What kind of secret service do we have? If someone has a weapon and
can shoot a man within rifle range of the president?
I don't like Bush, but for God's sake, I certainly don't want him killed'!!!!!!

Actually if Cheney was hunting, you'd probably not be as safe as you were the other day. He tends to shoot first and asks questions later (or waterboards people instead of asking them).

I guess the journalists will stay out her property now.

Being in your own little world as you wander about the landscape is unsafe, even if you are on the phone, and even if you are a journalist. How about you media stay the hell off of people's private property.

All i can say to this is stupid Texans!!! This is why we need very strict gun laws in this country.

Obama Richardson 08!!

Well that was no good. Maybe it's better if Anni get's her gun!!!!

america the land of gun nuts….way to go rednecks. I am so glad i live in europe now where this kind of thing is not tolerated even the least little bit..
….with the danish prime minister right across the street no less can't wait to see those pics all over the news tommarrow

This just goes to show how incredibly dumb some Texans can be. Most people would step to their door and demand the stranger leave. If you live in another country and are reading this comment, please understand that not all Americans are like this idiot. Most of us don't own guns and most of us don't come out of our houses brandishing one.

Texans…

Shoot first and ask questions later.

I need to invite that lady to join me at the local caucus on Tuesday to scare off the "Hillary hating" Repugblicans pretending to vote for Obama.

Of course she may one of them…so maybe not.

Good luck on your trip.

Wow! Talk about taking America's image in the world down a notch! While people should be able to defend their life and property there is nothing about a man stopping in front of your house while talking on a cell phone that is threatening. Texas really needs to reexamine its laws because even though she didn't use her gun, she threatened the man's life for literally no reason at all. I can think of all kinds of benevolent reasons to approach someone's house. Someone could be selling girl scout cookies, circulating a political petition, a new neighbor stopping by to introduce themself, etc. Bringing a gun out without a threat invites tragedy. This is absolutely ridiculous.

Lucky for this journalist Dick Cheney wasn't around

The elderly lady should have fired a warning shot to get the moron reporter's attention to get off her property.

Good for her. It is her property. I would do the same thing if a foreigner was on my property with out advance notice. I might have even made him get off my property.

Don't mess with Texas!

Talk about a misleading headline!

This is not a "gun incident." It's an ignorant self-absorbed inattentive journalist incident. I'm sure that if you told the story from the point of view of the residents around the ranch you would get a completely different idea of what happened. I'll bet the people that live in the area REALLY like having those herds of journalists around!

Given the potential for confrontation, the old lady simply decided to have a gun in her hand for self-defense, rather than a baseball bat, a can of pepper spray…or a lawyer on retainer.

Well what you expect an old lady living so handy to Bush's Ranch would be totin?

Good for her! Personal property means something somewhere. She didn't shoot him; she merely took precautions to defend herself. Well done, ma'am!

Welcme to America! Where the men are men and Grandma packs heat

You americans are very strange, the outside wolrd is laughting at you.

Dont mess with a Texas granny.

hahaha, i love Texas!

It must be something in the water that makes those in that neighborhood so violent and thirsty for innocent blood.

In Texas, and the rest of America, it's called private property for a reason. I'm sure many land owners around the Bush property are very tired of the endless amount of people & traffic for the past 8 years. By now I'd be making myself clear to anyone that I was not putting up with people coming onto my property.

The US government should certainly have someone always around being sure the press and other official people are staying out of trouble.

From your story, it seems the Danish press guy hesitated, she should not have.

Welcome to Texas….now go home!

Was Cheney there?? We could have had a regular shootout….doggone it!

Only in Texas can somebody "legally" come out and shot somebody for walking by or close or on their property. Sounds like good judgemnt to me. Wonder if this old lady told Bush to go into Iraq

another argument for stricter gun control laws. Its insane that someone would feel the need to use a gun for something that would have easily been solved by putting up a fence.

Wow–another reason gun laws are too lax. Old ladies shooting foreigners. A great way for America to be viewed by the world. Come to Texas…We'll shoot Ya!

The moral of the story "Don't mess with Texas" or Texans.

To bad she didnt make him dance, the press needs to be humbled a bit. You all think you can do anything you want, guess he might think about that but i doubt it.(air head)

This is one singular thing I hate in America: GUN CULTURE!

More power to the old lady packing heat. If you lived near a celeb I bet you would be very wary of strangers as well. As for the reporter, ignorance of your surroundings is very stupid… the lady may have overreacted but at the same time, she has the right to defend herself and her property. She obviously views this guy as a threat and with all the protesting and everything else that must go on near Bush's ranch I can't say I blame her for this.

Good for her! Stay off the lawn.

WE TEXANS ARE A TERRITORIAL LOT, AND ARE NOT MELLOWED WITH AGE. GRANTED, I WOULD HAVE SHOWN MORE RESTRAINT IN THE DISPLAY OF MY OWN PERSONAL FIREARM, BUT I HOPE THAT VISITORS, JOURNALISTS, TOURISTS, AND THE SUCH, WILL BE MORE AWARE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS FROM NOW ON. SHE MAY NOT BE AS FORGIVING NEXT TIME!

This pretty much sums up everything that is wrong with America…

welcome to america, land of idiots with guns

Ah, nothin' like good ol' Texas hospitality! Sure makes me glad I live somewhere the sun hasn't baked all the sense out of our brains.

Another big "who cares" story from CNN, the leading name in good journalism.

Not to undermine the importance of the story, but was it written by a field amateur?

