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WHEN C R I M I N A L S FACE ARMED RESISTANCE F ROM CI T I Z E N S

CLAYTON E. CRAMER AND DAVID BURNETT

WHEN C R I M I N A L S FACE A RMED RESISTANCE FROM C I T I Z E N S
CLAYTON E. CRAMER AND DAVID BURNETT
An expanded list def of ensive gun use cases can be f ound at http: //www.cato.org/guns-and-self-defense/.

INSTITUTE

Copyright © 2012 by the Cato Institute. All rights reserved. Cover design by Jon Meyers. Printed in the United States of America.

CATO INSTITUTE

1000 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C., 20001 www.cato.org

Executive Summary
The ostensible purpose of gun control legis
lation is to r educe firearm deaths and inj u r i es. T he restriction of access to firearms will m a k e criminals unable to use guns to sh oo t p e ople. Gun control laws will also reduce the number of accidental shooti n gs. Those are the desired ef fects, at least in theory. It is impor t ant, however, for conscientious policymakers to consider not only the stated goals of gun control regulations, but the actual results that they produce. reduction, they should p a use to consider how many crimes — murders, rapes, assaults, robber ies — are thwarted each year by ordinary persons with gu ns. The estimates of defensive gun use range between the tens of thousands to as high as two million each year. This paper uses a collection of n ews reports

of self'-defense with guns over an eight-year pe
riod to survey the circumstances and outcomes of defensive gun uses in America. F ederal and s t ate l awm akers of ten o p p o se

What would be the effect of depriving ordi nary, law-abiding citizens from keeping arms
f or self'-defense? One result seems certain: th e law-abiding would be at a distinct disadvantage

repealing or amending laws governing the own ership or carrying of guns. That opposition is
typically based on assumptions that the average

should criminals acquire guns from

u n d er

citizen is incapable of successfully employing a
gun in self'-defense or that possession of a gun

ground markets. After all, it is simply not possi ble for police officers to get to every scene where

in public will tempt people to violence in "road

rage" or other contentious situations. Those as they are urgently needed. Outside of c r i m inology circles, relatively s umptions are false. The vast majority o f g u n f ew people can reasonably estimate how o f t e n people use guns t o f en d o f f c r i m i n a l a t t a cks. I f p o l i cym akers are t r u l y i n t e r ested i n h a r m owners are ethical and competent. That m eans tens of thousands of crimes are prevented each

year by ordinary citizens with guns.

Clayton E. Cramer teaches hi story at the College of Western Idaho and is the author of Armed America: The

Remarkable Story of How and Why Guns Became as American as Apple Pie (Nelson Current, 2007). David Burnettis the director of public relations for Students for Concealed Carry.

Introduction
N ews organizations generally report i n c idents i n w h i c h c r i m i n al s u sed g u n s t o perpetrate their crimes. What typically goes unreported are instances in which or d i n a ry c itizens use guns to pu t a s to p t o c r i m i n a l attacks. To be sure, if a cri m i nal is actually

still lose his or her l ife — but these cases are the exception, not the rule. Federal and state lawmakers have often

opposed repealing or amending laws gov erning the ownership or carrying of guns. That opposition is typically based on as
sumptions that the average citizen is incapa

Even the most vehement advocates of gun control have to

acknowledge
that Americans use guns for self defense.

ble of successfully employing a gun in self

d efense or that possession of a gun in publi c shot, the incident may very well be covered, but the vast m ajor it y o f t h e d efensive uses will tempt th e average citizen to violence in of guns d o n o t i n v o lve shoot i n gs. Fearing "road rage" or other contentious situations. for their lives, most crim i n als flee the scene This paper f i nd s t ha t such cases represent once they realize that t h eir i n t e n ded target an exceedingly small minority of gun uses i s an armed citizen. With n o sh ots, no inj u by otherwise law-abiding citizens and that a great number of t r agedies — murders, rapes, ries, and no suspect in cu stody, news orga n izations typically do no t r e p or t such i n c i assaults, robberies — have been thwarted by self'-defense gun uses. dents, or th ere is only a t erse paragraph in t he newspaper. In t hi s m i l i eu, where crimi nal gun u s e m a kes th e evening n ews, bu t self'-defense cases get little or no coverage, it

This study will begin with an overview
o f the academic stu dies that h ave t r ied t o e stimate t h e f r e q u ency o f d e f e n sive g u n u ses. It w i l l t h e n e x a m in e r ecent l egal i s sues and trends surroun d ing the law of self d efense, such as th e enactment o f " s t a n d

is understandable why many people would
d evelop negative opini ons concerning gu n s and gun use. T his p aper ex am i nes i n s t ances of g u n u se in s elf'-defense in o r d e r t o p r o v i d e a better u n d e r standin g o f th e i r c h a r a cter. When ordin ary Am ericans use guns in self defense, what is the nature of that use? How f requently do t h ese events occur and w h a t a re the consequences? These are impor t an t q uestions, but t hey are also dif f i c ul t t o a n swer. The survey data on defensive gun use is controversial. Some m e t h od s o f r e c ord ing or estimating the incidence of gun usage underestimate the num ber of defensive gun

y our-ground" laws. The study w il l
explore th e m a n ne r an d

t h en

c i r c u m s t ances in

which people use guns against criminals. Finally, the Appendix will provide scores of documented examples in which ordinary
people have used guns to defend themselves.

How Many Defensive Uses?

A recurring c r i m i n o l o gical question f o r the last several decades has been how oft en Americans use gun s fo r s elf'-defense. Even usage, while others may overstate it. This paper makes use of a news report t he most vehement advocates of gu n c o n gathering pr oject to explore in m o r e d etail trol have to acknowledge that Americans use how Americans use guns in self'-defense. The guns for self'-defense. Because of the clear im collection o f n e w s r e p o rt s o f s e l f'-defense plication for gu n c o n t rol l aws, a number of

shootings over an eight-year period provides
a useful survey of the circumstances and out comes of d efensive gun u ses. Some shoot ings are treated differently than they woul d have been a few years ago because of recent changes to state laws. Some shootings have been considered legal by the auth o r i t ies yet are unwise or f o o l i sh. An d s om e d efensive gun uses are unsuccessful — the defender may

criminologists have prepared studies of de
fensive gun use incidence over the years — with startlingly different results. The most widely

known is the study by Gary Kleck and Mare
Gertz, completed in the 1990s, when violent crime rates were higher than they are today. That study found that there were somewhere between 830,000 and 2.45 mil l ion defensive gun uses per year in the United States.

Another prom i n ent study was the federal government's National Crime Victim i zation

Survey (NCVS), which also asked if victims of
crimes had used a gun in self-defense. That study foun d t h a t t h ere were about 108,000 d efensive gun uses per year. T h e N a t i o n al S urvey of P r i v at e O w n ership o f F i r e a rm s

sequence of the questions posed may cause some victim s t o n o t r e p o r t d e f ensive gun uses. For example, th e s u rvey asks, "H ave y ou been the victim o f a c r i m e?" If you an

swer, "yes," you will be asked about defensive
g un uses. If you answer, "no," you w il l n o t be asked that q u estion. It i s p l a u sible th at

(NSPOF) was performed in 1994. It was con ducted partly because of widespread skepti
c ism abou t t h e n u m b e r o f d e f ensive gu n uses reported in th e Kleck and Gertz study.

a respondent who has defended himself or
h erself with a g u n , bu t w a s no t i n j u r ed o r robbed, will answer, "no," to the "victim of a crime" question. A respondent who defend ed someone else with a gun is also unlikely to r egard himself as a crime victim. The po i n t here is that there are defensive gun use situ ations that may not show up in the NCVS. With r e g ard t o t h e N C V S , r e searchers h ave matched u p s u r vey respondents wi t h

Still, the NSPOF study found approximately 1.5 million defensive gun uses.
T he academic researchers who con d u ct

ed the NSPOF survey, Philip Cook and Jens
Ludwig, n o te d t h a t t h e n u m b e r s w ere so

The National Survey of Private Ownership of Firearms found approximately 1.5 million defensive gun uses per year.

high as to be implausible: the number of
r apes prevented by women armed with gu n s

local police reports. This matching effort
shows that v i c t im s a p p ear t o f o r g et — and thus u n d e r r epor t o n t h e N CV S — crimes that they reported to th e l o cal po l ice. This p roblem is m o s t p r o n o u n ced am on g A f r i can American and p oo r v i c t ims — and these are the members of our society who are most

exceeded the number of rapes reported by
the NCVS, and "N SPOF estimates also sug gest that 130,000 crimin als are wounded or

killed by non-law enforcement civilian gun
defenders. That n u m b er also appears com pletely out of l i n e wit h o t h er, m ore reliable statistics on the num ber of gunshot cases." For those reasons, Cook and Ludwig arrived at the conclusion that Americans were exag

likely to be victimized. This underreporting
a lso means that such vict im s w il l n o t h a v e the chance to answer "yes" to th e q u estion about using a gun in self'-defense. At one time it was quite common for gun c ontrol advocates to use the very low n u m b er of r ecorded ju st i f i able h o m i c i des wit h guns as evidence that there were very few self d efense shootings. The main p r o b lem w i t h that line of reasoning is that it only includes those defensive gun uses where a citizen kills a criminal. It does not tell us anything about instances where the crim i nal was wou n d ed

gerating or falsifying defensive gun uses in
the surveys.

The high-end figures on defensive gun
u ses may well su f fer f ro m e x aggeration o r outright li es. In addi t i on, th ere is the prob l em of "t elescoping": did t hat t r a u m a tic in c ident happen 11 months ago, or 13 month s ago? If the survey asks, "in the last year," it is very easy for a respondent to get the exact number o f m o n t h s c o n f u sed. Even m i sre m embering such an incident by one mo n t h could infl ate the defensive gun use count by more than 8 percent. The surveys that show defensive gun uses on the low end may have

(but did not die), where the victim held an
attacker for police, or where the brandishing of a gun caused the criminal to fl ee. A nother p r o blem i s t h a t t h e d at a gath

problems as well. The NCVS, for example,
a sks questions about c r i mes the victim ex perienced in th e last six m o n t hs. The same telescoping problem can occur here: Was the crime 5 months ago, or 7? S till a n o t he r p r o b le m w i t h t h e N C V S numbers o n d e f ensive gu n u s es co ncerns the sequence of th e s u rvey questions. Th e

ered on j u stifiable homicides employs a
very strict defini t ion of what is "justifi able": where one person kills another person to pre v ent a felony, and the action is lawful. T h a t narrow defini t ion does not include excusable homicide. Many states have two categories of excusable homicide. The first category is a h omicide "com m i t t ed by accident and m i s

fortune, or in d o in g any other lawful act by lawful means, with u sual and or d i n ary cau t ion, and with ou t any unlawful in t ent." F o r example, that would be the case where a gun owner does everything right about his target shooting, but an o t her person wanders into the middle of th e gun r a nge and gets shot. In other words, it is an accidental death. But the second category of excusable ho

justifiable or excusable homicide, will not be moved in th e U n i f or m C r i m e Reports data from the homi cide column to the justifiable h omicide colum n . How do we find out how many such cases

exist? In 1989, Time magazine published an article called "Death by Gun." It included
photographs and i n f o r m a t io n a b ou t every

person killed by a gun in one week in the
United States: May 1 - 7 , 1 9 89. T h ere were 464 gun d eaths reported i n t h e a r t i cle. Of these, 216 were suicides, 14 w ere i n i t i a lly reported as non- law enforcement defensive

micide is so similar to justifiable homicide
t hat one may no t i m m e d i ately see the di f ference: "When com m i t t ed by accident and m isfortune, i n t h e h e a t o f p a s sion, u p o n any sudden an d s u f f i c i ent p r o v ocation, or upon a sudden combat, when no u n du e ad vantage is taken, nor any dangerous weapon used, and when the k i l l in g is not d on e in a cruel or unusual manner." I f a st ranger ran u p to you on th e street, knocked you to t h e

homicides, 13 were police justifiable homi
c ides, and 22 accidents. T h a t l eft 199 mu r ders and manslaughters. The Time article, like the FBI's data col lection, sh owed t h e n u m b e r o f d e f e n sive gun uses that resulted in a d eath based on

ground, and you pulled out a gun and shot
the attacker, that r esponse would l i kely be ruled an excusable homicide. It would not be a justifiable homi cide, because you were not

initial reports. A year later, Time followed up
o n the mu r der cases, to see how the cour t s handled them. Instead of 14 self'-defense or " justifiable" h o m i c i des, there were now 28 . This was because 14 of the "crimes" report e d in " D e ath b y G u n " w e r e no w f o u n d t o be justifiable homi cides. At least 43 murd er c ases had still no t g on e to t r i al, and i t w a s possible that some of those would be found

in danger of death or great bodily harm — al
though that mi ght not have been obvious at the time. Excusable homicide laws recognize t hat in t h e c i r c u m st ance of " s u d den c o m b at" one does not h ave t im e t o m a k e t h a t s ubtle distinction . The FBI's U n i f or m C r i m e R e p o rt s al so significantly overstatemurders and understate defensive gun uses. If the police investigate a homicide and ask th e di strict at t o r ney to charge someone with mu r der or manslaugh t er, that i s r e p o r ted as a m u r d e r o r m a n s laughter t o t h e U n i f o r m C r i m e R e p o r t s p rogram. Bu t d i s t r ic t a t t o r n eys wil l o f t e n investigate a case in t h e w e eks a f t erward, find evidence that the kill ing was justifiable or excusable homicide, and drop the case en

"justifiable."

C l e arly, the FBI's justifiable

The FBI's

homicide data is not p a r t i c ularly meaning f ul fo r u n d e r standin g d e f ensive gu n u s e s t hat result i n d e ath — and is useless for un derstanding the vastly larger num ber of de fensive gun uses that do not result in death. Just as clearly, a better data set is needed.

justifiable
homicide data is not particularly meaningful for understanding defensive gun uses that result in death — and is useless for understanding the vastly larger number of defensive gun uses that do not result in death.

The Data Set
E ven if there were reasonably trustworthy statistics about the number of defensive gun uses — what would th ose numbers say about the nature of those events? Were guns really necessary for civilians to defend the mselves? O r w ere t h e y j u s t t h e re — and th e r e sul t s would have been the same, even if the victim did not have a gun? At one time, it was widely believed that a

tirely.
Further, some of those charges are found to be ju sti f i able or ex cusable ho m i c ide by

judges and juries during a trial. This is very
o ften th e case in sp o usal abuse situati o n s

where a woman defends herself or her chil dren from an estranged husband. A killing initially charged as a murder or nonnegli
gent hom i cide that is l ater reclassified as a

fairly large percentage of defensive gun uses

Many defensive gun uses never make the news. After all, "Man Scares away Burglar, No Shots Fired" is not particularly newsworthy.

might be criminals defending themselves
from o t h e r c r i m i n a ls: m a r i j u an a g r o w ers protecting t h ei r c r o ps, gang m e m b ers d e f ending th emselves from o t her gang m e m

State Laws Vary about Defensive Gun Use

B efore specific cases are examined, it i s important to n ote that th ere is considerable b ers, a fallin g o u t b e t w een m e m b ers o f a criminal enterprise. That was only specula variation from st ate to state concerning th e tion. For a long time, there was not much in lawful use of guns for self'-defense. Some of the way of actual data. this is because of differences in the statutes S ince the survey data has severe lim i t a with respect to when lethal force is permis tions w it h r e s pect t o d e f ensive gu n u s es, sible. State courts have also interpreted the collecting accounts o f s elf'-defense as they s tatutes i n w a y s t h a t a r e s o m e t i mes n a r are reported in news outlets may be a better r ower than t h e a c t ual t ex t o f t h e s t a t u t e . method of assessing the frequency and na For example, a California statute says deadly ture of self'-defense with f i r earms. The data force may be used against a fleeing felon. set supporting this paper is derived from a The California Supreme Court, however, has collection of news stories published between n arrowed that statute so that it is u n l aw f u l October 2003 and November 2011. to use lethal force against a robber where no T here is a s election b i a s p r o b lem w i t h w eapon was used, and w h er e th e a m o u n t the method of gathering news stories. Many taken involved petty cash. d efensive gun u ses n ever m ak e t h e n e w s. In a number of the cataloged cases, a per S ometimes that i s b ecause the p erson u s son originally charged with a crime is later ing a gun in self'-defense saw no need to call released, as a result of pretrial investigation,

the police — he or she scared off the bad guy.
I n some cases, the victim m i g h t n o t w a n t t o explain t o t h e p o l ice that h e has a gu n ,

action by a grand jury or trial jury, or an ap
peal. Of c o u rse, there are no d o ub t d e f en sive gun uses that were originally charged as c rimes which did no t m ak e it i n t o t h e d at a set simply because there was no news cover age of this change, or it did not come to our attention. In a few instances, we have includ ed cases where the initial news reports were clearly of legitim ate defensive gun uses, but where law enforcement or a prosecutor chose to charge a gun ow n er. Those are relatively rare; when there was any doubt as to whether a use of a gun mi ght be crim i n al, it was not i ncluded in ou r l i s t o f n ews accounts un t i l s uch tim e a s t h ere was con f i r m a t io n t h a t the defensive gun use was deemed lawful. In

perhaps because he is a felon, or perhaps
b ecause he lives in a j u r i sdiction w i t h v e r y restrictive gun con t rol l aws. Sometimes the police do get called, but th e of f i cers do not f ind th e c i r c u m stances sufficiently i m p o r t ant to issue a press release. After all, "M a n Scares away Burglar, No Shots Fired" is not particularly newsworthy, unless you live in a very small town . I n spit e o f t h e s election b i a s p r o b l em , t here is on e e n o r m o u s a d v an tage t o t h i s

model of gathering data: it provides a rich
set of i n f o r m a t io n a b ou t m o t i v es, circum s tances, victims, and cri m i n a ls. It also pro vides a suff i ciently l a rge database (almost

only a handful of cases did later investiga
tion turn an i n i t ial defensive gun use into a criminal charge. The most common scenario is that law enforcement officers chose not to prosecute based on the evidence at the scene and testimony of wi t n esses, but referred the case to a grand jur y fo r r eview. It is th e ex ception, rather than the rule, that the grand jury f i nd s cause for p r osecution w h ere law enforcement did not. Indeed, it is more likely t hat someone will b e arrested and t hen r e

5,000 incidents), randomly selected, so
that some conclusions about th e n a t ure of armed self'-defense in America can be drawn. Best of all, whatever the deficiencies of news reporting, th e m o del is no t c o m p l etely de p endent on th e h o n esty or accuracy of t h e r espondent — unlike some of t h e q u estion s raised with respect to defensive gun use sur

veys.

leased after additi onal f acts in t h e case are discovered.

The Laws on Concealed Weapons
America has a history of concealed weap on permit laws that is both curi ous and fas c inating. I n b r i ef , t h e l aw s r e gulatin g t h e

concealed carrying of deadly weapons first appeared in the period 1813-1840, primar
ily in the southwest states. They were part of a broad and generally futile attempt to sup

Three states do not require a license to car ry a concealed firearm: Vermont, Alaska, and Arizona. Vermont has never had a concealed weapon permit law. Alaska and Arizona both went from having a complete prohibition on concealed carry to a " shall-issue" concealed license system, and then they both abolished the requirement fo r a l i c ense. (Alaska and Arizona still issue concealed carry licenses to their residents, but that is essentially to allow them to carry concealed in other states that

recognize Alaska or Arizona licenses.) z
T here ar e a r g u m e nt s f o r a n d a g a i n s t w hat gun rights activists call "constitu t i o n al

press dueling. As with many social problems,
legislating contrary to the pop u lar m o r ality

carry" — allowing anyone who may lawfully
possess a firearm to also carry it concealed. T he argument f o r t h i s i s t h a t i f t h e r i g h t t o bear arms is truly a constit u t i o nal ri g h t , then any l i censing, even "shall-issue" laws, i nfringes on that r i g ht . N o on e w o ul d c o n sider it acceptable to require a license before

of the society only shifted the problem from
dueling to brawling — it did not solve it. In the period after the Civil War, the states

that had completely prohibited concealed
carry, with a few exceptions, such as for trav elers, revised the laws to require a license to carry concealed weapons. License issuance w as completely discretionary and com m o n

you could print and distribute a book, be
cause freedom of t h e p r ess is protected by the First Amendm ent. Would anyone argue for instruction before a person could be al lowed to exercise his freedom of speech? Not

ly racially biased. It remained that way in
the vast majority o f s t ates unti l t h e 1 9 80s, when Florida began a m o v ement t o w ard a n ondiscretionary permit system . O v e r t h e

There has been a dramatic expansion of the number of people licensed to carry concealed weapons.

everyone understands libel law; perhaps law
m akers could enact a rule requiring auth o r s to take a six-hour class on the legal complex

past 30 years, there has been a dramatic ex pansion of the number of people licensed
to carry concealed weapons — and, as will be examined below, many cases where those li censed have made local headlines. There re m ains considerable variation f r o m s t at e t o state with respect to how concealed weapon permits are issued. Some states require ap plicants to complete a training course with a live fire test before issuance of a permit, some require classroom instruction in deadly force law or basic firearms safety classes, and oth

ities of libel and obscenity.
Gun control p r o p o n ents argue that mi s

use of a firearm in a public place (whether
i ntentional or accidental) presents a publi c

safety hazard. A negligent or improper use
of a firearm may result in a severe or perma

nently disabling injury, or death. Supporters
of licensing argue that shall-issue concealed licensing laws create only a minor hin d r ance to carrying a concealed weapon. Even the li c ensing cost is less significant t h a n i t f i r s t a ppears since th e ch eapest han d g un s st i l l cost more than a license in most states. A nother a r g u m en t a g a i nst l i c ensing i s that th ose who are at th e m o st si gni f i cant

ers require only background checks and fin
gerprints. Some states recognize concealed carry permits issued by all other states; some recognize permits issued by other states only i f the permit was issued to a resident of t h e other state. Unsurprisingly, many states will only recognize permits issued by other states if their issuance standards are comparable or even more demanding.

risk of fi rearms misuse (convicted felons,
the mentally ill, t h ose with serious alcohol

or drug addiction problems) are already prohibited from possession of a firearm by
both state and f ederal law. Th e l i cense re

quirement o nl y d i sarms th ose who are not a threat. While largely true, it is by no means clear that t h i s i s always true. The licensing p rocess, and i n m a n y s t a t es, th e t r a i n i n g requirement, may act as a mild d i scourage

the data set do no t i n v o lve concealed carry licensees; the typical incident involves a per

son defending himself on residential prem
i ses, not in p u b li c spaces. Before turning t o those incidents, it w i l l b e u s eful t o b r i e fl y consider the "castle doctrine." This doctrin e holds that a crimi nal who att em pts to force entry into a home is presumed to intend th e occupants great bodily harm — and the occu pants may therefore use deadly force against such an intr u der. It is difficult to clearly distinguish which o f the d efensive gun u ses wit hi n t h e d a t a s et benefit f r o m c a s tl e d o c t r in e l aws, bu t it is not at all d i f f i c ul t t o i d e n t ify gu n u ses t hat i n v olve residential b u r g l aries and t h e more frightening h om e invasions. The data set shows 488 defensive shootings involving

ment for persons who may lawfully possess
a firearm — but because of temper, psychiat ric problems, or al coholism, are at g r eater risk of misuse. Of course, this mild discour agement will not stop a person who is deeply committed to carrying a concealed weapon. Especially in t h e western states, such as Idaho and Ari zona, the so-called "open car ry" of a f i r earm — even in cities — is not only l egal, bu t c o n s t i t u t i o n ally p r o t e cted . I n such states, no license is required to openly

carry. In those jurisdictions, requiring a li
cense to carry concealedcreates an incentive

to carry a gun openly — which many people
consider to be unnecessarily provocative. An a d d i t i o na l a r g u m en t f o r l i c e n sing i s tha t i t h e l p s p o l i c e o f f i c ers d eterm i n e whether a person they encounter is disquali

residential burglaries — many of which dem
o nstrate the unsettling reality that no ho m e is truly safe from i n t r u d ers. Consider just a

few examples.
On June 28, 2010, a South Carolina farm

fi e from possessing a firearm. A police offi
cer can verify that a license is currently valid,

er returned from selling homegrown pro
d uce to f in d a n i n t r u d er at hi s h o m e. T h e f armer held th e cri m i nal at g u n p o in t u n t i l authorities arrived.

and that the possessor may lawfully pos
sess a firearm. The only alternative strategy would be for states to mark drivers' licenses o r state identification cards with a "n o f i r e arms" fl ag . T h at , h o w ever, woul d c r eate a different se t o f c o n s t i t u t i o na l q u e s ti on s. Many of these same critics of concealed car ry licensing t ake exception t o l a w e n f o rce ment knowing who is armed and who is not; under m ost c u r r ent l i c ensing systems, law enforcement offi cers can trace a car owner's registration and determine if the owner is li censed to carry a concealed firearm. This can b e both a b en efit an d a d e t r i m e nt ; d u r i n g r outine t r a f fi c s t o ps, an o f f i cer can k n o w

On April 15, 2010, Roger Dale Ramsey, 63,
o f Shelby, N o rt h C a r o l i na, returned h o m e around midnight. Ramsey heard noises in the h ouse — and then saw "a suspect step out o f his bedroom into the dining room." Ramsey pointed a gun, and o r dered the in t r u der t o halt. Instead, the burglar "leapt out the bed room window on the east side and ran." On February 9, 2 0 10, a M o d e sto, Cali fornia woman came home in th e m i d dl e of the mor n in g an d d i s covered evidence of a

The "castle doctrine" holds that a criminal who attempts to force entry into a home is presumed to intend the occupants great

burglary. She armed herself, confronted the burglar, and because "she feared for her safe
t y" f i red o n e s hot — apparently no t h i t t i n g the intruder — who fled the scene.

who is armed before ever approaching the
c ar. (Some states even require permit h o l d e rs to i n f or m a p o l i c e o f f i cer, upo n b e i n g

On September 2, 2009, a 13-year-old boy
in Arizona confronted burglars entering his

stopped, of the presence of a firearm.)

home. When two juvenile burglars forced
entry through the back door, the boy ran to

"Castle Doctrine" Laws
M ost o f t h e s e l f'-defense shoot i ngs i n

a neighbor's house. Before the police arrived,
the boy's father had returned to th e h o use,

bodily harm.

grabbed his gun, and took one of the bur

glars into custody. The police, who arrived
shortly thereafter, arrested the other burglar as he jumped from the second story.

such intr u d ers are not p l an n in g o n l eaving witnesses — so perhaps th e b est p erspective on the circumstances of a defensive shooting

The far more

frightening
cases are the so-called "home invasions," where those forcing entry are fully aware that the residents are home, but don't care.

