Category: Self Defense

New Jersey Faces Lawsuit Over Knife, Baseball Bat Ban For Self-Defense

pro-Second Amendment group led a lawsuit Monday seeking to have New Jersey’s laws barring the carrying of items like baseball bats and knives for self-defense thrown out.

The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs and Knife Rights filed the lawsuit on behalf of four individual plaintiffs, arguing that by prohibiting the use of items other than firearms for self-defense, New Jersey was violating the Second Amendment rights of residents. The complaint said that the state has been in “panic mode” since the Supreme Court’s decision in Heller v. District of Columbia.

“New Jersey demands that its citizens be defenseless when they go about their day in public. Defenseless. Until forced to issue Permits to Carry a Handgun by the Bruen decision in 2022, New Jersey banned its citizens from carrying any weapon for self-defense,” the complaint filed Monday says. “Still today, New Jerseyans cannot carry any ordinary object for protection against violent crime, not a baseball bat, not a stick, not a knife, not a pair of scissors, not anything. If a person keeps an ordinary baseball bat in her car or if she keeps a small baton (sometimes called a kuboton) on her keychain she can find herself arrested and thrown in prison under New Jersey law.”

“The Second Amendment protects all common arms not just guns. There are many situations in which a person may prefer to defend against violent attack with something other than a firearm,” the legal filing continued. “New Jersey does not allow that. This is how a single mom using a carpet cutter to defend herself and her young daughter against a violent and potentially fatal beating found herself a convicted felon.”

In a 1990 decision from the New Jersey Supreme Court, the conviction of a single mother for carrying a carpet cutter and using it to protect herself when an ex-boyfriend was beating her was upheld.

The Supreme Court has already ruled on non-firearms being protected, issuing a unanimous ruling in Caetano v. Massachusetts that held that stun guns were protected by the Second Amendment. While the main opinion was unsigned (also known as a “per curiam” opinion), a concurrence from Associate Justice Samuel Alito went into more detail.

“A weapon is an effective means of self-defense only if one is prepared to use it, and it is presumptuous to tell Caetano she should have been ready to shoot the father of her two young children if she wanted to protect herself,” Alito wrote in a separate opinion. “Courts should not be in the business of demanding that citizens use more force for self-defense than they are comfortable wielding.”

“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was either unable or unwilling to do what was necessary to protect Jaime Caetano, so she was forced to protect herself,” Alito added. “To make matters worse, the Commonwealth chose to deploy its prosecutorial resources to prosecute and convict her of a criminal offense for arming herself with a nonlethal weapon that may well have saved her life.”

Second Amendment Foundation President Massad Ayoob, who has decades of experience as a law enforcement officer, firearms instructor and an expert witness in the use of force for self-defense, explained why many states tend to treat knives and other items more stringently in self-defense cases in an August interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Historically, the pistol was seen as the weapon that would be chosen by the lady or the gentleman and the knife and the club were seen as the weapons of the thug and there’s a little bit of that yet today,” Ayoob said.

Police: Uber Eats driver shoots armed man in self-defense
Investigators say an Uber Eats delivery driver shot a man in what appears to be self-defense outside a Pollo Tropical in Port St. Lucie

Investigators say an Uber Eats delivery driver shot a man in what appears to be self-defense outside a Pollo Tropical in Port St. Lucie.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department said officers responded around 3:43 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, to the restaurant at 1365 NW St. Lucie West Blvd. after receiving reports of a shooting.

Officers found Christopher Harris, 37, suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest. He was flown to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, where officials say his injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening.

According to Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk, the man who fired the shot is an Uber Eats delivery driver.

Niemczyk told WPBF 25 News the incident started over a parking spot.

“He [Harris] pursued him inside. There was a little interaction in the doorway entrance. The Uber Eats driver went inside, picked up his order, went out, and the other person pursued him outside, shoved him and pulled out what appeared to be a knife, what was identified to be a knife,” he said.

Niemczyk said the Uber Eats driver shot Harris once in the chest.

