A woman in her early 50s was getting out of the shower when the bathroom lights suddenly went out. An intruder collided into her in the dark, causing her to fall backward into the shower and injure her back. She fought the man, but he put a knife to her throat. “She was telling him that she has money and please don’t hurt her,” said Police Cpl. Edwin Ritter, adding that the attack was an attempted sexual assault. The intruder forced the woman into her bedroom, but that’s exactly where she kept her .22-cal. pistol. She broke free, retrieved the gun and shot her would-be rapist several times. He ran outside, collapsed and died. “Thank God she’s okay and she had a weapon to protect herself with,” said a neighbor. “She’s a nice lady, just a sweet lady.” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 05/12/11)
The Armed Citizen Extra
(The following account was not featured in the print version of American Rifleman.)
A man and a woman were standing outside their home when a man began yelling at them and walking toward them at an accelerated pace. As the homeowners moved into their vehicles to avoid the man, the suspect charged at the woman, grabbed her by the neck and dragged her onto the porch. The male homeowner retrieved a gun from the vehicle and confronted the suspect. When the attacker refused to retreat, the male homeowner shot him in the leg, and he fell to the ground where he remained until police arrived. (The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO, 06/24/10)
From The Armed Citizen Archives
August 1976: After asking to see a rifle on display in Harold Von Wahlde's Anderson, Ind., gun store, a man pulled out a revolver and demanded money. Von Wahlde, 71, attempted to grab the gun and a struggle ensued. When the robber's gun misfired, Von Wahlde grabbed a cal. .38 handgun from a shelf behind him and fired one shot that mortally wounded the thug. (The Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.)
