The Armed Citizen® June 2, 2017

by
posted on June 2, 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

While it’s not a situation you’d ever hope to be in, a recent case shows that being armed with a handgun can be enough to get the better of a troublemaker who is armed with an AK-47. A Jacksonville, Fla., resident heard gunshots and screaming one day and went outside with a handgun tucked inside his belt. The armed suspect was waving his rifle around and had tried to shoot a neighborhood dog that was near some people. As the stranger started walking toward the neighbors, the armed citizen shouted out that he wouldn’t abide violent crime in the neighborhood and told the hoodlum to leave. Instead, the outsider turned his rifle on the armed citizen, who fired his handgun, scaring off the bad guy. (news4jax.com, Jacksonville, FL, 3/20/17) 

The Armed Citizen® Extra
Early one morning, two hooded and armed thugs barged into an apartment by kicking in the front door. One of the residents, a Marine veteran, jumped up off the couch in his living room when he heard the loud noises. The intruders and the veteran began to scuffle, when another resident, the son of the veteran, heard the commotion and emerged from the bedroom with a handgun. He fired at the trespassers, killing one, who turned out to have a long history of criminal activity, and wounding the other. (The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt lake City, UT, 4/1/17) 

From the Armed Citizen® Archives
June 1970
Returning home from a skeet-shooting tournament, Gary K. Loyd and his son Keith, 15, of Boise, Idaho, encountered two burglars in their storage room. They covered the pair with their skeet guns until police arrived. (Statesman, Boise, ID)

Latest

Chiappa Rhino Large Frame 01
Chiappa Rhino Large Frame 01

A Bigger Rhino: The Chiappa 60DS L-Frame In .44 Mag.

The Chiappa Rhino revolver design is "anything but ordinary," and for 2026, the company is upscaling the concept to handle the .44 Magnum cartridge.

Preview: Magpul MOE QD Bipod For M-Lok

Simple, inexpensive and supremely easy to use, the new MOE QD Bipod For M-Lok is Magpul’s fastest-mounting bipod model by far, as it takes only about five seconds for the practiced hand to securely affix it to an M-Lok-clad fore-end.

Gun Of The Week: Henry SPD HUSH

For its first design, Henry Repeating Arms' Special Products Division developed the HUSH, or the Henry Ultimate Suppressor Host. 

The Armed Citizen® Dec. 19, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

TriStar Arms Protégé X: A Pocket-Size Punch

Inspired by successful designs of the past, the TriStar Arms Protégé X is a pocket-size, M1911-style handgun chambered for the popular 9 mm cartridge.

Hornady Family Honored with Legacy Award

In October, the Hornady family was recognized by the Greater Grand Island Community Foundation for its contribution to the city that Hornady calls home.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.