Saturday, October 24, 2020

FL: Instagram Model Grabbed her Gun to Defend Husband, Son, and Home

An Instagram model may have saved her family when she grabbed a firearm and engaged in a gunfight with masked intruders who stormed into her Florida home, reports said.

Ansley Pacheco, 26, was at home in Miami-Dade County earlier this month when armed intruders ambushed her husband, 7-year-old son and their friends while they were watching the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, according to Local 10 News.


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VA: Man Shoots Pitbull which was Attacking his Dog

Police were called to the 13400 block of Photo Drive just before 4 p.m. for a report of a vicious animal. The caller told officers he was walking his mixed-breed dog when a pit bull terrier ran up behind him and began attacking his dog.

At that point, the caller pulled out a handgun and fired one round towards the attacking dog, striking it in the back, Prince William County police 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok said.


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NJ: Off-Duty Officer Shoots 1 of 4 Robbery Suspects

An off-duty Paterson police officer shot and injured a man who allegedly tried to rob him at gunpoint near his home in the city’s 5th Ward on Sunday night, multiple law enforcement sources said.

The officer was getting out of his vehicle near Pearl Street at about 10 p.m. when he was confronted by a group of four armed robbers, sources said.


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WA: Man Shoots Wolf in Self Defense, Fish and Game Advises People to Carry a Gun

COLVILLE, WA

A Colville man who found himself surrounded by wolves on Oct. 7 in the forest near Rocky Creek Road, just east of town, shot and killed a young male in the pack to escape.

“The man called us as soon as he managed to get back to a place where he had cell service, and the incident was investigated by the county's wildlife conflict specialist, Jeff Flood, and the state Department of Fish and Game,” said Stevens County Sheriff Brad Manke. “Investigators went to the scene and found the dead wolf. From the evidence, they confirmed the man's story and determined that he acted completely within the law because he was threatened.”

(snip)

She said the wolf that was killed is believed to be from the Smackout Pack, which maintains its territory in that area. Manke said, with wolves, cougars and bears living in the woods of Northeastern Washington, it is advisable for people to carry a gun for safety when they enter the forest.


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MO: Woman Shoots, Kills Carjacking Suspect

ST. LOUIS — A 29-year-old woman who told police she was robbed and carjacked in St. Louis Monday shot and killed her attacker, 5 On Your Side has learned.


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AR: Armed Husband Holds Man who Assaulted Wife for Police

"He kept pushing his way in, he kept saying, 'You know why I'm here,'” said Traci.

Traci said the man then grabbed her, she screamed for help, and that's when her husband ran to the door and took over.  

He went outside and held the man at gunpoint until police came.


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Friday, October 23, 2020

AZ2AMCSALLY places Campaign Videos about Senate Race and Second Amendment

 

Image screenshot from video, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

One of President Trump's most consequential actions has been the appointment of Originalist and Textualist judges on the Article III courts. Judge Amy Coney Barret is the latest example. She is likely to make a critical difference for the Second Amendment on the Supreme Court.

That will come to a halt if the Republicans lose control of the Senate. 

A group in Arizona, which was organized in part by Second Amendment rock star Doug Ritter and his wife, Sue, has started informing Arizonans about the danger to the Second Amendment which McSally's opponent, Mark Kelly, represents. Here is a very recent release of the campaign they are starting:

Sue and I wanted to let you know about a very critical project here in Arizona to help protect our Second Amendment. The new "AZ 2A For McSally" Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AZ2A4MCSALLY  @AZ2A4MCSALLY  features a pair of videos supporting pro-Second Amendment Republican Senator Martha McSally. These videos spotlight the stark contrast between staunchly pro-2A McSally and Democrat Mark "Gun Grabber" Kelly on the issues of gun control and the Second Amendment.

Please pass this along to all your friends.  Share this @AZ2A4MCSALLY FB page and videos on social media and anywhere you can.  

The videos being run on social media can also be viewed/downloaded at:  

https://www.dropbox.com/s/umyw4w6z659yiba/McSally2A-2.mp4?dl=0


These videos are not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Arizona is a strongly pro-Second Amendment state, rated by Guns & Ammo Magazine as having the best gun laws in the nation since 2013. Despite a long anti-gun record and support from the Godfather of gun control, Michael Bloomberg, Kelly has tried to avoid the issue and portray himself as a centrist. We all know that is B.S.

