With violent crime on the rise around the country, millions of Americans have chosen to embrace their Second Amendment rights for the first time in their lives, knowing that if they’re the target of a would-be robber, carjacker, or home invader the police are most likely going to arrive in time to write a report but not prevent an attack. That’s not a knock on law enforcement, by the way, just an acknowledgement of reality. Police response times are getting slower in many jurisdictions because of staffing issues, which means the odds that cops will show up while a burglary or home invasion is still taking place are slim. For those worried about their personal safety, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to leave it up to the police to protect them. Self-protection is a much better option, and we’ve seen several defensive gun uses in the past few days involving homeowners who’ve done just that.

In Atlanta, Georgia, police say a resident who shot a would-be burglar won’t be facing charges.

Atlanta police said officers were called to the home on 134 Howell Street Monday afternoon in reference to a person shot. Two men were found on the scene with gunshot wounds.

One of the men died at the scene and the other, the homeowner, was taken to the hospital and listed as stable.

Police determined that the man who died climbed into the window of the home and attacked the homeowner. The homeowner then shot the man, killing him. The homeowner remained at the scene and was cooperative with the investigation.

Then there’s the woman in Swatara Township, Pennsylvania who defended herself against a man trying to break in to her home Tuesday evening.

According to the police, a man was found with minor injuries to his left arm. After further investigation, they discovered that the man had attempted to break into an apartment occupied by a female acquaintance.

Police say the woman shot towards the intruder as he tried to break into the residence. The injuries he sustained were from glass that broke when the bullet hit a window.

The man was transported to the hospital for treatment.

The woman who shot at the suspect will not be charged.

And a homeowner in Wichita, Kansas who shot and wounded an intruder on Monday evening.

Police said a 40-year-old man was smashing windows at the home when he was shot by the homeowner. The homeowner, who did not want to be identified, told Eyewitness News he didn’t want to shoot but was defending himself.

“I was on the phone and I was telling the cops, this guy. Get here. Please get here. I don’t want to shoot this man. Please get here.”

What were we just saying about police response times? As quickly as officers arrived, it wasn’t fast enough to take the suspect into custody before he allegedly attacked the homeowner.

The homeowner said the suspect started pounding on a neighbor’s house. When the homeowner told the man to stop, he came over and tried ramming his door with a post.

“Threw 2 bricks through my window and tried to crawl through in my window and told me he was going to kill me and kinds of other things. So, unfortunately, I had to shoot him.”

The man was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were described as “critical.” As for the homeowner, he’s got a message for the suspect.

“I pray to God he survives and makes it through and gets the help he needs and doesn’t try to come back over here or the same result will happen.”

Crime isn’t the worst that it’s ever been in the United States, but since the riots and unrest erupted in dozens of cities last summer, we’ve been heading in the wrong direction at breakneck speed. Break-ins and home invasions are becoming more common in many communities, and I hope that these three individuals who were able to protect themselves from those who wanted to do them harm prompt more Americans to think seriously about their own personal safety and their right of armed self-defense.