Statements like "A Danish journalist came this close to getting shot" don't make sense in print.

This is why every Tom, Dick and Harry does not need a gun. If we had better gun control laws and worked to keep them out of the hands of criminals we wouldn't have incidents like this.

Welcome to the US of A. This incident just goes to show that we can't get any more barbarian in this country! Fortunately the senile woman didn't choose to shoot him down. What a laughing stock we make of ourselves…

The journalist is very lucky that he didn't go hunting with Dick Cheney, then his life would have been in real danger.

This is why we need to have gun control laws. We don't need senile and paranoid old ladies going around with a loaded pistol.

When in Texas, if a little old lady tells you to get off her property - GET THE HELL OFF HER PROPERTY!

How… uh… charming. So much for baking cookies… packing pistols is the trend for today's well-armed grandmas. What an ugly country we've become.

So why not get the elderly ladies opinion, Ed?

Did it occur to you that she's had people as likeable as Cindy Sheehan in her neighborhood, too? The way the international press write about Waco, I'd say she's probably right to be skeptical of a foreign journalist 'wandering' (i.e. not bothering to observe signs, markers). You're making a pretty big leap in conclusions by suggesting there would be an international incident. My gut tells me that your pompous 'international media' buddies aren't the kind that respect rural landowners.

Act like a gracious guest, you'll be treated like one. The way you 'characterized' this lady tells me you aren't the least bit interested in both sides of the story.

That's her right to do if the journalist was on her property as was indicated by the "article". The journalist should watch where he is going next time.

The heat in Texas must make people crazy. Someone accidentally stumbles onto your property, and you draw a gun on them. Preemptive strike?…This also explains the way President Bush is "thinking"…

For most people, the common sense thing would be to say "Excuse me, can I help you?" in such a tone that would imply: "Speak, or go away."

I don't live in one of these co-called "stand your ground states", but even if I did, it would be unfathomable of me to grab a gun and walk outside and threaten somebody to get of my property without knowing what they're doing there.

She should also know that, living next to the President of the United States and all, that there are going to be strange people on wireless devices, speaking strange languages, walking all over the place.

I think this lady over-reacted, and I can only imagine the problems that would have resulted from an elderly woman shooting a Dane who was talking on his cell phone.

DONT MESS WITH TEXANS….is that how they say it.

This ridiculously written article seems to vilify the lady, the state of Texas, and the USA. The journalist was all wrong, all the while, and should have been respectful enough to remove himself much sooner than he seemingly did. I can sympathize with the older lady, as my own grandmother lived alone for many years. The older she got, the more afraid she became. This lady had every right to defend her life while acting against an insensitive jerk. What a pathetic spin Mr. Henry has put on this.

How about she uses a Megaphone next time? It's just a thought.

Like neighbour, like neighbour!!!!!

I don't blame the elderly lady for protecting her property. The Danish reporter needs to be less self-absorbed and more cognizant of his surroundings.

Bush's strange actions draw alot of strange people..!!

She had a gun … simply for self defence!!

the postershot for gun control

I really wish Texas would just secede already.

That seems about right for Texas. He's lucky the old lady didn't shoot him. However, if she was in jail John McCain would have one less voter in the fall - so maybe not such a bad thing.

Good. Maybe the idiot reporter will be a little more careful in the future. Otherwise, if he didn't like it he can Go Home.

Foreigners need to bone up on Texas law before they go wandering across the terrain. They need to remember that bullets don't care who you are. Bravo, lady!!!

If he got shot, she'd be on solid legal ground for the hole in his body.

What a Welcoming message to send to our Danish friends !!!!!

This story seems a bit biased. I see nothing wrong or unusual in a home owner being legally armed on her own property, it would be stupid to do anything less in this situation. I say good for her. A strange man person standing in my front yard would receive a similar welcome.

Sounds like someone needed to pay better attention to their surroundings. That being said, I doubt the old lady would of really done anything unless the reporter seemed threatening somehow. That being said, the old lady certainly had the right to point that gun at him for being on his property.

Welcome to America

Here it comes. A wave of anti-gun hysteria because some guy couldn't pay attention to where he was going.

I'm interested to see how Bush gets blamed for this since he has so far been responsible for high prices at the pump, any number of terrorist attacks and my personal favorite was the time he caused that hurricane should be interesting to see the leftist take on this one.

-A tidal wave of anti-gun posts

or

-A tidal wave of people wishing the old lady would use the gun on the President

or

-Some ridiculous comparison to Dick Cheney

or

-Demands that we apologize to the entire country of Denmark for this

Only in Texas.

Heck ya! Good for her! Not saying that this gentleman was a threat…but very easily somebody could be..and how is she to know the difference? He is awful close to her house..somebody i didnt know was wondering that close to my house i would be apprehensive as well.

I'm not sure what you normally write, but this piece reads like a blog entry more than a news story. The story is entertaining, but the first-person narrative was jarring. Consider this constructive criticism.

the old woman's a foolish hick!

Nearly another tragic example of the insanity of the gun laws in this country.

I'd rather trust an armed Texas grandma than I would Obama with his finger on "the button".

Oh…this will be good for our image in Europe…. It figures that she lives near W. It appears they share the same pholosophy about strangers in that part of the country. Apparently everyone is the enemy. Good thing Granny didn't start an international incident.

I can see that most of those who've commented so far know little or nothing about firearms. It was a pistol, not a rifle or a shotgun. Pistols tend not to be particularly accurate beyond a few feet, unless it's a long-barreled pistol with a special scope. That is NOT the sort of pistol that granny would have been holding unobtrusively.