On January 21, 2009, Gabriel Flores, 17, "kicked in the door of a home" in Dallas, Texas, and provoked a deadly response. While
Flores was inside, the adult son of one of the

is in light of what could have happened. Here
w e have 1,227 incidents — far more than t h e

488 incidents involving residential burglar
ies. It is likely that t hi s is because home in vasions are more dramatic stories of the sort that attract media coverage. Sometimes the int r u der is a relative or a

homeowners happened to show up to drop
off a newspaper. The son confronted Flores. Flores drew a gun and f i red at th e son — but t he son, wh o h a s a c o n cealed handgun l i

friend with serious problems. On May 22,
2010, Gary D. Parker, 46, had been attempt ing to break into the house of Jonathan and Ashley Townson w it h a n ax . Jonathan w as Parker's stepson, and Parker was t h r eaten

cense, drew his gun, shooting and killing
Flores.

On April 6, 2004, a Spokane, Washing
ton burglary also involved shots f i red — but

no apparent injuries. Two burglars kicked in
a door of a ru ral far m h o use — but then beat a hasty retreat when the hom eowner fired a shot from a .22 semi-autom atic target pistol over their heads. Of course, not every defensive gun use is a success. On October 8, 2005, Robert Cole m an, 42, o f H o u s t o n , T e xas, lost h i s l i f e

ing to behead Ashley with the ax. Parker had
been "confront ational, threatening and bel l igerent wit h h i s n eighbors for some t i m e " before this incident. Jonathan Townson shot

Parker, killing him with a single bullet to the
head 28

More typically, the home intruder inci
dents involve strangers. Some are the classic,

while defending a family member's home from a burglar. Upon hearing the break-in,
Coleman grabbed a gun, went to the house, and confron ted th e juvenile suspect. "After an argument, shots were fired and Coleman w as struck once in the head. He died at th e

"My car broke down; can I use your phone?"

gambit. May 8,2010, a w oman knocked On
o n th e d o o r o f S c ot t a n d P e nn y K n i g h t ' s h ome at 1 :30 a .m., claimin g t h a t sh e w a s having car trou ble, and needed to use their phone. Scott Knight "became suspicious and

scene, police said." B earing arms is clearly
not always the solu t io n t o e v ery i n t r u s i o n a nd violent c o n f r o n t a t i on . O f t e n t i m es t h e only good that can be fo un d i n a d efensive

fetched a.22-caliber pistol." When he opened
the door, the woman — and two armed men tried to f o rce their way inside. In th e ensu i ng gu n f i g ht , t h e w o m a n w a s f a t ally sh o t through th e t h r o at. Th e o t her tw o r o b b ers fled the scene. O n May 4, 2009, two m a sked men w i t h guns burst into a home in College Park, Geor

gun use gone wrong is the knowledge of
w hat coul d h av e h a p pened an d w h a t w a s averted. The vast majority of t h ese defensive gun uses seem to be like this incident from Janu

gia, while a birthday party was in progress.
Ten people, some of them college students, were inside th e a p a r t m ent . T h e i n t r u d ers separated the men from the women. One of the intruders started counting his bullets; the

ary 2, 2006, in Denver, Colorado. Michael G adbois, 22, allegedly tried to kick in an
e lderly couple's door at 4 :15 a.m. After t h e homeowners told Gadbois to go away sever al times, they "fired a warning shot over the

other asked how many bullets he had. "He
said he had enough." It does not take much imagination to figure out that there were go ing to be no wi t nesses. At this point, one of the students managed to reach into his back pack, pull out a gun, and shoot one of the in truders, who then fled the apartment wound

suspect's head." When police arrived, Gad bois was "hiding in some bushes."
The far more frightening cases are the so called "home invasions," where those forcing their way are fully aware that the residents are home, but don't care. It seems a fair bet that

ed. The student then ran into the room where t he other i n t r u d er, Calvin L avant, 23, w as starting to rape a young woman. The armed student told the naked woman to get down a nd shot Lavant, who t hen j u m ped ou t t h e window.

I f th e a c cused di d n o t p r o v o k e t h e assault, and had at the time reasonable

grounds to believe, and in good faith
believed, that t h e d e ceased intended

to take his life, or do him great bodily
harm, he was no t o b l i ged t o r e t reat, nor to consider whether he could safely retreat, bu t w a s e n t i t led t o st a nd his ground, and meet anyattack made upon

"Stand-Your-Ground" Laws
Closely related to th e castle doctrine are fairly r e cent s t a t u te s t h a t h a v e r e m o v ed t he so-called " d u t y t o r e t r e at " f r o m th e law. The idea is that a cr i m i nal b r eak-in of someone's home should no t t r i g ger a legal obligation fo r t h e h o m e owner to r etreat in the event that r etreat is an op t i on . In stead, t he resident can choose to flee or con f r o n t the criminal. Indeed, the legal debate is now s hifting t o c o n f r o n t a t i on s o u t s id e o f t h e home: If you are not required to retreat from

him with a deadly weapon, in such
way and with such f o rce as, under all the circumstances, he, at the moment,

honestly believed, and had reasonable
grounds to b elieve, were necessary to save his own life, or to protect himself

from great bodily injury.
M ore t r e n chantly, Justice O l i ver Wen

The number of Americans licensed to carry firearms has grown to about 10 million.

dell Holmes, Jr., pointed out the absurdity
o f requiring a p erson u n der at tack t o c o n sider the level of f o rce allowed: "D etached reflection cannot be demanded in th e pres e nce of an upli f ted k n i f e." A s t h e n u m b e r of Americans licensed to carry firearms has

your home rather than use deadly force, why
s hould you h ave to r etreat rather than u s e

deadly force when you are in a public place?
The historian Richard Maxwell Brown in N o Duty to Retreat argues that the English com m on law required you t o r e t reat un ti l y o u r

grown to about 10 m i l lion, and perhaps
more, the question of wh ether the victim of a criminal attack must retreat will come be fore the courts . M o r e t h a n a d o zen states have adopted "stand-your-ground" st at u t es i n order to clarify the law on this point . Should th ere be an obligation t o r e t reat

back was against the proverbial wall before you could lawfully use deadly force, and that
the idea that yo u h a d " n o d u t y t o r e t r eat" w as an A m e r i can i n n o v ati on . B r ow n a l s o c ontends that the development of "n o d u t y to retreat" also causes the level of violence in modern Am erica to go u p . B r o w n ' s r ead

in public until your back is against a wall before using deadly force? Although the cir
c umstances of p u b l i c c o n f r o n t a t i on s w i l l rarely be as clear cut as the h om e i n vasion scenario, the legal standard is essentially the same: one may use deadly force when there is a threat of imm i n ent death or serious bodily h arm. N o t e t h a t e ven i n t h e j u r i s d i cti o n s that have enacted "stand your ground" laws, some people are g o in g t o r e t r eat a n yway, out of a reluctance to escalate a dispute, and out of a reluctance to take a life — even if it is t he life of a person who is m enacing th em . However, it is unjust to i m p ose a legal duty to retreat on them when they are not respon sible for creating th e perilous situati on. In other words, if you have to kil l som eone in self'-defense because of the threat of death or

ing of English common law is disputed. As
r ecently as 1 9 85, B r i t ish c o u r t s h el d t h a t there was no duty t o r e treat. In t hat case, a victim u sed a glass as a weapon against an attacker, causing the criminal to lose an eye. The court con cluded that " r easonableness" was the appropriate standard for the jury to

use in deciding culpability.
Over the last 10 years, a number of states

have passed what are now popularly referred
to as "stand-your-ground" laws. Federal law

since Beard v. United States(1895) has recog nized that a person who is lawfully in a par
ticular place is under no duty to retreat:

10

great bodily i n j u ry, th at's un f o r t u n a te, but the attacker made the decision that your life is worth less than your wallet or other valu ables. In such cases, it is sensible to conclude that the aggressor forfeits his own life. Perhaps because of the nu m ber of states t hat h a v e e n a c t e d "s t a n d - y our-groun d " laws — or perhaps because of th e reluctance of gun ow n ers to t ake a life, even that of a criminal — there have been few cases chroni cled by the authors involving these statutes. A total o f 1 9 n e w s st o ries in t h e d a t a set m ention a state "stand your g r o u nd " l a w b ut most of these were gratuitous menti o n s with no relevance to the actual use of deadly force. T wo r e p r esentative e x a m p le s c a p t u r e some of th ese problems. The f i rst n ews re port, from t h e A u g ust 6, 2 0 09, Miami New Times, carried a headline that really captures the newspaper's bias against the victim: S outh F l o r i d a S t o r e Cl e r k s G o

Clearly, Fiallos did not need the "stand
your-ground" l a w a t a l l . I n e v ery state, an a rmed robber wh o h a s t aken th e o m i n o u s s tep of h e r d in g v i c t im s i n t o t h e b a c k o f the store would have justified use of deadly force. This use of force would be justified ei ther as self'-defense or defense of others, and the enactment of a "stand your grou nd" law h ad no g en u in e application i n s u c h s i t u a tions. Another defensive gun use story that ac t ually involves the "stand your gro u nd " l aw came from the November 30, 2006, Pensacola

(Florida) News Journal. Marilyn Caraway, 53, shot her ex-boyfriend, Johnny Ray Clark, 47, who had apparently forced his way into the screened-in porch of Caraway's home. She
s hot him o n c e in th e chest, kill in g hi m o n the spot.

Vigilante
I t wa s p o u r i n g r a i n j u s t a f t e r 1

Who Defends Themselves With Guns?
The data set tracked several categories of incidents: type of crime; whether the defend

p.m. Monday, July 20, when a man
burst int o a H o n d u r a n g r o cery store o n NW 3 6t h S t reet in M i a m i . A sh i r t

ers (or much more rarely, the criminals) were
women a nd , i n i n f r e q u ent c i r c u m s t ances, whether or n o t a m i n o r w a s i n v o lved (de fender or crim i n al). There are other catego r ies that p r o v id e s om e i n t e resting d e m o g raphic, statistical, and a n ecdotal i n si gh t s into what sort of p eople defend th emselves with guns. Concealed Weapon Licensees Concealed weapon l i c ense holders have their own category. There are 285 news ac c ounts in d i cating t h a t t h e d e fender had a concealed weapon license. In some cases, the defender was in hi s h om e o r b u s iness, and the license was not actually necessary — but i n most of the incidents, the confront at i o n s t ook place outside the h o me. W i t h ou t t h e spread of "shall-issue" license laws over the last 30 years, the results m i gh t h a v e been tragic. O n Ma y 5 , 2 0 10 , a St . L o u i s m a n w a s

was wrapped around his face as he gripped a black semiautomatic hand gun. Twenty-year-old Charles Bell
s hoved th e p i s to l i n t o t h e f a c e o f a manager behind the counter. Then he demanded th e c o n t e nt s o f t h e c a sh register and c a r t on s o f c i g a rettes in

a plastic bag. Next he began herding
c ustomers t o market. th e b ack o f t h e s m all

The manager of th e store, Valentin Fi allos,

Without the

24, opened fire on the robber, killing him.
Cops termed it "ju sti fi able homi cide."

spread of "shall
issue" license laws over the last 30 years, the confrontations might have been tragic.

The ruling is backed up by f o rmer Gov. Jeb Bush's 2005 "Stand Your Ground" law, which offers wide-rang
i ng legal p r o t ection t o v i o l e n t -crim e victims who open fire on their aggres sors before trying to m ake peace.

robbed at gunpoint — but "fought back and

11

Matthew Murray entered the lobby

s hot the r o b ber t o d e ath." Th e v i c ti m w a s walking dow n t h e street at 8:40 p.m. when

firing his rifle
but Assam shot him, ending the

a 20-year-old robber demanded his wallet.
The victim t u r ned over his wallet — but while the robber was going through the wallet, the v ictim drew his handgun and shot th e ro b ber to death. O ccasionally, t h er e a r e c e l ebrit y c o n

as to justify a separate heading. There is a reason why a D e t r oi t p i zz a d elivery d r iver invented modern soft body armor: pizza de

livery drivers are apparently considered easy
t argets for r o b b ery . T h e d a t a set h a s 3 4 stories in this category. A representative example is from May 11, 2010, in Mobile, Alabama. Bennett Dean, Jr.,

killing spree.

cealed weapon licensees. On April 27, 2010,
Texas Governor Rick Perry was out jogging

was making a pizza delivery, but when he
reached the address, the lights were off. As Dean approached the f r on t d o o r , a r o b b er came out from th e side of the porch wit h a

with his daughter's Labrador retriever pup py — and a coyote mistook Perry's puppy for food. Perry drew his .380 Ruger and shot the
coyote. Some incidents start ou t w i t h r u d e ness but escalate rapidly to t h r eats and violence. Sara Brereton, 31, was riding a bus in down t own Seattle with her ch i l dren on A p ri l 2 5 , 2009, when a 26-year-old man turned a minor bump into a confrontation of "angry words, obscene gestures, and, finally, the man charg ing the woman even though she showed she had a gun." A f ter m an y m o n t h s o f r e view, prosecutors concluded that she "acted in de

shotgun aimed at him. "I dropped my pizza bag when I drew my weapon and that got his
attention. He glanced to the side, and when

he glanced, I just drew my weapon, and he ran off." On July 13, 2006, four juveniles in Buf
f alo, New Y or k a t t e m p ted t o r o b a p i z z a

delivery driver at gunpoint. The driver drew
his own gun, and was able to hold one of the

robbers for police.
T he cri m i n als o f y e steryear co m m o n l y s elected a target, evaluated th e r isk p o t en

fense ofherself, her children and her partner"
when she shot and killed the attacker.

tial, and t h e n f a ced th e u n k n ow n h a z ards o f executing a crime. Rather than go t o a l l Perhaps th e m o s t w i d ely p u b l icized that effort, and attack a victim i n t h eir ow n s hooting involving a c o ncealed carry l i h ome or sh op, or i n " n e u t ral t erri t o ry" o n censee in the last few years clearly prevented the street, criminals are now using regional the murder of at leastdozens of people. The I nternet s ales w ebsites l ik e C r a i gslist, o r criminal was a mentally ill young man who phoning bogus pizza orders, to lure victim s had already killed four people in the previ to them. One such case occurred in Galion, ous 12 hours. On December 10, 2007,Jeanne O hio, where a ma n a g reed to m eet a p r o Assam used a gun in the lobby of New Life s pective seller o f c o n s t r u ctio n e q u i p m e n t . C hurch, in Colorado Springs. Matthew Mu r Fortunately, the buyer was a concealed carry ray was carrying "two h a n d guns, an assault l icensee. He took two handguns with him t o r ifle and over 1,000 rounds of amm u n i t i o n ." t he meeting place in a r e m ot e qu arry. Th e " sale" turned out t o be an ambush, and th e He had already killed two people in the park ing lot and two others the previous night. He entered the lobby firing his rifle — but Assam, a former police officer, shot him, ending the killing spree. I t d o es not take much im agi nation to u n d erstand th e l i k ely ou t c ome if Assam had no t b een armed at th e scene of this horrific crime. Pizza Delivery Dr ivers Some categories in the data set may seem o dd, but they tu r ned out t o b e so com m o n buyer was forced to empty both weapons to

repel the robbers.
Unless members of today's society recuse themselves from Cr aigslist, eBay, and other new millennium r en d i t i ons of the yard sale, i t becomes even m or e i m p e rative to a l l o w citizens the option to carry arms outside the home. Animal Attacks The data set also includes more stories of

12

d efense against an i mal a t t a cks t ha n m a n y

A hiker in Denali National Park in Alas
ka was forced to shoot an at t acking grizzly bear, one of the first reported defensive gun uses in th e n a t i o nal p a rk s since President

people would expect: Since 2007, 172 inci
dents have been documented — and not all of them in rural areas, either. From the Philadel

phiaa Daily Newsof May 12, 2010: They all said he was a nice dog.
But something inside Zeus snapped t his morni n g .

Obama signed a bill into law allowing con cealed carry in national parks. T h e bear
c harged at the hik er's traveling companion until the hiker fired nine shots from a hand gun, at wh ich p o in t t h e b ear walked away. T he animal was later fo un d d ead, and it i s difficult t o i m a g ine any other means of re s istance being e f f ective w h e n n i n e s h o t s

The American bulldog who loved
dog biscuits and b a ckscratches went berserk an d a t t a cked a n 1 1 -year-old

neighbor as the boy and his friend got ready for school in Port Richmond. T hirteen-year-old B r a d Bu c h e r h eard hi s b r o t her s creaming a n d
s printed t o h e l p . T h e s c ene o u t si d e his home on M ercer Street near Tioga s eemed straight ou t o f a h o r ro r m o v

from the large-bore .45 only prompted the
creature to walk away. I n li gh t o f t h e t h r eat p o sed by n a t u r al predators, the decision t o a l lo w c o n cealed carry in national parks such as Yellowstone, the Smoky M o u n t a i ns, and the Grand Can y on b ecomes even m o r e i m p o r t a n t . T h e acres of wild lands set aside for natural beau ty and growth a t t r act m i l l i on s of t o u r i sts a year, but, by defini t i on, still h arbor th e risk of wil d l if e a t t acks f aced by o u r a n c estors centuries ago. Such w i l d l a n d s a ls o p r e s ent attractive targets for h u m a n p r edators; potential victim s are m ore lik ely to b e i so l ated and u n w ary, com m u n i c ation such as

"The dog ripped
part of the boy' s right ear o6; bit his neck and chewed his side

ie: Shane struggled frantically on the
s idewalk, Z e us' t e eth s u n k i n t o h i s

bloodied neck. The injuries were severe: "The dog ripped part of the boy's right ear off, bit his neck and chewed his side open, injuring his intes
t ines." A n e i g h bo r h e ar d t h e c o m m o t i o n ,

open, injuring
his intestines." A

grabbed his .357 Magnum and shot the dog
twice. On October 17, 2009, Matthew Reppucci went out for a walk in N o r t h A n d o ver, Mas s achusetts, when a n e i g h b o r's pi t b u l l a t

cell phone signals may be difficult, and help could be hours away.
Assault Weapons An astonishing n u m ber of stories report no details beyond the fact that the defender used a gun — sometimes the story d oes not even say if the weapon was a handgun or a

neighbor heard
the commotion,

grabbed his .357
Magnum and shot the dog
twice.

tacked him. Reppucci pulled out a Colt .380 and shot the pit bull.
Of course, there are many wild animal de fensive gun uses, too. On Au gust 6, 2008, a C olorado man shot an d k i l l ed a m o u n t a i n l ion af ter i t g o t t o o c l o se t o h i m a n d h i s w ife. They tried to scare it o ff , bu t w h e n i t approached and went into the "crouch posi

long gun, such as a rifle or shotgun. The in
complete nature of the news accounts makes c ategorizing i n c i d ents b y t h e t y p e o f t h e w eapon used i m p r actical. Tha t s aid, t h e r e are at least eight stories in which defenders used an " a ssault w e apon." W h i l e " a ssault weapon" is a very ill-defined category, there was still enough i n f o r m a t ion i n t h ese eight news accounts to clearly identify the weapon. F or example, two men went on an am b i t ious crime spree in No rt h C a rol ina in M a y

tion," he decided the risk was too high, and he shot and killed it.
Two M o n t ana bow h u n t ers killed an ag

gressive female grizzly bear on October 8, 2007. "One of them used bear pepper spray
and halted a charge within nine feet, but the

grizzly turned and charged a second time.
T hat's when the second hun ter shot it t w i c e with a.44 Magnum p i st ol ."

2008 but were finally stopped by an armed citizen. They had robbed a motel earlier in
the day, then tried to rob a coffee shop. Next,

13

t hey tried t o r a m a v a n t h r o u g h t h e f r o n t door of a b u s i ness — but the female owner, " Bouaphan C h a n t h u n o m , 5 1 , o p ened f i r e

On February 7, 2009, a Georgia man was able to get control of th e gun even after his

attacker shot him. Richard Ellis, 38, pulled
into his garage in Marietta, when John Har rison, 33, an acquaintance (but n ot , appar

with an assault rifle, instantly killing Joseph Murphy McRae, 36, of Mount Gilead." "A Criminal Will Just Take the Gun Away from You"
F or a very long ti me, gun cont rol p r o p o nents would i n sist that h aving a gun was a

ently, a friend) appeared with a handgun demanding money — and then shot Ellis in the leg. Ellis immediately "grabbed the gun
a nd a f i gh t e n sued i n t h e d r i v eway of t h e r esident." Ellis was able to get control of th e gun, and shot th e assailant tw ice. Harrison died later at the hospital. There may be a fine line between stupid ity and courage, and trying to disarm a crim

mistake, because many people (especially
w omen) w o ul d n o t b e w i l l i n g t o s h o o t a person wh o w a s a t t a ckin g t h em — and the criminal wo ul d t h en t ake away the victim' s gun and use it on the victim. Oddly enough, while the authors have recorded a large num ber of incidents where someonehas their gun taken away from them, it is usually the other way around. I n 2 2 7 i n c i d ents, a cri m i n al's g un was taken away from him by the victim . This does not necessarily mean that the vic tim shot the crimina l, but it d o es mean that t he victim su ccessfully disarmed th e cri m i n al and t h e n t h r e atened the cri m i nal w i t h it in order to m ake him l eave, or make him remain on the scene until the police could ar rive. Often, these were situations where the victim, at the start of the attack, did not have

inal when you do not have a gun could pres ent more risks than simply complying with
a robber's demands — but it is startling h o w often this works out well for the victim, con sidering how often the opposite situation is claimed to exist. By comparison, the data set contains only 11 stories out of 4,699 where a criminal took a gun away from a d efender; the reverse, as w e have seen, was reported m o r e t h a n 2 0 times more often. Again, these are situations where a defender may not have been shot. Of course, even if a defender loses control of t he gun, it does not mean that the crim i n al "wins" the engagement. Here is a reasonably positive outcome, nonetheless. On January 1 6, 2008, a P i t t sbur gh, Pennsylvania m a n c onfronted tw o h o m e i n v aders. They to o k his rifle from him — but the homeowner then

a gun. On May 14, 2010, police arrested Ma
jor Lee Barnes, 19. Barnes is alleged to have f irst solicited an act of p r o sti t u t io n f r o m a woman, and w hen she declined, he t h r eat ened her with a handgun, ordering her to, as the newspaper described it, "get on her knees and perform a sex act on him." Barnes appar

drew his handgun, shooting one of the rob
b ers. The other robber fled with the rifl e.

The data set contains only 11 stories out of 4,699 where a criminal took a gun away from a defender; the reverse was reported more than 20 times more often.

ently put the handgun back in his pocket,
"put hi s a rm s back i n a n a p p arent r elaxed gesture," at which p o in t th e victim g r abbed t he handgun, and shot him . On M arch 13, 20 10, three men, at least one of them m asked, walked into a store in R omulus, M i c h i gan, and at t em p ted t o r o b i t at gun p o i nt . A cu stomer walked int o t h e store, saw what was going on, and "success f ully fou ght th e gu n m a n fo r c o n t ro l o f t h e w eapon and f i r e d tw o r o u n d s," k i l l in g t h e g unman. T h e o t h e r s u s pects l e ft , h a v i n g f ailed to r o b t h e s t ore — short at l east o n e

This enormous disparity — 227 criminals
d isarmed by t h eir v i c t im s c o m p ared t o 1 1 victims disarmed by crimin als — is not neces s arily an accurate measure of how often thi s happens. Because the data set gathers defen sive gun use stories, many in cidents where

a criminal disarmed and killed a victim will
likely not be reported. Still, since the research methods of t h e a u t h or s are u n b i ased (i.e., stacked in favor of fi n d in g one type of story versus the other), the nu m b ers suggest that the great f ear o f g u n c o n t r o l a d v o cates criminals disarming victims — is exaggerated. I t may also be true that a great many of th e

handgun.

14

criminals are so easily disarmed by their vic
tims because the offender is intoxicated, stu pid, or overconfident. Yet, it w o ul d a p p ear that a shop owner threatened with losing his entire livelihood, a woman in fear of rape, or

truder. "I h o l l ered, 'Who's th ere? I' ve got a gun.'" Th e i n t r u der fl e d a f t e r seeing her a nd her p i s t ol . T h e i n t r u d e r a c t u ally a t tempted to e n ter a n earby dwelling, wh ere he was confronted and then detained by an other pistol-wielding homeowner.

Avi Manges

grabbed her
.38-caliber revolver when she heard an intruder. The intruder fled after seeing her and her pistol.

a parent afraid of losing everything, often
has a greater motivation and f i nd s a greater tenacity to fight back than a criminal hopin g for an easy "score."

In February 2010 an Albuquerque, New
Mexico, woman called 911 to report a break in attempt — and while she was on the phone t o police, two men forced their way into th e house. She shot one of them in the head. On June 9, 2009, Marty I m p astato react e d to a home invasion in So u t h ern I l l i n o i s. She confronted an acquaintance who gained entry through an unlocked window and was

How Many Defensive Gun Uses by Drug
Dealers?

