A Georgia homeowner was forced to use his firearm to defend himself after an intruder broke into his residence. The incident further underscores the importance of gun ownership and the ability to defend oneself even in one's own home.

The situation started when an intruder carrying a knife broke into the resident’s home.

Just before 2 a.m., the Fayette County 911 got a call from a resident in north Fayette County about a possible intruder in his house. At the same time, they also received a notice from the alarm company for that residence.

Deputies were just a couple of minutes away. They say the homeowner armed himself with a gun and confronted the intruder in the basement. Investigators say the intruder was armed had a knife.

Deputies say the homeowner warned the intruder before shooting him. Investigators say the homeowner then left the basement and took up a position to protect his family on the second floor at the staircase.

"There, he took his stand as the subject made his way up to the second floor. [He] made the comment, something to the effect of, ‘You’re going to have to kill me.’ When the resident fired a second shot. That was about the time the deputies got there. From we can tell, he was coming down the stairway with a second gunshot wound," said Fayette County Sheriff Barry Babb. "At that point, they actually still struggled with him [as they] took him into custody."

What is even more alarming about this incident is that the suspect was also wanted for murder and a slew of other crimes:

Investigator do say the suspect has a long criminal history and may be connected to a murder that occurred outside of Georgia. They are not releasing where, but say they are working with law enforcement from that area as the investigation continues.

Fortunately for the homeowner, he happens to live in a state that does not impose strict gun control laws. His being a gun owner ensured that he had the ability to defend himself from a potential murderer. While law enforcement has not released much detail about his criminal history, the fact that he is wanted for murder says all we need to know about how dangerous this situation could have become, especially had the homeowner not been armed. It's situations like these that show you that one can never know when they might be placed in a dangerous situation.

It is also worth noting that the police arrived shortly after the resident shot the intruder for the second time. They essentially arrived just in time to take the individual into custody, which further conveys a popular maxim in the gun community: “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.”

Another noteworthy component of this story is that the resident did not rush to shoot the intruder. Instead, he issued a warning first, and only when it became clear the assailant wasn’t going to back down, he fired his weapon. This could potentially protect him if he happens to live in an area where the prosecutor doesn’t look favorably on self-defense. It might also be helpful if, for some wacky reason, the attempted assailant decides to file a civil lawsuit against the homeowner.

All in all, this was another situation in which an armed citizen used his firearm to protect his life and property. Once again, this story shows why it is important for people to be responsibly armed.