The Armed Citizen® Sept. 4, 2023

Armed Citizen® Today

A couple in Luther, Mont., awoke early on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, to a huge surprise in the form of a black bear tearing through the lower level of their house.

At 3 a.m., the couple was awakened by the sound of their dog barking. The man went downstairs to find that a large black bear had entered the home's living room through a cracked window. The man grabbed his gun and shot at the bear, chasing it from room to room until it collapsed from its multiple bullet wounds.

Authorities say the bear was a known problem in the area, having been attracted to residential areas by "improperly stored attractants."

"It wasn’t this specific couple’s property that had improperly stored attractants. It sounds like it was the surrounding landowners that maybe had some improperly stored attractants," Chrissy Webb, communication and education director for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Region 5, told KTVQ News."The bear became habituated and started associating homes and vehicles with getting food," Webb said. "That’s what motivated it to eventually break into this specific couple’s house, and then ended, of course, in the bear’s death."

A local warden visited the couple after the incident, and the Montana FWP department said the shooting was completely justified, with Webb saying, "It sounds like the shooting of that bear was probably the best option to keep people safe in that situation." (KTVQ News; Luther, Mont.; 8/3/23)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives – October 1970

The Denver Post has named service station manager Dave Vigil of Denver to its “Gallery of Fame” for stopping a robbery at his station. A man pulled a gun on Vigil and took $156. As he was leaving, Vigil took a .22 revolver from a drawer, stopped the robber, disarmed him and held him for police. (Denver Post; Denver, Colo.)