Can William Lawyer compile a list of incidents where kids used guns to defend themselves and others?
William Lawyer, Libertarian leaning Conservative involved in politics.
A short while back, I wrote an answer to the question Do Americans let their children shoot guns?
In that answer, along with talking about youth competitive shooters, safety training, etc, I talked about some five incidents in which kids used firearms to defend themselves or others successfully, and mentioned that if people wanted I would compile a larger list of such incidents.
That answer has really taken off, and several people have asked me to talk about other incidents in which children used a gun in self defense.
So, by popular demand, here are thirty individual cases where a child, fifteen years old and under, used a gun in self defense.
A 10 year old boy in Louisiana was alone at home with his eight year old sister when three men started repeatedly kicking his door until it finally burst open. The kid and his sister ran to hide in their mother’s bedroom closet, and the ten year old kid grabbed his mother’s gun. One of the individuals, who began threatening the children as he looked for them, opened the door where they were hiding and promptly got a mouth full of bullets, literally, as the the kid fired a round into his lip. The injured criminal was promptly taken to the hospital by one of the other men, and was arrested shortly after. [1] [2]
A 10 year old boy in New York after his teenage sisters opened the door to two men in disguises carrying a box. Both men were carrying firearms as they forced their way into the home and went upstairs to the second floor, where the woman who owned the house slammed a door on one of the man’s wrists. He lost his grip on his gun, and the 10 year old picked it up and fired it at the men. The second man tried to fire back, but missed and both criminals fled the house. [3] [4]
In Oklahoma, a 11 year old girl awoke to her pregnant mother being attacked and stabbed by her ex-boyfriend. The man had reportedly been sexually molesting children, and her mother, fearing for the lives of her kids, had very recently taught them how to use a firearm for self defense. The 11 year old retrieved her mothers gun and shot the man twice, which resulted in him attempting to flee. The girl’s mother and the criminal were transported to a nearby Medical Center in serious condition once the police arrived. [5] [6]
An 11 year old boy in Missouri and his 4-year-old sister were at their home alone when two men attempted to break in. After three attempts they managed to enter through the front door, but as they entered the home the 11 year old kid opened fire, hitting one of the individuals and killing them. The second man was arrested shortly after. [7] [8]
An 11 year old child in Alabama was home alone when he heard a sound in the upstairs of his house. Standing at the base of the stairs, the child saw a man at the top of the stairwell. The man disappeared, but later returned with a firearm in his hands, and told the child that he was going to kill him. The 11 year old kid picked up a 9mm handgun that was in the home, and demanded that the man leave. "I guess when I pulled the gun out on him he didn't think it was a real gun cause he didn't worry about it," the kid said, "He just kept on walking." The kid opened fire and hit the man in the leg, and authorities later arrested the man. [9] [10]
An 11 year old girl in Michigan grabbed the shotgun she normally used for sport and hunting out of her safe when two individuals forced their way into her home. She hid in a closet until one of the individuals opened the door where she was hiding, only to find himself looking down the barrel of a shotgun. The suspect fled the house, and was later arrested. [11] [12]
In Texas, three masked men attempted to invade a 11 year old kid’s home. He was asleep when his mother heard banging coming from the front door and went to investigate and saw two men wearing masks and armed with handguns walking towards her. She quickly barricaded herself and her son in the bedroom, but the men tried to force the door open. One of the men shot through the door and hit the 11 year old as he fired back through the door with a rifle. [13] [14]
An 11 year old boy was on a fishing trip in Alaska when a bear charged him and his family. His uncle didn’t have time to take his rifle off his shoulder, and the bear ran right through him towards the boy. The kid quickly raised his shotgun and fired a blast of bird shot into the bear, which didn’t seem to slow it down. He fired again twice more and hit the bear in the nose, stopping it, and he and his uncle finished the bear off with repeated shots after. [15] [16]
In Washington State, a 11 year old girl saw a cougar stalking her 14 year old brother while he was heading back to his house. The animal had already tried to attack them and their livestock on several occasions, and this time, upon seeing the cougar leap out from under a car and follow her brother, the 11 year old, who has a permit to kill cougars, took her rifle and shot the animal. [17] [18]
