Category: Self Defense

Cause of death pending autopsy?
Wanna bet the cause is acute lead projectile perforation?

Man killed during robbery attempt at area restaurant

Update 4 p.m.: The coroner has identified the man who was killed as Rickey Cox Jr., 33, of Manchester.

Reported earlier:

An unidentified man died Tuesday evening as a result of a shooting at the Asian Best Chinese and Thai Cuisine Restaurant at 15 N. Penn St. in York, according to the York County Coroner’s Office.

A news release from the York City Police Department said the 34-year-old man was shot by the restaurant’s owner while attempting to rob a store clerk. It is the first homicide of 2022 in the city and county.

The man immediately died at the scene at about 6:50 p.m. The coroner’s office has not released the name of the man killed, pending notification of next of kin.

The cause and manner of death are pending autopsy. 

Just me, but if in that situation, I wouldn’t waste precious time to see if the bear spray worked. The bear would start getting shot. When our church mission group went up to Fort Yukon, Alaska back on 2004, I carried a .45 Colt Ruger Redhawk loaded with 300gr Freedom Arms jsp made for the .454 Casull, to a little over 1100 fps.

BLUF:
These incidents reveal bear spray to be far from the cure-all initially claimed in numerous early articles. Those articles were based on inappropriate comparisons of studies involving firearm effectiveness and bear spray effectiveness in wildly different conditions.

Fatal Bear Attack, Full Can of Bear Spray was Deployed by Carl Mock

On April 15, 2021, Carl Mock was attacked by a grizzly bear, just outside of Yellowstone park. Mock was an accomplished woodsman and guide. He did not have a firearm with him. He had bear spray.  He used the bear spray, but was fatally injured.

This correspondent, with questions directed to Montana Fish and Wildlife Morgan Jacobsen, was able to determine bear spray had been used in the incident. Initially, the use of bear spray was reported as unknown by ktla.com:

Mock when attacked had bear spray — a Mace-like deterrent meant to protect against attacks — but officials said they did not know if he managed to use it. Bear spray canisters have safety tabs to prevent them from going off accidentally and the safety tab on Mock’s bear spray was off, Jacobsen said.

Eight months later, the investigation of the incident is over.

Continue reading “”

Lyft Driver Shoots 2 Men During Carjacking In West Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A 38-year-old Lyft driver shot two men during a carjacking in West Philadelphia, police say. The Lyft driver was reportedly on the 1100 block of North 40th Street just after 2:30 p.m. Monday when he was rear-ended by a vehicle twice.

When the driver exited his vehicle, he was approached by a man who exited the striking vehicle with a shotgun and took the Lyft driver’s vehicle.

The Lyft driver has a valid permit to carry and shot the man with his personal weapon.

The driver of the striking vehicle then attempted to hit the victim when he fired his weapon at the second defendant. Both men fled the scene, one in the Lyft driver’s vehicle and the other in the striking vehicle.

Police located one of the men inside a 2011 Infiniti on the 4200 block of Parkside Avenue. He was suffering a gunshot wound to the chest & transported to an area hospital where he was placed in critical condition.

The driver of the striking vehicle was located on the 4300 block of Lancaster Avenue in a Honda Accord. He was suffering from a gunshot wound to the right side of the rib cage area and was transported to a local hospital.

He is also in critical condition.

Both of the defendants were arrested and weapons were recovered along with the vehicles.

The Lyft driver did not sustain any injuries during this incident.

Trending Data Among Women First-Time Gun Owners

According to the NSSF, approximately 11 million Americans purchased their first firearm in the past 2 years, and it is estimated that half of them were women. A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) polled new members who were new gun owners to learn more about them. This article provides trending data among this demographic.

AG & AG offered the same survey to new members over the past two years. If a woman indicated she was a new shooter (acquiring a firearm within the past year), she was asked additional follow-up questions. The responses for the new-shooter specific questions totaled 1,176 women responses in 2020 and 1,706 in 2021, providing a good glimpse into general trends of this specific demographic.

