The Armed Citizen® May 12, 2017

by
posted on May 12, 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 (3)

Sometimes, a warning is enough to deter a criminal attack. A taxi driver in Gates, N.Y., used that tactic to defend against an irate passenger. After picking up a female passenger, the driver took the woman to four different locations before realizing the individual would not be able to pay. The driver threatened to call 9-1-1 when he noticed she had a weapon in her hands. “She had the ice pick and was coming toward me, so I started backing up and she kept coming,” the driver told media. The woman attacked the car, damaging it, then came toward him. The driver warned her to stay away before drawing his concealed firearm. The woman paused and the driver hopped into his vehicle and drove away. The alleged assailant was later caught and charged by the police. (13WHAM.com, Gates, NY, 1/9/17) 

The Armed Citizen® Extra
One criminal found out that attempting to steal a car near a gun store is not the brightest idea. Early one evening, two employees at a gun store noticed an unfamiliar man get into a vehicle they knew belonged to someone else. The employees confronted him and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. The man was taken into custody and booked for attempted vehicle theft. (The Daily Herald, Everett, WA, 4/4/17)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives
May 1970
Awakened by a loud crash just after midnight, Mrs. Leona B. Ciechanowski, alone with her three children in her Camden, N.J., home saw a man entering downstairs. She called police, then waited. When the man came upstairs, Mrs. Ciechanowski held him at bay with a pistol until police arrived. (Courier-Post, Camden, NJ)

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.