Bottom line is that there was a strange man strolling around on granny's lawn. She had a right to tell him to leave and she had a right to have a firearm on her person in case said strange man turned out to be a wacko. She apparently did not point it at him or threaten him with it in any way. No harm, no foul, and I'll bet granny doesn't have any more problems with journalists wandering on to her property.

You know why everyone hates america right? And why everyone thinks you're stupider than a bunch of bricks right?

Cheney's mom needs to chill out!

She had every right to protect her property and herself he could have been a nut job. She is elderly living in the country and if it were my mother I would want her to be able to do the same.

This probably happens all to often living close to the President's ranch. I'm sure all these people are just sick of the populous showing up and sneaking on their property either to protest or to photograph the President. I for one am sick of the prying eyes of the media in everyone's lives.

Bravo to this young lady! If Denmark and other Europeans don't like it than stay in Europe.

Idiot Europeans and other socialists/communists (xiaoli, chinese?). This sums up everything that's wrong with YOUR countries. Trust your government fools, in America power is in the hands of the people.

Life, Liberty and Property.

Good for the lady. Media people do not own our world;
especially foreign media people. Watch the hell where you wander,Old Boy !!!

He should have been more aware of his surroundings. When in foreign countries I pay extra special attention to my surroundings.

She was well within her rights, and as long as we keep the likes of Hillary or Obama out of the White House citizens can count on being having the right to defend their property.

Kyle's point is literally that having guns is good and using them against the possibility of someone being a threat is acceptable. This is why we lead the world in gun deaths. When people who think Danish people are a threat, and they have guns and intend to use them, thats when a people are too stupid to handle the right to bear arms. You people need to live in a city. Thousands of people will walk by you every day, you'll realize nearly everyone is good and is not gonna mess with you, and then you can go back home realizing that your ways are predicated on a simple belief that people are inherently bad, which is just so fundamentally wrong it hurts.

If some man was standing on my lawn, I would go out to see who it was as well. This old lady doesn't have the strength to overpower a would-be threat though, so she brought an equalizer with her.

Pay attention and this won't happen to you.

In most other civilized countries the journalist would have been asked if he knew where he was going and if he needed directions. So glad I don't live there anymore…so typical…fear and money are the only motivators for most Americans (Bush got into the White house using this knowledge to the full extent)

If any American honestly believes what this lady did was wrong, maybe it's time you took a few moments to reflect on the people and character that built this great nation.
You may not personally wish to own a firearm, or even own property, period; but don't for one moment infringe upon the ability of any law-abiding United States citizen to do so.
The way the liberal left has gotten so engulfed in forcing these whiny "politically correct" standards down our throats and into our lawbooks should be very disturbing to any of America's voting contingent.
And far as how other "utopian" societies are viewing this incident - perhaps it's time they take a little stroll back to say 1938 and how different things may have been if more grannies were packing heat.
And why the grannies of America had to send their grandsons over to Europe.

You Europeans would stand with your hands in your pockets when your cities burn and your wife and children are being attacked.
Europeans have lost their survival skills and expect others to save them.
We bailed your butts during WW2, next time, don't call us, we'll call you. Maybe.
My family sacrificed a LOT during that war, you ungrateful louts.

This article seems to be stretching, hoping to manufacture an incident out of irrational fear of civilian firearms. The woman saw a man acting strangely and out of character for the neighborhood. An adult male can be a significant threat to an elderly woman. She took the precaution of arming herself and told him to leave. She apparently did not brandish the weapon and the reporter by his own admission did not even notice the gun. Would it be preferable for her to hide in fear in her house? Did the reporter speak to armed secret service men during his visit? Was he is danger then? No, and he wasn't in any danger from the old lady with the gun either.

I find it interesting that few people stop to think that maybe this was an old lady who was possibly at home by herself when some strange guy came wandering around her house (and who knows, it might've looked like he was looking around).

The point being, there's definitely two sides to this situation. The article never said she drew the gun nor threatened to use it. Simply, that she had it.

What else is an old lady going to do if there's a strange man on her lawn? If she came out and told him to go away and he had said "no," she'd be pretty screwed, to put it bluntly. The gun was precautionary.

Watch out for little old ladies carrying guns!

if u come against us in Texas (real or imagine) , we will mess u up

you just bring out a gun without even a friendly: "please leave" first? what kind of nuts do you have in Texas? America?

A lot of the comments that have been left here just make me laugh. Everyone one is afraid of guns or even the idea of someone owning one. The old lady was not wrong by going out to see who was on her property and being armed. Innocent as it was, the journalist didn't need to be where he was.

And for the record, Texas is covered in guns and it isn't a madhouse. If you don't like guns, live elsewhere.

Neeeee HAW!!!! BANG BANG SHOOT SHOOT …Gotta love them there Texans!

Whether you guys like it or not, the lady was perfectly right for what she did. It is her right to protect herself and these journalists had no right being on her property. Maybe in other countries you guys don't have such a thing as "private property," but here in Texas and in the USA we have such a thing.

Sure, I may have not used the same tactics as the lady, but then again I am an able-bodied male. I would have simply walked outside (with my concealed handgun of course) to figure out what these strange guys are doing.

People like this old lady keep criminals from going on a rampage here in Texas. This is why you notice that states like Texas have lower crime rates than other states which do not allow law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves from criminals.

