Throughout 2023, everyday citizens reminded would-be murderers, thieves, and sexual offenders why the Founding Fathers wrote that the “right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
Amid rising anti-police sentiment and left-wing politicians pushing soft-on-crime legislation, countless people found themselves face to face with criminals wanting to do them harm, but these lawful gun owners stood their ground and defended their families, homes, and businesses.
CONGRESS LOOKS TO AVOID YEAR-END FAA FIGHT AS AVIATION SAFETY CONCERNS HOLD UP DEAL
In June, a woman who was eight months pregnant and her husband opened fire on armed men who tried to rob them outside a Houston gas station.
The woman was waiting next to her car when she was approached by at least two men with guns, and when it became clear they intended to rob her, both she and her husband brandished their firearms and put at least one would-be attacker in the hospital.
That same month, another pregnant woman and mother of two children gunned down a man who attacked her family inside a parking garage while they were visiting Little Rock, Arkansas, to celebrate the daughter’s 7th birthday at a water park.
The criminal approached the family’s car and viciously attacked the father from behind.
After he was struck multiple times and tackled to the ground, the assailant made his way toward the driver’s seat, where he struck the pregnant woman in the head.
“She feared for her and her family so she drew her pistol and shot toward [King] one time, striking him in the head/neck area,” a police report describing the incident read.
“A lot of things could have happened,” the husband said. “We never know what he was really planning, or anything … trying to kidnap our girls or just trying to steal the car.”
Defending one’s life in front of their children was also something that a Washington farmer found himself doing after he took his sons out for “fancy burgers” in September.
While driving around, the father noticed a small vehicle outside a farm store that he figured warranted further investigation, and after he discovered and alerted authorities of a suspected burglary, two individuals presented themselves as threats.
“The rear individual got down pretty quickly,” the father said, recalling how he pulled his gun on the men, one of whom was armed with a club. “The front individual stayed up for quite a bit, was somewhat defiant of the process, and made me nervous to the point I felt I was probably a couple of seconds away from having to put one on the ground next to him to try to get them compliant. But, thank God, I didn’t have to.”
Deputies arrived within six minutes and took the two men into custody,
In November, another pair of criminals, identified as armed intruders, faced similar justice when they attempted to break into a Los Angeles residence while a homeowner’s wife and 5-month-old infant were inside.
One of the armed suspects charged the homeowner while he approached his door, and a struggle ensued.
The homeowner acted quickly, dropping his keys and his beverage, and he drew his concealed firearm and began to shoot at the pair, sending them running.
Break-ins, smash-and-grabs, and vehicle thefts appeared to become quite popular across California in 2023 given policies like zero-cash bail and ultraprogressive district attorneys.
In November, residents of Alameda County pushed to recall District Attorney Pamela Price.
Criminals under Price’s jurisdiction appeared to have become so confident in their crime-committing ways that one would-be burglar dared to attempt to rob a gun store with a hammer.
In October, an individual wearing a mask, hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head, and gloves entered East Bay Firearms and tried to rob the store owner while brandishing a hammer and swiping at a gun, police said.
The store owner responded by grabbing a firearm and firing at least two shots, fatally striking the intruder.
While stories like these demonstrate the importance of ensuring and protecting the Second Amendment, President Joe Biden continued in 2023 to berate the constitutional right to bear arms and push for greater gun restrictions.
“We have to change,” Biden said in June while urging the public to outlaw assault-style weapons. “There’s a lot of things we can change because the American people by and large agree you don’t need a weapon of war. I’m a Second Amendment guy. I taught it for four years, six years in law school. And guess what? It doesn’t say that you can own any weapon you want.”
Biden even appeared to joke about why people should even have the guns in the first place.
“You know, I love these guys who say the Second Amendment is … you know, the tree of liberty is watered with the blood of patriots,” the president said. ”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Well, if [you] want to do that, you want to work against the government, you need an F-16. You need something else than just an AR-15,” he said.
The framers of the United States enshrined the Second Amendment in the Constitution to preserve a citizen’s right to defend themselves, their families, and their property, and 2023 showed politicians like Biden that everyday people do not intend on losing that right anytime soon.
