NEWS

Troy and Marie Mathis arrived back at their Forrest City, Ark., home one night and had just stepped from their car when they found themselves in a life-or-death scenario.  According to police, two masked men appeared in the driveway and one pointed a pistol at Marie Mathis' head, demanding that the couple hand over their money.  Vowing to protect his wife, Troy Mathis fought back, pulling his own pistol from a pocket and firing once.  The gunman shot back, but by the time the smoke cleared, the accomplice had fled and Mathis had sustained gunshot wounds to his check and hand.  The gunman didn't fare nearly as well.  He expired after police found him hiding in a nearby vehicle but before they could summon medical help.  Press reports indicated that the dead man had an extensive criminal record, including robberies, burglaries and weapons charges.
(Times-Herald, Forrest City, Ark., 12/22/99)

Troy and Marie Mathis had both luck and strength going for them on the night of December 22, 1999. 
Luck in that when the smoke cleared Troy Mathis did not sustain more serious injuries and Marie Mathis was not injured at all.  When triggers are being pulled and hot lead flying from the business end of  barrels, a fraction of an inch can mean the difference between winning or loosing, living or dying. 
Strength in that, first of all Troy Mathis had the determination that he was going to protect his wife when that gun was put to her head and nothing was going to prevent him from protecting her.  Secondly, strength because Troy Mathis proved that he had the ability to defend his family at the time of need.  He instantly presented his own pistol and quickly put it into action with deadly accuracy and timing.
Thanks to Troy Mathis' determination, ability and fact that he had his own handgun with him, his family is still alive and safe with not much more than just terrible memories of that night.

Why does our government continue efforts to remove firearms from good people like the Mathis' who use them for self defense and sport and ignore the thugs who are trying to murder, rob or rape us.  When considering this question I hope you realize that the lawmakers who want to take firearms from decent law abiding citizens have a personal agenda and don't consider the actual facts and statistics that are blinding them every step of the way.