Don't Mess with Texas!

I'm glad that he didn't get shot…but this just represents the MAJOR problems we face with the Republicans, old ladies, and the lack of gun control. One man can fix these crazy old ladies and other menaces to our society… Barack Obama!!

OBAMA '08

Journalistic arrogance never ceases to amaze. How about respecting people's property?

I don't care how "distracted" I've been in my life, I keep off of private property and so should you. Shame on you for blaming the old woman.

This is not a "gun incident", it is an "attention deficit" incident, i.e., the journalist was not paying attention and wandered onto private property which was occupied by an elderly lady who did not know anything about his intentions. The lady did not fire the gun. The person who was not being safe in this situation was the admittedly absent-minded journalist, not the concerned and sensibly prepared elderly property owner.

In Texas there is a particular kind of poisonous snake known as a rattlesnake. The rattlesnake is named for the rattle at the end of it's tail that it shakes in warning when it feels that it is in danger. It is a dangerous snake, but yet a very good snake. It not only helps control the rodent population, but also has the courtesy to warn those who invade it's space before striking them. This warning allows the ignorant and unware to correct their mistake of not paying attention to where they are going.

I think that it would be wise for this journalist to rethink his criticism of this incident. Were he to be confronted by a real criminal, he might find himself lucky to have that "gun totin' granny" around.

He was not THAT close to the house. As you can see he was much closer to the sidewalk. If this woman was that concerned or annoyed with all the strangers spilling over from her very famous neighbour's home she should have put up a fence and a gate or at least a sign!!

It is ridiculous that so many people are saying that they would have done the same thing. If you see someone suspicious lurking around your house, are you going to confront him/her with a gun??!! Wouldn't it make more sense to lock yourself inside and call 9-1-1??!! Especially if you are an old lady.

Seriously people need to think about the very real repercussions that could have happened had she shot him. Sure, according to the law she would have been within her right, but what about her conscience. Would all those saying that they would have done the same thing be able to live with themselves knowing that they had shot a father/brother/son just because he wasn't paying attenting to where he was going? Not because it is legal to do something means it's the most sensible option.

There's nothing wrong with being apprehensive and exercising caution but there's many things go awfully wrong when people overreact and this lady did just that.

"Texans…

Shoot first and ask questions later."

Isn't Bush a Texan?

Isn't that what he did in Iraq?

I didn't see anywhere in the article that the woman pointed the gun at him, she may have just had one in her hand at her side. It shows that the woman knows how to handle the gun, by not pointing it at someone unless she was ready to use it.
The reporter should recognize that people do have property rights.

CNN, your headline is VERY misleading!

I personally wouldn't have shown the firearm like she did but she still didn't do anything wrong. She was merely seeing who was on her land and brought protection, she didn't shoot him.

America isn't ugly because of this.

Seems now that an armed lady asked a man to get off her property, everybody wants to ban guns. If you read the story again, you could make a case for banning cell phones. People don't watch what they're doing when they are on them, especially while driving. And yes, the journalist wasn't driving, but he should have been more aware of what he was doing.

As a Texan, I'm appalled at the way this woman handled herself but I'm even more appalled at a good lot here that think we're all a bunch of cowboy redneck hicks that will shoot anything that moves. This woman used poor judgment - It doesn't mean the rest of us do!

ATTA GIRL, GRANNY!! I weigh 330 pounds, do heavy weightlifting and compete in amateur sumo: if this dumb Dane had walked onto my property, I'd have made a fence post out of him. If you can't live with the idea that Americans are entitled to defend their lives, liberties and property, then move to bleepin' Europe and don't come back.

What a stupid, lame-brained over reaction to someone in your yard.

What if he was a cop? He would have had to kill her.

Better to have a gun and not have to use than to not have one and in a situation where you need to use it. She is elderly and lives by herself. What else does she have to protect herself from idiots who roam on her property? A broom!!??

This woman had a right to demand that the clueless journalist get off of her lawn. People need to pay attention to where they are going. That journalist could have been a burglar or a murderer for all the old woman knew.

Everyone here that is arguing for more gun control really needs to get their head out of their rear end.

Ah yes, and if Granny takes a trip to my state and absent-mindedly wanders on to my lawn, I'll run out toting a gun and threaten to shoot her. Hope the Secret Service investigates as they should with someone this goofy and with a loaded weapon that close to our president!

Foreigners are hilarious to watch when encountering Americans with guns. We have visitors from Luxembourg sometimes and when we go somewhere and the pistol is in the car they still wonder how that can be legal…but in AZ it sure is.

Wow, and to think I was going to move to Texas.

Do you suppose there's something wrong with the water in Crawford?

What a crack-up. Those blaming the journalist are probably the same folks that scream "You can't do that to me, I'm an American" when they're in Europe. I've never felt the need for a gun when asking people to get off my property.

Maybe we should just give Texas back to Mexico.

To John G Charleston SC, I don't remember hearing about Bush getting blamed for Hurricane Katrina, although there's enough wind blowing out of Washington that I could see one getting those two incidents confused!

The part that Bush had some control of was helping in the aftermath, which I'm sure if you look around Louisianna even today, you'd have to admit was handled kind of poorly.

Judging by the previous mealy-mouthed, hand-wringing comments left by other readers on this story, it appears that I was right the first time: this writer really WAS aiming for the high school demographic, or at least the intellectual equivalent thereof.

I think that journalist needs to pay more attention to what he is doing.