“Christopher Harris. He was the aggressor. He pursued the other individual. He followed him back outside. He shoved him. He pulled out a weapon,” Niemczyk told WPBF.

He said that justifies the man who pulled the trigger defending himself.

“It’s self-defense. It also fits the stand-your-ground rule because he is being pursued. He has no duty to retreat. In fact, he did try to retreat. He did try to avoid the situation, but he was pursued. So 100%, he turned around and used appropriate action. He met deadly force, being a knife, with deadly force by firing one round. It appears to be 100% justifiable,” Niemczyk said.

After being shot, officials say Harris went back inside the restaurant, where people began providing aid and called 911.

Investigators said one knife was recovered after it had been removed from Harris’ waistband while people were helping him. Police said another knife was later found in his front pocket.

Harris is facing charges of attempted aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and felony battery based on a prior battery conviction. Officials say once he is released from the hospital, they expect him to be booked in the St. Lucie County Jail.

The Uber Eats driver is not facing criminal charges in the case.

Better video

Oregon concealed carry license laws challenged by gun rights group

The lobbying group Gun Owners of America filed suit against the city of Salem and Marion County on Friday, challenging Oregon’s concealed handgun carry license laws.

The lawsuit targets restrictions that bar certain out-of-state residents from obtaining permits in Oregon and the state’s refusal to recognize permits from other states.

Cynthia Ladd, the group’s Oregon director and an Arizona resident, is the plaintiff.

In a sworn declaration filed in federal court, Ladd wrote that she’ll be visiting the state Capitol in Salem and meeting with legislators in the next 90 days as part of her lobbying work and wishes to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense in the city. But her Arizona concealed gun permit is not recognized and she can’t apply for one in Oregon.

The state, though, adopted a law in 2021 that bans guns from the Oregon Capitol, even those who have concealed handgun licenses. The city of Salem also prohibits unlicensed possession of loaded guns in the city.

The suit alleges that Ladd is “a typical, law-abiding American citizen with ordinary self-defense needs, who cannot be dispossessed of her right to bear arms in public for self-defense in Oregon simply due to her nonresident status.”

The city of Salem declined comment, citing the pending litigation, according to Robert B. Layne II, the city’s spokesperson.

To obtain an Oregon concealed handgun license, an applicant must be a resident of Oregon, or a non-resident who lives in a bordering state, including Washington, Idaho, Nevada or California.

Non-residents who live in a state bordering Oregon can apply for a concealed carry license to an Oregon county sheriff’s office that borders their state. Oregon county sheriffs, though, have discretion on whether to process non-resident applications, and many restrict them strictly to people who work or own property in their county.

Ladd’s lawsuit is one of a number of similar suits that have targeted residency barriers and out-of-state restrictions on concealed carry gun permits.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 opinion in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen found New York’s concealed carry laws unconstitutional. It stated that gun-control provisions had to comport with the text and “historical tradition” of the Second Amendment. Since then, state and local governments have had to show their own gun regulations are consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

Some states recognize many permits, others only a few, and others, like Oregon, only recognize their own permits granted for residents.

On Friday, the Liberty Justice Center petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the state of Minnesota’s law that requires a long-haul trucker who has concealed gun carry permits in Florida and Georgia to also obtain a license from Minnesota if he wants to carry a gun there.

An update on this:

Wife Tells 911, ‘My Husband Had to Shoot’ After Alleged Intruder Killed

Transcripts of a 911 call about a homeowner shooting an alleged intruder earlier this month have been released, and at one point the homeowner’s wife says, “My husband had to shoot.”

Breitbart News reported the September 7th incident in which an alleged intruder, identified as 37-year-old David Lee Jr., was shot and killed by a Mobile, Alabama homeowner.

Now, FOX 10 TV has acquired and published 911 calls from that night, one of which was from a business owner and the second of which was from the wife of the homeowner who shot Lee.

The first call came in after a business owner saw Lee on his property around 9:13 p.m. The unidentified business owner told 911 that Lee “was just climbing at the top of our barbed wire getting in when I saw him.”

