Little Rock, Ark., police were searching for a suspected robber whose theft was thwarted because his would-be victim—a 57-year-old woman—pulled a gun and shooed him away. The armed citizen probably thought the prospect of being accosted in broad daylight was slim, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t glad she was carrying her handgun in her purse that day she went grocery shopping. As she was trying to unlock her car to load up her groceries, a strange man approached and made a grab for her purse. Before the thief could get the handbag off her shoulder, she withdrew her concealed-carry handgun. The mere sight of a gun was enough to send the bad guy running. (arkansasonline.com, Little Rock, AR, 8/21/17)
The Armed Citizen® Extra
A homeowner, awakened from his sleep, saw an intruder standing in the doorway between the bedroom and kitchen. The homeowner announced that he had a gun and ordered the man to leave. The man told homeowner that he, too, had a gun, at which point they exchanged gunfire. Authorities said nearly a dozen shots were fired inside the residence, hitting the criminal at least three times. The homeowner was unscathed. After being shot, the robber ran from the residence with his girlfriend. Police located the couple around daylight a few hundred yards from the house and took the robber to the hospital. The woman was brought in for questioning along with her 18-year-old son, who had remained in the vehicle during the confrontation. The criminal had active warrants. The gun used during the burglary turned out to have been stolen. (Times Daily, Alabama Shores, AL, 6/7/17)
From the Armed Citizen® Archives
October 1964
Clyde W. Goodner, returning with his wife to their Merit Island, Fla., home in the early evening hours, observed a man attempting to get into Goodner’s pick-up truck. Goodner, who was armed with a cal. .38 pistol, pulled it on the would-be thief and held him at gunpoint while Mrs. Goodner called the police. When police arrived, Goodner learned that the man was an escaped convict serving a sentence for robbery. (Brevard Sentinel, Merit Island, FL)