I can't blame the lady. How else is she going to defend herself? She's 70 years old! Is she supposed to threaten him with a cane? How did she know who this guy was? What kind of person just walks across someone else's lawn, anyway? Maybe it is different in Europe, but I have always thought walking across someone else's lawn was a privilege reserved for dogs and children who don't know any better yet. How did she know he wasn't someone trying to do her harm? What was she supposed to do - call 911 and hope the police would show up in half an hour? God didn't make men equal - Samuel Colt did.

God bless America…. now get the heck off my yard before I shoot ya!

Once again reporting only what they saw from their point of view & accusing an innocent senior citizen of wrong doing . Reporters do say the man was walking back and forth looking for signal. From her point of view it would appear as someone possibly casing her home or getting ready to invade her home itself. The woman took the approach to stop this foolishness whatever it may have been now outside before it could possibly come inside or escalate. Bravo for her for having both the sense and the courage to address the issue in a controlled manor. Maybe if law abiding gun owners were in the area of our recent shootings at malls & schools they would have confronted one of the shooters before they shot & killed needless numbers of innocent Americans.
When WORLD PEACE comes we can get rid of all guns. In the mean time everyone should carry a gun. Criminals would not know who they could accost and crime would go down.
By the way. we only have his word that the journalist was really looking for signal, all criminals have a good excuse ready if they happen to get caught.

Dear Ohio…………………..He who laughs last!!!!!!

I'm sure entire hordes of the media have taken more than a few liberties, some of them probably of an indecent nature, on her property and the property of others in that area during the last 7 plus years. She's probably fed up with it all and Mr. Head Up You Know Where was the last straw. Go Granny, keep the 4th estate honest!

for all the people that agree with the old lady. If this had happen to an American any play in the world you would have said the people who live there are nuts. Example Cuba or France

Texans take care of themselves. Can you Imagine living next to Bush, makes me go burrrrrrrr.

Is defending the sancity of YOUR LAWN really worth threatening a person's LIFE? He was talking on a CELL PHONE you GUN NUT IDIOTS.

This woman obviously has problems with PARANOIA if she thinks a man talking on a cell phone is a threat.

A normal person (or at least a civilized one) would stay in the safety of her home and call the police.

TEXAS: a primitive backwater country within a country.

Denmark please accept a sincere apology from America. It's not your journalist that was the problem, it was the issue she felt her property was threatened. There is no further explanation and Thank God no one was harmed.

Fear, pettiness and violence:

What a wonderful culture.

How Christain of her.

Crawford Granny Packing Heat! — News @ 11!

Heh. In some parts of the world wandering around aimlessly can still end with you in somebody's stew pot. There's no indication that she pointed the weapon at him or threatened him with it in any way: She simply was an old lady living alone and a strange man, acting strangely, was wandering around her front yard. It was a perfectly reasonable response.

Perhaps from now on the reporters will be a bit more aware of their surroudings.

Clearly this is an ideal example of the gun control issue….she didn't shoot the idiot walking to her house…gun controled.

"Texas it's a whole other county" why can’t we make it more than a slogan!

ONLY IN AMERICA.

This story is really blown way out of context. The picture shows she does not have the gun drawn on him. It's her property. I grew up in a rural area myself, and let me tell you, if something happens to you on a ranch where nobody's around, you may not see help for days. Good for this woman to stick up for herself. So what if she had a weapon. And how did this guy get that close to her house and not know he was on private property?

As a Texan, have to say I ain't surprised.

Southern Hospitality has been replaced by gun bearing Grandmothers who presumably was busy watching Wheel of Fortune before she saw a foreigner outside her window…

The silly thing is that I bet she also is a bible toting grandma as well. Too bad she didn't get the Good Samaritan story…

"Get off my property!" was the message she surely got.

Texas is a very different 'country'. I still remember all the trash cans on rest stops off interstate highways in Texas… Each of them says "Don't mess with Texas!"

If you are stopped by the police, the first thing they ask is "Do you carry any firearms with you?" Other than that, Texans are friendly straight shooters. They cook great 72 oz. steaks. It's free if you can finish eating it and the whole dinner on stage in one hour. If not, you pay $50. A fun place to earn your next month's rent by betting with all the customers!

HEY! ITS A DANE IN A SUIT

GET OUT YOUR M16′S OUT YEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW

Perspective from the rest of the planet: bizarre.

don't mess with texas? hell,don't go to texas!!

Did she threaten to shoot him?

Sounds like she wanted to get him off her property and took the precaution, when she went out, in case he got obnoxious–more obnoxious, I mean.

Gotta love Texas

As bad as this guy was distracted by walking with his cellphone, we have thousands of morons talking on their cellphones while driving.

where i come from, killing a total stranger for accidentally walking into your yard is not considered very Christian. were i texan, i would be ashamed, not making jokes. the comments are scarier than the story!

First off, I think Bush is our worst president ever, and I generally vote Democrat.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with her coming out of her house with a gun. Its weird, but there's nothing wrong with it. And the "gun violence" problem in America is not the guns itself. Other, much more peaceful countries, have higher gun-ownership rights than we do. We just have a lot more crazies who tend to use them improperly.

Also, Manuel made a comment about Hillary-hating Republicans voting for Obama. If they are, then they sure haven't learned the "fool me twice, ye can't fool me again" lesson. McCain is much more likely to win an election against Hillary Clinton than Barack Obama. If Republicans truly wanted to affect the Democrats' chances of winning the White House, they would be voting for Hillary to lose decidedly against McCain.