He noted that Lee allegedly made his way up some stairs, only to fall off after unsuccessfully trying to enter a window.

Minutes later, the 911 call from the wife of the Mobile homeowner came in, and she told the dispatcher that a person whom they did not know was trying to get into their home. She then said, “My husband is armed and he is trying to get the person to leave. He is knocking at our window.”

The sound of the window breaking could be heard and then a gunshot, and the dispatcher asked if Lee was making his way through the house. The wife responded, “No! My husband had to shoot.”

Lee died at the scene.

This wasn’t on my radar, but good to know it’s been – sort of – resolved.

UPDATE: Washington Reverses, Says NRA-Certified Instructors Can Teach

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) appears to have reversed course on allowing certified National Rifle Association firearms instructors to provide safety training as part of the upcoming permit-to-purchase training requirement, TGM has learned.

The problem was first reported by TGM here.

In an email to subscribers of a list of potential instructors Monday, WSP Commander Kevin Baird advised, “The email sent September 11, 2026 regarding NRA sponsorship of firearm safety training resulted from a misunderstanding of the terminology used and how the statute is written.

“I’m pleased to report that the NRA Executive Director, Josh Savani, reached out to me on Friday to clarify the NRA’s position. Based on that clarification, independent NRA-certified instructors may provide the firearm safety training required under RCW 9.41.1132 and RCW 9.41.070.

“However,” Baird continued, “as with all other training providers, WSP must still review and certify the training curriculum to ensure it includes all elements required by law. Those requirements include:

RCW 9.41.1132(1):

(a) Basic firearms safety rules;

(b) Firearms and children, including secure gun storage and talking to children about gun safety;

(c) Firearms and suicide prevention;

(d) Secure gun storage to prevent unauthorized access and use;

(e) Safe handling of firearms;

(f) State and federal firearms laws, including prohibited firearms transfers and locations where firearms are prohibited;

(g) State laws pertaining to the use of deadly force for self-defense;

(h) Techniques for avoiding a criminal attack and how to manage a violent confrontation, including conflict resolution; and

(i) Live-fire shooting exercises on a firing range that include a demonstration by the applicant of the safe handling of, and shooting proficiency with, firearms.

“We have not yet begun reviewing individual curricula,” Baird wrote. “That process will begin once we have processed the majority of the training-provider applications.

“My apologies for the confusion created by the previous email,” he said. “We are working to provide information as quickly and transparently as possible while developing the processes and procedures necessary to implement this significant undertaking. As someone described it to me last week, ‘we are building the airplane while flying it.’ We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these implementation details.”

Last week’s announcement created a furor, drawing longtime gun rights activist—and NRA-certified firearms instructor—Jane Milhans into the fray. She singlehandedly brought the problem to NRA’s attention, initiating a scramble on both ends, with NRA exchanging information with Baird.

The situation also drew attention from TGM, Ammoland News and radio host Jason Rantz writing about it at Seattle-Red.

As reported last week, an exchange of messages regarding whether NRA-certified instructors would be okayed to provide the necessary safety instruction required by the new state law, RCW 9.41.1132, ignited the controversy.

A message sent last week by WSP to members of a ListServ P2P group, which stated, “RCW 9.41.1132 (3) states (bolding added for emphasis): ‘The training must be sponsored by a federal, state, tribal, county, or municipal law enforcement agency, a college or university, a nationally recognized organization that customarily offers firearms training, or a firearms training school with instructors certified by a nationally recognized organization that customarily offers firearms training.

“We reached out to the NRA to determine if an NRA Certified Trainer would be considered to be ‘sponsored’ by the NRA thereby meeting the requirement of ‘a nationally recognized organization that customarily offers firearms training’.

“The answer they provided is: NO. They said because these individuals are neither employees nor contractors, and the NRA is not involved in scheduling, promoting, etc. of the classes, the NRA would not be considered as sponsoring any classes for them.”

This was the original message that set off the communications flurry resulting in Monday’s reversal.

