LearnAboutGuns.com

As reported, Dominic Mathew’s Food Pantry store was robbed several times in the past, including one robber where the criminal held a gun to his neck.  Wishing to defend himself, he got a handgun.  Last Tuesday, a robber came into his Iowa store wearing a hoodie, with a gun in hand.  Upon seeing Mathew’s gun, the would-be robber lowered his gun and ran out the door.  No shots were fired, and the robbery was averted. Read the rest of this article »

Over the last year, I’ve discussed dozens of armed robberies in Oak Park, where criminals ignore the handgun ban and prey on disarmed victims.  The last week was sadly no different, although I am happy to report that there was a case of self defense. Read the rest of this article »

Last week, Inside Nova ran an anti gun editorial, The article ignores facts and statistics, and instead attempts to blame guns and gun owners for the already illegal actions of one person, then calls for a gun ban.  The author of that article pushes reason to the side, and tries to scare readers into accepting his or her viewpoint, all while misrepresenting the facts.  These anti gun assertions, and my responses, are below: Read the rest of this article »

Below is an announcement from the ISRA, about the Second Amendment Freedom Rally.  It takes place Friday, June 26,2009 in downtown Chicago.  I really encourage everyone to attend.  Sadly, I won’t be there, since I now live in Iowa and can’t take the day off from work. Read the rest of this article »

As I’ve discussed before, President Obama is about as anti gun as it gets.  He was endorsed by the Brady Campaign, and chose gun rights opponent Joe Biden to be his vice president.  He then nominated anti gun individuals such as Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano to key positions within his administration.  This trend continues with his latest State Department nominee, Harold Hongju Koh, who supports gun control on a global scale.  Below is the Gun Owners of America action alert regarding Harold Hongju Koh: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a Mesa, AZ home was invaded by a pair of armed and violent criminals.  The criminals demanded money, and rounded up the four residents of the house, moving them into one room.  The homeowner managed to grab his shotgun, and fatally shot one of the criminals.  The homeowner also managed to shoot and wound another criminal, who fled and was later apprehended by police at a local hospital.  The residents were unharmed. Read the rest of this article »

When I discuss cases where armed citizens stop violent criminals, my main focus is on how having a gun allowed those citizens to save themselves from that criminal.  However there is another benefit to stopping criminals, which is often harder to show, but remains just as real: Read the rest of this article »

I just wanted to make a few notes relating to LearnAboutGuns.com: Read the rest of this article »

For the last few months, I’ve been meaning to write an article discussing the drug-related violence in Mexico, but hadn’t gotten around to doing so.  My goal was to debunk the myth that US guns and gun owners are to blame for the violence in Mexico, and to discuss the inherent problems with our war on drugs.  However a recent article on Reason.com does an excellent job doing both, so I’ll encourage everyone to read that article. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a liquor store clerk was given a cell phone, and a .40 caliber Glock pistol by his son.  These gifts were given by the son out of concern for his father’s safety.  These two gifts ended up saving the clerk’s life.  On Monday, the clerk was in his store when an armed robber entered, waved a knife in his face, then tried to stab him in the chest.  The cell phone blocked the knife, likely saving the clerk’s life.  The clerk then drew his pistol and shot the robber in the abdomen.  The robber fled, and a man matching the description of the robber was found at a local hospital, suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.  Police say that this same suspect has been charged with a variety of crimes in the past, including criminal trespass, simple assault, possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct, burglary, theft by receiving, and cruelty to children. Read the rest of this article »

As I mentioned about a year ago, many of my friends and family expressed concerns for my safety when they learned that I frequented Chicago-area gun stores and ranges.  They worried that gun owners were racist, and would open fire on me for being an African American.  Such concerns were totally unfounded, and I experienced not a shred of racism from gun store/range owners, employees, or customers.  Instead, I found my fellow Chicago-area gun enthusiasts to be kind, helpful, and fun to be around.  I recently moved to Iowa, and therefore had to find gun stores and ranges near my new home.  The same people who were (incorrectly) concerned for my safety in Chicago area gun stores/ranges renewed their concerns, saying that while I got lucky in Chicago, I was certain to experience racism at Iowa gun stores/ranges. Read the rest of this article »

I recently purchased a Rock River Arms AR-15.  To be specific, this model Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an robber entered the Cinderella Bakery in San Antonio, Texas, threatening the life of the owner.  The owner’s son heard the owner scream, and he came from the back of the Bakery with a gun.  The owner’s son shot the robber at least twice, and the robber took off running.  Police were called, and conducted a search for the robber.  They found the criminal a few blocks away, and called for an ambulance.  The robber died shortly thereafter in a local hospital.  None of the innocent people were harmed, and the bakery owner’s son is not expect to face any charges. Read the rest of this article »

A while back, I mentioned that running from a criminal is often a bad idea.  A recent case from Yonkers reinforces this point: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a Sarasota, Florida man drove to his house, and stepped out of his vehicle to unlock his fence, when a black pickup truck pulled up behind him.  A criminal, who was armed with a shotgun, stepped out of the truck and ordered the man to lay on the ground.  The man acted as though he was complying with the criminal’s demands, but then grabbed his concealed handgun.  The man opened fire on the armed criminal, striking him in the stomach.  The injured criminal dropped the gun and fled in the truck.  Shortly thereafter, a black pickup appeared at a nearby hospital, and dropped off a teenager with a gunshot wound to the stomach.  Police say that they suspect this teenager was the robber, and he will be taken to the Sarasota County jail one released from the hospital. Read the rest of this article »

