The Armed Citizen® June 2, 2017

by
posted on June 2, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
ac2009_fs.jpg

While it’s not a situation you’d ever hope to be in, a recent case shows that being armed with a handgun can be enough to get the better of a troublemaker who is armed with an AK-47. A Jacksonville, Fla., resident heard gunshots and screaming one day and went outside with a handgun tucked inside his belt. The armed suspect was waving his rifle around and had tried to shoot a neighborhood dog that was near some people. As the stranger started walking toward the neighbors, the armed citizen shouted out that he wouldn’t abide violent crime in the neighborhood and told the hoodlum to leave. Instead, the outsider turned his rifle on the armed citizen, who fired his handgun, scaring off the bad guy. (news4jax.com, Jacksonville, FL, 3/20/17) 

The Armed Citizen® Extra
Early one morning, two hooded and armed thugs barged into an apartment by kicking in the front door. One of the residents, a Marine veteran, jumped up off the couch in his living room when he heard the loud noises. The intruders and the veteran began to scuffle, when another resident, the son of the veteran, heard the commotion and emerged from the bedroom with a handgun. He fired at the trespassers, killing one, who turned out to have a long history of criminal activity, and wounding the other. (The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt lake City, UT, 4/1/17) 

From the Armed Citizen® Archives
June 1970
Returning home from a skeet-shooting tournament, Gary K. Loyd and his son Keith, 15, of Boise, Idaho, encountered two burglars in their storage room. They covered the pair with their skeet guns until police arrived. (Statesman, Boise, ID)

Latest

Gotw Wilson Combat Divison 77 Project 1 Web
Gotw Wilson Combat Divison 77 Project 1 Web

Gun Of The Week: Wilson Combat Division 77 Project 1

Join American Rifleman staff on the range in this video to get a closer look at Wilson Combat’s somewhat cryptically named “Division 77 Project 1.” 

The Armed Citizen® July 18, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Review: POF-USA LMR BASE Rifle

The Patriot Ordnance Factory LMR Base offers a .308 Win. chambering in a lightweight, AR-15-size package, which makes it a capable platform for today's new gun owner. And it comes at a fair price.

2025 Accessory Of The Year: Wyoming Sight Drifter

For each of the past 23 years, the editors of American Rifleman have convened to select our top picks for the past year’s best and most innovative products. Here are the most recent winners.

Henry Donates Rifles To Support Young Leukemia Victim

Henry Repeating Arms has donated a limited run of 50 “Team Keane” Golden Boy .22 lever-action rifles to support 13-year-old Keane Rhodes of Universal City, Texas, who is currently undergoing aggressive treatment for ALL T-cell leukemia.

Rifleman Review: Springfield Armory Echelon

Springfield Armory introduced its Echelon in 2023, bringing a modernized, chassis-style, striker-fired handgun to the market that has since seen several notable line extensions.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.