ARMED CITIZEN – OCTOBER 2025
Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts.
WalMart Mass Stabbing Foiled
On July 26, a homeless man in Traverse City, Mich., allegedly began attacking customers in a Walmart with no provocation. The man was reportedly armed with a folding knife and managed to quickly injure 11 people, some of whom were in their 70s and 80s, before a group of customers contained the assailant. A bystander’s video shows one of the customers, a retired U.S. Marine, drawing his gun and forcing the alleged assailant to drop his knife. The armed citizen then held the suspect at gunpoint until the police could respond. The hero later told reporters that he chose to try to de-escalate: “I didn’t think of anything other than trying to get him away from people and get him isolated and get him to put the knife down.” He also noted the bravery of the other men confronting the suspect, stating “the only thing that separated me from the other gentlemen … was what I was carrying.” The homeless man was being sought by law enforcement just before this event, though authorities did not specify why a warrant had been issued for his arrest. Additionally, he had previously been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial for grave-robbing charges and was instead committed to a psychiatric facility in 2016. The man now faces 11 counts of assault with intent to murder and one charge of terrorism. (abcnews.com, New York, N.Y., 7/28/25 and 7/29/25)
Authorities were searching for Walmart stabbing suspect prior to incident
Armed bystander who helped confront Walmart stabbing suspect speaks out
Road Rage Defense
During the early morning hours of July 6, a man driving an Audi overtook a man driving a Prius and forced him off the road in Allentown, Pa. The Audi driver then exited his vehicle and began striking the Prius driver’s door with a metal baseball bat. The Prius driver was a licensed carrier and defended himself by shooting the assailant in the torso. The victim then drove a few blocks away and called police, and the suspect was pronounced dead a short time later. The incident was fortunately caught on security video, and the district attorney ruled the incident a self-defense case with no charges filed against the armed citizen. The Allentown mayor told reporters it was a “senseless” case and claimed it was a product of people “having too easy access to guns.” Reports did not indicate his opinion on the accessibility of metal baseball bats. (6abc.com, Philadelphia, Pa., 7/7/25 and 7/23/25)
Man killed in Allentown road rage shooting is believed to be the aggressor, investigators say
Allentown road rage shooting determined to be self-defense, no charges to be filed
https://6abc.com/post/allentown-road-rage-shooting-determined-defense-no-charges-filed/17259858/
https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/content/the-armed-citizen-september-26-2025/
AI gets it wrong again
Grizzly Bear Attack
The grizzlies in Montana seem increasingly disgruntled. In the fifth such incident for the state, a man in Great Falls heard a disturbance with his chickens on the night of July 10 and left his residence to check on them. A grizzly bear was getting into the chicken coop, and reportedly charged the man, who shot it dead. Of the five reported incidents in Montana since April, this is the third involving a grizzly on someone’s property. (krtv.com, Great Falls, Mont., 7/17/25)
Grizzly bear shot after charging a man in Montana
https://www.krtv.com/news/montana-and-regional-news/grizzly-bear-shot-after-charging-a-man-in-montana
Warning Shot Foils Smash and Grab Robbery Attempt
On July 17, a mob of thieves attempted to rob a jewelry story in Anaheim, Calif. Security video shows about 20 people, several of them armed with pickaxes and sledgehammers, exiting four or five cars in the parking lot. They began smashing the store’s door, but the employees armed themselves, and the store owner fired a shot at one of the vandals, causing all of them to flee. The same store reportedly had been previously targeted as well, but the robbers were unable to get in, and another jewelry store nearby had been robbed after a vehicle was crashed through the storefront. The store owner bewilderingly attributed the robbery attempts to hunger. (foxla.com, Los Angeles, Calif., 7/20/25)
Anaheim jewelry store owner scares off mob of thieves by firing warning shot
https://www.foxla.com/news/anaheim-jewelry-store-owner-shoots-mob-thieves
Home Invasion by Multiple Intruders
