The Armed Citizen® Oct. 17, 2025

by
posted on October 17, 2025
** 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. **
The Armed Citizen

Armed Citizen® Today

A neighbor and Good Samaritan intervened to help a threatened resident of an Elkton, Md., neighborhood when he was faced with an aggressive, threatening stranger late at night.

Just after midnight on Saturday, August 9, a 23-year-old man allegedly began pounding on the door of a residence in the Upland Court complex while yelling and repeating threats to kill the resident inside. The resident called a longtime friend and neighbor and alerted him to the situation, then opened a second-floor window and looked outside to investigate. The suspect saw the resident in the window and shouted, "Come out here, I want to kill you," according to the police report.

The resident grabbed a baseball bat as a defensive tool and went outside after seeing his neighbor walking toward the house. The armed neighbor then told the suspect, "Don't move. I have a gun." The neighbor had instructed his wife to call 911, and dispatchers told responding officers that the suspect was being "detained by a neighbor of the victim at gunpoint."

The neighbor instructed the suspect to lay down, and the 23-year-old aggressor complied and put his hands behind his back at one point. While they waited for police to arrive, the neighbor noted that the suspect "was saying all kinds of things that did not make sense." Responding officers arrested the suspect, who faces six criminal charges, including attempted home invasion. Two days after his arrest, the suspect was released on an unsecured $5,000 bond after a bail review hearing. (Cecil Whig; Elkton, Md.; 8/12/25)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives – October 1983

A would-be rapist awoke Claudine Hale in her Baltimore apartment, grabbed her by the throat and threatened to harm the children sleeping in the same room. Hale struggled with the assailant, then managed to reach a handgun, which she used to halt the attack. He fled after being shot, and a suspect was found dead nearby. Baltimore authorities declined to press charges against the woman. (The Evening Sun, Baltimore, Md.)

Latest

Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth

U.S. Army Bases Will No Longer Be Gun-Free Zones

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced this week that U.S. Army bases will no longer be gun-free zones.

Gun of the Week: CZ Shadow 2 Carry

One of the latest concealed-carry handguns to hit the consumer market is the CZ's Shadow 2 Carry. Watch our "Gun of the Week" episode to see the details of this carry-oriented design.

The Armed Citizen® April 3, 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.

In Memoriam: Lt. Gen. William Morgan Keys (1937-2026)

Lt. Gen. William M. Keys, a decorated war veteran and former President and CEO of Colt Defense and Colt’s Manufacturing Company, passed away on Jan. 24.

2026 NRA Board Election Results (Updated)

The National Rifle Association is pleased to announce the results of the 2026 elections for the NRA Board of Directors.

A Celebration of American Freedom: The 155th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits

With acres of exhibition space, addresses from NRA’s leadership, an epic country concert and literally tens of thousands of guns on display, the 155th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston­—and our nation’s 250th celebration—are not to be missed.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.