban neighborhoods have any less of a need.... The motivation of lawmakers in layering restriction on top of restriction hasn’t been to stop bad guys. Criminals, by definition, don’t abide by the law.

Rather, the primary purpose is to harass gun owners who do try to do what’s right.... Forcing legislators to live under the same crazy laws they expect everyone else to follow may help a few to appreciate the need for true reform.” Defenders of the proposed law would probably be confused by the criticism of this obvious double-standard. Public officials in ivory towers grow out of touch with us “common folk.” That’s partly why they see nothing wrong with exempting themselves from bad laws they create. They live by the motto of “gun control for thee but not for me.” Hopefully these laws will never see the light of day, but at least the proposed legislation reveals the true nature of the gun-controlling political class.

Jewel Heist Goes Bad — for Robbers

WABC out of New York City reported on February 23 that a Bronx jewelry store owner exercised his God-given right to self-defense and averted an attempted robbery of his store. Days after the incident, 49-year-old Anthony Spinelli was still visibly shaken when he was interviewed by the press. “I’m fine and I can’t wait to get home,” Spinelli told the news.

It is a nightmare scenario to most jewelry store owners that most hope they never have to deal with. The two well-dressed suspects, one man and one woman, came into his store in a very casual, everyday manner. Hoping to use the element of surprise to their advantage, they dressed up like a couple shopping for jewelry. Spinelli was showing them selections from the jewel case when one of the suspects held a gun to his head and demanded that he open his safe. Fearing for his life, Spinelli acted on instinct and grabbed his own handgun and immediately opened fire.

The suspects fled from the store with Spinelli behind them. A third man alleged to be involved with the crime was waiting outside as a lookout when the two would-be robbers ran from the store to escape Spinelli’s bullets. Before he could react, the lookout was shot in the leg by Spinelli and later taken into custody. People from the neighborhood hailed Spinelli as a hero for standing up to the would-be robbers. An eyewitness told the news, “Self defense, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, I would do the same thing.” Spinelli’s gun was licensed and he is not expected to be charged.

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The Apartment

Viper's Nest

Teamwork

Wrong Victim

Stop Sign

Hard Lesson

Case Closed

To Catch a Thief

Son Protects Mom

Toy Gun vs. Real Gun

Brothers Busted

Treacherous Trio

Mom-and-Pop Store Saved

Homeowner Chases Thief

"Just Our Womenfolk"

Clerk Thwarts Robbery

Toy Gun vs. Real Gun

Following a Burglar's Trail

And Not a Shot Was Fired

Hard Lesson

Bear Scare

Fighting Words

Family Feud

Disarmament Controversy

Bungled Robbery

Clear Cut Case

Domestic Duel

Guns Save Lives — Armed Citizens Thwart Active Shooters 94 Percent of the Time

Prison Escapee Is Fatally Shot by Woman After He Breaks Into Her Home, Sheriff Says

South Carolina woman kills escaped jail inmate who kicked down her door, sheriff says

South Carolina prison escapee shot dead by homeowner, other jail-breaker captured, cops say