A 12 year old girl in Oklahoma hid in her closet with her families gun when a strange man kicked open her back door. The man searched through the house looking for her, and began to open the door to the closet where she was hiding when she fired a round through the door, striking the man. He fled and later ended up in police custody. "I think it's going to change me a whole lot, knowing that I can hold my head up high and nothing can hurt me anymore," the girl told reporters after the incident. [19] [20]
A father and his 12 year old girl was on a hunting trip together New Mexico when the father went to collect some gear real quick. A cougar, realizing that the adult had been separated from the young, attempted to attack the girl. Barely 5 yards away, the animal crouched down to attack, and the girl shot it head on, instantly killing it. “He was only about five yards away from her.” Her father said. “She thought quick. When I saw how close he was, I got emotional.” [21] [22]
A 13 year old girl in North Carolina was home alone with her younger sister when three men broke down her back door. The 13 year old had quickly grabbed her dad’s rifle and pointed it at the invaders, as they came through the door, and the attackers, who outnumbered the little girls, realized this really wasn’t going to end well for them, and fled without harming either of them. [23] [24]
A 13 year old boy in South Carolina was home alone when a six time felon tried to break in to his house. The boy retrieved his mothers gun and fired through the back door as the man attempted to break it down. The man shot back, but was hit three times and rushed to the hospital by his accomplice where he later died. [25] [26]
A 13 year old boy in California was home with his mother when her common law husband, who has a history of abusing his wife, hit her over the head with the gun and struck her brother as well. He started pointing the gun at several other family members when the 13 year old shot him to stop the violence. [27] [28]
A 14 year old boy in North Carolina was visiting his grandmother when two men attempted to break into their house. The 14 year old got his grandfather’s gun and ordered the man to stop repeatedly as he attempted to enter through the window before firing at him, striking him and killing him. The boy had been taught how to use a firearm in self defense by his grandparents after his father was murdered a few years previously. [29] [30]
A 14 year old in North Carolina was home with his 17 year old sister when a man attempted to break down the front door to his house. His sister got on the phone with the police while hiding in the closet, and her brother got his gun. While she on the phone, her brother shot one of the men as he came around the corner, and the man appeared to flee the scene. The 14 year old asks the dispatcher for constant updates on the deputies progress to ensure that he doesn't accidentally shoot them, and puts away the gun at the request of the dispatcher. The 14 year old was incredibly polite, calm, and composed while on the phone, even asking about the condition of the man that he shot. [31] [32]
A 14 year old in Nevada was home with his brother and sister, both 6 years old, when several home invaders attempted to enter his house. He got his brother and sister into an upstairs closet while he grabbed a cell phone and his rifle and hid with them. He stayed in the closet while the thieves began loading up everything valuable in the house, but one eventually found him hiding in the closet. The kid leveled the gun at the man, and he just took off running. [33] [34]
A 14 year old living in Ohio endured years of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her abusive father, who often threatened her and her mother with his gun. She went to the police a few times, but nothing came of it, and he continued to abuse her and her mother, cutting her, breaking her ribs, etc. The 14 year old had run away from home twice before hand and her mother had filed a protective order against him, saying that she was in fear for her life, but it was later dismissed. After her father threatened to kill her and the rest of her family, she used his own gun in self defense. She was later arrested and spent time in a juvenile detention center for several years before being released. [35] [36]
A 14-year-old Arizona boy was home watching his three younger siblings when a armed man started trying to break down the front door. He rushed his siblings upstairs and got a handgun from his parent's bedroom, and returned to the top of the stairs as the man smashed down the door. The child opened fire on the man, striking him before he could get a shot off. [37] [38]
