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Copyright 2012 by the Cato Institute. All rights reserved. Cover design by Jon Meyers. Printed in the United States of America.
CATO INSTITUTE
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
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
u n d er
ground markets. After all, it is simply not possi ble for police officers to get to every scene where
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
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
acknowledge
that Americans use guns for self defense.
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
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.
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
Another prom i n ent study was the federal government's National Crime Victim i zation
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
(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.
Still, the NSPOF study found approximately 1.5 million defensive gun uses.
T he academic researchers who con d u ct
The National Survey of Private Ownership of Firearms found approximately 1.5 million defensive gun uses per year.
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
"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.
tirely.
Further, some of those charges are found to be ju sti f i able or ex cusable ho m i c ide by
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
Many defensive gun uses never make the news. After all, "Man Scares away Burglar, No Shots Fired" is not particularly newsworthy.
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,
veys.
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
There has been a dramatic expansion of the number of people licensed to carry concealed weapons.
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
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
few examples.
On June 28, 2010, a South Carolina farm
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.
bodily harm.
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
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
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
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
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.
"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
The number of Americans licensed to carry firearms has grown to about 10 million.
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
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:
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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
(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
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
Without the
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.
11
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
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
killing spree.
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
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
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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
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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
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.
handgun.
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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.
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
Pritchett
"grabbed her
cane and started beating her." At that point, she drew a handgun and fired at
Pritchett.
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
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
16
count for 60 percent of the total n u m ber of crimes commi t t ed. In 2008 there were 3,287
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
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
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
a rapid decline in
reported crimes, while the latter observed a rapid increase.
17
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
18
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
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.
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
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
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
they are desperately needed. Many people support gun control regu
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
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
nal."
20
B o s w ell
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
holding his
daughter, Cindy Brown, at gunpoint.
his shoulder.
Father Defends Daughter from
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
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
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
21
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.
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
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
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
yard.
22
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
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
.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.
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
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
tripped the burglar alarm while breaking into Big Rob's Sports Bar, which alerted po
23
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
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 ,
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
24
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
involved.
Armed Citizen Stops Four Burglars
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
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 .
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
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
pistol and then exchanged shots with the men. The two culprits fled a&er one was shot.
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
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
parking lot, and recognized Oliver as the same man who had previously robbed the
store at gunpoint and threatened employees.
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.
burglary.
H usband Chases off M a sked In t r u d e r s
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
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
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
his daughter,
Newborn
grabbed a .357
Magnum and held the intruder at gunpoint until the police arrived. No shots were
fired.
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
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
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
28
t he burglars' wri sts wit h z i p - t ies and h e l d them until police officers arrived.
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
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
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
by a friend for
protection. When Bergner found her, she was able to fire three shots and killed
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
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
produced and
fired a pistol of her own, hitting the man in the torso several
times.
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
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
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 ,
30
degree burglary.
Teen Fires Shotgun to Stop Attack on Mother Dover, Delaware: On O c t o ber 27, 2009,
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
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
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.
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.
31
The other thief fled. The clerk who fi red the shots was licensed to possess and carry a fire arm and was not charged.
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
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
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
intruder quickly
fled the scene.
fied.'"
32
John Silva, was able to turn the tables on two robbers when
he a produced
a .380 pistol and confronted
his would-be
assailants.
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.
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
the robbers as they fled. The police picked up both robbers quickly, finding Benjamin
33
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
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
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
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
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
1 7, 2007, a SWA T t ea m k i c k ed d ow n t h e
34
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
36
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
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
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
confronted
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
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
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.
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.
P hiladelphia, Pennsylvania: A t
a bout
One of the teens cocked his pistol, but the employee was able to draw his own weapon
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
The gunman
fired at
Abbondante after seeing the gun, and Abbondante returned fire, hitting the robber several
times.
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
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
40
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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,
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
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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,
50
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.
51
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.
52
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