self defense

17 Stories

Self-Defense Store Keeps Getting Burglarized

Van Nuys establishment hit twice in a week, third time in a year

(Newser) - Irony alert: A story in Van Nuys, California, that specializes in self-defense weapons just got burglarized for the second time in a week and the third time in a year, reports KABC . Overnight Monday, a masked suspect threw a rock through a glass door of NakeStores to steal merchandise, and...

Woman, 85, Kills Intruder in Shootout While Cuffed to Chair

'Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night'

(Newser) - It was a textbook case of justifiable homicide and "one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have ever heard of," a county prosecutor in Idaho wrote Tuesday, describing how an 85-year-old woman managed to kill her attacker despite being handcuffed and shot herself during a home...

Cops: First He Rescued Him, Then He Shot Him

Bizarre shooting unfolds on the water in South Carolina

(Newser) - A strange shooting took place on a lake in South Carolina this week, one in which a man was rescued from the water—twice—before being killed by his rescuer. But police say it's a clear case of self-defense, and no charges are being filed, reports WYFF4 . The shooting...

Woman Says Car Keys Saved Her Life
Woman Says Car Keys 
Saved Her Life
in case you missed it

Woman Says Car Keys Saved Her Life

The mother of 6 remembered a self-defense tactic her mother taught her

(Newser) - A mother in Amarillo, Texas, has become a social media hero after fighting off an attacker early Friday. Jessica Collins, 27, says she was punched in the nose by a man in the parking lot of her apartment complex at 2:30am after going out to her car to retrieve...

Kidnappers Find Out It's Unwise to Mess With Sharpshooter

The woman in India took up shooting after having kids

(Newser) - Two kidnappers in India grabbed a 21-year-old Delhi University student who was driving a taxi—and inadvertently messed with the wrong woman, reports India.com . "I just took my gun and shot them," says Ayisha Falaq, 32, the man's sister-in-law and a competitive sharpshooter. "I shot...

Fed Up With Burglars, Man Buys Gun, Uses It That Night

Criminals appear most interested in senior citizen Harvey Lembo's meds

(Newser) - Earlier this week, Harvey Lembo decided enough was enough. After five burglaries in his Maine home in six years—most recently last month when $1,000 and medications were stolen—the retired lobsterman bought what he describes as a 7mm Russian-made revolver on Monday. Hours later, he used it, reports...

Escaped Inmate Killed by His 71-Year-Old Hostage

Captive Jerome Mauderly was a former prison guard

(Newser) - An escaped inmate on the run from police took a retired couple hostage in their rural home, only to be shot and killed by one of his captives yesterday. Turns out, Rodney Long, 38, had managed to break into the house of ... a former prison guard. Long, who was serving...

Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin Pummeled Me
Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin Pummeled Me

Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin Pummeled Me

Police say witnesses have corroborated much of his account

(Newser) - Trayvon Martin punched George Zimmerman, climbed on top of him, and banged his head into the sidewalk several times before a bloodied Zimmerman shot and killed him. Or at least, that's what Zimmerman told police in the wake of the shooting, and authorities tell the Orlando Sentinel that witnesses...

Fla. Judge: Chasing, Killing Suspect Was Self-Defense
Fla. Judge: Chasing, Killing Suspect Was Self-Defense
'STAND YOUR GROUND' REDUX

Fla. Judge: Chasing, Killing Suspect Was Self-Defense

Charges against Greyston Garcia over stabbing death of Pedro Roteta thrown out

(Newser) - As Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law finds itself in the spotlight after the shooting of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin , another controversial case: A judge yesterday threw out the murder charge against Greyston Garcia, who chased down a would-be burglar and stabbed him to death, because she determined...

Florida Teen's Killing Erupts Into National Story

Trayvon Martin's family wants shooter George Zimmerman prosecuted

(Newser) - An unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, and Zimmerman has yet to be charged; now Reuters reports that the FBI is monitoring the controversial Sanford, Florida, case, which has garnered nationwide attention. Trayvon Martin, 17, was walking through a gated...

Pharmacist Gets Life Sentence for Killing Robber

He pumped five bullets into already unconscious victim

(Newser) - An Oklahoma pharmacist was sentenced to life in prison today for the shooting death of a teenager who tried to rob his store. Jerome Ersland, 59, was charged with first-degree murder, but will have the possibility of parole, reports MSNBC . As he left the courtroom, Ersland told a reporter the...

Woman Kills Intruder While on Line to 911

Police didn't get there before he broke in

(Newser) - An Oklahoma woman shot and killed an intruder while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher. 57-year-old Donna Jackson called 911, shotgun in hand, when she heard someone trying to break into her home last Friday—but before police could get there, the man, 53-year-old Billy Riley, hurled a patio...

Jay Z: Chris Brown Is a Dead Man Walking

Attack prompts outrage and rumors, from herpes to jealousy

(Newser) - Glimpses into the crazy world of Rihanna and Chris Brown continue to trickle out. The latest tidbits from their pre-Grammy drama:
  • Jay-Z, who discovered Rihanna, is enraged, says a source. “Chris is a walking dead man.”
  • One rumor claims Rihanna caught herpes from Jay-Z and passed it on
...

Seniors Wield Canes in Martial- Arts Training

Exercise and self- defense meet in 'Cane Fu' classes

(Newser) - Call it cane fighting, combat cane or cane fu: in classes across the country, seniors are turning to a different kind of self-defense, the Wall Street Journal reports. While the practice serves as a healthy way to get exercise, it also provides comfort to elderly people interested in protecting themselves...

Gun Ruling Will Trigger Barrage of Lawsuits
Gun Ruling Will Trigger Barrage of Lawsuits
analysis

Gun Ruling Will Trigger Barrage of Lawsuits

Most state and city laws appear safe, others will challenge

(Newser) - Today's Supreme Court ruling upholding an individual's right to bear arms is unlikely to lead to sweeping changes across the nation, the New York Times reports. Gun laws in most cites and states—putting restrictions on felons and the mentally ill, for example, or banning guns in certain settings—appear...

Karzai Warns Pakistan He'll Send Troops Over Border

Afghan leader says he'll self-defend vs. militants

(Newser) - Citing the right to self defense, Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that his country may send troops across the border with Pakistan to fight militants who have killed Afghans, BBC reports. "When they cross the territory from Pakistan to come and kill Afghans and to kill coalition troops it...

The Taser Party: Chicks Dig It
The Taser Party: Chicks Dig It

The Taser Party: Chicks Dig It

Self-defense-minded women seek something a little more shocking

(Newser) - At-home female entrepreneurs are ditching Mary Kay for Tasers, but they're keeping the pink. Taser International is marketing its user-friendly C2 "personal protector" to the public, and women with an interest in self-defense are holding independent Taser parties in states where the stun gun is legal. "It's a...

17 Stories