The Armed Citizen® March 2, 2015

by
posted on March 2, 2015
** 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

Paige Ham, 28, and a friend woke to a loud noise outside of their residence just after 4 a.m. They looked out the window and noticed that a lock had been cut from an outside shed. While Ham went outside to secure the shed door, her friend dialed 9-1-1. As Ham walked toward the shed, a man charged at her. Ham pulled out her .380 caliber pistol and fired three rounds, striking the assailant once in the chest. He fell just a few feet away. Police arrived shortly thereafter, and the assailant was taken to a local hospital. It was last reported that he was in stable condition. No other injuries were reported. (Goldsboro News-Argus, Goldsboro, NC 8/7/14) 

The Armed Citizen® Extra
A Kansasville, Wis., couple awoke at 2:30 a.m. to find a strange man standing over their bed with a knife in hand. The intruder then attacked the male resident, leading to a struggle for control of the knife, during which the homeowner suffered a cut to the throat that ran from just below one ear to near his Adam’s apple. While the men were scuffling, the female tenant retrieved a firearm and fired it once at the trespasser. Although the shot missed, it did cause the criminal to flee the scene. Police were later able to follow the culprit’s footprints from the victims’ home to the attacker’s house, where he was arrested. Inside the 28-year-old man’s residence they found a journal where he had detailed his plans to murder the couple just to see if he could do it. The attacker now faces two attempted murder charges. The male victim was treated and released for the laceration to his throat. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI, 1/21/15)

From The Armed Citizen® Archives
October 1980
Alton Altizer heard the sound of breaking glass about 3 a.m. at the gun store in the same building as his Arnoldsburg, W.Va., apartment. Altizer called state police, then he went outside to investigate. When Altizer hailed a man carrying three rifles from Bartlett’s Gun Store, the man spun in his direction, and Altizer fired his 12-ga. shotgun. The burglar, a recently released, three-time escapee from the state penitentiary, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said a stolen car with 18 handguns taken from the store was parked nearby. (The Inter-Mountain, Elkins, WV)

 

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.