Continue reading “”

Salem home intruder shot to death by resident
Marion County Sheriff’s Office said suspect died at the scene

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A suspected home intruder was shot to death by a resident in a Salem home Sunday night, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.

Just before 7 p.m., a 911 caller said someone was trying to break into the home on 45th Avenue NE near Iberis Street NE before a person inside the home shot the intruder.

Deputies arrived and found the suspect was already dead. No one else was hurt.

Detectives have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident. No other information is available at this time.

When Rich People Are Under Threat, What Do They Reach For?

We’ll grant the point that voting in Beverly Hills was a red spot in the middle of blue, but 44% of the folks would still forcibly take guns away from ordinary people.

So what does it look like when rich people come under threat?

In Beverly Hills, even the purchase of a firearm comes with certain…expectations. The city’s only gun store, Beverly Hills Guns, is a “concierge service” by appointment only, for a largely affluent clientele. And business is booming.

Since opening in July 2020, the store has seen upscale residents from Santa Monica to the Hollywood Hills increasingly in a panic following several high-profile smash-and-grab and violent home invasion robberies. The apparent siege has brought in a daily stream of anxious business owners and prominent actors, real estate moguls and film execs, says owner Russell Stuart. Most are arming themselves for the first time.

“This morning I sold six shotguns in about an hour to people that say, ‘I want a home defense shotgun,’” says Stuart, whose store is discreetly located in a Beverly Hills office building, with no sign on the doors, down the hall from a diamond dealer. “Everyone has a general sense of constant fear,  which is very sad. We’re used to this being like Mayberry.”

That fear has the wealthiest of local gentry contemplating every more elaborate security measures: armored luxury cars, safe rooms and bullet-proof glass in their homes. One client asked about creating the “Tony Stark-level” security of a half-dozen automated drones to hover over his house, says Stuart, whose gun store is part of his larger security company, Force Protective Agency. “If you want the Gucci package, it’s going to cost money.”

The security business is experiencing a rebound after a couple of diminished years because of the pandemic. Some firms had their on-site security guards sent home for health and social distancing reasons. Not anymore. 

In Beverly Hills, the craving for additional security dates to the riot that followed an otherwise peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in May 2020, with unprecedented looting along Rodeo Drive that left broken boutique windows  beneath beloved luxury brands: Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Michael Kors, MCM, Ermenegildo Zegna. Last March, a $500,000 Richard Mille watch was stolen at gunpoint from a diner at the Il Pastaio restaurant.  The Dec. 1 home-invasion robbery and shooting death of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, 81, in her Trousdale Estates home, only accelerated the arms race among the affluent.

I’m shocked.  You mean they want BLM to destroy your city but not their own?  In other news, they are demanding the police do something about it.

Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore announced in November he would be setting up a task force to combat home-invasion robberies, which have targeted celebrities and upscale restaurants, according to the Los Angeles Times. Moore indicated the department had not seen violent holdups “like this in decades,” The Times reported.

I wonder where this task force will concentrate their efforts?  Anyway, the rich folks know the police can’t be there all of the time.  They want shotguns.  They want Gucci protection.  They want up-armored cars.  They want drones.

If you demand the same thing, 44% of them will tell you to pound sand.

Shelby Co. Sheriff investigating after apparent burglar shot

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Cordova man fired a single shot at someone he said was trying to break into his home during the early morning hours on Saturday.

The alleged would-be burglar was shot dead. The man who fired the round told us he wasn’t alone inside the home as his 13-year-old son was there as well.

The man added he was simply a dad, defending his child.

“[The] assailant trying to break in, through my bedroom window. And as I as coming around from the kitchen in the room – I seen him,” the man told us, but did not want to be identified.

Around 3:30 in the morning, while inside his home at the Camden Grove Apartments just off North Houston Levee Road in Cordova, he had an unexpected visitor.

