Heather M. and her husband often go to the movies for a date night. One evening, they were at a movie theater in the Central Mall in Salina, Kansas. The theater was full for the Friday night showing, and as the film started, the moviegoers heard a loud pop. “At first what popped into my …

Rich S. is a 50-year-old man who lived in Benton City, Washington. One morning, he armed himself with a gun and forced himself into the home of a previous girlfriend. He threatened the woman with the gun and barricaded himself inside. He held the lady hostage and told police he was suicidal. Police responded to …

Glenn G. is a retired U.S. Army Colonel who lives in Alabama. One Sunday afternoon around 5 P.M. Glenn met a man to discuss purchasing a utility trailer. Glenn had interacted with the man on Facebook and was interested in purchasing the trailer. When they met up, the 21-year-old man told Glenn that the trailer …

Keeping an old smartphone saved Steven S. from death. You see, late one Friday night Steven was driving on a rural road near Quesnel in British Columbia. While driving, he lost control of his car and landed upside down at the bottom of a steep embankment. Steven was trapped in the car hanging by his …

Kings Mountain Trail is a popular hiking and camping area above the town of Woodside, California. It’s about 900 wooded acres and contains areas of heavy forest, and steep ravines. Ava C. and her family went to Kings Mountain for a camping trip. While there, five-year-old Ava got lost. The family called 911 when they …

Zach P. enjoys shooting his AR-15 and regularly gets together with buddies to go shooting. One of the friends has a large piece of property where they can go shooting anytime they want. On a particular day, it was a little bit rainy, but the group didn’t let it stop them from shooting their AR-15s. …

David M. and Jack C. are avid climbers who were hiking Mount Rainier early one June. If you’re not familiar with it, Mount Rainier is a large active volcano in the state of Washington, located about 60 miles southwest of Seattle. The mountain has a summit elevation of nearly 14,410 feet and is the highest …

Brandy S. lives in San Clemente, CA and like many Californians, she likes to visit the beach. One day she visited San Onofre State Beach with her kids. While there, the kids picked up some colorful rocks to take home. The rocks were an array of colors including green and orange. The kids handed Brandy …

On February 28th, 1997, Larry P. and Emil M. robbed a Bank of America in North Hollywood, CA. The two men were equipped with illegally modified automatic rifles, full body armor, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. One of the men carried a MAK-90 rifle (similar to an AK-47) modified to be fully automatic. The …

In June 1941, Nazi Germany declared war on the Soviet Union. Months later, the Germans started the Blockade of Leningrad. German forces surrounded the city in what ended up being a 900-day siege. And while Germany never took control of the city, Leningrad was bombed, and many places were destroyed. To make matters worse, the …

The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal that rocked the U.S. between 1981 and 1986. U.S. officials were selling arms to Iran and planned to use the proceeds from the sales to fund the Contras, a rebel group in Nicaragua. In addition, the U.S. administration justified the arms shipments as an attempt to free seven …

In 1968, a Soviet Golf-II class submarine left the port of Petropavlovsk, on a peacetime patrol northeast of Hawaii. The sub, called K-129, was carrying three nuclear-armed ballistic missiles. Then, soon after leaving port, the sub and its entire crew were lost. The Soviets started search efforts but were never able to find the sunken …

Jim Clark was a Marine, gunsmith, and ammo reloading expert. After serving in World War II, Jim returned home and started reloading his own ammunition to save money. He was a competitive shooter and retail ammo at the time was terrible. Plus, Jim wanted ammo that was designed for competitions. He wanted the perfect bullet …

Kendra S. was a typical 12-year-old kid, but she did something that even many adults won’t do when it comes to home defense. You see, Kendra was by herself at her Oklahoma home when she heard someone banging on the front door. Soon after, Kendra heard the glass on the front door shatter, and an …

Tom R. served in the U.S. Military, witnessing firsthand the role suppressors play on the battlefield. During a late-night raid, twenty U.S. soldiers deployed on a mission to capture a high-value target. U.S. forces believed they would encounter about five to eight Taliban fighters, but when the soldiers arrived, they were met by 40 to …

Redbox Automated Retail was a video rental and streaming company founded in 2002 and based in Illinois. The company made a name for itself with automated DVD rental kiosks and was a rival to the video store of Blockbuster. At its peak, Redbox had more than 43,000 kiosks around the U.S. with revenue of $1.97 …

EOTech is a U.S. company that manufactures firearm optics, and sights. Their products are often used by the military, law enforcement, and civilians. The company’s holographic sights reflect an LED dot off a lens. It uses a laser to project a reticle onto a film inside the sight. The design of the optic provides faster …

John T. is an avid gun owner who owns several guns, including a Sig Sauer .300 short-barrel rifle. Soon after purchasing the rifle, John added accessories, starting with a thermal sight and adding a suppressor. After putting on the accessories John took the rifle to the shooting range. At first, he fired about 20 rounds …

About 45% of all the crimes that occur at hotels are property crime – typically people’s belongings being stolen. One of the most notable examples of this type of hotel crime occurred a few years back in London. Thieves targeted the electronic locking safes in hotel rooms. According to police, the gang had insider knowledge …

Like many schools, Blanchard Elementary School in McClain County, Texas has deputies that serve as school resource officers. Last year, a McClain County Deputy was at the school seated on a wooden bench and was handing out stickers to several students. At one point, the deputy stopped to help a child zip up their jacket… …

Wade’s Gun Shop is located in Bellevue, Washington. The store has been in business since 1988 and includes an indoor shooting range. Manny R. is a construction worker in Bellevue, Washington. One evening he was at home when he and his kids started feeling sick. But they couldn’t figure out the source of their illness. …

Damon R. is a homeowner and a legal gun owner in his early 20s, and lives in San Antonio, Texas. Around 6 p.m. one evening, he heard what sounded like someone trying to break into his home through a window on the side of the house. Damon retrieved his firearm and fired two rounds at …

Mystic Valley Elder Services is a non-profit organization located in Massachusetts that provides care to adults over the age of 60. They serve more than 11 communities in the Boston area and offer a range of services from home care to technology access for seniors. The majority of funding for the organization comes from federal, …

Stephen M. is a middle-aged motorcyclist, and concealed carry permit holder. A few years ago, Stephen attended a motorcycle club event in North Carolina. It was the 10th anniversary celebration for the Queens of Chrome Motorcycle Club. During the celebration, Stephen said another man acted aggressively toward him and physically attacked him three different times. …