Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that might prove to be one of the most significant actions ever taken by any administration to protect Americans’ Second Amendment rights. Among other things, the order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to thoroughly review all existing executive branch policies and regulations involving firearms to identify and eliminate any that are “designed to curtail the clear right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.”
The order also called for a review of all legal positions taken by the federal government in ongoing Second Amendment-related litigation, to ensure that such positions are consistent with safeguarding the right to keep and bear arms.
Trump is right to insist that the federal government’s policies get out of the way of lawful gun owners who’d like to exercise their constitutional rights and protect themselves and others from criminal violence—something they successfully do far more often than many people realize.
Almost every major study has found that Americans use their firearms in self-defense between 500,000 and 3 million times annually, according to the most recent report on the subject by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, a professor at the Georgetown McDonough School of Business conducted the most comprehensive study ever on the issue, and concluded that roughly 1.6 million defensive gun uses occur in the United States every year.
For this reason, The Daily Signal publishes a monthly article highlighting some of the previous month’s many news stories on defensive gun use that you may have missed—or that might not have made it to the national spotlight in the first place. (Read accounts from past months and years here.)
The examples below represent only a small portion of the news stories on defensive gun use during crimes that we found in February. You may explore more by using The Heritage Foundation’s interactive Defensive Gun Use Database.
- Feb. 2, St. Louis, Missouri: Police say that a resident of a four-unit apartment building kicked in the door of the unit above his own, prompting the upstairs neighbor to grab a rifle and fatally shoot the intruder in self-defense.
- Feb. 4, Texarkana, Arkansas: A 15-year-old boy walked into a terminal for private jets at a regional airport, pointed a rifle at a staff member, and demanded access to a plane. When the staff member went into a back office, the armed teen “forcefully pushed open a door leading out to the airfield,” where an armed pilot confronted him, ordered him to the ground, and disarmed him. The airport’s director praised the unnamed pilot’s heroic actions and ability to “remain[] calm despite being openly threatened.”
- Feb. 5, San Antonio, Texas: Employees at a beauty salon credited an armed customer with saving lives after a gunman with a lengthy criminal record rushed into the business and demanded “money and cellphones” from everyone inside. The gunman grew increasingly agitated over a perceived lack of loot from his victims and pistol-whipped a customer who, unbeknownst to him, had fortuitously “delayed” his haircut that day in order to retrieve a handgun from his home. That customer quickly drew his weapon and fatally shot the gunman.
- Feb. 10, Pensacola, Florida: A legally-armed woman shot and wounded a man who police say stalked her using social media, followed her to the hotel where she worked, cornered her in a laundry room, and assaulted her. This allegedly wasn’t the first time the man had shown up at the woman’s place of employment. He was arrested and charged with a slew of offenses, including battery, stalking, and drug possession.
- Feb. 11, Orangeburg, South Carolina: Police say that a woman returned home from a 14-hour work shift to find her house in a state of “disarray,” which caused an argument between her and her adult son, who also lived there. The son became “very irate” and poured gasoline around the home while threatening to burn it down with his mom inside. He started a fire in the laundry room, but his mom and a third person were able to put it out. When the son attempted to set the house ablaze a second time, his mom drew a handgun, threatened to shoot him in self-defense, and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. He’s now charged with attempted murder and second-degree arson.
- Feb. 15, Manchester, Kentucky: Two intruders forced their way into a home with the intention of stealing firearms from a safe. A juvenile resident heard the break-in, saw that the intruders were armed, and retrieved his father’s handgun. He then fatally shot both intruders before escaping through a bedroom window.
- Feb. 17, Crozet, Virginia: Just 20 seconds after a rifle-wielding gunman opened fire on shoppers outside of a grocery store, an off-duty federal officer intervened, bringing the rampage to a swift end by using his personal weapon to fatally shoot the gunman. While two victims unfortunately died in the shooting, local officials told reporters that “there’s no doubt the casualty count could have been much higher” had the off-duty agent not “selflessly placed themselves [sic] in harm’s way to stop the gunman and prevent further loss of life.”
- Feb. 20, Clinton Township, Michigan: When a would-be robber entered a donut shop and demanded cash from the register at gunpoint, one employee responded by drawing his own firearm and shooting the robber. The robber was wounded and fled, but crashed his getaway vehicle at a nearby gas station and ultimately succumbed to his injuries. No one else inside the store was injured. The next day, “a steady stream of customers” showed up to the store to show their support for the employee, with many hailing him as a “hero.”
- Feb. 23, Grand Junction, Colorado: Police say that a burglar broke into a church, shattering the front door and firing shots at a person living inside before fleeing. A short time later, the same suspect broke into a nearby home and again shot at a resident. This time, however, the resident was also armed and returned fire until the suspect fled. Police eventually located and arrested the suspect, who now faces nearly two dozen criminal charges.
- Feb. 25, Kennewick, Washington: A teenager crawled through the drive-thru window of a coffee shop and brandished a gun at the barista while stealing money from the register. The barista initially backed away, but after the teen continued moving toward her, she drew her own legally owned firearm and demanded that the teen leave—something he only did after she fired a round at him. Police eventually arrested the teen, whom they believe may have been connected to another robbery in the area as well.
- Feb. 27, Miami Beach, Florida: Armed with a handgun and flashlight, a bathrobe-clad homeowner confronted an intruder who broke into his home and set off alarms. The intruder fled once he realized the homeowner was armed, succeeding in stealing nothing more than a few yogurts from the family fridge. Police arrested the suspect after a short manhunt.
These examples highlight the importance of the right to keep and bear arms, and demonstrate the many ways lawful gun owners help “maintain the security of a free state.” The Trump administration is correct to recognize that, when it comes to lawful armed self-defense, the people are often best served when the government simply gets out of the way.