“He was trying to take the screen off, to open the actual window,” the man told us.

FedEx Driver Shot And Robbed, Returns Fire With Weapon, Suspect Dead

An unnamed 32-year-old Philadelphia FedEx driver had just dropped off a package at a home in Northeast Philadelphia on a Tuesday night when things took a terrifying turn. Shortly after 7 p.m., the FedEx driver, who was making a routine residential delivery in the city’s Lawndale neighborhood, was approached by an armed gunman, who stole items from his FedEx truck and reportedly took his wallet and keys.

The suspect then opened fire, shooting the driver in the abdomen, NBC 10 Philadelphia reported. The gunman likely wasn’t anticipating that the FedEx driver would also be armed, but the robbery suspect soon learned the hard way that the driver was prepared to defend himself. The attempted robbery quickly turned into a shoot out as the victim drew his own weapon and turned the tables.

After being confronted by a gunman and getting shot in the abdomen, the FedEx driver returned fire, hitting the suspect several times. Despite his injuries, the robbery victim was able to get into his truck and drive himself away from the scene. Meanwhile, the injured robber managed to escape with several stolen items.

As police received calls about shots fired in the area, the victim entered a nearby parking lot in his FedEx truck, where he was found by police and able to report what had happened. “He was able to tell police that he was making a delivery on the 600 block of Unruh and right when he got done making that delivery, he was approached by at least one male and he was robbed at point of gun,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small explained, according to CBS Philly.

“Initially, we did not know whether the perpetrator was struck by gunfire,” Small added, but they soon found out. Minutes after the Philadelphia FedEx driver told police what had happened, cops were called to the 1400 block of Creston Street, where they found the 27-year-old suspect in critical condition. He was reportedly located in a driveway with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest, back, and torso.

Near where the suspect was found, investigators also located a vehicle, containing some of the items that were stolen from the FedEx truck. In addition, police discovered blood and a shell casing inside the vehicle, and back on Unruh Avenue, where the shooting occurred, at least seven spent shell casings were found near where the package was delivered.

The suspect, who was later identified as Jevan Lundy by NBC 10 Philadelphia and who was discovered with the victim’s FedEx ID card, was transferred to the hospital. He died of his injuries, pronounced dead at 8:27 p.m. — less than an hour and a half after the armed robbery. The FedEx driver, on the other hand, was transported to Einstein Medical Center in stable condition.

Police later confirmed that the unnamed FedEx driver was licensed to carry and seemed to have acted in self-defense. “Based on the preliminary story that was relayed it appears to be self-defense: he was shot first, he fired back,” Acting Police Commissioner Christine Coulter said.

A second person of interest was located with the vehicle where Lundy was found. Police were investigating whether that person drove the robbery suspect from the shooting scene to where he was found. And, according to NBC, the man found with Lundy was believed to be the owner of the car, which they believe was used to drive Lundy away from the scene of the shooting

“He is speaking to us, of course not portraying that he had any involvement with this robbery,” Philadelphia Police Department Capt. Jason Smith said. The following day, a second suspect was taken into custody with police saying it was possible the unnamed male was an accomplice in the robbery.

Following the fatal shooting, FedEx, which was cooperating fully with the police, released a statement. They were asked whether drivers are allowed to carry firearms but said they are not at liberty to disclose details of their internal policies. “The safety of our team members is of paramount importance at FedEx,” the company’s statement said. “As such, we do not publicly disclose details relating to our security policies. As this incident remains an ongoing police investigation, we will have no further comment.”

While many might question whether an employee should be allowed to carry a firearm while on the job, this story seems to prove there are times where it absolutely is necessary for self-defense. Who knows what condition the FedEx driver might have been found in if he were unable to protect himself. Instead, he was able to defend himself against the suspect accused of attacking him.

