Silly Ray Nagin Gun Photos and 80-Year-Old Armed Citizens

Cam Edwards at NRANews.com passed along these stories to me tonight. Did you see New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin acting a little too silly with a rifle in front of photographers? It looked like he was going to shoot his police chief. (Video here.) The New Orleans Times-Picayune apologized for the uproar over the photo, saying the mayor did not deliberately aim at the chief.

From WFAA-TV in Dallas comes the latest story of an armed citizen rising in self-defense, even at the age of 80 (complete with video):

Two men obviously thought James Pickett, 80, was an easy target when they showed up at his home on Saturday with a knife.

"He just came through that door, stabbing and beating," said Pickett.

Captain Clint Pullin said it looked as though the men wanted to kill him.

But before you worry too much about Pickett, learn a bit more about him.

He's a WWII veteran, former firefighter and lifelong John Wayne devotee.

In short, even at 80, he is someone you just don't mess with.

What the men didn't know is Pickett had taken a pistol and put it in his pocket before opening the door.

"He jumped and turned and I shot him," Pickett said.

The two brothers, Paul and Holden Perry, ran but didn't get far before calling an ambulance.

A bullet just missed Paul Perry's spine.

"The only problem was I run out of bullets," Pickett said.

A neighbor describes Pickett as a "hero."

Worried about retribution, friends are sticking close.

Both brothers face assault, burglary and robbery charges.

Deputies assure James Pickett they aren't likely to get out of jail anytime soon but he isn't worried.

"I think I'm a ten times better shot than and he is... But they best not come back," he said.