The Armed Citizen® November 2, 2018

by
posted on November 2, 2018
** 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

Two armed robbers were no match for a pharmacist with a revolver in Maryland. The armed citizen was in an office and saw his employees raise their hands in the air; then he saw the gunman and his cohort. The manager, who keeps a handgun in his desk, grabbed his gun and confronted the would-be thieves. Even though one pointed a rifle at him, the armed citizen resolutely defended his crew. He fired once, shocking the intruders into fleeing. (delmarvanow.com, Salisbury, Md., 8/14/18)

Armed Citizen Extra
A Villa Rica Waffle House patron ended up doubling as armed security, when a man tried to rob the restaurant early one morning. After the man pulled a gun and announced his intention to hold the place up, the armed patron pulled his firearm and shot the suspect. Though the robber fled in a vehicle, it was later found, with what was thought to be the thief’s body inside. (The Times-Georgian, Carroll County, Ga., 9/14/2018)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives
November 1961
A paratroop combat veteran on WWII, James Pandolfi was awakened by the sound of breaking glass as a thief hurled a piece of flagstone through the front door of his Buffalo, N.Y., appliance store. Pandolfini took a cal. .32 automatic from a nearby table, rushed to a bay window, and fired one shot at the thief who was fleeing with a stolen TV set, felling him mortally wounded. (Buffalo Evening News)

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.