The Times May Be A-Changin’

Over time, we’ve seen changes in focus by the hoplophobic elements of society. Originally, it was all about banning handguns or at least “Handgun Control Inc.” The “assault weapon”, that is, the AR ban of 1994-2004 followed, with no discernible effect on crime, homicide, etc. Movement mutation continued, with groups dropping wording advocating bans, moving to claims of fighting pure “violence” and promoting gun “safety”.

Now they want to address “root causes” of violence instead of just restricting legal gun ownership, though still advocating extending background checks while “not taking anyone’s guns”. Intervening within high-crime communities, and with those at high risk of committing and becoming victims of violence, is appropriate, though far more difficult than they may imagine.

Throughout, we’ve had no reason to believe that these anti-gun activists have had any real change of heart. Their “conversation” always comes around to the desirability of somehow limiting the rights of law-abiding American gun owners in some way, even if in “just” creating more hoops to jump through in order to purchase, keep or bear our arms.

However, there is a fundamental factor that will trump all their intentions, both open and disguised. That is us, the people (and voters) of democracies. As Andrew Breitbart famously said, “Politics follows culture” and culture is changing. Much of this is due to the past 2 years of violence approved and applauded by “progressive” politicians who thought this would garner minority votes. Their groupthink about ethnicity blinded them to the reality that people of all ethnicities, communities and societies want crime stopped lest it hit them.

People are simultaneously realizing that they can’t count on being protected and must plan to do that for themselves. Thus the huge rise in gun purchases by more diverse buyers than ever, including women, minorities (especially African-American women) and self-described liberals. It’s been speculated that this increase in valuing self-protection with firearms may transfer to an increase in valuing Second Amendment rights—and now, that’s no longer speculation.

The Trafalgar Group, a non-partisan polling operation, just released a poll in which over 84% of respondents believed that “strict gun laws” either make no difference in or worsen the current surge in retail thefts. Less than 16% believed such laws can make this better.

In November, Quinnipiac found that 48% of those surveyed opposed stricter gun laws versus 47% who support them—following a trend beginning in 2015, now over the tipping point to plurality opposition. Gallup’s polling in November correlates, with a new low of only 52% of Americans caring that “laws covering the sale of firearms” should be stricter (down from a high of 64% in 2019, falling through 57% in 2020).

Meanwhile, ABC/Ipsos found that 66% of Americans disapprove of how President Biden is addressing gun violence (which could imply wanting more or less strict laws). Republicans’ opposition to more gun laws has strengthened, Democrats’ preference for more strict gun laws is lessening, predictably. But the most important political demographic—independents—have shifted dramatically in favor of, shall we say, individual independence on this issue.

In the latest National Firearms Survey published in July 2021, nearly 1/3 of respondents acknowledged owning guns, more than half of those carry them and almost 1/3 of them reported having to use them defensively in one or more of the estimated nearly 1.7 million episodes of self-defense. In 82% of these DGUs, it wasn’t necessary to fire. Almost 80% of these incidents occurred in the defender’s home or on their property, with the rest mostly occurring in public or at work, still a very substantial number.

NSSF also found that 49% more Hispanic Americans (no, none use “Latinx”) purchased firearms in 2020 than in 2019. With 40% of all gun purchases during the past 2 years coming from new gun owners, it’s no surprise that Hispanics (as well as African-Americans) are increasingly voting more for individual rights than for government “protection”.  In Berkeley, California, of all places, the Latino Rifle Association has grown by hundreds of members since 2020. Its “leftists . . . socialists, progressives” members realize that “The police and the government aren’t taking care of me, so I have to do things on my own.”

Funny thing, that’s what conservatives have recognized for generations. And a much bigger organization, the National African-American Gun Association, has added tens of thousands of new members since 2016, accelerating (along with many local gun clubs oriented toward minorities) during the past 2 years.

