Paul Ohle, 69, was at home baking around 9 a.m. when he heard more than a dozen bangs on his front door. By the time he made it to the door, a man had already forced his way inside. The man told Ohle that he needed help, so Ohle picked up his cell phone to call 911. The man grabbed the phone from Ohle and pushed him onto the sofa. He ordered Ohle to stay where he was as he tried to take his television. Ohle struggled with the man, but managed to get to the .38-cal. handgun he kept in his bedroom. Ohle fired multiple rounds, killing the intruder. Ohle was later taken to an area hospital where he was treated and released. (Hickory Daily Record, Hickory, NC, 2/26/13)

A widowed grandmother who awoke to the sound of her back door being smashed open held the intruder at gunpoint until police arrived at her North Spokane home. Spokane police said the 63-year-old woman fired one shot at the man when she found him in her home around 12:20 a.m. but he was not injured. "I just woke up with the crash and grabbed my gun and got out of bed and said 'I'm armed' and he kept coming at me," the homeowner said. "I shot off one round and he kept coming, so I started backing up." The intruder "flopped" on her sofa, she said, and she got the phone and called 911. When police arrived the intruder attempted to flee, but went back in the house upon seeing officers. Police entered the home where the intruder resisted, but was finally subdued with help from the K9 unit. (The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, 4/3/13)

Ernest Robinson, an assistant high school basketball coach, was escorting two of his female team members from the building one evening when they were approached by two teenage boys.  One of the teenagers wielded a gun. The gunman ordered the girls to leave as the other teen yanked at the chain Robinson wore around his neck.  Robinson quickly pulled out his concealed pistol and fired at both assailants, killing one and wounding the other. The surviving perpetrator is now being charged with one count of armed robbery and one count of assault with intent to rob while armed. (The Detroit News, Detroit, MI, 2/15/13)

Three masked men entered Plaza Jewelers one afternoon, one carrying a gun while the other two wielded hammers. Store owner Alfonso Angela spotted the men through the store window and grabbed the gun he kept hidden behind the counter. The two men with hammers, one carrying a bag, were approaching the glass cases of jewelry when Angela cocked the hammer of his gun. Within seconds, the men were making a hasty exit. Police were called and two male suspects were later taken into custody. (San Jose Mercury News, Fair Oaks, CA, 1/21/13)

Debi Keeney, 55, was at home with her sister, Donna Carlyle, 47, when she stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. As she closed the door behind her, a man approached and pushed his way inside the apartment. The man threw Keeney to the floor and put Carlyle in a choke hold. He demanded money as Carlyle gasped for air. Keeney was quickly able to get to a .22-cal. derringer she kept hidden in a side-table drawer. She warned the man to release her sister or she would shoot. When he continued to demand money, Keeney fired. The 33-year-old intruder was later taken to a local hospital to be treated for two gunshot wounds and was listed in critical condition. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Highland, MO, 2/11/13)

The Armed Citizen Extra
A 72-year-old South Side woman on oxygen held a man at gunpoint in her home Wednesday evening after he crashed through her porch window and onto her couch. Phibbie Underwood told the intruder, 26, that "you broke into the wrong house" and "I'll kill you" after he came through the window about 8 p.m. Wednesday police reports state. She fired one shot in his direction. Police said they arrived to find the intruder lying on the floor and Underwood pointing a .22-caliber revolver at him. Underwood put on a clinic on how to defend your home with a gun, according to the police chief. "She's a brave lady," he said. "She did exactly what she's supposed to do with a home defense firearm. Good for her." "She didn't use the gun until she felt threatened." (Tribune Chronicle, Youngstown, OH, 3/29/2013)

Michael and Amy Stephens were at home with their two young daughters when they saw deputies speeding past their home. The couple then overheard on their police scanner that there was a man in the area being sought by police. Michael grabbed a flashlight and headed outside to investigate and to make sure his family's home was secure. As he stepped outside, he saw the 26-year-old fugitive nearby. Michael attempted to detain him while Amy dialed 911. The fugitive was able to grab Michael's flashlight and started swinging it wildly over his head. Amy appeared with a .243 rifle and warned the man that she would shoot. Soon after, the fugitive was arrested and booked ons several preliminary charges. Michael suffered a few stitches, but was otherwise unharmed. (Daily Inter Lake, Evergreen, MT, 1/5/13)