Senator McSally has a perfect Second Amendment voting record and a perfect record of supporting President Trump's nominees to the Federal Courts. These over-200 appointments have started to tip the balance in these courts from activist anti-Second Amendment Judges and Justices to support for Second Amendment rights. McSally has pledged to vote to confirm constitutionalist and pro-Second Amendment Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

This is one of the most highly contested elections this year. Control of the Senate may hang in the balance.  A Kelly win could swing the Senate to a Democratic majority under anti-gun Senator Charles Schumer who is committed to enacting the Democratic Party's radical anti-gun platform.

Senator Martha McSally is the only choice for pro-Second Amendment voters. Senator McSally is a vote to save our republic and our freedoms.

Please pass this along to all your friends.  Share this page and these videos on social media and anywhere you can.

Most gun owners in Arizona know they don't want Kelly, but many are unsure or skeptical about McSally.  That can come back to bite us.  Gun owners stayed home in Virginia in 2018 and in just two years gun rights in that state have gone down the tubes.  Let's make sure that doesn't happen to Arizona and America!

Any Arizona gun owner who doesn't vote has effectively cast their ballot FOR gun control! Any Arizona gun owner who doesn't vote for Trump, McSally and the Republicans running for Congress and our state legislature is casting their vote FOR gun control.  It's that simple.

Sue and I beg you to help us turn out the 2A vote.  We, the gun owners of Arizona, can make the difference in this election.  We just have to get out the vote and we can win!

Thanks for your support!

The campaign ads for the Senate in Arizona have not been showing much information about Second Amendment issues from either side. Now, there is coverage, but it is from independents such as AZ2AMCSAALY and the NRAILA. The information is important to get out, if the people of Arizona are to make an informed decision. The gun control groups are funding ads for Mark Kelly. They are careful to avoid any mention of guns.  Everytown (Bloomberg's group) is said to have budgeted $5 million for Arizona, primarily against Senator McSally and President Trump.

Senator McSally has done much better on the Second Amendment than originally thought. Many Arizonan's worried about what she would do, once in office. As with President Trump, she has been a pleasant surprise. She is much better than Senator McCain was on the Second Amendment. Her opponent is much worse.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch


PA: City Attorney Worker Shoots, Kills, Robbery Suspect

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Police say a man was shot and killed by a person he was trying to rob in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city on Tuesday morning. The shooting happened on the 2600 block of North Napa Street, shortly before 10 a.m.


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IL: Homowner Shoot Supected Intruder

A licensed gun owner shot someone who allegedly broke into his home Wednesday in Albany Park on the Northwest Side.

The 46-year-old man heard what appeared to be someone breaking into his home at 4:52 p.m. in the 4800 block of North Kenneth Avenue, according to Chicago police. He went to investigate and was confronted by a 58-year-old man who doesn’t live there.


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Followup OH: Gunfight, Possible Self Defense at Akron Liquor Store

AKRON, Ohio — A 34-year-old man is dead following a shooting at an Akron liquor store Friday evening, and authorities are still trying to piece together what happened.

Preliminary information indicates a 38-year-old man had arrived in a Nissan and was later leaving the Country Market on East South Street when he got into an altercation with the victim. The 34-year-old then drew a gun and shot the 38-year-old in the hand, and apparently the 26-year-old driver of the Nissan then exchanged gunfire with the 34-year-old and shot him before fleeing the scene.


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LA: Gunfight, 2 Victims Wounded, 1 Home Invater Shot, Killed, 1 Possibly Wounded in Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - Authorities say a 20-year-old man was killed and three people were injured during a home invasion late Monday night.

According to a representative with the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD), 20-year-old Marcus Hayes Jr. was allegedly committing an armed robbery at a home in the 900 block of West McKinley Street around 11:10 p.m., Monday. 

Six people were apparently home during the incident and police say one of them grabbed a gun and shot Hayes.

Officials say Hayes died at the scene of the crime.

Police say during the home invasion, two of the robbery victims were also shot and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.


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PA: Vietnam Vet Holds Home Invader at Gunpoint for Police

State police said Kwesi Skerritt, 38, of the Bronx, New York, was worried a gang was after him. Snyder had him wait outside on his front steps as he called 911.

