Three home invaders who announced themselves as local police got more than they bargained for this week, as their intended target shot at them in self-defense as the trio tried to kick in the front door of the armed citizen’s home.

It was all captured on the homeowner’s camera system, including the three men scrambling to get off the front porch of the home and then firing back at the resident.

**Press Release/Shooting (Home Invasion)**

10/19

Around 2 a.m., the Auburn Police Department was dispatched to the 31000 block of 117 PL SE for a report of a non-injury shooting. pic.twitter.com/3VcRhIbhag

— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) October 19, 2023

Thankfully, the homeowners weren’t injured in the attempted home invasion, and police had high praise for the armed citizen when speaking to local media.

“You can see that they really did have their home properly secured. It took them a solid 20 seconds to get through that door by kicking it and trying to ram it,” said Kolby Crossley, who is the PIO for the Auburn Police Department.

The homeowners tell us they’re glad they had a gun on hand to protect themselves. We asked the police what they recommended.

“We do encourage you to defend yourself, you know. If you’re in a situation where you feel like you’re being threatened. In a situation like this, that’s so terrifying. If you feel that’s the right action for you to take then that’s what you need to do to protect your home and the people inside your home,” Crossley said.

Thank you, Kolby Crossley, for not uttering some of the platitudes we here in situations like this, where local law enforcement decry “taking matters into your own hands.” Waiting for police to arrive could very well have resulted in injury or death to the homeowners here, and I’m glad that Crossley and the Auburn PD are actually encouraging residents to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones.

According to KIRO-TV in Seattle, Thursday’s home invasion is one of at least four in south King County over the past week. While police haven’t said if any of the home invasions are connected, apparently three of the four victims were Asian, which raises the question about whether these attacks have been targeted in any way.

It’s not just the Seattle suburbs that are seeing crimes like this. Homicides are up 20% in Seattle itself, and aggravated assaults are far more frequent than they were just a few years ago. In fact, violent crime is rising in many locations across the state, despite a host of gun control laws that have been put in place in recent years, from bans on “large capacity” magazines and “assault weapons” to a mandatory 10-day waiting period on firearm transfers.

If any of the armed citizen’s neighbors decide it’s time to buy a gun of their own for self-defense, the state makes it impossible for them to do so in a timely fashion. Worried about a home invasion spree in your neighborhood? Better lock your doors and hope for the best, because it’ll be a week-and-a-half before you can pick up a pistol for personal protection even if you’ve already passed your background check.

Who benefits from these gun control laws? Not law-abiding residents who are rightfully concerned that they could be the next victim of these home invaders, who have yet to be arrested or even identified by police. No, it’s those violent predators who are aided and abetted by Washington’s restrictive gun control regime and its barriers to exercising our fundamental right to armed self-defense. Thankfully in this particular case the state’s anti-gun restrictions didn’t get in the way of the homeowner being able to fight back, but that might not be the case for the next individual targeted by a gang of late-night armed intruders.