Unwelcome House Calls

by
posted on December 1, 2015
** 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. **
gsagi2015_fs-1.jpg

Rather than echo the sound advice to keep your carry gun on you and doors locked—even when you’re home and it’s broad daylight—I’ll let the criminals do the talking in this short list of home invasions in the last month. 

Indiana’s incident is sickening. The pastor left for the gym, but when he returned at 8:30 a.m. his 28-year-old bride—12 weeks pregnant—was unconscious on the floor. She had three bullet wounds, including one to the back of her head, execution style. To quote the ABC News headline, “Suspect stood over pastor’s pregnant wife after shooting her and watched her bleed, court documents say.”  The couple’s infant son, upstairs in a crib, was unharmed.  Despite the best efforts of doctors, she remained unresponsive and later died. Authorities arrested two who now face murder charges. A third allegedly violated parole in driving the getaway car.  An unlocked front door provided the criminals access for what began as a burglary.

I have to admit the pastor is a much bigger man than I could ever be. After the arrests, he’s still choosing “love over hate.”  

The 81-year-old California woman beaten during this broad daylight home invasion should make a full recovery. In Illinois, one criminal ended his lunch break (if they take one) and started shooting as he broke in. Here’s another post-brunch incident in Wisconsin.

It was 5:38 p.m. in Pennsylvania, about the time you expect Dominos to deliver, but it was four or five men making a house call. And, you just never know. An Ohio neighbor killed a couple and their 7-year-old son at sometime around 5 p.m.

Obviously, criminals usually prefer the work under cover of darkness, but some of the reports emphasize the fact they don’t care who they target. Duct tape was used to tie up a 91 year old in New York while the house was ransacked. The house was torched after an elderly man was killed in Michigan and the perpetrator(s) remains at large.  

With holiday school vacations quickly approaching, here’s another ominous safety reminder from Delaware. And if you want to read something really creepy, a baby monitor’s camera photographed a New York burglar crawling around the house while the family slept through most of the incident.  

There are a lot of criminals who view this time of year as one of opportunity, and precisely why lawful citizens should get training and own/carry a gun. The unthinkable can—and does—happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone. 

Latest

Colt-Burgess Rifle
Colt-Burgess Rifle

I Have This Old Gun: Colt-Burgess Rifle

There was a time when firearm manufacturers were primarily known for producing only one specific type of gun. In fact, their fame, reputations and, often, their fortunes hinged upon it.

2026 NRA Youth Education Summit Applications Open

Applications are now open for the 2026 NRA Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.), an all-expenses-paid, six-day leadership and scholarship program for rising high school juniors and seniors.

The Rifleman Report: The Misrepresented Armed Citizen

Despite what mainstream news outlets would have us believe, most armed citizens are thoughtful, deliberate, responsible Americans whose foremost concerns are the well-being of themselves and their families.

First Breach Ammunition Factory Tour

An ambitious and technically savvy startup embarks on the goal to bring match-grade cartridges to the market at an enviable price—all made in America.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 27, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

The Development of MIM Cartridge Cases

We recently caught up with Concurrent Technologies to learn more about its latest advancements in metal injection molding (MIM) as it pertains to cartridge case manufacturing.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.