Armed Citizen Experiences - True Stories From March 2009

A suspected burglar stealthily approached a home in an area neighbors claim is suffering from increasing crime. Police say the burglar began removing a window screen, but was seen by the homeowner, NRA Life member Charles Jemeyson, who quickly got his pistol. “If I had not had my [gun] handy, he would have come into my home,” Jemeyson wrote in an e-mail to the NRA. “I fired one round… and he went down. He jumped up and jumped a six-foot fence.” Police found the suspect at a hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. (KSAT 12 News, San Antonio, Texas, 03/16/09)
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Sarah Nahmens and her mother often discuss personal safety and keep a .32-caliber revolver in their home. “We’ve always talked about defending yourself and how important that is,” Nahmens said. Police say her planning paid off when two men began forcing her door open. Nahmens quickly retrieved her gun and pointed it at the door as it flew open. “It kind of kicked in and I thought, ‘OK, I’ve got to make sure that I’m safe’ … It was either going to be me or them and it couldn’t be me,” she explained. Nahmens fired two shots and the uninjured suspects fled. “I commend her for protecting herself,” said police Capt. Patrick Whitney. Nahmens said the incident has raised awareness in her normally quite neighborhood. Several women have expressed interest in a “girls’ day” at the shooting range to practice and learn more about firearms. (Clovis News Journal, Clovis, N.M., 02/06/09)
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When a man armed with a gun allegedly kicked in Derrick Murray’s back door and shouted that he was a police officer, Murray wasn’t buying it for a second. “[The suspect and his accomplices outside] were talking in street slang,” Murray explained. Police say Murray quickly retrieved a semi-automatic rifle and shot the intruder, causing him to flee. But the story doesn’t stop there. The intruder ran outside, where he was run over by his own getaway car. The panicked drive then backed up, running him over a second time. The suspect will face charges pending his release from the hospital. His two accomplices are being sought. (WFIE 14 News, Evansville, Ind., 03/16/09)
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John Antonetz and his wife, Lydia Pace-Antonetz, were loading groceries into their vehicle in a Wal-Mart parking lot when, police say, a man wearing a disguise announced a robbery. The couple tried to run from the robber, but he struck Pace-Antonetz, grabbed her purse and pointed a gun at the couple. That’s when Antonetz, a 63-year-old dentist with a concealed-carry permit, retrieved his .357-caliber revolver from the vehicle. As the suspect continued threatening his wife, Antonetz rounded the vehicle and fired several shots. The suspect, who was on parole for burglary conviction, was arrested by the police when he sought treatment for a gunshot wound at a local hospital. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Lowell, Ark., 03/25/09)
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Coincidentally, another act by armed citizenry took place in a Wal-Mart parking lot in March. In that incident, police say 28-year-old Joshua Eastman was loading groceries into this vehicle when a teenage thug pointed a gun at him and demanded cash. The quick-thinking Eastman opened the door to this vehicle to form a barrier between himself and the suspect. The clever act may have saved his life. The suspect fired a shot through the door’s window, which narrowly missed Eastman but propelled glass shards into this face. Eastman, a concealed-carry permit holder, drew his .32-caliber handgun, dropped below the door and shot his assailant three times. The suspect fled, but police located him nearby. (The Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, Penn., 03/20/09)
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Police say a robber wearing a ski mask decided to target a busy Burger King restaurant just before the dinner hour. The robber demanded money and flashed a gun wildly, endangering the lives of the many patrons and employees around him. One customer, John Landers, had seen enough. Landers told the 18-year-old robber to lower his gun and stop pointing it at people. The robber responded by shooting Landers several times. It was a mistake he’d quickly regret. Landers, a concealed-carry permit holder, drew his handgun and shot the robber, killing him. At press time, Landers was in the hospital recovering from injuries. Police say his actions may have saved a number of lives. (The Miami Herald, Miami, Fla., 03/25/09)
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