A while back, I argued that the AR-15 is a great home defense weapon. I’ve had more than a few people tell me I was off my rocker since then because of that–and a few other things, but those are irrelevant at this moment. This criticism comes despite the number of times people have defended themselves and their homes with AR-15s.

The latest example comes to us from the People’s Republic of Hawaii.

Police responded to a report of shots fired at a Haiku home at about 10:35 p.m. Thursday and found three adult victims who said three males wearing hooded sweatshirts entered their home with one of them brandishing a shiny handgun.

The bandits forced one victim into a bathroom, then walked through the house. A second victim armed himself with an AR-15 rifle and fired a round at the robbers, nearly striking one.

The three suspects fled, firing four gunshots on the way out.

No one was hurt during the robbery, police said. One victim reported the suspects took $3,000.

Police claim they recovered a weapon at the scene. I’m going to assume that refers to one used by the bad guys and not the individual acting in self-defense. At least, I’m going to hope that’s what it meant.

Then again, it’s Hawaii.

So why did the AR-15 work here? Well, there are a few reasons.

One is that thanks to the media, the AR-15 is portrayed as a murder-death-kill weapon that will make your insides explode if you look at it wrong, so the intimidation factor certainly played into it. The assailants saw the gun, thought of the news reports and comments on social media, and didn’t want to be liquefied by what is basically just a step below a death ray.

Even if we all know the media reports are bull, the criminals don’t.

Another is the fact that in some states a nerfed down AR-15 is still effective if you have multiple targets. While there were three victims and three attackers, only one victim fought back. That makes it 3-on-1, and in that situation, you need the edge of a long semi-auto gun like an AR-15. Een if you have magazine restrictions like Hawaii.

Lastly, violence is often the best defense against armed attackers. They’re armed because they expect to have an edge. When you pull out an AR-15, you take away that advantage from them. When you start shooting and make it clear that you’re not afraid of violence yourself, you change the criminal calculus completely.

As such, they’re going to scurry like the cockroaches they are. Opening the fridge works for six-legged roaches, but the two-legged variety seems more afraid of the muzzle flash from a 5.56 round.

Look, I’m not saying you can’t use other guns for home defense, either. I’m just saying there are advantages to using the AR-15. And, as we’ve seen here and in other examples, it certainly works like a charm.

Hat tip: The Truth About Guns