Two female joggers were enjoying a morning run when three dogs viciously attacked them. Blood-curdling screams rang out. Onlookers dialed 9-1-1, but Gary Paque knew there was no time. He grabbed his 9 mm handgun and ran to the scene. "[One of the women] was on the ground and there were three dogs trying to pull her apart;' he said. "I shot the one dog, and he just dropped .... The other dogs stopped, then continued to attack her:' Paque's gun malfunctioned, but neighbor John Bettencourt arrived with a .45-cal. pistol and shot the two remaining dogs. The most badly injured jogger was taken to the hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. "[The armed citizens] probably saved her life;' said Police Officer Joseph Holecek. (Daily Republic, Fairfield, CA, 09/11/1 0)

His delivery completed, a pizza driver began to drive away when a masked man accosted him with a shotgun and announced a robbery. The driver drew a handgun that he was licensed to carry and shot the suspect. After asking a passerby to call 9-1-1, the compassionate driver reassured the wounded suspect that help was on the way. "He kept saying, 'They're coming!' like he was encouraging him to be okay:" said witness Dana Trader. The suspect will be arrested after his release from the hospital. (WTVR-TV, Richmond, VA, 09/20/10)

Retired schoolteacher Larry Goldstein was awakened by a loud noise and quickly obtained his .38-cal. Smith &Amp; Wesson revolver. As he reached the first floor of his Brooklyn, N.Y., home, two men confronted him carrying what appeared to be a pistol and an M-16 rifle. Fearing for his life, Goldstein shot one of the intruders three times. The wounded intruder was arrested. His accomplice fled the scene. Both guns carried by the men proved to be toys, but according to a police spokesman, they "were very realistic looking. If someone pointed them at you, you would light them up, too;' he said. (The Wall Street Journal, 09/16/1 O, New York, NY)

A woman was tending a convenience store register when a convicted felon burst through the door and put a gun in her face. The woman's husband, who'd been sitting on a stool at the end of the counter, drew his handgun and shot the suspect three times. The suspect will be arrested upon his release from the hospital. "I hope that it sends a really strong message to anyone that's thinking bout going out and doing something stupid that there are people out there who are legally carrying firearms and that they have the right to protect themselves or another person;' said County Sheriff Graham Atkinson. (The Mount Airy News, Mount Airy, NC, 09/23/1 O)

Ethel Jones, a 69-year-old grandmother, heard a ruckus at her front door one evening while she was home alone. "He started shaking [the door];' she recalled, "and I said to myself, 'Somebody is fixin'to break in!"'The burglar removed an air conditioner from a window and crawled inside. Jones quickly obtained her revolver, walked out of her bedroom and came face-to-face with the intruder. "I shot three times;' she explained, "and he ran away hollering:'The wounded suspect was arrested at the hospital. "I hope this will make people have second thoughts before they break into a home in our neighborhood and stop some of the crime we've had around here;• Jones said. (The Decatur Daily, Decatur, AL, 08/31 /1 O)

Casey Bartram returned home with his girlfriend and 2-year-old son after an evening of bowling, but grew suspicious when he noticed the house was darker than normal and the door wasn't locked properly. Unbeknownst to Bartram, two intruders wearing ski masks lurked inside. One of them, who had a gun, sprang upon Bartram who also had a gun (carried legally). In the ensuing struggle, Bartram fired a shot, killing the assailant. The second suspect fled and was arrested. "It's a good Second Amendment case;' said County Sheriff Greg Farley. "A man was able to defend his girlfriend, child and home:' (The HeraldDispatch, Huntington, WV, 09/21/10)

When an unexpected knock at the door roused a homeowner from bed, he holstered his handgun. Two men at the door told the homeowner they had caught someone tampering with his vehicle. After a brief chat he began to close the door, but the men quickly asked for the homeowner's help jumpstarting their vehicle. He said he could not help. Then the men asked for a drink of water and the homeowner grew very suspicious. He tried to close the door, but before he could do so, one of the men stuck his arm through the door and fired a gun. The homeowner shot one of the suspects, who was arrested when police arrived. The suspect's accomplice was still being sought. (KMOV-TV, St. Louis, MO, 09/23/1O)

Studies indicate that firearms are used more than 2 million times a yead or personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate imminent, threat to life, limb, or, in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts.