Professional firefighter Craig Moore was returning home when he noticed a pair of snow-covered boots that didn't belong to him. Fearing an intruder was inside, he readied his handgun and began a room-by-room inspection. As he entered an upstairs bedroom, he came face-to-face with a man hiding under a comforter at the foot of the bed. To Moore's further shock, he recognized the man as his neighbor. Moore yelled at him, demanding to know what he was doing in the house and asking if he'd stolen anything. The neighbor cowered and begged Moore not to shoot. As Moore phoned police, the neighbor leapt from a two-story window, ran back inside to retrieve his boots and fled. Police arrested the neighbor, who was out on bail for several other burglaries, and took him to the hospital for treatment of a broken ankle. (The Record Enterprise, Meredith, NH, 02/17 /11)

Two people had just pulled up to a bank's drive-through automated teller machine when a man approached them on the driver's side of the vehicle. The man drew a gun and demanded that the driver withdraw $600 and give it to him. The driver told him the bank wouldn't allow him to withdraw that amount, but the passenger told the driver to go ahead and withdraw it. Secretly, the passenger just wanted a diversion to allow him to draw his handgun. As the suspect watched the driver withdraw money, the passenger saw his opening. "He reaches over and pushes the suspect's gun out of the driver's face and shoots him twice;' said Jackson, Miss., Commander Wendell Watts. The suspect returned fire and the passenger shot him an additional four or five times. The suspect survived, but lost a kidney and his freedom. (The Northside Sun, Jackson, MS, 02/24/11)

Four young men loitering near a dumpster approached a Wing Zone takeout driver while he was making a delivery. According to witnesses, the suspects demanded money and one of them flashed an illegally possessed gun. The driver, a concealed carry permit holder, didn't hesitate. He drew his handgun and fired four shots while attempting to run. One of the suspects was shot and fell to the ground. He was arrested at the hospital. His accomplices fled. Two were arrested, and one remains at large. Police said there had been several pizza delivery robberies in that area during a six-month period. (WLEX-TV, Lexington, KY, 03/12/11)

"Don't move!", a homeowner recalled telling a burglar after he heard a noise, grabbed his gun and found the unwanted visitor running through his home. The burglar did not comply, forcing the homeowner to fire a shot, wounding him. The burglar fell to the ground and the homeowner commenced holding him at gunpoint. To the homeowner's astonishment, the burglar handed him a cell phone and asked him to call 9-1 -1. Unfortunately, when the homeowner unlocked the door for police, the burglar made a break for it. "He was moving;" the homeowner said. "He hit the fence pretty hard. You could hear him:" The suspect is still being sought by police.TRK-TV, Houston, TX, 03/26/11)

Ajewelry store manager was behind the desk when two men dressed in wigs and women's clothing burst through the door. The men, later reported to be illegal aliens from Honduras and Guatemala, carried guns and duct tape. This bizarre tale wraps up quickly: The manager drew the .357-cal. pistol that was holstered on his hip and promptly shot both men, killing one and critically injuring the other. Two weeks before, one of the men attempted to rob the same store. Resale shop owner Pam McCrory said what happened shocked her, considering her business is not far away. "I will be getting me a gun," she said. BT-TV, Pearl, MS, 03/23/11)

Studies prove that Americans experience fewer "hot" burglaries which occur when homeowners are present and therefore carry a greater risk of violence-because criminals in the United States fear being shot by homeowners. The notion was reaffirmed recently when a Portland, Ore., 9-1-1 dispatcher received a wacky call. The caller informed the dispatcher that he had broken into a home and decided to take a shower when, in the midst of bathing, the homeowner returned. Terrified that the homeowner might have a gun, the intruder locked himself in the bathroom and placed the emergency call. The homeowner also phoned police, who arrested the intruder.(CNN, 03/08/11)

Studies indicate that firearms are used more than 2 million times a year for 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.