Even our less demonstrative Anglophone cousins, Canadians and Kiwis, aren’t cooperating any more with government orders to turn in their newly banned guns than Americans have. Neither are turning in their formerly legal, acceptable firearms—only 160 of an estimated 100,000 affected firearms have been surrendered in Canada in a year and a half. In New Zealand, the 2019 ban of most repeating arms “has had no impact on a rise in gun crime and violence”, except for a steadily increasing rate of the offense of still possessing such firearms.

This is precisely the cultural change that precedes and triggers political change. Most Americans already knew that protecting individual rights is the uncompromisable basis of the success of American society and polity. Many others know that now and more are learning. While Donald Trump improved the Republican share of the Black and Hispanic votes (especially among men), this wasn’t about him or the party. It is about the importance of each person’s rights as an American.

Most expect that the Supreme Court will affirm the Second Amendment with a ruling in Bruen voiding New York City’s may- (= non-) issue handgun carry permitting, along with the 8 other states that persist in that tyranny. The “progressive” left will keep caterwauling if they don’t get their way. But should the decision go otherwise, their wailing would be nothing compared to the anger of the majority who are now convinced that individual rights are more important than political correctness. And that would assuredly lead to even greater political change in favor of ensuring those rights.

To paraphrase St. George Tucker, “the true palladium of liberty” isn’t just “the right of self-defence.” The right to keep and bear arms for the purpose of self-defense and opposing tyranny is necessary to a free people in a free state. But it is a means to the goal, along with representative democracy lustily embraced, which is “to keep our republic” (h/t B. Franklin). The ultimate mark of liberty is individual autonomy, where the rights of the individual are placed above government’s privileges, which are only bestowed by us individuals.

Prospects for Constitutional Carry in 2022

At the start of 2021 there were 16 members of the Constitutional Carry club in the United States of America. They were:

  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Idaho
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • New Hampshire
  • North Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • South Dakota
  • Vermont
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

2021 was a record year for Constitutional Carry. In 2021, five states joined the Constitutional Carry club, increasing membership from 16 to 21. The last and largest state to join the club was Texas. The four other states to join the club in 2021 were Tennessee, Iowa, Montana, and Utah.

Several other states are working to pass Constitutional Carry bills. Here are states and possibilities for Constitutional Carry in 2022.

Continue reading “”

Boy, Criminal 16, dead after robbery, shooting at Tampa’s Takomah Trail Park

TAMPA — A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed at Takomah Trail Park Tuesday after a group of people, including the teen, shot and robbed another person, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Tampa police received a call just before 4 p.m. Tuesday that a person was shot in the park at 10099 Takomah Trail. Officers arrived and found 16-year-old Ian Thomas with a gunshot wound. Thomas died at the scene.

Detectives later learned that a group of people, including Thomas, robbed and shot a 32-year-old man at the park. The 32-year-old fired a weapon in response, hitting Thomas.

The 32-year-old had a concealed weapons permit and legally owned his gun, according to police.

The robbery victim and the remaining suspects had fled the park by the time officers arrived. The 32-year-old was found in another, unspecified location. He was taken to the hospital with injuries not believed to be life threatening. The man is cooperating with detectives, police said.

No other information was released and the investigation is ongoing.

Polls Show More Hispanics Turning Their Backs on Gun Control, Civilian Disarmament Advocates

An Axios/Ipsos poll showed Hispanic swing voters are concerned about crime, criminal violence and personal safety. That finding wasn’t a surprise to NSSF. Hispanic-Americans, along with nearly every other demographic group, are embracing their right to lawfully purchase and own a firearm. Firearm industry retail survey data revealed this growing trend a year ago. That’s when law-abiding Latinos purchased firearms in big numbers and the demographics of America’s gun owners continued to show growth.

Hispanic-Americans aren’t an outlier community and examples are plenty. Suburban swing voters and other minority groups demonstrated similar patterns as they saw policy failures affecting their safety, fully embraced lawful gun ownership and exercised their Second Amendment right.

