Around 7 a.m. on Nov. 7, 2025, near Los Angeles, a 79-year-old Vietnam War veteran heard his duplex tenant screaming. He found a naked 30-year-old man had forced his way into the woman’s home. The veteran confronted the intruder and ordered him to leave, but the naked man instead attacked, slamming him to the ground and breaking both of his legs. Fortunately, the veteran was armed and was able to transfer his firearm from his pinned right arm to his left and fire three shots at the assailant, killing him. The armed citizen was in stable condition after undergoing surgery for his broken legs. “This incident, although horrible, brought me a great feeling that I was able to do something to protect other people,” the veteran later told reporters. His son told them: “He just keeps his head and takes care of other people around him. He’s a hero.” (ktla.com, Los Angeles, Calif., 11/10/25)
A Chicago rapper, along with several companions, approached two women while they sat in a parked car on Sept. 7, 2025. The rapper allegedly tried to yank open the passenger door while pointing a gun at the women. However, one of the women was a licensed concealed carry holder, and she reached for her own firearm. The suspect reportedly shot her in the leg before she was able to return fire, striking him multiple times and critically wounding him. The women then sped away from the scene as the alleged assailant and his companions continued to fire at them. The suspect, whose companions reportedly dragged him into a nearby alley and left him there, was on felony pretrial release for existing charges of possessing a stolen vehicle and a machine gun; he is now being additionally charged with attempted second-degree murder, attempted vehicular hijacking and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon. His accomplices remained at large at the time of reporting. (cwbchicago.com, Chicago, Ill., 11/24/25)
A 23-year-old college student heard a knock on his door in Tucson, Ariz., after midnight on Oct. 16, 2025. The student answered, and a man asked for someone who didn’t live there. As they spoke, however, the student noticed another man behind the one he was speaking with, who had his face covered and was armed with a gun. He immediately retrieved his own gun and fired as the men advanced into his home, striking and killing both intruders. Police noted that there was no indication the student had been involved in any criminal activities. (tucson.com, Tucson, Ariz., 10/16/25)
On Nov. 9 in Seattle, Wash., a man parked his sports car at about 3:30 a.m. and was still in it when a white sedan with four people inside stopped near him. After an exchange between the driver of the sports car and the occupants of the sedan, two of the sedan’s male occupants, both of whom were armed, allegedly attempted to steal the car. The driver, fearing for his life, drew and fired, striking both suspects. One wounded suspect remained at the scene, while the three other suspects fled in the sedan. Later, a seriously wounded suspect was dropped off in a similar vehicle at an area hospital. Both wounded men received treatment while under armed guard. The armed citizen was initially detained by Seattle police for questioning, but he was later released, with officers noting that he was a “licensed gun owner.” (Komo News, Seattle, Wash., 11/10/25)
In Oklahoma City, a female convenience-store clerk was working near midnight on Nov. 13 when a man attempted to pay using a counterfeit $100 bill. She refused to accept the fake, so the man allegedly began threatening her, and then to physically assault her. “He said he was going to slice my head off, and that’s when I tried to call the police,” the clerk later told reporters. “He started throwing things at me, came behind the counter. I tried to run off, but he grabbed his hands around my neck and pushed me out of the counter space.” Fortunately, the woman was able to draw her gun and shoot the alleged assailant, ending the attack. Unfortunately, the armed citizen was subsequently fired from her job, but she told reporters: “This was a situation where I felt like I was put into a corner between choosing between my job and my life, and I’m always going to choose my life because there’s people that depend on me […] You have a right to defend yourself.” The extent of his injuries was not reported, but the suspect was arrested at the hospital and charged with assault and battery, threatening acts of violence, attempting to pass a fake bill, and a felony warrant for violating parole. (okcfox.com, Oklahoma City, Okla., 11/17/25)
