Sometimes referred to as the Cradle of Liberty for its role in the Revolutionary War, Boston would seem to be a place where freedom would be sacrosanct. However, this isn’t so when it comes to our Second Amendment freedoms: open carry of long guns is prohibited, and as Massachusetts is a “may issue” state for the issuance of carry licenses, applicants may be barred from carrying at all. But despite the unnecessary and draconian hurdles, some Bostonians refuse to be dissuaded from exercising their constitutional rights, as shown in the 10 accounts below.
A robber armed with a hammer entered the Essential Body Herbs store in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, Mass., and attempted to rob the clerk. After seeing the criminal reach in his sweatshirt, the clerk ran to another part of the store to alert the owner. The owner, a carry permit holder, retrieved a gun and fired at the robber, striking him several times and ending the robbery. The wounded criminal was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive. An investigation revealed that the robber has a long criminal history, with the police describing him as a career criminal. Neighboring business owners were supportive of the armed store owner’s actions, with one stating, “They’ve been robbing stores around here for a long time, so someone has to pay … If (the owner) didn’t have a gun on him, maybe he’d be dead.” (The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass., 02/16/11)
Three robberies had occurred in the last six months at Fred's Gas Auto Service in Medford, Mass. When the clerk on duty recently was confronted by two masked men, one waving a gun, he drew the pistol he was licensed to carry and fired. One robber was seriously injured, and the other fled the scene. "It looked like self-defense," said Lieutenant Paul Covino. (The Boston Globe, Boston, Mass., 12/8/04)
A Somerville, Mass., resident had just stepped out of his shower when he heard unusual sounds at the back of his house. When a man broke through his back door, the homeowner retrieved a handgun, confronted the intruder and shot him in the shoulder. The wounded burglar ran from the house, but police were able to track him by following a trail of blood to a nearby rail station. The suspect was treated at a local hospital for the gunshot wound, and police were expected to charge him with breaking and entering. (The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass., 01/23/04)
An Arlington, Mass., woman shot an intruder after he continued to advance on her when she pointed a gun at him and told him to leave her home. Police said the woman heard one of her dogs barking, retrieved her handgun and went toward her front door. There she saw a strange man standing inside her house. The woman warned him three times, but he said he would not leave, continuing to advance and threatening her. The woman later told police the man moved a hand toward his belt as if going for a gun, so she shot him. "This guy advanced even after he saw the gun, and that's the sign of an irrational person, or someone who doesn't have your best interest in mind," said John Serson of the Arlington Police. (The Boston Globe, Boston, Mass., 03/19/02)
Three men, armed with guns and knives, rushed the cash register at a Boston-area liquor store just before closing one night. During the melee, one clerk's hand was cut and another was shot in the arm. Then, in a moment's distraction, a third clerk armed with a handgun turned the tide, shooting all three suspects and sending them fleeing. Two of the suspects were apprehended by police on the street amid a pool of blood and cash. The third was found in the hallway of a nearby building with a gunshot wound to his arm. (The Boston Globe, Boston, Mass., 12/29/01)
Although ailing, Mark Falletti successfully stopped two armed home invaders early one morning in his Boston, Mass., home. The men kicked in the front door of the apartment and ran up the stairs towards the Fallettis' bedroom. While his wife called 911, Falletti confronted the intruders with a pistol. When he startled them and knocked one intruder's pistol out of his hand, they fled. When one tried to reenter the home to return for the dropped gun, Falletti shot him in the leg. The two men again fled. A man with a gunshot wound to the leg was later questioned at a local hospital. Falletti suffers from cancer and later said he acted to protect his seven-month-old son who had been asleep in his upstairs bedroom. "I did it because of the kid," said Falletti. (The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass., 07/24/97)
One of the owners of a Boston auto body shop was working in the back office when a commotion out front drew his attention. He investigated and was fired upon by an armed robber who had been threatening other employees. Before the criminal could get off a second shot, the owner pulled his licensed .357 Mag. and fired twice, killing him. "It was justifiable," said one policeman. "This time, the bad guy got it." (The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass., 12/17/83)
Robert Manusco was getting into his car in Boston when a mugger demanded his keys. When Manusco tossed the keys away, the man kicked him several times before retrieving them. When the criminal returned, Manusco pulled a pistol and ordered him to stop. The mugger responded by kicking him again, and Manusco fired once, killing his assailant. Police filed murder charges, but dropped them the next day, saying the procedure was only a formality. "As far as we were concerned, there was no problem at all with the incident," a police spokesman said. (The Patriot-Ledger, Quincy, Mass., 5/5/81)
Two men accused of kidnapping and raping a 20-year-old woman in the Boston area were apprehended by police after an Andover, Mass., resident, Henry Lebensbaum, pumped six rounds into their escaping auto. The woman, kidnapped from in front of a Boston night spot and then sexually assaulted, escaped screaming from the car in Andover. Lebensbaum, who came running to her aid, put one of his bullets through a tire. The pair was arrested after abandoning the car. (The Eagle-Tribune, Lawrence, Mass., 10/01/80)
After a young hoodlum shot up his soda fountain in a holdup 5 years prior, suburban Boston druggist John Capone had bought a handgun. It lay in a drawer until a bandit with a large Bowie knife, flanked by two others with pistols, demanded and got Capone's money and then insisted on "the hard stuff"—narcotics. In the ensuing fray, Capone, 62, shot and killed the knife wielder. The two gunmen, firing wildly, fled. (The Record-American, Boston, Mass., 09/01/1969)
