She's 82 years old and today says she's not afraid to use a gun to protect her community. This comes after she did just that shooting at a man's car she says was trying to steal metal near her home in Pulaski County. WYMT's Phil Pendleton spoke to the woman and found out something else about our gun totin' grandma.

Venus Ramey knows it would be easy for someone to take advantage of her. She's 82 and needs a walker to get around.

"I'm an old woman. They figure they can get away with a lot," Ramey said.

Last Friday, she says some people tried to get away with some of her scrap metal. They were caught in the act and police say Curtis Parish was the ringleader.

"And he said if you get out of my way, we'll leave. And I said oh no you won't and I shot 2 shots in one of their tires," Ramey said.

Only that wasn't enough for this former Miss America who fired again.

"I shot one and it wouldn't go down. I thought it would go woosh and flatten, but it didn't. They're not made that way, so I shot it again," Ramey said.

Police say stealing scrap metal is an epidemic and they arrested Curtis Parish and charged him with trespassing. Police say he took the rap for the others involved.

Ramey won the Miss America crown in 1944. Now spends her time selling trees on her farm and trying to protect her property from thieves.

"The first time I was robbed on the other side road about 6 or 7 years ago, I caught one man," Ramey said.

But now both police and Ramey say they don't think this man will try to steal from her again.

Police say Ramey had every right to fire the gun since they say she witnessed the men committing a crime on her property.