The Armed Citizen® March 13, 2014

Police were dispatched to Pizza Heaven II late one evening to respond to a robbery. The owner of the pizzeria reported that he had just been robbed by two men, one of whom was armed with a rifle. The robbers demanded money from the cash register, which the owner handed over. The suspects then ordered the owner into an office where they demanded more money. Instead, the owner pulled out his own firearm. One of the robbers was so alarmed that he fell backward and dropped his rifle. The owner then chased the two robbers from his business. Both men were later arrested and charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and conspiracy for both counts. No one was injured in the robbery of the pizzeria. (The New Haven Register, New Haven, Conn., 8/20/13)

Elzie Pipkins, a 63-year-old great-grandmother, was at home with her daughter and granddaughter just before 6:30 p.m. when someone burst through the front door and ordered that "nobody move." The armed intruder kept his shotgun pointed at Pipkins' back as he followed her to the safe where she kept a sizable bag of lose change and a handgun. The intruder took one hand off of his gun when reaching for the bag of money, which gave Pipkins an opportunity to grab her own firearm. She fired twice, causing the intruder to drop his shotgun and flee the home. He collapsed just a block away and was later pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. Pipkins and her family were unharmed during the home invasion. (The Town Talk, Shreveport, La., 1/8/14)

From The Armed Citizen® Archives

August 1972: When one of two armed bandits grabbed Harry Dillion's wife and pressed a gun to her temple, the Philadelphia shoe store owner pulled a .38 pistol, fatally shot one robber and wounded the other. (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pa.)