Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 01:48:55 -0500 From: alerts@gatekeeper.nra.org (NRA Alerts) To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Subject: INFO: Jan/Feb 95 Armed Citizen _The Armed Citizen_ The American Rifleman, January/February 1995 Studies indicate that firearms are used over two million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life, limb, or, in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030. "You can't even feel safe in your own neighborhood," says Sondra Evelyn Kinnett of Annapolis, Maryland. Kinnett's home was broken into by a man who lives only a few blocks away. Fortunately, her son, Michael Strissel, was there when it happened. Awakened by the burglar's footsteps, Strissel grabbed his shotgun, confronted the criminal as he hid in a bedroom, and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. (The Capital, Annapolis, MD, 10/14/94) JoEllen Hammersley almost became a cop 20 years ago, and maybe she missed her calling. Hammersley was pulling up to a bank in East Chicago, Indiana, when she heard screams and saw a man run off with a woman 's purse. Without hesitation, Hammersley retrieved her .32 from her purse and gave pursuit. With the help of a bystander, she caught the thief and held him at gunpoint for police. Hammersley received a Citizens Award from the mayor for her action. The local police chief remarked: "It's people like Mrs. Hammersley who make my job a lot easier." (The Times, Munster, IN, 9/29/94) One moment it was a routine morning at Gregory Morris's Inglewood, California, furniture store. The next moment it was "like one of them shoot'em-up movies." Morris and an employee fired at least 20 shots defending their lives against an armed robber who threatened to kill them. He fired 13 times. "I'm on the phone with 911 and I'm screaming for help," says Morris. "There's bullets all over the place. It's like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop." The battle ended with the thug prone with a bullet through his cheek. Morris and his employee were unharmed. Police say the criminal had served less than three months of a two-year prison sentence for robbery. (The Daily Breeze, Los Angeles, CA, 8/27/94) Jack Parker's parents have lived in the same Little Rock house for 30 years. But the neighborhood has deteriorated so much that Parker fears for their safety and often stays with them at night. When the family dog began barking at 1 a.m., Parker grabbed a pistol. Finding an intruder behind the house, Parker yelled at him and was answered by a gunshot. He shot back, hitting and killing him. Police say no charges will be filed against Parker. (Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Little Rock, AR, 9/22/94) On his final run of the night, Rochester, New York, pizza deliveryman Michael Vaccaro was set upon by a group of five to seven men. One of them shoved a gun in Vaccaro's face, while another took him in a chokehold. Vaccaro was able to free himself from the stranglehold, pull his gun and shoot the man holding a gun on him. At the sound of shots, the gang fled, stealing Vaccaro's car. The wounded suspect was apprehended and faces multiple charges.(Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY, 10/9/94) When Louis Simoni walked out of a Rialto, California, restaurant and into the parking lot, he had no idea there were two men inside his car. As Simoni approached, one of the thieves gunned the engine and tried to back over him. That's when Simoni pulled his handgun and shot the driver, killing him. Simoni was not charged in the shooting. (The Sun, San Bernardino, CA, 10/3/94) After a man pounded on her door, cut the electric, telephone and alarm system lines to her house and launched several bricks through her windows, 61-year-old Annie Holt decided she'd had enough. With her .22 derringer in hand, the Nashville resident repeatedly warned her harasser to stop trying to force entry or be shot. He didn't stop, so Holt finally shot and killed him. Police did not expect charges to be filed against Holt. (The Tennessean, Nashville, TN, 10/10/94) A wheelchair-bound 71-year-old Henrico County, Virginia, woman proved too tough for the likes of a local burglar. Lillian Allen, who keeps a .32 under her pillow, wheeled herself into the bedroom when she saw a criminal armed with a tire iron enter her home through a window. After she fired on the intruder, he fled out the front door. The doughty grandmother says crime won't run her out of her neighborhood. "As long as I have the gun, I feel secure with that," she said. (Times- Dispatch, Richmond, VA, 10/18/94) Like a scene from the hit movie "Home Alone," a 12-year-old Archer, Florida, boy used his wits, and a gun, to protect himself and his family's proper- ty. While the boy was watching TV, a burglar entered the farm house through an open side door. Seeing the intruder, the youngster