NRA Life Member Disrupts Crime Spree

A crime spree was in progress. Two people were already in the hospital with serious head injuries. Police say the suspects in that crime, a 30-year-old man and a 16-yearold boy, chose a disabled man and his wife as their next victims. The suspects broke into the home with a pellet gun and baseball bat Despite the homeowner's spinal affliction, he proved no easy victim. He drew a handgun, causing the older intruder to flee. The younger intruder waited for authorities. "I'm a Life member of the National Rifle Association and I personally love homeowners being able to defend themselves and their families," said Pulaski County, MO, Sheriff J.B. King. Waynesville Daily Guide - Waynesville, MO

Woman's Life Saved by Husband's Gun

Returning home to find a man rooting around in her living room, a 22-year-old woman quickly fled to the bedroom. She locked the door behind her and obtained her husband's handgun and ammunition. According to authorities, the young woman fled to an adjacent bathroom and turned the door's lock while the intruder forcefully entered the bedroom. She quickly loaded her husband's gun and, when the intruder began pounding on the bathroom door, she fired a single shot. Upon realizing his intended victim was armed, the once-brazen thug fled the home. The Record - West Paterson, NJ

We All Want A Neighbor Like This

Eighty-three-year-old Raymond Bunte is the kind of person anyone would like to have as a neighbor. He heard a loud noise from his neighbor's house and, knowing the neighbor was at work, decided to investigate. A strange vehicle was parked outside, so Bunte used his own to block it. Noticing the front door was kicked in, Bunte grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun and ordered the burglars out of the house. Police say one suspect fled, but the other got into his vehicle and tried to run over Bunte, who then shot and killed the assailant. The second suspect was caught by police. Wilson County News - Floresville, TX

Couple Returns From Vacation, Surprises Burglar

Tiffany and Adrian McKinnon returned from vacation to find their Montgomery, AL home ransacked. "Tears just rolled down my face as I walked in and saw everything gone and piles of trash all over my home," recalled Tiffany. Adrian was surveying the damage when, incredibly, a man walked through the back door wearing Adrian's hat! Police say Adrian pointed a gun at the suspect and told him to lie on the floor. Then Adrian got an idea: He forced the suspect to clean up the mess. When police arrived, the suspect griped about his treatment. "The police officer laughed at him when he complained and said anybody else would have shot him dead," said Tiffany. Associated Press

Statement of the National Rifle Association On The Pending U.S. Supreme Court Case

By Wayne LaPierre And Chris Cox

In the coming months, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.'s ban on handgun ownership and self-defense in law-abiding residents' homes. The Court will first address the question of whether the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as embodied in the Bill of Rights, protects the rights of individuals or a right of the government. If the Court agrees that this is an individual right, they will then determine if D.C.'s self-defense and handgun bans are constitutional.

The position of the National Rifle Association is clear. The Second Amendment protects the fundamental, individual right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms for any lawful purpose. Further, any law infringing this freedom, including a ban on self-defense and handgun ownership, is unconstitutional and provides no benefit to curbing crime. Rather, these types of restrictions only leave the law-abiding more susceptible to criminal attack.

The U.S. Government, through its Solicitor General, has filed an amicus brief in this case. We applaud the government's recognition that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental, individual right that is "central to the preservation of liberty." The brief also correctly recognizes that the D.C. statutes ban "a commonly-used and commonly-possessed firearm in a way that has no grounding in Framing-era practice," the Second Amendment applies to the District of Columbia, is not restricted to service in a militia and secures the natural right of self-defense.

However, the government's position is also that a "heightened" level of judicial scrutiny should be applied to these questions. The National Rifle Association believes that the Court should use the highest level of scrutiny in reviewing the D.C. gun ban. We further believe a complete ban on handgun ownership and self-defense in one's own home does not pass ANY level of judicial scrutiny. Even the government agrees that "the greater the scope of the prohibition and its impact on private firearm possession, the more difficult it will be to defend under the Second Amendment." A complete ban is the kind of infringement that is the greatest in scope. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit correctly ruled that D.C.'s statutes are unconstitutional. We strongly believe the ruling should be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The National Rifle Association will be filing an amicus brief in this case and will provide additional information to our members as this case moves through the legal process.

Please refer questions to NRA Grassroots at 1-800-392-8683.

Early Morning Armed Burglar

A 5:30 a.m. knock on the door tends to arouse suspicions, and as a 21-year-old homeowner discovered, sometimes they're justified. He opened the door in the early morning hours to find a man pointing a gun at him. "The occupant of the home obtained a handgun and fired shots at the assailant," Jackson, Miss., Police Department Sgt. Eric Smith said. "During the course of the invasion, multiple shots were fired by both occupant and alleged armed robber." The intruder was shot multiple times and will be charged after his release from the hospital. It was the third time in two weeks that an armed citizen in Jackson fired upon a would-be burglar. The Clarion-Ledger - Jackson, MS

Shot By A Photographer, 2nd Amendment Style

Photographer Jeff Dykehouse, whose non-profit business provides free portraits of terminally ill children and their families, was working in his shop when the sound of breaking glass interrupted his labor of love. The photographer grabbed a firearm and went to the front of the shop, where he found an intruder had broken through the glass door. According to police, Dykehouse announced he was armed, but the intruder ignored the warning and charged, forcing Dykehouse to shoot him. The intruder died at the scene. The Grand Rapids Press - Ann Arbor, MI

Pet Parrot Stops Burglary

Locksmith Dennis Baker, the victim of three burglaries in less than a month, has a home security system and three surveillance cameras monitoring his property, But police say the fourth burglary was foiled by an unlikely source -- Baker's pet parrot, Salvador, which says "hello" when it sees someone. Presumably spotting the prowler, the bird squawked, "Hello, hello," waking Baker, who retrieved a gun and investigated, locating the suspect in a garage. Baker noted, "... he had his hands in his pockets when he came through here. I had no idea what he had." Baker shot the burglar, killing him. The Dallas Morning News - Dallas, TX