Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Despite The Lies, Armed Citizens Save Lives

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

This feature appears in the March ‘17 issue of NRA America’s 1st Freedom, one of the official journals of the National Rifle Association.  

Gun-ban advocates like to talk about how armed citizens aren’t a deterrent to crime. They boast that “a good guy with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun” is just some kind of figment of gun owners’ imaginations.

In fact, Demanding Moms head Shannon Watts has gone so far as to say, “This has never happened. Data shows it doesn’t happen.” More recently, on Jan. 12, The New York Times editorial board, pontificating against laws that would better enable law-abiding Americans to defend themselves with firearms, wrote: “The grim truth is that concealed-carry permit holders are rarely involved in stopping crime.”

Ironically, on the very same day an Arizona armed citizen used his gun to save a state trooper’s life—once again proving that Watts, the Times and other gun-banners who say good guys with guns don’t stop bad guys with guns are intentionally lying for political reasons.

Here’s the story.

According to a report from KTAR News, the trooper was investigating an early morning rollover accident when someone shot him in the shoulder. The attacker then jumped on the trooper and began ruthlessly beating him.

An armed citizen was passing by with his family when he noticed the attack underway. Stopping his car, he ran toward the scene and asked the officer if he needed assistance. The officer answered, “Yes.”

The armed citizen ran back to his car, grabbed his gun, approached the scene and ordered the attacker to stop. When the bad guy continued to beat the trooper, the armed citizen shot the assailant several times, killing him.

Watts and other gun haters will likely just ignore this incident. They’ll claim that it never happened, or that the officer wasn’t in danger. Or they’ll say the armed citizen didn’t play an important role in the episode.

If they won’t take my word for it, though, perhaps they’ll listen to the director of Arizona’s Department of Public Safety. Col. Frank Milstead pulled no punches in stating, “I don’t know that my trooper would be alive without [the armed citizen’s] assistance.” He added, “I would just say thank you.”

It’s a good thing that this armed citizen, who chose to remain anonymous, didn’t listen to the lies from anti-gunners. If he had—and if he had believed what they continually repeat—he might have decided to leave his gun at home that day.

The result would have been yet another law enforcement officer never getting to return home to his waiting family.

IN THIS ARTICLE
Arizona Armed Citizen

BY Mark Chesnut

Editor, America's First Freedom

TRENDING NOW
ATF Proposes Beneficial Changes to Form 1 for NFA Firearms

News  

Monday, November 3, 2025

ATF Proposes Beneficial Changes to Form 1 for NFA Firearms

After the nasty tricks of the Biden-Harris administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) continues to hand out treats under President Trump.

Everytown Gun “Safety” Course: We Told Ya So

News  

Monday, November 3, 2025

Everytown Gun “Safety” Course: We Told Ya So

A few weeks ago, we mentioned that the anti-gun extremists at Everytown were ready to launch their own gun “safety” course. 

Trump Administration Cuts Off Funding Spigot to More Gun Control Groups

News  

Monday, November 3, 2025

Trump Administration Cuts Off Funding Spigot to More Gun Control Groups

An NRA-ILA alert last month highlighted the ways in which President Donald Trump has used his office to safeguard our rights protected under the Second Amendment.

Virginia: Election Results Threaten Your Second Amendment Rights

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Virginia: Election Results Threaten Your Second Amendment Rights

The recent election has brought significant changes to the electorate, and the results couldn’t be clearer. An anti-gun majority now controls the House of Delegates, and an anti-gun Governor is preparing to take office. Together, they ...

Wall Street Journal Laments Self-Defense, Misleads on Facts and Law

News  

Monday, November 3, 2025

Wall Street Journal Laments Self-Defense, Misleads on Facts and Law

Last week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article entitled, “Six Words Every Killer Should Know: ‘I Feared for My Life, Officer.” Using a mis-mash of half-baked statistics, legal misinformation, and cherry-picked anecdotes, it ...

Trump DOJ Continues to Support the Second Amendment in the Courts

News  

Monday, November 3, 2025

Trump DOJ Continues to Support the Second Amendment in the Courts

Earlier this year, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, announced a critical change to policies affecting gun rights in Washington D.C.

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Friday, October 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Last week the North Carolina General Assembly briefly returned from recess and re-referred Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to the House Rules Committee.

Pennsylvania: Senate Local Government Committee Begins Exploring Preemption Enhancements

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Pennsylvania: Senate Local Government Committee Begins Exploring Preemption Enhancements

On Wednesday, the Senate Local Government Committee held a public hearing to gather information on Senate Bill 822, which would strengthen the Commonwealth’s firearms preemption statute. Among other provisions, this legislation would allow membership organizations to recover litigation costs when ...

Minnesota: St. Paul Introduces Performative "Assault Weapon" Ban

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Minnesota: St. Paul Introduces Performative "Assault Weapon" Ban

In an act of political theater on Wednesday, October 22nd, the city council of St. Paul introduced a so-called "assault weapon" ban ordinance, which as written would ban the possession of popular firearms and standard ...

CBS Report: Chicago’s Responsible Gun Owners Wrongfully Arrested, Charged

News  

Monday, October 27, 2025

CBS Report: Chicago’s Responsible Gun Owners Wrongfully Arrested, Charged

The Windy City has its fair share of problems, but a lack of violent criminals isn’t one of them, as anyone who takes a moment to look through local crime news source CWB Chicago knows for a ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.