The Axios/Ipsos poll asked Hispanic-Americans about their top concerns and crime and violence came in at the number two spot at 30 percent – behind only COVID worries at 37 percent. Per Axios, “The finding is a warning for President Biden ahead of next year’s midterms.” A similar Wall Street Journal poll from a week earlier showed Hispanic voters are turning away from Democrats, typically supportive of more gun control, and are now nearly evenly split between their party preference.

The 2022 elections mark the first regular national Election Day since the 2020 election over which time Americans have seen rampant violent crime in cities across the country, calls to defund the police and for prosecutors to go easy on convicted criminals. It also witnessed historic firearm sales.

Continue reading “”

Neighbor dispute leads to deadly self-defense shooting in Carson City

CARSON CITY, Nev. (KRNV) — A neighbor dispute lead to a deadly self-defense shooting in Carson City on Christmas Eve, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting just before 3 p.m. on Dec. 24 at an apartment on the 20 block of College Parkway.

When police arrived, the found a man dead in a downstairs apartment doorway suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. The man was identified as a 41-year-old man who lived in an apartment upstairs.

Deputies immediately took the resident who lived in the apartment where the incident happened into custody. Witnesses and the residents told police the man killed had a recent patter of erratic and aggressive behavior around the apartment complex.

The sheriff’s office later confirmed several calls for service at the man’s apartment where he was reportedly acting strangely or aggressive to people in the area. Just after midnight on the same day of the shooting, deputies responded to the 41-year-old’s apartment for similar but non-aggressive circumstances. During their contact, police had insufficient cause to take forced medical actions but were concerned to seize a recently purchased 12-gauge shotgun.

After further investigation, police released the suspected shooter from custody and without any immediate charges being filed.

In America’s violent cities, is self-defense the last civil right?

As much as I love sipping political philosophies like fine wine, now isn’t the time. Of all the important questions to be asked in this manic hour, I offer this one: In America’s violent cities, is self-defense the last civil right or a path to the last rite? As violent crime rises and the leftists’ will to fight it plummets, we who are in the midst of daily destruction must make up our minds.

I don’t care if your chosen self-defense item is a knife (a staple in majority leftist/left anarchist cities), slingshot, baseball bat (a favorite of the friend whom I call a force of nature), bow and arrow, pepper spray, fists, mixed martial arts (aka MMA) or whatever else tickles your tactical fancy, it’s clear we’ve got to have our minds made up. We must be armed, not just with the weapons, but also with the will to defend ourselves. Given current headlines on timelines, it’s a no-brainer.

In New Orleans, a local judge’s mother was recently wounded in crossfire and a congresswoman and state legislator were carjacked days ago in their respective cities. When mayhem touches elites, some targets (that is, ordinary citizens) wonder whether the policies those elites support will change? Let’s let that question hang in the air while we stay focused.

I understand what progressive mayors and prosecutors have done to undermine effective policing and violent career criminal convictions. I also understand change won’t happen instantly even if those same actors got religion on public safety overnight.

Targets (i.e., citizens) still face several waves of attacks from a generation that hasn’t faced consequences for its actions. After what conservatives termed “the Ferguson Effect” following Mike Brown’s death and new de-policing benchmarks set following George Floyd’s demise, we face youth who won’t magically stop rampaging on their won. Violent young people’s lifestyles change only after persistent pressure is applied over time.

Police officers, mayors, prosecutors, and judges are instrumental but not fast moving. We targets (aka citizens) must exercise our last right of self-defense, and loudly defend the right to do so, or what we call self-defense will become the equivalent of a last rite courtesy of violent offenders.

Fortunately, self-defense is instantaneous. It isn’t hamstrung by polling and debates in safe chambers. When targets (citizens) decide self-defense is our last right, we won’t be needing our last rites anytime soon.

Is Mandatory Firearms Liability Insurance a Liability or an Asset?

Anti-gun politicians in New York are proposing mandatory liability insurance for some firearms owners. Let me give you the pitch and let’s see how you react. Yes, this is a test of sorts, so you might want to have some coffee before you dive in.