A commonly held view among skeptics

of defensive gun uses is that many — perhaps m ost — involve cr i m i n al s d e f endin g t h e m s elves from o t h e r c r i m i n als, such a s d r u g rifling through the "safe where the family dealers who are stealing f ro m r i val d ealers. keeps jewelry and prescription drugs." Im W ithout q u estion, th ere are stories that f i t pastato shot the int r u d er. that description — or where you can read be It is difficult to say whether the relatively tween the lines and get that i m p r ession. In sparse population of armed females repre F ebruary 2008 W a shington r e sidents M a r s ents news media selection b ias o r s i m p l y cus Bradford, Khiry Jackson, and Lawrence t he disparity between women an d m e n o n Adams went to steal drugs and money from g un ow n ership. W o m e n r e p resent a m o r e L uis A cevedo. A cevedo s ho t B r a d f or d t o attractive target to male crimin als, either be death. While Acevedo was still facing charg cause they are on average smaller and weaker or because the criminal is looking for a rape es, it was not for shooting Bradford — but for the drugs that B r ad ford an d h i s associates victim. were there to steal. Still, such stories seem to be suffi ciently Rape rare that the data set does not have a separate There are 25 news stories where rapists category for drug dealers defending them d iscovered that the victim was able to fi gh t selves. A search for th e string " d ru g dealer" b ack. Take th e case of a C h a r l o t te, N o r t h in the database found only nine news stories. Carolina, w o ma n w h o , a f t e r b e in g r a p ed, It is entirely possible that police responding d isarmed her a t t a cker an d t h e n h el d h i m to shootings involving k n ow n d r u g d ealers f or th e p o l i ce. It w a s l ater f o un d t h a t t h e are less inclined to give such individu als the p erpetrator had "an extensive criminal h i s benefit of the doubt on questionable shoot tory, dating back 20 years, and many of the i ngs — but still, th e o v erwhelm in g m a j o r i t y o ffenses involved sexual conduct w it h c h i l of defensive gun use stories involve ordinary dren." and decent people defending themselves S ometimes a gu n p r events a r ape f r o m against crimin als. happening again.On October 31, 2008, a Missouri woman shot and ki l led Ronnie W. Armed and Female P reyer, 47, "a r e gistered sex o f f ender w h o Some of th e o t her categories are unsur h ad broken int o her h om e early one mo r n prising. There are 154 defensive gun use sto ing with t h e i n t e n t io n o f r a p in g her a sec ries involving women. O n A p ril 29, 2010, ond time." two Colorado residents used pistols to deal Shockingly, when i t c o m e s t o r e sisting with an intruder. Avi Manges grabbed her sexual assault, resources are few and effec . 38-caliber revolver when sh e h eard a n i n tive armed resistance is no t c o n sidered an

15

option by certain law enforcement agencies. Instead, the Il l i n oi s State Police advise vic tims to claim they have AIDS, forcibly induc

ing vomiting, or fighting back with nail files or keys. Th e city of Davis, California, sug
gests mace or whistles, but also recommends urinating or d efecating . C on s e quently, fe m ales should b e c om e a s p ecial f o cu s f o r s elf'-defense advocates, teaching not just t h e means and methods, but th e m i n d set to re sist an a ssailant. I f m o r e r a p i sts expected their would-be targets to resist with f o rce, a reduction i n t h e r ate of such crimes would seem inevitable. A rmed M i n o r s Another c ategory i s m i n o r s — those un d er 18 years o f a ge. T h ere are 2 1 r e p o r t s where minors used a gun i n self'-defense or to defend f a m i l y m e m b ers. I n N o v e m b er

Armed Seniors O ne of th e p o i nt s o f ten m ade in p u b l i c debates about gu n o w n e rship i s t h a t even if you are young and strong and are able to protect yourself f ro m a n u n a r m e d a t t a ck er — you may not be able to d o so after you pass the age of 65. Consequently, the data set tracks defensive gun uses by the elderly with 201 such incidents.

In May 2 010 an e lderly Pennsylvania couple held a burglar at gunpoint outside their Stroudsburg home. Devin Tyler Ayala,
24, forced entry i n t o t h e h o m e , w h ic h s et

off a burglar alarm. The 68-year-old wife
screamed, and the 74-year-old husband came downstairs with a gun, and was able to hold

Pritchett

Ayala for the police.
In March 2010 Stephen Pritchett attacked a n 82-year-old woman i n a W a l -M ar t p a r k i ng l ot . P r i t chett a p p r o ached t h e w o m a n and said, "This is your day. You are too old to

"grabbed her
cane and started beating her." At that point, she drew a handgun and fired at
Pritchett.

2008 a 16-year-old boy shot his mother's ex
husband on th e f r on t l aw n i n K a n sas City, M issouri. The woman had divorced him tw o years before because of abuse. "But at 2 :30

be alive anyway." He then "grabbed her cane
and started beating her." At t hat p o i nt , she drew a handgun and f i red at Prit chett. She

a.m., he suddenly barged into her home. She said he pulled out a knife and dragged her
into the fr on t y ard, and t hat was when she

did not hit him, but unsurprisingly, the gun
shot drew attention to her problem, bringing

employees and then police.
Students and Firearm s

said her son grabbed a gun from the house and pulled the trigger, hitting his ex-stepfa
ther in the stomach." S ome of t h ese in cidents are m o r e d r a m atic, but h o p e f u lly l ess traum atic t o t h e defender. A Baton Rouge, Louisiana, boy who was left home alone with his sister shot an intruder who t r ied to kick in th e door of their apartm e nt . T h e 1 0 -year-old r et rieved h is mo t h er's gu n f r o m a c l o s et, an d s h o t Roderick Porter, who was, by then, inside. These stories are not m e an t t o s u g gest

If "decrease in ability to fight back" is pos
i tively correlated with " escalation in c r i m e " then college campuses may be an exception to that rule. The rate of crime across Amer ica's instituti ons of higher learning is statis tically less than the rates in cities, neighbor hoods, and h o m es.7 Y et, because colleges

have become the target of many high-profile
s hootings, th ere i s s t il l a l u r k i n g f e a r f o r w here the next mu l t i ple victim shooting in

children can or should be armed, but they
do show t ha t m i n o r s o f ten d o p o ssess the m ental faculties to i d e n t if y a t h r eat a n d w hen p r esented th e m e an s an d a b i l it y t o neutralize that threat — to do so.

cident will be.
Coupled with t h i s, reports now i n d i c ate the rate of c r i m es o n c o l l ege campuses is rising at a time when overall crime rates are in decline. In a report by the FBI, the Secret S ervice, and the D epartm ent o f E d u cation , the numbers collected since 1900 show that crimes of every nature are on the rise on col lege campuses. Out of 110 years of data col lected and studied, the past two decades ac

Along with mi nors using guns in self
defense, we also tracked defensive gun uses where the cr i m i n al s w ere m i n o rs. At l e ast 141 instances involved at least one crimin al

identified as being under 18 years old.

16

count for 60 percent of the total n u m ber of crimes commi t t ed. In 2008 there were 3,287

ports how a M e r cer Un iversity law student

shot and killed a man who broke into his
home. A student from O r em , Ut ah, possessed a concealed carry permit and was forced to fire on an attacking pit bull in 2007. The animal survived the shooting and, at th e shooter's behest, th e a n i m a l w a s n o t e u t h a n i zed. A nd i n A u g u s t 2 0 0 8 a s t u d en t i n H i l t o n

rapes, 60 killings, 5,026 assaults, and 4,562
r obberies co m m i t t e d a c r oss c o l l ege cam puses. Statistically, combin in g college cam puses nationwide, there are about 9 sexual

assaults per day.
Certainly there are more college students in the last tw o d e cades as a percentage of the population t h a n f o r m e r ly. Perhaps the

increased availability of student loans (and
i ncreasingly f a v o r a bl e a t t i t u d e t ow a r d s d ebt-financed education) i s sp u r r in g m o r e c ollege attendance, and t h u s r i s in g c r i m e . R egardless, one w o n d ers w ha t t h e r a t e o f

Head, South Carolina, displayed a pistol to ward off a road rage driver wielding a base
ball bat.~9 These are stories of successful defensive gun use across the nation by members of the

crime would look like if defensive gun use

population considered to be college-aged, and thus presumed likely to be rebellious

w ere in t r o d u ced a s a n o p t i o n o n c o l l e g e o r irresponsible. One neglected fact is th at campuses. What if the Virginia Tech massa college "gun-free zones" also forbid visitors cre could have been cut short l i k e th e N ew from carrying for pr otection — and such visi Life church shooting in Colorado? tors could include any one of the thousands

The rising crime rates and high-profile
occurrences of mass shootings has led to the formation of a grassroots student-led orga nization k n ow n a s Students for C o n cealed C arry on C a m p us, organized after th e V i r ginia Tech i n c i d en t t o a d v o c ate restorin g concealed carry t o c o l l ege campuses. As a silent pr o test, group m e m b ers wear empt y holsters to symbolize being defenseless. M any c r i t i c s q u e s t io n i n c r e asing t h e a vailability o f f i r e arms fo r s t u d e nts, citi n g students' proclivity t o w ards vice and rebel l ion o n c e t h e y r each t h e n e w f o un d i n d e p endence of a c o l l ege envir o n m e nt . T h i s concern reflects a view that approaches ste reotyping and prejudice, casting students as irresponsible by n a t u re. Th e same charges are often leveled by the same critics oppos ing the carrying of arms altogether, yet their dire predictions seldom come true.

of responsibly armed citizens.
A s supporters of gu n r i g ht s o f ten p o i n t o ut, every day m i l l i o n s o f g u n s w e r e n o t

used to kill. They passively existed, perhaps
only in a gun safe. Like a seat belt, these guns were a safety measure that was available for protection in the event of an emergency, but n ot used. It should b e n o ted t hat st u d ent s a re perm i t te d t o c a r r y f i r e a rm s f o r s e l f defense at no less than 25 college campus

es, primarily in Colorado and Utah. Many
o ther colleges allow defensive carry on u n i v ersity sidewalks and in l i b r aries but not i n classrooms. In fact, after Colorado's 2003 concealed c arry law was enacted, Colorado State Uni versity d e cided t o a l l o w c o n c ealed c a rry,

while the University of Colorado prohibited firearms. The former observed a rapid de
cline in reported crimes, while the latter, un der the gun ban they claimed was for safety, o bserved a rapi d i n c r ease in c r i m e. C r i m e at the Un iversity of C o l o r ado has risen 35 percent since 2004, while crime at Colorado State University has dropped 60 percent in the same time frame. T he effect o n c r i m i n a l b e h avior i s p e r haps the clearest illustration. Crim i n als ob

Colorado State University allows concealed carry, while the University of Colorado

prohibits
firearms. The former observed

The age requirement for ownership and
the concealed carry ofh an d g uns remains the same regardless of education, yet in order to monitor t h eir fr equency, the authors began tracking the occurrence of legally armed col lege students engaging in a cts of d efensive gun use off-campus. There were a total of 14 stories. For example, a September 19, 2005,

a rapid decline in
reported crimes, while the latter observed a rapid increase.

story from the Macon, Georgia, Telegraphre

tain firearms just like they obtain drugs — il

17

Gun accidents do occur, but they are among the
most overstated

of risks.

l egally. Therefore it s t a nd s t o r e ason t h a t and then demanded his car. Although he did few criminals are going to be deterred from thwart the carjacking attempt, the defender c ommit t in g a c r i m e o n a c o l l ege camp u s also accidentally shot himself in the leg. due to the threat of expulsion or arrest. Nor does it seem lik ely t ha t a w o u l d -be robber Unhappy Endings would be deterred because of stickers on the Not every defensive gun use ends well — the d oors an n o u n c in g t h a t a r m e d r o b b ery i s data set identifies 36 incidents in which a de s everely frowned upon by th e st udent cod e fender was killed. One example comes from o f condu ct. C o nversely, a campu s t h a t a l Texas in August 2007. Anthony H em i n gway l ows concealed carry, and w h er e even on e S r., 43, died in an exchange of gun f ire wit h s tudent, professor, or even a member of th e a man who kicked in the door of his apart maintenance staff is armed, would present a ment in K i l leen. I t i s h ar d t o i m a gine that much riskier target to crimi n als. Thus, com the victim in t h i s case would have ended up p rehensive bans on defensive carry of arm s better off if he had not fought back. In addi at postsecondary instit u t i on s should be re tion, the intruder was now identifiable by his examined. gunshot wound . Along with t h ose 36 incidents where the What about Accidents during D efensive defender was killed, there are 210 defen Gun Uses? sive gun use stories where the defender was Gun control prop onents often claim that s hot, but no t k i l l ed (at least at th e t i m e o f the average citizen is not sufficiently trained the news story). These incidents, like those to use a gun defensively — that the risk is very where the defender died, often i n v olve cir h igh that a h o m e o w ner wi ll, say, shoot h i s cumstances where the defender's situation , teenager who stayed out beyond his curfew while bad, was likely improved by being a nd is sneaking i n t o t h e h o m e l at e i n t h e armed. On F ebruary 20, 20 10, the Ho uston evening. Or the homeowner will accidentally Chronicle r eported an incident in w h i ch t w o shoot him self. Gun accidents do occur, but h ome invaders in H a r ri s C o u nt y ended u p they are among the most overstated of risks. in a gun battle with the hom eowner. One of There were 535 accidental f i r earms deaths the invaders, an adult, died; the other, a juve in 2006 — every one unfort u n ate, but in a na nile, was wounded, as was the homeowner. t ion o f a l m o s t 30 0 m i l l i o n p e o p le, that i s A nother s t or y i n v o l ves an a r m e d r o b not a particularly startling rate. bery that might have ended differently had Yet in s p it e o f t h e w i d e spread concern t he vi c ti m c o m p l i e d w i t h t h e c r i m i n a l ' s about accidents involving defensive gun uses demands — but who knows? In April 2004 by "untrained civilians," there are far fewer of C onnecticut r e sident Joseph G i g l i o t t i e n these incidents making the newspapers than gaged in a gun battle with t h ree robbers. As supposed. The authors did not actively look a result, Giglio tt i en ded up i n t h e h o s p i t al for gun accident stories. As a result, no claim with a g u n shot w o u n d — but so did h i s as is advanced here that th ese results are typi sailants. A lthough n o t t e c h n i cally f i t t i n g u n d e r cal, although i f d e fensive gun uses resulted the "accident" c ategory, cases of m i s t aken in a high r ate of gu n accidents, one would expect searches to find such news stories as

well.
Only five accidental shootings appear in the database. One story describes a Shreve port, Louisiana, man wh o f o u gh t of f a car

identity are also in v oked as a j u s t i f i cation t o restrict lawful gu n o w n ership. But w h a t

happens when the police have a case of mis
t aken identity? In December 2007 a Mi n n e a polis SWAT team, on a ti p f r o m a n i n f o r m ant, ki cked i n t h e d o o r an d i n v aded t h e home of an Asian im m i g r ant. The man was watching TV w it h h i s wi fe, but also had six

jacking "by two black males wearing all black
clothing and black bandanas over their fac e s." The carjackers drew a revolver on h i m ,

18

children in the house. The homeowner, sus

in state after state about t h e l i k ely c o nse

pecting a criminal intrusion, grabbed a gun
and exchanged gunfire with the SWAT team. Miraculously, n o o n e w a s i n j u r ed ; SW AT team gunfire missed the man entirely, while the homeowner's shots at two o f f i cers were

quences of "shall-issue" concealed handgun
licensing was a f ea r a b ou t a n i n c r ease in pointless murders and manslaughters, as or

dinary people engage in parking lot disputes
or road rage incidents that would quickly es calate to deadly force. There have been some defensive gun use incidents of t h i s n a t u re, where the person

repelled by body armor. Police later apolo
gized for the incident, explaining that th ere w as a " c o m m u n i c a ti on s b r e akdown " a n d t hey had acted on bad info r m a t i o n .

using the gun was legally in the right — but
where the incident di d n o t ne edto happen. Such incidents have occurred, but so rarely that the authors did not f in d i t n ecessary to create a category for " W h a t w ere you think ing?" The shooting death of Aaron P. Davis, 39, by Glenn Eichstedt, 52, in Aurora, Colo rado, on November 13, 2004, is one of these rare examples. It i s , h o w ever, an i n c i d ent that should m ake all gun owners think very s oberly abou t t h e s e r i ou s i m p l i c ation s o f

Carjackings
C arjackings are very d r a m a t ic, an d u n s urprisingly, when th e vi ct im s t u r n t h e t a bles on the bad g uys, it m a kes great press. The authors recorded 65 defensive gun uses in carjacking situations. In March 2010 New Orleans resident Joshua McElveen, 24, point e d a handgun a t a m a n i n a p i c k u p t r u c k and demanded that the driver turn over the

Joshua
McElveen, 24, pointed a handgun at a

truck. The driver drew his own handgun and fired, fatally wounding McElveen. On November 17, 2006, Quavale Finnell,
14, stole a car from Bennie Hall, Jr., 61 — and t hen attempted t o r u n H a l l o v er. H all h a d o btained a co ncealed weapon p e r mi t a f t e r h is grandson had been a shooting victim i n

carrying a gun. The grand jury report that cleared Eichst
edt of any criminal charges describes in great d etail the sequence of events that led up t o

man in a pickup
truck and demanded that the driver turn over the truck. The driver drew his own handgun and fired, fatally wounding McElveen.

the shooting. Mr. and M rs. Davis parked
their SUV, and M r s . D avis went i nt o a r e s taurant t o r e t rieve a to-go order. Eichstedt parked next to th e D a vis' SUV, and Eichst e dt's passenger went i nt o t h e restaurant t o make a dinner reservation. When Eichstedt

the same block. Hall shot and killed Finnell.
No charges were filed.

WJXT Channel 4 Oacksonville, Florida) reported what happened on September 30,
2 009, when tw o m e n t r i e d t o s t eal a t r u c k

opened his car door, Davis accused him of
causing damage to his SUV with his car door. Davis and Eichstedt then became increas i ngly a r g u m e n t ativ e a b o u t w h e t h e r a n y damage had taken place or not and soon — the argument had become so heated that it could be overheard on t h e 9 1 1 t a pes after

from a group of people outside a home:
K eith L o f t i n w a s o u t s id e t h e h o m e with some friends shortly after 2 a.m. w hen tw o m e n a s k e d f o r a r i d e i n L oftin's tr u ck. Lo f ti n said on e of t h e

phone calls were placed by witnesses. Mrs.
Davis came back to the car and attempted to separate the two. Davis and Eichstedt, while

men pulleda gun on them and forced
L oftin i nt o hi s t r u ck. Lof ti n t ol d o f f i cers that his f r i end, Barry Sm i th , r an i nto th e h o u s e an d r e t u r ned w i t h a

not legally drunk, had both been drinking
earlier. Some wi t nesses indicated t h a t v i o l ence started wit h D a vi s p u sh in g E i chstedt, and E ichstedt p u n c h i n g D a v i s . O t h e r s c l a i m t hat t h e f i r s t p h y s ical c o n t act w a s w h e n D avis attacked Eichstedt w it h a m e t al b ar .

gun and Loftin pulled his own gun
from inside the truck. Police said both L oftin an d S m i t h f i r e d at on e o f t h e men, striking hi m m u l t i p l e t i m es.

Legal But Foolish
One of the recurring concerns expressed

The metal bar was solid, eight inches long,
and 1 '/z inches in diameter. Davis hit Eich

19

stedt in the head, by some accounts, several times, and hard en o ugh t o d r a w b l ood — at which point Eichstedt, who had a concealed handgun license, fired one shot. Davis subse q uently died; Mrs. Davis, who had attempt ed to intervene to stop the fi g ht, suffered a life-threatening inju ry, but eventually recov

M oreover, it i s i m p o r t an t t o n o t e t h a t w hen a gu n o w n e r k i l l s a n a t t a cker o r i s a ble to hol d a r a pist or a b u r g lar u n t i l t h e police arrive, it is very likely that m ore than one crime has been prevented because if the

culprit had not been stopped, he could have
targeted other citizens as well. Policymakers interested in harm reduction should thus re frain from t r eating or d i n ary gun o w n ers as h oodlums or loose cannons and adopt poli cies that respect the ownership and carrying

ered.
At th e p o i n t w h er e D a vis hi t E i c h stedt with th e m etal bar, Eichstedt was legally in the right sh o o t in g D a vis. The risk o f g r eat

bodily injury or death was very real, and Eich
stedt's actions almost certainly prevented his own death. Bu t w el l b e f ore t h is, Eichstedt s hould h ave wi t h d r awn f r o m t h e c o n f r o n tation, offering to h ave their two i n surance companies settle the matter. Thank f u l ly, as n oted, such in cidents are not t e rribly com mon. This is by far th e m ost sobering and disturbing defensive gun use in almost eight years of gathering such news stories.

of arms by responsible individuals.

Appendix
This section provides an extensive list of d efensive gun u ses between O ct ober 2 0 0 3 and November 2011. It is by no means com

prehensive. As previously noted, when a gun is simply brandished, criminals often flee
t he scene and ar e no t a p p r ehended. W i t h no shot fired, no inj u r ies, and no suspect in custody, news organizations sometimes re p ort no t h in g at all. Ou r ai m h ere is not t o criticize the way in which these incidents are treated by news organizations. It is simply to r emind readers that n ews reports can on l y provide an i m p e r f ect p i c t ur e o f d e f ensive gun use in America. T he Cat o I n s t i t u t e h a s p l o t t e d a n e x panded list of cases on an i n t eractive map,

Conclusion
S elf'-defense is o n e of ou r m o st b asic rights. Strict gun c o n t ro l r egulations in t er fere with that right because ordinary citizens

abide by the regulations while criminals
acquire gun s f r o m u n d e r g r o un d m a r k e t s. That leaves honest, law-abiding people at a d istinct disadvantage because it is not p o s sible for the police to be at every scene where

they are desperately needed. Many people support gun control regu

which can be found at http: //www.cato.org/ guns-and-self'-defense/.
Homeowner Shoots Would-Be Int r u d er C handler, A r i z o na : O n D e c e m be r 1 5 ,

Gun owners stop a lot of criminal mayhem attempted murders, rapes, assaults, robberies everyyear.

l ations because they are convinced that t h e average citizen is either incapable of using a

gun in self'-defense or will use the gun in a
fit of a n ger over some petty m a t t er. Th o se a ssumptions are false. The evidence on thi s point has grown so str ong t ha t even Presi dent O b am a h a s h a d t o c h i d e gu n s a f ety a dvocates to a c cept t h e p r o p o si t io n t h a t " almost a l l g u n ow n e r s i n A m e r i c a a r e

2005, Cary Dennis heard his front doorbell
ring, then observed Sagio Maurice Henry at his back door. Dennis went to get a weapon,

then caught Henry prying open a window.
H enry t h r e atened D e n ni s w i t h a p i c k a x e handle, and Dennis shot Henry in the chest.

highly responsible." A n d , as the scores of
incidents described in t hi s study show, gun owners stop a lo t o f c r i m i n a l m a yhem — at tempted m u r d e rs, r apes, assaults, r o bber

Henry fled, but was later apprehended by the police at a hospital. Chandler Police De
t ective Frank M e n d oza suggested that t h e

homeowner should havefled his home and
c alled 911 instead of confr o n t in g the crim i

ies — every year.

nal."

20

Robbery Victim Defends Himself
Raleigh, North C arolina: On th e evening of December 28, 2005,two men approached Damian Powell as he stepped out of hi s ve h icle. According t o P owell, one of th e m e n

16, 2011, C o n g ressman L e o n ar d

B o s w ell

was getting ready for bed when he heard a
c ommotion i n t h e l i v in g r oo m o f h i s f a r m

produced a gun and told Powell to "give it
up." Powell knocked the gun out of the mug ger's hand and was able to get his permitt ed g un from h i s SUV i n o r der t o sh oo t at t h e two teens who wanted his money. Witnesses in a Farrington D r ive apartment com plex in

house. He rushed down the hall and found an intruder holding his daughter, Cindy Brown, at gun point in the foyer and yelling
a t Boswell's 22-year-old g r a n dson, M i t c h ell Brown, to " G e t t h e m o n ey o r I' ll shoot her." Boswell rushed the in t r u d er, and th ey exchanged blows. While Boswell attempted to disarm t h e i n t r u d er, M i t c h ell r e t r ieved a shotgun f ro m a sp are bedroom, return ed to the foyer, and aimed at the in t r u d er. The i ntruder fl e d t h r o u g h t h e f r o n t d o o r t o a waiting pickup t r u ck. M i t ch ell then ran out t he back door and f i red tw o w a r n in g sh ot s into the air. The police were called, and a K-9 u nit f o u n d t h e i n t r u d e r's backpack i n a n

Congressman Leonard Boswell rushed down the

hall and found
an intruder

holding his
daughter, Cindy Brown, at gunpoint.

north Raleigh heard gunfire from the park
ing lot u n t i l o n e teen was shot and h e an d

his accomplice ran away. The police found
18-year-old suspects A n t o in e S a nders an d Cesar Solorzano at a ho spital wh ere one of them sought treatment for a bullet wound in

his shoulder.
Father Defends Daughter from

adjacent hayfield. The police later identified Estranged Son-in-Law
Union G r o ve, A l ab ama: O n D e c e m b er 21, 2005, Calvin H ar m showed up at his es tranged wife's house with a shotgun and be gan arguing with her. Hearing that Harm was at her house, the woman's father, James Grif fin, came to the scene with his gun. The men e xchanged gu n f i re, an d t h e h u s b an d w a s s hot in th e st om ach. He was in cr i t ical bu t stable condition a f ter surgery at H u n t sville the intruder as David Dewberry, who was ar rested three days later.

Mom Defends Herself and Children
C oalfield, T e n nessee: On t h e m o r n i n g of February 16, 2007, Suzanne Carson, at home alone wit h h e r t h r ee chil dr en, saw a young man attemp t in g to break in her back

door. Carson grabbed her husband's pis
t ol and o r d ered the man t o s t op. Th e m a n continued breaking in , an d C a rson f i red a s hot. The man stepped fully i nt o th e k i t c h

Hospital. The Sheriff said that Harm had vi olated a protective order by approaching his estranged wife, and that Griffin would likely
not be charged with any crime. Restaurant Owner Shoots Armed Robber Bridgeport, Connecticut: On the evening

en through the back door, and Carson fired
t wo more shots, finally fo r cing th e ma n t o r etreat. The w o ma n h a d b een t a u gh t h o w to shoot by her hu sband only a m o nt h ear

lier.
Wife Protects Herself from Estranged Husband's Attack Westville, Okl ah o ma: O n D e c ember 16, 2008, at about 2 p.m., Darrel Fouse violated a protective order by entering th e h om e o f

of September 26, 2010, Allen Dixon and an
u nknow n a c c o m p l ic e e n t ered t h e P e k i n g Restaurant and ordered food. Once the cash

register was open, Dixon pulled a gun and
demanded the cash. The restaurant o w n er,

a concealed carry permit holder, then pulled his gun and shot once. Dixon died while
fleeing the scene.

his estranged wife, Marilyn Fouse, and be gan assaulting her. When his gun fell out of
his pack onto the fl o or, she seized the weap on and shot her assailant i n t h e h ead. She p ut a blanket over him an d m o ved her tw o

Congressman and Family Fight Off Armed Robber
Lamoni, Iowa: At about 10:45 p.m. on July

daughters (ages 11 and 14) safely out of the
home.