“While NRA-certified instructors are not employees or contractors of NRA,” Savani explained, “holding a current certification does entitle an instructor to certain rights and privileges that could be seen to make them ‘sponsored’ for purposes of RCW 9.41.1132(3). For example, NRA certified instructors are permitted to use NRA trademarks in promotion of their NRA training courses. We do not allow use of our marks lightly, and use of these marks puts NRA’s imprimatur on any of our courses being taught by a certified instructor.”

Home Invader’ Is the One Species Most States Still Don’t Protect.

A lot of folks in Arizona love and embrace the Second Amendment. After all, one doesn’t need a permission ship to bring your heat in the Copper State. In Saint David, a 67-year-old man learned that a bedroom window isn’t a senior citizen discount lane.

Last week, a homeowner with two small children inside heard suspicious noises and checked his cameras. He saw a strange old man breaking out a window and trying to climb inside. Mr. Homeowner fired upon the would-be intruder.

The 67-year-old won’t make his 68th birthday party. Meanwhile the kids inside the home didn’t miss breakfast and remained uninjured and unmolested.

 

After being shot, the intruder abandoned his attempt to climb through the window, but he didn’t get far.  Cops found him “unresponsive” outside the window. Medics tried, but failed.

 

For some do-gooders, the excuse menu writes itself. Maybe he was a mental case. Or drunk. Possibly stoned. Perhaps just a confused neighbor. Maybe he just had a poor life coach.

None of it gives anyone a climbing permit to bust a window and force entry into a home in the middle of the night (or any other time). One with children. Age isn’t a free pass. “He lived nearby” isn’t an invitation. If your plan includes break-glass-and-force-entry, you’ve chosen to be the one species that most states don’t protect.

This was a father standing between a bad dude and two little children. Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels says we need to wait for the full investigation. Fine. The part already on the table doesn’t require a séance to figure out. Occupied house. Broken window. Stranger coming through.

Fox10Phoenix has it:

An Arizona homeowner allegedly shot and killed a suspected intruder early Sunday morning, according to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were notified of a potential burglary in progress at a Saint David home in the early morning hours on Aug. 30.

The homeowner said he was inside with his family, including two small children, when he heard what sounded like a window being broken. When he checked his home security system, someone was seen outside, the man told officials.

After entering the main living area, the resident said he saw a shadow near the window, as if someone were trying to get into the home.

That doesn’t sound like it requires much more of an investigation.

Hey Paul, does this have any effect on you?

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella Loosens Restrictions on Being Armed for Self-Defense

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella issued a decree loosening a decades old restriction on carrying firearms in public for self-defense.

BBC reported that the restriction had barred “even those in possession of a permit to carry guns” from being armed in public without first acquiring “additional authorization.”

The restriction on carrying guns in public, even for self-defense, began in December 2015 under then-President Juan Manuel Santos.

As De la Espriella campaigned for the presidency, he pledged to be tough on crime. He believes ensuring law-abiding citizens can be armed for self-defense is part of fulfilling that promise.

He said it is “not right that criminals are armed to the teeth while decent people can’t defend themselves.”

On September 8, 2026, De la Espriella posted to X, “For years, citizens who obey the law were restricted while criminals continued arming themselves to the teeth illegally. That has to change.”

Upon signing the decree, De la Espriella also made clear that law enforcement will continue to rigorously pursue and disarm the criminal element in Colombian society.

A SCOTUS Petition Argues That the Second Amendment Requires Carry-Permit Reciprocity
Meanwhile, the top court of Massachusetts considers whether the state can deny carry permits to applicants who are deemed “unsuitable.”

Four years ago in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Supreme Court said the Second Amendment precludes states from requiring that people demonstrate a “special need” before they are allowed to carry handguns in public for self-defense. But it added that “nothing in our analysis should be interpreted to suggest the unconstitutionality” of licensing regimes “designed to ensure only that those bearing arms in the jurisdiction are, in fact, ‘law-abiding, responsible citizens.'”