On July 25, several armed men in masks broke into a home in Fort Worth, Texas, around 3 a.m. The resident shot at the intruders and then escaped through a window and called 911. Responding police found a wounded suspect one block away and transported him to the hospital. They indicated they believed the home invasion to be random, but the investigation was ongoing, and they were still seeking two other suspects. (wfaa.com, Dallas, Texas, 7/25/25)
Fort Worth man shoots home invasion suspect, escapes through a window, police say
Home Invasion by Intoxicated Agitated Neighbor
A man was inside his home around 3 p.m. on July 27 in Forney, Texas, when an intoxicated neighbor approached the home “in an agitated state.” Several people tried to stop the man, but he reportedly forced his way through a glass door and began assaulting the homeowner. The homeowner, however, was armed and defended himself by shooting the suspect once in the stomach and once in the chest. The homeowner suffered minor injuries from the attack; the suspect was airlifted to a hospital and faces first-degree felony charges upon recovery. The investigation was ongoing at the time of reporting. (cbsnews.com, Fort Worth, Texas, 7/29/25)
Police say “ongoing neighbor dispute” led shooting of suspect in Forney
https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/content/the-armed-citizen-september-26-2025/
OCTOBER 2025 SHOOTINGILLUSTRATED.COM
Man Shot by Deputy after Calling 911
#NegativeOutcome
After a Defensive Gun Use, don’t have your gun in hand when the POlice arrive.
[After the man called 911 saying he had killed someone,] The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the man’s home in the 4300 block of Central Avenue in Camarillo around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 31. The 79-year-old man was allegedly armed with a gun and the dispatcher, who was still on the line, had asked the elderly man to step out of the house.
The man was allegedly still armed and behaved in a ‘threatening matter,’ prompting one of the deputies to shoot him, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Most likely after a Defensive Gun Use, a person is going to be very excited. Plan ahead of time to put your gun down before exposing yourself to the POlice. In my first class with John Farnam, he advised us to say “You might want to look over there” and point to your gun that’s in a recognizable place. Probably best for it to be unloaded to preclude the possibility of an Unintentional Discharge.
This type of incident falls into the Negative Outcome category of Undesirable Police Involvement. https://store.payloadz.com/go/?id=2617872
I had a different idea for #fridayfundamentals today but not getting shot is definitely fundamental.
If you are interested in more in-depth commentary about shooting and Personal Protection incident analysis, please consider subscribing to my Patreon page. https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
My Favorite Pressure Testing Drill
This is an old post of mine on Facebook from 2013. It was reposted today by my friends Phil Wong and Rob Reed. My thanks to them for resurrecting it. The post follows:
The concept of livefire pressure testing one’s shooting skills came up on a forum. This was my contribution.
My favorite drill is simple to set up but complex to administer. It requires comfort with an execution matrix to do correctly.
Conceptually, it’s best done with a group of about 2 dozen people or less. I’ve done it with 3 dozen, but it’s a lot of work.
It’s called ‘Everyone shoots against everyone.’ Using an execution matrix, I have every student shoot a short bout against every other student. Not consecutively, though. It’s not a mystery, I just run down the matrix and pair up names.
Logistically, all that’s required is two pepper poppers and two shoot boxes. The shooting is static. The drill is simple. Two shooters, two poppers, one signal. First to drive his/her popper down is the winner.
Where it gets difficult for the shooters is ramping their focus up and down over the course of an hour or so. Shooters do a lot of standing around and then get quickly called to shoot while the poppers are being reset. I do that timing deliberately.
When I did this for a large police department’s firearms instructors several years ago, their lead firearms instructor was the hands down favorite to win because he was easily the best shot in the department. However, that turned out not to be the case. He became complacent after awhile. The guys that had to shoot against him were jacked up every time. There ended up being no clear cut winner. The guys at the top of the winning curve were all reasonably proficient but not equal to him. Not surprisingly to me, the dedicated point shooters ended up at the bottom of the curve. One even told me he had decided to re-evaluate his philosophy because he got beaten so consistently.