21

Homeowner Stops Three Burglars

Bergen, New York: On the morning of May
2 5, 2004, a resident returned h om e t o d i s cover three i n d i vi du als — Michael Skavarek,

David Johnston, and Jacqueline Vasquez — at
tempting to break into his home. The home o wner confron ted t hem w i t h h i s h a n d g u n , and the suspects then tried to flee in a van. T he hom eowner, un identi fied i n i n i t i a l r e ports, broke a window of t h e van, at wh i ch point Skavarek and Johnston threw gasoline at him and ran off. The homeowner was able

Resident Defends Against Home Invasion Port Charlotte, Florida: On the evening of October 24, 2009, Keith Sowers and Joshua E ugene Becerril, armed w it h a k n i f e an d a tire iron, forced their way into th e h om e of P eter L. G i l m o r e an d h i s 2 6 -year-old so n , J ames S. McGlone. When Becerril took Gilm ore hostage with th e k n i fe, McGlone ran to a bedroom where firearms were kept. Sowers f ollowed him an d s t r uck h i m w i t h t h e t i r e iron. M c G l one t hen w o u n ded Sowers with one shot to the abdomen, and both int r u d ers then fled th e scene. Police arrested the pair after Sowers sought medical assistance.

to hold Vasquez at gunpoint for police, and
the other t w o b u r g l ars w ere ap prehended soon after. No shots were fired.

Clerk Defends Against Armed Robbery

The homeowner was able to hold Vasquez at gunpoint

M an W r estles Gun from AT M R o b b e r S t. Petersburg, Florida: On t h e n i gh t o f August 5, 2011, Almedin M u r a t ovic, armed w ith a handgun, tried to ro b C r i stina H o p k ins at a R e gions Bank AT M a t 8 2 5 0 D r .

T uscaloosa, Alabama: In the early mo r n i ng ho urs o f D e c ember 29, 2005, tw o s k i masked men en t ered th e Raceway gas sta tion. Eric Baggett aimed his gun at the store

owner, who responded by pulling a gun and
f atally w o u n d in g B a ggett. Th e o w n er, n o t named in i n i t ial r eports, held Baggett's ac

Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. Hopkins' boy
friend, Anthony Hall, who was waiting in the

for police, and
the other two burglars were

car with the couple's five-year-old child, ran
o ver and st r u ggled wit h M u r a t o vic fo r t h e gun. The gu n w en t o f f , h i t t i n g M u r a t o vic. Hall was then able to take the gun away from M uratovic, and t h rew i t o u t o f r e ach u n t i l

complice, Jaime Witherspoon, until police
arrived. Lieutenant Ll oyd Baker of th e T u s c aloosa homicide uni t s aid t h a t t h e o w n er would face no charges in what was clearly a case of self'-defense. Victim Seizes Robber's Handgun in Defense

apprehended
soon after. No shots were fired.

police arrived. No one else was injured. Son Defends Mother and Girlfriend from Robbery
Deltona, Florida: On December 14, 2008, just before 1:00 a.m., three men entered the

Tampa, Florida: On November 29, 2008,
J erome H a g gin s b u r s t i n t o a h o me a n d r obbed six u n i d e n t i f ied m e n a t g u n p o i n t . When Haggins noticed one of th e men was still wearing a bracelet, he set his gun down o n th e t a b le. O n e o f t h e v i c t i m s q u i c k l y

home of JulioBlanco. They forced Blanco, his mother, and his girlfriend to the floor,
and stole a safe. Blanco pursued the assail ants into the street where he exchanged gun fire with them as they fled in a vehicle. After a brief police pursuit, th e suspects crashed t heir vehicle an d f o u r p e o p l e w er e t a k en into cu stody: Brandon P r a ther, Adam Sal

grabbed the gun, and held the robber for po lice. Elderly Former Miss America Holds
Thieves at Gunpoin t

gado, and two unidentified teenaged girls
who were released to their parents after po lice questioning. The th ir d su spect, Patrick

Waynes burg, Kentucky: On April 13,
2007, Venus Ramey spied an unfamiliar
truck parked against her farm building, and
immediately suspected that h a b i t ual scrap metal thieves had returned. Upon being con fronted, one of th em, Cur tis Parrish, prom

Lauby, was found by police when a nearby
r esident called 911 to r e p ort a m a n w i t h a g unshot w o u n d t o t h e g r o i n i n h i s f r o n t

yard.

ised they'd leave. The 82-year-old woman

22

leaned on her walker, pulled out a .38 revolv
er, said, "no you won' t," and shot his car tire. She then held the two at gunpoint for police. Ramey is a former Miss America. Armed D i ner Shoots Robbery Suspect S t. Petersburg, Florida: At about 10 p .m . on August 7, 2011, Raven Smith and Ashley Tanner were getting out of t h eir car to have

lice and the bar's owner. The owner arrived and saw the men loading electronics into the back of a tru ck. One of th e culprits opened f ire on th e o w n er, wh o t h e n r e t u r ned f i r e. T he bu r glars fl e d t h e s c ene. N o o n e w a s hurt.' " WWI I V e t eran Shoots Burglar

Orangeburg, South Carolina: On February
20, 2007, Newman Ted Jackson, 80, was awak

dinner at the local Applebee's when a masked
m an rushed up to T a n ner wit h a gu n i n a n attempt to grab her purse. Smith p u l led hi s gun, yelled "Get down, get down" to Tanner, and shot the assailant four ti m es. The assail ant, Anthony Lawrence Hauser, was taken to a local hospital and was later charged with attempted armed robbery. Smith, who has a concealed weapons permit, was not charged a s the p o l ice d etermined h e h a d a c ted i n

ened by his dog barking. Jackson grabbed his
gun just as an unidentified 24-year-old man

kicked in Jackson's bedroom door carrying
a rifle. Jackson fired once, hitting the young man in the back. The homeowner then called 911. The young man was taken to th e h o s pital, and later claimed to the police that he was just there to discuss money with Jackson. Two suspected accomplices gave other ac counts of the incident, one stating that they entered Jackson's house "to get some liquor from the old man who lives there."

self'-defense.

Armed Citizen Fights off Armed Robbers Birmingham, Alabama: On N o vember Armed Woman Defends Herself from 30, 2008, Malik Hameed and Patrick Cor tez Levert a t t em p ted t o r o b a 3 9 - y ear-old Knife-Wielding Assailant man at gun p o i nt , no t k n o w i n g h e was also Augusta, Georgia: On A p ril 26 , 2007,
armed. The man, not identi f ied in i n i t ial re Theresa Wachowiak awoke to f i n d 1 9 -year

ports, pulled his gun and shot both young
men. Both men were taken to area hospitals, where Levert d i ed. H a m eed, wh o s u r v ived h is wou n ds, was l ater t a ken i n t o c u s t o d y and charged with capital m u r der as a result of his involvement in the crime.

old Justin "Brent" Haynie in her bed, hold
ing a knife to her t h r o at. She reached for a

.357 Magnum she kept by her bedside, and as Haynie moved behind her, she quickly
spun and shot hi m i n t h e t o r so. The police p laced Haynie under arrest and took hi m t o the hospital.

Employee Defends Himself in Gun Battle
Forest Park, Georgia: On D e c ember 15,

Bystander Defends Robbery Victim
from Ar med Assailants

2008, Tyrie Rolland was killed while attempt
i ng to ro b a cell p h on e store. An u n i d en t i fied employee at the store drew a weapon in self'-defense and fired. Rolland was taken to

Orlando, Florida: On December 23, 2008, Willie Keys-Fairclough, 29, and two accom plices, all armed, tried to grab an elderly
woman's purse at the Fashion Square Mall when a bystander, unidentified in the ini t i al reports, chased them off with g u n f i re. Keys

Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died.
A second suspect fled th e scene in a w h i t e

pickup truck.
Bar Owner Stops Burglars C harlotte, N o rt h C a r o l i na: O n N o v e m ber 17, 2008, just before 3:00 a.m., two men

Fairclough was found behind a dumpster
with a gunshot wo und t o hi s leg. The other two suspects remain at large. Store Owner Fends off Wou l d-Be Robber Midwest City, Oklah oma: On N o v ember

Theresa Wachowiak awoke to find 19-year-old Justin "Brent" Haynie

tripped the burglar alarm while breaking into Big Rob's Sports Bar, which alerted po

in her bed, holding a knife
to her throat.

23

The woman' s screams awoke her husband, who retrieved a

20, 2008, a man pistol-whipped an unidenti
f ied convenience store owner in the parkin g lot after waitin g fo r t h e st ore to close. The r obber forced th e o w ner t o g o b ack i n s i d e and get money. Once inside, the owner was able to get a gun and then fired several shots

caped unharm ed. The owner stated he had not needed to use his gun for self'-defense in

21 years. Elderly Store Owner Fends off Armed Robber Kensington, Maryland: On April 27, 2010,
Charles Jackson and an unidentified accom

pistol and fired
several shots at the man. The attacker died at the scene.

at the robber. The culprit fled in a pickup
truck. Police were not sure if the robber was h it." 4 Homeowner Protects Home Against

plice entered the Sandro Jewelry Boutique. Jackson pointed his gun at the 77-year-old
store owner, Sandro Vendemmia. Vendem m ia was a bl e t o g r a b J a ckson's ar m a n d smash it into a display case and then retrieve his own handgun. When Jackson moved to a ttack Vendemmia again, Vendemmia w a s a ble to shoot hi m i n t h e sh o u lder. Still n o t

Armed Burglars
T ulsa, O k l a h o m a : O n D ec e m b e r 2 4 ,

2008, shortly before 3 a. Cody Ray Payne, m.,
1 5, and t w o a c c o m p l i ces entered a h o m e on the 1300 block of N o r t h I r v i n g to n A v e. T he homeowner, unidenti f ied in th e i n i t i al reports, exchanged fire w it h t h e i n t r u d ers. Payne died on the front lawn. The home owner's wif e wa s a lso w o u n d ed; h o w ever, she was hospitalized and expected to recov er. Both accomplices fled the scene. Homeowner Protects His Wife from Attack

done, Jackson picked up a display case and
s mashed i t o v e r V e n d em m i a's h ead, a n d ,

grabbing Vendemmia's gun, he and his ac
complice fled t h e scene. Jackson was l ater identified and arrested when he sought medi cal assistance for his gunshot wound.

Armed Citizen Defends Wife and
Stepson from H o m e I n v asion Lillington, N o r t h C a r o l i na: O n D e c em b er 18, 2008, D errick W o m i ack wa s h o m e with his wife and stepson when four arm ed i ntruders attem pted t o e n t e r h i s h o m e a t about 10 p.m. Womiack wrestled control of

Healdsburg, California: On February 27,
2006, a man wearing a ni nja mask and car rying an ai r gu n a t t a cked a w o ma n as she

left her house for an early-morning walk
with her dogs. The woman was able to break a way from h e r a t t a cker and ru n b ac k i n t o t he house screaming w i t h t h e a t t a cker i n p ursuit. Th e w o m a n' s screams awoke h e r h usband, wh o r e t r i eved a p i s tol an d f i r e d several shots at the m an. The attacker died at the scene. Initial reports did no t d i sclose the names of any of the individuals involved in the incident. Store Owner, Customer, Fight Back in Store Shootout

a gun from one intruder, which discharged
i n the struggle. Womiack t hen f i red at t h e men. Two of the assailants were wounded

one apparently by a shotgun blast fired by
his accomplice — and were taken to area hos pitals for t r eatm ent. Th e o t her tw o a ssail a nts fled th e scene. The po l ice did n o t r e lease the names of the suspects.

Blenheim, South Carolina: On January
23, 2007, Trax convenience store owner Billy McArthur was able to get his gun and shoot a t an armed ro bber wh o ha d j ust shot o n e of the five customers present. The wounded c ustomer's son th rew a can of beans at th e

Dogs Attack Spokane Valley Residents Spokane Valley, Washington: On April 9, 2007, Jim Hammond and his two grand children were threatened by a pair of boxers.
T hey were able to retreat int o H a m m o n d ' s house, but the dogs continued to scratch at

the door and windows. Hammond grabbed
h is gun an d w e n t b a c k o u t s id e w he n t h e dogs turned their attention to a couple who

robber, giving McArthur time to grab his
gun an d f i r e o n e r o u n d . T h e s u s pect es

were walking by, biting Faith Yen on the leg.

24

Hammond was able to distract one dog, and s hot it i n t h e m o u t h w h e n i t c h a rged hi m .

25, 2005, Felix Vigil violated a restraining or der and attacked his ex-wife, Joyce Cordova,
with a knife at a Walmart store. Due Moore, a customer and volunteer with the local po l ice department's cold case unit , sho t a n d

Both dogs then fled. Armed Citizen Fights off Armed Robbers
St. Louis, Missouri: On June 28, 2010, a

killed Vigil. Joyce Cordova was treated for
multiple stab wounds and was later released from the hospital. Moore was 72 years old at the time and was among the first in the state t o sign up for a concealed carry permit .

young man and his girlfriend were parked at
a Rally's Hamburgers when two armed men

jumped inside and tried to rob the couple.
The driver, not named in th e in i t ial reports, drew his own f i r earm and engaged the rob bers in a gun battle that started in the vehi cle and then cont i n ued out side as the man, though shot once in each leg, exited the ve hicle and returned fire. The man shot one as sailant in the head, and the other in the chest.

McDonald's Employee Defends Self, Loses Job New Albany, Indiana: On December 24, 2005, Clifton Brown Jr., a McDonald's em
ployee, shot at a woman after she had robbed

The female passenger was uninjured.
A rmed Beauty Queen Stops Hom e Invasion

another employee in the parking lot and
then grabbed money from th e cash register at the drive-through wi n d ow. Brown shot at the armed woman twice after she aimed her weapon at him . Th e robber was able to ru n

Felix Vigil
violated a restraining order and attacked his ex-wife, Joyce Cordova, with a knife at a Walmart store. Due Moore, a customer, shot

Tierra Verde, Florida: On March 12, 2011,
at around 3 a.m. Albert Franklin H i l l f o r ced h is way int o t h e h o m e o f M e g h a n B r o w n , the 2009 Miss Tierra Verde pageant winner, a fter she answered his k n ock o n t h e d o o r .

away, evidently unharmed. The police con
cluded that Br o w n's actions were legal, but

he lost his job regardless. McDonald's and
m any other r estaurants have specific p o l i

Hill grabbed Brown, dragging her into an
upstairs bedroom . B r o w n' s f i a n ce, Robert Planthaber, was awakened by t h e s t r u g gl e and attacked the in t r u d er. Brown was then able to run t o a n o t her bedroom t o r e t r ieve

cies forbidding their employees from carry ing a gun while at work. Brown had a permit
to carry a concealed weapon. Armed Citizen Prevents Home In vasion

her .38-caliber handgun. She shot Hill sev
eral times and he died at the scene. Armed H o m e o w ner Protects Girlfri en d from H om e I n v a d ers B radenton, F l o r i da : O n D e c e m be r 1 8 , 2 008, at about 1:50 a.m., two men attemp t ed to force their way into the home of James Custard, 52 . C u s t ard's g i r l f r i end, T h e resa C arney, 47, answered a k n ock a t t h e d o o r , and was t h e n h el d a t g u n p o i n t . C u s t a r d , w ho had r etrieved his own g u n , f i red o n c e and hit one of the int r u d ers. Both men then

MacClenny, Florida: On December 29, 2005, Richard Munoz, 23, and his brother,
1 7, disconnected th e p h on e an d p o w er t o

and killed Vigil.

the home of Jody Paul Thrift before break ing in through a back door. Hearing noise
f rom d o w n stairs, Thr if t r e m a ined w it h h i s p regnant w i f e i n t h e b e d r o o m a n d s h o t o ne of the armed i n t r u d ers when th e d o o r

opened. The police caught the 17-year-old
accomplice as he attempted to flee the scene. His brother was critically inj u red and taken to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center. Store Clerk Protects Woman with Baby

fled. Police dogs searched unsuccessfully for
the intruders' trail. 72-Year-Old M a n S a ves a Woman Fro m

from Armed Robber Indianapolis, Indiana: On December 21,
2 008, Ch ri stopher B a r r eto e n t ered t h e E l Michoacana Supermarket with gun in hand . B arreto began herding cu stom ers int o o n e

Knife-Wielding Assailant
A lbuquerque, New M e x i co : O n A u g u s t

25

a rea of the store. He then p o i n ted hi s gu n at a woman wit h a baby. At that m o m e nt, a clerk, Miguel M o n d r agon, fired a fatal shot with the store owner's gun. Baltimore Ravens Cornerback Confronts Gunman

ports did n o t n a m e an y o f t h e i n d i v i d u als

involved.
Armed Citizen Stops Four Burglars

Jackson, Mississippi: On the morning of
December 20, 2005, four teenagers attempt ed to break into th e h om e of Beverly John s on. Her son, in th e residence with hi s t w o younger nephews, shot one of the teenagers in the leg. The wound was not life-threaten

Tallahassee, Florida: On January 21, 2004, Corey Fuller, a professional football player
f or the Baltim ore Ravens, stepped out of hi s h ome when he was accosted by a gu n m a n . Fuller retreated to his house and the assail

ing. All four juveniles face possible burglary
charges and may be connected to other area b urglaries. M s . J o h n son's so n w a s q u e s t ioned, but no t c h arged; neither he nor h i s two nephews were hurt.

ant pursued him, firing shots and kicking
through the door. Fuller retrieved a revolver and returned fire, repelling the would-be in t ruder. A g etaway driver had b een w ai t i n g and the two sped off. After the incident, Full e r offered $10,000 for inform ation about th e intruder. Armed Citizen Saves Woman from Being

Clerk Stops Armed Robbers Mobile, Alabama: On September 28,2006,
s tore clerk Lay "Bruce" Khat reacted to t w o unidentified men at his shop door who were

carrying guns and attempted to push a pull
o nly d o or . W h e n t h e r o b b ers entered t h e store with guns drawn, Khat was able to re trieve a pistol and then exchanged shots with the men. The two culprits fled after one was shot in the shoulder.

Burned Alive Jackson, Mississippi: On March 3, 2007, 42-year-old Henry Watson ignored bystand ers as he repeatedly stabbed his wife, Gracie
W atson, and t h e n p o u red gasoline on h e r .

She was screaming for help while the cus
tomers fro m t h e s u r r o u n d in g s t o res were s houting at hi m an d t r y in g t o d i s t ract hi m with th eir au t o m o b ile ho r ns. Before Henry c ould ap ply a l i t m a t c h t o G r a c ie, a m a n

Armed Citizen Defends Himself from
Home Invasion M yrtle Beach, South C a r o l i na: O n D e c ember 11, 2008, at about 9 p . m ., Lam o n t Lee Reed Du rr ell an d a n a c com p lice, both armed, b r ok e i n t o a n ap a r t m en t a t t h e Courtyard 1 A p a r t m ents on B u r cale Road.

passing by drew his gun and threatened to

When the robbers entered the store with guns drawn, Khat was able
to retrieve a

s hoot if t h e assault co n t i n ued o r i f H e n r y ran. The rescuer was able to detain Watson

until police officers arrived.
H omeowner Shoots Two W o u l d - B e

The homeowner defended himself with his firearm, killing Durrell while the accomplice
fled. Police questioned and then released the homeowner, and said that no charges would

Burglars
Wilmin gt on, Delaware: On November 10, 2 005, a man was at hi s car when tw o m e n t ried to mug h im , sticking something in h i s side. He assumed it was a gun so he pu lled

be filed against him.
H omeowner Stops Intr u der with Ri fl e C reston, C al i f o r n ia : O n D e c e m ber 1 1 ,

pistol and then exchanged shots with the men. The two culprits fled a&er one was shot.

out his own 9mm handgun and fired, appar
ently hit t in g b ot h m en . Th e men ran away. O ne was found i n c r i t i cal condi t ion b y t h e p olice near the scene, and was taken to t h e h ospital. The ot her was foun d a few h o u r s later in the bushes across the street. He was p ronounced d ead a t t h e s c ene. I n i t ial r e

2005, Jedidiah James Williams used a rock
t o break a back door wi n dow and enter th e laundry roo m o f D a l e Stuve's home. Stuve heard the noise, called the police, and then armed himself wit h h i s ri fl e. Stuve tried to

hold the laundry room door closed, but Wil
liams forced it open. Stuve then th reatened

26

to shoot th e i n t r u d er. Wi l l i am s d em anded Stuve's car, to no avail, and then left. Police found Willi ams a quarter-mile away, in front of another hom e. Armed Citizen Prevents Robbery

o f the men t r ied t o r o b h e r at k n i f e-poin t . T he woman, a concealed carry permit h o l d e r, drew her gu n an d p o i n t e d i t a t h e r a s sailant. The men then fl ed. State Police did not release the woman's name but gave a de scription of the suspects' vehicle. Store Clerk Shoots Armed Robber P ort A r t h u r , T exas: On J u n e 22 , 2 0 0 7 , B randon Ol iver entered the Stop and D r i v e

Oak Park, Illinois: On December 21, 2008,
a thief who sought a leather jacket as loot be came the recipient of th ree bullets: one each to the face, leg, and pelvis. Stroger Hospital in Chicago treated the would-be thief's injuries. Police did not im m ediately release the thief's name, but said that charges against the rob

The woman, a concealed carry permit holder, drew her gun and pointed it at her assailants. The men then fled.

and held an employee at gunpoint, demand ing money. Another employee, Tajamal Shah,
w itnessed the incident from his truck in t h e

ber would probably result if the intended vic
tim could be found. At the time of the shoot

parking lot, and recognized Oliver as the same man who had previously robbed the
store at gunpoint and threatened employees.

ing, Chicago maintained a handgun ban — so
that law m i gh t h ave deterred the w o u l d -be victim from com ing forward. Homeowner Shoots Burglar in the Leg

Seeing that Oliver had a weapon, Shah drew
his .38 and shot several times at Oliver, who died at a hospital two days later. No charges against Shah were expected.

Gary, Indiana: On February 2, 2007, Mi
chael Harmon br oke into th e home of Way m ond Pearson. Pearson was no t a t h o m e

Hiker Shoots Grizzly Bear in Denali
National Park

initially. A neighbor saw the break-in and
contacted Pearson, who returned to his home and shot H a r mo n i n t h e leg when the th i ef

Fairbanks, Alaska: On May 28, 2010, a backpacker in Denali National Park became
one of the first kn own armed citizens to ex ercise his right to self'-defense since a federal law started allowing guns in national parks.

approached him. No charges were brought
against Pearson. Harmon was charged with

burglary.
H usband Chases off M a sked In t r u d e r s

A bear charged the unidentified hiker and
h is female companion, f orcing th e m a n t o

fire his .45 pistol. The bear fled and died later
of its wounds. The pair then had to hike over a mile to r eport th e i n c ident t o p ar k r a n g ers. Armed Citizen Shoots Attacker in Self Defense

Orange City, Florida: On December 18,
2008, a couple heard a crash in another part of their house while they were watching tele vision. When they went t o i n v estigate, they found two ar med b u r glars in t h eir k i t c h en . T hey ran back t o t h ei r b edroom w h ere th e husband retrieved a gun. He was then able to chase the armed men ou t o f t h e h o u s e. Police did not identify the homeowners.

Elkins, West Virginia: On February 16,
2007, Leslie Woodford t h r eatened one per s on too m an y a f ter a d o m estic di spute i n v olving a d i f f i c ul t d i v o r ce. W he n v i s i t i n g

Woman Defends Herself from Knife Wielding Assailants
Fort Smi th , Ar k ansas: On D ecember 14, 2008, two men pulled up next to a woman on the i n t e r state between Kelley H i g h w ay and the Arkansas River Bridge and indicated t hat one of her vehicle's tires was going flat . When she pulled over to check her tires, one

his ex-wife and her father, he pulled a gun.
T he father was able to r e t r ieve a shotgu n . W oodford l ef t t h a t a l t e rcation b e f or e t h e police arrived. Not done, he then broke into the h om e o f S t e ven S n i d er, h i s e x - w ife' s

boyfriend, and was promptly shot to death. Snider was initially charged with second
d egree m u r de r b u t w a s s u b s equently r e

27

leased once authori t ies determined it was a case of self'-defense. M an H o l d s In t r u der at Gun p o int U n t i l Police Arrive M alvern, A r k a n sas: O n th e m o r n i n g of December 11, 2 0 08, h o m eowner L ester

plice were not satisfied with the m oney they took from the cash register, the clerk — forced to lie on the fl oor — managed to get the gun from his waistband and shot both men twice b efore they were able to shoot hi m an d h i s

girlfriend. Burns died but the second sus
pect's wounds were reported to the police by

Newborn and his daughter were surprised when 30-year-old Jennifer Draper entered
the home through an unlocked bedroom w indow. Hearing a scream of alarm from h i s

a hospital.
Woman Shoots H om e I n v ader Lynn Haven, Florida: On December 5, 2 008, tw o m e n f o r ced t h ei r w a y i n t o t h e

daughter, Newborn grabbed a.357 Magnum
a nd held the in t r u der at gunp o in t u n t i l t h e police arrived. No shots were fired. Victim H o l d s Car Prowl Suspect at Gunpoint

home of Melissa Galarza. They punched her
in the face and knocked her to the fl o or, de manding " t h e m o n ey." Th e c r i m i n al s also covered her mouth to muffle her screams. Galarza was able to draw a gun from the bot t om shelf o f h e r c o f fee table and th e m e n

Hearing a scream of alarm from

O lympia, Washington: On h i s way t o
work at 4 a.m. on August 9, 2005, Chuck Es tes found his wife's car burglarized and then s aw two young me n n earby in a car f ul l o f e lectronics. With gu n an d fl a shlight d r awn, he detained one suspect, 16, until the police a rrived. Police later arrested another youn g man as a suspected accomplice. Police cred ited Estes with "solving a string of car prowls and helping to recover more than $4,000 in stolen property" from a dozen other robber ies. 87-Year-Old W o m a n F a t ally Shoots Man i n Her H o m e

backed off, y t charge atheragain.When onl o
Galarza fired at the men, they fled. Twenty s ix-year-old Mat t hew An d r ews went to a l o cal hospital a short time later with a gunshot wound to hi s abdom en. A Panama City de tective interviewed Andrews, who claimed to have been the victim o f a r o b bery. Andrews checked out of the hospital before Lynn Ha ven police could notify Panama City officers of the Galarza home invasion. Galarza later i dentified An d r ews as one of th e men w h o broke into her house. Officials secured a war r ant for An drews' arrest and tracked him t o

his daughter,
Newborn

grabbed a .357
Magnum and held the intruder at gunpoint until the police arrived. No shots were

fired.

his girlfriend's home. Police took him into
custody after a two-hour standoff that ended with SWAT o f f i cers forcing Andrews out of

St. Louis, Illinois: On February 7, 2006, Jacksie Mae King used a revolver to kill Larry
T illman a f ter T i l l m a n cu t h e r p h o n e l i n es

his girlfriend's home with tear gas.
Homeowner Shoots Intr u d er B roken A r r ow , O k l a h o ma : O n

and pried the iron bars off her windows to gain entry. The 87-year-old woman was giv en a .32 Colt revolver for self'-defense by her
daughter, a police officer, after she became the victim of a h om e invasion, beating, and robbery. Even though the woman didn't have proper Illinois credentials to own a gun, po

N o vem

ber 1, 2008, 19-year-old Stephen Richardson
" threw a rock t h r o ug h th e glass portion o f the door, then reached through the window, unlocked th e d o o r , an d e n t e red t h e r e si dence" of Curtis and Catherine Freeman. As R ichardson l ef t t h e m a s ter b e d r oo m a n d e ntered th e h a l l w ay, Cu r ti s F r eeman sh o t the intruder several times with a .40-caliber handgun. A u t h o r i t ies airl i f ted R i c h ardson t o a h o s p i tal an d p l a n ne d o n f i l i n g f i r s t

lice declined to charge her with any crime. Clerk Shoots Two Robbers, Killing One
R iverside, California: O n D e c e m ber 5 , 2 005, t h e A l e s sandro L i q u o r s t o r e w a s robbed for th e second t im e i n t h r ee weeks. When Marshawn Burns, 29, and his accom

degree burglary charges.

