What Elmira, NY police are calling a robbery home invasion occurred about 11:00 PM on a recent Friday night.

According to police, three suspects broke into the home and fought with a resident. At least one of the suspects had a gun, and that resident was shot during the struggle. While this was going on, a second resident acquired a gun and fired on the suspects hitting one. This caused two of the three to flee the home.

The resident who was shot and the wounded suspect was taken to local hospitals, where both are expected to recover.

These past two years, many Americans have brought defensive firearms into their homes to defend themselves against just such an attack. But just having the gun is not enough. There needs to be a comprehensive home defense plan to go with it.

In this case, the first resident was overwhelmed by the suspects, and the firearm in the home was of no benefit to him. Another adult in the home had time to retrieve the firearm and use it to defend both of them. This shows that homeowners should consider whether all of the adults in a home should have access to a defensive firearm and be trained in its safe use since it’s impossible to know the exact circumstances of any attack. If one adult cannot get to the gun, perhaps another could.

In this case, having a second responsible adult with access possibly saved both of their lives.

Read the original story: NY Resident Is Shot During Home Invasion; Another Is Able to Fire on the Suspects Hitting One