The Civilian Gun Self-Defense blog has a great story about why "calling the police" isn't always the best option
Cassidy Lockett was home with her young children late last month when she says two men tried to break into her home. She hid the children behind the couch, grabbed a .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol and aimed it at a man who was already halfway through a window, climbing into her home.
One woman and her young children. Two men who just escaped from prison. By the time the 911 operator had picked up, the men would have been in the door. Even if she had been able to make a successful call to the cops, it would have taken them minutes to get there and Mrs. Lockett had only seconds to spare.
While I know nothing of the physical statures of the thugs nor Mrs. Lockett, I'm willing to bet that she was no match for one of them, much less both of them. The fact that Mrs. Lockett had a firearm meant that she could face multiple attackers who were physically stronger than she was. She was able to protect her offspring with nothing more than a .22 caliber pistol, not because the round itself was extra lethal, but because the criminals simply didn't want to get shot.
No shots fired and her family was safe.
Now, there are those who read me who do not believe Mrs. Lockett should have that gun. There are those who believe that it's ok for her to protect her children in her own home, but once she walks off her own porch that she and her kids should be easy prey for criminals. There are even those who believe that Mrs. Lockett would become a danger to society if she were to carry her pistol into a school or a post office.
I say those people are illogical bigots who simply find gun ownership distasteful and wish to push their beliefs onto others even at the cost of their lives.