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.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – August 2024
The August edition showcases mindset and tactics. This month, I’m including some supplemental incidents that came to light after the initial post.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-111172309
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – August 2024
The Good
Robbery suspect pepper-sprayed Norwalk store owner, who shot him
Just because you start out behind the Power Curve, that doesn’t mean you can’t regain the initiative. Keep your wits about you and fight through it.
The Bad
DC man who said he shot 13-year-old boy in self-defense convicted of manslaughter
In military terminology, if you go outside, you have turned a Defense, in which you have a 3 to 1 advantage, into a Movement to Contact, in which the odds are, at best, even and possibly against you. In legal concept, the odds definitely turn against you. Maintain your advantage, don’t squander it.
The Ugly
Suspect shot by Bystander during Attempted Carjacking
The original incident is a candidate for the Good. But the comments on the Yahoo article are 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 August 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.
Some relevant incidents from August surfaced later.
Good
SELF-DEFENSE: Boy who killed Cape Coral mother’s boyfriend will not be charged
“Police say when the brother got to the home, Mess Jr. was standing outside with a solid wooden rod and brass knuckles.
Detectives say Mess Jr. started beating up the brother in front of the young boy.
According to police, the boy got a gun and pointed it at Mess Jr. as a warning. However, police say the man kept beating the boy’s uncle.
‘At that point, the son was in fear for his uncle’s life,’ police said.
The young boy fired multiple shots, killing Mess Jr.”
Sad that the boy had to kill the man but Good that the facts of the case vindicated him.
Bad
Cincinnati area smoke shop manager sentenced for role in fatal shooting during break-in
“CINCINNATI (WKRC) – The manager of a Delhi Township smoke shop was sentenced to eight to nine years in prison for firing on a group of burglars during a break-in.
Thacker opened fire immediately and kept firing while the burglars were running and driving away.”
https://local12.com/news/local/cincinnati-area-smoke-shop-manager-sentenced-role-fatal-shooting-during-break-in-delhi-township-tony-thacker-vip-travis-johnson-amontae-carter-crime-accomplice-prison
Chasing criminals and shooting at them after they have broken contact places a righteous defender in a very precarious legal situation. Once they remember they’re late for their root canal, let them go, lock the door if you can, call the POlice, and get your gun out of sight. Preplan and mentally rehearse your post-confrontation actions just as much as your actions during the confrontation.
A 2-year-old accidentally shot and wounded his mother’s boyfriend, police say
“According to a preliminary investigation, the man was getting ready to leave the house Monday morning and had put the gun on a nearby chair when the toddler accidentally fired the gun”
Firearms are relentlessly unforgiving of even the smallest lapse of attention, such as putting a gun down on a nearby chair.
‘Smart and loving’: Colerain family mourns teen killed by friend in apparent accident
“My friend has a .2 long rifle. [sic] There was a bullet in, right, and you need to shoot it to prime it, and I didn’t know it was primed, and I had it, and I accidentally pulled the trigger.”
Rule #1 – All guns are always loaded
Ugly
Detective: Liberty Township grandmother said ‘sorry not sorry’ after shooting 6-month-old granddaughter
“I asked her, ‘Why her grandbaby?’ And she said, ‘That was not my grandbaby.’ And at one point she said, ‘Sorry, not sorry,'” [the detective] said.
She pleaded guilty to felonious assault last month.
https://www.fox19.com/2024/09/17/grandma-pleads-guilty-after-shooting-5-month-old-grandchild-2023/
I have no words.
tacticalprofessor 
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