28

Would-Be Robber Shot byLiquor Store
Owner Columbia, Sout h C a r o l i na: O n D e c em

t he burglars' wri sts wit h z i p - t ies and h e l d them until police officers arrived.

ber 10, 2008, 28-year-old Oxvaria Ingram
entered a liquor store owned by Sam Banks and asked how much a bottle of liquor cost. After getting an answer, Ingram crossed the

Fatal Ending for Accused Stalker
H ammo nd , I n d i a na: O n N o v e m ber 1 2 , 2007, an Indiana woman's worst night m ares

were realized when a man she had previously
dated showed up at her residence uninvited

"employees-only" chain, grabbed two bottles
and headed t o w ar d B a n k s's w i fe. B a nk s's wife shot I n g ram t w i ce wit h a .3 8 revolver. A uthori t ies planned to charge Ingram w i t h strong-arm robbery.

and began pounding on her door. "We only
went out on that one date . . . I got a look at h is temper, and realized I d i d n ' t w an t a n y t hing to do w it h h i m . Bu t he wo u l d n't t a k e n o for an answer." The wom an, not n a m ed i n news r eports, ha d f i l e d si x c o m p l a i n t s against the man, Ryan Lee Bergner, after he s lashed her tires and br oke i nt o he r h o m e . Emergency 911 tapes captured audio as the w oman hid in a closet with a 9mm h an d gu n given to her by a friend for protection. When

Man Shot in Struggle for Shotgun
La Plata County, Colorado: On December 16, 2005, Andrew Willi amson was awakened

s hortly after midnight by a knock on hi s door. Williamson grabbed his shotgun and
went to i n vestigate. As Wil l i am son o p ened

his front door, Jason Egger forced his way
in and t r ied t o t a k e W i l l i a m son's shotgu n

away from him. An accomplice, Jesse Hand ley, joined the struggle and the gun went off, shooting Egger point-blank. Authorities did
not file any charges against Willi amson. Homeowner Thwarts, Handcuffs Burglar

Bergner found her hiding in a closet and be gan choking her, she was able to fire three shots and killed him. The county prosecu
tor determined that the woman acted in self'

defense and declined to file charges. Armed Woman Stops Burglary Mobile, Alabama: On March 28, 2007, Lelia Richardson dropped her kids off at
s chool in th e m o r n i n g an d r etu r ned h o m e . W hen sh e a r r ived, she saw a n u n f a m i l i a r t ruck b eneath he r c a r p or t an d a m a n s h e

Dupo, Illinois: On D ecember 3, 2008, Eric L. Kirk, 35, knocked on the door of a
residence on Stolle Road. As the homeowner w ent to a n swer th e d o o r , h e n o t i ced K i r k

prying open the garage door with a crow bar. The homeowner called 911, then fired
t wo w a r n in g s h o t s i n t o t h e g r o u n d , a n d then wrestled Kirk to the ground and hand cuffed him. The ho m eowner, not id ent i f i ed

did not recognize exiting her home, carrying her belongings. Lelia readied her pistol and
e xited her vehicle, asking the man w h a t h e

was doing. The man, Jedadhai Powell, told
Richardson that he lived there — in her home! When Richardson made it clear she lived in the home, he asked her not to shoot and of'

in the initial reports, held Kirk until police arrived.
Shotgun-Wi elding Ma n C o m es to

fered to put everything back. She kept her Neighbor's Rescue Daytona Beach, Florida: On January 5,
2007, Kyle Win k ler came h om e t o d i scover t wo int r u d ers in hi s apartm ent. A f i gh t en s ued and the in t r u d ers tried to t h r o w W i n k ler o ve r a s e c o n d-fl oo r b a n i s t er. W h e n weapon trained on the burglar un til law en forcement officers arrived. H ome Invasion Th w a r t ed G ranby, Ne w Y o r k : O n D e c e m ber 2 0 , 2005, two robbers, Kyle Hunter and D o n ald Brown, armed with a shotgun and a machete b roke into a G r anby h om e and t ied u p t h e home's five occupants. Two of the int ended v ictims m a n aged t o g e t f r e e an d t u r n t h e

The woman hid in a closet with a 9mm handgun given to her

by a friend for
protection. When Bergner found her, she was able to fire three shots and killed

Winkler cried out for help, neighbor Miles
D elavecchia answered the call, armed w i t h

a shotgun. Winkler and Delavecchia bound

him.

29

A woman was at home with her three children when a man entered the residence with a gun. The mother

s hotgun o n t h e i r c a p t o rs. On e r o b ber r e ceived a birdshot w o u nd; both w ere caught by local and state law enforcement o f f i cers after fleeing. The victims' names were not re

able to hold Nicholson at gunpoint un til po

lice arrived.
W oman Fatally Shoots Armed H o m e Invader N ew O r l e ans, L o u i siana: O n A p r i l 5 , 2 011, a woman was at home with her t h r ee children when a man entered the residence

leased by police.
Texas Homeowner Grabs Robber's Gun,

Kills Him
Dallas, Texas: On N o v ember 1, 2 0 08, a homeowner answered his door to find a man

with a gun. The mother produced and fired
a pistol of her o wn, h i t t i n g th e ma n i n t h e torso several t i m es. Th e m a n w a s r u s h ed to the hospital but co uld no t b e saved. The woman had a concealed weapons permit. D etectives seized the gu n t h a t t h e w o m a n used to shoot the int r u der and another that s he kept in h e r h o m e, bu t ar e t r eating t h e

produced and
fired a pistol of her own, hitting the man in the torso several
times.

pointing a handgun at him. He grabbed it
and shot the would-be robber. A second man was able to escape on foot. The homeowner w asn't in j u r ed, bu t t h e m a n h e s h o t l a t e r died at a n a r e a h o spit al. A p o l i c eman a c knowledged that the resident was only pro tecting him self. Police did no t i m m e d i ately release the names of any of th e i n d i v i du als

shooting as a justifiable homicide.
Tech Students Use Their Guns to Stop

involved. Wounded Clerks' Boss Armed, "Ready" Jackson, Mississippi: On F ebruary 10,
2 007, one armed robber shot two of Ah m e d A lomari's em p l oyees at h i s W . N o r t h s i d e Drive Chevron st at i on , w h il e an o t her su s

Burglars
L ubbock, Texas: Within tw o d ays in m i d January 2007, two Texas Tech students each

had to defend themselves and their proper
ty from t h i eves. On January 22, 2007, Matt Hoskinson did so by shooting twice into th e ground t o s c are off i n t r u d ers. On January 2 3, 2007, student Ro n H a r m o n l a y i n w a i t for two bur glars to enter before scaring one

pect grabbed cash from the register. Alo
m ari's son, B assam A l o m a ri , d espite f o u r gunshot wounds, was able to get a.44 hand g un and w al k o u t s ide t o s h oo t a t t h e t w o

away and holding the other, Thomas Jeremy
Martinez, for the police. Both students had concealed handgun licenses.

criminals. He and Alhoussine Arhgoummi,
wounded twice, were taken to a hospital and listed in fair con d i t i on . Store manager Mo h ammed Shawsh, armed w i t h t h r e e g u n s, stated, "We' re ready. If they come back here, they' re not going to leave back out." Burson H o m e o wner Foils a Robbery Attempt B urson, C a l i f o r n ia: O n N o v e m be r 1 0 ,

Tables Turned in Armed Robbery
Baltimore, M ar yland: O n D e c ember 12, 2 008, at th e i n t e rsection o f H a m m e r shir e and Reisterstown roads, an armed man and woman emerged from a T o y ota Camry, ap p roached th ree m en, an d d e m a n ded t h e i r m oney. One of th e t h ree men qu i ckly t o o k

2008, Mike Nicholson, III, knocked on the door of William Six's home. Six answered
t he door to fin d N i c h o l son with a 10" k n i f e

hold of one of the would-be robbers' weap
ons. The assailants then fl ed. The ini t ial re ports did n o t n a m e any o f t h e i n d i v i d u al s

in hand, demanding the keys to one of Six's
trucks. Six refused, was able to retrieve a fire arm, and pursued Ni cholson int o hi s drive way. Six ordered Nicholson to the ground to await police, but a n i n t o x i cated N i c h olson b ecame belligerent, threatening Six and h i s wife. After a warning shot was fired, Six was

involved.
Homeowner Shoots and Critically Wounds Intr u d er T ulsa, O k l a h o m a : O n D ec e m b e r 1 3 ,

2011, Fred Willis kicked open the back door

of a Tulsa family's home and forced his way

30

into the couple's bedroom. The homeowner,

several rounds from a 9 mm p i st ol, critically

Ronald Dobbs, fired a pistol, striking the
intruder several times. Police say a child was p resent in t h e h o m e , bu t w a s no t i n j u r e d . The suspect was taken to the hospital in crit ical condition . Business Owner Stops Trailer T h ief and

injuring Peake and wounding Elkins. Police
charged both o f t h e i n t r u d ers, as well as a

third student, Jason Douglas Reynolds, de
scribed as the getaway driver, with second

degree burglary.
Teen Fires Shotgun to Stop Attack on Mother Dover, Delaware: On O c t o ber 27, 2009,

Holds for Police Longtown, Oklahoma: On January 11,
2 004, local b u s i ness owner B r u c e C o m b s pulled over t o l e t a t r u c k p u l l i n g a t r a i l er pass him o n a s t at e h i g h way before n o t i c ing the trailer being towed was his very own. Combs pursued the trailer and, after a call to

J eremy S. Stanislow was arguing with hi s ex-wife outside her home when he pushed
her off th e steps and began assaulting her. Their 16-year-old son tried to in t ervene, but Stanislow attacked him, and then continu ed

911 failed to go through, displayed a hand
g un to the t r uck d r i ver, forcing him t o p u l l over into a parking lot. Combs then phon ed authorities again and held the driver at gun point while waiting for th eir arrival.

punching his ex-wife. When his mother lost
c onsciousness, the 14-year-old so n f i r e d a shotgun into the air. Stanislow fled after the shot was fired, but later turned himself in to the police. The victims' names were not r e leased i6s

Victim Surprises Would-Be Robbers Orlando, Florida: On December 14, 2005,
in a Marriott Fairfield Inn p ark ing lot, Den

Man Fends off Armed Muggers
P almetto Bay, Florida: Early in the morn i ng o n N o v e m ber 2 3 , 2 0 1 0 , t h r e e a r m e d

nis Pugh, 18, and Miguel Arias, 17, both

a rmed, apparently t h o u gh t a m a n e x i t i n g robbers ambushed John Lee as he exited his car w o ul d n o t b e a c h a l l enge; instead, h is car, shoutin g t o " g ive it u p " an d o p e n the 37-year-old concealed carry licensee was ing fire. Lee, a father of f ou r an d m a n ager able to pull his gun and fire after being con o f a Sam's C lu b s t o re, wh o h a d o b t a i n ed fronted. The two teens were soon caught un a concealed carry permi t years before, now

"If I didn't have that gun on me, I wouldn't be talking to you right now," Lee told reporters from

his hospital bed.

harmed by police and charged with armed robbery
Two Wou n ded In t r u d ers and Getaway

drew his Glock handgun. After being struck
o nce, Lee returned f i re. Th e suspects fl ed . L ee r em ain s " c o n v i n ced t h a t t he t h r e e a rmed r o b b ers, wh o m a d e n o a t t e m p t t o

Driver Charged
Nitrate City, Alabama: On D e c ember 3, 2 008, th ree U n i v ersity o f N o r t h A l a b a m a students attempted to burglarize a residence.

cover their faces, would have killed him had
he not been armed. 'If I didn't have that gun o n me, I w o u l d n ' t b e t a l k i n g t o y o u r i g h t n ow,'" he t ol d r e p o r t ers fro m h i s h o s p i t al bed 166 Armed H o m e o w ner Ki lls Suspected

The homeowner received multiple hang-up
phone calls from unf am i l iar nu m b ers on the two evenings before the break-in and n o t ed t hat someone had t r i e d t o b r eak t h r o u g h h is back d oo r a r o u n d t h e s am e t i m e t h a t

Burglar
Sacramento, California: On November 8, 2008, two suspects entered a home on 5 1st Street and confr o n ted the ho m eowner. The homeowner was able t o r e t r i eve a f i r earm and fatally shot one of th e suspects in self defense. The second suspect, a white male in his late 20s, fled the scene.

the calls began. The homeowner grew suspi
c ious and turned out th e lights in his hom e

but was fully prepared for another break-in
a ttempt. As Justin Peake and Holl and N o ah Elkins, two o f t h e w o u l d -be bu r glars, were

kicking in the door, the homeowner fired

31

Armed H o m e o w ner Foils Invasion C arlisle, Pennsylvania: At 2 : 3 0 a .m . o n

Friday, May 30, 2008, Eugene Johnson, a
20-year Army veteran and former POW, and his wife Bernadine, awoke to the sounds of a man breaking int o t h eir h o use on the 1200 block of N o rt h W est Street. After kicking in the back door, the int r u der annou nced that

The other thief fled. The clerk who fi red the shots was licensed to possess and carry a fire arm and was not charged.

NJ Man Defends Home from Burglars
West Paterson, New Jersey: On February

2, 2006, Eucledes Moya's wife called home
to tell him t hat she was being followed, and t hat th e men ha d p a r ked i n f r o n t o f t h e i r h ouse. M oy a r e t r ieved hi s g u n , a n d c o n fronted the three men who were now rushing to his home. One of the men fi red at M o y a. Moya shot back several times. The men di d not gain entry to the home and fl ed.

he had a gun. Johnson replied that he had a gun as well, and the intruder quickly fled
the scene. Homeowner Ki lls Teen Burglary Suspect Forth Wo r th , Texas: On May 25, 2011, a Texas homeowner in the 1100 block of East

Jefferson Avenue discovered 17-year-old Er
n est Mor ris tr y ing t o pr y o pen a back wi n dow of his home with a crowbar. The home owner, who asked not to be identified, loaded

Man Defends Self and Friend during
Stabbing Attack

Bryan, Texas: On August 25, 2005, Phyl
l is Scott was having dinner with A n d y F i t t s and his m o t her w hen A m o s Ybarra, an ex boyfriend, came to th e h o use and asked to s peak to S c ot t o u t s i de. O nce o u t side, th e man began shouting at Scott before stabbing her in the chest. Fitts responded to screams and retrieved a handgun when Ybarra start ed to attack him . Fi tt s fi red two shots, kill ing Ybarra. Fortunately, both Fitts and Scott survived their injuries. D eputy DA N ab s Suspect in H o m e Portland, Oregon: On December 25, 2005, 1 8-year-old R yan J a mes D o t t a a t t e m p t ed to rob the home of deputy district att o rney Mark Costello. Wearing pajamas, but armed w ith a h a n d g un, Costello was able to h o l d Dotta for police. ~

his gun and hoped the sound would scare
t he int r u der away. When t ha t d i d n ' t w o r k , h e fired a single shot, striking M o r ris in t h e chest. Morris fled the scene, but died nearby. The homeowner has not been charged.

Homeowner Kills Burglar with Single
Shot T oledo, W a sh i n g t on : O n O ct o b e r 2 7 ,

2009, a 62-year-old man killed an unidenti fied male burglar as the intruder approached
h im o n t h e s t a irs of h i s h o m e i n t h e 1 0 0

block of Mulford Road. The homeowner heard the break-in, armed himself, and took
a defensive position at the top of a stairway. When the in t r u der ascended the stairs, the homeowner gave two verbal w a r n i ngs and f ired a sho t w h e n t h e i n t r u d e r r e f used t o

After kicking in the back door, the intruder announced that

comply. The intruder was killed. Police did
not release the name of the homeowner.

Parking Attendant Fights Off
5 Attackers

Store Clerk Kills One of Two Robbers
Worcester, Massachusetts: On D ecember 10, 2008, Evan Louis Rivera and an unknown accomplice, b ot h w e a r in g m a s ks, e n t ered

he had a gun. Johnson replied
that he had a gun as well, and the

Orlando, Florida: On December 27, 2007, prior to an Orlando Magic basketball game, a 65-year-old man was collecting parking
fees in a church lot when he was accosted by five armed robbers. While under attack, the man feigned reaching for cash, but i n stead

Big Bob's Liquors and held one of the two
clerks on duty at gunpoint. One of the clerks, whose name was not released by police, drew his own gun and fired several shots at Rivera, who died of h i s w o u nd s shortly t h ereafter.

pulled his permitted concealed handgun,
firing several times and forcing the robbers t o flee. The man di d no t w i sh t o b e id enti

intruder quickly
fled the scene.

fied.'"

32

Would-Be Robber Shot and Killed
Paramount, California: On December 19, 2005, an armed man i n h i s t h i r t ies tried to rob a Somerset Boulevard mi n i - m a rt. When he became distracted as a second employee suddenly appeared in th e rear of th e st ore, t he cashier was able t o g e t a w e apon a n d shoot th e g u n m an . Th e t h i e f l a ter d ied at

Roland Jones, 19, on C e n t ral Av enue, and

his accomplice, Cory Jay Smith, 21, hiding in a nearby lake.
Homeowner H a lts Burglary Ogden, Utah: On December 16, 2008, two

John Silva, was able to turn the tables on two robbers when

burglars engaged in a gun fight with a home
o wner when t h ey w ere u n able t o g ai n e n trance into the home. As the crimin als were

he a produced
a .380 pistol and confronted

a hospital. Police did not immediately re
lease the names of those involved in th e in cident.

kicking in the door, they realized the home
was not vacant. While leaving the scene, one of the burglars fired a shot at the homeown er, who returned fire as the burglars fled. The homeowner, not named in the initial reports,

his would-be
assailants.

Dead Robbery Suspect Linked to
A nother Cri m e

Delray Beach, Florida: On July 3, 2010,
Tyrone Pinkney entered a convenience store

gave a description of the burglars' vehicle.
Police recognized the vehicle from a n o t h er a ttempted b u r g l ary c ase an d a r r ested t h e s uspect at his home. Police did not i m m e d i ately release the names of anyone involved in the incident. Store Clerk Fired for U sing Gun to Defend Store P ortsmouth , N e w H a m p s h i re: O n D e c ember 7, 2 0 05, C u m b e rland F a rm s s t o r e c lerk Bruce Soiett p u r s ued an a r m e d r o b

intent on armed robbery. A clerk hid behind
t he counter an d a r m e d h i m s elf, retu r n i n g f ire wit h h i s o w n h a n d g u n a f t e r P i n k n ey b egan sh o o t i ng . O f f i c ers a r r ived t o f i n d

the robber still clutching his handgun, face
down on th e g r o u nd . Pinkney later died at t he ho spital. A u t h o r i t ies d etermined t h a t

Pinkney shot and killed a clerk and a cus
tomer at another convenience store only 30

minutes prior, and said he had been a person
of interest in another fatal convenience store shooting the year before. H omeowner H eld T h i eves at Gunpoin t

ber out of the building. Soiett yelled for the
thief to stop, and the robber tu r ned toward Soiett with a gun. Soiett fired two rou nds at the robber. No one was hurt in the exchange, and police never caught th e t h i ef. Cu m b er land Farms f i red S o iett o ver th e i n c i d ent, b ut h e q u i c kl y f o u n d w o r k a t t h e E x i t 3 T ravel St op . " W e f e e l m o r e c o m f o r t a b l e

Until Officers Arrived Athens, Alabama: On July 27, 2007, an
unidentified Athens resident returned hom e

to find Timothy Maynor and Shaun Holley

s tealing hi s c o l l ection o f a l u m i n u m c a n s . having people who can stand up for them The homeowner confronted the thieves with selves," his new employer stated.

his gun drawn, and held them for authori
t ies. Police later d etermi ned t h a t t h e m e n were responsible for other area robberies. Storeowner Shoots at Armed Robbers St. Petersburg, Florida: On D e cember 7, 2008, a variety store owner, John Silva, was able to turn the tables on two robbers when

Aggressive Pit Bull Killed by Homeowner Temecula, California: On July 30, 2007,
retired police detective Frank Canson went

to retrieve his Sunday morning paper. A pit bull known for m enacing area neighbors
confronted Canson, jump ing up against the gate at the end of Canson's driveway. Canson retrieved a 9 mm h a n d gu n an d r et u r ned to

he a produced a .380 pistol and confronted
his would-be assailants. A former m erchant Marine enlistee, the man fired three shots at

pick up his newspaper, finding it shredded
outside the gate. As Canson knelt to pick up t he paper strewn across the d ir t r o ad , t h e pit bull an d tw o m o r e d ogs returned. Can

the robbers as they fled. The police picked up both robbers quickly, finding Benjamin

33

son fired at the pit bull as it charged him,
wounding it and then delivering a fatal shot a s it writhed on the ground in pain. Author i ties declined t o p r ess any c h arges against C anson. Local residents pointed to a stri n g of disturbances caused by the loose dogs.

raculously, neither party was injured. Offi
cers had protective equipment and n on e of

the 22 shots fired by police struck the family.
Authorities admitted they acted on i n accu r ate information p r ovided by an in f o r m a n t , b ut took som e t im e before deciding not t o charge Khang with a crime. A year later, the

Robbery Foiled after Shots Exchanged
C enter Point, Alabama: On th e n i gh t o f October 20, 2009, two employees were leav i ng their job at a p h o n e store when a m a n threatened the female employee with a gun and asked for money. When the male em ployee moved for cover, the attacker started shooting. The male was armed and returned

city paid the Khang family a $600,000 settle
ment. Store Clerk Fires Shot at Wou l d -Be

Robber Sandy Springs, South Carolina: Just be
fore 10 p.m. on November 12, 2008, a man pointed a gun at an unnamed Sunoco em

The robber shot Braun in the lower abdomen but fled as Braun drew his own firearm to defend

f ire, chasing the gun man away. The would be robber was last seen fleeing on foot. Nei ther of the employees was harmed in the in cident. Owner Defends Liquor Store Largo, Maryland: At ab ou t 7 :30 a.m. on December 12, 2008, Bill Robertson shot and

ployee and demanded money. The clerk t old
the man to wait wh ile he got the m oney to gether, then pulled out a gun and fired a shot

at the robber. The robber quickly fled the
scene. Deputies searched with tracking dogs, but they did not th ink th e culprit was hit.

himself.

killed a would-be robber. The robber entered, drew a gun, and a struggle began. Robert
son, a co-owner of the store, was able to pull o ut a shotgun. The robber was killed at th e scene. Home Invader Gets 10 Years, Blames Victims

Neighbor's Son Apprehends Burglar Blue Lake, California: On March 26, 2008,
Steven Wilson's mother observed Ryan Bush

break into her neighbor's home, and told
her son. Steven Wilson ar med h i m self an d fired a "warning shot" at Bush, who was van dalizing and stealing fro m t h e h o m e. Aft er the shot, Bush fled. Wilson pursued and was e ventually able to hold hi m at g u n p o in t f o r authorities. M an D r aws Weapon to Ward off A r m e d

Upper Deerfield Township, New Jersey: On July 4, 2003, William Burden and How
ard Dunns kicked in the door of Robert and Wanda D u B o i s's home. Robert D u B oi s re t rieved his h a n d gu n an d s t a r ted shoo t i n g . The intr u d ers fled and state police later ap

Robber Coral Springs, Florida: At about 6:45 a.m.
on November 17, 2008, an unidentified man c onfronted M a r k B r au n i n t h e h a l l way o f

prehended them. The incident ended their crime spree that included burglaries, rob
b eries, shootin g t w o e l d e rl y v i c t i m s , a n d

his apartment building. The man produced
a gun and demanded that Braun give him cash. The robber shot Braun in the lower ab domen and fled as Braun drew his own fir e

supplying the weapon used in a murder. Wrong-Door SWAT Raid Mistaken for
Home Invasion Minneapolis, M i n n esota: O n D e c ember

arm to defend himself. Burglary Suspect Shot, Hospitalized
Savannah, Georgia: On A u g ust 26, 2 005, a woman d i scovered a man cl i m b i n g t hrough her apartment's bathroom w i n d o w a nd was able to get her gun in t im e and fi r e

1 7, 2007, a SWA T t ea m k i c k ed d ow n t h e

door of immigrant Vang Khang, who fired a
s hotgun at what he presumed to be int r u d

ers to defend his wife and six children. Mi

34

s everal shots. The u n n a med w o m a n h a d a

Man Thwarts Robbery by Shooting at
Suspect

handgun because she had been burglarized
b efore. The ma n wa s hi t s everal t i mes bu t managed to climb back out, asking a nearby driver to take him to the hospital. Police de clined to charge the woman, but di d ch arge the man. Homeowner Shoots Intr u d er

Las Vegas, Nevada: On January 18, 2011, a 57-year-old man in a Wal-Mart parking
lot may have appeared an easy target to one

robber. He was quickly proven wrong when, upon being attacked, the man pulled his le gal firearm and fired multiple shots at his attacker. The foiled robber quickly fled. Au
thorities are not sure if he was struck by the gunfire. The citizen then put d ow n hi s gu n

Omaha, Nebraska: On January 25, 2007,
J on Cowdi n c o n f r o n ted f o u r m e n a s t h e y tried to enter his home. As the men struggled to push i n t h e d o o r , on e assailant p u shed

and waited for police. Knife-Wielding Assailant Shot
Kansas City, Missouri: On the evening of

a shotgun through the opening. Cowdin grabbed the burglar's shotgun and f i red, hitting one and scaring them all off. Depu ties picked up the burglars soon after. The
wounded burglar, an unnamed juvenile, was t reated an d r e l eased f ro m t h e C r e i g h t o n University Medical Center, joining the other three under arrest: Jacobee Knave, 21, and J errett Jackson, 18, an d a n o t her u n n a m ed

December 29, 2005, a knife-wielding man
forced his way into a residence, even though one of the residents had a restraining order

against him. While struggling with one resi dent, and swinging his knife threateningly,
t he second resident shot h im . Th e i n t r u d er

died at a hospital, which proved once again
that a gun is a more effective protector than a court document. Police did not release the names of the persons involved.

juvenile.
Father Shoots Son in Self-D efense Meadowview, Virginia: On D e c ember 3,

2005, 22-year-old John Tuggle, apparently drunk, threatened to kill his 44-year-old fa ther, Jefferson Tuggle. John retrieved an axe
and a knife, and the father retrieved his .357

Suspect Killed during Attempted Robbery Indianapolis, Indiana: On September 27,
2006, two b r o t h ers entered a j ewelry store intent on a r med r o b bery. The store owner,

Magnum. John lunged at his father with the knife. Jefferson Tuggle shot his son in the
wrist to f o rce him t o d r o p t h e k n i fe, which Jefferson t h e n r e t r i eved. P o l i c e a r r e sted John on a n a t t e m p ted f i r s t -degree mur d er

Roscoe Parmley, pulled a handgun and fired
a fatal shot at Corey Artry, 18. Parmley and

two of his employees held Corey's brother, Nicholas, 20, for police. Local residents did
n ot seem su r p r ised; Parmley ha d b een i n business for d e cades and m a d e n o s e cret about being armed and willing to use force to

charge; Jefferson was neither injured nor charged. 9
Gilbert H o m e o w ner Shoots Int r u d er Gilbert, Arizona: At about 1 0 :15 a.m. on

repel would-be robbers. Police Chief Michael
Spears said the incident was self'-defense. Homeowner Shoots Burglar Walhalla, South Carolina: On D ecember

While struggling with one resident,

December 9, 2008, Richard Lopez knocked
on the front d oor of an u n i d en t i f ied h o m e o wner. When t h e h o m e o w ner di d n o t a n s wer, Lopez kicked the door t o th e gr o u n d . As Lopez entered the home, the owner shot him in the face and torso. Lopez retreated to a car where his broth er, M ark Vega, waited nearby. Vega took Lopez to a hospital, where police arrested both men .

and swinging his knife
threateningly, the second resident shot him. The intruder died at a hospital.

