92-year-old World War II veteran Earl Jones was at home on the Boone County, Ky. farm he has worked for over five decades when he heard a loud noise in the basement. Jones retrieved a .22-caliber rifle and went to a chair opposite the door to the basement. After several minutes, a home invader came through the basement door, at which point Jones fired at the criminal, killing him. The dead intruder’s accomplices fled the scene, but were captured after calling police with a lie about how their cohort had been shot.
During an interview with local media, Jones made clear his adamant support for the right to self-defense. Jones told a reporter, “I didn’t go to war for nothing. I have the right to carry a gun. That’s what I told the police this morning,” adding, “Was I scared? Was I mad? Hell, no… It was simple. That man was going to take my life. He was hunting me. I was protecting myself.” (NKY.com, Northern Kentucky, September 3, 2012)
