Category: Self Defense

75-year-old woman shoots at home intruders in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. – A 75-year-old woman opened fire on two intruders who broke into her Oakland home and came under fire herself, authorities said.

The home invasion robbery happened around 2 a.m. on July 26 at a residence near the Oakland Zoo in the hills on Ettrick Street in the Chabot Park neighborhood, according to the Oakland Police Department.

Officers said two armed men forced their way into a home and began searching. The elderly resident was the only one at the home when the intruders broke in.

Fearing for her safety, the 75-year-old woman pulled out her .357 Magnum and fired one round toward the suspects, police said. The suspects returned fire at the woman and fled the scene.

Fortunately, the woman was not injured during the shooting, and there were no reports of physical injuries, according to the police.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable what she was able to do,” the woman’s daughter told KTVU. “It’s amazing. She is a Superwoman. We’re all just lauding her and just amazed at her wherewithal.”

Calvin Walker, a neighbor said, “She had the presence of mind to reach into her nightstand and get a weapon. And she had it under her covers, and when she saw an opening, she fired a shot.”

The men fired back – about 17 to 20 shots – before leaving with valuables, including jewelry.

“We went over afterwards and we saw gunshots all in the walls,” Walker said.

Oakland City Councilmember Treva Reid represents the area and is family friend of the victim.

“It’s a miracle that she’s alive after the number of shots that were fired in her home,” Reid said.

Neighbors say the victim did the right thing. “This woman is a hero,” said neighbor Dave Lederer. “She kept her wits about her.”

Her daughter said this should serve as a warning “I believe that this is a message also for the criminals, that people in Oakland, we’re tired of the lawlessness. People are standing up. People are fighting back,” she said.

Neighbor Lynn Baranco agreed, saying, “They’re really – they’re playing with their lives because all these people out here are armed.”

Armed Staff Versus School Resource Officers- The Quality of Quantity to Defend Our Students

You must be present to win. That trite phrase might apply to the local bake sale. It certainly applies to protecting our students at school. It is too easy for school boards and school principals to say they did something when they certainly did not do enough. We can agree that protecting our students is inherently a difficult problem. We are trying to stop evil narcissists who want to become celebrities by killing our kids. Formulaic answers don’t work for long because these murderers learn and adapt. The actions that protected our children yesterday might not work tomorrow. There are better solutions today and we need to recognize them.

The threat is changing over time. Greg Ellifritz did an excellent job looking at armed attacks at schools after the Covid lockdown. Only 20-percent of the attacks are now in the classroom. That means we need to do more than lock the classroom doors. Half of the armed attacks on our schools occurred before or after school when students were out of the classroom and on school grounds or on their way to school. That number is increasing, and that means that a single School Resource Officer at school for a few hours a week isn’t enough. Murderers might be adapting to the security measures that schools have already put in place like locked doors, metal detectors, and revised policies when someone pulls a fire alarm or triggers a smoke detector. We have to adapt as well.

We are changing every day. Schools are embedded in our society. Every problem we have in our culture eventually comes to school. We’ve heard calls to defund the police. Some urban administrators removed police officer on campus since they neither wanted to report nor wanted to file a complaint against the students committing crimes at school. As you’d imagine, more innocent students are victimized by violent crime when crime is tolerated at school. The social justice movements that removed School Resource Officers left students vulnerable to both common criminals and to celebrity-seeking murderers who search for easy victims.

Administrators prefer visible solutions. It is hard for school administrators to get public credit for solutions that the public can’t see. The parents seldom notice the reinforced glass in the windows and doors. In contrast, the parents can’t miss seeing the uniformed police officer standing in the parking lot when children are dropped off.

Unfortunately, public visibility works both for us and it works against us as we try to protect our children. A visible deterrent like an SRO helps stop low-level threats. The drug dealers move across the street and out of the school parking lot. The visible School Resource Officer is equally easy for a murderer to locate. The attacker can wait until the SRO either drives his police car away from campus, or the murderer can shoot the SRO first. We’ve seen both happen when schools were attacked.

Any single defender has a fatal flaw. There is an obvious reason that one adult can’t supervise an entire campus. They can’t be everywhere at the same time. The School Resource Officer can’t be up on the ball field when they are down in the parking lot. They can’t be behind the gymnasium if they are in the central courtyard. A midsized school might have half-a-dozen hallways and an equal number of separate buildings. That means a single defender is probably minutes away from an attack. That delay leads to more dead children.

