Police in Newport Beach, California continue to investigate an early morning home invasion that left one suspect wounded and another dead from self-inflicted injuries, but the city's mayor is already pointing to the incident as reason for violent criminals to think twice about preying on residents. 

Officers were called out to a home in an affluent neighborhood around 4:45 Tuesday morning on reports of a possible home invasion. The caller advised 911 dispatchers that an occupant of the home had shot one of two suspects who had broken in before both intruders took off running. When police arrived, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds near the home, and a second suspect who had already passed away, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot. 

Authorities say it looks like the home invasion was a targeted crime and not one of opportunity, though they haven't disclosed what led them to that determination. From all the information that's been released, however, it appears that the armed citizen won't be facing any charges. 

Police said there were four people inside the home when the apparent home-invasion took place — a man, two women and a child. It was unclear which person fired the shots.

Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill said the outcome of the attempted home invasion should serve as a warning.

“I can tell you right now, if you come into Newport Beach to commit a crime, we will defend ourselves, and today is an example of that,” he said.

I'm glad to see the mayor speaking up in support of the right of self-defense, but let's be honest here. California makes it incredibly difficult for folks to defend themselves. In fact, it discourages gun ownership altogether. It's far easier to get a gun illegally in the state than it is to navigate the maze of red tape lawmakers have erected between the people and their Second Amendment rights, so as much as O'Neill might want to believe that every Newport Beach resident is ready to defend themselves from home invaders, that's simply not reality.

In this case, thankfully, there was someone willing and able to protect the other occupants when the armed men broke in, and that made all the difference. The gates and walls surrounding the neighborhood didn't stop the suspects from making their way to the home, and if there was a security system in place it didn't prevent the intruders from getting inside. It took an armed citizen to stop the threat against the family, and if the occupant hadn't been able to get to their firearm authorities could have easily been investigating four homicides instead of a botched home invasion. 

While the mayor is speaking up with praise for the homeowner, I doubt many other California politicians will even acknowledge this defensive gun use. I can't imagine Gavin Newsom, for instance, applauding the armed citizen's actions. He doesn't want any Californian exercising their Second Amendment right, so he's not going to do anything to highlight the fact that a family is alive and well today because one of their loved ones had a gun and was prepared to use it to protect their family. That might encourage other Californians to do the same, and that's the last thing Newsom wants to see.