"I called the state police, called 911, and I'm talking to them. I'm in the garage, and I hear this crash in the house," Snyder said.

Snyder said Skerritt crashed through a window into his home. The man didn't get any farther than that.

"I had the pistol cocked and ready, and he was standing there in the kitchen," Snyder said.

Skerritt was held at gunpoint by the 72-year-old Vietnam vet for 10 minutes until state police arrived. Snyder said he was able to keep his composure because of his experience in the war.


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NV: Homeowner Fires Warning Shot, Hits Man Attempting Break-in in Foot

A 24-year-old Carson City man was arrested early Saturday for suspicion of felony home invasion after being shot in the foot by a homeowner who had attempted to scare the suspect away, according to a sheriff's office booking report.

Moses Aristides Sandoval was arrested at 5:14 a.m. in the 300 block of Corbett Street. According to the booking report, deputies were dispatched to the area for a report of a home invasion in progress. The homeowner informed dispatch they had the suspect on the ground at gunpoint and that they were in the backyard.


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Thursday, October 22, 2020

AKM Semi-Automatic Rifle used to Defend against Home invaders, 2 January of 2019 Yuma AZ


Colorado River Ocean to Ocean Bridge at Yuma, AZ, from Colorado River, Courtesy Dean Weingarten

At about 1:30 in the morning of 2 January, 2019, four people attempted a home invasion/burglary in Yuma County, Arizona.

I remember the incident as it was reported. Very few details were given. Four people were shot. The location was not revealed.  It was not in the City of Yuma, because the Sheriff department was the responding department. The identity of the defender was not revealed. The firearm or firearms were not identified. Deputies involved were not identified. From foxnews.com, at the time:

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call at approximately 1:38 a.m. Thursday and discovered that four individuals were shot after breaking into a home.

According to a news release, Edith Guerrero, 36, Jaden James, 18, Leonardo Gonzalez, 27, and Jessica Aynes, 28, woke the sleeping occupants as they entered.

The unidentified occupant with the gun fired several rounds, hitting all four suspects and ultimately killing one.

I suspected a semi-automatic rifle might have been used. They are especially well suited to repelling multiple home invaders. The investigation was ongoing. More information did not surface until a few days ago.

A local radio show had a guest, a conservative woman who was explaining how anti-Second Amendment Presidential Candidate Joe Biden and Senatorial Candidate Mark Kelly were. She casually mentioned they wished to outlaw the sale of semi-automatic rifles. She said the gun used in the incident in January of 2019 would have been outlawed if Biden and Kelly had their preferences.

The host of the show is a friend of mine. 

He helped to refresh my recollection of the incident. 

By October, 2020 most of the cases stemming from the incident had made their way through the criminal justice system. 

I contacted the Sheriff's department. A few inquiries lead to the revelation the firearm used to defend the Yuma County home was an clone of the AKM, chambered in 7.62x39.

 

 

 Image AKM from Swedish Museum, CC 4.0 wikimedia

The AKM is a later version of the AK47, made for simplified manufacture.  It is one of the iconic military rifles of the 20th century. Semi-automatic versions have become popular in the United States. It is well suited for home defense in a sparsely populated area. 

The incident shows many uses of semi-automatic rifles, perhaps most incidents, are never revealed in the media. 

I heard of the incident when it happened. I actively look for these situations, to document them. I routinely live in Yuma County, Arizona. I suspected a semi-automatic rifle was used.

It was only by chance the type of firearm involved in the incident was revealed. If I had not heard the chance comment on the radio show, no one outside of the people directly involved, and a few in the Yuma County government, would ever have known a semi-automatic rifle had been successfully used in home defense.

The reporting of firearm types in the media is abysmal. Reporters are seldom knowledgeable about different types of firearms. They are not curious about firearms or calibers. Consequently, we seldom know what firearms are used in self defense incidents.

Many have claimed that semi-automatic rifles are not useful for self defense. Incidents such as this one serve as useful counterexamples to show they are mistaken.

 

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch



 




MD: Domestic Defense, Ex-Wife Killed, Ex-Husband and Another Man Wounded

According to a preliminary investigation James Robellard shot his estranged wife, Lagina Lynn Robellard, and a 47-year-old man who lived at the house. The other man, fearing for his life, was able to retrieve a firearm and shot James Robellard in self-defense, investigators believe.

