Humans don’t develop on a linear path. We start out small and weak and slowly get bigger and stronger. Then, around our 20s or 30s, we hit a peak and begin to degrade a bit as we age. While some get stronger later in life through intense work, that’s the exception rather than the rule. By the time we’re good and elderly, we’re nowhere near as physically strong as we used to be.

Luckily, we live in a world where firearms exist and we can use them to defend ourselves. That’s precisely what an 80-year-old man recently did.

Investigators said an 80-year-old Pensacola, Florida, man walked outside to lock his cars just after 11 p.m. Tuesday when two males approached him and demanded his car, WEAR-TV reported.

One of the suspects pulled a gun on the elderly victim, WKRG-TV reported.

But it turns out their target came prepared. Police said the homeowner grabbed his concealed weapon — for which he has a permit — and opened fire, WEAR reported.

Both suspects ran off, WKRG said, adding that one of the victims turned up at a house with a gunshot wound. The second suspect got away, WEAR reported.

Well, it looks like both suspects have an opportunity to step back and evaluate their life choices, now doesn’t it?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’d have loved it if the piece of filth with the gun had found himself planted in the local cemetery for his actions, but in a way, him being wounded can serve as a valuable lesson for other criminals. After all, bad guys are predators. They like to look for easy prey, people like 80-year-old guys in Florida.

And that’s why owning and carrying a gun is so important.

Even an armed criminal is likely to run from an armed citizen defending themselves. While I often point out that bad guys set the terms of engagement, the truth is that the armed citizen is likely the more tenacious side. After all, escape is usually not really an option for the armed citizen. They have their lives to defend.

Putting up a fight really does seem to be the best option when faced with an armed criminal, and this gentleman did fight. As a result, he went home that night and at least one of the thugs went to the hospital. Sure, another got away, but he’s going to have that memory of damn near being lit up by some old guy who didn’t want to give up his cars or his life.

This is also why Stand Your Ground laws are so important. Some prosecutor after the fact can’t decide that no, the citizen could have escaped and should have tried first. No, he’s protected from that kind of prosecutorial stupidity thanks to Florida’s much-maligned Stand Your Ground law, as he should be.

Personally, I love these kinds of stories. Guns don’t make men evil. They don’t create criminals where none existed previously. They do, however, give people who may not be physically able to meet physical threats an edge that allows them to protect themselves.