Concealed Carry & Home Defense

The Armed Citizen: Proof Guns Save Lives

Mike Piccione Editor, Guns & Gear
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By The NRA

A Michigan man was at home watching television with his family when an intruder ripped open the house’s storm door, began beating on the inner door and demanded entry. Homeowner Mark Goodman retrieved his personal firearm and held it up to the window. The intruder fled immediately, “like he had seen a ghost,” according to Goodman. (Macomb Daily Paper, Macomb County, Mich., 4/29/12)

Miguel Lopez Hernandez, 25, and an armed accomplice entered Kelly Jewelers. The accomplice produced his handgun, ordered the store manager to get on the floor, then tossed a roll of duct tape to Hernandez. The manager, however, was quickly able to retrieve his own handgun. The armed assailant dashed out the door upon seeing the firearm, leaving Hernandez armed only with the roll of duct tape. Hernandez was arrested and is under investigation for aggravated robbery; his accomplice remains at large. (KSL 5 News, Midvale, UT, 3/10/12)

A 14-year-old girl was in her bedroom when she heard someone else in the house. She left her bedroom and went to the kitchen where she discovered a naked man stealing a bottle of rum. The girl ran to take refuge in her bedroom and listened as the man, 47-year-old Kennan Kluesener, made a phone call before leaving the house. A neighbor saw Kluesener in the front yard of the home and retrieved his gun. He was then able to detain Kluesener at gunpoint until police arrived. (Naples Daily News, Naples, FL, 2/23/12)

Four armed intruders began to kick down the door of a two-story apartment, so the three inhabitants locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom and exited onto the balcony where they had no escape. One of the occupants grabbed a rifle kept in the bedroom. One of the home invaders, dressed in camouflage with a black cloth covering his face, managed to kick open the bedroom door. The occupant raised the rifle and shot one round at the intruder, causing the home invaders to flee. Derrick Timmons, 20, was pronounced dead when his body was later found. The other offenders are still being sought by police. (The Courier Herald, Dublin, GA, 3/15/12)

Dale Vigliarolo and his wife were walking into Holiday Market when they spotted 43-year-old David Shuten in the parking lot wielding a large hunting knife. After a failed attempt to break into a vehicle, Shuten turned his attention to a nearby couple with an infant child. As Shuten approached the family, Vigliarolo drew his .38 Special and demanded he drop his weapon. Shuten dropped the knife and sat on the ground until police arrived. He was then transported to a nearby hospital for psychiatric evaluation. (Royal Oak Review, Royal Oak, MI, 3/14/12)

People fled in terror when a gunman entered a medical building and took several people hostage. A doctor at the practice, Jeff Ferguson, retrieved his gun and guarded an exit allowing an estimated 50 people to escape down a stairwell, warning them, “If this guy opens this door, I’m going to have to shoot him.”  Ferguson said after the ordeal, “I was absolutely prepared to shoot him, yes.” Despite negotiators’ best efforts to get 28-year-old Dominic Oliver to surrender peacefully, he was later shot during a confrontation with police. He died at a local hospital hours later. (FOX News, Colorado Springs, CO, 2/28/12)

Armando Martinez Jr., 31, trekked through the snow-covered neighborhood, checking as many as 20 homes for unlocked doors. He was finally able to disable a child lock on the back door of a home before entering and helping himself to a change of dry clothes and a snack. He then made his way upstairs to the master bedroom where he awakened the sleeping homeowners. He told the couple he had a gun and threatened them. He demanded they retrieve their wallets and keys and drive him to the nearest ATM. One homeowner went to the closet under false pretenses; he claimed to be getting his wallet and clothes so that they could leave. Instead, he produced a 9 mm handgun and shot Martinez in the chest. The homeowners were uninjured. (Deseret News, Springville, UT, 3/01/12)

When a resident returned home one evening, he was confronted in his driveway by a man with a gun. The victim was ordered inside the residence where his family was being held hostage. Once inside, the victim was shot in the back. Wounded, he still managed to get a firearm and return fire. The alleged assailant fled on foot and was later located at a nearby residence. Both men were taken to the hospital for treatment and the victim’s family was reportedly unharmed. (The Jeffersonian, Cambridge, OH, 2/29/2012)

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Mike Piccione