The Armed Citizen® June 13, 2014

When Alan Abele, 68, crept outside to investigate the thumping sounds at his back door around 4 a.m., he found an unexpected trespasser. After quickly grabbing a flashlight and his .357 magnum pistol, Abele opened the door to his back porch and was met with an angry 200-lb., 6-ft. alligator. The animal sprang toward Abele. He said, "I was crouched down and looking around when he hit me hard enough to knock me into a planter. The next thing I knew he's coming at me with his jaws open. ..." Abele pulled the trigger just in time as the alligator was just inches away. Abele said he regrets having to kill the alligator, but was glad he had his gun with him. Abele suffered only a minor bruise during the attack. (Tampa Bay Times, Dunnellon, Fla., 10/24/13)

A homeowner was quick to act when his back door was kicked in around 11:41 a.m. He saw two people he did not know, and fired his gun. The perpetrators-two teen boys-fled the scene to a waiting SUV. The boys sustained gunshot wounds during the break-in and were later taken to a local hospital for treatment. The teens involved were taken into custody and later charged with criminal attempt to commit burglary. The homeowner was not injured during the incident. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, Ga., 6/2/14)

From From The Armed Citizen® Archives Archives

April 1962: Two masked men, one armed, pushed their way through the customers to pursue Jack Kapell to a storeroom in his Detroit, Mich., bar. Kapell took a gun he kept in the storeroom and wounded the two would-be thieves with one shot each. (The Detroit News)