The Armed Citizen® December 2010

*His delivery completed, a pizza driver began to drive away when a masked man accosted him with a shotgun and announced a robbery. The driver drew a handgun that he was licensed to carry and shot the suspect. After asking a passerby to call 9-1-1, the compassionate driver reassured the wounded suspect that help was on the way. “He kept saying, ‘They’re coming!’ like he was encouraging him to be okay,” said witness Dana Trader. The suspect will be arrested after his release from the hospital. (WTVR-TV, Richmond, VA, 09/20/10)

*Retired schoolteacher Larry Goldstein was awakened by a loud noise and quickly obtained his .38-cal. Smith & Wesson revolver. As he reached the first floor of his Brooklyn, N.Y., home, two men confronted him carrying what appeared to be a pistol and an M-16 rifle. Fearing for his life, Goldstein shot one of the intruders three times. The wounded intruder was arrested. His accomplice fled the scene. Both guns carried by the men proved to be toys, but according to a police spokesman, they “were very realistic looking. If someone pointed them at you, you would light them up, too,” he said. (The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, 09/16/10)

The Armed Citizen Extra

(The following account did not appear in the print version of American Rifleman.)

In the middle of the night, an 18-year-old male decided to burglarize what he thought was an empty home. Once inside, he realized that the homeowner was asleep upstairs, took one of the homeowner's guns and entered the bedroom. The homeowner woke up and sprang to action, grabbing his shotgun and firing several shots. The intruder was taken to the hospital where he later passed away due to his injuries. (Stuggart Daily Leader, Stuggart, AR, 08/02/10)

From The Armed Citizen Archives

December 1958: A bandit entered the dry cleaning shop of Elmer Fetter of Columbus, Ohio, and said "This is a stickup." The 71-year-old owner snatched a pistol from beside the cash register, poked it in his assailant's face and sent him scrambling out the door. Fetter said all he owns is in the shop and the pistol by the cash register is there to protect it. (Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, OH)