The Armed Citizen® Feb. 3, 2025

by
posted on February 3, 2025
** 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 routine car-service job turned into a self-defense scenario for a mechanic in Hialeah, Fla., when he was forced to defend himself from a machete-wielding attacker.

Police say the 29-year-old mechanic worked for a mobile tire-repair service and was called to fix a vehicle owned by a 36-year-old man. When the mechanic showed up and began working on the vehicle, the 36-year-old car owner noticed that the mechanic had placed a used tire on his vehicle and became irate. He verbally threatened the mechanic, then obtained a machete and charged toward the mechanic.

The mechanic, fearing for his life, drew a firearm and shot the attacker, who died at the scene. Police initially took the 29-year-old mechanic into custody following the shooting, but further investigation revealed details of the attack. "Based on the information obtained by detectives, it was determined that this was a justified shooting in self-defense," Hialeah police told reporters. (NBC Miami; Hialeah, Fla.; 11/2/24)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives – December 1985

Waiting in his car for his daughter to get off work, a Norman, Okla., man watched as a suspicious character walked into the dry cleaners, where he pushed the daughter to the back of the building and bound her. The clerk's father waited until the armed robber was away from his daughter, cleaning out the cash register, then he walked in with a pistol. He held the robber at gunpoint for police. (The Oklahoman; Oklahoma City, Okla.)

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.