The Armed Citizen® December 2, 2016

by
posted on December 2, 2016
** 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

Bank robbery doesn’t pay when an armed citizen steps up to stop the crime. In Homewood, Ala., a man walked into a local bank and held it up. The hooligan, with a piece of cloth wrapped around his hand as if to hide a gun, ordered the people inside to huddle into a corner and hand over their cell phones. As he got ready to leave the bank, the robber pointed the cloth-covered hand at the bank patrons. An armed citizen saw that as an opportunity, pulling out his concealed firearm and firing at the would-be robber. “I was thinking a lot of people’s lives were in danger and my life was in danger, too. He pointed whatever he had at us, so I fired a shot at him,” said the citizen. The shot missed, but the police arrived and arrested the bad guy as he was fleeing. (AL.com, Homewood, AL, 9/21/16)

The Armed Citizen® Extra
An elderly man was awakened early one Friday morning to find a man in a skull mask standing over him. A struggle ensued between the two, during which the resident fired a shot from his .22-cal. handgun, hitting the intruder. A police lieutenant said the older man was “remorseful, shook up,” but was protecting an elderly sister who also lives in the house. Furthermore, he said the case “looks like self-defense” and no charges are expected. (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Uniontown, PA, 11/6/16)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives
December 1982
Alerted by the sounds of someone breaking into his Godfrey, Ill., home, Victor Calhoun took up his .44 cal. handgun and positioned himself behind a kitchen wall. He hollered a warning, whereupon the invader yelled back, “I’ll shoot.” Calhoun, 68, and his assailant then traded gunfire before the intruder fled from the house. (The Telegraph, Alton, IL)

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.