The theory is that honest gun owners cause crime. The law holds gun owners liable for everything that happens. Gun stores and gun manufacturers are held liable too. They are even liable for the actions of criminals who steel guns until the guns are reported stolen. I didn’t see any first party indemnification, so if you try and stop a robber who is stealing your guns and he shoots you with one of your own guns then you might be held liable. To sum up the theory, society would be safer because criminals will be disarmed after honest gun owners lock up their guns. The politicians say we would finally have peace on our streets, and who could object to that.

Now let’s look at the other side of the argument. Honest gun owners do a phenomenal job of keeping their guns away from children. Accidental deaths with a firearm are rare with only one out of 350 accidental deaths being from a firearm. So we have some perspective on the problem, let me add that an accidental death with a firearm happens a little more than once a day. Now consider that armed defense is frequent rather than rare. Honest citizens use a gun for armed defense a little over 4500 times a day. If we make guns less accessible will that save lives or cost lives? The answer isn’t clear, but armed defense is about 3500 times more common than a lethal firearms accident.

Continue reading “”

Homeowner Shoots, Kills Neighbor Who Forced Way In

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A man Grand Prairie Police said forced his way into someone else’s home was shot and killed Thursday afternoon, Dec. 23. Police said it happened in the 2800 block of North Highway 360 around 1:30 p.m.

Grand Prairie Police said Elon Thomas, 43, forced his way into a private residence, then the homeowner retrieved a firearm and shot him. Thomas died at the hospital. Detectives believe the suspect and resident were neighbors, and the incident was not random.

No arrests have been made and this case remains under investigation, police said.

Family Dollar employee shoots man trying to rob his store

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A man trying to rob a Family Dollar in Winston-Salem was stopped by one of the store’s employees.

Police said Avondre McLaurin tried to steal money from the cash register and appeared to be tucking a gun under his clothes.

He was shot in the leg around 5 p.m. Thursday by the store employee and then fled from the store.

McLaurin was later arrested at his home on North Spring Street and police say he resisted arrest. McLaurin was bitten by a K-9 dog when he tried to escape arrest and was eventually arrested, police told WXII News.

A Girl and a Gun club empowers female gun owners

Born and raised in Wyoming, Kathleen Wilkinson, 67, was familiar with weapons but had never done any shooting. That all changed when her husband, a Top Gun pilot, passed away in 2020.

Having moved to Grand Junction in 1978, the newly-widowed Wilkinson decided to visit her sister in Oklahoma at a ranch she managed. While there, Wilkinson decided to try shooting for the first time at the ranch’s shooting range. She was able to borrow a rifle, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and a .22-caliber revolver. Like a Rambo Goldilocks, the rifle kicked too hard, the 9mm was hard to manage and very loud, but the .22 was just right. With it, she hit the target nearly every time, and that got her hooked.

As soon as she returned home, Wilkinson purchased a .22 revolver. While waiting for the background check, she followed the store employee’s suggestion to visit the Rocky Mountain Gun Club (RMGC). Wilkinson discovered the club rented guns and had a Ladies Day open to nonmembers, and immediately made plans to attend.

On her way out, she saw a flyer for A Girl and A Gun Shooting League’s local chapter. It only took Wilkinson one day to decide she wanted to join.

Gun classes

A Girl and A Gun’s (AG/AG) mission is to encourage women of all demographics to be educated about firearm usage and safety and to promote shooting and competitive shooting sports. Events are designed for all levels of experience, from novice to recreational to competitive.

Continue reading “”

These 12 Incidents of Defensive Gun Use Prove Armed Civilians Make Situations Safer

I testified earlier this month at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Chicago on underlying causes of the spikes in gun violence in that city and around the country.

Although Sen. Dick Durbin’s interruptions of my opening statement stole the show in many respects, it shouldn’t be overlooked that the Illinois Democrat also solicited disparaging remarks on the right to keep and bear arms from another witness—Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown.