Two pending cases raise interesting questions about the constraints that Bruen imposes on state carry-permit policies. In Johnson v. Jacobson, a long-haul trucker with carry permits issued by Florida and Georgia is asking the Supreme Court to reject Minnesota’s insistence that he also obtain a license from that state if he wants to bear arms there. And in Pratt v. Westbrook, an unsuccessful carry permit applicant is asking the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts to hold that the state’s “suitability” requirement violates the Second Amendment.

Jeffrey Johnson, who is represented by the Liberty Justice Center (LJC), hauls cargo “across the United States and makes regular, annual trips to or through Minnesota,” according to the Supreme Court petition he filed on Tuesday. “Because of the dangers posed to long-haul truck drivers, Johnson always carries a handgun with him for self-defense. But when he travels to Minnesota, state law requires him to unload his weapon and secure it in a container because Minnesota does not grant firearm license reciprocity to fifteen states, including Florida and Georgia.”

That situation, the LJC argues, is inconsistent with the Second Amendment. “Once a person proves he is a law-abiding citizen, he is entitled to carry a gun in public for self-defense,” says LJC Senior Counsel Ryan Morrison. “Constitutional rights, the Second Amendment included, do not require someone to prove their worthiness to exercise their civil liberties over and over again. Forcing someone to carry a Rolodex of firearm licenses to maintain his constitutional rights across the nation reduces the Second Amendment to second-class status and subjects it to an entirely different body of rules than the other rights secured by the Constitution.”

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MPD: Homeowner shoots and kills man who broke in through window

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office is now reviewing a possible self-defense case after Mobile police say a homeowner in west Mobile shot and killed an intruder.

All of this happened the night of Sept. 7 after 9. MPD officers and homicide detectives were gathering evidence inside a home on Calgary Drive after responding to multiple shots fired.

Investigators say 37-year-old David Lee Jr. broke into the home through a window. That’s when police say the homeowner shot and killed him.

One street over, several police cruisers sat in a business parking lot. When FOX10 News asked why officers were there, we were told to go to the scene on Calgary Drive for information. MPD has not said why officers were staged here.

One neighbor said it’s sad someone died, but they believe the homeowner did what they had to do to protect their family.

Less than 24 hours after the shooting, a biohazard cleanup crew was parked in the home’s driveway.

As of tonight, no charges have been filed.

Stand your ground law
Under Alabama’s stand your ground law, a homeowner does not have to retreat before using force against someone who breaks into their home.

That law could play a role as the DA’s office decides what’s next.

We’ve requested the 911 transcripts and are waiting to hear back. We’ll update you as we learn more.

Noted from Sheriff Jim:

Empty Arguments over Empty Chambers

Recently, another internet kerfuffle over – nothing, really.

The premise is that someone, somewhere carries a semiauto pistol for self-protection and carries it half-loaded.

Bless his heart.

The arguments were long and loud, in the style of the information two-track (through a farm field), and, in the end, no resolution was found.

While going over the various (emotional, non-reasoned) arguments, I found some gems, paraphrased here as I don’t have permission to hold denizens of the digital world up to scorn and ridicule.

The original poster noted that one side of the issue are, functionally, NDPs. Kind of like “non-player characters,” NDP is a Chuck Taylor term for “non-dedicated personnel.” Those are the kind with only the least passing familiarity/skills in the carry of firearms. A “Master-“ class shooter, according to his response, noted that he carries in Condition Three (“chamber empty, full magazine, hammer (if so equipped) down”) for personal protection, not on the range.

Because you’re an expert in competing in certain range games makes you as proficient in personal security as the typical gun writer is knowledgeable about brain surgery.

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Homeowner shoots, kills intruder in Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — A homeowner shot and killed a man who police say broke a window and entered a home Monday night in west Mobile.

Mobile police said officers responded around 9:19 p.m. to the 8300 block of Calgary Drive, where they found a man inside the home suffering from a fatal gunshot wound.

Investigators said the homeowner shot the man after he unlawfully entered the house by breaking a window.

