This story provides more details, but also offers a bit of confusion on the types of firearms, and frankly it is this sort of misinformation that is rampant in the media:

“The missing weapons are an auto-ordnance, 1911, 45 pistol and a 9mm MP-40 semi-auto machine gun, said owner Scott Steben. The machine gun is a federally regulated weapon, and is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.”

Technically it should be “.45 pistol,” but perhaps the style guide for TwinCities.com doesn’t explain gun calibers. This is a small nitpick, but what is not is the passage about the “9mm MP-40 semi-auto machine gun.” Is this really a semi-automatic or not? If it is a “federally regulated weapon” we can understand why the owner would need to have it registered with the proper transfer stamp, but how is the firearm “semi-auto,” as in semi-automatic – a fact that would most certainly make this NOT a machine gun. Of course the size of the gun, and the barrel length are also an issue – and thus could make it a Class 3 firearm, but if it is only semi-auto then it wouldn’t actually be a machine gun.

Other reports noted this was blank firing only. So there is clearly some confusion on this one – no doubt because the authors of these stories don’t understand firearms.

While we still wish Mr. Steben the best of luck in recovering his items, we wish that it was made clear the status of the MP-40 so as to avoid media misinformation.

“When he returned shortly after midnight, the back door was kicked open and the guns, which had been in boxes, were gone.”

According to the paper, the items included:

“…a 45-caliber automatic pistol and a German sub-machine gun,” and both “are props for historical displays and war re-enactments and have been adapted to shoot blanks.”

We wish Mr. Steben the best of luck in recovering his items.

Jonathan Stevens defended himself and his wife from an attempted robbery Friday night. The couple was watching a movie in their South Knox County, Tennessee home when their pet pit bulls started barking. Stevens grabbed his pistol and went outside to investigate. He saw someone kneeling behind a car pointing a gun at him.

The gunman told Stevens to “freeze”! Instead, Stevens raised his pistol to his side and fired at least twice while the teen robber fired up to four shots. None of the gunman’s shots hit Stevens but Stevens was able to hit the fifteen year-old in the upper torso. The robber was able to cut through the woods and make it about 50 feet where deputies found him laying in the road.

Officials say other juveniles were involved and took off in a vehicle. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office plans to release more information and possible charges in the near future.

Stevens isn’t bragging about what he did and has some sympathy for the would-be robber.

“I hope he’s okay. I heard he was fifteen. You make bad mistakes. A fifteen year-old kid should not die.”

This example is one of tens of thousands of incidents that go on in this country in which the victim is able to fend off an attacker using a firearm. The media is doing us a disservice by not highlighting the fact that crimes are thwarted by firearms. Only the anti-gun stories have any staying power in the media. Steven’s story was covered by local media outlets but deserves more coverage as an example of the legal use of a firearm for self-protection.