NCJ Number
182530
Date Published
1998
Length
231 pages
Annotation
This book is a collection of stories of people who successfully used firearms to defend themselves and others against violent assault.
Abstract
The author advises that his purpose in writing this book is not to enter the gun control debate, but rather to recount dramatic true stories of critical life-or-death decisions made by potential crime victims who defended themselves, their families, their employees, or strangers with a firearm. He notes that the vast majority of confrontations in which the intended victim displays a firearm do not end in violence; the aggressor usually retreats. In addition to taped interviews with would-be victims who fought back, the author read police reports, newspaper accounts, court documents, internal office memos, and additional records to ensure the accuracy of each self-defense story included in this book. At the end of each story, the would-be victims express their own feelings about what happened to them. In all cases they affirmed their right to be able to protect themselves and others and that guns are the best defense. This does not mean many do not struggle with guilt when their self-defense actions resulted in the death of a would-be assailant. Still, they know they did what was necessary in order to keep themselves alive. They resented being forced into the position of having to take another person's life in order to stay alive themselves. Others, however, have no remorse, as they blame the would-be assailants for choosing the risks and dangers of seeking to do harm to others. Overall, the author concludes from this study that Americans place a high value on human life, including their own lives, the lives of their families, their employees, innocent strangers, and even the lives of their assailants. In more than one case, the would-be victim shot in the air to scare off the attacker rather than to kill him.