I’ve written several articles in the past about how criminals have the upper hand in Britain.  First, British gun bans ensure that only criminals are armed.  Then, those citizens who do manage to defend themselves against violent criminals are convicted of murder, and then sued by a surviving criminal.  However a recent case from the UK is so outrageous that I thought it was a joke at first: Read the rest of this article »

Although I just posted an ISRA action alert yesterday, I have another one today, because this is just too important to wait: Read the rest of this article »

The Illinois State Rifle Association has released the action alert shown below, encouraging those who support gun rights to help out a brand new political action committee (PAC).  The mission of this PAC is to “elect those who support the 2nd Amendment, and work even harder to un-elect those who do not.” I encourage everyone, whether you live in the state of Illinois or not, to help out. Read the rest of this article »

When researching a self defense gun use case on a major news outlet’s website, I noticed a statistical graph discussing gun related deaths.  It is entitled “Who’s At Risk,” and states that it “Compares Firearms-Related Deaths Among Men, Women, Blacks And Whites in 2000.”  I see serious misrepresentation of fact in this graph: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a pair of armed robbers came to a Phoenix, AZ liquor store, with one waiting outside while the other entered.  A robber, who was armed with a knife, handed the clerk what appears to have been a note demanding money.  The clerk pretended to be unable to read the note, at which point the robber walked through the gate that separates the clerk from customers, and pulled out a knife.  The clerk then shot the robber in self defense.  The robber ran from the store to a friend’s apartment across the street, where he collapsed.  Police arrived and transported the robber to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.  The store clerk was unharmed. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, 75 year old Reginald Baker was a retired British man, whose physical strength was limited.  His small home was filled with family photos, and collectible models of military vehicles.  His home had been broken into once, and a burglar stole over £2,300 of his retirement savings. Fearing a repeated break-in, Reginald decided to store his money securely at the local post office, and had police install a security camera at his home. A few weeks after that first burglary, 4 young men broke into Reginald’s home and demanded his money.  He told them that the money was at the post office, but they didn’t believe him.  The criminals proceeded to torture the elderly man, breaking every single one of his ribs, stabbing him in the face, slicing his finger nearly completely off, beating him, and breaking his back.  Reginald begged the criminals to stop, but they continued to torture him until he died, at which point they spent the night partying and drinking.  The gruesome security camera footage led to the men’s conviction, for which two of them will serve 28 and 30 years in prison, while others will receive lesser sentences.

Read the rest of this article »

The History channel has a show called Gangland, which profiles gangs and their crimes.  I’ve found it to be an interesting show for the most part, however the most recent show made a rather untrue implication about gun sales and racism: Read the rest of this article »

Below is a notice from the ISRA, discussing their 7th Annual Range Open House, which is on June 27, 2009.  All law abiding citizens are invited, including those who do not own a firearm and wish to shoot for the first time under the supervision of qualified instructors: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a Long Island store owner was working the register on May 21, 2009, when a bat wielding robber entered, and started swinging.  The robber yelled for the store owner to hand over money, at which point the store owner pulled out his shotgun.  The robber immediately dropped to his knees and began begging for forgiveness, blaming the bad economy for his decision to rob the store.  The store owner forgave the robber, and even handed him $40 plus a loaf of bread.  The robber then fled while the store owner went to the back of the store to find find some milk to give to the robber.   These events were captured on security tape. Read the rest of this article »

The “gun free” village of Oak Park, IL has seen plenty of armed robberies, as criminals laugh at the decades-old handgun ban.  Most of these robberies involve criminals threatening the lives of innocent people, while taking their money or car.  However during a recent robbery, the armed criminal took something much more precious: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an armed robber entered a Port Royal, VA bank and demanded money while threatening the life of a teller.  After receiving several thousand dollars, the robber fled back to his vehicle, dropping $100 bill along the way.  When he got to his vehicle, he realized that he had locked the keys inside, and tried to break open a window using a piece of wood.  The robber succeeded only at drawing the attention of two auto shop workers, whose maintenance bay he was blocking with his illegally parked car.  The two men chased the robber, who managed to shoot himself in the leg when drawing his own gun.  The robber continued to fight, at which point one of the citizens shot the robber.  Police arrived and arrested a suspect, charging him with 8 felonies, including 2 counts of attempted murder.  The suspect had also served nearly 20 years in prison after a 1963 bank robbery conviction, and was due to appear in court again this week to plead guilty to a gun possession charge. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Chicago and Oak Park handgun ban: Read the rest of this article »

As I happily mentioned a few days ago, I now live in Iowa, and have a concealed carry permit.  One of the holsters that I ordered arrived, and I’ve been carrying.  Some of my preliminary observations are below: Read the rest of this article »

I’ve recently discussed the self defense shooting of Antwun Parker, who was part of an armed robber team that attacked an Oklahoma City pharmacy.  I’ve also discussed how the dead armed robber’s family wrongfully blamed the pharmacy worker who acted in self defense.  That pharmacy worker, Jerome Ersland has since been charged with murder for defending himself.  More information on this situation, and my thoughts about it, are below: Read the rest of this article »