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As reported, 18 year old Michael Holmes III and another person attempted to break in to a home.  The home was being rehabbed by its  owner, so that the owner, his wife, and their child could move in to the house.  The owner, a Navy service member, was working inside the house when the two men are said to have forced their way in.  The homeowner opened fire in self defense, killing Holmes.  The other suspect then fled, but was apprehended by police a short while later. Read the rest of this article »

Criminals in Chicago violate the ineffective and misguided handgun ban on a daily basis.  Often times, those criminals are aiming for a rival gang member or other criminal, but end up shooting an innocent child.  That appears to be what happened Saturday afternoon at a South Side block party, where a 2 year old child was shot by a criminal.  One of the anti gun readers of the news website where the shooting was reported had the following to say, which I’ve found to be a common type of comment on Chicago-area news websites: Read the rest of this article »

Yesterday, I discussed one of the rather rare cases when police were able to intervene and save a victim.  However today I would like to stress that such cases are indeed rare, and that is why I belive so strongly in the value of armed self defense.  All too often, the police fail to answer 911 calls, or fail to arrive in time to save the victim, despite repeated requests for help.  In other cases, the police may arrive at the scene of an in-progress crime, only to unintentionally shoot the victim.  A recent post at Hecate’s Crossroad reinforces the point that it is far better to be armed for self defense than to rely upon the police coming to the rescue: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, HB 182 and HB 3714 were signed into law last week by IL governor Pat Quinn: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Paul Stolarz was a 45 year old homeless man who lived in Chicago.  He had a history of arrests for minor crimes, and had previously spent a couple days in jail.  On Thursday afternoon, he brandished a knife in the Chicago loop.  Cops were called, and they ordered him to stop and drop the knife.  Stolarz refused, and the cops pepper sprayed him.  Not stopped by the pepper spay, Stolarz ran and then grabbed an 80 year old man as a hostage.  Police again commanded Stolarz to drop the knife, but he continued to refuse.  A cop then opened fire, fatally wounding Stolarz and also striking another cop.  The bullet that struck the cop was stopped by his body armor, preventing serious injury.  Incredibly, bystander Brenda McCloug, who is the store manager of Mrs. Fields, stated to the following to the media: “My personal feeling is [Stolarz]  didn’t have to die,” said McCloug, who disagreed with the police firing on the armed attacker.  She went on to say that “Somebody could have tackled him, and he would have fallen down.”  Read the rest of this article »

Following up on my recent article about long term ammunition storage, I would like to make a few comments about the “first in, first out” ammo storage method: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a bill has been introduced by Michigan state Senator Randy Richardville that would allow those with valid concealed carry permits to lawfully carry on college campuses: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Detroit police say that at about 5AM, behind the apartment building at 1670 Oakman, an armed robber came up behind a man and put a gun to that man’s head.  The man had a concealed carry permit, and drew his self defense gun.  The robber and his would-be victim exchanged gunshot, and the robber was critically injured.  The would-be victim suffered only a minor injury to the head (it is unclear whether this injury was from a bullet, but it is clear that the victim’s injury was rather minor).  Police say that if the robber survives, he will likely be charged with armed robbery, and probably attempted murder. Read the rest of this article »

Prior to the current ammunition shortage,  I generally kept only a small amount of ammo at home.  I never really bothered to stock up, since I could always buy plenty of ammo at a reasonable price from my local gun stores.  But nowadays, ammunition is in short supply, and sometimes can’t be had at any price.  For example, I’ve wanted to go shoot my Springfield XD40 a few times this summer, but didn’t have any ammo (other than a limited amount of self defense ammo) on hand, and all of my local gun stores were completely out of .40 S&W.  Not wanting to repeat this experience, I’ve decided to stock up on ammunition.  Below are my suggestions for the long term storage of ammo: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, police say that North Carolina state Senator Soles shot 22 year old Kyle Blackburn, as Blackburn and another suspect, B.J. Wright, allegedly broke into Soles home.  Blackburn was previously arrested in September 2008 for allegedly breaking into Soles’ home.  Blackburn survived, and was listed in fair condition at a local hospital.  Police are investigating, and District Attorney Rex Gore declined to comment about any possible charges this early in the investigation. Read the rest of this article »

Victor Lamar Davis, a 27 year old California man, was recently convicted of sexually assaulting 7 women.  However prosecutors believe that figure is much higher.  Davis would often commit his crimes during burglaries, and some of the women were raped multiple times.  Davis faces 400 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on September 18, 2009 – yet no sentence will ever undo the harm that Davis inflicted upon his victims. However, had just one of his victims shot Davis in self defense, a great deal of human suffering could have been avoided: Read the rest of this article »

For those in the Chicago area looking for gun training, I would recommend Tactical Shot: Read the rest of this article »

A Florida court of appeal recently ruled that Florida’s “stand your ground” law allows a crime victim to use deadly force against an attacker who is “retreating.”  Allow me to explain why this ruling is ever so correct and reasonable: Read the rest of this article »

