MACCLENNY, FL -- Police say a suspect was shot early Thursday morning by a man who was protecting his home and his pregnant wife.


Police are calling it a home invasion robbery.


A 17-year-old boy is in police custody, while his brother is in the hospital in critical condition.


Friends locked up the gate Thursday afternoon to the Macclenny home that will never feel the same for Jody Paul Thrift and his pregnant wife Sabrina.


Baker County Sheriff Joey Dobson says early Thursday morning, Jody Paul got up to get some water, and noticed his lights were out. But the power was still on at the house next door.


"So he knew that something was up," Sheriff Dobson said.


Dobson says Richard Munoz and his 17-year-old brother had cut the power and phone lines to the house.


Dobson says the pair then took a boat anchor from a shed and hurled it through a glass door.


"So [the victim] went to his bedroom, retrieved his firearm, [and] waited in his bedroom," Dobson said.


"And as [the suspect] opened the door, [Thrift] saw a flashlight, a little, small flashlight, and he began to fire. And he shot at the suspect, and the suspect fell right in his bedroom door," Dobson said.


As three Baker County deputies sped to the scene, they say they came across the younger suspect, scrambling through the woods toward the getaway car.


Deputies put him under arrest.


Sheriff Dobson says the older suspect, Richard Munoz, was carrying a cocked and loaded pistol with him the whole time.


In fact, when deputies found Munoz on the floor of the house, they say he was still trying to reach for his gun.


There's no word yet on why the Thrift family may have been a target.


Police are investigating whether the suspect ever fired his gun inside the home. He is in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville.


http://www. firstcoastnews. com/news/topstories/news-article. aspx?storyid=49393

Wow thats almost as good as this one...

Phoenix police shoot man who detained burglar

September 18th, 2008, 9:02 am

A Phoenix police officer shot and wounded a man who held a burglar at gunpoint inside his home Wednesday night in Phoenix.
Sgt. Tommy Thompson said the incident occurred as officers responded to calls in an east Phoenix neighborhood about shots fired, a wounded man acting strangely after being let into a good Samaritan’s home, and a break-in at a nearby home.
According to police, arriving officers near 32nd Street and Osborn Road found a screaming woman who left her home with two children while her husband confronted an intruder. Thompson said officers went into the home, ordered everyone out and saw an armed resident coming down a hallway. One officer shot the 35-year-old resident several times.
Officers found a suspected burglar in the room the resident came out of. Police took that man into custody with injuries to one of his legs. The cause of his injuries isn’t known.

Both men were treated at a local hospital. Their injuries aren’t considered life-threatening, according to police.

There is a crap load of evidence from around the world where a firearm has saved innocent lives.

I remember all to clearly a beautiful young lady aged about 18 came into my shop to buy a small 2 inch snubbie. She related an incident where she was raped by 6 men when her car had broken down close to a township near Cape Town. She stated to me,"If I had a gun, the rapes would not have happened, its not going to happen to me again."

Another incident I remember where an armed house wife beat of 5 men attempting to break into her home. She swears her firearm saved her life.




There was another incident recently in South Africa when armed 5 or 6 gunmen burst into a restaurant inside a mall and began firing at patrons cowering on the floor, one or two were wounded. A patron drew his own firearm and shot one of the gunmen, the rest fled for their lives. Without a doubt that one armed civilian saved a lot of lives.


Then there is the St James church massacre where political criminals opened fire on the congregation and threw grenades, one of the congregation drew his 5 shot 2 inch snubbie and returned fire. The attackers fled for their lives.

http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/ch...1993-07-25.htm

Azanian Peoples’ Liberation Army (APLA - the armed wing of the Pan-Africanist Congress) operatives attack St. James Church in the Cape Town suburb of Kenilworth during the Sunday evening service. Approximately 1000 congregants were inside the church at the time. Using automatic weapons and two grenades, the APLA cadres killed eleven worshippers and injured 58. Four of the dead were Russian seamen attending the service as part of a church outreach programme. Another seaman lost both legs and an arm.
The St James Church Massacre was one of a string of APLA attacks and was followed later that year by an attack on the Heidelberg Tavern in Observatory in which 4 people were killed. Ballistic tests proved the same weapons were used in both attacks.
Gcinikhaya Makoma was arrested ten days after the St James Church Massacre. He was convicted of 11 murders and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Sichumiso Nonxuba, Thobela Mlambisa and Basie Mkhumbuzi were subsequently arrested and charged in 1996.
While on trail, they applied to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for amnesty. In accordance with its mandate that crimes for which amnesty was sought be shown to have a political motivation and that applicants make full disclosure of the details of the crime, the TRC granted amnesty to Mlambisa, Mkumbuzi, and Makoma. Nonxuba died in a car accident while on bail and before the TRC process was concluded. In its findings, the TRC stated that targeting civilians was “a gross violation of human rights … and humanitarian law”.

