Claim: Woman attributes shooting a mugger six times to the gun's not holding more than six bullets.
Examples:
[Collected via e-mail, February 2009]
In Texas, a woman was called in front of a grand jury for possible manslaughter charges after she shot a mugger in the back six times as he was running away with her purse. He had grabbed her purse and ran. She had her hand on her gun inside the purse and when he ran with the purse she was left holding just the gun.
When asked by the grand jury why she shot him six times in the back as he was running, under oath, she replied "Because when I pulled the trigger the
She was acquitted of all charges because that's the way it is in Texas and the way it should be everywhere.
[Collected via e-mail, March 2009]
A TRUE STORY FROM...
THE HOUSTON HERALD NEWSPAPER
IN HOUSTON, TEXAS
March 5th, 2009
Last Thursday night round midnight, a woman in Houston, Texas was arrested, jailed, and charged with manslaughter for shooting a man
The following Monday morning, the woman was called in front of the arraignment judge, sworn in, and asked to explain her actions.
The woman replied, "I was standing at the corner bus stop for about
"All of a sudden I was being spun around hard to my left. As I caught my balance, I saw a man running away from me with my purse.
I looked down at my right hand and I saw that my fingers were wrapped tightly around my pistol. The next thing I remember is saying out loud, 'No way punk! Your not stealing my pay check and tips.' I raised my right hand, pointed my pistol at the man running away from me with my purse, and squeezed the trigger of my pistol six times!"
When asked by the arraignment judge, "Why did You shoot the man six times?" the woman replied under oath, "Because, when I pulled the trigger of my pistol the seventh time, it only went click."
The woman was acquitted of all charges. And she was back at work, at the cafe, the next day!
Origins: This item circulates under a variety of titles, including "Gun Ownership in Texas," "Texas Feminine Protection," "Gun Control," "A True Woman's Gun Story," "Purse Snatcher Takes the Wrong Purse," and "You Gotta Love Texas."
It's not a real news story, even though some versions attempt to present the tale as such. Actual news stories contain checkable details, such as the when and where of the incidents being described and the names of the people involved. In a real news story, the shooter would not be identified as "A woman," nor would the
jurist who heard her case be identified as "the arraignment judge."
While the most common e-mailed version of the "gun went click" tale purports to come from the
There is, however, a Houston Herald newspaper in Texas County, Missouri. We contacted that paper to ask if it had run such an item, on
The defining point of the "gun went click" tale echoes an actual 2006 incident in which a suspect was shot
Variations: In 2012 this item was circulated in tandem with a photograph of Tracey Grissom, who had been charged with shooting and killing her
Barbara "ammo dump" Mikkelson
Last updated: 30 December 2013
 | Sources: |
Wilham, T.J. "Careful Before You Pull That Trigger." Albuquerque Journal. 27 February 2008 (p. A1).