The man was identified as 37-year-old David Lee Jr.

Police said the case will be turned over to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office for review

Maryland Synagogue Challenges Restrictive Gun Law
Montgomery County officials want to prevent houses of worship from making security decisions.

Houses of worship are often targeted by people with murder on their minds. That’s especially true of synagogues, which were disproportionately attacked even before October 7 and have since been on the receiving end of the “antizionist” reframing of hatred of Jews. But in Montgomery County, Maryland, officials recently renewed efforts to forbid the carrying of firearms within 100 yards of “places of public assembly,” including churches and synagogues. Now, some security volunteers are defying the intrusive law as they await the outcome of courtroom pushback against the restrictions.

Violating the First, Second, and Fourteenth Amendments

“Today, the Justice Department filed suit against Montgomery County, Maryland (County). The complaint alleges that the County’s newly enacted Bill 23-26 violates the Second Amendment by prohibiting law-abiding citizens from possessing firearms in daily life,” the U.S. Department of Justice announced on August 3. “Bill 23-26 prohibits carrying firearms at thousands of locations, and also creates an arbitrary 100-yard exclusion zone around each location. The law applies even if the person carrying a firearm is duly licensed and has the express consent of the property owner.”

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No charges in self-defense shooting
Home intruder died after confrontation with resident

VENICE — No charges will be filed against the victim of a home invasion who shot an intruder who died a short time later.

A Venice man who forced his way into a unit at the Maren Apartments & Townhomes community on July 1 was shot and killed by the resident. The State Attorney’s Office determined the use of force was justified and isn’t bringing charges.

Aaron Bean’s use of deadly force was justified under Florida law, the State Attorney’s Office determined, according to a news release from the city of Venice.

Terry Lee Murphy, 32, of Venice, forced his way into Bean’s apartment in the Maren Apartments & Townhomes community on Vistera Boulevard in North Venice early July 1 and threatened to kill him and members of his family, it states.

Murphy got access to the complex by scaling a perimeter wall, police said at the time, and there had been prior conflicts between the men.

Once in the apartment, Murphy repeatedly shoved and struck Bean while holding one hand behind his back as if he were armed, the release states.

The confrontation continued into a bedroom, where Bean retrieved a firearm and fired three times.

After being shot, Murphy fled the apartment, went down two floors in the building and entered an apartment that had been inadvertently left unlocked, where he collapsed, officials said at the time.

Both Bean and the occupant of the second apartment called 911.

“Bean immediately reported the shooting, cooperated fully with investigators and voluntarily provided footage from a security camera inside his apartment,” the release stated. “Investigators reviewed digital evidence that corroborated testimony provided by Bean.”

Bean had no duty to retreat within his own home and reasonably believed that force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, so the State Attorney determined not to prosecute the case, it states.

“Our detectives carried out their duty to conduct a thorough, impartial investigation, allowing the State Attorney’s Office to reach a determination based on the complete evidence and applicable law,” Venice Police Capt. Eric Hill said in the release. “While this decision closes the criminal investigation, we recognize the gravity of the incident and the loss of life involved.”

Police say deadly Evansville shooting was self-defense

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Evansville Police say a deadly shooting Saturday at a home on Delmar Avenue near Broadway was self-defense.

Police found 34-year-old Carson Helmling with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police say Helmling owned the home. He had gotten into an argument with two people his brother had allowed to stay there. Officers say Helmling tried to get them to leave and swung a board at them.

Police say based on evidence and statements from witnesses, the shooting was done in self-defense.

“So initially officers responded, detained multiple people, both witnesses and the shooter, who remained on scene afterwards, and then began the investigative process. So through that they interviewed multiple people, people that were present as well as again the shooter, and determined that it was likely a self-defense situation,” said Sgt. Anthony Aussieker.

No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Evansville Police Department.

Dolly Parton Carried a .38, and She Never Apologized for It

Dolly Parton died Tuesday at 80, and the tributes have poured in for the music, the movies, and the boundless philanthropy. Here’s one more thing worth remembering about the country legend: she was a gun owner who carried for self-defense, said so plainly, and never once seemed embarrassed by it.