A 14 year old in Colorado was home alone when someone cut power to his house. Shortly after, a man kicked in his back door and entered his house along with two other men. The 14 year old quickly retrieved his handgun and opened fire on the intruders. It is unclear if he managed to strike the intruder, but the man and his accomplices retreated. [39] [40]
A 14 year old in Alabama shot a man who was romantically linked to his mother and who had a history of domestic violence when the man snuck onto their property after being escorted off the property by officers earlier that day. The man had walked on foot seven miles back to their property to continue the confrontation from earlier that day, and the 14 year old used a shotgun to defend himself and his mother. [41] [42]
A 14 year old girl in Nevada who has been shooting her whole life was home with her mother and her mother’s fiancee when several gunmen broke into their house in a targeted attack. Her mother’s fiancee had a gun and came up the stairs to confront the attackers, but the gun jammed and he was shot eight times. The 14 year old girl was also shot, but she picked up the firearm, cleared the malfunction, and fired back at the men, driving them off. She and her mother’s fiancee were taken to the hospital where the girl underwent surgery to reconstruct a main artery. [43] [44]
A 14 year old boy in Arkansas was home with his family when two men broke into his home just after midnight. The boy, who is a trained trap shooter, got out his own shotgun and confronted the two men, both of whom had revolvers. The three all trained their guns at each other, and sat a few breathless moments before the two intruders took off running. [45] [46]
A 15 year old boy in Oregon was home alone when a burglar broke into his house and began stealing stuff. The 15 year old used a shotgun to shoot the man, and ended up hitting him in the leg. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment. [47] [48]
A 15 year old in Washington was home alone when thieves broke into his home, only to be scared off by the kid. It was the second time in a week that their home had been broken into, and, fearing for his son, the 15 year old’s father had left him a rifle and told him what to do if the burglars returned. [49] [50]
A 15 year old in Ohio was home alone sick, sending an email to my teachers about homework when a man with a knife broke into his house. The man had actually just been arrested for breaking into another persons house, where he was held at gunpoint until police arrived, but he escaped from the police cruiser and broke into the 15 year old’s house. The 15 year old forced the man out of the house at gunpoint, and he was later arrested again by the police outside. [51] [52]
A 15 year old in Wyoming somehow got caught up in an attempted abduction of another woman. The abductor had a long history of domestic violence with the woman, and as he attempted to abduct her the 15 year old shot him. Police later arrived and the man died on the way to the hospital. [53] [54]
A 15 year old in Texas was home with his 12 year old sister when two men broke into his home through a back window. The 15 year old, who was upstairs heard the breaking glass and grabbed his father's personal rifle and opened fire, striking the man repeatedly. The boy’s father, who was actually a deputy constable, was on duty and arrived at the scene shortly thereafter. [55] [56]
A 15 year boy in Florida was home alone when someone started trying to break down the back door. The kid retrieved his shotgun, looked outside and saw a man in a mask breaking down the door, and executed the Joe Biden shotgun defense, firing a shot into another door in his house to scare the man away. [57] [58]
A 15 year old girl in Texas was just getting out of the shower when two intruders broke into her home. The men ransacked the house, and were attempting to steal her father’s pickup truck when she ran and got her dad’s gun, pointing it at them and forcing them to flee. [59] [60]
Incidents where kids use guns to defend themselves and others are actually surprisingly common, relatively speaking that is. Evaluations of defensive gun uses that analyzed some 200 random and documented incidents in which citizens used guns in self defense, a surprising number of kids show up, roughly 5% at least, with 9 individuals under the age of 18 and 124 cases in which the age of the defendant was unknown. When we have somewhere between several hundred thousand and more than two million defensive gun uses every year, that adds up fast. [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66]
There are even people people on Quora who claim to have used firearms to defend themselves as kids, keeping them safe and protecting them from physical and mental harm.
For better or for worse, these sorts of things happen frequently. I mean, none of us want anybody, least of all kids to have to defend themselves against anyone, but I do think that these children having guns and being able to defend themselves with force was certainly better than a lot of other potential ways these situations could have played out.
