The Armed Citizen® March 27, 2020

by
posted on March 27, 2020
** 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. **
armed-citizen-main-image.jpg (7)
While asleep on the couch in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day, a Palm Bay, Fla. couple was awakened to the sounds of someone trying to break through the sliding-glass door of their house. The woman grabbed her three-month-old son and ran to the bedroom. The man on the other hand retrieved a pistol and went to see who was trying to get in.

Through the glass, he saw the intruder pointing a pistol right at him. The man, in return, fired several shots through the glass at the intruder until his pistol jammed. The intruder fired several rounds in response at the homeowner, but he was struck in the confrontation and retreated.

Police found a blood trail and two bloodied sandals near the residence after the incident. The intruder turned out to be the woman's ex-boyfriend who had been bitter towards the couple and calling them from several different phone numbers leading up to the incident.

The ex-boyfriend is a felon and borrowed the pistol from a friend's mother who drove him to the residence and then to the hospital after. She reported that he was drinking heavily at the time. Police arrested the intruding ex-boyfriend when he was admitted to the hospital for his wounds. (ClickOrlando, 02/18/2020, Orlando, Fla.)    
   
From the Armed Citizen® Archives October 1985

Barging into an Albuquerque, N. Mex., apartment with a baseball bat, a man threw the female occupant on a bed. The woman managed to stab her attacker with a pair of scissors, and while he tended to his wound, she got a handgun. As he attempted to batter down the bedroom door the woman had locked in his absence, she fired and killed him. (The Tribune, Albuquerque, N. Mex.)

Latest

target with holes
target with holes

Resisting the Temptation of "Good Enough" for Firearm Performance

No matter what firearm you're using for whatever purpose, even if it's simply a trip to the range, always resist the temptation to accept “good enough” if there is the possibility of better performance.

Armed Citizens Stop a Lot More Criminals Than Most in the Media Will Admit

Since January 2025, the Crime Prevention Research Center has documented 16 defensive gun uses in which police say armed citizens stopped mass public killings.

Federal & Mossberg Collaborate on Autonomous Airborne Drone Defense

Federal and Mossberg are working with Palladyne AI in the creation of SwarmShot, a kinetic defense system that employs swarms of armed drones to shield troops from unmanned aircraft system threats.

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.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.