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

Icarry Taurus TX9 Compact 1
Icarry Taurus TX9 Compact 1

I Carry: Taurus TX9 Compact in a Galco Holster

In our latest "I Carry" segment, we pair the new Taurus TX9 Compact with a leather Stow-N-Go holster from Galco, Inc. This compact, concealed-carry kit is rounded out with an Xolotl automatic knife produced by CRKT.

The Armed Citizen® March 13, 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.

Review: Canik USA MC9 Prime

Canik USA built out its concealed-carry handgun lineup with the MC9 Prime, which is a larger, yet still slim, CCW gun that sits in the same category as other upsized micro-compacts.

U.S. Army Awards Mossberg Contract for Additional 590A1 Pump-Action Shotguns

The U.S. Army has awarded O.F. Mossberg & Sons a contract for approximately $11.6 million dollars to supply the U.S. Army with additional Mossberg 590A1 pump-action shotguns.

250 Years of the U.S. Army: Bolt-Actions & Semi-Automatics on the Battlefield

In just a few decades, the U.S. Army would see itself go from a single-shot, blackpowder design in the form of the Trapdoor Springfield to a modern, semi-automatic fighting rifle in the M1 Garand.

Modernized & Economical Muzzleloaders: The CVA Optima XP & XP-SB

CVA's longest-lasting muzzleloader design, the Optima, has been updated in 2026 with "modern ergonomics and modularity."

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.