The Armed Citizen® April 17, 2020

by
posted on April 17, 2020
** 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. **
armed-citizen-main-image.jpg (4)
Armed Citizen® Today

A man in Jacksonville, Fla. heard a neighbor screaming from inside a burning home and helped to apprehend the suspect accused of setting the blaze. The Good Samaritan, who works as a security guard, heard his neighbor screaming "Help! Help!" The man grabbed his gun and headed outside to respond.

Immediately, he saw his neighbor's house burning and ran to help. He tore down part of the fence separating the two properties and used his voice to guide the woman to safety. The armed citizen also discovered the man believed to have set the fire, who was later identified as the neighbor's son.

Using his sidearm and the handcuffs from his security job, the armed citizen detained the suspected arsonist and held him at gunpoint until the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrived. A video recorded by another neighbor shows the armed citizen preventing the suspect from leaving the premises.

The fire was doused by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and the department confirmed that the blaze was set intentionally. (FOX 30 Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Fla., 03/04/2020)
  
   
From the Armed Citizen® Archives April 1967

Ex-Marine William C. Kelley has won his third personal battle with holdup men at his Los Angeles, Calif. service station. When two men demanded the cash in his register, Kelley gave them $32.63 from the cash box. One man went after him for more. Kelley shot the holdup man three times with a .25-cal. semi-automatic pistol, then went inside for his .38-cal. revolver. Both men drove off meanwhile.

Kelley said he shot another bandit through both legs in 1965 and, later that year, killed a holdup man who shoved a shotgun at him, saying, "You're going to die." Pushing aside the shotgun, Kelley, a pistol expert, shot first. He remarked, "I don't doubt anything a man says when he's pointing a gun at you. (Los Angeles Herald-Examiner)

Latest

weapons of war
weapons of war

A Deadly Testing Ground: Guns of the Spanish Civil War

Great powers have often used smaller conflicts as test beds for new weapon systems, and also as dumping grounds for obsolete machinery. The Spanish Civil War was one such conflict.

Sequel: The New Taurus Judge

Not content to merely mark the gun's 20th anniversary with a special engraved edition, Taurus also introduced the New Taurus Judge this year.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 3, 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.

Questions & Answers: A Wreck of a Remington 40-X

An American Rifleman reader writes in about a project Remington 40-X .22 target rifle that needs some serious help.

New for 2026: KJI K950 Tripod and Titan Inverted Ball Head

KJI (formerly Kopfjäger) releases the carbon-fiber K950 tripod and Titan inverted-ball head.

Book Review | Guns, Shooting and Hunting: What I’ve Learned in 60 Years

Much of what one learns is truly inexpressible to others—so it’s a wonderful rarity when someone can put their knowledge into words.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.