Kicked In: Florida Mobile Home Residents Fight Off Invaders

Three Glen St. Mary men were asleep in their mobile home at 4 on a Sunday morning when someone outside shouted, “Sheriff’s Office!” Their door then burst open, and a masked man entered and opened fire. The residents returned fire with two handguns and an AR-15 rifle. Of the seven men who assaulted the trailer, one died of a head wound, two suffered non-lethal injuries, and five face criminal charges. None of the three defenders were injured in the gunfight, which saw 30 rounds fired from the AR-15. The attack was the result of a long-standing feud between two groups of young men.WJXT-TV Channel 4, Jacksonville, FloridaArmed Oklahoma Citizens Kill Restaurant Shooter

When a gunman opened fire on an Oklahoma City restaurant, two Sooner State men with concealed carry permits retrieved pistols from their nearby cars and confronted the shooter as he attempted to leave the scene. Rather than comply with the men’s orders to disarm, the shooter fired on the armed citizens, who returned fire and fatally wounded the assailant. Authorities say Oklahoma’s good Samaritan law will protect the intervening armed permit holders. CNN.comFlorida Pizza Shop Employee Fights Off Masked Attacker

A Holly Hill Little Caesars pizza shop employee was attacked by a man wearing a clown mask. The attacker ambushed the employee as he left the store at closing time, attacking him with a wooden post and then stabbing him with a pair of scissors. Luckily, the employee was legally armed and was able to draw his pistol and shoot his attacker, fatally wounding him and ending the incident. The Miami Herald, FloridaOff-Duty Louisiana Officer Fools, Shoots Robber

A reserve constable was working outside his home in Baker when he was accosted by an armed man who demanded money and forced him at gunpoint to go to an ATM. Not satisfied with the funds the victim withdrew, the robber demanded more. The victim said he had another ATM card at his home with which he could get more money. The assailant accompanied the man to his home and waited outside for him to return. The robber got impatient and entered the house, whereupon the victim, who had taken up his own gun, shot the robber and held him for responding police. WBRZ-TV Channel 2, Baton Rouge, LouisianaFlorida Man Shoots Armed Robber

A Gainesville man was returning home from a movie one evening when a stranger pointed a gun at him and demanded money. The would-be victim drew his own legally carried pistol and shot his assailant several times, putting him to flight. The robber was later found dead. Police said the victim, who was acting in self-defense, would likely not face charges. WJXT-TV Channel 4, Jacksonville, FloridaFlorida Man Shoots Early-Morning Home Invader

When a Lakeland homeowner heard noises of someone trying to break into his home, he took up a shotgun to investigate. He found a young man trying to enter the home. The homeowner yelled for the man to leave, but the burglar kicked in the front door. When the burglar entered the home and advanced on the homeowner, the armed victim fired a single shot that hit his assailant in the chest, stopping and critically wounding him. The burglar will face criminal charges if he survives. Breitbart.comTennessee Man Defends Another Against Armed Gang Member

A known gang member was threatening another man with a pistol in broad daylight in a Chattanooga neighborhood. Seeing the confrontation and the danger to the citizen, a nearby concealed carry permit holder drew his weapon and shot the assailant, killing him. Police are investigating what they say looks like a justified shooting. WRCB-TV Channel 3, Chattanooga, TennesseeLouisiana Man Shoots Son in Self-Defense

A Shreveport man was arguing with his adult son behind a medical clinic. The argument got out of control, and the son threatened to kill his father, then began strangling him. The father drew a pistol and fired a warning shot in an attempt to stop the fight but ended up shooting his son in the leg. The son, with a history of mental health issues, was treated for non-mortal wounds. The father is not facing charges. KSLA-TV Channel 12, Shreveport, LouisianaWashington State Melee Ends with Gun Owner Using Pistol as Club

An Ilwaco man went outside his house and noticed a vehicle on fire. That’s when a man armed with a knife verbally abused and then attacked him. Several neighbors attempted to intervene and subdue the assailant, who had a history of mental problems. The original victim of the attack retrieved a pistol from his house but couldn’t get a clear shot at the attacker for fear of hitting the multiple people struggling to subdue him. The victim resorted to using his pistol as a club so the assailant could be safely subdued. Several people suffered stab wounds, but there were no fatalities. The Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WashingtonNorth Carolina Woman Shoots Daylight Robber

