As reported, a pair of armed robber entered the Old Coin Shop in San Diego and traded gunfire with one or more employees. The employee(s) were able to save their lives by returning fire and fatally wounding one criminal, and driving the other away. Police are searching for that second criminal, and have recovered a handgun and clothing, plus a car that may have been used by the robbers.
Once again, guns save lives. Had these employees been unarmed, they might have ended up shot like this deli owner, this bakery worker, or this woman, as criminals have been known to shoot even those victims who cooperate. Luckily, these two employees did defend themselves, and will be able to go home to their families. Society also benefits, as this robber will be unable to victimize others in the future, as career criminals do.
The fact is that people who defend themselves tend to be better off then victims who comply with a criminal’s demands or rely upon the police to defend them, and that is one of the reasons why I own a gun. It is also why criminals fear armed citizens more than the police.