The solution is obvious, if invisible. The researchers who study school security told us what to do over a decade ago. Murderers stop killing our kids when they face an armed defender. The defender’s response time predicts the body count. The SRO can’t be on the bus before school and on the bus after school, but the bus driver can. The SRO isn’t at the choir practice before school, but the choir director is there. After school, the SRO can’t be at the ball field and in the music room at the same time, but the coaches and band director are certainly there.

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Man shot after beating another man with stick during dispute over food

ATLANTA — Two men are recovering after officials say one of them shot the other during a fight over food.

Atlanta police said on Saturday at 4:09 p.m., officers received reports of a person shot on Pryor Street Southwest. When officers arrived, they found a 32-year-old man shot in both arms. According to the investigation, the man was involved in a verbal altercation with another man over food before he was shot.

The fight quickly escalated when police said the 32-year-old man grabbed a large stick and beat the other man. During the assault, police said the victim pulled out a handgun and shot the 32-year-old man in self-defense.

Both men were taken to the hospital stable. Their identities have not been released. The 32-year-old was taken into custody. Police have not specified what he is charged with.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Man shoots suspect in self-defense after being beaten by stick over food argument

ATLANTA — A fight over food turned violent at a center for people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta on Saturday, according to police.

Atlanta Police officers responded to the Gateway Center at 275 Pryor St. SW just after 4 p.m. after receiving calls of a person shot. When they got there, they found a man who had been shot in each of his arms.

An argument between two men over food escalated into a 32-year-old man finding a large stick where he began to start swinging it at the other man, police said. The suspect then began hitting the man with the stick, when the victim took out a gun and shot the man with the stick several times, according to APD.

Officers said the victim shot the suspect out of self-defense and will not face any charges. The 32-year-old man was arrested and charged. Both men were taken to the hospital to be treated, but were reported to be stable.

The charges against the 32-year-old man are not yet known, although APD’s Aggravated Assault Unit was on scene investigating.

Why Aren’t Female Victims of Domestic Violence Told the Best Way to Protect Themselves?

On Monday, July 17th, Lance Logan brutally murdered 64-year-old Carolyn Williams in her Hartford, Connecticut, home while she was on the telephone with a 9-1-1 operator. He also beat her 30-year-old son.

“He hit me again . . . . Stop it, stop, it, he has a weapon,” she told the 9-1-1 operator immediately before being murdered. Logan had prior convictions for domestic violence and a number of other felonies. Among his previous convictions was a 2016 domestic assault for which he faced a 5-year suspended sentence and 3-years probation, so he served no prison time.

Logan now faces charges of murder, assault in the second degree, and violation of a protective order. It was illegal for him to own guns, but he still obtained two firearms – a sawed-off shotgun and a pistol.

The case clearly illustrates the limits of protective orders when someone is intent on murdering the victim. If the murderer is willing to risk a life sentence for murder, an additional five years in prison and a $5,000 fine won’t deter him.

It is an important problem. Reportedly, 76% of women murdered by someone who had been an intimate partner were stalked.

Violence prevention advocates recommend a long list of safety precautions. These changes require women to uproot their lives.

Among the advice: women should change jobs, travel routes, the time of day they leave home or work, move in with a friend or family, change the locks on their home, or do their shopping and other chores with friends or relatives.

A few recommend that women practice martial arts such as judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, or boxing.

But the most obvious answer is missing from these lists: women should get a concealed handgun permit and a firearm.

As a victim of domestic violence who has suffered some broken teeth, fractured bones, and other permanent physical injuries, I am acutely aware of how important it is to protect victims.

Men are typically much stronger than women, particularly in upper body strength. Unfortunately, real life isn’t like the movies, where one woman can knock out and overpower several well-trained men. Even well-trained women often struggle to defend themselves against much larger and stronger men. Men also tend to be faster runners.

A firearm represents a much bigger change in a woman’s ability to defend herself. Men can readily hurt women without a gun, and if a woman is already in physical contact with the attacker so that he can take away their gun, they are already in trouble.

The peer-reviewed research shows that murder rates decline when people carry concealed handguns, whether men or women. But a woman carrying a concealed handgun reduces the murder rate for women by about 3 to 4 times more than a man doing the same.