The proof is in her own words. In a now-famous 1978 Playboy interview with journalist Lawrence Grobel, Parton described an early trip to New York City — a story any concealed carrier will recognize in their bones.

A Nashville Permit and a New York Night

Parton and her lifelong friend Judy Ogle, green to the big city, found themselves out on the street late at night when a group of men began closing in. “All of a sudden, these men started approachin’ us on the street,” she told Playboy. “They thought we were up for sale.” The men wouldn’t take no for an answer, and one got physical — “really pullin’ at me… just maul me, the whole works,” as she put it. Her friend, doubled over laughing against a wall, was no help at all.

“I Always Carry a Gun”

What those men didn’t know was that Parton was armed. She told Grobel she never traveled without a firearm — and decades later, she still didn’t.

“I always carry a gun,” she said. “A .38 pistol. I have a permit for it in Nashville. I just carry it for protection. I feel safer when I’ve got it. I just don’t like the idea of knowin’ I’m totally helpless.”

That’s the entire case for armed self-defense, delivered in a few sentences by a woman in a towering wig and a wide Southern smile — years before “concealed carry” was a mainstream phrase.

And She Was Ready to Use It

The .38 wasn’t a security blanket. When the man kept grabbing at her, she drew it. “I told the man, ‘If you put your hands on me one more time, I swear to God that I will shoot you,’” she recounted. “And I would have.” She added that she wouldn’t have aimed to kill — she’d have put rounds at his feet instead. The man backed off. The two women made it home. Her friend, by Parton’s account, never did stop laughing.

Carried in Spite of the Law

The quiet defiance in the story is the setting. Parton was carrying her Tennessee-permitted revolver in New York City — a place that, under its old Sullivan Act, treated the right to bear arms as a privilege doled out by bureaucrats. A Nashville permit meant nothing there. She carried anyway, because being helpless in a strange city wasn’t a trade she was willing to make. It would take until 2022 and the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision for the law to catch up to what Dolly Parton already understood on that sidewalk: the right to protect yourself doesn’t stop at a state line.

That refusal to be a victim — matter-of-fact, unashamed, entirely her own — was of a piece with everything else about her. There will never be another like her. Rest in peace, Miss Parton.

Homeowner shoots intruder at Spartanburg County home

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — A home intruder was killed at a Spartanburg County home on Sunday, deputies said.

Investigators said they responded to a residence on Cherokee Circle around 2 a.m.

According to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, a person was found dead at the home with multiple gunshot wounds.

Two other residents were also found at the home uninjured.

Deputies said interviews and evidence revealed the intruder entered the home and encountered the homeowner who shot the individual.

Officials said the individual is believed to have no prior relationship with the residents at the home.

The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office identified the individual as Xavier Felix Rivera-Goucher, 19, of Campobello. Investigators called his death a homicide.

No charges have been filed at this time, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said.

Man shot by Orange Park homeowner after leading deputies on a chase in stolen car: CCSO

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A man and woman were taken into custody Monday after a police chase involving a stolen car ended with a homeowner shooting the intruder in an Orange Park neighborhood, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Michelle Cook said during a news conference that the incident began around 3 p.m. when deputies learned about a stolen white Volkswagen near Blanding Boulevard and Camp Francis Johnson Road.

Deputies located the vehicle, but the driver, identified as William White, 34, sped off, hitting a patrol car and another vehicle during the pursuit, Cook said.

White eventually stopped on Blanding Blvd. and jumped out of the vehicle, along with Amanda Strickland, 32.

Deputies immediately detained Strickland, but Cook said White ran into a home in the nearby neighborhood through a detached garage near Meadow Drive and Grafton Drive.

The homeowner and his wife were inside the home at the time. Cook said the homeowner shot White in the leg.

He suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital for aid.

Cook said White also had outstanding warrants for grand theft and armed robbery charges.

It is unclear what charges Strickland will face at this time.