In direct response to one of Durbin’s questions, Brown remarked that armed civilians make police officers’ jobs more difficult, and that he never has seen a lawfully armed civilian make a situation safer.

This was certainly disappointing and should not take away from Brown’s important points with respect to underlying problems  of prosecutorial leniency and anti-police sentiment that devastates police morale.

But Brown also is quite mistaken about the reality of defensive uses of firearms. Americans—including those residing in Chicago—routinely use their guns to defend themselves and others from crime, rendering themselves and their communities safer from violence.

Almost every major study on the issue has found that Americans use their firearms in self-defense between 500,000 and 3 million times annually, according to a 2013 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Continue reading “”

Naked intruder shot to death after assaulting elderly couple in their home

An elderly man fatally shot a naked intruder who entered his Adams County home and assaulted him and his wife on Wednesday, state police said.

State police identified the intruder as 54-year-old Steven David Shaffer, who was declared dead at the scene. He lived nearby the couple, but they did not know him, Lt. Mark Maygar said during a news conference.

The wife suffered critical injuries in the attack, and she was airlifted to York Hospital. The husband was taken by ambulance to the same medical facility. State police are not releasing the names of the victims at this time.

An autopsy is expected to be completed on Thursday, Maygar said. Shaffer was shot multiple times with a revolver.

State police received numerous calls Wednesday morning about a man acting erratically in the 800 block of Green Springs Road in Berwick Township, near Abbottstown. He was trying to enter an occupied home and banging on cars on the road, forcing traffic to stop.

As troopers were responding to the scene, Shaffer went to the home of the married couple in their late 70s. He entered the home only wearing a shirt and began hitting the elderly man with his fists.

The husband told his wife to retrieve a gun from the nearby bedroom. As she went to get it, Shaffer followed her.

He then assaulted the woman as her husband entered the room.

The husband was able to grab the firearm and fired multiple shots at Shaffer.

The wife sustained significant injuries in the attack and is in critical condition, state police said.

She is in need of thoughts and prayers, Maygar said.

“It’s a very unfortunate incident for a married couple in their late 70s just trying to enjoy their day,” he said.

The husband, who also suffered multiple injuries, is stable, state police said.

The criminal investigation remains ongoing. Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened. State police have been able to interview the husband but not the wife.

Shaffer had been wearing shorts and underwear, but he took them off for unknown reasons before entering the couple’s home, state police said. The front door was unlocked, and the two were sitting in their living room.

When the investigation is completed, it will be turned over to Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett to determine if any charges are warranted.

Deputies believe South Valley homicide was self-defense

Deputies are investigating a Saturday morning shooting as a case of self-defense in Southwest Albuquerque.

Jayme Fuller, a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, said Tuesday that deputies interviewed the shooter and no charges have been filed.

The incident left 36-year-old Adam Garcia dead.

Deputies responded around 10:30 a.m. to reports of gunfire in the 3200 block of Cypress Circle SW, near Atrisco and Central. Arriving deputies found Garcia shot and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

“At this time, Homicide and Violent Crime are investigating this incident as an act of self-defense,” Fuller said.

Police say deadly shooting in NW Atlanta appears to be self-defense

ATLANTA — Atlanta police said deadly shooting in Northwest Atlanta appears to be a case of self-defense.

Investigators said one person is dead following the shooting Monday along Westlake Avenue NW. The homeowner is not facing charges at this time.

An officer confirmed to Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that a resident saw someone in their carport, and then shot and killed them.

APD Homicide Unit Commander Ralf Woolfolk said the homeowner went to police headquarters and is cooperating with the investigation.

“We’re still in the early stages of the investigation and trying to ascertain all the details as to what happened,” Woolfolk said.

Georgia law is clear when it comes to protecting oneself on one’s own property, including inside a carport. Investigators are classifying this case as a justifiable shooting and said that the homeowner appears to have been protecting himself from an intruder.