The Armed Citizen® March 8, 2021

by
posted on March 8, 2021
** 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. **
The Armed Citizen
Armed Citizen® Today

A Pensacola, Fla., man was forced to defend himself when robbers broke into his home early on the morning of March 4, 2021.

The incident began around 3:00 a.m. when intruders cut the power and forced their way into the residence. The man was inside the home at the time and alerted to the break-in from the sound of the intruders entering through a screen window at the back door. He got out of bed and retrieved a firearm kept in his bedroom before moving into the hallway to investigate.

As the man looked into the hallway, he saw one of the intruders just feet away from his doorway. The intruder shouted at the man, demanding that he put his hands up. Instead of retreating, the man stood his ground and shot at the intruder in the dark hallway, prompting all the burglars to flee the scene. Police tracked them all down a short time later, including one male intruder that suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound.

As it turned out, the group of young home intruders included the man's own granddaughter. The group decided to rob the property in order to bail a friend out of jail. Neither the man or his wife, who also also at home, were hurt in the incident. (mynbc15
.com, Pensacola, FLA., 03/04/2021)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives January 1977

When a late-night intruder broke into the rural Fowler, Calif., home of Forest H. Smith, 81, neighbors alerted his son-in-law, Roy Garrett. Garrett and his two teenage sons rushed to the old man's home, where they found the thug holding a knife to Smith's throat. After the man swung at him several times with the knife, Garrett shot him in the shoulder with a rifle, but the powerful crook kept coming.

Garrett's younger son then broke a shotgun over the criminal's head, sending him fleeing outside. There, the other son bashed him with a baseball bat, then held the unconscious burglar for sheriff's deputies. (
The Bee, Fresno, Calif.)

Latest

2026 New Suppressor Guide
2026 New Suppressor Guide

New Suppressors for 2026: A Full Guide

With the removal of the $200 NFA tax stamp on suppressors, the only sound reverberating across the firearms landscape is “cha-ching.”

MDT Now Offering Lone Peak Arms Rifle Actions

Earlier in 2026, MDT announced that it had acquired Lone Peak Arms, and now, the company's rifle actions are available to consumers.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 31, 2026

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

NRA-ILA Launches First-Ever National “Gun Bus Battleground Tour” to Mobilize Gun Owners for 2026 Midterms

The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) today launched its first-ever national bus tour, the 2026 NRA’s Gun Bus Battleground Tour, a more than two-month, 13-state campaign to energize and turn out gun owners in key battleground states ahead of the November midterm elections.

Review: TriStar KR.22

Manufactured by Kral Arms in Turkey, the TriStar Arms KR.22 is a lightweight semi-automatic that offers everything you need to get started or to perfect what you’ve learned over the years.

Safe Space: 5 Must-Have Accessories to Organize Your Gun Safe

It's a perennial problem for gun owners: not enough safe space. Here are five organizing products that will help you squeeze a bit more in your existing gun safe before you have to run out and buy another.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.