retrieved the family's 12-ga. shotgun and fired one shot, sending the perpetrator packing. A newspaper report said the youth is an experienced hunter and has taken a course in gun safety. (The Sun, Gainesville, FL, 10/10/94) When Springfield, Oregon, resident John Shannon heard noises at four in the morning, he figured it was the family cat asking to go out. Shannon didn't find the cat, but he did find an intruder on his hands and knees next to his wife's side of the bed. Quickly, Shannon retrieved his .45 from his closet, trained it on the intruder and cut on the lights. After his wife called 911, NRA member Shannon detained the burglar until police could arrive. (The Register-Guard, Eugene, OR, 10/10/94) Portland, Wisconsin, gun shop owner William Ripley was suspicious about the two youths in his store asking "silly questions ." When one announced a holdup and pulled a gun, Ripley drew his own .22 pistol and fired. "We both fired at the same time," says Ripley. "I dodged, and he missed by about 6". I have powder burns on my face." Ripley's shot went through the robber's cheek and lodged in his neck. Police nabbed the wounded robber and a second suspect and later found the stolen car they were driving. (The Herald, Sparta, WI, 9/19/94) __ Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 02:14:30 -0500 From: alerts@gatekeeper.nra.org (NRA Alerts) To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Subject: ARMED CITIZEN: March 1995 The American Rifleman, March 1995 THE ARMED CITIZEN Studies indicate that firearms are used over two million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate imminent threat to life, limb, or in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed Citizen:" 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030. Even after Korean-born Joseph Choi told the armed robber to take whatever he wanted, the intruder forced the shopkeeper to his hands and knees and threatened to kill him. When the robber locked the door to his Spokane, Washington, watch repair shop, Choi made a decision. "I had to take a chance. I die or he die. I'm not lucky, I die," said Choi, who grabbed the man's wrist, attempting to wrench the gun loose. During the ensuing struggle, Choi reached his own handgun and was able to unleash three shots. Two were on target, fatally wounding the robber, who authorities said had an extensive criminal record. (The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, 12/16/94) State and local law enforcement officials praised Elva, Kentucky, resident Anthony Sexton, his brother, and two cousins after they captured four men being sought in a manhunt after burglarizing a nearby home. Sexton came upon two of the wanted men on a road and confronted them. His relatives found two more suspects hiding in the woods. When one of the criminals attempted to pull a stolen .357 Mag., it became entangled in the lining of his jacket--a fortunate thing for the criminal. "He doesn't know how close he came to getting killed right there," said Sexton, who had a gun of his own. The criminals were held at gunpoint until police could arrive. (The Sun, Paducah, KY, 11/2/94) Rebecca Griffin awoke to the screams of her daughter, who was being bound and gagged by two kidnappers in her Washington, D.C., home. She confronted the men, one of whom was carrying knife, and brought the attack to a quick halt when she was able to break free and retrieve a .32 cal. revolver from the basement, shooting the knife-wielder four times. The other suspect fled. Griffin and one daughter were slashed during the attack. Some news accounts made no mention that the handgun that saved the Griffins is illegal in the District. (The Times, Washington, D.C., 12/14/94) Rochester, New York, market owner Ali Amireh still carries a bullet lodged next to his heart after being shot in the chest during a 1992 armed robbery. He was not about to take another one. When two criminals walked into his store and opened fire on Amireh, he drew his own legally owned .38 and shot back. The armed robber was struck once, while the other suspect fled. The incident was the third in Rochester that month where citizens defended themselves. Just two weeks earlier, a restaurant owner shot a bandit during an attempted robbery. In another incident, two city employees being held up in a parking lot pulled their legally carried firearms and shot and killed their assailant. No charges were filed against the crime victims in any of those incidents. (Times-Union, Rochester, NY, 12/20/94) Jimmy Kirkpatrick thought it might be friends knocking at the door of his Dallas, Texas, apartment at 2 a.m. Instead, the 26-year-old Army reservist found himself looking down the barrel of a rifle held by one of two strangers. Kirkpatrick, who usually answers the door with a pistol behind his back because his door doesn't have a peephole, stepped quickly to the side as a shot went past