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Armed Citizen: Using Firearms for Self Defense
While taking groceries to her car, a man approached an 82-year-old woman and said something horrible to her: "This is your day. You are too old to be alive anyway." According to police, he then grabbed the woman's cane and beat her. Despite the savage assault, the elderly woman managed to reach into her purse, draw her gun and fire a shot. The man fled and, upon hearing the shot, store employees quickly came to the woman's aid. The self-proclaimed "stubborn, old broad" is badly bruised but will fully recover. "If I go naturally or to a sickness or something, fine," she said. "I'm ready to go, but I'm not ready to let some idiot like that take me out." (KVOA-TV, Tucson, AZ, 03/15/10)
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Daniel Kaplan was parked in front of his business when two men sprinted toward his vehicle. One of them reached inside, punched Kaplan three times in the face and stuck a gun to Kaplan's head. Then Kaplan's instincts kicked in. Police say he grabbed the suspect's gun with his left hand and kicked open the car door into his assailant. Kaplan then reached under the seat and grabbed his .45-cal. Glock pistol. "I got five shots off as quickly as I could," he recalls. "I was fighting for my life." At least one of the suspects was shot. Both fled the scene and are being sought by police. "I'm happy to be here," said a relieved Kaplan. (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, GA, 03/04/10)
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A crazed, knife-wielding man attempted to stab people at random in a convenience store parking lot. Police said he'd already chased a delivery driver and others when he ran down a car leaving the lot. He lunged at the car's driver with the knife, wounding him. That's when the driver, whose two young stepdaughters were in the vehicle, produced a handgun and fired about six shots, killing the attacker. The driver will recover from his injuries. "You've got to protect yourself," said witness Byron Cook. "He had his two kids in the car and they were terrified." (WREG-TV, Memphis, TN, 03/05/10)
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Maureen Cassidy awoke to a loud noise and got up to investigate. To her horror, a man with a knife had forced his way into her home. She hurried back to the bedroom and woke her husband, who got his Smith & Wesson 9 mm handgun. The husband stood in the doorway and yelled to the intruder that he had a gun. Inexplicably undeterred, the intruder advanced toward the husband, who fired a shot. The wounded intruder fled the home. Police found him hiding in the bushes next door. A second person was also arrested in connection with the invasion. (The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, FL, 03/13/10)
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Police said that early one morning an armed suspect burst into a home office in an area described by one resident as "a quiet neighborhood." Hearing the burglar, the resident quickly armed himself with a firearm. When the burglar approached, the resident feared for his life and shot the suspect, killing him. "I'm not for someone being shot," said Nora Dietz, a concerned neighbor, "but you have to protect yourself." (The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, MD, 03/29/10)
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Raymond Michel and his wife, Dawn, returned home with their grandson when the 9-year-old noticed a suspicious light in a downstairs bedroom. Dawn investigated and found a few items in disarray. Then she found a garbage bag outside with money and jewelry in it, and a window screen was damaged. She ran to tell her husband that someone had been—or still was—in the house. Michel got his handgun and walked upstairs. Items were strewn about the floor and a bathroom door was shut that the Michels always keep open. Michel kicked the door open and it struck the intruder. The suspect began to aim a rifle at the homeowner, who quickly fired his handgun, shattering the door and narrowly missing the intruder. The suspect laid on the ground as every-one waited for police. (The Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, CA, 03/04/10)
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A man wasn't home when an alarm indicated a possible break-in. He quickly called his neighbor, Gaylon Crawford, and asked him to check on the house. The neighbor noticed a door was forced open and the lights were on. Once inside he found two men wearing dark clothing. Police said the men claimed they were retrieving their tools, but Crawford didn't buy it. He drew his handgun and told the men to put their hands up and wait for police. Instead, one of the men charged Crawford, who shot him. The suspects fled. The wounded man was arrested when he sought treatment for a gunshot wound at the hospital. His accomplice is still at large. (White Mountain Independent, Show Low, AZ, 03/09/10)