At the end I commented that the amount of time they had to prepare for each bout after being called was similar to the amount of time they had from when they turned on their lights for a ‘routine traffic stop’ until they exited their patrol cars. Some of them do dozens of stops each day because they work traffic on the Interstate.
The psychology of approaching combat is as important as skill. Complacency, among other things, kills. After two years at Rogers, how students dealt with the problem mentally became far more interesting to me than the technique.
One of the difficulties of the Rogers Testing Program is that it requires students to take turns loading magazines, watching/evaluating someone else, and then standing and delivering. It goes on for over an hour, which is psychologically nerve racking. This evening, I was watching some footage of a huge firefight in Afghanistan and was struck at how similar the pacing was to the Testing Program at the School.
Close Quarters Handgun Training
My latest Shooting Illustrated article is posted.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/close-quarters-handgun-training/
The topic is the ‘Close Quarters Handgun’ class I attended last month. It was taught by Chuck Haggard of Agile Training https://agiletactical.com/ and hosted by The Complete Combatant https://www.thecompletecombatant.com/.
Fair disclaimers up front: Chuck, Shelley, and Brian are all dear friends of mine and I didn’t pay for the class; in fact, Chuck picked up my range fee. Furthermore, I shot the class with the HK CC9 https://hk-usa.com/cc9/ that HK gave me. Chuck called it my “stubby gun,” which it is. Almost everybody else was shooting full size service pistols, most with Red Dot Sights. That said, nobody is paying me for my comments.
If you are interested in more in-depth commentary about shooting and Personal Protection incident analysis, please consider subscribing to my Patreon page. https://www.patreon.com/c/TacticalProfessor
Fraternity Picnic Shooting
A précis of the incident:
- Fraternity holds picnic at an Atlanta park
- Uninvited intruder wearing ski mask crashes picnic and starts a confrontation
- Fraternity members try to de-escalate the situation
- Masked intruder pulls out a gun and starts shooting
- A fraternity Brother is shot in the head and dies on scene
- Other fraternity Brothers, who have Weapons Carry Licenses, are armed
- They draw their guns and shoot the masked intruder
- Intruder is neutralized with bullets and later expires in hospital
Sad that carrying a pistol has become a necessity even at a pleasant fellowship event but I’m glad the Brothers had theirs. It could have been much worse. There are a lot of emboldened wackos wandering around. The report indicated that the intruder had been walking down the sidewalk next to the park and just decided to make trouble for an unknown reason.
RIP Mr. Pearson.
ARMED CITIZEN – JUNE 2025
Visualization is a powerful tool for survival. Here are some real life incidents from the Official NRA Journals as food for thought.
