The Armed Citizen® September 1, 2017

by
posted on September 1, 2017
** 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. **
ac2009_fs.jpg

Three Florida teens who thought it would be a good idea to ambush a food delivery driver learned a hard lesson. Police say the teens called in the order and gave an address of an abandoned house in Jacksonville. They entered the home to wait for the food. When the meal arrived, the hooligans answered the door and held the man at gunpoint and demanded his money. The deliveryman instead kicked at one of the teens to cause enough of a distraction to draw his Glock. He fired several shots, hitting at least one of the miscreants. Two have been arrested and the other was being sought. “Is the money really worth it?” one witness asked the suspects rhetorically through the media. “Y’all planned to kill someone over $200?” (news4jax, Jacksonville, FL, 6/21/17)

The Armed Citizen® Extra
Late one night, a homeowner was awakened by the sounds of someone kicking in the front door of his house and his wife screaming for help. The homeowner immediately retrieved his handgun and ran downstairs to protect his wife. He saw that the intruder had broken in and was approaching him with a piece of wood. At that point, the homeowner fired one shot, hitting the trespasser. The wife then called 9-1-1. The criminal was hospitalized and faces charges including burglary and simple assault. According to police, “The homeowner took action that he thought was necessary to protect himself, his wife and their home. Fortunately, they were not injured.” (York Daily Record, Lancaster, PA, 6/5/17)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives
September 1961
Two 16-year-old boys, in a stolen pickup truck and armed with a shotgun, came to James F. Dittmore’s general store and gas station and forced the Verona, Calif., proprietor to lie on the floor while they took money from his wallet and the cash register. They were unable to operate the gas pump when they tried fueling the truck, and made Dittmore help them. When an arriving car gave him the chance, Dittmore ran back to the store, grabbed a cal. .30-30 rifle, and came back shooting. He shot one dead and clubbed the other over the head with the rifle. (Las Vegas Sun, Verona, CA)

Latest

Robinson Armament Xcrl Gotw 1
Robinson Armament Xcrl Gotw 1

Gun of the Week: Robinson Armament XCR-L

One man, Alex Robinson, took it upon himself to address what he saw as several shortcomings in the AR-15 design. He consulted with special forces operators and asked what they wanted in a rifle platform. The result was the Robinson Armament XCR.

Maryland Bans Glocks and the NRA Responds

Legislation recently signed into law by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore essentially bans nearly every Glock and Glock-style pistol on the market from being sold within the state.

The Armed Citizen® May 29, 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.

Federal Signs Agreement With U.S. Army to Improve Ammo Performance

Federal Ammunition announced this week that it has entered into an agreement that allows the U.S. Army to utilize its patented Peak Alloy ammunition case technology for use in multiple cartridges and weapon systems.

Four Armed Citizen Stories That Tell us a Lot

Each self-defense case is different. As we read them, we find ourselves wondering what we would have done, and then asking if the citizen made the best decisions possible in the worst-case scenario.

The Three Rs of Performance Shooting: Rise, Return & Realignment

Way back in the day, the three Rs of learning were colloquially known as "Readin’, Rightin’ and Rithmatic." In today's modern performance shooting, the three Rs become Rise, Return and Realignment, the core mechanics of recoil control.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.