The Armed Citizen® January 6, 2017

by
posted on January 6, 2017
** 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 (1)

Robbery just doesn’t pay when the intended victim is armed. A 26-year-old man who thought that two people in a parked car would be easy marks paid for that misjudgment with his life. The bad guy approached the car and started to rob its two passengers at gunpoint. But during the event, one of the people in the car pulled his legally owned handgun and shot the perpetrator. The bad guy’s accomplice, a 27-year-old woman who was later charged, drove the wounded man to a hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival. (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA, 10/9/16)

The Armed Citizen® Extra
Late one Monday night on Detroit’s west side, two men in a dark-colored Chevy Impala approached a man in his car. One of the men pulled out a gun and told the victim to get out of his vehicle. Initially the victim complied, but then, being a concealed-carry license holder, exchanged gunfire with the would-be carjacker, wounding him. The wounded gunman got back in the Impala and was taken to a hospital where police later arrested him. (The Detroit News, Detroit, MI, 7/27/16)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives
January 1962
A man entered Walter A. Watkins’ Columbus, Ga., package store, ordered a bottle of whisky, and then pulled a cal. .38 pistol and announced a holdup. Watkins took his own pistol from under the counter and fired once, killing the holdup man. (Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, GA)

Latest

attack in a back alley
attack in a back alley

Cold Performance: How to Prepare for the Uncertainty of Self-Defense

Defensive gun use is defined by uncertainty. You don’t know when it will happen, how far away the threat will be, how many threats you will face or what position you will be in when it begins.

Derya Goes Silent: The OBone Suppressor

In 2025, Turkish manufacturer Derya Arms opened a new facility in Florida, enabling the company to produce a number of new products domestically, such as its new OBone suppressor.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 26, 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.

Rifleman Q&A: Understanding a Firearm's Cycle of Operation

The cycle of operation is the mechanical sequence of events that it takes to fire one shot out of a firearm. If one of those steps fails to take place as designed, there is an interruption in the cycle of operation and the gun stops firing.

Review: Sightmark Pinnacle 1-6x24 mm Riflescope

Looking for a performance LPVO without the usual associated cost? The Sightmark Pinnacle 1-6x24 mm might be your answer.

Myths & Misunderstandings About the “Modern Fighting 1911”

The Colt Model 1911 pistol and its derivatives are among the most iconic military handguns ever made. But in 2026, does the M1911 still hold up as a quality defensive arm?

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.