The other man who was shot was taken to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional for treatment of his injuries. After consultation with the Somerset County State's Attorney's Office, no charges have been filed at this time against male victim, who has been treated and released from the hospital.


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Followup LA: Another Arrest from Home Invasion where Woman Shot Suspect

Rodney Darrell Mitchell, 21, of Tallulah, was arrested Tuesday and booked into Ouachita Correctional Center on a charge of aggravated burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Mitchell was identified as one of three armed men who forcefully entered a Monroe home on Oct. 11. Two men reportedly threatened the male resident, demanded money and hit him with their guns. The female resident woke up, grabbed her firearm and shot at the burglars after one reportedly pointed a gun at her.

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AL: Robbery Suspect Timothy Rollins Shot, Killed in Montgomery

A 38-year-old Montgomery man who police accused of committing a robbery was fatally shot during the robbery attempt early Friday, according to a Montgomery police news release.

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CA: Business Owner Shows Weapon to Stop Attack on San Francisco Tourist

Surveillance video shows the moment when a San Francisco business owner jumps in to stop an assault on a tourist from escalating by showing his concealed carry weapon and scaring the suspect away

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Bears and .22 rimfire, 20 incidents

 


Bella Twin Grizzly Skull killed with .22 long from a Cooey Ace 1 single shot rifle.
Screenshot from North Shore Homestead video, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten.


When researching incidents of firearms used to defend against bears, the surprising deadly potential of the common .22 rimfire cartridge becomes apparent.  The most famous incident involving the .22 rimfire cartridge and bears is the 1953 world record grizzly bear. 

It was collected by Bella Twin of Slave Lake in Alberta Canada.  From my article at ammoland.com:

On 10 May, 1953, Bella Twin was hunting small game with her partner, Dave Auger, along an oil exploration cutline south of Slave Lake, in Alberta, Canada. She was 63 years old.

They saw a large grizzly bear coming toward them. Wishing to avoid an encounter, they hid off the side of the cut.

But the bear kept coming closer and closer. The bear got so close that Bella Twin thought it less risky to shoot the bear than to not shoot it. It was probably only a few yards away. Some accounts say 30 feet. Perhaps she saw it stop and start to sniff, as if it had caught their scent. We may never know.

She shot at the side of the bears head. Knowing animal anatomy very well (she was an experienced trapper, and had skinned hundreds, perhaps thousands of animals) she knew exactly where to aim to penetrate the skull at its weakest point.

She shot, the bear dropped. It was huge. She went to the bear and fired the rest of the .22 long cartridges that she had, loading the single shot rifle repeatedly, to “pay the insurance” as Peter Hathaway Capstick said. She made sure the bear was dead, and not just stunned. My father taught me the same lesson when I was 13.

There are other stories of very large bears being taken with .22 rimfire by native hunters. Here is an anecdote from a hunting forum. It sounds plausible, but is not documented as is the Bella Twin incident.    From longrangehunting.com:

I just thought others might be interested in this account. A local Eskimo hunter in Wales AK took a ten foot Polar Bear with a 22LR rimfire with one shot behind the ear at 20 feet. Killed it instantly. There is no doubt as to the credibility of this story. I know the guy and he is for real. This is the largest animal I have ever heard of being taken with a rimfire. I think the 22 is the most underrated killer in the world.
Jerry

Much of the research I have done on bears has centered around the use of handguns for defense against bears. One failure has been documented where the use of a .22 pistol did not stop the attack. 

The case is highly unusual, and worth reading.  It happened to crew of the  adventure cruise ship Origo, taking tourists into the Svalbard archipelago.  

