Armed Citizens- Colleges & Universities
Courtesy of the National Rifle Association's "Armed Citizen" archives.
Note that these represent only a sample of  incidents.  These are drawn from cases printed in the American Rifleman, limited by space to about a dozen cases each month from all over the country.
You can search for any state or key word at the NRA-ILA "Armed Citizen" file

The Salinas Californian, Salinas, CA, 03/23/04
Two men and one woman broke into the apartment of a 20-year-old college student at 5:48 a.m. One invader was armed with a pellet gun, and the three overpowered the resident and tied him up. As the intruders began to ransack the apartment, the student was able to free himself and get hold of his handgun. He fired three shots, hitting one of the burglars in the chest, and then ran from the apartment and called for help. Police discovered the body of one suspect, identified as Juan Herrera, on the stairs leading to the apartment. The other two suspects had not been apprehended.

The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC, 11/18/98
A number of unsolved burglaries and a subsequent string of sexual assaults near the University of North Carolina's Charlotte campus had female residents there fearing for their safety. It was that heightened sense of awareness, and an armed citizen, that helped prevent yet another attack. Twenty-six-year-old Adrian Rodricka Cathey entered a woman's apartment early one morning and assaulted her with a knife. This time, however, the intended victim fought back, retrieving a firearm and shooting her assailant. Cathey, who had a record of arrests on charges of rape and attempted murder, was later found dead in a parking lot.

The Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, CT, 7/10/96
University of Bridgeport [Connecticut] professor Hans van der Giessen was asleep in his home when the sound of somebody kicking in his front door awakened him. Grabbing his .25 cal. semi-auto handgun, van der Giessen went downstairs where he encountered a burglar. The criminal charged the political science professor, who emptied his seven-shot pistol at the intruder. Hit in the chest by half-a-dozen rounds, the crook staggered outside where he collapsed on the sidewalk and died. It was the second time in three days van der Giessen's home had been broken into, and the suspect was found to have a record of more than a dozen convictions in the last 18 years. Police were still investigating whether the two incidents were related. University associates of van der Giessen's expressed surprise that a fellow "liberal" professor would own a gun, but all supported his actions to defend himself.

The News, Covington, GA, 8/24/95
Carla McCoy, a 19-year-old college student, was at her parents' Covington, Georgia, home when she was alerted to a strange man attempting to enter the house through a window. McCoy grabbed a .38, called 911, and then went downstairs to investigate. Reaching the living room, she encountered the intruder, who, at the sight of the gun, begged her not to shoot him and immediately exited the residence from the same window he had entered. McCoy never even had to point the gun at the frightened invader. "I'm extremely thankful that nothing happened here," said the student's father. "The fact that she was armed had something to do with that."

The Herald, Miami, FL, 3/4/94
Shelley Greenbaum returned to college to get a degree to help troubled youths. But she was forced to shoot and kill a troubled teenager when he robbed her at gunpoint in a Miami parking lot. Convinced the youthful criminal was going to end the robbery by killing her, Greenbaum pulled her .38 out of her back pocket and fired twice. The dead 19-year-old had juvenile and adult records, police said.

The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, VA, 2/1/94
Brenda Jones, a 24-year-old University of Virginia graduate student, was leaving her Charlottesville, Virginia, apartment when a man grabbed her from behind. During the ensuing struggle, Jones and her attacker fell back into the apartment, where Jones managed to break free of her assailant. Jones sprinted to her bedroom and grabbed her revolver. Training it on the criminal, she demanded he leave, which he did.

The American-Statesman, Austin, TX, 6/5/91
Home from college for the summer, Joe Johnson of Cedar Park, Tex., was in bed when he heard a noise in the room. When the intruder ignored repeated warnings to leave and instead turned toward the bed, Johnson fired several shots from a rifle, killing the man.

The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK, 9/13/88
Two unarmed robbers took the cash from the register of an Oklahoma City, Okla., military surplus store. One then grabbed a knife from a display case and ordered worker Kelly Kelsay to open the safe in back of the store. The college student squatted beside the safe as if to open it, but he was able to reach a gun and fire at the knife-wielding robber, killing him. The accomplice fled.

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA, 10/27/87
Stephen McDermott, a Quincy, Mass., college student, was studying alone in his parents' house when he heard voices downstairs. Grabbing a rifle, McDermott went to the stairs and, confronting a stranger, fired down the stairs. Two burglars, one with a minor wound caused by a bullet richochet, fled the house. The local district attorney announced that legal action was not anticipated against McDermott in the incident.

The Tribune, Chicago, IL, 6/16/87
After an earlier burglary at his Chicago, Ill., home college professor James Kenevan was prepared when he heard glass breaking at the rear of his house. Grabbing his revolver, Kenevan investigated. When an intruder suddenly jumped out of a hallway, Kenevan fired, wounding the burglar. The professor then administered first aid, and the man admitted burglarizing Kenevan's house the day before.
 
 The Star-Gazette, Elmira, NY, 3/18/85
An Ithaca, N.Y., college student was cutting through an alley on his way home late at night when two men jumped him. The student pulled a licensed gun and shot and wounded one assailant. The would-be robbers were arrested, and the student was not charged.
 
