The Armed Citizen® Reload August 15, 2025

These women had the law on their side when they defended their families with a firearm.

by posted on August 15, 2025
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The following accounts of brave armed women who defended their families appeared in earlier editions of The Armed Citizen®:

A Pennsylvania woman shot and killed a man who entered her home during the night by breaking a window. Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible said the woman heard noises in the basement and went downstairs to investigate, bringing her 9 mm pistol with her for protection. That is when she came face to face with the threatening stranger. In fear for her life, the woman shot the man, killing him. District Attorney Bible told a reporter that she did nothing wrong. “…  In that situation from a legal standpoint …  she did nothing wrong,” as Pennsylvania follows the "Castle Doctrine," which means a person's home can be defended by deadly force to protect against an intruder. Bible said he does not believe authorities will request criminal charges. "If someone enters your house, they are making that conscious decision,” he told a reporter. “They are there to steal from you or hurt you in other ways. You have that right to protect yourself and use deadly force.” (cbsnews.com; Pittsburgh, PA; 4/18/24)

An Ohio man broke into a home at about 2 a.m. and was immediately confronted by an armed homeowner, who fired one round from her handgun at him. The man was struck in the abdomen, according to reports. Police said that the woman was home with her two children when she heard a voice in the hallway. “You certainly have the right to have a gun in your home, the right to have gun on your person, the right to have gun in your car. It’s certainly your right to defend yourself in a situation like this,” said Sgt. Stewart Smith of the Troup County Sheriff’s Office. After the suspect was shot, he ran to a neighbor’s house for help. The neighbor called 9-1-1, telling operators that a man who had been shot was at their home and needed assistance. The Sheriff’s Office said that before the home invasion, the man had broken into at least four neighborhood cars. (WTVM.com, Columbus, Ga., 9/29/22)

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