Last week, a 66-year-old northern California woman defended herself in a dangerous situation and proved, once again, that firearms are a great equalizer against those who prey on the elderly. And while there are certain aspects that I thought she could have handled differently, this lady did many things right in a very stressful encounter.

To start, I loved that she had a motion-activated light at her door. Because the light is automatic, it catches potential intruders by surprise, while providing light for someone to see without having to be near the door. Next, she had a security screen door. These doors are designed to prevent entry and while they are not fool proof, they are an excellent tool for providing additional time for implementing a defense plan. Then, she had the phone in her hand when she went to the door and she stood by the frame and called out rather than just opening the door. Even a slightly cracked door is easier to get into than a closed one, and unless your door has a steel plate on the inside, you’re probably safer by the frame. But, you’re safer still if you called from a few feet from the door and then immediately move a few feet to the right or left.

Up to this point, she has done an excellent job of being willing to help someone in need while ensuring her safety, but I would have gone to the door with my gun in hand. The person knocking on the door could be a scared driver who just broke down and needs help, but safety should be your first concern and anyone who comes to your door at night should be considered potentially dangerous.

Now, as soon as she realized this man had bad intentions, she called the police, as she should, and headed for her gun. When the intruder tried to break in, she fired two warning shots. Of course, I would also have to break from her on this point as well. I don’t fire warning shots for two reasons. One, it wastes ammunition I might need, and two, every bullet fired must stop somewhere. Most of us have neighbors in fairly close proximity and I don’t want a stray bullet to hurt an innocent or cause any other type of damage.

In the end, the homeowner prevailed over the just-released-that-morning criminal because she remained calm and did what she had to do. Of course, we call all learn from these type of situations. What would you do if you heard a knock on your front door at midnight? Think it through now, because you don’t want to be trying to figure it out when it happens.