21, 2008, Donnie Murphy was in the bath
room when he heard a noise. After retrieving

his pistol, he found another man, Kirby Alan Ridley, near his fireplace. Murphy told Rid
ley to stop, but when Ridley reached into his pocket as if to draw a weapon, Mu r phy shot

35

Calhoun County SherifF Larry Amerson did not release the gas
station owner's

him. Sheriff's deputies arrived shortly there
after and escorted the thi ef's ambul ance to Oconee Medical Center. Liquor Store Owner Shoots and Kills a

Robber West Gables, Florida: On January 9, 2007,
Dusviel Hernandez entered LeJeune Liquors. W hen he approached the cou n ter w it h h i s

name, but said the shooting was in self-defense.

gun drawn, the owner, Pedro Agudelo, drew his own weapon and shot and killed Her
nandez. This was the second time since 2001 that Agudelo had to protect himself and his

2005, a man who seemed to be under the i nfluence of drugs was seen beating two pi t bulls in a backyard on 0 Street. When he was asked to leave by the residents, he knocked down an elderly man, and, after two warning shots, was wounded in th e leg by a wom an . The intruder was taken to Kern Medical Cen ter for t r eatment o f a n o n - l i f e-threatening injury. Th e B akersfield Police D epartm ent determined that it was a case of self'-defense and did no t i m m e d i ately release the names of those involved. Store Owner Shot One of Two Assailants C handler, Arizona: A t a b o u t 6 : 4 5 p . m . o n D e c ember 2 0 , 2 0 0 8 , K e v i n W i l l i a m

business with his firearm. The police did not
file charges after either event. Th e " st and

your-ground" law in Florida supports the
r ight t o s h o o t w h e n t h r e atened, even if a weapon is not visible. Mother Ki lls Son in Self-D efense C harleston, Arkansas: In the early morn ing hours of D ecember 14, 2008, Cameron Utsler k i cked i n t h e d o o r o f h i s p a r e n t s' home. He stood over 6 feet and weighed

Murray and Kenneth Wayne Simpson, Jr.,
entered Rusty U p t a i n's j ewelry st ore, shot

pepper spray into his face, and then chased
him int o th e back of th e store. Rusty's wife Debbie, and t h ei r s on , C h r is, were also in the store. M u r ray r aised a gu n a n d b e g an to shoot at R u sty and C h r is. Rusty tackled

him and then grabbed his own gun. A gun
f ight eru p t ed. Rusty shot M u r r ay, and t h e

about 300 lbs., and began pistol-whipping
both of hi s parents. Utsler had a history of v iolence with h i s p a r ents, and hi s m o t h e r ,

two robbers then fled. The injured Murray
drove away in a truck and Simpson escaped

described by police as "frail" by comparison,
believed she had no choice but to shoot her son. The lone shot proved fatal. The parents were treated for inju ries at a hospital and re

on foot. Police quickly caught Murray, who died after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
Police were also able to catch Simpson in a matter of hou rs. Simpson was charged with

leased. No charges were filed. Robbery Suspect Shot Dead, Accomplice Wounded
A nniston, A l a b ama: O n D e c e m ber 2 4 , 2 008, a gas station o w n e r k i l l e d o n e r o b

felony murder for Murray's death.
Pizza Delivery Man Sh o ots at Attackers Titusville, Florida: On December 6, 2008,

pizza delivery man Jerry Johnson pulled up
t o make a d e l ivery and i n s t i n c t ively k n ew something was wrong when he saw no lights on at t h e h o u se. Johnson a r m e d h i m s elf with a h an d gun t h a t h e k ept i n h i s car. As Johnson left the car, assailants threw a brick that hit hi m i n t h e face. Johnson fired back with his handgun, which sent his attackers fleeing. Police searched the area with d o g s, but t h ey c o ul d n o t f i n d J o h n s o n's assail ants.

ber and wounded an accomplice. The early
evening shootout t o o k p l ace at Fuller's Oil

Company on U.S. 431. Twenty-one-year-old
T akeem Pope of A n n i s to n r eceived m o r t al

wounds, while his accomplice, Blake Jack
s on, received a gunshot w o un d t o the arm.

Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson did
not release the gas station owner's name, but said the shooting was in self'-defense. Woman Shoots Intr u der in Leg B akersfield, C ali f o r n ia: O n A u g u s t 1 7 ,

Clerk Stops Robber Pine Bluff, Arkansas: On April 16, 2007,

36

an armed robber demanded cash from a clerk
a t the U n i t e d f i l l i n g s t a t io n o n H u t c h i n

fatal blast from her shotgun. Riley died in
stantly.

son and Dollarway road. The clerk said he would comply with the demand if the robber
waited a mom ent so t hat a customer could e xit the store. When the robber went to t h e

Robbery Attempt Backfires
M errimack, N e w H a m p s h i re : O n D e cember 5, 2005, Mare Dixon entered Ladd's Convenience Store, armed. When D i xon set

back room, the employee armed himself. As
the customer left and the robber came back out, a gunfi gh t er u p t ed. The clerk was able t o wound the robber, who then fled on foot . Police did not imm ediately release the names of either the clerk or the robber.

his gun down to pick up the cash register,
D ianne Duval, the store clerk, grabbed th e weapon and st r uck D i x o n i n t h e f ace with

it. Dixon dropped the register, and drove off in his silver Oldsmobile. Police were able to apprehend him two days later. Woman Kills Burglar Mifflin, Ohio: In December 2005, Kahlief
Tye and an unnamed accomplice entered an woman's home on Perdue Avenue after breaking a win d ow. The woman was hom e, confronted the int r u d ers, and shot Tye. Tye

Pizza Delivery Driver Defends Himself
Greenville, Nort h C a r o l i na: On June 16,

2008, a group of young men attacked a pizza delivery driver. The delivery man, not identi
fied in the initial reports, pulled a concealed

handgun and fired, injuring one of his as
sailants, Elvis Deans Jr., 17. Police also ar rested Thomas James, 18, Sunil Persaud, 18,

Temple had burglarized
Adams on three previous occasions, but this time Adams was ready. Adams readied his .40 caliber

and his accomplice then fled. Tye died after
being taken to a l o cal hospital. Tye was on

and Kevin Haynie, 17, charging them with
common law robbery. Police also arrested an

bond, awaiting trial for charges in an ag
g ravated robbery t ha t o c cu rred o nl y a f e w blocks away fro m t h e P erdue Avenue resi dence Man D ies after W ife Shoots Him in Self Defense Federal Way, Washington: On D ecember 13, 2008, police responded to a shooting at the Mariposa Apartment Co m p l ex. Officers f ound a w o m a n a l i v e b u t s u f f e r in g f r o m

unnamed 14-year-old who they say planned
the attack. Homeowner Cuffs I n t r u der at Fron t Door Mesa, Arizona: On January 29, 2004, at about 1:00 p .m., Bryan V. T e m pl e entered Dan Adams's home for the fourth t i m e, ask

handgun and
confronted

ing if anyone was home. Temple had bur
glarized Adams on three previous occasions, but this time Adams was ready. Adams read

head injuries and her husband dead from
m ultipl e g u n sho t w o u n d s . T h e u n n a m e d woman c l a i me d t h a t t h e y h a d s e p arated weeks earlier, but that her husband had vio lated a restraining o r der and a t t a cked her. The i n i t i a l p o l i c e i n v estigation i n d i c at ed that the woman had acted in self'-defense. H omeowner Kills Armed I n t r u d er

Temple, who quickly
surrendered.

ied his .40 caliber handgun and confronted Temple, who quickly surrendered. Adams h andcuffed Temple and h eld h i m u n t i l
t he author i t ies arrived. Police foun d m a n y

of Adams's stolen belongings in Temple's
home 206

Woman D ef ends H om e with Sh otgun

Cushing, Oklahoma: On D ecember 4, 2009, Bill D ean Riley, apparently drunk,
b anged on D o n n a Jackson's do or. H e w a s

looking for his pickup truck — Riley did not
k now t ha t h i s si ster had c r ashed it i n t o a d itch. He t h rew a p a ti o t a bl e t h r o ug h h e r window to gain entry. Jackson fired a single

Hillsborough, North Carolina: Around 2 a.m. on February 21, 2005,Jerome Carl Mur phy knocked on Durante Davis's door and said he needed "help." When Davis opened the door, Murphy brandished his gun. Mur phy pushed Davis, and then pointed his gun at the homeowner's head. Murphy's gun fell

37

to the floor in the ensuing struggle, and then

Murphy drew his knife, but Davis had a .38
r evolver in hi s p o cket and wa s able to f i r e t hree times. Two b u l l ets struck M u r p h y i n

the chest, killing him. Utility Worker Robbery Thwarted Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: On Decem ber 23, 2005, two teens held a Philadelphia Gas Works employee at gunpoint and de manded his wallet. The employee handed
h is wallet and cash to th e teens. After th at , o ne of th e teens cocked his pi stol, bu t t h e employee was able to d r aw h i s ow n w e ap on quickly and f i red t h ree shots. One shot struck a teen in th e l eg. The teens then re t reated, but th e po l ice caught them sh o r t l y thereafter. Police did not r elease the names of those involved. Grandfather Saves His Granddaughter from Vi ol ent Estranged Hu sband Conroe, Texas: On D e cember 20, 2008, Brice Wade Boudreaux went to his estranged wife's home and tried to take their children.

eral gunshot wounds to his own back. Lewis b riefly lost c o nsciousness, but was able t o drive himself to a friend's house and then get to an emergency room. He recovered from his injuries and later recovered his equipment.

91-Year-Old Man Repels Home
Invaders, Saves Wife Ocoee, Florida: On December 23, 2008, two armed i n v a ders di d n o t e x p ect r e sis tance as they att em p ted t o r o b a n e l d erly

couple. One held a gun to the head of Ber
lie Mae Johnson, 90, as she sat in her wheel chair. As the other intr u der was entering the

home through a sliding-glass door, 91-year old Charles "Johnny" Johnson was able to
d raw hi s .38 r evolver. The i n t r u der a t t h e door fled at the sight of the gun and Charles

fired a shot at the criminal by his wife's side. The police response was delayed because the
home invaders had cu t t h e p h o n e l i nes to the Johnsons' home.

Armed Citizen Fends off Knife-Wielding
Man M aryville, T ennessee: On F e b r u ar y 1 2 ,

She had been living with th e children at
h er grandparents' h o m e f o r t h e p a s t f i v e months. When her grandfather ordered Bou dreaux to leave the home, Boudreaux shoved the octogenarian. The grandfather was able t o retrieve his revolver, and again told B o u d reaux t o l e ave. Bou dreaux r esponded b y o nce again shoving h im , an d t h e n hi t h i m

2010, Mathew Dressier picked a fight and
pulled a knife on an u n i d ent i f ied customer at the local Wal-M art. Concealed carry per

mit holder Billy Dunkelberger saw what was
happening and w en t t o i n t e rvene. Dressier then turned the knife on D u n k elberger. The confrontation ended wi t h ou t an y shots be ing f i r ed . E v entually, t h e p o l i c e a r r ested Dressier. No charges were filed against Dun

near his pacemaker. The grandfather killed
Boudreaux with a single shot.

kelberger. DJ Fights off Armed Robbers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: In January,
2005, three unidentified men surprised disc Armed Citizen Shoots Burglar

P hiladelphia, Pennsylvania: A t

a bout

jockey Brian Lewis, as he was going to a gig

One of the teens cocked his pistol, but the employee was able to draw his own weapon

with equipm ent w o rt h o ver $1,000. Two of

the men had pistols. Lewis said he was pull
i ng out h i s k ey t o l e t t h e r o b b ers int o h i s

apartment, but quickly drew his pistol in
stead. Although his pistol was loaded, there was no bullet in the chamber. When the rob

quickly and fired
three shots.

bers heard the initial "dry-fire," a gunfight
erupted. Lewis shot tw o o f t h e t h r ee m en , killing one of them, but he also sustained sev

10:30 p.m. on November 20, 2008, a resident awoke to a noise downstairs. He quickly dis c overed an open wi n dow o n t h e f i rst fl o o r . T he resident armed hi m self, and fo un d t h e i ntruder in a sp are bedroom. Th e i n t r u d e r wrestled with the resident, and in the strug gle the in t r u der was shot. The b u r glar was taken to the hospital and later died. Fortu nately, the h o m eowner was u n i n j u r ed. Po lice did not name anyone involved.

38

Store Owner Stops Thief

Sharpsburg, Kentucky: On February 8,
2007, an unidentif ied man stole the change drawer from Wayne Karczewski's Super Mar ket. Karczewski watched th e security vid eo closely, and studied the man's face. When the s ame man returned the following m o r n i n g , Karczewski drew hi s gu n f r o m i t s h o l s t er. He confronted the man and called 911 while

through the front wi n dow and the two men k icked in th e f r on t d o o r . Th e m a n go t h i s

12-gauge shotgun and fired once, injuring
n o one. All th e cu l p r it s ran away. Auth o r i ties did not release the names of anyone in

volved
One of Two I n t r u d ers Killed with Gunshot Lexington, Kentu cky: O n D e c ember 17, 2008, two men knocked on the door of an a partment a t 3 5 0 0 B e aver Place. When a r esident answered th e d o o r , t h e t w o m e n t ried t o r o b h i m . T h e r e sident i n fl i c t e d a fatal gunshot wo un d t o on e of th e robbers, b ut su f f ered n o n - l i fe-threatening g u n s h o t wounds during the ensuing fight. Wit nesses saw the second man fl e eing th e scene in a

The man got his 12-gauge shotgun and fired once, injuring no one. All the culprits ran away.

keeping his weapon trained on the would-be
thief. Karczewski opened the store less than s ix months before the incident and b o u g h t his gun at that t i m e. He never owned a gun before, but said he was grateful that he had one when he most needed it. Homeowner Protects Family with Shotgun Phoenix, Arizona: At about 1 :30 a.m. on J une 5, 20 08, a h o m e o w ner aw ok e t o t h e

dark gray, hooded jacket. The coroner's of
fice identified the deceased intruder as An

s ound of three individuals kicking in t h e door of his house. The homeowner grabbed
his shotgun an d w a i ted n ear th e b edroom door. When the bedroom door swung open, the homeowner saw a man with a gun and

thony Bell, 27, and police did not disclose
the resident's name. No c h arges were filed against the resident.

One Dead, Four Charged in Burglary
N ewberry, South C a r o l i na: O n D e c em b er 14, 2008, a mass burglary attempt at th e P almetto Point Ap ar t m ents ended with o n e

so opened fire. The armed intruder died on
t he scene. The tw o o t h e r i n t r u d ers fled t o

their truck, which they had parked a block
away. Police did not release the names of the individuals involved and said that the home owner acted in self defense.

dead and four charged as an apartment dwell er fired his gun in self'-defense. A 13-year-old
child knocked on the door of the apartment and, when the resident opened the door, sev eral assailants rushed the resident. When the resident shot one of th e five int r u d ers, Wil lie Hiller, the others fled. Later, the resident w ent to th e p o l ice station t o r e p ort th e i n

71-Year-Old Kills Intruder with a
Shotgun

Peel, Arkansas: On February 2, 2007, 71 year-old Joe Kelly was awakened by sounds
at his front door, so he grabbed his shotgun. He then foun d 2 7-year-old Travis M o r r i son

cident. Police officers found Hiller dead in
a driveway on First Street, and charged four

in the hallway. "Scared to death," Kelly shot the intruder in self defense. Kelly had been
recovering from a recent operation. A second i ntruder attempted to perform CPR on Mo r rison, but then fled the scene. Home Invasion H a l ted with Shotgun T ulsa, Okl ah o ma: A t a b o u t 1 0 :4 0 p . m . on November 12, 2008, a m a n' s estranged

others,, including Jessica Sligh, 18, with at
tempted armed robbery and attempted bur glary. Police did not release the name of th e r esident and i n d i cated that he wo ul d p r o b

ably not be charged with any crime. Grocer Repels Armed Robbers

Y ork, Pennsylvania: O n S e p t em ber 2 6 , 2005, Kevin Wi n t er, owner of Kendal's Gro wife, ex-girlfriend, and t w o u n i d entified c ery and Jamaican Cuisine, was shot in t h e men broke into his home. His wife broke in hip by an armed robber when he would not

39

cooperate. Winter's employee, Steven Gray, returned the favor and shot one of th e rob b ers four t i m e s. Th e t h i eves were able t o e scape the scene, but w ere followed by t h e police to the local hospital. Only the thieves

fled. When the police arrived, they searched
for him u n s u ccessfully. This store had ju st been robbed the previous night, but the po lice found n o c o n n ection b etween the rob

beries. The police did not release the clerk' s
name. Victim Tu rn s Tables on Burglar Clarksville, Tennessee: At 1 a.m. on June 28, 2007, a burglary turned into a gun-wres tling, ki ck-down-the-stairs fi gh t b e t ween a m an and an a r med r o b ber in a R i ver H i l l s D rive ho me. Th e v i c t i m' s w i f e aw ok e an d

were charged, as Gray had a gun permit and
fired in self'-defense. Restaurant M a n a ger Fatally Shoots

Armed Robber Virginia Beach, Virginia: On June 28,
2 008, an ar med r o b ber sn uck i n t h e b a ck d oor o f D o m i n i c k ' s P i zza an d P a sta a n d

demanded cash. Manager Ferdinando Ab
b ondante asked th e g u n m a n t o g o t o t h e r egister, but th e g u n m a n i n s i sted that A b bondante open the safe. Abbondante com plied, knowing that the robber might see the gun Abbond ante kept in th e safe for tr ans porting cash deposits. The gunman f i red at A bbondante after seeing th e g un , an d A b bondante returned f i re, hi t t i n g t h e r o b b er s everal times. Th e suspect, later i d en t i f i ed

helped by knocking the suspect, Craig Ma
j ors, on the head. The husband got co n t r o l o f Major's gu n f o r a s econd t i m e , bu t t h e g un did not w o rk , so he swung it at th e in truder, wh o t h e n fl e d . L a w e n f o r c ement f ound t h e g e t a way v e h i cl e t h a t t h e v i c t ims had described, but n o M a j o rs. M ajor s crashed the vehicle into a tree and then fl ed o n fo ot . S h eri f f ' s I n v estigator Ju li e W eb b d id not r elease the couple's name, but a p proved of their response to the burglary. "It worked out awesome>" she said. Business Owner Kills One Suspected Robber, Wounds Anoth er Newton, North Carolina: On December 6, 2008, an altercation at Willis Packaging end ed with th e death of one robber and a gun shot wound for another. Store owner Randy Willis approached the store as an alarm was

The gunman
fired at

Abbondante after seeing the gun, and Abbondante returned fire, hitting the robber several
times.

as Johnny Marocco Williams, 41, died of his
wounds on the scene. Jewelry Store Owner Shoots Burglar

Corinth, Mississippi: On November 25, 2008, James Thomas Parson, 25, entered The Jewelry Box store through a window. The
owner of the store heard a noise, and checked i t ou t a f t e r r e t r i eving h i s h a n d g un . T h e owner ordered Parson t o s t op , bu t P a rson did not. Instead, Parson entered and ripped down the video surveillance equipment. The owner warned Parson again, but the burglar charged. The owner shot Parson once in the abdomen. Parson was rushed to a h o spital, b ut he died from the gunshot woun d . Gas Station Clerk Shoots Armed Robb er G ainesville, G eorgia: O n N o v e m be r 9 , 2008, a man approached a gas station clerk

going off. He saw one robber emerge with
a shotgun and att empted to i n t ervene. Wil lis drew hi s p i s to l an d s h o t o n e a ssailant and then w o u n ded a second i n t r u d er. Po l ice identified the wo u n ded man as Ar n o l d Ray, Jr., 52, but did no t r elease the name of the deceased intruder. Police also charged a wom an, Jean Holman, as an accomplice in the crime. Wo m a n Shoots Parolee during Break-In Sacramento, California: On D ecember 3, 2 008, a parolee-at-large tried to steal prop erty from a home on the 4500 block of 13th Avenue. The 34-year-oldfemale homeowner

who was speaking on the phone and de
m anded cash. When the clerk asked him t o

repeat what he said, he did and also fired his gun. The clerk was not hit. The clerk pulled
a gun from u n der the counter and shot t h e gunman in th e chest. The wou n ded robber

discovered the thief and shot him. The po

40

l ice arrested the cu l p r it , bu t t h e u n n a m e d woman was not charged.

Dog Walker Kills Armed Teen Robber
Terrell, Texas: At about 10:20 p.m. on De cember 17, 2 008, M a r kee L amar Johnson, Ryan Scott Patterson, and tw o o t h e r t eens surrounded a 47-year-old man that was walk

to rob a convenience store wearing a mask and carrying a BB pistol that closely resem bled a firearm. Spotting u n i f o r med security g uard E r i c G o r d o n , S u l l i va n c o n f r o n t e d

him. Gordon drew his own weapon and fa tally shot Sullivan, who had a police record of 146 crimes since June of 1989. Police de
termined that the shooting was justified.

ing his dog in the park. When Johnson pulled
out a gun, the dog owner drew his own weap on and shot Johnson in th e head. The three other teens fled the scene in a nearby vehicle. Police later arrested Patterson. Police Cap tain A.D. Sanson said that t hi s was "a clear e xample of someone exercising th eir r i g h t s to protect themselves under the law." Police did not disclose the dog-walker's name, and later determined that Johnson was carrying a stolen gun. A rmed H o m e o w ner T h w a rts H o m e Invasion Columbus, Ohio: On December 11, 2008, homeowner Ken Fields fired shots after two h ome i n vaders br ok e i n t o h i s h o m e . T h e armed intruders pointed guns at Fields' chil

Notes
1. G a r y Kleck and Mare Gertz, "Armed Resis tance to Crime: The Prevalence and Nature of Self-Defense with a Gun," Journal of Criminal Latv and Criminology 86 (1995): 173. 2. P h i li p J. Cook and Jens Ludwig,Guns in America: National Survey on Private Ou nership and Use of Firearms (Washington: National Institute of Justice, 1997), http: //www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/ 165476.pdf. 3. 4. I b i d ., pp. 8-9. I b i d ., p. 9.