 The Daily Sun, Yuma, AZ, 4/5/79
A Yuma, Ariz., college professor was driving to San Diego when he decided to pick up three hitchhikers. One of the riders then pulled a gun on driver David Gershaw and ordered him into the trunk. After driving into a dried-up river bottom, the gunman opened the trunk and found the surprise of a lifetime when Gershaw pulled a concealed .32 cal. auto and emptied it into the man's chest. When a female accomplice reached for her own .38 revolver, Gershaw grabbed the dying man's .25 auto and killed her instantly. Gershaw is being held on two counts of homicide and he may be found to have been in violation of California's concealed weapons law.
 
 Statesman, Portland, OR
Confronted by 2 holdup men, Patrick E. Hopcroft, 32, a Portland, Oreg., college student who works nights as a filling station attendant, obeyed their command to open the cash register--then pulled out a large caliber pistol from it and fired a shot over their heads. Both surrendered, bringing to 6 the total of holdup men foiled by Hopcroft. He shot 3 gunmen and overcame another in previous holdups.
 
 The Times, Los Angeles, CA
North Hollywood, Calif., college professor Michael I. Silverman and his wife were awakened in their bedroom at 4 a.m., by a noise in their living room. Silverman called the police from his bedroom phone, grabbed a pistol, and went to investigate. When he saw a man run from the house, Silverman fired a shot over his head. The suspect ran back into Silverman's house, raised his hands in surrender, and quietly waited for the police to arrive.
 
 Democrat & Chronical, Rochester, NY 
Suspecting the return of a burglar who had stolen $36 from their apartment in Rochester, N.Y., two college students--William R. Lamoureaux and Michael M. Lombardo--waited with loaded rifles. The intruder appeared, grabbed a wallet from a table and ran, ignoring commands to halt. Lamoureaux and Lombardo both fired, fatally wounding the burglar.
 

 The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC, 11/18/98
A number of unsolved burglaries and a subsequent string of sexual assaults near the University of North Carolina's Charlotte campus had female residents there fearing for their safety. It was that heightened sense of awareness, and an armed citizen, that helped prevent yet another attack. Twenty-six-year-old Adrian Rodricka Cathey entered a woman's apartment early one morning and assaulted her with a knife. This time, however, the intended victim fought back, retrieving a firearm and shooting her assailant. Cathey, who had a record of arrests on charges of rape and attempted murder, was later found dead in a parking lot.
 
 The Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, CT, 7/10/96
University of Bridgeport [Connecticut] professor Hans van der Giessen was asleep in his home when the sound of somebody kicking in his front door awakened him. Grabbing his .25 cal. semi-auto handgun, van der Giessen went downstairs where he encountered a burglar. The criminal charged the political science professor, who emptied his seven-shot pistol at the intruder. Hit in the chest by half-a-dozen rounds, the crook staggered outside where he collapsed on the sidewalk and died. It was the second time in three days van der Giessen's home had been broken into, and the suspect was found to have a record of more than a dozen convictions in the last 18 years. Police were still investigating whether the two incidents were related. University associates of van der Giessen's expressed surprise that a fellow "liberal" professor would own a gun, but all supported his actions to defend himself.
 
 The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, VA, 2/1/94
Brenda Jones, a 24-year-old University of Virginia graduate student, was leaving her Charlottesville, Virginia, apartment when a man grabbed her from behind. During the ensuing struggle, Jones and her attacker fell back into the apartment, where Jones managed to break free of her assailant. Jones sprinted to her bedroom and grabbed her revolver. Training it on the criminal, she demanded he leave, which he did.
 
 The Journal, Albuquerque, NM, 5/31/89
Lisa Ways pulled into an Albuquerque, N.Mex., grocery store when an armed couple stuck a gun in her face and attempted to abduct her. The University of New Mexico student handed over her wallet, then forced her way out of the van and struggled with the man. She then drew her handgun from a daypack and shot and wounded him. The couple fled in Way's van but was later arrested. "It was confirmation to me that I've made the right decision about firearms for my own personal use," the student said.
 
 The Blade, Toledo, OH, 10/8/80  
When University of Toledo maintenance man Melvin Jahns, pointing an unloaded pistol, successfully bluffed a fleeing armed bank robber into surrendering, he thought he was out of trouble. Then police told Jahns that in addition to recommending him for a bravery citation they would be summoning him to court for violating the city's handgun ordinance. Several days later, however, they decided not to press charges, and Vietnam veteran Jahns was awarded $1000 by a local civic group for his efforts in foiling the robbery.
 
 The Post, Houston, TX
A man had been bothering Rice University student Diane Ross at her Houston, Tex., garage apartment. He shut off the electricity, then knocked on the door. She answered, leaving the chain on; he reached through and slashed her with a knife. As the cutthroat broke down the door, she opened fire with a shotgun, killing him on the spot.  
 
 Journal, Sioux City, IA
Drake University coed Becky Moore, 20, knew the rifle wasn't loaded. But the man and woman who were prowling her parents' farm house in Polk County, Iowa didn't. They fled when Becky, alone in the house, emerged from her pantry hiding place, rifle in hand.