And this message is getting across to women. Between 2012 and 2022, in states that provide data by sex, concealed handgun permits increased 115% more quickly among women than among men. The percentage of women who say that gun ownership protects people from crime has also been growing faster. But while they are growing at a faster rate, women still only make up about 30 percent of permit holders.

Many states could make it much easier for stalked women to defend themselves. Even after taking the required training and applying for a permit, it can often take two to three months for a permit to be issued.

But even one month may be much too long for a threatened woman. Even women who have proven to a court that they face serious threats must wait to get a permit. One solution would be to allow women with court orders of protection to carry a concealed handgun while waiting for a permit to be issued.

Many single women with children may also find it difficult to pay fees for a permit, plus additional fees for fingerprinting and training. While there are now 27 Constitutional Carry states that don’t require people pay fees or waiting periods to be able to carry a gun, other states such as California can run $250 to $250 for five years, Illinois $150, and New York City $566.70. Training can easily add hundreds more.

Police are very important, but they almost always arrive after the crime occurs. Protective orders can help. But if we are going to be serious about protecting women like Carolyn Williams, we must let them protect themselves.

Customer with gun thwarts robbery by shooting suspect at Southwest Michigan gas station

CASS COUNTY (WWJ) – A suspect who allegedly tried to rob a Southwest Michigan gas station this week wound up in the hospital after a customer with a gun intervened and shot him, police said.

Village of Cassopolis Police Chief Todd McMichael said in a press release that officers were made aware of the incident after receiving a call about a shooting and armed robbery attempt at the Stone Lake Marathon Gas Station off S. Broadway Street just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, July 27.

Cassopolis is in Southwest Michigan’s Cass County near the Indiana border.

When police arrived on scene, they found a man with several gunshot wounds and another man holding him at gunpoint.

McMichael said that officers determined the armed man had a valid Michigan concealed pistol license (CPL) and was a customer at the gas station when a male suspect tried to rob the clerk.

The customer stepped in, shot the suspect multiple times and kept him at the scene until police arrived, the police chief added.

The suspect was taken to the South Bend Memorial Hospital by ambulance where he was admitted for his injuries. The suspect was listed in stable condition as of Friday, July 28.

As detectives worked the scene, McMichael said they discovered the suspect’s vehicle and arrested a women for possessing methamphetamine and a warrant for the same.

“All names are being withheld pending completion of the investigation and any possible arraignments in court,” McMichael said.

The case is still open at this time. No other information was released.

Woman shoots, kills man who tried to break into her home in Spring Branch

HOUSTON — A woman shot and killed a man Friday she said was trying to break into her home in the Spring Branch area, according to the Houston Police Department.

HPD said the woman, 41, is cooperating with investigators. They believe she fired in self-defense.

This happened right after 7 a.m. in the ABA RV Park on Jacquelyn Drive near Long Point Road.

Police said the man, 53, recently moved into the community and he and the woman had just met.

Police are not sure what the motive is behind the break-in. They said the two were not in any sort of relationship.

David Kwok, an associate professor of law at the University of Houston and co-director of the Criminal Justice Institute says self-defense laws will be considered.

“If it was her RV, that would make a legally relevant difference,” Kwok said. “Another critical factor is this question about whether it’s reasonably necessary to use deadly force,”

A grand jury will decide whether she will face charges.
[which is state law for all homicides in Texas]

“Why do you need AR-15s?”

Home invaders pretended to be Gwinnett police, tossed grenades into homes, police say

After a series of home invasions involving suspects impersonating police officers, Gwinnett County police arrested one of potentially several suspects connected to the crime spree.

Three families were victimized by multiple masked men armed with guns and body armor during home invasions in Lilburn and Norcross from June 9 to June 12, according to police. In the first case, the suspects threw a practice grenade through a window to enter the home and ransack the house.

“Whatever they were looking for,” the victim, who asked to remain anonymous, told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson. “I hope they find prison time for their trouble.”

The victim shared a video of a man with a mask, a shotgun and body armor at his doorstep in Lilburn off Burns Road on June 9 just after 3:30 a.m. He said the man identified himself as police but threw the inert grenade through the window when the victim didn’t answer the door. From there, police say the suspect, working with others, stole electronics when they couldn’t find any money or drugs.

“They actually sprayed mace around the perimeter of the door and underneath it to try and get me out or prevent me from coming out,” said the victim.

On Tuesday, Gwinnett police arrested Jeron Hernandez-Massa, 23, and charged him with 10 felonies, including three counts of home invasion. However, investigators say he didn’t act alone.