The Armed Citizen Extra
A woman scared off men accused of breaking into homes by using her gun for protection, according to court documents. James Deweese, 30, of Michigan City, and David Keck, 26, of Crown Point, each were hared with residential entry and criminal mischief in connection with the March 11 incident. A resident there told police she saw a black Ford Fusion pull up on her driveway. A man left the car, walked to her door and began knocking and ringing the doorbell for several minutes, court records state. The woman told police she grabbed her handgun for protection because she was suspicious of the man. The man allegedly kicked in her door, and the woman pointed her gun at him. The man ran back to the car, which was driven by another person, and the woman took a picture of the car on her cellphone, court documents state. (North West Indiana Times, 3/22/13)

Roger Mundell, Jr. entered his garage one morning only to be confronted by a seemingly rabid bobcat that had gained entry through an open door. The bobcat attacked Mundell, biting him in the face and clawing at his arms. Mundell was able to escape the garage and thought the bobcat was still trapped inside. Before he could warn his 15-year-old nephew, Michael, of the danger, the bobcat was spotted nearby. The cat lunged at Michael grabbing him by the arm. As Mundell tried to pull the cat off of his nephew, his wife, Cindy, then retrieved a firearm and handed it to Mundell who shot the bobcat. The family was treated for injuries and vaccinated for rabies. It was later determined that the bobcat was, in fact, rabid. (Spencer New Leader, Amherst, MA, 1/18/13)

The Armed Citizen Extra
A clerk at a Casper hotel used a gun she kept in her lunchbox to thwart a robbery at her business early Friday, police said. The worker pulled out the gun after two men with covered faces approached her and said they were going to rob the hotel. The would-be robbers ran from the building and remain at large, said Sgt. Deahn Amend. No shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident. (The Casper Star Tribune, Casper, Wyoming, 1/5/13)

Hasib Kuric, a homeless man living behind a gas station, spotted two men putting on masks and gloves outside the building. Kuric ran inside to warn the clerk, Leonard Carr. The men followed Kuric inside and began shooting. Carr retrieved his own firearm and returned fire. One of the masked men was fatally wounded while the other fled and was arrested a few blocks away. He was charged with two counts of second-degree Attempted Felony Murder, one count of second-degree Felony Murder, and one count of Armed Occupied Burglary. Kuric and Carr were not injured. (Local10.com, Hollywood, FL, 1/15/13)

The Armed Citizen Extra
Police in Casper say a hotel clerk used a gun she kept in her lunch box to foil a robbery attempt. Two masked men entered the Quality Inn on Poplar Street before 1 a.m. on Friday and announced they were staging a robbery. The two men ran from the building after the female clerk pulled out her handgun. A spokeswoman for the Casper Police Department says the two remain at large. The Casper robbery attempt came three days after a pair of men with bandannas over their faces robbed a hotel in Laramie. The men in that case made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and have not been captured. Police are investigating whether the two cases are connected. (The Sunday Ranger, Casper, WY, 1/6/13)

After confronting a man lurking in his front yard the previous morning, Clint Lowery called police a second time when the same man tried to gain entry by forcing open the door to his home. With his 2-year-old daughter sleeping inside, Lowery did what he had to do to ensure his family's safety. Lowery met the intruder on the front porch with a 12-ga. shotgun and held him there until police arrived. Lowry said, "I just did whatever anybody would do to protect their family." (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA, 1/23/13)

The Armed Citizen Extra
A 21-year-old Texas man is being credited with protecting his family when he retreated into his family's bedroom, retrieved a gun and fatal shot one of three intruders who forcefully entered his home. The family was reportedly baking a cake in their home near Houston when the men knocked on the front door and pushed the father to the ground. The men lunged for the mother, and the 21-year-old got his father's gun and opened fire, killing one of the intruders. Police later spotted a vehicle with two men who matched the suspects' descriptions and took them in for questioning. (KHOU.com, Houston, TX, 2/23/13)

