A 25-year-old man was in his car with his girlfriend when two strangers approached and asked to use his cigarette lighter. When handed the lighter, one suspect pulled out a handgun and demanded the couple’s possessions. The driver, who has a concealed-carry permit, retrieved his own handgun and pointed it at the suspects. Both fled the scene. The responding officers found the suspects hiding behind a nearby restaurant, one still in possession of the lighter. The handgun used in the robbery attempt was never recovered. (ABC27, Lancaster, PA, 10/24/14)
The Armed Citizen® Extra
A 27-year-old Chattanooga, Tenn. man was working at a local car dealership Thursday afternoon when a masked robber entered the building with his gun drawn. Two other customers were also inside the dealership at the time. The employee drew his own weapon and fired it at the thief, striking him twice in the chest. The criminal died at the scene before he could be taken to a hospital. The authorities ruled the shooting as justified. “If you, yourself or another’s life is in danger, you have the right to protect yourself,” said Chattanooga police Sgt. Scott Bales. This was not the first attempted robbery at the dealership. (Times Free Press, Chattanooga, TN, 3/28/15)
From the Armed Citizen® Archives
August 1960
Joseph A. Marino had just left his New Orleans pharmacy and gotten into his automobile when a thug grabbed the car door, pointed a pistol at Marino, and said, “Yeah, it’s me again.” The pharmacist, recognizing the bandit as one who had recently held him up, seized his .38 Spl. revolver resting on the seat and fired five times. The gunman fled into the night. When police and Marino were later called to the hospital where a bullet-wounded man sought aid, Marino identified him as his two-time assailant. The police also recognized him as a fugitive with 28 arrests on his record. (The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, LA)
