Defensive Gun Use weekly roundup
A compendium of thirteen items hitting the news toward the end of May / early June 2026
As usual: We don’t pretend that this represents every newsroom that covered any given story. And everyone is innocent until proved guilty.
To the stories!
Florida
Daytona Beach
A man and woman were parked at a park when they were approached by an unknown man. They apparently argued or got into some disagreement, and the stranger showed that he had a firearm.
The other man also had a firearm, and told the aggressor to leave.
He began to walk away, but then turned and fired multiple shots, hitting the man, who returned fire in self-defense.
The woman and man drove to the hospital, where the man was treated. Police found the stranger who had approached and shot at them dead in the park, and the investigation is ongoing.
Georgia
Jackson
This one is interesting for the legal wrangling involved. The incident itself involved a groom, Aaron White, 33, who shot and killed his bride’s stepfather when a fight broke out after White’s 2024 wedding.
White was arrested late this past January on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault, but a Towaliga Judicial Circuit grand jury declined to indict him, agreeing with White’s claim that he acted in self-defense. Towaliga DA Jonathan Adams then took the case to a second grand jury to get an indictment.
However, a judge disqualified the Towaliga Judicial Circuit DA’s office from the case in March due to “forensic misconduct.” The case then went to Henry County DA Darius Patillo.
Finally, on May 27, 2026, Patillo announced that White will not be prosecuted because, among other reasons, “the state also cannot disprove beyond a reasonable doubt White’s claim of self-defense.”
Butts County Sheriff Gary Long had thoughts on how this case was handled, stating that the attempts to prosecute were politically motivated and exposed “serious shortcomings in how self-defense cases are handled.”
He said that “In self-defense cases, the burden of proof must remain on the state — not on law-abiding citizens forced to defend themselves.”
State will not prosecute groom in shooting at wedding (The Citizens)
Iowa
Des Moines
Just after 11 PM on Friday, May 22nd, a 22-year-old man sitting in his parked car found himself surrounded. A group launched what detectives called a coordinated armed robbery — and a 17-year-old stole the driver’s primary gun off of him.
That’s right—his PRIMARY gun.
The driver drew a backup weapon he kept concealed inside the car. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, the 17-yr-old was critically wounded and collapsed in the street. His accomplices ran.
The driver was detained, then released. The DA reviewed the evidence, confirmed the driver was a lawful carrier, and called it “textbook” self-defense. The 17-year-old remained in critical condition; the rest of the group was still being sought.
In a KCCI article on the incident, they focused heavily on the commentary of Sgt. Paul Parizek. Parizek noted that Iowa has been a constitutional carry state since 2021 and that this change in state law means “there’s more guns out there” and used the incident to speak to practical concerns about using guns for self-defense, stating among other things: “There are people who don’t have the skill set to react with that tool.” He also “emphasized that self-defense with a firearm is only justified under strict criteria. Deadly force can only be used if there is a reasonable assumption that one’s life or wellbeing is in immediate danger.”
It does seem odd that in the face of an appropriate DGU incident that the DA calls a “textbook” case of self-defense, the sergeant seemed determined to use it as a warning instead of a positive example.
The Backup Gun: 22-Year-Old Fired Back with Second Gun After Having First Pistol Stolen in Robbery (Concealed Nation)
Pappajohn Sculpture Park shooting in Des Moines puts Iowa’s self-defense gun laws in focus (KCCI)
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