In Chicago, a 66-year-old man was walking his dog around 6 a.m. on April 8 when he saw two men tapping something on the glass of a vehicle. He later told reporters that initially he thought it was a cellphone but then realized it was a gun pointed at the person inside the vehicle. One of the two men called out to him to “get the […] out of here before I shoot you,” but before he could comply, they fired shots at him. Thankfully, the man had his own firearm and returned fire. The men continued shooting toward him, but soon got into a waiting car and fled. The legally armed citizen suffered one superficial gunshot wound through his leg but was quickly treated and released. “It’s getting rough in Chicago,” the defender said. “And, Mayor Johnson, you ain’t got enough police force.” (abc7chicago.com, Chicago, Ill., 4/8/25)
https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/content/the-armed-citizen-may-30-2025/
In Tulsa, Okla., a man was working on a car in his driveway on March 24 when a homeless man with a baseball bat approached. The homeowner knew the man approaching and had sometimes bought him meals. The homeless man, however, said he was going to teach the homeowner a lesson and suddenly struck him in the face, breaking the bat in two. The homeowner defended himself by shooting the man twice. He then tried to help the assailant, but the man died of his wounds. Police allowed the armed citizen to return home after reviewing security camera footage. (newson6.com, Tulsa, Okla., 3/26/25)
A man in Hardeeville, S.C., attempted a string of armed assaults the night of March 23. Police received a call about the man attempting to carjack a food-delivery driver, but, as they responded to that call, they heard gunshots nearby. The man who’d attempted the carjacking had reportedly fired several shots near a motel, but police weren’t sure if he was targeting anyone in that incident. The suspect then attempted another carjacking outside another motel, firing at the driver once, but this driver was armed and returned fire, striking the assailant at least three times and killing him. The investigation revealed the carjacker had also been encountered trespassing and also in a drug-related investigation in the days leading up to the armed assaults, but his behavior had not been violent in those incidents. Police indicated this investigation remained open, but they believed the armed citizen had acted in self-defense. (islandpacket.com, Hilton Head, S.C., 3/26/25)
https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article303168656.html
https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/content/the-armed-citizen-may-30-2025/
A man in Philadelphia broke into a home around 1:30 a.m. on March 27 and was shot in the chest and killed by the 70-year-old homeowner. Police indicated the investigation was ongoing, but they believed it to be an attempted burglary and lawful self-defense situation. (nbcphiladelphia.com, Philadelphia, Pa., 3/27/25)
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/suspect-arrested-man-killed-point-breeze/4144722/
Several people allegedly forced their way into a home in Los Banos, Calif., around 2 a.m. on March 28. The homeowner heard a commotion and discovered the armed intruders. He ran to get his own firearm, whereupon the suspects and homeowner shot at each other (details are vague in reports). The suspects fled, with some leaving in an unknown vehicle, but two suspects with gunshot wounds were later found and taken to the hospital for treatment. The investigation remains open. (kmph.com, Fresno, Calif., 3/28/25)
https://kmph.com/news/local/homeowner-shoots-two-after-home-invasion
In San Antonio, a 47-year-old man entered a shop on the afternoon of April 1 and confronted an employee because he was dissatisfied with the electronics repair service performed on his phone. The unhappy customer then produced a firearm and shot the 35-yearold clerk. Another employee saw the altercation and attempted to defend the clerk and other employees by shooting and killing the assailant. No other injuries were reported, and the armed citizen is not facing charges. Police told reporters “[The] suspect was actively shooting somebody in the store, so that employee stepped up and took care of that. [He] neutralized the threat.” (ksat.com and foxsanantonio.com, San Antonio, Texas, 4/1/25)
Two people allegedly broke into a home in Chino Hills, Calif., through a glass door on a second-floor balcony around 8:30 p.m. on April 2. A homeowner fired at them, causing them to flee. It was unclear whether either of the suspects were struck. Police were unable to locate them and no arrests were made. (ktla.com, Los Angeles, Calif., 4/3/25)
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/homeowner-fires-at-suspect/
A 40-year-old man in Jackson, Mich., fired one shot at a 47-year-old man who was coming up his stairs after breaking a basement window just before 6 a.m. on April 7, striking the alleged intruder in the neck. The suspect was taken to the hospital in critical condition and reportedly admitted breaking in, thinking no one was in the home. (mlive.com, Grand Rapids, Mich., 4/7/25)
https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2025/04/man-shot-in-neck-while-breaking-into-jackson-home.html
Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts.
For bonus features, visit “The Armed Citizen Blog” at americanrifleman.org. Share this column online at nrapublications.org.
Negative Outcome – Chasing and Shooting
“Constable Deputies have an adult male suspect in custody following a shooting in the 5400 block of Monteith Drive.
Investigation revealed that the male observed an unknown male breaking into his vehicle and discharged his firearm, causing no injuries.
