Steven James was enjoying a quiet evening at home last Friday when police showed up on his property and asked if they could take a look around; not because they suspected James of any wrongdoing, but because they believed a man who had allegedly abducted his girlfriend's 1-year-old daughter might be hiding out in the woods. Gerald Blair had been involved in a nearby hit-and-run, and authorities suspected he ran into the heavily forested area with the young child after ditching the car. 

Investigators didn't discover any signs of Blair that night, but early Saturday morning James's neighbor spotted the pair on camera near a creek on James's property. James grabbed a gun and went to take a look. Soon enough, James was able to confirm firsthand that his neighbor's suspicions were correct. Then it was up to the armed citizen to make sure the man released the child. 

"I did hold him at gunpoint, just to kind of be threatening and take control of the situation," James said about his next steps. "I did tell him, give me the baby. I don't care what you do just give me the baby...actually, I think I was saying put the baby down and you walk back and I'll get the baby."  

The two went back and forth until Blair finally surrendered.

"It was almost a feeling of relief, he knew it was over," explained James, who added he and his wife stayed with the little girl until first responders arrived.

"You could tell that he cared. It was just a bad situation for her," he said. "I'm glad I got to do that. Not because I wanted to be the one to do it; I'm just glad it turned out that way." 

If James didn't have his gun with him, this situation could have unfolded very differently. Yet the local media has downplayed or even ignored the fact that it was an armed citizen who rescued little Maybrie Like. 

Newchannel 5 in Nashville headlined its story "Good Samaritan saves missing child involved in Lafayette manhunt", and relegated the fact that James confronted Blair and held him at gunpoint for police to the sixth paragraph of its story.

Other stations, including Nashville's FOX affiliate and WSMV-TV, didn't mention the armed citizen aspect of the child's rescue at all. Instead, they reported that a homeowner "tipped off" local authorities about Blair's whereabouts on Saturday morning, but completely ignored the heroism displayed by James and the fact that he had a firearm with him to protect both himself and the little girl from harm.  

The homeowner spotted Gerald Blair and the infant at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and notified the sheriff’s office. Wilburn said Blair was taken into custody without incident. The child is doing well, according to the sheriff.

It may be the case that Blair was arrested "without incident", but ignoring the actions of the armed citizen means a critical part of the story was left unreported by most of the local media outlets. 

The vast majority of defensive gun uses in this country don't involve pulling the trigger, but that doesn't mean they're not newsworthy. Frankly, the fact that an armed citizen saved a little girl from her abductor should be national news, and its appalling that even most of the local coverage ignores the actions that James took to keep Maybrie Like safe from harm. 

If you want to support one of the few media outlets around that does cover defensive gun uses on a regular basis, now's a great time to sign up for a VIP or VIP Gold membership. In fact, you can take 60% off the regular price when you use the promo code FIGHT. You'll get exclusive content, an ad-free experience, and other benefits, and you'll be helping to ensure that gun owners like James get the attention they deserve for their life-saving efforts.