I think the lady should go to jail for having a gun. She should go to jail because if it is legal to have a gun everybody woulld be shooting each other all the time. Guns should not be legal where ever you live. Thats why I think this lady should go to jail.

From : Willie Perez

Too bad the old lady didn't shoot.. The media believes they are above the law and have the right to stalk actors and others, I think its time people take their rights back and tell the media to !@#$-off!

What if it was just a bunch of kids running through her property. That happens everyday in all the civilized parts of the country. Would that crazy old woman pull a gun on them?

Private/Personal property. Give me a break.

Of course the bushie gun lovers think this behaviour is OK. What the hell is wrong with you people?

Give us that Texas woman's phone number so we can call her to do something about the horde of incredibly rude cell phone users who feel it their right to wander indiscriminately through restaurants, offices, sidewalks, parks, giving everyone around an earfull of their chatter.

Looks like the moonbats are having a field day over this.

The lady was on her own property, confronting an unknown threat. Unless she was blessed with some psychic ability there was no way for her to determine what this person was doing or was about to do.

She took appropriate precautions, and obviously never pointed the pistol at the reporter. By the evidence in the photo she merely had it in her hand.

The people posting negative things about this should google "Raging Against Self-defense". It will provide you guidance on correcting your obvious mental issues.

I wish people would quit freaking out over this. She didn't point the weapon at him, she just had it on her person, which is completely legal in Texas if the gun is registered and you have a license.

And for those of you saying Texas should secede, I believe it was Sam Houston who said, "Texas can survive without the Union, but the Union cannot survive without Texas."

Bravo you self-righteous old bag. Bravo. You can't be too careful when your private property is being invaded. Calling 911 is for wimps. Blow everyone away. Everyone. Threatening people's lives with guns is patriotic.

I'm glad the gun lobby makes moments like this possible. Keep buying politicians NRA. Keep propogating fear, paranoia, and vigilantism. I feel safer knowing that I can blow someone away over a misunderstanding and that everyone can do the same to me.

All you libs can just kiss our TEXAS Grits

I find it hard to believe that one could wander onto someone's property after crossing a road and not have a clue that he had just done so. I hope this fool does not have a driver's license. That's a great defense to use in any court of law. "I was on the phone and had no idea how I wandered into your store or how your merchandise got into my pocket." I also think it is funny how you lefties react. You want to take away our right to bear arms. You also think that wire tapping criminals is invading your privacy. You want to regulate not only other's constitutional rights, but anything that you do not agree with you would also like to see banned. Funny. Isn't it you LEFTIES that think we have too many rules and regulations but want to impose even more life controlling regulations. Here's what gets me… You want to ban the death penalty, but preserve the right for a woman to have an abortion? WHAT? You protest companies like Ford and Hummer for polluting the atmosphere, so you set fire to their dealerships. Huh? Great counter-measure. Join the left now. Now is the time to protest. Find something, anything to complain about even if it's hypocritical. If they say white, you say black. Just protest, protest, protest. Now is the time kids.

How was this threatening? She didn't aim the gun; she probably just brought it with her for "just in case". So to those of you who have said she drew the weapon on him, can you please point this section out? I believe she did good. Police will make contact with you for similar incidents, if you are acting your looking suspicious or just simply don't belong.

So someone wanders into your front yard, and you can shoot him? I own guns, and I think this is stupid.

Moral of the story?? This is exactly why Americans are seen as violent by the rest of the world. In the rest of the world, it IS OK for a person to inadvertently walk on to someone's property. Such incidents end with a "sorry" and possibly a handshake. Only in America do people pull out guns and shoot at each other.

Uncivilized, is what it's called.

All morons with the "Don't mess with Texas" comments and other macho wisecracks do not realize how completely ignorant they sound.

Rednecks with guns - we are not laughing with you, we are laughing at you.

That says a lot!

I'm waiting to see how the righteous conservatives are going to blame the leftists for a wave hospitality remarks and how society treats other people.

The image says enough of how those righteous conservative live their lives as if every one is out to get them, and they need to accost every one by waving a pistil at them. If a mistake would have occurred, I'm sure they would end up saying she forgot to take her pills today, in their defense, as if that makes using the tools of the trade okay.

Or they would get defensive about remarks on gun restraint.

Or they would get defensive about remarks on being kind to our neighbors.

I don't think kindness it a word the righteous conservatives can grasp very well.

Did no one read the news today? A woman and two children were killed in the morning on another remote Texas ranch. If you have never lived in the country, especially as an elderly lady, perhaps on her own and vulnerable, then you don't know what you are talking about.

She was certainly within the law and taking care of herself. She did NOT fire, and it is ludicrous for this moron reporter to suggest that it was "this close". More people should stand up for themselves. Good on her and good on Texas.

I believe this was a prelude to a full out Danish invasion.

It's not as if she shot at him. A little old lady living along is not going to have time to run back in and get a weapon if she finds that the stranger in her front yard has foul intentions. She was prepared to defend herself, nothing more.

I'm from Houston and all I can say is DONT MESS WITH TEXAS !!!

Good for the little old lady.

I loved all the anti-gun whacko comments. Just keep living in your fantasy world where you think the police will protect you from the criminals.

It's not the job of the police to protect you. Their job is to try and catch the criminal AFTER they commit a crime. This is not a slam on the police. They do a great job, but they can't be everywhere all the time.

Bottom line … people have to protect themselves and their loved ones. No one else can or will.

