Despite the best efforts of Democrats in Sacramento to eradicate the right to keep and bear arms in California, there are still plenty of legal gun owners... not to mention scores of criminals who've managed to illegally arm themselves while ignoring the state's draconian gun control regime. 

One of those lawfully armed citizens was able to fight back on Monday afternoon when at least two men broke into their home in broad daylight. LAPD officers responded to a shooting in the Valley Village neighborhood around 3 p.m Monday afternoon, and found one of the suspects still on the scene. 

Details are limited and it’s unclear exactly how the shooting unfolded, but preliminary reports by police suggest that at least one person was shot and another ran off as they were attempting to enter a residence in the area.  

“Two suspects entered a residence with an occupant inside,” LAPD Cpt. Kelly Muniz said. “That occupant, armed himself with a handgun and fired at the potential burglars that were inside of his home.”

LAPD told KTLA that a male, only described as approximately 25-years-old, suffering from a gunshot wound who was conscious and breathing was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The homeowner, who sustained unknown injuries during the incident, was also taken to the hospital.

The LAPD is also investigating a shooting that took place Sunday evening that also sounds like a case of self-defense. In that incident, LAPD responded to reports of shots fired in Glendale, and investigators believe it was a botched robbery that led to the gunfire. 

According to Glendale Police detectives, the unidentified shooter and his passenger were driving a white colored SUV, when they were the victims of a possible armed robbery. Someone inside the vehicle opened fire, hitting the would-be robber. 

The robber sustained a single gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Police say the robber was in possession of a loaded firearm, which was recovered at the scene. The shooter and his passenger fled in their vehicle before police arrived. 

As of last report authorities haven't found the would-be victims of the armed robbery. 

Now, it could be that the driver and his passenger simply wanted to get away from the area as quickly as they could, fearing that the suspect could have had other accomplices nearby. It's also possible that the armed citizen in the SUV wasn't legally carrying his firearm. Given the absurdly lengthy process to acquire a concealed carry license in Los Angeles, I'm sure that there are plenty of residents who are eligible for a carry permit but have either not yet received one or think it's still a waste of time and money to apply for their license. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department is routinely taking a year or more to process applications, and those delays are almost encouraging folks to carry even without a permit in hand. 

We don't yet know if that's the case here, but we do know that despite decades of hostility towards the Second Amendment in the California statehouse, lawmakers have not succeeded in killing off a culture of lawful gun ownership. There are still plenty of Californians who are exercising their right to keep and bear arms in self-defense, and criminals who believe that they're the only ones with guns are making what could be a fatal mistake when they pick their next target for a carjacking, armed robbery, or home invasion.