As reported, a man used his gun to scare away an intruder who broke in to his apartment:
Police say that they were called to the Four Seasons Apartments in Florence, AL, at about 11:45am. The resident of an apartment was reportedly at home when an armed intruder broke in and entered. Fearing for his safety, the resident is said to have grabbed his gun and fired in self defense, causing the intruder to flee. It is unclear whether the intruder was struck, and police continue to search for a suspect. No injuries to the apartment renter or any bystanders were reported.
Those who are unarmed, or who are armed with an inferior weapon, will often end up overpowered by the criminal, with dire consequences. Nor can a citizen rely upon the police for protection, as they are minutes away while it takes a criminal who is breaking in just seconds to harm their victim. It is also important to note that the police will sometimes fail to help even when asked repeatedly, and they are not legally liable for that failure. Adding to the problem, police are 5.5 times more likely than an armed citizen to shoot the wrong person, meaning that there is a certain degree of danger anytime there are armed police coming to the aid of a citizen.
Fortunately, this crime victim was prepared to defend himself, and as a result survived unharmed.