If there’s one thing certain about most mothers, it’s that they fiercely love their children and will do anything to protect them. Here are seven instances of armed mothers protecting their kids with firearms in the past few years.
Martha Lewis was at home with her two daughters when she heard a loud noise. It was 3 a.m., so Lewis immediately called police and grabbed her gun. She went to her daughters’ room and told them each to get something with which to defend themselves. They were at the top of the stairs when a man, who had kicked in the door and entered the home, spotted them. When the man started up the stairs toward them, Lewis warned the intruder that she would shoot him. When he ignored her warnings, Lewis fired, causing him to stumble outside where police found him. After the incident, Lewis said, “There’s so much talk about banning guns and gun control, but they’re for protection. There’s no way that I could have fought him off.” (TheBlaze, Dora, Ala., 8/7/12)
Brianne Rodriguez heard a knock at her front door just before 9 a.m., but ignored it. A few minutes later, Rodriguez heard loud noises coming from her bedroom. When she went to investigate, she discovered a man wearing a ski mask in her home. The confrontation led to a struggle, and Rodriguez was pushed to the floor and kicked in the face and ribs. The masked man then grabbed her screaming 2-year-old daughter and bolted for the door. Rodriguez quickly retrieved a shotgun she kept in her bedroom and followed. Upon seeing the gun, the man dropped the child and fled. He escaped with Rodriguez’s purse and some jewelry, but Rodriguez and her daughter sustained no serious injures. (KSEE 24 News, Fresno County, Calif., 8/28/12)
One afternoon, a 37-year-old mother of two heard a knock at the front door of her home. At first, the woman assumed the visitor was a solicitor and told her 9-year-old twins not to answer. When the knocking continued and the door bell began ringing repeatedly, the woman called her husband at work. Her husband advised her and the children to hide while he called 911. The family hid in the crawlspace in the attic. Meanwhile, the intruder forced his way into the home using a crowbar. After rummaging through the home, the intruder worked his way to the attic, where he was met with a .38-cal. revolver. The woman fired six times. The intruder was later transported to a local medical center and was expected to survive multiple gunshot wounds. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Loganville, Ga., 1/5/13)
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 woman got into a physical altercation with Burton, who 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 threated 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, Ohio, 4/17/13)
A mother and her 13-year-old son were at the corner store when two men approached them and opened fire, shooting the teen in both feet. The mother responded by pulling out her gun and returning fire. She said she recognized one of the suspects as a man who had been harassing her for years. She had been so concerned about the harassment that she got a concealed-carry license. The suspects fled, firing as they ran, but were later captured. One was being held on $250,000 bond, and police say charges are pending against the other man involved in the incident. The 13-year-old has been discharged from the hospital and is recovering. (myfoxcolumbus.com, Columbus, Ohio, 11/11/14)
A mother was at home with her young child in Newport News, Va., when a stranger behaving erratically began trying to force his way into the home through a door. Concerned for herself and her daughter’s safety, the mother retrieved a gun and called police. The man eventually broke into the home through a window. The mother responded to the intrusion by shooting the home invader twice. When police arrived the criminal was taken to a local hospital; he is expected to recover. In explaining the incident to a local media outlet, the mother told a reporter, “All I knew is I wanted to stop him from hurting me or hurting my daughter.” The mother added, “It doesn’t make it too much easier to know that I can totally handle my worse fear … But along the same lines, it makes me feel more confident I was able to do what I needed to do.” (WTKR, Hampton Roads, Va., 3/12/15)
A mother was at home with her children in Detroit, Mich., when three men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, broke into the house. The mother responded by retrieving a semi-automatic rifle and warning the intruders that she was armed. When the criminals persisted despite the warning, the mother fired at the home invaders. At first, all three intruders retreated outside the home, but the one armed with a pistol decided to try to enter the home again. The criminal’s re-entry prompted another round of gunfire from the mother, at which point the armed home invader fled for good. Police captured the trio a short time later. (WXYZ, Detroit, Mich., 2/18/14)
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