I'm not American, and you people need to re-read the story. At no time does it say she POINTED the gun at the journalist. She simply had it in her hand. There was a stranger on her property and she went out to investigate. The gun was there in case she needed it. He ran off like most Europenas do at the first sign of conflict and that was the end of it. Big deal

Reject – refuse, rebuff, decline or to deny.

Denounce – criticize something publicly and harshly; charge someone with wrongdoing;
Announcement of the end of an agreement

I get a giggle out of those of you whose sense of fairness was offended because nobody reported the lady's side of the story. Sure, another reporter should have just strolled across her lawn and approached her front door…

I live in a civilized country. Here, people are safe to walk onto my front lawn (or anyone elses) in broad daylight without being threatened with firearms. We let them use the phone, we give them a drink of water, we give them directiions, we buy girl-scout cookies, we contribute to the Heart and Stroke fund. What the heck is the matter with you mean-hearted, angry, xenophobic, gun-toting Texans?

Next time watch where your walking, this is how we do it in The United States, and if you dont like it, we'll bomb you. Any questions?

Hire this woman for the Mexico Border!

Well, you Texans just ought to know, that Obama is one big "gun Control" guy and while serving in the Illinois Senate, supported gun cotrol legislation. You guys go ahead and vote for him, if he is lucky enough to win, you will just have to give up your guns. Maybe he will not even let you hunt.

I do hope the media does talk to the lady… It doesn't sound like the lady should have pointed a gun even if the guy didn't know where he was walking..

Yes, the guy should have been paying attention but like most of us, we don't.

The Secret Service should have spoken to the lady.. How far is her home from Bush's ranch? Too close for me!! No, I don't like Bush either but don't want him to be hurt.

To those that are complaining about "stupid Americans", "redneck Texans" and "loose gun laws". . .when's the last time you saw a picture of someone from Gaza, Israel, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc who wasn't holding a gun or standing near the smoldering remains of a recently detonated bomb? This woman had a pistol, which she most likely has a permit for, not an AK47.

This is precisely why gun ownership is a gun thing. The reporter got off the property and nobody was harmed. Only retards believe in gun control. As I only prove by asking the questions:

1) Do you think the criminals will obey the laws. Their answer is ALWAYS NO.

2) So why do you think the next law will work. The idiots never have an answer.

Good for the old lady. BTW, she is not old just Texas-crazy.

Wow, being absent-minded is a shooting offense now? Wandering onto someone's lawn is good for a face-shooting, right? For those idiots saying, "What she did was quite alright"…what ever happened to calling 9-11. He made no threatening movements and I seriously doubt she could have taken the guy talking on a phone as a threat. You gun nuts are freaks.

I bet screwy George Bush did'nt know anything happend, Just like he did'nt know the price of gas is almost $4 a gal.!!!!

In Texas, wandering on to someone's property is considered a huge deal, and threatening someone with a gun isn't a big deal. The civilized world tends to have different rules.

I don't know what is funnier, the woman in this story threatening a news journalist for wondering while talking on a cell phone, or some of the comments here praising the ignorant and gun-touting behavior. Whoever wrote the second amendment must be rolling in his grave.

Let's not make more about this than it was. It was a little scare but nobody got hurt. Anybody who travels a lot overseas will have a few of these stories where someone almost got into serious trouble.

ive never been to texas

What else can you expect, in a country where Bush could get elected second time, even after all his mistakes was known.

Who is more stupid, the stupid himself or the people who elected him twice?

Bravo, nothing more to say.

It's Texas. They are still in the 19th century there. These people are knuckle draggers. It's the environment that produced George Bush.

No, not "only in Texas"…. Geez, people here are clueless. In the majority of states in the USA what this woman did is LEGAL and justified. It is in our Constitution. If you don't like it, write your US congressmen or state legislators and ask them to ratify a new amendment taking guns away from people, but if you do so make sure you take them away from everyone, including criminals AND law enforcement. If we can't have them, they don't need them.
Also please stop being so ignorant. Law abiding citizens who possess guns are victims are far fewer crimes than those who don't - period, and by an enormous number.

The notion that banning all guns will make us safer is ignorant as well. There are far more dangerous things out there than guns. Maybe we should ban those too.

Simply put, guns save way more lives than they kill, and statistically speaking almost always only criminals kill others with guns. Ban guns and criminals wil still have them.

You think she is nuts, you should see the guy down the street.

Oh, how stupid we hicks from the United States look. Why haven't we given up our rights to own property and tools. For you intellectuals that have never been outside of urban areas, firearms are seen more as tools for living than as weapons for killing people in rural areas (there is a reason that the popular model of Ruger's Mini 14 is the "Ranch Rifle.") When your dog starts barking at something you know there is something that needs your attention and may or may not be a threat. Badgers, cougars, coyotes are all things that your dog will bark at, and also can have rabies. The reason that carrying a firearm with you in urban areas and in Europe is that we don't have the luxury of having made any animal that may be a threat extinct in the area.

I kind of understand why urbanites may see the need for gun control locally, but it shouldn't be a national issue because South Dakota is a much different place than NYC. I just ask that you be a bit more open minded for people from places you don't understand. I'm perfectly fine not carrying a firearm down the streets of your city, but don't tell me I can't carry a revolver when I'm hiking in areas with mountain lions.