August, 1995, From Spitsbergen: Svalbard, Franz Josef, Jan Mayen, 3rd Brant travel Guide, by Andres Umbreit

Another five people of the crew set out separately with only a .22 pistol and a flare gun. After an hour's march, the second party were met by a bear, 75m away and openly aggressive. The bear was distracted neither by warning shot nor flare and attacked one of the party. As he did so, he was shot, from a range of only 15m and turned against the man who had fired at him. This man tossed the gun to the first, who shot again. The process was repeated, with first one man being attacked and then the other. By the time the pistol was emptied and a knife drawn, one man was dead and another badly injured. The survivors retreated to the ship. 
(snip)
On examination, three shots to the head were discovered, none of them piercing the cranium.  
The victim had three years experience with the Origo, with many bear observations, and there were sufficient weapons on board to equip everybody.
Those stories are the exceptions. The most common experience with bears and .22 rimfire firearms involve black bears causing trouble, who are dispatched with the ubiquitous .22 rimfire Long Rifle cartridge.  Here are several incidents.

1936, Alaska: From More Alaskan Bear Tales Page 267 .22 Rimfire  Reference January 31, 1936 black bear
 A black bear with cubs had chased Mr. Nutter up a tree. When the sow came after him, he was able to shoot and kill it with a .22 pistol.

1960 .22 black bear, Lake north of Minto, Alaska

In 1960 Francis Cannon and her two friends flew into a lake a little north of Minto, Alaska.  They were on a fishing trip. After fishing, the setting down to lunch when they were attacked by a black bear, who rushed out of the brush and grabbed Francis. From Alaskan Bear Tales pages 107-108:  
Johnson picked up a stick, and pummeled the brute, and the bear dropped the woman and charged him. It was waylaid by the lunch, which it began to devour.

In the meantime, Fletcher got a .22 pistol from the plane, walked to within a few feet of the animal, and killed it.
 I suspect it was not a casual stroll to the plane, or a slow walk back to the bear.


Early 1960s, North Fork of the the Flathead river in Montana, .22 H&R 9 shot revolver, grizzly bear.

The worker approached a bear in a black bear snare. The bear charged the worker, who shot it with the .22 revolver. The bear died, but it took some time to do so, as told by game warden Louis Kis.

p.  276, More Bear Tales.


1971, Idaho: From Guides tales of Adventure,.22 rimfire page 62 black bear

Walt Earl was a government trapper and hunter who also guided hunters. He had to kill a black bear and cubs in a depredation hunt.  The hunter forgot his ammunition for the hunter's .44 magnum. Walt took refuge on the trunk of a huge pine that had blown down. The sow came after him.
She climbed up and walked straight down the trunk toward me and my pea shooter.

Her head swaying and teeth popping, I held my shot. From behind the flimsy barracade of twigs, I took aim for her throat, and yelled for the dogs to take her. They moved by didn't answer the challenge.

She stood 20 feet away, with all her attention focused on my throat. I had, in a way, brought a knife to a gunfight.

With eight rounds left in my 10 round clip, I pulled the trigger with my sights on the swaying bruin's throat.

One. Two. Three. Four. If anything, these rounds just angered her more.

Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

Click...

On the eight shot, something happened. Rocket, that old redbone hound, charged up into the bear, sinking his teeth into the sow's side. They both went flying. from the log, claws flying and teeth snapping in midair.

As the dogs fought the sow, Earl reloaded. Then, as the sow came at him again, he fired 10 more shots from his Ruger .22 pistol. The dogs distracted the sow once more. The fight moved into a thicket. The sow was found there, dead from two .22 rounds that had reached her vitals. There were 14 .22 caliber holes in her. A bio of Walt Earl is included at the end of the book.

In a bizarre case from 1992 in Alaska, the .22 pistol was only used as a noisemaker to scare off the bear. When the husband left to get help, taking the pistol with him, the bear returned and killed his wife.

 July 8, 1992, Glennallen Alaska .22 black bear

Thirty-three-year-old Darcy Staver and her husband, Army Capt. Michael Staver, were vacationing at a cabin off the Glenn Highway about 160 miles northeast of Anchorage near the community of Glennallen when they were confronted by a black bear in 1992. It broke a window to get into the cabin where they were staying and drove them out.
The couple sought safety on the roof. Michael fired several shots at the bear with a .22-caliber handgun to try to scare it away. It left. When it did, he jumped down from the roof and took off to get help. He took the gun to defend himself, thinking his wife would be safe on the roof. She wasn't. While he was gone, the bear climbed a spruce tree next to the cabin, got onto the roof and killed Darcy.
(snip)
When Michael returned with help, she was on the ground dead with the bear trying to eat her. The animal was shot and killed.