him. He then fired a single mortal shot into one man. The surviving intruder told police the two had gone to Kirkpatrick's apartment to rob him. Police said Kirkpatrick was justified for shooting his attacker. (The Morning News, Dallas, TX, 12/19/94) When Lake Los Angeles, California, resident Alfred Abel saw his girlfriend being brutally beaten by her former landlord, he did the only thing he could to stop the attack. Partially paralyzed on his right side, Abel managed to grab his .45 semi- auto pistol. After shouting a warning, Abel fired a single shot at the aggressor, striking him in the abdomen and killing him. Prosecutors refused to file charges against Abel, saying he came to the defense of his girlfriend. (Times, Los Angeles, CA 11/5/94) Two long criminal careers ended in a hail of gunfire in a Richmond, Virginia, jewelry store. The robbers, aged 56 and 71, were masked and armed as they burst into the store, but owner Gary Baker and his five employees already had revolvers and shotguns in hand. More than 30 shots were fired in a firefight that killed both criminals. Other than a shotgun pellet to Baker's hand, the jewelers were unscathed. (Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA 12/6/94) Housebreakers had entered Lillie Mae Ponder's Orlando, Florida, home twice in less then a week, so she grabbed her .38 Spl. when she heard noises from her 77-year-old husband's bedroom. There she found a criminal spraying wheelchair bound Paul Ponder with Mace. Though he turned the irritant on her, too, she was able to fire, killing her attacker. Police said the shooting was justified. (The Sentinel, Orlando, FL 12/8/94) What police called "fatal attraction" cost a 15-year-old boy his life. Obsessed with a neighborhood woman, he allegedly broke into her Broken Bow, Oklahoma, home three times in a week, once raping the mother of two at knife-point. But when he entered the home the final time carrying a stolen handgun, a pair of handcuffs and a ski mask, the youth encountered two armed men guarding the home in the family's absence. Police said the unidentified citizen who killed the alleged rapist "had no choice." (Gazette Texarkana, TX 11/3/94) Suspicious after it seemed a "customer" was casing his isolated Woodson, Arkansas, store, Sherman Waldern, 72 reached behind the meat counter for a .357 Mag. while his wife went to lock the store's door. But before she could secure it, three robbers--one armed with a shotgun--burst in. Waldern shot and killed the shotgun wielder as his fellow criminals fled the scene. Police soon identified two other men as suspects. (Democrat Gazette, Little Rock, AR 12/2/94) __ Date: Sun, 23 Jul 1995 03:07:10 -0400 From: alerts@gatekeeper.nra.org (NRA Alerts) To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Subject: INFO: Armed Citizen Columns for August, 1995 The American Rifleman, August 1995 THE ARMED CITIZEN Studies indicate that firearms are used over two million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate imminent threat to life limb or in some cases property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030 Concord, New Hampshire, resident Stephen Lockawich and his 100-lb. chocolate lab, Mousse, were scouring woods for shed deer antlers when suddenly charged by a rabid skunk. The crazed critter lashed out at the much larger dog, sinking his teeth into Mousse's leg before being knocked loose. The dog and his owner attempted to escape through the woods only to discover the skunk right behind them. Lockawich then drew his .38 and fired four shots, killing the diseased pest. (The Monitor, Concord, NH, 3/27/95) A Canajoharie, New York, car thief's efforts were put in park after a potential victim pressed a shotgun to the criminal's throat. Daniel J. Stetin foiled the crime after awaking for work and discovering his car already running outside. He grabbed a shotgun and went to investigate, while his wife grabbed the telephone and dialed 911. Confronted by an armed and angry Stetin, the crook rested quietly on the ground and waited for police to arrive. (The Sunday Gazette, Schnectady, NY, 5/21/95) A crazed teenager screaming "Satan will get you," chased a Hermitage, Pennsylvania, woman into her home, then tore a sliding glass door from its track. The woman then pulled a .22 cal. gun on the intruder, who fled at the sight of the firearm. The teen, who had been recently prosecuted in another community, was arrested 15 minutes later by police who had to use pepper spray to subdue the suspect. (The Herald, Sharon, PA, 4/3/95) Mobile, Alabama, citizen activist Lillian Jackson was driving by some properties she owns when she noticed two unfamiliar men coming out one of the houses. Jackson grabbed her .38 snub-nose from beside the seat of her car and drew a bead on the pair, who heat a hasty retreat. It was the third incident in which the president of the local March Against Crime