From The Armed Citizen Archives
August 1969: After two milk deliverymen were killed in separate holdups in Miami, Fla., last year, Lewis Wilhite, Sr., armed his wholesale candy and tobacco truck with a carbine. Recently an ex-convict, pistol in hand, tried to break into the truck. Lewis, Jr., warned him off. When he persisted, Lewis, Jr., fired four shots from the carbine and wounded the ex-convict. (Clearwater, Fla., Sun)

When two men walked into Rafael Lantigua's store after dark with their hoods pulled tight exposing only their eyes, he grew suspicious. Understandably so, as one of the men produced a gun and pointed it at him. Lantigua quickly reached for his own firearm from his waist band and pointed it in their direction. Both men jumped back in surprise before fleeing the premises. It was last reported that both men were still at large. According to police, Lantigua was unharmed and nothing was stolen from his store. (The Eagle-Tribune, Lawrence, MA, 1/14/13)

The Armed Citizen Extra
A homeowner shot and injured an intruder who broke into his home and refused to leave early Sunday, then held the man at gunpoint until sheriff's deputies could arrive at the scene. Police later determined the intruder was high on methamphetamine. At 4:45 a.m. Sunday the homeowner heard someone talking outside his home. He called 911 then armed himself with a pistol while waiting for the police to respond. The intruder burst into the home and approached the homeowner who was standing in front of his bedroom door to protect his wife. The homeowner warned him to stop, but was charged at instead. The homeowner fired one shot, hitting the intruder who kept coming at him and tackled the homeowner. The two fought until the homeowner could break free, and hold the intruder at gunpoint until police arrived 20 minutes after receiving the call. (Komo News, Chehalis, WA, 3/1/13)

Bryan Lee, owner of the Almond Avenue Pharmacy, had no choice but to fire his .45-cal. pistol when a 31-year-old male entered his store firing a similar model. The gunman entered the store and immediately fired multiple rounds striking Lee's mother, Sophie Lee, in the leg. Bryan Lee returned fire, causing the man to flee. He collapsed a block away and later died at a local hospital. Lee was unharmed and his mother was expected to make a quick recovery. Lee said, "We just did what we had to do to survive." (The Fresno Bee, Madera, CA, 1/11/13)

The Armed Citizen Extra
A 46-year-old woman told Myrtle Beach police she fended off a would-be robber early Friday by kicking him and then pointing her gun at him, according to a police report. The victim told officers that at 2:50 a.m. Friday she arrived for her shift at the Bagel Factory when a man opened the driver's door, police said. The victim said she kicked at the robber, who had something covering his face and a hooded sweatshirt over his head and a black hat, and he pushed her into the vehicle in an attempt to get her purse, according to the report. The victim said she continued to kick at the man until she reached into the glove box and retrieved her handgun. The victim said she pointed the gun at the suspect and he turned and ran. Detectives are investigating the incident. (The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC, 2/16/13)

A 35-year-old woman called 911 after a man followed her home from a gas station and forced his way inside through the front door. The woman allegedly ordered the man to leave then retreated to her bedroom. The intruder picked up a knife from the kitchen table and followed her. It was reported that he threatened the woman with the knife and ordered her to take off her clothes. She warned the man that she would shoot him, but he continued to push her to undress. She retrieved a 9 mm handgun from underneath a pillow on her bed and pointed it at the intruder. When he continued toward her, she pulled the trigger. The suspect was fatally wounded. (Santa Fe New Mexican, Alcalde, NM, 11/8/12)

The Armed Citizen Extra
A man with a concealed carry permit held two people at gunpoint Tuesday after they rammed him on Highway 29 in Wausau and then beat him in a road rage incident, according to police. A 49-year-old man called 911 saying the van he had passed was ramming his SUV from behind. The dispatcher told the caller to pull over and wait for officers. The couple in the car followed, and proceeded to hit and stab him with car keys. The driver then pulled out his gun and held them at gunpoint until the police arrived and arrested the two. (Associated Press Journal Sentinel, Wausau, WI, 12/7/12)