Generally speaking, following Simple Jack’s Joe Biden’s advice to fire “two blasts” into the air to warn off intruders will generally result in you being arrested on weapons charges.

Generally speaking.

So far, Carla (last name withheld in the story) of Cheviot Hills, California has avoided the fate of so many other homeowners who fired warning shots:

Carla told us her dog woke her up when he started barking. She looked outside and saw a man in her backyard, another waiting by a car.

Carla wasted no time. Wearing her nightgown, she went outside and fired once toward the ground.  Carla says, it was just to scare them off. It worked. The two suspects ran back to a white sedan and drove off.

It’s nice that Carla was able to scare away the burglars, who had already successfully hit one home in her neighborhood, but she made a series of bad decisions.

Carla was right to arm herself, but her next act should have been to call 911, not walk out the front door. She was comparatively safe and had the tactical advantage in her home. She instead left cover and concealment and walked out alone against multiple unknown threats. She then fired what she admitted was a warning shot, which could lead to any number of felony and misdemeanor charges, depending upon jurisdiction.

Folks, never emulate this. Unless lives are in immediate danger, it is to your tactical and legal advantage to arm yourself, stay in your home, and call 911. If you act like Carla, you could end up charged with a felony like Clayton Jensen and many others, and I’d hate for you to have to go through that experience.