organization had been forced to use her gun, dubbed "The Equalizer," to stop or apprehend a burglar. (The Register, Mobile, AL, 4/26/95) William Buchas and his wife were walking across a Plainville, Connecticut, store parking lot with an armful of groceries when Buchas' wife noticed a man inside their camper. While the thief worked at removing a CB radio, Buchas slid in the back door of the RV, grabbed a loaded handgun and forced the crook outside at gunpoint. Police soon arrived and arrested the criminal, who was reportedly so shook up at the sight of Buchas' sidearm that he cried for two hours after being taken into custody. (The Press, Bristol, CT, 5/20/95) A stabbing suspect facing attempted murder charges was holed up in a Simi Valley, California, couple's home when the two returned. Despite the seriousness of the charges facing the bloody intruder, involved in a fight the night before, he offered no resistance to the armed husband, who ordered him to lay on the floor while his wife called police. (The Daily News, Simi Valley, CA, 5/19/95) NRA member Bob Rocchio was behind the counter of his Providence Rhode Island, liquor store when a man entered and pointed a gun at him . Walking around the counter as if to surrender cash, Rocchio instead unleashed a shot at the bandit, who returned fire and fled the store. Neither man was hit. (The Journal Bulletin, Providence, RI, 4/1/95) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, resident Lloyd Bowens and neighbor, Larry Hughes heard somebody in Bowens' home as they talked on the porch and decided to investigate. Once inside, the two encountered a brazen intruder who first throttled Hughes and then charged Bowens with a pair of scissors. The attack was cut short when Bowens drew his .32 revolver and fired two shots, seriously wounding the intruder--an amazing feat considering Bowens has been blind close to 30 years and used his hearing to guide his aim. (The Journal, Winston-Salem NC, 4/30/95) "He's the only reason why they didn't empty the entire store. What he did was outstanding," said one police officer about an unidentified man who single-handedly put an end to looting at an Atlanta, Georgia, shopping mall. When hundreds of young revelers-turned-hoodlums ran wild and began ransacking and looting businesses, the man jumped from his car with a shotgun, firing three shots into the air. The thieves scattered and fled as the citizen knocked stolen merchandise from some of their hands and held one young crook for arriving police officers. (The Journal Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 4/23/95) A Caldwell County, North Carolina, couple was watching television in their home when Denise Kent noticed their back doorknob moving. Her husband Mike quickly grabbed his S&W .357 and pulled the door open to find a man standing at the door trying to get in the house. Kent then knocked the intruder to the ground and held him at gunpoint until sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene. (The News-Topic, Lenoir, NC, 4/28/95) Seymour, Connecticut, race shop owners Vinny Anglace and Scott Ritter stopped by their business to search for a missing transmission when they discovered an unlocked door and a partially disassembled $12,000 racing engine sitting by the entrance. Expecting the criminals to return, Anglace got his 9 mm semi-auto pistol and started to climb into a loft to wait when he looked over and discovered the pair of thieves sitting in a car listening to the radio. Anglace immediately covered the two, while Ritter phoned police. (The Post, Bridgeport, CT, 4/11/95) __ Date: Sat, 23 Sep 1995 12:01:23 -0400 From: NRA Alerts To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Subject: ARMEDCITIZEN: October 1995 The American Rifleman, October 1995 THE ARMED CITIZEN Studies indicate that firearms are used over two million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate imminent threat to life limb or in some cases property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030 A man posing as a customer strolled into an Albuquerque, New Mexico, business and, believing nobody would notice grabbed a cash box and sprinted from the store. His run was cut short, however, by store employee Alfredo Urban, who gave chase with a firearm and quickly caught and held the suspect for police. (The Tribune, Albuquerque, NM, 5/23/95) Roughed up, blindfolded, tied to her bed and fearful of being raped by two robbers, a Spanaway, Washington, grandmother managed to work her hands free and retrieve her .22 cal. revolver. When one of the men started to return upstairs, 69-year-old Wilma Roberts shot twice, wounding him in the arm. Roberts then chased the two from the house, firing additional shots as they fled in her van. Police recovered the van just miles away from Roberts' home and arrests were expected. (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA, 6/10/95) "If