Armed Good Guys: The Difference a Gun Makes

News stories of civilian self-defense seldom receive adequate media coverage. After all, armed good guys stopping violent felons does not make headlines like the lives of innocents being taken. Bias and agendas play their part, but the media does not cover an event that did not happen, such as a case where a good guy stopped a violent event before it resulted in the loss of innocent life. However, these are exactly the type of stories we need to highlight to educate non gun owners before they head to the voting booth.

Huntsville, AL — Two armed robbers, who were apparently in the middle of a crime spree, were taken out of commission when one of their intended targets was armed and ready to defend.

While in a Publix parking lot, the 23-year-old armed citizen was talking with his mother when two armed men came up to them and announced a robbery.

Police said they were charging 22-year-old Precious Howard and 19-year-old Deangelo Lindsay in the robbery. Lindsay is at Huntsville Hospital being treated for a gunshot wound.

During the robbery, Lindsay started to turn his gun toward the 23-year-old man’s mother, Johnson said. That’s when the 23-year-old shot Lindsay.

Lindsay and Howard drove away but the vehicle crashed near the AMC movie theater, Johnson said. The crashed vehicle was reported stolen during a carjacking in Mountain Brook, an affluent suburb of Birmingham, according to police.

And that’s just about it for this story.

The pair face quite a few charges, some of which can result in life behind bars. Had it not been for this 23-year-old who decided to carry a firearm for self-defense, these two criminals may not be where they belong—behind bars.

Here is yet another successful self-defense with a firearm story, and it won’t be the last. With more and more people deciding to arm themselves while in public, it should send a clear message to criminals everywhere.

‘If I didn’t have a firearm, I wouldn’t be here to talk to you’: Realtor describes attack at open house

Commerce City, CO — What happened Sunday morning was a moment Dawna Hetzler said she had trained for, but never believed would actually happen.

“I like to believe the best in people,” the longtime realtor said three days after calling Commerce City Police to report she was threatened at knifepoint by a man during an open house.

The perpetrator is still on the loose after Hetzler, who said she has a concealed carry permit, fired gunshots in his direction, scaring him away. Police could not say if they believe the man was wounded.

“My life was in danger, and if I did not have my firearm, I would not be here to talk to you,” Hetzler said.

According to the Commerce City Police Department, the incident happened in broad daylight—at 11:30 a.m. Sunday—in a home near East 104th Avenue and Chambers Road.

Hetzler said the man arrived shortly after she started setting up for the open house. At the time, she said she thought nothing of it.

“He asked the right questions,” Hetzler said. “We talked about loans, what he had to qualify for.”

She said he picked up a brochure for the property and asked to see the upstairs. While they were in the master bedroom, Hetzler said he took a knife out as well as a small, six-inch piece of rope that apparently had bear spray tethered to it.

“He said, ‘This is a knife; this is bear spray.’ After he said, ‘This is bear spray,’ he asked me to take out off my ring and get into the closet,” Hetzler said.

This was when Hetzler said she began to fear for her life. She said she drew her gun, and the man responded by dousing her with bear spray.

“I couldn’t see,” she said. “My skin was burning, my eyes were on fire, I couldn’t see, so I fired.”

After the man ran away, Hetzler said she went downstairs and tried to find her phone, her vision obscured by bear spray. She called 911 and was later taken to the hospital. Days later, Hetzler said the residue from the bear spray still burns.

“Our men and women in blue helped me tremendously that day, and I am so grateful for their service,” Hetzler said.

She said she shared her story with the media on Wednesday morning in hopes that it will help police find the man who attacked her. A published author and blogger, Hetzler said her other goal is for her story to inspire women.

“It’s still very surreal,” Hetzler said. “You train for something like that but you pray you never have to do it.”

The Commerce City Police Department is working to release a sketch of the suspect in the case. At this point, he is described as a white man who is around 6 feet tall. Police said he could have a neck tattoo and a blond beard.

Anyone with information about his identity or whereabouts is asked to call the Commerce City Police Department at 303-289-3626.

Do you have a story of armed good guys with guns that shows the importance of firearm ownership for self-defense? Share it in the comment section.