Chronicles of Armed Citizens

Miguel Lopez Hernandez, 25, and an armed accomplice entered Kelly Jewelers. The accomplice produced his handgun, ordered the store manager to get on the floor, then tossed a roll of duct tape to Hernandez. The manager, however was quickly able to retrieve his own handgun. The armed assailant dashed out the door upon seeing the firearm, leaving Hernandez armed only with the roll of duct tape. Hernandez was arrested and is under investigation for aggravated robbery; his accomplice remains at large. (KSL 5 News, Midvale, Utah, 3/10/12)

Hall Palmer was taken captive in his own home in July 2011, and it was an antique firearm and family heirloom that helped free him. Palmer was awoken in the early morning hours by an armed intruder that first bound his hands and then demanded cash and the PIN number for a bank card that Palmer owned. The 70-year-old Palmer went along with things for awhile, before finally wriggling free of his bonds and heading upstairs. With his captor in hot pursuit, Palmer retrieved a .38 Colt Army Special that he'd inherited from his father years before and fired a single shot in the intruder's direction. The invading gunman immediately turned and fled out through the garage. (St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, Fla., 1/20/2011)

Four armed intruders began to kick down the door of a two-story apartment, so the three inhabitants locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom and exited onto the balcony where they had no escape. One of the occupants grabbed a rifle kept in the bedroom. One of the home invaders, dressed in camouflage with a black cloth covering his face, managed to kick open the bedroom door. The occupant raised the rifle and shot one round at the intruder, causing the home invaders to flee. Derrick Timmons, 20, was pronounced dead when his body was later found. The other offenders are still being sought by police. (The Courier Herald, Dublin, Ga., 3/15/12)

Michael Moffitt was at home with his girlfriend when an 11 p.m. knock drew him to the apartment door. When the couple looked through the peephole they realized that it was being covered from the outside. Moffitt retrieved a legally owned AR-15 rifle and checked the peephole again. This time it was uncovered, so Moffitt opened the door to investigate. A masked intruder armed with a handgun tried to force his way through, leading Moffitt to open fire. The intruder was fatally wounded, and police declared that Moffitt had acted in self-defense. A second masked man was reportedly seen on the back of the building, but fled after hearing the gunfire. (The Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn., 4/20/12)

Between 2 and 3 p.m. a woman was stopped along the highway when a man approached her car door. He pulled out a knife that appeared to already have a bloody blade and demanded that she go with him. He threatened her, telling her that if she did not comply she would “end up like that woman on TV.” The woman believed he was referring to a missing teacher confirmed dead just days before. She told the man to wait while she got her cigarettes, then reached down and pulled out a gun. The man quickly fled. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, Mont., 1/14/12)

A man in Illinois entered a convenience store with less than noble ideas on the night of March 15, and wound up getting more than he bargained for. The suspect in question brandished a gun barrel from beneath his white t-shirt and demanded that the store employees give him all of their money. One clerk sprung into action, retrieving a legally owned pistol and firing it upward at a 45-degree angle. The shot sent the would-be robber scrambling for the door and into an alley. Police are still investigating. (The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill., 3/17/12)

A 25-year-old Bedford Heights, Ohio, homeowner spotted an intruder breaking into a neighbor’s home, which prompted a quick call to 9-1-1. The homeowner remained on the phone while he confronted the intruder, who had climbed through a broken kitchen window. The intruder proceeded to grab a kitchen knife and threaten the homeowner, who retrieved a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and fired. The intruder was taken to the MetroHealth Medical Center for treatment and is in the custody of the Bedford Heights police. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, 4/25/12)

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