In the news: handgun saves three lives

From Alphecca comes a great story that shows how wrong those people are who believe that a gun is only good for killing somebody. It's well documented that often all it takes is brandishing a firearm to convince a would-be murderer that it just isn't worth it - sometimes it takes a warning shot.

That was the night a person still unknown to her unexpectedly walked into her home while her two children were asleep in the next room.

It was about 10:40 p.m., and Jennifer was at home with her two sons while her husband was in San Antonio attending the Spurs basketball game, when she heard the chime on her front door sound.

“We have an alarm system, and the doors chime every time they are opened,” Jennifer said.

She had not set the alarm because she was waiting for her husband, Gary, to come home.

“I could hear footsteps,” Jennifer said.

She called her husband’s name, and when no one answered, she panicked, ran to the master bedroom, where she had left her sons, and locked the door behind her.

Seconds later, she heard the sound of someone on the other side twisting the doorknob trying to get inside the bedroom.

Jennifer and her children would spend almost the next two hours in fear, hoping whoever was on the other side would take what they wanted and leave. She told the intruder there was an alarm and the police were on their way, but the intruder reportedly stayed in the house turning on all the lights, the television and periodically twisting the knob.

No, contrary to what the so-called "experts" would tell you (that just giving in and doing whatever a criminal tells you is the safest path), oftentimes these people want more than just your property. The story continues:

Jennifer did not have a phone in the master bedroom with her and was unable to call the police herself.

Shortly after midnight, Gary, who was on his way home, called to speak to Jennifer.

He was not concerned when she did not pick up the phone.

“I didn’t think anything of it,” Gary said. “I figured she was asleep.”

Jennifer realized it was her husband but yelled through the door the alarm company was alerting the police.

All the while, Jennifer was trying to comfort her oldest son, who was awake through the ordeal.

“We talked and we prayed a lot,” Jennifer said.

To calm her children, Jennifer took a .357 Magnum from the closet and told her children she would protect them.

“I told them this gun would either hurt this man or he will run away,” she said. “I told them we were going to try and wait for daddy because I didn’t want to shoot this gun. I told them I was between them and the door and I would protect them.”

Then, she heard what sounded like the door lock being picked.

Jennifer pointed the gun at the door and fired once.

The bullet hit the top of the door and entered the ceiling.

The intruder stopped picking the lock, and Jennifer heard the sound of footsteps and the door chime as the intruder left the home.

She and her boys were safe.

Let me quote that last line again, because that's the end result that we're all working towards:

She and her boys were safe.

A firearm is the great equalizer, and it can make even an untrained but desperate woman or a 70-year-old wheelchair-bound man into a match for any criminal, sometimes even more than one at once.