Larry Kanuit reports that Michael was very careful *not* to hit the bear, for fear of enraging it. P.  251 "Some Bears Kill"

In Missouri, a man defended his dog with his .22 rifle. The man/dog/rifle combination is deadly.  

Bear killed with .22 rifle in Marquand 400 lb. black bear may 17 2005

The man said the bear stood up on its hind legs as the man's dog advanced. Standing up, the bear was 6 feet tall.

"He was afraid the bear was going to tear up his dog," West said. "So apparently he shot the bear three times."

The man used a .22-caliber rifle. The wounded bear ran into the woods, West said, and the man called the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department, which contacted the Department of Conservation.

The bear couldn't be located that night. The next morning, the man called the agency and said he'd found the bear dead 150 yards from the shed.

Monday morning, conservation agents retrieved the bear, a male, and stored the carcass in the walk-in freezer of a Fredericktown, Mo., taxidermist.

In Ohio, a "tame" bear escaped.  A neighbor shot the bear with a .22, above the eye. On a bear, that shot will miss the brain. The bear ran off. 

2008 Marengo Ohio, black bear:

November 24, 2008/Marengo, Ohio:One of three pet black bears escaped a chain-link enclosure and went to the home of a neighbor, who encountered the bear on his porch. The bear’s owner shot the bear with a .22 caliber rifle when the 300- to 400-pound animal reared up and charged him. The bear was hit above the eye and fled into the woods. Deputies and an Ohio Division of Wildlife officer using night-vision goggles searched for the bear, who was shot and killed approximately an hour and a half later.

In Arizona, a black bear invaded a tent and attacked a man who was inside with his family. Fortunately, another camper was armed, and drove off the bear with his .22 handgun.

 24 June 2012, Arizona,  Pondorosa Campground, .22 rimfire, black bear, azgfd.net (caliber previously unknown)

The bear had entered the man’s tent and attacked him. His fiance’ and a one-year-old child were also in the tent and were able to escape unharmed and sound the alarm to other campers in the nearby area.
Reports indicate that another camper at a nearby campsite shot at the bear several times with a handgun at close range after the attack. The bear left the area, and it is unknown at this time if or how many times the bear was hit.
.22 caliber mentioned at fox10phoenix story

 A week later, on the other side of the country, in New York State, a father protected his family from a black bear.  The bear was killed.

30 June, 2012, black bear killed with .22 rifle. From patch.com:

A Stony Point resident hosting a family barbecue shot a black bear he deemed a threat to his guests when the bear would not leave his property Saturday afternoon.

The incident took place at approximately 1 p.m. at 567 Willow Grove Road, Stony Point Police Sgt. John Wood told Patch. Guests, including children, were outside when the bear came onto the property and at the time of the shooting, but police did not know how many.


  More details were revealed in  "The Bullet" read by Firearm Pop in a video . 

The bear was killed with one shot, and weighed about 160 to 175 pounds. 

A year after the black bears were shot on opposite coasts, another black bear was shot with a .22 in New York State. 

A surprising number of people shoot at bears with .22 rimfires to scare or harass the bears. They are surprised when the bears die.

The retired New York State Trooper in the story does not have much respect for the .22 rimfire. 

 From wnep.com: New York 2013:

According to court papers, Hazimof told game officers he shot the bear outside his home because he wanted to scare the bear out of his yard. Hazimof shot the bear with his .22 caliber rifle.

Ralph Huebner lives near where the big black bear was found dead. The retired New York State Trooper says killing a bear with a .22 isn’t easy.

"Pretty unlikely he had to make a specific shot in a very vital spot in order to hit it because a .22 doesn't have that penetration, doesn't have the impact,” said Huebner.

A Montana man was having trouble with young grizzly bears killing his chickens and presenting a danger to his children. He says he shot at them to scare them off, with his .22 rifle. All three grizzlies died. 

May 28, 2015, Three Grizzlies with a .22 rifle, From flatheadbeacon.com: 

Bartos interviewed Wallen about the second dead bear, and Wallen stated that he had chased away and later shot at the bears during a previous night when the animals had approached his chicken coop while family and friends were around. Wallen stated two grizzlies had arrived and he first drove them off with his pickup truck. After they came back, he told Bartos he fired several shots at the bears and they fled. Another grizzly later emerged to pursue the chickens and Wallen said it was the bear he shot at and Clark eventually killed.