Footnotes
[1] 10-year-old uses mom's gun; shoots intruder in the face
[2] Child shoots intruder during home break-in
[3] NY boy, 10, grabs home intruder's gun, shoots wall
[4] N.Y. boy, 10, uses intruder's gun to scare him off
[5] Girl, 11, shoots man attacking mother in southeast Oklahoma City
[6] Child, 11, Shoots Suspect Attack Mom In SE OKC
[7] Police ID 16-year-old fatally shot by 11-year-old Thursday afternoon
[8] Missouri 11-year-old fatally shoots 16-year-old intruder
[9] Alabama 11-year-old shoots suspected home invader
[10] Report: 11-year-old boy shoots home intruder
[11] Police say 11-year-old girl used her own shotgun to scare off robbers in Lapeer County
[12] Girl, 11, scares off home intruder with shotgun
[13] Three held in Palmview home invasion
[14] Deputies arrest another suspect in home invasion in which boy shot intruder
[15] Armed 11-year-old saves family from charging brown bear
[16] 11-year-old Alaska boy shoots bear charging fishing party
[17] Washington state girl, 11, shoots cougar that stalked her brother
[18] More cougars shot, tally now at 10 this winter
[19] 12-Year-Old Girl Shoots Intruder During Home Invasion In Bryan County
[20] Okla. Girl, 12, Shoots Intruder During Home Burglary
[21] Quick-Thinking 12-Year-Old Girl Shoots Mountain Lion at 5 Yards in Self Defense
[22] 12-year-old Girl Shoots Mountain Lion Stalking Her on Elk Hunt | OutdoorHub
[23] NC teen girl uses dad's rifle to scare off 3 men who broke into her home
[24] NC Teen Scares Off Intruders With Rifle
[25] South Carolina Boy, 13, Fatally Shoots Burglar, Scares Off Second Suspect: Police
[26] Teenager shoots and kills burglary suspect in Ladson
[27] South Valley Teen Kills Man, Police Say Self Defense
[28] No Charges Filed against Visalia Teen
[29] Boy, 14, fatally shoots intruder at grandmother’s N.C. home
[30] 911 call released in deadly Charlotte home invasion
[31] Henderson teen tells 911 dispatcher: 'I just shot the man' :: WRAL.com
[32] 911 call provides details of fatal home invasion :: WRAL.com
[33] Teenager protects twin brothers with father's rifle after break-in attempt
[34] NLV teen credited with scaring off home invaders
[35] 14-Year-Old Girl Accused Of Killing Her Allegedly Abusive Father
[36] 14-year-old accused of killing father, family says girl is ‘hero who saved them all’
[37] Phoenix boy, 14, shoots armed intruder while watching three younger siblings
[38] 14-year-old Phoenix boy shoots armed intruder
[39] https://web.archive.org/web/20140401072238/http://www.fox21news.com/news/story.aspx?id=994915
[40] Pueblo teen shoots at home intruders; police warn of rash of burglaries | KOAA.com |
[41] Attorney for teen who shot Center Point man in Locust Fork says he doesn't expect charges
[42] Locust Fork shooting could fall under ‘stand your ground’ | WIAT 42
[43] Teenager fights back after she was shot in home invasion
[44] EXCLUSIVE: Woman recalls violent home break-in that left teen daughter and fiance shot
[45] Conway 14-year-old uses shotgun to scare off armed intruders
[46] http://www.thecabin.net/news/local/2012-05-01/.T6GFfTDISkL
[47] Teen shoots burglar in leg with shotgun
[48] Juvenile shoots alleged burglar
[49] Would-be burglars scared off by teenager with rifle at Pierce County home
[50] Teenage Boy at Home Sick from School Scares off Burglars Trying to Rob His House by Threatening Them with a Rifle - Paperblog
[51] Teenager stops home burglary
[52] Teenager stops home burglary
[53] Teen Believed to Have Shot and Killed Abductor
[54] Casper man was victim in fatal shooting
[55] Teen shoots would-be burglary suspect at his home in northwest Harris County
[56] Deputy's teen son shoots at burglar at NW Harris home
[57] Sarasota teen drives would-be burglar away with warning shot
[58] Biden: "Buy A Shotgun, Buy A Shotgun"
[59] 15-year-old girl scares burglars away with dad's gun while home alone in Texas City
[60] 15-year-old girl scares burglars away with dad's gun while home alone in Texas City
[61] ANALYSIS: In One Year, Gun Owners Stopped Hundreds Of Criminals, Saved Countless Lives [INFOGRAPHIC]
[62] https://www.hoplofobia.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2018-What-Do-CDC%E2%80%99s-Surveys-Say-About-the-Frequency-of-Defensive-Gun-Uses.pdf
[63] 5 The Use of Firearms to Defend Against Criminals
[64] Estimating intruder-related firearm retrievals in U.S. households, 1994.
[65] Measuring Civilian Defensive Firearm Use: A Methodological Experiment
[66] https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6853&context=jclc |