The intro to a report by Fox on the recent self defense shootings in WI mischaracterizes self defense as vigilantism.  Fox’s statements, and the problems with those statements, are below: Read the rest of this article »

For a while, I wrote almost weekly about Oak Park, IL, which is one of the few municipalities that still has a handgun ban.  As would be expected, criminals in Oak Park ignore the handgun ban, and prey on the defenseless and disarmed victims.  Since moving out of Illinois, I haven’t written about the Oak Park armed robberies as often – but they certainly have continued: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, 2 robbers, wearing masks and gloves entered a Milwaukee food store Tuesday morning at 10:45AM and announced that they were going to commit a robbery.  One or two customers then opened fire, hitting both robbers.  One robber died on the spot, and the other robber escaped a short distance down the street before dying from his wounds.  Police say that both suspects, whose names have not yet been released, had lengthy criminal records for armed robbery, weapons, and drug related crimes.

Robbers often target stores because they know cash is on hand, security is often lax, and that they can make a quick getaway.  When it turns out that the robbery victim doesn’t have enough money to make the robber happy, the robber will often shoot the victim.  This deli owner, this bakery owner’s wife, this homeowner, and this man all learned that sad lesson.  Similarly, robbers have been known to shoot victims who fully comply, as this woman sadly learned.  Those victims who run from robbers are often no better off, as this man and this other man both unfortunately learned.  Make no mistake about it - robbery is a violent threat to the victim’s life, and as such victims are legally and morally entitled to defend themselves.

As reported, 34 Egyptian fisherman were captured by Somali pirates and held hostage since April.  The Egyptian hostages managed to overpower their pirate captors, killing 7, and escaping to safety.  Upon finding the bodies of 7 dead colleagues, the pirate spokesperson stated “We have found seven of our dead colleagues floating in the sea . . . The Egyptian crew members killed them … we used to welcome them and treat the Egyptians better than other hostages, but if we capture more of them we shall get our revenge.” Read the rest of this article »

As reported, early Thursday morning, the man was near 1st and Clark in Milwaukee, WI when a 19 year old and a 17 year old approach and threatened his life with a gun, as part of a robbery attempt.  The would-be victim was armed, and fired one shot, which killed one robber, 17 year old Kevin Ollie.  At this point, that robber unintentionally shot his 19 year old accomplice, who survived and is in police custody.  The robbery victim was unharmed. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a criminal armed with a knife entered Ron Busy Corner, a store on the 5700 block of Juniper Bay Road in Horry County, SC, and pressed a knife to the back of the store owner.  The store owner and a customer struggled with the robber, while the store owners wife ran to get a pistol.  The store owner, his wife, and the customer managed to disarm the robber and hold him at gunpoint until the police arrived to arrest him. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Milwaukee, WI Mayor Tom Barrett was leaving the WI state fair on Saturday night when he heard a woman scream for help.  Barrett began calling 911, at which point the suspect turned on Barrett and began beating him with a metal pipe.  The suspect then fled, and Barrett was taken to a local hospital.  Barrett was listed in stable condition at the hospital, and police are seeking the suspect.  The woman was unharmed.  My thoughts are below: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, 4 armed robbers entered the Kaplan Brother Blue Flame Corporation, a restaurant-supply business, and announced that they were going to commit a robbery.  One of the criminals then drew a handgun, and began to pistol whip an employee.  The 72 year old owner of the Harlem business grabbed his shotgun and opened fire in self defense.  Two of the robber were killed, and the other two were injured. The two surviving robbers fled, but police quickly apprehended a pair of suspects with gunshot wounds. Below is a video clip of the interview with the store owner who fired in self defense: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a Florida man was at home when a burglar knocked on his door.  After the resident refused to open the door, the burglar is said to have gone around the house and then broken in through a window.  Realizing that his home was being invaded, the resident reportedly grabbed his gun and shot the suspect, who then fled.  Police found a suspect, Carlos Contreras, at a local hospital where he was allegedly seeking treatment for the gunshot wound.  Contreras was arrested, and police say that he was the same man who broke into the victim’s home earlier that day. Read the rest of this article »

I’ve generally been quite happy with the gun stores and ranges I’ve been to, both in the Chicago and Quad Cities areas.  However that streak came to an end today, with a trip to B & B Shooting Supplies.  The story is below, and I’m curious what other people think of the situation and my reaction. Read the rest of this article »

A year ago, the superintendent of a rural Texas school district decided to allow teachers to carry concealed firearms for self defense.  Predictably, the anti gun crowd was outraged, and predicted dire consequences.  However the school district stuck with the plan, and a year has passed with no bloodshed.  Instead, the Harrold Independent School District is safe and secure. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a resident of Belize City, Belize was standing in his own yard with three friends when an armed robber ran up to the man and threatened his life during a robbery attempt.  However this victim was one of the fortunate Belize City residents to have a lawfully owned gun for self defense.  The victim complied with the robber’s demands, before drawing his own gun and commanding the robber to stop and return his property.  The robber refused, drew his gun, and threatened the life of the robbery victim again.  At this point, the robbery victim fired in self defense, killing the robber and protecting himself and his friends. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an armed robber entered a Philadelphia, PA pizza shop,  at about 11:45 PM on Saturday. The robber is said to have threatened the life of the pizza shop owner, while demanding money. The shop owner reportedly grabbed his gun and fired in self defense. The robber was hit, and was listed in critical condition at a local hospital. Neither the shop owner nor any innocent bystanders were harmed. Read the rest of this article »