On June 4, another neighbor of Wallen’s returned home from vacation and discovered a dead grizzly bear that had decomposed in the grass near her home. Bartos responded to the report and an investigation discovered the animal had been dead for roughly one week.

Court records state that investigators determined each of the three grizzlies was killed by bullets from a gun consistent with Wallen’s rifle.


A year later, in New Mexico, a husband who was defending his wife and their dogs, said he fired a shot "in the bear's direction". The bear collapsed after running a short distance.

  25 July, 2016, New Mexico, Silver City, .22 Rimfire, black bear.
The startled cubs bawled out for their mother, which came running around the corner. The woman fled into her house, but her dogs slipped out the open door. A fight ensued between the adult bear and the dogs, during which the woman attempted to scare the bear away. The woman’s husband arrived armed with a .22-caliber pistol and fired a single shot in the bear’s direction, Peralta said.

The bear ran off and collapsed about 40 yards away, dead from the gunshot wound, Peralta said. One of the cubs was found near the house and the other was found in a tree.


Another shooter in Wyoming claimed he was only trying to scare off a grizzly bear by shooting it in the rump. The bear turned, the bullet went between the ribs and into the liver. The bear died.

October, 2017 Casper  Wyoming Grizzly Killed with a .22 from powelltribune.com:

Attempting to scare off a grizzly bear with a gunshot turned out to be a costly mistake for a Casper man, as the round from his .22 caliber rifle wound up killing the animal.
 (snip)
“I had multiple encounters with the bear that day and the last time it came in, it started circling me,” Stalkup said in court. “And rather than trying to kill it, I tried to scare it off with a .22 by shooting it in the rump.”

However, according to Stalkup, the bear turned when he fired. The bullet went through the grizzly’s ribs and fatally injured the animal, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department concluded, after Stalkup called the agency to the scene.

On 22 September, 2020, a man tried to scare a black bear in Connecticut.  He shot at it with a .22 rifle. It died. From apnews.com:

The two cubs climbed up a tree and the black bear stood facing and making noises at the dog, the police said.

O’Connor got a .22 caliber rifle and shot at the bear to scare it.

“The shot struck the bear, which moved about 30 yards to a neighboring property’s driveway, collapsed, and eventually died,” Will Healey, a spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, told the newspaper.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden Lee Anderson does not recommend hazing bears with firearms. From mt.gov:

“I don’t recommend shooting towards bears with firearms or even BB-guns to scare them out of your trash,” FWP Warden Captain Lee Anderson said. “It is often an ineffective hazing tool and depending on the circumstances, it can be illegal. We have investigated cases of people intending to scare bears and inadvertently killing them with small caliber rifles (.22), birdshot from shotguns or ricochets from other firearms.”

For many years trappers have used .22 firearms to dispatch trapped bears and other animals. Here is a video of a trapped black bear shot with .22 pistol on Youtube

A persistent joke on the internet is a .22 or .25 pistol is sufficient for bear defense.

 The jokers say, "just shoot your partner in the leg, then you can run faster to escape the bear".  

It is a bad joke. As seen from the above examples, a .22 rimfire has enough energy to kill bears, if the shooter does their part.  

I do not recommend .22 rimfires as the preferred firearm for defense against bears. However, a .22 rimfire is much better than a pocket knife, a stick, or a rock. It has enough energy to do the job, if the shot placement is precise and/or the shooter has a means of preventing the bear from getting to him while the shot/shots take effect.

Do not underestimate the lethality of .22 rimfire. 

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 










FL: Victim Describes Home Invasion Gunfight in Miami-Dade

Monday night, the homeowner, 26-year-old Ansley Pacheco, showed 7News where the chaotic chain of events unfolded.

“Everybody got onto the ground. My son just stayed there on the couch,” she said, referring to her 7-year-old son. “I grabbed him, and I ran straight to the bathroom.”

The homeowner said one of the armed subjects discharged his firearm.

“He started shooting at me,” she said. “They shot at me about seven times, six, seven times.”

When asked whether she considers herself fortunate to be alive, Pacheco replied, “Yeah, I do.”


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