they hadn't had a gun, there may have been much more injury and the guy probably wouldn't have been apprehended," said Owyhee County, Idaho, Sheriff Tim Nettleton after Wayne and Sharon Paris were rudely awakened in their own bedroom by a crowbar-wielding assailant. After suffering several gashes to the head from the attack, Wayne, with the aid of his wife, drove the housebreaker from the bedroom and managed to grab his .357 Mag., which he used to hold the man for sheriff's deputies. It was believed that the assailant was planning a rape at another house and broke into the Paris' home by mistake. (Idaho Press-Tribune, Nampa, ID, 6/21/95) When three young men in a car began harassing a young woman walking alone outside a Gastonia, North Carolina, shopping mall, she sought help from a nearby friend, 26-year-old Christopher Gore. Enraged after being told to leave the woman alone, one of the men, a thrice-convicted violent offender who had consumed a six-pack of beer on the way to mall, jumped from his vehicle and began firing a .22 cal. pistol at Gore. The armed citizen returned fire with a 9mm pistol, killing the felon on the spot. The Gaston District Attorney ruled that Gore acted in self-defense. (The Gaston Observer, Gaston, NC, 6/10/95) Ypsilanti, Michigan, resident Lois Menna noticed the air conditioner pushed out at her family's hot dog stand, and with .38 in hand, yelled for the prowler to come out, which he did. As a neighbor called police, Menna held the gun on the man, who attempted to unnerve her by threatening to walk away. Menna replied, "I've been waiting a long time for this...if you don't think I'll use it, walk. And you'll find out." The crook, a habitual offender, opted to wait for police. (The Gazette, Kalamazoo, MI, 7/10/95) Sheila Cole's advice to people: "Don't be afraid to protect yourself." That's exactly what she did after a purse snatcher grabbed her bag containing more than $1,000 in receipts from her Detroit, Michigan, hair salon. Cole drew her .38 cal. revolver, shooting the man in the buttocks and leg. As he tried to escape in a stolen car, the robber was beaten and kicked by residents and business owners in the crack-infested neighborhood. (The Free Press, Detroit, Ml, 6/15/95) A would-be robber armed with a Swiss Army knife had the fight taken out of him after Charles "Chuck" Brafford, the cashier of a Des Moines, Iowa, cafe shot him in the arm. The wounded bandit initially fled the Y Not Grill, only to approach a pursuing patron minutes later requesting to be taken to jail. (The Register, Des Moines, IA, 7/1/95) A violent criminal with a history of carjackings made a fatal mistake when he forced Coral Springs, Florida, resident Paul Brite into the trunk of his own car--the same place Brite stored his two handguns. After a brief drive with his accomplice following in another car, the carjacker pulled over to see if Brite was attempting to summon help on a cellular phone. When the trunk was opened, Brite scrambled out--revolver in one hand, semi-auto in the other--and ordered the assailant to the ground. Instead, the man moved as if reaching for a weapon, drawing fatal gunfire from Brite. When the robber's accomplice tried to run him down, Brite fired at him as well. The accomplice was later apprehended by police. (The Sun-Sentinel, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 7/25/95) A Bangor, Maine, criminal was held for police by armed homeowners Scott Simcock and Frank Page after the crook attempted to steal at least three trucks in their neighborhood, extensively damaging two of them in the process. Dome lights were also on in several other vehicles along the secluded roadway, leading police to believe the would-be crook had attempted to break into or steal at least four other vehicles before being captured. (The Daily News, Bangor, ME, 6/13/95) A severe beating and a broken arm were more than enough motivation for Theresa Jenkins to leave her live-in boyfriend, get her own apartment and--for protection from future assaults--purchase a handgun. Just two weeks later, the abuser burst through the door of her Gloucester, Virginia, apartment and slashed her arm with a knife. Jenkins was able to turn the tide of the attack with three shots from her .380, which sent the wounded man running from the apartment. (The Daily Press, Newport News, VA, 7/3/95) Emerging from the darkness of a Dallas, Texas, night, the carjacker laid the 7" butcher knife against the neck of Marcellina Williams, seated in the driver's seat of a 1992 Lexus. As he grabbed the young woman's wrist with his free hand and jerked her from the driver's seat, the passenger, Runette Sanders, retrieved her .38 from a bag in the back seat and scrambled from the car. When the man lunged at her with the knife, Sanders loosed a single blast, wounding him in the head and ending the carjacking. (The Morning News, Dallas, TX, 6/11/95) __