From: [c r philli] at [hound.edaca.ingr.com] (Ron Phillips) Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns Subject: Armed Citizen - Jan. '94 Date: 12 Jan 1994 16:27:05 GMT THE ARMED CITIZEN +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Studies indicate that firearms are used over 1 million times a year for personal protection, and that presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life or limb, or, in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, Va. 22030. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ================================================================= San Francisco bus driver Hal Womack professes to be a peaceful man, but he started carrying a pistol after a 1982 attack left him with permanent eye injuries. Womack had to use the gun when he was again attacked after trying to put two profane men off the bus. Womack stepped off the bus after his attacker fled, but the man returned and threatened him again, prompting Womack to pull his gun and fire twice, wounding the man in the leg. (The Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA 10/30/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Christopher Clouse is a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, insurance agent who obviously believes that a pistol also constitutes a good policy. After talking with Clouse, a "customer" in the agency pulled a pistol and demanded money. Clouse got cash from the office, but also got his gun. After a brief struggle, Clouse shot the robber, putting him to flight. He was arrested later at a hospital where he had gone for treatment. (The Herald, Miami, FL, 10/30/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Robert Gehl was asleep in his Curtis Park, California, home, when two armed men forced their way inside. Awakened and alerted by the panic in his wife's voice, Gehl got a .357 Mag. revolver. When one intruder, with Gehl's wife in tow, burst through the bedroom door, Gehl ordered his wife to duck and fired twice, killing the man. The accomplice fled. (The Union, Sacramento, CA 09/24/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Lamar Williams was working in the office of the Cleveland restaurant he co-owns when two armed teenagers broke in. When Williams walked out of the office, one of the thugs shot him in the arm, but Williams was able to pull his own gun and return fire. The two criminals fled, but police picked up two wounded suspects at a local hospital. (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH, 09/18/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Abdel Ahmad moved to the United States to escape warfare in the Middle East, only to find himself at the front in the crime war in Phoenix. Held up at gunpoint, Ahmad "went a little crazy" and decided the robber wasn't going to escape. He grabbed his own gun, gave chase and after a shoot-out in which neither was hurt, held the crook at gunpoint for police, who affirmed Ahmad's actions. (The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ, 10/22/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Awakened early one morning by his security system, Charles Tanner of Phoenix expected a cat to be the culprit, but took his .45 Colt just in case. Tanner opened his front door and found a man in his driveway. The man charged the homeowner and slammed through the screen door, prompting Tanner to fire four times, killing the intruder. "We had lots of firearms training. It all came back to me," said the former reserve county sheriff's deputy. (The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ, 11/06/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Baltimore, Maryland, stockbroker John Slaughter was ready when a man broke into his home early one morning. Alerted by the sound of shattering glass downstairs, Slaughter got his shotgun and waited upstairs. Slaughter fired a fatal blast when the man came up the stairs and charged. Police, saying Slaughter acted in self-defense, expected no more charges. He had lost more than $5,000 in property during a burglary of his home earlier this year. (The Sun, Baltimore, MD, 09/21/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Joe Carter was driving down a Hillsborough County street near St. Petersburg, Florida, one evening when a man jumped out and blocked his way. The man and two accomplices began pounding on and rocking Carter's truck, prompting Carter to draw his pistol and warn the trio away. When they didn't take the hint, Carter rolled the window down and fired a shot, wounding one man. Carter alerted police, who arrested a wounded suspect. (The Times, St. Petersburg, FL, 10/05/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Crime doesn't pay, even when you're married to your partner, a Washington, North Carolina, couple found out. Robert Griffin woke up early one morning to a commotion in his yard. When he looked outside, he saw the couple loading his lounge chairs into their van. Griffin armed himself and held the married perpetrators at gunpoint until police arrived. (The Daily News, Washington, NC, 10/22/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Aaron Smith was waiting outside the Crystal Springs, Mississippi, convenience store where his wife works when he heard her scream. He started inside, where a man was rifling the till and holding a gun to his wife's chest, but retreated when the gunman pointed the pistol at him. Smith grabbed a 12-ga. shotgun from his car, and when the crook exited the store, ordered him to stop. Instead of complying, the man raised his gun, and Smith killed him. (The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS, 10/18/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= Sue Atkins of Durham, North Carolina, appeared in this column in February 1993 after shooting a man who tried to rob her Western Union office/fish store. Atkins didn't need to shoot the man who attempted to rob the store this time--her fifth encounter encounter with criminals--but she did chase him out. The man entered, asking about fish, but then threatened to kill Atkins. She pulled her handgun and chased the man, but lost him. Police promptly arrested a suspect. "I will fight back, and I will continue to fight back," said Atkins. (The Morning Star, Wilmington, NC, 10/06/93) ================================================================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================================================================= A female clerk at a Stamford, Connecticut, area store noticed a man stuffing two videos into his pants before coming to the counter to pay for a magazine. When confronted, the man denied having the videos, so the clerk reached over the counter and grabbed them. When the "customer" threatened her, saying, "you're sorry, you're dead," the clerk pulled a pistol and ordered him from the store. Police caught up with the would-be shoplifter a few blocks aways, and noted that the clerk had a permit for the gun. (The Advocate, Stamford, CT, 10/25/93) ================================================================= -- ************************************************************** * Ron Phillips [c r philli] at [hound.edaca.ingr.com] * * Senior Customer Applications Engineer * * Intergraph Electronics * * 381 East Evelyn Avenue VOICE: (415) 691-6473 * * Mountain View, CA 94041 FAX: (415) 691-0350 * **************************************************************