Pharmacist Bryan Lee used his gun to save himself and his mother after two men targeted his store after hours. After his last customer left, two men in masks stormed in through the back door and started shooting, hitting Mr. Lee’s mother in the leg.

"It was not a robbery so much as an execution," Lee said. "It was an attempted assassination, they didn't make any demands, they simply came in, reached over, and it was basically shooting us almost in the back of the head. They shot my mother and almost shot me, I was just surrounded by holes."

Mr. Lee found his gun and shot back. He shot Aquilla Bailey in the face, torso, and leg. Mr. Bailey managed to escape, but only made it down the block. He later died at the hospital. Police are still searching for the second suspect.

This is not the first time Mr. Lee defended his store. He’s owned the store for 15 years and stopped two robberies in the past.

"I thought yesterday was the last day for both us, and luckily it didn't turn out that way," Mr. Lee said.

His gun saved their lives.

In a time when the second amendment is under attack, these armed citizen stories are important. They are needed to remind Washington, D.C. demagogues why the framers gave Americans the right to bear arms.