At a home in Norcross, a pregnant mother and her family were held at gunpoint by Hernandez-Massa and as many as four other suspects claiming to be D.E.A. agents, according to police. There were 8-year-old, 4-year-old, and 10-year-old boys home at the time and police say Hernandez-Massa and the suspects threaten to harm the children if the family didn’t give them money and drugs.

“My stepdad is a construction worker,” said one of the family members held at gunpoint. “My mom was just a pregnant lady. They left with nothing, and they hurt us.”

The family says they told the robbers they had the wrong house and that there weren’t drugs or money around. It only made them more upset, they say.

“I ran into the garage and that’s when they hit me,” said the victim, adding she was left bruised from being pistol-whipped.

Police haven’t said how many more suspects they may be looking for or how they believe the homes were targeted. Hernandez-Massa remains in jail without bond.

Home invasion leaves one dead, another critical in east Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – An apparent home invasion gone wrong left one dead, and another in critical condition Thursday, police investigators said.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:36 p.m. at the Crystal Court Apartments near Desert Inn Road and Cambridge Street in east Las Vegas, according to officials from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

At the same time as dispatchers received the shooting report, officers at a nearby gas station were approached by a man in his 30s who told them he had been shot. The man was given medical aid and then taken to an area hospital where he was listed as in critical condition at last report.

Officers followed a trail of blood from the shooting victim across the street to the apartment complex. When officers got to the building, they located a second-floor apartment where investigators said it was obvious that the shooting had occurred. However, there was no one in that home.

Investigators followed another trail of blood to an elevator, where they found another shooting victim. He was taken to an area hospital and later pronounced dead.

While officers tended to that shooting victim, investigators found another man on the sidewalk near the complex who said that a shooting had occurred in his apartment and that he had jumped from his second-story home to the sidewalk below. Police said that man was medically treated and was cooperating with investigators.

Upon further investigation, police investigators believe the incident was an attempted home invasion by three men. The man who had jumped to the sidewalk was the resident of the apartment and had fired at the individuals attempting the home invasion, investigators said. The individuals found shot were the perpetrators of the home invasion, police said.

Police believe one individual may be outstanding in the case, and investigators believe all people involved were familiar with each other and that the incident was not random.

Man confronts truck thieves, killing one in self-defense shootout

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (WOAI) — A man tracked down two truck thieves Thursday and killed one during a shootout, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Police said the call came in just before 1 p.m. at the South Park Village shopping center.

The man told police his Ford truck was stolen and decided to take justice into his own hands. The owner was able to find his truck in the South Park Village parking lot and saw a man and a woman sitting inside the vehicle.

He continued to approach the couple at gunpoint and demand they get out of the car, according to a report. The owner then called authorities while the male suspect sat next to the tire. That’s when that suspect brandished his weapon and shot the owner.

The owner returned fire killing the male suspect and critically injuring the woman, officers said. When police arrived, the owner and the woman were taken to the hospital.

The owner of the car is in stable condition and police said they believe this was all a result of self-defense regarding his property.

Police Chief William McManus shared that the owner had every right to search for his truck, but does advise him to call authorities before taking matters into his own hands.

“He was trying to recover his property,” Chief McManus said. “I guess it depends on who you ask if he did the right thing or not.”

 

Resident shoots person who tried to enter home through window

KENT, Ohio (WJW) — A person was shot after unlawfully attempting to enter an apartment through a window late Friday night, Kent police reported.

Police said they were called to an apartment in the Franklin Crossings complex on Stein Court around 11 p.m. A person was found with gunshot wounds to the leg and foot and was taken to the hospital for what police described as non-life-threatening injuries.

Section of Lorain Ave to be renamed for fallen CLE officer
An initial investigation showed a resident of the apartment shot at the person as they attempted to come in through a low level window. Police said the two appear to be acquainted and “the location of the burglary was not random.”

As the gun used in the shooting was stolen, the resident, identified as Larry Robinson III, is being charged with receiving stolen property, police said. The intruder, who has not been charged, has not been identified.

Police said no one else was injured in the shooting and more charges are expected as an investigation continues.

Suspected intruder shot twice by apartment occupant in Carmichael

A man was shot Sunday at an apartment complex in Carmichael, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies responded to reports of a shooting in the 8600 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard at 1:07 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

When they arrived, they found one man shot after he had allegedly fired into an occupied apartment and then tried to break in, said Deputy William Robinson, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

The occupant of the apartment fired back, hitting the suspect twice.