The unknown male fled the scene and the vehicle owner chased after him for almost a block. Once he caught up to him he discharged his firearm multiple times, striking the male in the torso.”
I find the fact that the shooter was in camo interesting. Purely speculation on my part but if he was waiting in ambush for the car thief it will make the situation even worse.
It’s very galling to have someone steal your property but spending time in prison for reacting to the theft is even worse. Every situation we face has at least two alternatives; sometimes we have to pick the one that’s least worst.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – November 2024
This month we have a Good story of thwarting a gun grab, a Bad story about muzzle direction, and awareness, and an Ugly story about stupidity.
Since November is the month of Veterans’ Day, the musical selection is “La Storia di un Soldalto” (The Story of a Soldier).
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-117021444
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY – NOVEMBER 2024
The Good
DA: Aurora convenience store guard shot gunman in self defense
The video of this incident is quite dramatic and demonstrates that Open Carry is not a deterrence to assault and theft. The criminal deliberately targeted the guard to get his gun. Fortunately, the guard gave the criminal a bullet instead of the gun in the struggle that followed the grab attempt.
The Bad
A DRAMATIC video shows a referee firing a gun at a competitor at point-blank range and hitting him in the bum [i.e., ass] after allegedly not putting the safety on.
“Muzzle direction is the primary safety; always has been, always will be.” –Bill Rogers
The Ugly
McAlester Football Coach Forrest Mazey was charged Friday for a July incident involving a handgun at a cabin in McCurtain County.
Aiming firearms, loaded or not, at other people to scare them is not funny in the least. It’s stupid and ugly.
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the November edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – October 2024
Whoops! I just realized that I had not posted the unlocked version of October’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
This month we have a Good story of taking care of oneself, a Bad story about failed parenting, and another Ugly story in which the authorities failed to protect someone they could and should have.
The musical selection for October is Metallica’s cover of The Ecstasy of Gold. Metal covers of songs from Westerns are rare and this is exceptionally good.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-115130383
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY – OCTOBER 2024
The Good
A Hubert woman who fatally shot her ex-boyfriend in self-defense earlier this month will not face charges, according to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office
“the woman fired five shots from a .380 caliber handgun. He was struck by all five shots.”
The Bad
Baby shot and killed by toddler who got hold of loaded gun in parked car
The child who fired the shot was 3 and the victim was 10 months old.
The Ugly
A Minneapolis man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting his neighbor for pruning a tree he believed was on his property line, court documents show
This is a follow up on last month’s Ugly incident; bear in mind that it doesn’t take much to set some people off. Just as in last month’s incident, the authorities took no action against the shooter before the incident despite him having active warrants.
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the October edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – September 2024
The September edition showcases Negative Outcome. There’s also a link to a superb live rendition of The Ecstasy of Gold by The Bands of His Majesty’s Royal Marines.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-113039247
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – September 2024
The Good
Retired Army colonel shoots robber [who] shot him 3 times, Cullman sheriff says
If you have a malfunction, don’t throw your pistol away; that’s a Serious Mistake. A better title for the article would have been ‘Army Colonel Shot 3 Times by Robber He Shot After Throwing His Pistol Away.’
The Bad
Two articles this month are worthy inclusions for the Second Edition of Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make. One relates to Improper Storage and the other to Chasing and Shooting
Important Safety Tip: Don’t Store Firearms In Your Oven
We would think this goes without saying but apparently not.
Man arrested after allegedly chasing and shooting man who siphoned gas from his car
When the criminal breaks contact, we need to do the same thing; break contact. In terms of mindset, frustration and guns should not occur in the same sentence.
The Ugly
3 women killed, gunman dead in Hawaii after dispute between neighbors leads to gunfire
People are unpredictable. Just because your cause is righteous doesn’t mean a Negative Outcome won’t occur. Having a wacko drive a front end loader into your home and then starting shooting people is definitely a Negative Outcome.
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the September edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
tacticalprofessor 
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