Jamie Buck was jolted awake by a loud noise. According to police, an alcohol-fueled man wielding a sledgehammer shattered a window in the side door and entered the home. The suspect, whose latest release from jail was just seven weeks prior, demanded money or jewelry. Then he swung the sledgehammer at Buck, striking him in the head. In imminent peril, Buck drew a firearm and fired several shots, killing his assailant. (The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, OH, 03/24/07)

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Police say a 20-year-old couple went on a weekend crime spree until their luck ran out. It started on a Saturday morning when they attacked a 92-year-old in his home and sent him to the hospital. That night, they broke into another home and assaulted the occupant before robbing her. Their rampage ended the next day, however, when they broke into the home of Jimmy Norman and his wife. Norman retrieved a handgun and shot the male intruder twice. The injured suspect was to be charged pending his release from the hospital, and his accomplice was also apprehended. (St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL, 03/13/07)

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Bob Manross said he often keeps a firearm handy because of his area’s crime problem. “I don’t take any chances,” he said. That proved good policy when a man broke into his home, called him by name and said he would shoot him unless he handed over his money. “I told him I didn’t have the money with me, but I’d get it from the other room,” said the 77-year-old Manross, who had a rifle at the ready nearby. “He wasn’t expecting me to come back through here and shoot him.” Manross shot the burglar, whom he recognized as a man living nearby. He directed police to the suspect’s home, where they found him suffering from a gunshot wound. “I am not proud of what I have done,” Manross said of the incident, “but I have to protect my wife and my house.” (Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, 04/04/07)

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A woman was waiting for a bus when three large dogs approached and began lunging at her aggressively. She swung her backpack at them, but they continued their onslaught. That’s when Patrick Jones saw what was occurring and stopped his truck. He yelled at the dogs and positioned himself in front of the victim. The woman says the dogs “just wouldn’t give up. They kept coming at us … .” Jones, a concealed carry permit holder, pushed the woman behind him and drew his pistol. When the most aggressive dog lunged up at him, he shot and killed it. “He’s a life saver,” the woman said of Jones. Lynden Police Chief Jack Foster agreed, saying, “I think he did the lady a big favor to stop and help.” (Lynden Tribune, Lynden, WA, 04/04/07)

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Two masked men apparently thought they could pray on an elderly couple, but Alif “Betty” Feaster-Weeder’s quick thinking prevented their offensive. The 75-year-old woman was lying on a couch reading when the men entered the home. One man asked, “Where’s your money?” twice before she understood the seriousness of the situation. The woman yelled for her husband, asleep in an adjoining room, to get his gun. The mere suggestion of the firearm sent the intruders running before the husband could respond. (The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA, 04/02/07)

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Armed with a handgun, Michael Vogler confronted a teenage male who’d broken into his home in the early morning hours. According to authorities, the intruder began assaulting Vogler, who fired a shot, causing the intruder to dive headfirst through a window and flee the area. The teen was apprehended at the hospital where he sought treatment for a gunshot wound and other injuries. (The Sunday Oregonian, Portland, OR, 04/08/07)