As reported, a Modesto, California woman reportedly used her gun to fend off a burglar.
Police say the woman walked into her home, and found a burglar. She reportedly feared for her safety, grabbed her gun, and fired a shot at the burglar, causing him to flee. The burglar, who was apparently not hit, fled the scene, leaving the woman unharmed, police say.
Those opposed to gun ownership would call this a self defense failure, because the victim didn’t manage to hit the burglar. However, shooting the burglar was not really the goal. Instead, when using a gun for self defense, the true goal is to put an end to the threat posed by the criminal. Shooting the criminal is certainly a very effective way of ending the threat, as a dead or sufficiently injured criminal is incapable of continuing their attack. However, as we can see in this case, firing at criminal (even if one misses) will often end the attack and save the victim just as effectively.