5. G a r y Kleck, Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America (New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1991), pp. 175-76.
6. S e e Federal Bureau of Investigation,Crime in the United States1992 (Washington, October 21, 1993), p. 22.

dren, Josh and Cassey, when Fields confront
ed them with a gun of his own. Fields fired a shot and both in t r u d ers fled. Police searched u nsuccessfully fo r t h e i n t r u d ers. T hi s h a d been the second time in two weeks that some one had tried to break into the same home. Cab Driver Shoots Man in Self-D ef ense Clearwater, Florida: On May 1, 2011, a late

7. S ee California Penal Code $195 (2010); Flor ida Stats. Ch. 782 (2009). 8. 9. C a l i f ornia Penal Code $195 (2010). K l e ck, Point Blank, p. 114.

night cab ride turned deadly after a 19-year
o ld passenger became argum entative w i t h

10. "Seven Deadly Days," Time,July 17, 1989, pp. 30-60.
11. "Death by Gun: One Year Later," Time, May 14, 1990, pp. 30-31.

his cab driver. The unidentified driver pulled
over and asked the man, Travonte Myles, to

exit, at which point Myles brandished a gun.
The driver, a licensed concealed carry permit holder, exited the cab and exchanged shots

with Myles. The wounded passenger was
taken to a local hospital. The driver was not

injured. Uniformed Security Guard Shoots Robber
Nashville, Tennessee: On N o v ember 30 ,

12. The data set for t his study originally ap peared on a b l o g called The Armed Citizen. Three different people have participated as edi tors for The Armed Citizen over the years, Clay ton E. Cramer, Pete Drum, and David Burnett of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. 13. People v. Piorkowski, 41 C al. A pp.3d 3 24 (1974). Note also Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985) (discussing the law on deadly force by peace officers).

2008, repeat offender Jamie L. Sullivan tried

41

14. In a few cases, the authors have received e-mails that begged for the removal of news ac counts of a defensive gun use, usually by the next-of-kin of deceased perpetrator, sometimes accompanied by pleas of "he didn't do it" or "he didn't deserve to die." Although those pleas were not ignored, objectivity required that the story remain on the website unless or until new action able evidence emerged and was reported. With only one or two exceptions, every account comes from public sources.

Crying,'" WYFF4.corn (Greenville, SC), June 28, 2010, http: //www.wyff4.corn/r/24068226/detail. html. 21. David Allen, "Resident Pulls Gun on Intrud er: Suspect Flees Home after Being Caught in the Act," Shelby (NC) Star, April 15, 2010, http: //www. shelbystar.corn/articles/resident-46165-gun-act. html.
22. "M odesto Woman Fires Shot at Suspected Burglar, Who Flees," Modesto (CA) Bee,February 9, 2010, http: //www.modbee.corn/2010/02/08/104 0249/modesto-woman-f i r es-shot-at-suspect ed.html.

15. See generally Clayton E. Cramer, Concealed Weapon Mws of the Early Republic: Dueling, Southern Violence, and Moral Reform (Westport, CT: Praeger Press, 1999). 16. See Clayton E. Cramer and David B. Ko pel, "'Shall Issue': The New Wave of Concealed Handgun Permit Laws," Tennessee Law Review62

(1995): 679-757.
17. Alaska Stats. $ 18.65.700 (1994); Clayton E. Cramer, "Alaska Adopts Vermont Carry," Shotgun News, August 1, 2003, pp. 18-19; Senate Bill 1108, Arizona 49th legislature, 2nd sess. (2010), http: // www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ legtext/49leg/Zr/bills/sb1108s.htm; Tim Steller, "Dealers Cite Pros, Cons of Concealed Weapon Law," Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), April 17, 2010, http: //azstarnet.corn/news/local/ govt-and politics/article 20db5fcc-8c25-50d9-beaf-dbe 131fe0e3f html. 18. In re Brickey, 70P. 609 (1902); City of Las Ve gas v. Moberg, 485 P.2d 737 (1971); Dano v. Collins, 802 P.2d 1021 (1990); City of Princeton v. Buckner, 377 S.E.2d 139 (W.Va. 1988). 19. Maintaining l i sts o f c o n cealed weapons permit holders has occasionally led to such lists being obtained by reporters under open records requests and published for the general public. Not only does this demean armed citizens by cataloging their existence in a manner similar to sex offenders, but it also advertises the names and addresses of armed citizens to citizens and criminals alike. There are two possible results, op posite, but both are destructive to public safety. It may diminish the deterrent effect (the decrease in crime resulting from criminals fearing being cap tured or shot) because criminals can map which houses or individuals to avoid. It can also increase the likelihood of an armed citizen's home being targeted while they are out of the house, since firearms are sometimes attractive commodities for burglars. If it seems as though these are con trary claims, consider that burglars are often not the same category of criminals as those who force entry to dwellings known to be occupied.
20. "Gun-Toting H o m eowner: 'Shut U p — No

23. Jordan Johnson, "Armed Homeowner Holds Youth Suspected of Burglary Try," Arizona Repub lic (Phoenix), September 2, 2010, http: //www.az central.corn/community/chandler/articles/2009 /09/02/20090902abrk-chandlerburglary.html. 24. "Teen Intruder Shot Dead in Dallas," Fox 4 Dallas, January 21, 2009, http: //www.myfoxdfw. corn/dpp/news/Teen Intruder Shot D ead in Da. 25. Thomas Clouse, "Burglars Get S u rprise from H o meowner," Spokane Spokesman-Review, April 6, 2004, http: //www.spokesmanreview.corn /spokane-news-story.asp? date=0406048cID=s15 065628ccat=section.spokane. 26. "Man Whose Family Hit by C r ime Killed by Gunfire," Houston Chronicle,October 8, 2005, http: //www.chron.corn/disp/story.mpl/metro politan/3388103.html. 27. "Briefing, January 2," Rocky Mountain News (Denver), January 2, 2006, http: //www.rockymo untainnews.corn/news/2006/jan/02/briefing ] anuary-2/. 28. John T h o mpson, "Police Say Man Shot, Killed Stepfather after Threats with Ax," Johnson City (TN) Press,May 22, 2010, http: //www.john soncitypress.corn/News/article.php?ID=76912. 29. Matt Lakin, "Woman Dead, Pair Sought in Home Invasion Attempt," Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel,May8,2010,http://www.knoxnews.corn/ news/2010/may/08/woman-dead-pair-sought in-home-invasion-attempt/? partner=popular. 30. "College Student Shoots, Kills Home Invad er," WSB-TV (Atlanta), May 4, 2010, http: //www. wsbtv.corn/news/19365762/detail. html.
31. Richard Maxwell Brown, No Duty to Retreat: Violence and Values in American History and Society (Norman, OK: University of O k l ahoma Press, 1994), preface (unnumbered).

42

32. R v. Bird, I1985] 81 Crim. App. 110 quoted and summarized in M i c hael T. M o l an, Cases and Materials on Criminal Law, 4th ed. (Abindon, Oxon: Routledge-Cavendish, 2008), pp. 747-48. 33. Beard v. United States, U.S. 550, 564 (1895) 158 (emphasis added). 34. Brown v. United States, U.S. 335, 343 (1921). 256 35. The authors are unable to find a compre hensive list of th e number of concealed carry permits issued by the various states. Some of the states have the data readily available on-line, others do not. For the 26 states for which data was available, the authors found over 5.5 million licenses. Since most of the other 23 states have "shall issue" concealed carry laws on their books, the authors conclude that 10 m i l l ion p ermit holders is a conservative estimate. (In Vermont, people may carry weapons without permits.) For additional background, see Clayton E. Cramer, "How Many Carry Permits?" Shotgun News,No vember 1, 2011, pp. 20-21. 36. Adam Liptak, "15 States Expand Right to Shoot in Self-Defense," New York Times,August 7, 2006, http: //www.nytimes.corn/2006/08/07/us/ 07shoot.html.
37. Gus Garcia-Roberts, "South Florida Store Clerks Go Vigilante," Miami New Times,August 6, 2010, http: //www.miaminewtimes.corn/2009 08-06/news/south-flor i da-s-store-clerks-dole out-vigilante-justice/.

44. Richard Davis owned a small pizzeria in Detroit and he kept a pistol for self-defense. In the summer of 1969, Davis was on his way to make a pizza delivery when he was confronted by three armed robbers. A gunfight erupted and Davis's plastic glasses frame deflected a bullet. That experience started Davis thinking about soft body armor, leading to the development of Second Chance Body Armor — the first light and flexible method of giving police officers a chance to survive handgun wounds and return fire. See William A. Cohen, The Art of the Strategist: Ten Es sential Principles for Leading Your Company (New York: Amacom, 2004), pp. 153-54. The popular Discovery Channel show "Mythbusters" engaged in a test to see how many pizzas stacked together would be required to stop a shotgun blast. "Cof fin Blast," Mythbusters,episode 112, originally aired March 5, 2008, synopsis at http: //myth bustersresults.corn/coffin-punch.
45. Renee Dials, "Man Attempts to Rob Pizza Delivery Man," WALA (Mobile, AL, and Pensaco la, FL), May 12, 2010, http: //www.fox10tv.corn/dp p/news/man-attempts-to-rob-pizza-delivery-man.

46. "Police and Courts," Buffalo (NY) News, July 13, 2006, B3. 4 7. "Man F i ghts Would-Be Robbers in A m b ush," N BC4 ( C olumbus, O H) , A u gust 1 3 , 2008, http: //www.nbc4i.corn/midwest/cmh/cri me watch.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2008-08 -13-0036.html, original link removed. 48. Dana DiFilippo, "Bulldog Shot after Maul ing Port Richmond Boy," Philadelphia Daily News, May 12, 2010, http: //www.philly.corn/philly/ne w s/homepage/20100512 Bull dog sho t a f t e r mauling Port Richmond boy.html.
49. Jim Patten, "Dog Bites Man, Man Shoots Dog," North Andover (MA) Eagle-Tribune, October 17, 2009, h t tp: //www.eagletribune.corn/local/ x546145887/Dog-bites-man-man-shoots-dog.

38. Ibid. 39. "Shooting Could Be Self-Defense," Pensacola (FL) NewsJournal, November 30, 2006. 40. Denise Hollinshed, "Robbery Victim Kill s His Assailant," St. Louis Post-Dispatch,May 6, 2010.
41. Associated Press, "Texas Gov. Perry Fatally Shoots Coyote," Washington Post,April 28, 2010, http: //www.washingtonpost.corn/wp-dyn/con tent/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042705323.html.
42. Scott Sunde, "Woman Who S h ot M a n a t Bus Stop Won't Be Charged," Seattle Press-Intelli gencer, December 2, 2010, http: //www.seattlepi. corn/local/412796 bus01.html? source=rss.

5 0. Phillip Y ates, "Man W a l king w i t h W i f e Shoots Mountain Lion Near New Castle," Rocky Mountain News (Denver), August 7, 2008, http: // www.rockymou n t a i n n ews.corn/news/2008/ aug/07/man-walking-wife-shoots-mountain lion-near-new-cas/. See also David Baron, "The Cougar behind Your T r ash C an," Ne w York Times, July 29, 2011.
51. Scott McMillion, "Bow Hunters Attacked by Bears in Separate Incidents," Bozeman (MT) Daily Chronicle,October 8, 2007, http: //www.bozeman dailychronicle.corn/news/arti cle a 10b2336 7428-5b92-b045-3e577386f623.html.

43. Thomas Hendrick, "Security Guard: 'God Guided Me and Protected Me,"' KMGH (Denver), December 10, 2007, http: //www.thedenverChan nel.corn/news/14817480/detail. html; Judy Keen and Andrea Stone, "This Month's Mass Killings a Reminder of Vulnerability," USA Today,Decem ber 21, 2007.

52. Perry Bacon Jr., "House Approves Measure

43

port from KIVI Channel 6, Boise, Idaho, involves a situation r ife wit h o p p o r t u n ity t o t u r n o u t badly because of miscommunication — and yet it did not. Boise police officers responded to a "man with a gun" report at 1:18 p.m. Instead, 53. "Hiker Shoots, Kill Grizzly in Alaska Park," they found ttvo men with handguns. A man later WTVY (Dothan, AL), May 31, 2010, http: //www. identified as John Dickey was alleged to have wtvy.corn/home/headlines/95261219.html. S ee stolen something from th e victim at a h o m e also Victoria Colliver, "Richmond Teen Survives less shelter. Dickey fled on foot — with the victim Bear Attack in Alaska," San Francisco Chronicle, July chasing him, armed with a h andgun. A t h i r d 26, 2011. person in the area saw the victim holding a gun on Dickey — and drew his handgun, ordering the 54. "Men A t t empt R o bbery, Woman Sh oots victim to drop hisgun. Boise police took a while One Dead, Deputies Say," WXII (Winston-Salem, to figure out who was in the right — but without NC), May 23 , 2 0 08, h t tp: //www.wxii12.corn/ any shots being fired. See "Armed Citizen Helps news/16376139/detail. html. Boise Police Capture Suspect," KIVI (Boise, ID), July 18, 2009, http: //www.kivitv.corn/global/sto 55. "Fort Pierce Police: Woman Forced to Per ry.asp? s=10746780. form Sex Act Shoots Suspect with Own G un," Palm Beach (FL) Post, May 18, 2010, http: //www. 6 3. Crystal G u t i errez, " H o m eowner S h o o t s tcoasttalk.corn/2010/05/18/fort-pierce-police Suspected Burglar," KRQE.corn (Albuquerque, woman-forced-to-perform-sex-act-shoots-sus NM), February 12, 2010, http: //www.krqe.corn/ pect-with-own-gun/. dpp/news/crime/homeowner-shoots-suspected burglar. 56. "Romulus P olice: Party S t or e C u stomer Swipes Masked Man's Gun, Kills Him," Associ 64. Dana Jay, "SherifF. Burglar Shot during Home ated Press, March 15, 2010, http: //www.mlive. Invasion," WSIL (Carteville, IL), June 10, 2009, corn/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/03/romulus http: //www.wsiltv.corn/p/ n ews d etails.php? police customer swipes. html. newsID=7635& type=top.
to Allow Guns into N a t ional Parks," Washing ton Post, May 21, 2009, http: //www.washington post.corn/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/ AR2009052003613.html.

57. Ralph Ellis, "Two Crime Victims Kill Their Attackers in Metro Atlanta," Atlanta Journal-Con stitution, February 8, 2009, http: //www.ajc.corn/ travel/content/ m e t r o/ a t l a n t a/ st o ries/2009/ 02/08/atlanta victims kill atackers.html. 58. "Beaver Man Shoots Would-Be Robber dur ing Home Invasion," WTAE (Pittsburgh, PA),Jan uary 18, 2008, http: //www.thepittsburghChannel .corn/news/15085036/detail. html. 59. Valerie Hurst, "Shooting Was in Self'-De fense," KIMA (Yakima, WA), February 18, 2008, http: //www.kimatv.corn/news/local/15752462. html.
60. However, a few of these are stories where a female was the criminal.

65. Donna Swicegood, "Woman Turns Tables on Rape Suspect," Mooresville (NC) Tribune,January 7, 2010, http: //www2.mooresvilletribune.corn/ news/2010/jan/07/woman-turns-tables-rape suspect-ar-79627/. 66. Bridget DiCosmo, "Woman Shoots Rap ist in Her Home," Southeast Missourian(Cape Gi rardeau), November 1, 2008, http: //www.semis sourian.corn/story/1554 240.html. 67. "If You Are Confronted," Illinois State Police (2010), http: //www.isp.state.il.us/crime/saconfro nted.cfm. 68. "Rape Prevention," City of Davis, California, Police (2010), http: //cityofdavis.org/police/inves tigations/rapeprev.cfm.
69. "Son Shoots Ex-Stepdad to P r otect H er,

61. Scott Condon, "Basalt Police: Pistol-Packing

Neighbors Nab Willits Intruder," Glentvood Springs Mom Says," KCTV (Kansas City, MO), Novem
(Co) Post-Independent, A pri 1 2010, http: //www. 29, postindependent.corn/article/20100429/VALLE YNEWS/100429843/1083& ParentProfile=1074. 62. Strictly speaking, any time a victim holds a criminal while awaiting the arrival of police, he has arrested that criminal. The data set re cords incidents where a citizen uses a gun t o take someone into custody for a crime commit ted against another. This is not common; there were only four examples. This July 18, 2009, re ber 21, 2008, http: //www.kctv5.corn/news/1803 6943/detail.html@-. 70. David Spunt, "Child Shoots Intruder during Home Break-in," WAFB (Baton Rouge, LA), July 16, 2009, http: //www.wafb.corn/global/story. as p?s=10741492. 71. Minor offenders usually range in age from 14 to 17, while minor defenders have been shown to be as young as 9 or 10.

44

72. Beth Brelje, "Elderly Stroudsburg Couple Holds Burglar at G u npoint," Pocono (PA) Re cord, May 18, 2010, http: //www.poconorecord. corn/apps/pbcs.dll/ ar t i cle? AID=/20100518/ NEWS/100519817. 73. Greg Dingrando, "82-Year-Old Fights off Attacker," KVOA (Tucson, AZ), March 16, 2010, http: //www.kvoa.corn/news/82-year-old-fights off-attacker/. 74. University of Arkansas Criminal Justice In stitute, "Crime Rates on the College Campus," February 24, 2 003, h t tp: //www.arsafeschools. corn/Files/CrimeRateonCollegeCampus.pdf. 75. Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Targeted Violence Affecting Institutions of Higher Edu cation," April 2010, http: //www.fbi.gov/publica tions/campus/campus.pdf.
76. David Burnett, "Students Resist Colleges, Strap on Empty Holsters," PR Newswire, April 2, 2009, http: //www.prnewswire.corn/news-releases /students-resist-colleges-strap-on-empty-hoist ers-89762397.html.

Intruder in Critical Condition," KWTX (Waco, TX), August 20, 2007, http: //www.kwtx.corn/ home/headlines/9266561.html. 84. Mike Glenn, "Suspect Killed in Home Inva sion Gun Battle," Houston Chronicle,February 20, 2010, http: //www.chron.corn/disp/story.mpl/me

trop olitan/6875461.html.
85. Mark Z a retsky, "Shop O w n er, G u nman Shot in East Haven Holdup Attempt," New Haven (CT) Register, April 2, 2004, http: //www.nhregis ter.corn/articles/2004/04/02/import/11228577.
txt.

86. Isabelle Duerme, "SWAT Team Barges into Wrong H o me; Scared H om e O w ner S h oots Cops," A11HeadlineNews.corn, December 17, 2007, http: //www.allheadlinenews. corn/articles/70094 80519@ixzzllVPjjkNE. For more on wrong-door raids, see Radley Balko, "Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America," Cato Insti tute White Paper, July 17, 2006. 87. Ramon A n tonio Vargas, "Carjack Victim Shoots Suspect to Death in 9th Ward," New Or leans Times-Picayune,March 25, 2010, http: //www. nola.corn/crime/index.ssf/2010/03/carjack vic tim shoots suspect. html. 88. Michael O' Malley, "Gun Advocates: Statis tics Are Inadequate," Cleveland Plain Dealer,April 29, 2007. 89. "Police: Armed Men Stop Carjacking," WJXT (Jacksonville, FL), September 30, 2009, http: // www.news4jax.corn/news/21156773/detail. html. 90. Jeremy Meyer and Manny Gonzales, "Grand Jury Clears White Restaurateur in Fatal Shoot ing of Black Man in Aurora," Denver Post,June 10, 2005. 91. Arapahoe County Grand Jury, People v. Glenn Eichstedt, 05CR0189, May 12, 2005, http: //extras. mnginteractive.corn/live/media/site36/2005/06 09/20050609 015724 grandjury0609.pdf.
92. President Barack Obama, "We Must Seek Agreement on Gun Reforms," Arizona Star (Tus con, AZ), March 13, 2011, http: //azstarnet.corn/ news/opinion/mailbag/article 01 le7118-8951 5206-a878-39bfbc9dc89d.html.

7 7. "Mercer Student Shoots, Kills Man W h o Broke into Home," Macon (GA) Telegraph,Sep tember 19, 2005, http: //www.macon.corn/mid/ macon/12685301.htm. Original link removed. 78. Jeremy Duda, "Orem Man Shoots Attack ing Pit Bull," Provo (UT) Daily Herald, September 18, 2007, http: //www.heraldextra.corn/content/ view/237778/3.

79. "Pistol Trumps Baseball Bat in Island Driv ing Confrontation," The Island Packet(Bluffton, SC), August 9, 2008, http: //www.islandpacket. corn/2008/08/09/572097/pistol-trumps-baseball -bat-in. html. 80. UniversityofColoradoCrimeReports(2008), http: //www.colorado.edu/ p o l i c e/ stati stics/ crime-reports. html; Colorado State University Safety Update (2009), http: //police.colostate.edu /pdfs/2009-Safety-Report.pdf.
81. Centers for D i sease Control an d P reven tion, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC WONDER On-line D atabase, compiled from Compressed Mortality File 1999-2006 Series 20 No. 2L, 2009, http: /wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd10. / html.

82. "Attempted Carjacking Victim Accidentally Shoots Self," KTBS (Shreveport, LA), April 2, 2008, http: //www.ktbs.corn/news/23330387/de tail. html. 83. "Resident Dies in Home Invasion Robbery;

93. Ty Young, "Break-in Suspect Is Shot," TheAr izona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), December 17, 2005, http: //www.azcentral.corn/community/chand ler/articles/1217cr-shoot17Z6.html. 94. Jennifer Brevorka, "Robbery Victim Shoots Suspect," Raleigh (NC) News and Observer,Decem ber 30, 2005, http: //www.newsobserver.corn/20

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05/12/30/95936/robbery-victim-shoots-suspect. html? storylink=mirelated. 95. "Morgan Man Shot by Father-in-law, Sheriff Says," Huntsville (AL) Times, December 22, 2005.
96. "Restaurant Owner Shoots, Kills Robber," WTNH.corn (New Haven, CT), September 27,2010, http://www.wtnh. corn/dpp/news/crime/dead ly-shooting-during-bridgeport-robbery-attempt. Initial reports did not disclose the name of the restaurant owner.

news/t/there-she-miss-intruders-nightmare/. 107. Emily Nipps and Marissa Lang, "Armed Din er Shoots Robbery Suspect outside St. Petersburg Applebee's," Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, FL), August 8, 2011, http: //www.tampabay.corn/ news/publicsafety/crime/armed-diner-shoots robbery-suspect-outside-st-petersburg-apple bees/1184869. 108. Carol Robinson, "Birmingham Teen Murder Suspect in Wrong Place, Mother Says," Birming ham (AL) News, December 5, 2008, http: //www. al.corn/birm i n gh amnews/stories/index.ssf?/ base/news/1228468552129940.xml8cco11=2. 109. "Employee Kills Would-be Robber in Forest Park," Columbus(GA) Ledger-Enquirer, December 17, 2008.
110. "Burglars Get into Gunfight with Business O wner," WSOCTV.corn (Charlotte, NC), N o vember 17, 2008, http: //www.wsoctv.corn/news/ 17997950/detail. html.

97. Ned Marcel, "Iowa Congressman and His Family Retell How They Fought off a Gun-Wield ing Robber," Washington Post,August 28, 2011, http: //www.washingtonpost.corn/politics/iowa congressman-and-his-family-retell-how-they fought-off-a-gun-wielding-robber/2011/08/18/ gIQAdb2klJ story. html. 98. "A Woman Home Alone With Her Two Chil dren in Morgan County's Coalfield Community Fired a Gun Three Times Friday Morning to Pro tect Herself and Her Family," WBIR.corn (Knox ville, TN), February 16, 2007. 9 9. "Man i n C r i t i cal C o n dition a f te r W i f e Shoots Him," Muskogee (OK) Phoenix, December 19, 2008, http: //muskogeephoenix.corn/local/x 2129016275/Man-in-critical-condition-after wife-shoots-him. 100. Alan Morrell, "Homeowner Foils Break-in; 3 Arrested," Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle, May 26, 2004. 1 01."Fla. Man Wrestles Gun from AT M R o b ber," Miami Herald, August 6, 2011, http: //www. miamiherald.corn/2011/08/06/2347983/fla man-wrestles-gun-from-atm.html.
102."Victim Shoots Suspect in Groin," WFTV. corn (Orlando, FL), December 15, 2008, http: // www.wftv.corn/news/18274856/detail. html. 103. "Port Charlotte Man Shoots Would-be Rob ber," Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune,October 26, 2009, http://www.heraldtribune.corn/article/20091026/ BREAKING/910269962?p=l8ctc=pg.

111. Richard Walker, "'Ain't Nobody Going to Run Me Over,'" Orangeburg(SC) Times and Dem ocrat, February 20, 2007, http://t hetandd.corn/ news/article da216dbb-2569-555c-863c-a20a 0734c6fO.html. 112.Kate Tillotson, "Teen Breaks into Neigh bor's House, Ends Up Shot," WRDW.corn (Au gusta, GA), April 26, 2007, http: //www.wrdw. corn/crimeteam12/headlines/7209111.html. 113. "Bystander Shoots Robber in Mall Parking Lot," WESH.corn (Orlando, FL), December 24, 2008, http: //www.wesh.corn/r/18353084/detail. hcml.
114. "Store Owner Shoots at Would-Be Robber," KOCO.corn (Oklahoma City, OK), November 20, 2008, http: //www.koco.corn/r/18029798/de cail.hcml.

115. Kelly Hines and David Schultz, "Intruder Killed in Burglary Attempt," Tulsa (OK) World, December 24, 2008, http: //www.tulsaworld.corn/ news/article.aspx? subjectid=118carticleid=2008 1224 11 Al A T u lsa289074. 116.Jim Doyle, "Homeowner Shoots 'Ninja' Who Attacked Wife," San Francisco Chronicle,February 27, 2006, http://articles.sfgate.corn/2006-02-27/ news/17282915 1 masked-attacker-man.
1 17. "Store Owner, Customer, Fight B ack i n Store Shootout,"Florence (SC) MorningNeusJan uary 24, 2007.