Funny how you sorry Dems and foreigners condem an old lady for protecting herself. She lives in the country and maybe all alone . How many times has this happened before to her. Rape ,robbery and killing happen every day in our cities to older citizens but you dont hear much about it thanks to the gun hating media and Democrats . These people have a right to protect themselves and a firearm is faster than your local police. As for CORY IN MARYLAND , you think a thug is going to worry about gun laws ? when someones breaking down your door what ya gonna do, call the cops ? their 10 minutes away , oh i forgot it will never happen to you !? Real Americans take care of themselves , Liberals and Democrats want someone to take care of them . FACT– Britains crime rate has increased 400% since they confiscated all the guns from law abiding citizens, But the criminals have guns !!

Texas is a different kind of place. If you don't like the rules (or lack thereof), don't come here.

Been here 13 years and like it better by the day.

I love living in Texas, you break into our house, we have the right to shoot you. Should you get away, we have the speedy death penalty. Other states should catch up.

My elderly parents lived in Rural Texas and always packed heat around the ranch. No one bothered them in 70 years. And I never had to worry about them because they were insured by Smith & Wesson. I live in Arizona and I purchased the same insurance policy.

If you want to go somewhere where the laws are such that this cannot happen, go to Washington DC (yep, sure thing). Tell me, where would you be safer walking the streets at night? Rural Texas or downtown DC?

Listen up all you criminals: "You must obey the law." There, that ought to make them take notice and turn themselves in.

Stop and think how many crazies want an encounter with President Bush and who likely plague that area in Texas. Granny didn't shoot the disrespectful reporter, she only made it very clear she didn't want to be messed with.

You also might want to check the statistics in England and Australia now that gun owners have had their weapons confiscated for the most part. That is sure working out fine…..if you are a thief or mugger. On the other hand look at the statistical results (if you care about facts) where concealed carry laws have gone into effect. Crime is down. Facts are such pesky things aren't they?

I like the last line in the story…

"CNN was not able to reach the woman for comment."

Probably the whole reason the lady was mad in the first place is that she is tired of the media circus that constantly invades her small town. I'm sure from her point of view the world could use a few less journalists!!

Wow!! Thanks for letting us comment on these mindless articles, CNN!! How about you let us comment on some issues that actually mean something? Oh wait, I guess you'd actually have to start covering news that actually means something…

Absolutely no reason to introduce a gun into a situation where a man is talking on a cell phone in BROAD DAYLIGHT, even if he happens to be standing on your lawn. And there were obviously other people around (the journalists across the street). It doesn't take more than 2 brain cells to figure out he was a foreign journalist.

Remember the Japanese exchange student who knocked on the wrong door? DEAD, because of Texas gun culture paranoia. Thank God it didn't happen again.

Yee haw.

That photo was taken with a telephoto lens. Look at how close that guy is to her house! If I were an old woman living out in the country and had some foreign-speaking stranger practically at my doorstep, I'd go out with a gun and tell him to get the hell off my property too. Those journalists need to learn some manners… and it would help if they did a little research on the customs and laws before coming to an unfamiliar area.

There was another story from Texas today about another person with access to guns that felt they were being infringed upon. A 16-year-old girl and 3 friends shot her mother, father, and two brothers because her perceived rights to date were not respected. Only her father survived. The NRA would have fought all the way to the Supreme Court for her right to have guns right up to the point she pulled the trigger.

Do you think maybe she has seen her share of crazies living that close to the Bush ranch? She did nothing wrong. She did not threaten him. She simply had it with her if she neeeded it. She didn't. This time. Thank God for the second amendment.

u have to understand that this old lady is probably sick and tired of people around her house, as it sounds like journalists are always in the area. give her a break, she can do what she wants to.

Europeans can use this as a lesson. The United States is filled with morons almost as stupid as their president.

They should be on their guard in all third-world nations.

You know, She did not know who he was or what he was doing there. As far as she knew, he may have been there to hurt her or burglarize her home. the way I see it she did what any normal red blooded American would do. I am from Oregon and they do the same thing there as in Texas. Oregon Legislature though is trying to get rid of the rights of Gun Owners. Alot of that is because of the Homosexuals who want their rights to do what they want and they figure that their lives are endanger because of the Gun owners. Good, let them think that. As for this incident, Great! I am pleased that people are taking a stand for their rights for a change and not backing down from a Facist Government who wiretaps our phone calls, monitor our emails, you name it! Maybe the Secret Service and that idiot that they are protecting will take note now and realize just who runs this country.

Maybe she thought it was an immigrant crossing the border…..to avoid things like this in the future we should re-deploy our army in Iraq and put them on the border with orders to kill anthing that crosses the border….problem solved YAY!

The lady should be sent to the psych unit. She's going to shoot someone just for walking on her lawn? Nut cake idiot.

You are surprised that a reporter was standing on someone's property in Texas and they got a gun pointed at them? Is this supposed to be news?

Gotta love American gun control laws. Crazy.

and this ladies and gentlemen is why we should never fear an invasion from the south. The old ladies from Texas will eliminate any invading army.

She appears to have never raised the weapon nor "drew" it as you so ignorantly state.

She was an old woman, likely home alone, when a strange man came onto her property and started wandering around her house.

She came out and asked him to leave, and he ignored her.

Yes, she had a gun, as she was well within her rights to do.

This isn't even an issue, yet you make it out to be a big deal.

The commenters here who have a problem with the woman's actions are entirely out of line and uninformed.

Seems pretty simple to me.

When in a foreign country, don't just wander up to people's front doors without paying attention. No big deal.

She asked him to leave, was ready to protect herself if need be. He left. No troubles. She didn't aim at h