A 23-year-old Raleigh woman was walking in the downtown area at 3 one afternoon when she was violently accosted by a man who demanded money. The woman drew a legally carried handgun and shot the robber once in the chest, which stopped his attack, then waited at the scene for police to respond. Authorities determined that the victim will not face charges for defending herself. WRAL-TV Channel 5, Raleigh, North CarolinaFlorida Robber Dies in Failed Robbery Attempt

A Miami man was fatally injured after he tried to rob two men at gunpoint. At least one intended victim was armed and shot the robber several times in the chest. The robber fled in his car after being shot, only to crash the vehicle a short time later. Responding police and rescue staff transported him to a nearby hospital, where he died of his wounds.

No matter how much I insist that I will steer clear of popular but time-consuming social media sites such as Facebook, I’m pulled back inside — like Silvio in Sopranos.Still, every now and then, I’ll come across a post which makes it worth my while. As an example, here are contrasting videos from which we can watch and learn. Both contain violent attacks, so view them with discretion:No. 1: No. 2: Both of these Florida convenience store parking lot incidents were captured by surveillance video.In the first video, which shows the shooting of a man in August 2018, concealed carry permit holder Michael Drejka decides it is his job to enforce public decency. He shoots Markeis McGlockton, who had shoved him to the ground before backing away. Drejka has subsequently pleaded not guilty to the charge of manslaughter.The second video, from September 2018, needs careful review. In it, a woman named Julia Napiontek, 18, attacks a barefoot blonde woman and her children. When the beating is over, Napiontek and boyfriend Brandon Clanton, 18, walk away — but then unexpectedly return to continue the attack. At one point, an 11-year-old victim flees across the parking lot. The blonde female victim runs after her and they take cover near the fuel tanks as Clanton and Napiontek get in a car and drive away. Clanton does not appear to hit any of the female victims but can be seen scuffling with a male victim who had been inside the store when the attack began. An uninvolved male bystander is seen calmly watching the attack while sipping from a fountain drink. He shrugs and walks away.According to the YouTube video script, “The victims told deputies that they did not previously know their attackers, and that there was no motive for the confrontation.”According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, “Deputies pulled the surveillance footage from the store and easily identified the assailants.” The sheriff arrested Napiontek and charged her with battery and aggravated child abuse. They arrested Clanton for battery and assault on a law enforcement officer.The assault was not the first time Clanton has been charged with violently attacking a stranger. Clanton was apparently out of jail on bond after being charged with aggravated child abuse in an August attack on a 17-year-old boy at another convenience store … again without provocation. The victim in that attack had gone into the store to buy a drink for his grandmother and ended up needing seven stitches to his face.Since the attacks, Napiontek has been released on bond from the Marion County Jail. Repeat offender Clanton is being held without bail at the time of this writing.Many aspects of this incident are disturbing. First, the unprovoked and apparently random nature of the attack. Second, the guy who watches and then simply walks away.I’ve been in various altercations in life. Growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s, boys routinely scuffled with fists and rocks. It was expected. Now, parents immediately call a lawyer and the local SWAT team comes screeching onto the playground.These days, I carry a .380 in a cross-draw holster. As someone who is neither a parking lot monitor nor a licensed defender of public mores, I’m pretty sure that I would never be in a situation similar to Drejka’s (which led to the death of McGlockton). On the other hand, I watch video No. 2 and wonder. An unprovoked, random attack can certainly happen anywhere and at any time.So what would you do? What should the “innocent bystander” have done? What’s the right thing here? Isn’t protection from this type of assault one of the reasons we carry?

This is a child soldier. He would not hesitate to kill you; would not for a moment feel remorse. In this country, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that “twenty-five percent of all serious violent crime involved a juvenile offender.” Are you prepared — mentally, emotionally — to deal with a child criminal?