Home invasions are terrifying. They’re probably the thing most gun owners have the most concern over. The “bump in the night” that sends us reaching for our weapons to defend hearth and home against the invading hordes is something many of us train for regularly.

For others, though, they may not do much training, but it’s why they have a gun.

For one homeowner, it’s a damn good thing he had one, too.

On Saturday, Feb. 8, two teenagers broke into a home on the 900 block of Bates Avenue, beat up a 14-year-old inside, robbed the house and threatened to “return and inflict further harm,” according to the Reno Police Department.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 10, the same teenagers broke into an addition off the house, apparently looking for the 14-year-old victim.

“Essentially making good on their threat,” said Officer Travis Warren with the Reno Police Department.

An adult who lived in the house armed himself and confronted the teenagers. One of the intruders aimed a gun at the adult, prompting him to fire several rounds at them, according to police.

Both “teens”–in quotes because we don’t know if these were also 14-year-olds too or if this is some 19-year-old whose already done time in big boy jail–were hit and one is listed in critical condition.

So to recap, these two twits broke into the house before and beat up a teenager who lived there, then robbed the place. They came back a couple of days later looking to beat up the teenager again, only this time there was a grownup there with a firearm. So one of the “teens” produced a gun of his own and got himself and his buddy shot.

How does someone look at this and decide the homeowner is in the wrong?

After all, this is a clear cut case of justified if ever I’ve seen it, yet some would make that very argument. They’d say the adult resident was wrong to use deadly force.

Nevermind that the thug had a gun. Nevermind they’d already been violent once before. Nope. None of that would matter to some folks.

For me, though? I say good on that resident. Not only did they protect their home and the 14-year-old in question, but they’ve now given both of these “teens” an opportunity to reevaluate their life choices going forward. I wouldn’t have minded if they weren’t able to have that reevaluation, mind you, but since they survived, maybe they’ll rethink their lives and perhaps serve as an object lesson to others who might think the life of the criminal is all fun and games.

After all, you know what they say. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

These two definitely won a stupid prize while the resident is going to sleep safe and sound in his or her own bed for the foreseeable future. That’s a win by any metric you want to use.

Plus, one or two other would-be thugs might rethink their career plans now, thus making the world safer for everyone.