104. "Store Owner Shoots, Kills Would-be Rob ber," WSFA.corn (Knoxville, TN), December 29, 2005, http: //www.wsfacom/Global/story.asp? S=4 298319. 105. "Crook Caught after Losing Gun d u r ing Robbery," CBS4 (Tampa, FL), November 30, 2008. 106. "There She Is — Miss Intruder's Nightmare," MSNBC.corn, April 20, 2007, http: //www.ms nbc. msn.corn/i d / 1 8 2 3 7342/ n s/u s n e w s-weird

118. Dan Morse, "Montgomery Jeweler Dies be

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fore Being Able to Confront Robber at Sentenc ing," Washington Post,October 7, 2011, http: // www.washingtonpost.corn/todays paper/Metro /2011-10-10/B/1/28.1.2029983095 epaper.html. 119. "Victim Fights Back in Hamett Home Inva sion," WRAL.corn (Raleigh, NC), December 19, 2008, h t t ps://www.wral.corn/news/local/story/ 4169523/.

Today, January 21, 2004, http: //www.usatoday. corn/sports/football/ n f l / r avens/2004-01-21 fuller-robbery x.htm. 129. Cheryl Lasseter, "2007 Stabbing Victim Still Recovering," WLBT.corn Jackson, MS), March 5, 2008, http: //www.wlbt.corn/story/7971847/2007-st abbing-victim-still-recovering?clienttype=printable. 130. "Shootout Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Critically In jured," DelawareOnline.corn (Wilmington, DE), November 10, 2005. 1 31. David Kenney, "Teen Shot during H o m e Invasion," WLBT.corn (Jackson, MS), December 20, 2005, http: //www.wlbt.corn/story/4269593/ teen-shot-during-home-invasion? nav=2CSf& red
irected=true.

120.Erik Loney, "Dogs Attack Spokane Val ley Residents," KXLY (Spokane, WA), April 10, 2007. 121. Kay Quinn, "Rally's Shooting in St. Louis Leaves Three Wounded," KSDK (St. Louis, MO), June 28, 2010, http: //www.ksdk.corn/news/loc al/story.aspx?storyid=205201; Ann Rubin, "Ral ly's Shooting: Robbery Victim S peaks Out," KSDK (St. Louis, MO), June 29, 2010, http: // www.ksdk.corn/news/local/story.aspx? storyid
=205281&catid=3.

132."Clerk Shoots Would-be Robber," AL.corn (Birmingham, AL), September 30, 2006. 133. Aisha Khan, "Suspect Shot to Death during Apparent Home Burglary in Myrtle Beach," South Carolina Notv, December 12, 2008, http: //www2. scnow.corn/news/2008/dec/12/suspect shot t o death d u r i n g a p p a r en t h o m e b u r g l a r ar-443217/.
1 34. "Deputies Arrest Cambria M a n f o r A t tempted Burglary, Carjacking in Creston," San Luis Obispo (CA) Tribune, December 14, 2005.

122. Cristina Corbin, "Armed Beauty Queen Fa tally Shoots Intruder in Florida Home Invasion," FoxNews.corn, March 22 , 2 0 11, h t tp: //www. foxnews.corn/us/2011/03/22/armed-beauty queen-fatally-shoots-intruder-florida-home-in vasion/. 123. "Armed Home Invasion, Shooting Reported in Bayshore Gardens Section of Manatee Coun ty," NewsManatee.corn (Bradenton, FL), Decem ber 20, 2008, http: //www.newsmanateearchive. corn/2008-12-20-local.asp.
124. "Wal-Mart Shooting Was First under Con cealed Carry Permit," Associated Press, August 30, 2005, http://web.archive.org/web/200510290 11813/http: //www.freenewmexican.corn/news/ 31883.html.

135.Jim K i m berly, " C ops: W o uld-be V i ctim Shoots Armed Robber," Chicago Tribune,Decem ber 22, 2008, http: //archive.chicagobreakingne ws.corn/2008/12/cops-would-be-victim-shoots armed-robber. html. 136. Lori Caldwell, "Homeowner Shoots Bur glar," Merrillville (IN) Post-Tribune, February 13, 2007. 137. "Armed Homeowner Runs Off B u rglars," Florida Neu s Journal, December 13, 2008. 138."Concealed Carry Permit Comes in Handy for Woman i n F o r t S m i t h," 5newsonline.corn (Fort Smith, AL), December 17, 2008, http: // www.5newsonline.corn/kfsm-concealedcarryper mitcomes-9541680,0,6821620.story. 139."Robbery Gone Wrong; Suspect Shot Re peatedly by Store Employee," Beaumont (7X) Ex ami ner, June 25, 2007. 140. Christopher Eshleman, "Hiker Shoots, Kills Grizzly Bear in Denali National Park," Fairbanks (AK) Daily News-Miner, May 30, 2010, http: // www.newsminer.corn/view/full story/7750458/ article-Hiker-shoots--kills-grizzly-bear-in-Dena li-National-Park.

125.Jeff Tang, "McDonald's Worker Fired af ter Shooting at Robber Says He Was Protect ing Friend," WAVE3.corn (Louisville, KY), De cember 30,2005, http:/ /www.wave3.corn/story/ 4303038/mcdonalds-worker-fired-after-shoot ing-at-robber-says-he-was-protecting-friend? redirected=true. 126. "Sheriff: Baker County Homeowner Shoots Intruder Several Times," News4Jax.corn (Jack sonville, FL), December 29, 2005, http: //www. news4jax.corn/news/ 5710378/detail. html. 127. "Man Fatally Shot during Robbery Identi fied," dianapolis( In IN) Star,December 23, 2008, http: //gg4g.indy.corn/articles/crime-courts/thr ead/police-identify-man-shot-during-grocery robbery. 128."Fuller's Tallahassee Home Invaded," USA

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141. "Randolph County Man Charged with Mur der Has Bond Hearing," WBOY.corn (Clarksburg, WV), February 19, 2007; J. Turchetta, "Case Dis missed against Randolph County Man Charged in Fatal Shooting," State Journal, February 22, 2007, http: //www.statejournal.corn/story.cfm?f unc=viewstory&storyid=20441.
1 42. "Malvern Ma n H o l d s I n t r u der a t G u n point until Police Arrive," todaysthv.corn (Lit tle Rock, AR), December 17, 2008, http: //www. todaysthv.corn/news/local/ st ory.aspx? story
id=77382&catid=2.

bor's Rescue," WFTV.corn (Orlando, FL), Jan uary 5, 2007, http: //www.wftv.corn/news/1068 1671/detail. html? rss=orlc&psp=news. 152. Steve Zabroski, "Fatal Ending for Accused Stalker," Northwest Indiana Times (Munster, IN), November 14, 2007, http: //www.nwitimes.corn/ news/local/article bdc4952d-15bd-5da8-834d a0de2bld145c.html; Steve Zabroski, "No Charg es in Shooting of A ccused Stalker," Northwest Indiana Times (Munster, IN), January 10, 2008, http: //www.nwitimes.corn/news/local/article fe593494-d93a-5d57-9d2c-a61a5fff53e6.html. 153. "Turning the Tables on a Burglar," WKRG. corn (Mobile, AL), March 29, 2007, http: //www. w krg.corn/local/arti cle/t u r n in g t h e t a b l es on a burglar/3184/Nov-30-1999 1-00-am/. 154.Joleene Des Rosiers, "Neighbors React to Granby Home Invasion," News 10Now.corn (Syr acuse, NY), December 21, 2005.
155. "Texas Homeowner Grabs Robber's Gun, Kills Him," KWTX.corn (Waco, TX), November 3, 2008, http: //www.kwtx.corn/home/headlines/ 33756764.html.

143."Victim Holds Car Prowl Suspect at Gun point," KIROTV.corn (Seattle, WA), August 10, 2005, http: //www.kirotv.corn/news/4831564/de tail. html.

144. William Lamb, "Police Will Check Story in Shooting," St. Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch,February 9, 2006; Leah Thorsen, "No Firearms Charges against Woman, 87," St. Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch, May 23, 2006. 145. Nathan Max and Sarah Burge, "Clerk Dis mayed at Killing Robber," Riverside (CA) Press-En terprise, December 7, 2005, http: //www.pe.corn/ localnews/riverside/stories/PE News Local C rdead07.134fcf01.html.

156."Wounded Clerks' Boss Armed, 'Ready'," Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger, February 15, 2007.

157. "Burson Homeowner, Arnold Store Clerk 146.S. Brady Calhoun, "Woman Shoots Home Invader through A bdomen," No rthwest Florida Foil Separate Robbery Attempts," Amador Ledger Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, FL), December Dispatch Jackson, MS), December 1, 2008. 5, 2008, h t t p: //www.nwfdailynews.corn/news/ 158. Robert Morris, "Carrollton Woman Fatally andrews-13313-haven-lynn. html; Jon Miltimore, "Gulf Deputies Nab Suspect in L yn n H aven Shoots Armed Home Invader," Uptown Messenger Home Invasion," Panama City (FL) News-Herald, (New Orleans), April 6, 2011, http: //uptownmes senger.corn/2011/04/nopd-carrollton-woman December 7, 2008, http: //www.newsherald.corn/ fatally-shoots-armed-home-invader/. news/lynn-70190-deputies-nab.html.

1 47. Susan Hylton, "Burglary Charge Due i n Shooting," Tulsa (OK) World,November 4, 2008, http: //www.tulsaworld.corn/news/article.aspx ?articleID=20081104 78 Al l h T h e ho347984. 148. Brandi Cummings, "RCSD: Would-be Rob ber Shot by Liquor Store Owner," WISTV.corn (Columbia, SC), December 15, 2008, h t tp: // www.wistv.corn/Global/ st ory.asp? S=949916 2&nav=ORapdBst. 149."Man Shot in Struggle for Shotgun," Du rango (CO) Herald, December 17, 2005. 150. "Dupo H o m eowner T hwarts, H andcuffs Burglar," Belleciew (IL) News Democrat, Decem ber 13, 2008, http: //www.newsroom-sheriff.us/ 2008/12/dupo-homeowner-thwarts-handcuffs burglar. html. 151."Shotgun-Wielding Man Comes to Neigh

159. "Tech Students Get Their Guns Up to Stop Burglars," KLBK13.tv (Lubbock, TX), January 25, 2007. 160."Baltimore Police Blotter," Baltimore Sun, December 15, 2008, http: //articles.baltimoresun. corn/2008-12-15/news/0812140192 1 robbery block-baltimore/2. 161. "South Tulsa Homeowner Shoots, Critical ly Wounds Intruder," Newson6.corn (Tulsa, OK), January 17, 2 0 11, h t tp: //www.newson6.corn/ story/13843029/police-investigate-shooting outside-home-in-south-tulsa? redirected=true.

162. "Combs GetsHis M an," McAlester (OK) News Capital, January 16, 2004. 163. Henry Pierson Curtis, "Police: Victim Sur prised Would-be Robbers," Orlando (FL) Sentinel, December 15, 2005, http: //articles.orlandosen

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tinel.corn/2005-12-15/news/ARMEDCITIZEN 15 1 pistol-pugh-rob.
164. Tom Smith, "Men Shot in Break-in Attempt," Florence (AL) Times Daily, December 4, 2008, http: //www.timesdaily.corn/article/20081204/ARTI CLES/812040335.

175. "Feisty Floridian Fights off 5 Others," Flori da Today (Melbourne, FL), December 27, 2007. 176. "Would-be Robber Shot and Killed in Para mount," CBS2.corn (Los Angeles, CA), December 20, 2005. 177. "Robbery Suspect Killed b y S t ore Clerk Identified," WPBF (Palm Beach Gardens, FL), July 4, 2010, http: //www.wpbf corn/news/24141 350/detail. html; "Dead Robbery Suspect Linked to Another Crime," WPBF (Palm Beach Gar dens, FL), July 6, 2010, http: //www.wpbf.corn/ news/24160638/detail. html. 178. Sonny Turner, "Homeowner Held Thieves at Gunpoint until Officers Arrived," Athens (AL) News Courier, July 27, 2007, http: //enewscourier .corn/local/x1037408474/H o m eowner-held thieves-at-gunpoint-until-officers-arrived?key word=topstory.
179. Howard Altman, "St. Pete Storeowner Chas es, Shoots at Armed Robbers," Tampa Bay (FL) Online, December 7, 2008, http: //beta2.tbo.corn/ news/news/2008/dec/07/st-pete-storeowner chases-shoots-armed-robbers-ar-118724/.

165. Kye Parsons, "Police: Teen Fired Shotgun to Stop Attack on M o ther," WBOC News (Dover, DE), October 28, 2009, http: //www.wboc.corn/ story/11405492/police-teen-fired-shotgun-to stop-attack-on-mother? redirected=true. 166. Gary Nelson, "Palmetto Bay Shooting," CBS Miami, November 25, 2010, ht tp: //www.tacti cal-life.corn/online/news/ambushed-palmet to-bay-florida-man-tells-survival-story-with ccw/? right=related. 167. The homeowner was not identified in th e initial reports of the incident. "Armed Home owner Kills Suspected Burglar," CBS13 (Sacra mento, CA), November 8, 2008. 168.Matt Miller, "Armed Homeowner Foils In vasion," Harri sburg (PA) Patriot-News(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), May 31, 2008, http: //www.penn live.corn/midstate/index.ssf/2008/05/armed homeowner foils burglary. html. 169. Brandon Todd, "Homeowner Kills Teen Bur glary Suspect," MyFoxDFW.corn (Dallas, TX), May 26, 2011, http: //www.myfoxdfw.corn/dpp/ news/052611-homeowner-kills-teen-burglary suspect. 170."Toledo Man Shoots, Kills Burglar," Toledo (OH) Daily News Online,October 28, 2009, http: // tdn.corn/news/article 1 86c00d2-017d-57e7 9180-1cc078dba08c.html. 171.Andrew Ryan, "Clerk Shoots, Kills Masked Man during Worcester Holdup," Boston Globe,De cember 11, 2008, http: //www.boston.corn/news/ l ocal/breaking n ews/2008/12/clerk s h o o t s ki.html. 172.Jay Dow, "NJ Man Defends Home from Bur glars," WCBStv.corn (New York, NY), February 2, 2006.
173. Arena Welch, " 'M y F i r s t R eaction W a s, Boom! Wit h T h e P i stol' — Bryan Man Recalls How He Defended Himself, Friend," Bryan-Col lege Station Eagle (Bryan, TX), August 27, 2005, http: //209.189.226.235/stories/082705/local 20050827017.php.

180. Ben Winslow, "Burglary Goes Bad When Would-be Thief, Homeowner Trade Shots in Ogden," Desert News(Salt Lake City, UT), Decem ber 16, 2008, http: //www.deseretnews.corn/arti cle/705270955/Burglary-goes-bad-when-would be-thief-homeowner-trade-shots-in-Ogden. html. 181."Store Clerk Says He' ll Continue to Carry Gun," T h e W M URchannel.corn ( M a n chester, NH), December 29, 2005, ht tp: //www.wmur. corn/r/5715645/detail. html. 182. Brian Eckhouse, "Pit Bull K i lled by Wine Country Resident," North County Times(Teme cula,CA),July 31, 2007, http: //www.nctimes.corn/ news/local/article 94054b8f-41c6-5eal-a02b 52b88aac69e l.html.
183. Carol Robinson, "Center Point-Area Rob bery Foiled after Shots Exchanged," AL.corn (Birmingham, CA), October 21, 2009, http: // b log.al.corn/spotnews/2009/10/center poin t area robbery foil. html.

184. "Owner Defends Liquor Store, Kills Would Be Robber," NBC Washington, December 12, 2008. 185. State v. Dunns, No. A-1076-05T41076-05T4 (N J. Super. Ct. App. Div., May 18, 2007), http: // law.justia.corn/cases/new-jersey/appellate-di vision-unpublished/2007/a1076-05-opn.html; State v. Burden, No. A-1300-05T4 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div., May 18, 2007) http: //law justia.corn/

174."Packing a Pistol, Deputy D.A. Nabs Sus pect in H ome," The Oregonian (Portland, OR), December 27, 2005.

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cases/new-jersey/appellate-division-unpublish ed/2007/a1300-05-opn.html. 186. Gregg A a mo t a nd Ste v e K a r n owski, "Botched Raid Terrorizes Minn. Family," USA Today, December 18, 2007, http: //www.usatoday. corn/news/nation/2007-12-18-2186963868 x. htm; Norman Draper and Steve Brandt, "Botched Raid Costs Minneapolis $600,000," Minneapolis Star-Tribune, December 13, 2008, http: //www.star tribune.corn/local/minneapolis/36059839.html. 187. "Store Clerk Fires Shot at Would-be Rob ber," WYFF (Greenville, SC), November 12, 2008, http://www.wyff4.corn/r/17968751/detail. html.
188. "Blue Lake Man Chases, Catches Suspected Burglar," Times-Standard(Eureka, CA), March 28, 2008, http: //www.times-standard.corn/localnews /ci 8726024.

197. Andrew Moore, "Burglar Shot after Break ing i nt o W a l halla h o me," U p statetoday.corn (Seneca, SC), December 23, 2008. 198. "Liquor Store Owner Kills Man in Self De fense," Loca110.corn (Miami, FL),January 9, 2007, http://www.loca110.corn/news/10712476/detail. html.
199."Domestic Dispute Turns Deadly: Man At tacked Parents, Police Say," 4029TV.corn (Fort Smith, AZ), December 15, 2008, http: //www.40 29tv.corn/r/182 84111/detail. html.

200."Robbery Suspect Shot Dead, Alleged Ac complice Wounded," Huntsville (AL) Times,De cember 25, 2008, http: //blog.al.corn/breaking/ 2008/12/robbery suspect shot dead alle.html.
201."Woman Shoots Intruder in Leg," KGET. corn (Bakersfield, CA), August 17, 2005.

189. "Man Shot after Fighting Would-be Robber," Loca110.corn, November 17, 2008, http: //www.lo ca110.corn/news/17998187/detail. html; Joe Mc Hugh, "November 17,2008: Man Shotin Attempt ed Robbery," Coral Springs Police Department, November 17, 2008, http: //www.coralsprings.org /police/fullstory.cfm? articleid=14493. 190. "BurglarySuspect Shot, Hospitalized,"Savan nah (GA) Morning News,August 27, 2005, http: // savannahnow.corn/stories/082705/3251134. shtml. 191."Homeowner Says Adrenaline Made Him Shoot Intruder," KETV (Omaha, NE), January 26, 2007, http: //www.ketv.corn/r/10842357/de cail.hcml. 192."Virginia: Police Say Family Feud Leads to Arrest," Bristol (VA) Herald Courier, December 5, 2005.
193. "Gilbert Homeowner Shoots Intruder," East Valley Tribune (Tempe, AZ), December 9, 2008, http: //www.eastvalleytribune.corn/article 6ee55 fb0-346b-57dd-b614-d141526b73e3.html.

202. Megan Boehnke, "Jewelry St ore O w n er Thwarts Robbery, Shot in Face," Arizona Republic (Phoenix), December 23, 2008, http: //www.azcent ral.corn/community/chandler/articles/2008/12/ 23/20081223cr-robbery1223.html.
203. "Pizza Man Attacked, Shoots at Attempted Robbers," WFTV (Orlando, FL), December 8, 2008, http: //www.wftv.corn/news/18226648/de cail.hcml.

204."Store Clerk Shoots Suspect during Rob bery," KATV (Little Rock, AR), April 16, 2007. 205.Dave Jordan, "Pizza Delivery Driver D e fends Himself," WITN (Greenville, NC),June 17, 2008, http: //www.witn.corn/home/headlines/20 142424.html.
2 06."Mesa Resident Cu ffs I n t r u der a t F r o n t Door," East Valley Tribune(Tempe, AZ), January 30, 2004, http: //www.eastvalleytribune.corn/art icle 597700bd-bbcd-5d20-84b8-2dd85f01de08. html.

194. Aaron Drawhorn, "Man Thwarts Robbery by Shooting at Suspect," 8newsnow.corn (Las Vegas, NV), January 18, 2011, http: //www.8newsnow. corn/story/13865042/man-thwarts-robbery-by shooting-at-suspect. 195. Greg Reeves, "KC homicide 4127: Self-de fense?" Kansas (Mo) City Star, December 30, 2005. 196. Rich Van Wyk, "Suspect Shot, Killed during Attempted Robbery," WTHR.corn (Indianapo lis, IN), October 2, 2006, http: //www.wthr.corn/ story/5465061/suspect-shot-killed-during-at tempted-robbery? redirected=true.

2 07. Matt B l i ckenstaff, " O k l ahoma W o m an Shoots Intruder 'Graveyard Dead,'" RiverPont Times (St. Louis, MO), December 10, 2009, http: //blogs.riverfronttimes.corn/dailyrft/2009/12/ oklahoma woman shoots in t r uder graveyard

dead. php.
208. "Brookline Man Charged after Failed Rob bery Attempt," Associated Press, December 10, 2005, http: //web.archive.org/web/200609141830 30/http: //www.wcax.corn/Global/story.asp? S=42 274748cnav=4QcS.
209. Penny Moore, "Intruder Shot t o D e a th," 10TV.corn (Columbus, OH), December 20, 2005,

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http: //web.archive.org/web/20060118223602/ http: //www.10tv.corn/Global/story.asp? s=4300416. 210. "Federal Way Man Dies after Wife Shoots in Self-Defense," Federal Way (WA) Mirror, December 14, 2008, http: //www.pnwlocalnews.corn/south king/fwm/news/36126434.html. 211. "Hillsborough Man Kills Armed Intruder," Durham (NC) Herald-Sun, February 22, 2005. 212.Simone Weichselbaum and D ave Davies, "PGW Worker Shoots Teen Robber," Philadelphia Daily News, December 24, 2005. 213. "Domestic Dispute Ends in a Deadly Shoot ingg," Houston Chronicle,December 20, 2008, http: // www.chron.corn/disp/story.mpl/front/6175031. html. 214. Chris Brennan, "Urban Warrior/Police As surances on His Gear Are Music to DJ's Ears," Philadelphia Daily News,April 2, 2007.
2 15. Henry Pierson Cu rtis, " O coee Man, 9 1 , Shoots at, Repels Home Invaders Who Threat ened Hi s Wife," Orlando (FL) Sentinel, December 25, 2008, http: //articles.orlandosentinel.corn/2008 12-25/news/hero25 1 j o hnson-home-invaders berlie.

2 22. Shawntaye H o p k ins, " L e xington M a n Shoots, Kills Intruder," Lexington (KY) Herald Leader, December 18, 2008, http: //www.kentucky. corn/2008/12/19/630911/lexington-man-shoots -kills-intruder. html. 223. Taylor Kearns, "Newberry Police: One Dead, Four Charged in Apparent Robbery Attempt," WISTV (Columbus, OH), December 15, 2008, http: //www.wistv.corn/global/story.asp? s=9524085. 224.Michele Canty, "Two Men Shot in York," York (PA) Daily Record, September 27, 2005. 225.Alicia P. Q. Wittmeyer, "Beach Pizza Shop Owner Fatally Shoots Robber, Police Say," Nor folk Virginian-Pilot, June 30, 2008, http: //hamp tonroads.corn/2008/06/beach-pizza-shop-em ployee-fatall y-shoots-robber-police-say. 226. "Burglary Suspect Dead, Shot by Business Owner," Daily Journal (Tu pelo, MS), November 27, 2008, http: //web.archive.org/web/200901141836 40/http: //www.djournal.corn/pages/archive.asp ID=282618. 227. Lise Fisher, "Store Clerk Shoots Would-be Robber," Gainesville (FL) Sun,November 10, 2008, http: //www.gainesville.corn/article/20081110/ news/811101001. 228. "Victim Turns Tables on Burglar," Clarksville (TN) Leaf Chronicle, June 28, 2007.
229."Store Owner Shoots Suspected Robbers," WSOCTV.corn (Charlotte, NC), D ecember 6, 2008, http: //www.wsoctv.corn/news/18220267/ detail. html.

216. "Police: Man Pulls Gun during Knife Fight, Faces No Charges," WBIR (Knoxville, TN), Febru ary 15, 2010, http: //www.wbir.corn/news/local/ story.aspx? storyid= 113329. 217. "Homeowner Shoots and K i ll s B u rglar," NBC Philadelphia, November 21, 2008, http: // w ww.nbcphiladelphia.corn/news/local/Ho m e owner-Shoots-and-Kills-Burglar. html. 218. Ashley Davidson, "Store Owner Catches Al leged Thief," WKYT (Lexington, KY), February 11, 2007, http: //www.wkyt.corn/home/headlines/574 7331.html.
219."Another Homeowner Shoots, Kills Armed Would-be Robber," AZ Family (Phoenix), June 5, 2008, http: //web.archive.org/web/200812041326 56/h t tp://www. azfamily. corn/news/local/s to ries/phoenix local news 060508 homeowner shoots-suspect.c2c6c3.html.

230. Chelsea Phua, "Woman Shoots Thief, Sac ramento Police Say," Sacramento (CA) Bee, De cember 4, 2008, http://bl ogs.sacbee.corn/crime/ archives/2008/12/woman-shoots-th.html. 231. "Dog Walker Kills Armed Teen Robber, Po lice Say," MyFoxDFW.corn (Dallas, TX), Decem ber 18, 2008.
232. "Man Fires Shots at I n t r u d ers, Thwarts Home Robbery," 10tv.corn (Columbus, OH), De cember 11, 2008, http: //www.10tv.corn/live/con tent/local/stories/2008/12/11/story breakin
shooting. html? type=rss8tcat=8tsid=1028ttitie=Ma

220.John Anderson, "Man Kills Alleged Intrud er," The Baxter Bulletin (Mountain Ho me, AK), February 2, 2007, http: //web.archive.org/web/20 070202194923/ht tp: //www.baxterbulletinon line.corn/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070130/ NEWS01/701300340. 221. "Homeowner Halts Burglary with Shotgun Blast," KTUL (Tulsa, OK), November 12, 2008.

n+ FireSh ts A I r e % + w t H e s o + t+ nt ud rs 2C Th ar s+ om +
+Robbery. 233. Danny Valentine, "Largo P olice: Cabbie Shoots 19-Year-Old Man i n S e lf-Defense," St. Petersburg (FL) Times, May 1, 2011, http: //www. tampabay.corn/news/publicsafety/crime/largo police-cabbie-shoots-19-year-old-man-in-self-de fense/1167189.

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234."Would-be Robber's Death Justified, Police Say," WKRN.corn (Nashville, TN), December 1, 2008, http: //www.wkrn.corn/story/94380

83 w o u l d-be-robbers-death-justified-police-say?cl ie n t t ype=generic&mobilecgbypass.

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