Sandra Mize, 63, was asleep when she heard someone break in through the back door of her home. She grabbed the .22-cal. handgun she keeps by her bed and ran into her dark living room. Mize could see the silhouette of a man in her kitchen and warned him that she was armed. The man approached her despite her warnings. Mize fired once. The intruder advanced to the living room where he collapsed on the sofa. Mize kept her gun aimed at the intruder and asked him if he had been hit, but received no response. Soon after, police arrived and the intruder made his getaway attempt. He leapt from the sofa and tried to flee through the back door, but was met by a police dog. Officers arrested the 35-year-old perpetrator, who was uninjured. He has reportedly been jailed on two counts of burglary. (The Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA, 4/4/13)

Two teenage boys were spotted by a neighbor as they loaded items from the cabin next door into a vehicle parked outside. The youths wore what appeared to be blood-spattered clothing. The neighbor retrieved a firearm and confronted the interlopers. They were held at gunpoint until police arrived. The teens had run away from a juvenile rehabilitation camp just two days before. They had broken into the cabin and brutally murdered the elderly couple staying there before the armed citizen was able to stop them. (The Kansas City Star, Springfield, MO, 4/24/13)

Passengers were picked up by a limousine driver and driven to a nightclub. Afterward, the party was taken to a convenience store. Two vehicles followed the limousine from the convenience store and pulled up on either side of the limo forcing the chauffeur to stop. There was an attempted robbery during which bullets riddled the limousine. Two passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The chauffeur, who has a concealed carry permit, returned fire, fending off the attackers. (Limousine, Charter & Tour magazine, St. Petersburg, FL, 4/2/13)

Tattoo artist Sean Rodriguez was working one afternoon when he was alerted to an assault taking place outside Black Cobra Tattoo. Six men could be seen assaulting an individual in the parking lot. "I couldn't just sit back and watch an innocent person being hurt, ..." said Rodriguez. He grabbed the firearm he is licensed to carry and approached the group of men. Upon seeing the gun, the suspects fled. Rodriguez never fired a shot, nor did he point the gun in their direction. "That was just an incident [sic] of a responsible gun owner doing what they're supposed to do;" Rodriguez explained. The victim was treated for minor injuries and nothing was stolen. It was last reported that all six suspects are still at large. (The Daily Times, Salisbury, MD, 3/21 /13)

A man in his early 30's entered Armen's House of Music one afternoon, looked around and left. He returned just a few minutes later with a wooden club and began attack­ing the owner's wife, Sylvia Armen, who was working in the store at the time. The owner, Alfred Armen, heard the commotion and ran to his wife's aid. He tried to defend his wife and fought with the suspect before shooting him to death. Mr. and Mrs. Armen were later taken to a hospital with head injuries and are expected to recover. According to police, there was no motive behind the attack. (WTAE.com, Bethel Park, PA, 4/ 27 / 13)

Shaelynn Burton, 25, was asleep in her home when she heard someone banging on the front door at about 4 a.m. When Burton answered the door, a woman forced her way into the residence. The women got into a physical altercation and Burton was able to pin the woman against a wall. Burton told the woman that she had children in the home and that she needed to leave. The woman reportedly threatened the lives of Burton and her children, so Burton ran upstairs to grab her gun. She held the woman at gunpoint until police arrived. (Tribune Chronicle, Warren, OH, 4/ 17/13)

It was around 10:30 p.m. when Matt Fugate heard a commotion from inside his home. When Fugate ran to investigate, he found two men assaulting his brother, John Fugate. One of the suspects was reportedly brandishing what turned out to be a pellet gun. When Fugate saw his brother in danger, he did not hesitate to take action, "I raced for the gun vault and had my gun in my hand in five seconds, ..." he explained. Fugate ordered the intruders not to move and to keep their hands up. While Fugate held the intruders at gunpoint, his brother was able to call police. There were no serious injuries reported. Matt Fugate later commented on the ordeal, "I was scared and angry ... [but] I'm relieved that nothing bad came of it ... that it ended the way it did, peacefully'.' (TheBlaze.com, Evansville, IN, 4/27/13)

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.