The Armed Citizen® December 25, 2012

by
posted on December 25, 2012
** 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 (3)

Zachary Rogers, 26, was working late one night at the 21st Amendment liquor store. It was just past midnight when an armed man wearing a ski mask entered the store and forced Rogers and another store employee, Alicia Grabarczyk, 25, down a hallway toward an office where the safe was kept. With a concealed handgun in his front pocket, Rogers chose his moment of opportunity carefully. In one quick motion, Rogers pushed Grabarczyk to the floor and fired at the armed robber. He then helped Grabarczyk into the office and out of the line of fire. Although the burglar had been struck, Rogers saw him raise his firearm. Rogers fired three more rounds at the gunman which proved fatal. Neither Rogers nor Grabarczyk were harmed. (Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, IN, 10/11/12)

The Armed Citizen Extra

Around 5 a.m. on October 9, 2012, 72-year-old Jerry Duncan called police to report that he had fired a single shot at someone who had cut his electricity and was attempting to break into his home. Before Duncan fired he told the perpetrator to go away, but 51-year-old William Ragsdell of Lake Elsinore did not acquiesce. The shot was fatal, and Ragsdell died at 6:15 a.m. at the Inland Balley Regional Medical Center in Wildomar. (The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, CA, 10/9/12)

From The Armed Citizen Archives

December, 1967: An Illinois State Penitentiary parolee who couldn't kick the crime habit paid with his life when he and 2 other men broke into the Sleepy Hollow, Ill. home of Dr. Roland Russell. As the gunmen were occupied tying Russell's wife and son to a bed, the doctor edged back to a table where he kept a loaded revolver. He fired 4 times, mortally wounding the parolee. The dying man's companions fled. (Chicago Daily News)

Latest

Ruger Beretta Agreement F Updated
Ruger Beretta Agreement F Updated

Beretta Holding and Ruger Agree to Partnership

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. and Beretta Holding S.A. have announced that both companies are entering into a strategic cooperation agreement.

Return of the Encore: T/C Arms Brings Back Its Iconic Single-Shot

In 2024, former owner Gregg Ritz purchased Thompson/Center Arms. Now the company has introduced a modern take on its classic Contender/Encore concept: the ENCORE PROHunter.

7 New ARs for 2026

While it's certainly a saturated marketplace these days, the AR-15 has never been more popular with American firearm enthusiasts, and many manufacturers are continuing to feed the need with new options loaded with new features.

The Armed Citizen® May 4, 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.

The Drawbacks of Being a Numbers-Oriented Gun Guy

Like any hobby or pastime that is in any way even vaguely related to machines or technology, firearms attract a (possibly) disproportionate number of “right-brained,” STEM-oriented personalities who like numbers.

First Look: MDT Hand Cannon Slingshot

Slingshots are fun, but they can also be a legitimate backup defensive tool—in 2023, a 13-year-old Michigan boy saved his 8-year-old sister from being kidnapped by using a $3 slingshot to fire a marble and a rock at the assailant, striking him in the chest and head.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.