Around 5:00 p.m. in a quiet California neighborhood (Lakewood, L.A. County), a man and woman were attacked in their own backyard by an intruder armed with an iron pole. The attacker, suspected of attempted burglary, delivered several serious blows before one of the two victims (it’s not clear from reports who) was able to get a shot off. That’s all it took to stop the attack and debilitate the suspect sufficiently for the police and an ambulance to arrive.
Both the man and the woman sustained injuries as a result of this attack. One received medical attention at the scene, while the other, along with the newly ventilated perpetrator, was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Even in Los Angeles county, one of the most gun-averse areas of the United States, at least one neighbor (Rodney Tidwell) expressed full support for the couple’s defensive gun use, saying: “Someone came into your backyard, you had a gun to defend yourself…you’re within your rights.”
Our headline is not sensationalized. Although we don’t have identifying information about the victims of the crime, even one strike with a metal pole can prove fatal or permanently disabling. Had these victims been unarmed, the attack would likely have continued. This story could have had a very different ending.
This is why we advocate for gun rights. It’s also why we habitually recommend home carry.