Several of the church members who were injured or who lost family members in the attacks, including one congregant who returned fire on the attackers, later met and publicly reconciled with the APLA attackers.
sources:

1. St James Hurch Massacre. Website: en.wikipedia.org
2. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report, vol. 2. 'The Liberation Movements from 1960 to 1990'. http://www.doj.gov.za

The moral of these stories are, criminals prefer unarmed victims and are cowards to the core.

Amen to that.
If the bad guys already have it, so should the law abiding citizens.

Agree, Every issue of American Rifleman has a section that details how regular citizens use their legally owned firearms to protect their homes and families. If you are ever in an incident be careful what you say to the police. Remember this statement. "Officer, he said he was going to kill me, I believed him, I'm really upset about this, I want to talk to my lawyer."

Police: Man killed while attempting break-in

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Map, News) - Police say a 22-year-old man was shot to death by a Colorado Springs resident while trying to break in to the resident's home.

Officers say they responded to a report of a burglary in process at the home at 9:50 p.m. Sunday.

Whey they arrived, they discovered a man in the backyard suffering from a gunshot wound; efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Authorities say an investigation revealed the man was trying to forcibly enter the house through the back door when he was confronted and shot at least once by a resident of the home.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1767404~Po..._break_in.html

Originally Posted by BritinAfrica

There is a crap load of evidence from around the world where a firearm has saved innocent lives.

I have no doubt there is but I am prepared to bet that there is an even bigger pile of evidence of innocent lives being taken by firearms, now I am prepared to accept that the problem isn't the guns themselves as a firearm is only as dangerous as the idiot pointing it which is why no one here is arguing for a firearms ban (a fact that 5.56 and his gun lobbyists continue to over look because compromise ruins the argument that anti-gun lobby are the extremists).

However I do believe there has to be functioning controls on "who" and "how" firearms are purchased because if you can do this then you can remove the "what" can be purchased restrictions.

It is clear that 5.56 and I have very different "Utopian" visions, his is a 1960s Western where everyone walks around bow legged, patting their 6 shooter and saying ma'am a lot and where the good guy always comes back from adversity to out draw the bad guys, mine is one where you just don't need a weapon to protect yourself.

Now neither of these visions are ever going to be attained because in 5.56s world the bad guy will always do what it takes to win while the good guy is never looking to start trouble and in mine there will always be nutjobs and criminals but I am prepared to be the majority would still prefer my world and I think this is the gun lobbyists greatest fear one day peace will break out and it wont be at the point of a gun.

That's the main problem with your theory, Monty... Peace will never happen unless there are weapons somewhere in the mix... You honestly think Hitler would have stopped if we had said "Please stop this." ? You think anyone evil is going to listen to "reason" or "logic"?

I follow Redneck on this one. What he said is damn right.

If we ask people to disarm, the first to disarm would be the honest citizens. The criminals will keep their guns and we will have unarmed honest people facing armed criminals.

But I think that the main problem is that we cant ban weapons. Should we ban knives too? should we ban hammers?

You know the amount of damage a hammer can do? A determined person can kill with a spoon.

we have to accept that guns are tools.

but I think that we should have intelligent control. Like banning guns that are too powerful... We cant allow a man to have a 500kg bomb in his kitchen... Or a .50cal machine gun to hunt deers...

I think that we should allow every citizen to have a shotgun, a hunting rifle and a 9mm pistol + minimum safety training (like a permit to drive).

Or something this kind...

Originally Posted by Rob Henderson

That's the main problem with your theory, Monty... Peace will never happen unless there are weapons somewhere in the mix... You honestly think Hitler would have stopped if we had said "Please stop this." ? You think anyone evil is going to listen to "reason" or "logic"?

You are confusing better civilian arms control with a war, no one here is saying we need to disarm the military or even the civilian populous all that is being stated is that better systems are needed to ensure that only those who are safe/sane/smart enough to handle, store and use firearms should be able to get them easily.

You need to break out of 5.56's "they want to ban all guns" mentality and understand that you will never reduce firearms related crime, death or injury by handing them out on cornflakes packets there has to be some form of control just as there is with flying, driving etc because you just can't let any idiot who can afford a 747 jump behind the control panel and fly it home.

Originally Posted by LeMask

You know the amount of damage a hammer can do? A determined person can kill with a spoon.

Tell me how many people were killed by hammer last year?
Any significant figures on the number of schools attacked by crazies with spoons?

but I think that we should have intelligent control. Like banning guns that are too powerful... We cant allow a man to have a 500kg bomb in his kitchen... Or a .50cal machine gun to hunt deers...

Why?
Using your own logic a law abiding citizen is perfectly safe with a 500lb bomb or a .50cal machine gun.

I think that we should allow every citizen to have a shotgun, a hunting rifle and a 9mm pistol + minimum safety training (like a permit to drive).

Or something this kind...

Every citizen?
Mental illness, criminal record no problem, have a shotgun, 9mm pistol or hunting rifle and I hope you enjoyed your stay at the Ghandi institute for the criminally insane, PS please pick up your ammo at the gate on your way out?