Deputies applied a tourniquet to the would-be suspect’s wounds until fire personnel arrived and he was rushed to a hospital.

The suspect and the apartment’s occupant were not known to each other prior to the shooting, Robinson said. The occupant of the apartment is not expected to face charges.

The suspect is expected to recover, the Sheriff’s Office said, though it’s unclear what charges he may face.

Making it easier for people to possess the means to defend themselves against armed criminals apparently puzzles the overeducated expert.

Homicides in Brazil at the lowest level in over a decade, report says

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian researchers say the number of violent deaths last year reached the lowest level in more than a decade, puzzling some experts because there has been an explosion of firearms circulating in the country in recent years.

About 47,500 people were slain in Latin America’s largest nation in 2022, said a report Thursday by the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, an independent group that tracks crimes. Its statistics are widely used as a benchmark because there are no official statistics on a national level.

While the number of killings in 2022 was down 2.4% from the previous year, it remained roughly even with levels recorded since 2019. The last time Brazil had less violent deaths was in 2011, with 47,215 killings.

The fall in homicides has left many public security experts somewhat puzzled, as it has been accompanied by a sharp increase in the number of firearms held by Brazilians. Some studies have suggested that more guns circulating among the population lead to more homicides.

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Attempted carjacking suspect shot by pizza delivery driver

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A pizza delivery driver on his first day on the job shot and injured a man trying to steal his car and rob him. The incident happened outside a Chestnut Hill apartment complex just before midnight on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old man was delivering pizza when two armed men in masks forced him into the back seat of his vehicle, demanded money, and attempted to take his car.

According to the business where the driver works, the suspects placed an order to the apartment complex on the 7700 block of Stenton Avenue and then attempted to rob the driver.

“At one point, the 21-year-old delivery man was able to get out of the vehicle and confronted one of the perpetrators who had a gun and the 21-year-old delivery man, we know, fired at least two shots,” said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

One of the shots hit one of the suspects, a 23-year-old man, in the buttocks. He ran about 300 feet from the scene before being found by police. He was in stable condition at Einstein Medical Center after undergoing surgery.

Authorities say the other suspect fled into Springfield Township.

The delivery driver told police there was a shootout between him and the suspect who was shot. The driver was not hit.

Police are interviewing the delivery driver’s brother as a witness, who was on the phone with the victim during the entire incident.

Authorities believe the delivery driver has a valid license to carry.

The incident remains under investigation.

More Thoughts On The Defensive Shotgun
Good training and good technique makes the scattergun even more effective.

One of the reasons that the shotgun is often overlooked as a defensive tool is recoil. Folks who have spent a lot of time shooting the .22 LR, .223 Rem. or even the lighter-caliber deer rifles either don’t know how to manage recoil or have gotten sloppy about it. When folks tell me about how a 12 gauge kicks, I like to tell them about a 110-pound lady I know who has hunted all over the world with a .375 H&H Magnum.

To manage the kick of a 12 gauge, it is important to first tuck the buttstock firmly into the shoulder pocket. The strong hand, the one on the pistol grip, needs to continually pull the gun solidly into that shoulder pocket. Some even suggest that the support hand, at the same time, should push forward on the gun, creating an isometric hold.

One additional problem for the defensive shotgun is that the standard 14-inch buttstock is too long for most people. It probably works fine for the bladed stance that most bird hunters use, but the bladed stance is a mistake for the defensive shooter.

The defensive shooter should address the target with a shotgun in the same way one does with the handgun. That is, the shooter should be squared away with the target, facing it. Knees should be slightly bent and one’s weight should be on the balls of the feet. In addition, elbows should be tucked down, not stuck out there like chicken wings. This type of stance not only allows the shooter to move quickly but it also helps manage recoil.

When shooting the shotgun in this preferred manner, the 14-inch buttstock is just too long. I have a 33-inch shirt sleeve and do my best work with a 12-inch buttstock. Another advantage of the shorter stock is that other, smaller members of the family will also be able to manage it more effectively. It is a simple fact that we can all manage a shorter stock more effectively than we can one that is too long.

As I said in the previous column, the defensive shotgun is quite a bit different than the typical bird gun. Once a person learns the difference and how to deal with it, the fighting shotgun will have another fan.

Armed Carjacker Shot By Victim In D.C.

