This would-be robber had no idea he was bringing a knife to a gunfight. Unfortunately for him, he was about to learn the hard way.

An armed citizen in Michigan saved lives during an attempted robbery while he was inside a local gas station. Here’s how it went down:

A robbery suspect was gunned down by a customer at a gas station in Cassopolis.

Police say the suspect attempted to rob the gas station, but that robbery was stopped when a customer shot him. He was taken to a hospital in South Bend, where he remains in stable condition.

According to police, the customer has a valid concealed pistol license.

WSBT 22 spoke to gas station owner Vinny Bahbi, who said the customer saw the attempted robbery and moments later, shot the suspect when he pulled the knife on the store clerk.

According to Harjinder Singh, the clerk who was on duty at the time, the would-be robber entered the facility requesting to use the restroom. He went into a corner and put on a mask. It was after doing this that he attempted to rob the store. After shooting the suspect, the citizen held him at gunpoint until law enforcement showed up. The suspect was then taken to a hospital and is in “stable” condition.

Those who carry firearms do so because they understand an important truth: You never know when you might need it. Gun owners realize even if it is unlikely they will ever have to use their weapons to defend themselves, danger can be present even while going through everyday activities.

It can even happen at a gas station.

I’ve written about a lot of these stories over the past few weeks, and I’m sure I will be writing plenty more. But they all seem to have one underlying commonality: Responsible armed citizens save lives – especially those who keep up with their training.

Gun ownership means taking responsibility not only for protecting your own life, but possibly that of others who could be victimized by evil people. It is one of several reasons why an armed society is essential. In this case, this individual likely expected to grab some fuel and snacks. Then, he wound up in a potential life-and-death situation.

Luckily, his quick thinking enabled him to stop the knife-wielding individual from harming anyone or stealing property. Given the assailant’s criminal record, it was good that an armed citizen was present on the scene. Now, the suspect could be facing life in prison for other offenses.

Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz noted that the suspect has been “charged with armed robbery” and that his office “will be seeking his extradition to the state of Michigan, where he faces life offense charges to two robberies.”

Overall, Michigan has fairly strict gun control laws, but not necessarily as draconian as what you might see in New York or California. The Giffords Law Center, a virulently anti-gun organization, gives Michigan a grade of C+. While one does have to have a license to open or concealed carry a firearm, the process does not seem to be as onerous as in other states.

If the state had stricter gun laws, this individual might not have been able to protect himself and others using his firearm. This is yet another example showing that making it harder for responsible Americans to arm themselves does not save lives.