In some areas, even delivering pizza can be dangerous. This is especially true if you’re not armed while on the job. Fortunately, in this story, a pizza delivery man understood the importance of gun ownership and self-defense.

The altercation started when a man delivering pizza in Philadelphia was accosted by carjackers in a parking lot. Here’s how it went down:

The incident took place just off Stenton Avenue just a minute before midnight, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said early Wednesday.

Two masked men with guns approached the 21-year-old deliveryman as he was dropping off food, Small said.

“He was being carjacked and robbed,” Small said.

“One of them forced the 21-year-old deliveryman into the back seat and one of the perpetrators got into the backseat with him,” Small said. “The other perpetrator got into the front seat. And they started asking him for money.”

The robbers then wanted to know where the man worked and if he had any apps on his phone that he could use to get money to them, Small said.

The deliveryman was able to get out of the vehicle and confront one of the robbers, firing two shots, Small said. The would-be robber was struck once in the backside.

Police found one of the would-be robbers about 300 feet away and got him to the hospital where he was in stable condition while in surgery, police said. The man was being held as a prisoner and charges were expected.

The other guy ran off across Stenton Avenue into neighboring Springfield Township, Small said.

It appeared that there was possibly a shootout as police found evidence that the bleeding would-be robber had evidence on him that he had fired at least one shot, Small said.

It might surprise you to find out that delivering pizzas can be even more perilous than many other professions, including law enforcement. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, a significant number of folks working as delivery drivers fall victim to violent criminals:

From 2015 to 2019, 334 driver/sales workers in the United States lost their lives while working. In 2019 alone, 83 driver/sales workers died on the job, the highest number for this occupation in the last 5 years. Of the 83 deaths in 2019, 60 (72.3 percent) resulted from transportation incidents, and another 14 (16.9 percent) resulted from intentional injuries by a person (homicide or suicide).

Fortunately, this particular pizza delivery person did not meet this same fate because he armed himself. Like many others, he realized that he was his first line of defense against evil people. Sure, these would-be robbers might not have harmed him if he just gave up his car and whatever else they demanded. But in situations like these, one can never be sure.

This is one of several reasons why gun rights are essential. The police aren’t going to save you in most cases. Our protection is our own responsibility, regardless of our profession. Hopefully, stories like these will prompt others to see the wisdom in exercising their right to keep and bear arms.