As reported, an apartment renter used his handgun to stop an intruder:
Police say that at about 1:30 AM, a burglar kicked in the door of an apartment in the Willow Oaks Apartment Complex in Greensboro, NC and entered. A resident of the apartment is said to have heard the noise from this home invasion, grabbed his gun, and fired a couple of shots at the intruder, causing him to flee on foot. A suspect, reportedly identified as 19 year old Acquillo Daniel Herrera, was later arrested by police and held in the Guilford County jail in lieu of $5,000 bond. No injuries to the apartment residents 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.