A recent comment on this website very correctly noted that guns provide options.  I thought I would take a moment to expound on that point, since it seems to be lost on those opposed to gun rights: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a 911 caller reported an armed robbery at a store on the 3000 block of Gulf Street in Beaumont, TX.  The store owner stated that an armed robber who was dressed in black entered his store and threatened him with a handgun, before leaving the store with the stolen money.  The store owner grabbed his gun, and went into the parking lot to get the robber’s license plate.  At this point, the robber saw the owner and pointed a gun at him again.  The store owner then fired at the robber.  The store owner and witnesses believe the robber was hit in the arm.  Neither the store owner nor any bystanders were harmed, and the robber fled in a green convertible Ford Mustang.  Police later found the getaway car, along with the suspect’s bloody clothing, and are investigating further.

Once again, guns are a valuable self defense tool.  Unarmed individuals can suffer a terrible fate when a criminal robs them, even if they fully cooperate with the criminal’s demands.  The same is true for those who try to run from the robber.

On the other hand, fighting back against robbers can be quite effective as a means of reducing the risk of injury to the victim. This armed barber shot an armed criminal who threatened him and his son, saving their lives.  This armed pet shop clerk shot an armed robber who threatened a fellow employee’s life, as well as his own life, preventing them both from being stabbed.  This armed pizza delivery man defended himself against 3 armed robbers, and walked away unharmed.  This armed citizen stopped a bank robber, while this armed Israeli citizen stopped a terrorist.

Those who oppose armed self defense should also note the many cases like this, where a law abiding citizen uses their gun for self defense in a busy area, and not one bystander is endangered.  Remember, statistics show that armed citizens are less likely than the police to shoot the wrong person, not to mention the other benefits to innocent members of society.

Taking a break from bar exam study a few weeks ago, I went to diner and a movie with two of my coworkers.  One of those coworkers is anti gun, and we and I have debated gun rights in the past.  (While we disagree, we do so amicably, and gun rights are about all we disagree about politically).  While debating gun rights over dinner, he stated that carrying a gun for self defense would not allow me to defend myself against every single conceivable attack by criminals.  One example he gave was a criminal sneaking up behind me and shooting me in the back of the head, while I am sitting in a restaurant or in a movie theater.  From this, he concluded that I wasn’t better off by carrying a gun.  I find that reasoning to be flawed: Read the rest of this article »

Just a quick note about the lack of posts this week: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Macon police say that three armed robbers entered a store on the 400 block of Woolfook Street around 10:30PM on Saturday. One of the robbers pointed a gun at a store worker, at which point a second store worker grabbed a shotgun. The worker and the armed robber exchanged shots, and the 3 robbers fled. Police found a suspect, 19 year old Laadrian Javonte Wilson, at a nearby hospital, suffering from a gunshot wound to the buttock. Wilson was released from the hospital Monday afternoon, at which point police arrested him and charged him with aggravated assault and armed robbery. No customers or workers at the store were harmed. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a 74 year old man, whose name has not been released, was parked in front of his house, waiting to take his wife and daughter to the airport. An assailant, believed to be 18 years old, approached the man when he opened the car door, put a knife to the man’s throat, and threatened his life as part of a carjacking attempt. The man was able to grab his gun and shot the attacker twice in the chest. The attacker then fled. On a nearby street, a suspect suffering from two gunshot wounds to the chest was found unconscious, and taken to a nearby hospital. Police interviewed the 74 year old man, and do not expect to file any charges against him in this justified self defense shooting. Read the rest of this article »

Below is my review of the Rock River Arms  Entry Tactical AR-15. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an Idaho woman used her .22 caliber handgun to scare away two criminals who escaped from prison and tried to break into her home.  Cassidy Lockett, of Cottonwood, Idaho was at home with her young children when she noticed two men trying to break in.  She hid the children behind a couch, and grabbed her .22 caliber pistol.  By then, one of the home invading criminals was half way in to her home through a window.  She pointed the pistol at the criminal, and told him to leave.  That home invader, and another who was trying to break in through the front door, both fled.  The sheriff’s department later determined that these two home invaders were Richard Nieves and Ben Westley Perez, who were escaped criminals.  The sheriff’s department then presented Cassidy Lockett with a certificate of achievement for her courage. Read the rest of this article »

I’ve previously discussed how protective orders don’t stop domestic abusers from harming their victims, and how the police often fail to arrive in time to save a victim.  However, as a recent tragic case from Arkansas shows, even once the police arrive, the victim isn’t necessarily any better off: Read the rest of this article »