WASHINGTON D.C. – A suspect in an armed carjacking was shot by his victim yesterday morning in Southeast, D.C. The Washington, D.C. Metro Police Department is investigating the carjacking and have made an arrest, and are searching for the another suspect.

The incident unfolded at approximately 6:30 am at the 2300 block of R Street. The victim, positioned near his vehicle, was approached by two suspects traveling in a car. One of the suspects retrieved a gun and demanded the victim surrender his car. The victim drew his own firearm and discharged a shot at the suspect, 27-year-old Marcus Thompson, injuring him.

The victim assisted the suspect until help arrived. Simultaneously, the other suspect fled the scene while the victim provided aid to Thompson. Thompson was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The suspect was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including armed carjacking. According to detectives, the victim possessed a valid concealed carry permit in the District, and his firearm was duly registered.

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4 Thugs Break Into Armed Philadelphia Woman’s Home, Instantly Regret it

Four suspected burglars thought they were in for an easy ride when they broke into the home of a Philadelphia woman who lived alone.

However, unbeknown to the gang of thugs, the woman is a Second Amendment patriot who knows her constitutional rights and is ready and willing to exercise them.

When the crooks illegally entered the apartment in the city’s Germantown neighborhood around 1 am Sunday, they got far more than they bargained for.

Police said the woman found four men inside her home, on the 4900 block of Germantown Avenue, without her permission, WPVI-TV reported.

Amid a confrontation, the woman opened fire and shot two of the four robbers, all of whom fled the scene.

Officers arrived around 1:30 a.m. and found the pistol-packing woman outside, standing over 48-year-old suspect Jermaine Parker. Parker had gunshot wounds to his hand and leg, WTXF-TV reported.

A short time later, police found 45-year-old Randy Miller a few blocks away. Miller had a gunshot wound to his back.

Both Parker and Miller were taken to Einstein Medical Center and later charged with burglary and related offenses, WTXF said.

Police revealed that the thugs were armed with a weapon which was recovered. Miller was listed in stable but critical condition, WPVI reported.

Police are still looking for the other two men, WTXF said.

Surprise, surprise, surprise

South Bend shooting numbers down despite permitless gun law

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – Despite a statewide permitless handgun carry law being in effect for more than a year, South Bend officials say that the number of shootings in the city has gone down compared to previous years.

HEA 1296, passed on July 1, 2022, removed the requirement to have a permit to carry a handgun in the state of Indiana. The proposed law had city leaders up in arms before it was passed.

“We had a say, and we said it, but it fell on deaf ears,” said South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski during a 2022 press conference. “The police departments said it, the Sheriff’s Association said it, the state police have said it… Don’t do this, and what did they do? They did it.”

Even with requirements being repealed, all nine counties in our viewing area (Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, Pulaski, St. Joseph, and Starke) have seen a small increase in active licenses.

According to data from the Indiana State Police, on January 1, 2022, all nine counties showed a total of 120,956 active licenses. Exactly one year later, the number of licenses increased by 3.2% to 124,869.

“As Indiana was already a ‘shall issue’ license state prior to enacting constitutional carry, I don’t believe the new law had any impact on law-abiding people who wanted to carry a concealed weapon legally,” said Terry Demaegd, a moderator for a local second amendment group.

Mayor James Mueller said that while shootings are down, they could be lower. He also adds that the lack of permit requirements makes it difficult for officers to stop gun violence in the first place.

“Now if [police] see someone carrying a gun in public, unless they have knowledge that that person is not allowed to carry it…that officer cannot go and intervene, does not have probable cause,” Mueller said.

DeMaegd added that education is important for gun owners.

“Groups composed of responsible gun owners have always stressed safety instruction, firearm training, and adherence to the law for both licensed or constitutional carry persons who want to carry a concealed weapon,” DeMaegd said.

Pierre Atlas is a senior lecturer at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI and has extensive experience working on the topic of gun culture in America.

“What the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reported was a doubling of accidental shootings since the implementation of the permitless carry law,” said Atlas. “I think that goes to the point that, and this is my own interpretation, I think permitless carry facilitates irresponsible gun ownership. The carry license that Indiana had that ended last year served as a gatekeeper. You had to pass a criminal background check and give your fingerprints. So people who were prohibited persons automatically were rejected, and then they knew they were rejected.”

Despite the relaxed restrictions, other state and federal restrictions still stand in terms of who can and cannot possess a firearm.