Several years ago two dirt bags with handguns walked into a Shoney’s Restaurant in Anniston, Alabama. At gunpoint they herded employees and customers into a walk-in refrigerator in the back of the restaurant.

Did I say all of the customers? Actually there was one customer who managed to stay behind. He was Thomas Glenn Terry who, rather than allow himself to be locked in the cooler, decided to hide under a table while he made other plans.

As one gunman forced the manager to open the cash drawer, a second gunman patrolled the restaurant’s aisles.

It was the patrolling gunman who discovered Mr. Terry’s hiding place. Waving his pistol, the robber ordered Terry to stand up. Terry stood up, as ordered at gun point, but as he stood he drew his own pistol and shot the gunman dead.

The sound of the gunshot caused the first robber to check out the scene. When he saw Terry he fired but missed. Terry return fire, mortally wounding the remaining bandit.

So, what have we got here? Two gunman — one dead and the other dying. We have two dozen hostages released unharmed from a walk-in refrigerator where they could have died. Finally we have a private citizen who just happened to have a state permit to carry a concealed weapon.

When you read the newspapers or watch television and are deluged with news stories about sensless killings there’s usually one common factor — the victims were not armed. The only thing that was different at Shoney’s in Anniston that day was that Mr. Terry, also a victim, had a firearm — a lawful firearm. He defended himself as is his right.

What’s the point? Before we disarm the entire population you should know that bad guys don’t buy guns from licensed dealers. They steal guns. And if one day we, the good guys, are the only ones without guns then we’ll be in a world of hurt. But you already understand that, don’t you?