As gun laws are debated across the United States, so too are the rights of private citizens to bear arms for self-protection.
The Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States says that the right to bear arms while lawfully following state and federal laws is permitted by US citizens.
There are many stories of criminals abusing gun laws but few stories about law-abiding citizens confronted with a criminal with a gun and not having the ability to defend themselves.
Such a story happened to two homeowners who were shot at by an alleged burglar in their home near the small Missouri town of Tiff City. Tiff City is situated on Missouri’s border with Oklahoma.
Officials from Missouri reported that a supposed burglar, possessing a handgun, entered a residence in McDonald County, only to be confronted by the armed homeowners, who shot and subsequently detained the intruder until law enforcement arrived.
Deputies from the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched on Wednesday in response to a burglary report at a home on Buffalo Creek Road. They found that the homeowners had both fired at and hit a suspected burglar who had shot at them first.
Sheriff Rob Evenson stated on Wednesday, “Upon arrival, our deputies encountered the homeowners who had returned home to discover an intruder. Upon entering the house, they found the man barricaded inside a room. The intruder shot at the homeowners using a handgun. Armed with handguns, the homeowners retaliated by returning fire, hitting the intruder once in each thigh.”
Evenson further stated that the homeowners disarmed the alleged burglar, later identified as Seneca resident James F. Garrett, 62, and restrained him until the deputies reached the scene. Garrett was then transported to a Joplin hospital by Freeman Ambulance.
Investigators suggested the McDonald County Prosecutor press charges of burglary, first-degree assault, and armed criminal action against Garrett. No charges have been leveled against the two homeowners as of now.
The homeowners were not injured, according to Sheriff Evenson.
