uplifting stories of everyday people stepping in to prevent violence

[jakemccoy]

Here are real examples of gun owners who decided to do more than "just let the cops handle it." I honor these brave Americans who appear to be average people who committed themselves to preventing violence or crime.


http://www.haciendapub.com/gunpage5.html

Another problem with public health and gun control is the way the subject of guns and violence is reported by the media Ð with bias and sensationalism. Let us, for example, take a look at how the media reports mass shootings in America. Three illustrative cases will help us draw inferences as to the nature of these incidents and their reporting by the media.

In Pearl, Miss., in 1997, 16-year-old Luke Woodham used a hunting rifle to kill his ex-girlfriend and her close friend and wound seven other students. It was Assistant Principal Joel Myrick who retrieved his handgun from his automobile and halted Woodhams shooting spree. Myrick held the young delinquent at bay until the police arrived. Later it was discovered that Woodham had also used a knife to stab his mother to death earlier that morning. While the shooting was widely reported, the fact that Mr. Myrick, an armed citizen, prevented a larger massacre with his gun was ignored by the media.

In Edinboro, Pa., in 1998, a deadly scenario took place when 14-year-old Andrew Wurst killed one teacher and wounded another as well as two other classmates. The shooting rampage here was halted by merchant James Strand who used his shotgun to force the young criminal to halt his firing, drop his gun, and surrender to police.

But yet, in another unreported incident in Santa Clara, California, Richard Gable Stevens, rented a rifle for target practice at the National Shooting Club on July 5, 1999 and then began a shooting rampage, herding three store employees into a nearby alley, and stating he intended to kill them. When Stevens became momentarily distracted, a shooting club employee, who had a .45-caliber handgun concealed under his shirt, drew his weapon and fired. Stevens was hit in the chest and critically wounded. He was then held at bay until the police arrived. A massacre in the making was prevented. The unknown employee was an unsung hero ignored by the major media. Why are these and other similar incidents, where the tables are turned and citizens use guns to protect themselves and others, not reported by the mainstream media?

http://www.sharon-herald.com/local/local_story_360212620.html

Rifle-toting businessman holds suspected thief at bay

State police said a Sandy Lake Township man held a suspected metal thief at gunpoint on Dec. 7 [2007] on his property until they arrived.

“A man has rights to protect his property,” Tommy Kristyak said when asked about his citizen’s arrest.

It all started when Kristyak, a Sandy Lake businessman who owns Kristyak Korner, saw that someone had stolen four racing tire rims from his Caldwell Road property. He said he was suspicious because they only took four out of the eight rims there.

So he made sure to stick around that day and did some work on a car in his garage. His suspicions paid off when at about noon the suspected thief showed up. Kristyak said he caught him in the act of trying to rip off the other four rims.

“I heard the door, and when I heard the door I went around the corner and there he was trying to load the rims into his pickup,” Kristyak said.

“Well, it was deer season and I had my deer hunting rifle with me,” he said. At first, the man tried to get away in his truck, but his tires were bald and he had to stop, Kristyak said.

“So that’s when I raised the gun up and proceeded to make him get out of the car,” he said. He held the man there until police arrived.

Brian Darrell Reash, 27, of 505 N. Broad St., Grove City, was charged with theft and trespassing before District Judge Lawrence T. Silvis.

Kristyak said police didn’t seem nervous about him holding the man and just asked him to unload the rifle when they got there.

Asked if it felt good to catch the alleged thief, Kristyak said, “Oh my God, yes. Being in business my entire life, I been kind of in situations where I’ve been robbed from before. And to finally catch somebody, yes.”

He said Reash got “very, very mouthy” while being held. He added that they took Reash away in cuffs when it came over the radio that he was on parole.

Reash also had charges of theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy to receive stolen property held to court by Silvis last week for a separate instance of scrap metal theft between May and July.

Police said Reash was involved in the theft of $50,000 worth of aluminum wall and step construction pieces from a Pine Township man. Neighbors spotted two men loading the metal into a pickup truck and snapped a picture of the truck.

Documents at Silvis’ office said that Reash is in Mercer County Jail. Kristyak said the four rims first stolen from him still have not been returned. They’re worth about $1,000.

http://www.rrstar.com/homepage/x546802617

Dec 24, 2007
Later in the morning a modest strip mall shaken by armed robberies twice this year was almost held up again by a BB-gun toting man who threatened tellers, police officials said.

This time, the would-be robber walked away empty-handed and police made an arrest.

Dave C. Ball, 44, faces an attempted robbery charge and was in the Winnebago
County Jail on $200,000 bond, Deputy Chief Greg Lindmark said.

The attempted robbery happened about 11:15 a.m. at the Citizens Credit Union, 4227 Maray Drive, when Ball allegedly entered the store, brandished a handgun and demanded money from the tellers. When they told him they had none, Lindmark said, he turned around and left.

A security guard working next door at Credit Union 1 held Ball at bay until police arrived and took him into custody, Lindmark said.

http://www.townhall.com/news/us/2008/01/03/armed_store_customer_foils_armed_holdup

Armed Store Customer Foils Armed Holdup

Thursday, January 3, 2008

A customer at a grocery store stopped an armed robbery by pulling his own gun and holding the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived, authorities said.

Charlie Merrell, 51, was standing in a checkout lane at Bucks IGA Supermarket on Indianapolis' south side when a masked man jumped over a nearby counter and held a gun on a store employee, according to a police report made public Wednesday.

While the suspect demanded cash from workers, Merrell pulled his own handgun, pointed it at the robber and ordered him to put down his weapon, the report said. After a moment the suspect placed his gun and the cash on the counter, removed his mask and lay on the floor. Merrell held him at gunpoint Monday until police arrived and arrested the suspect.

Police said the suspect's gun was not loaded. Merrell had a valid permit to carry his gun, which was loaded, police said.

The suspect, identified as Dwain Smith, 19, was being held Wednesday night in Marion County Jail on initial charges of robbery, criminal confinement, pointing a firearm, battery and carrying a handgun without a license.