When she realized her Walton County, Georgia home was being broken into by a man with a crowbar, she fled to the attic and hid with her two children and a loaded .38 revolver. While in the attic, she held two phones, one at each ear, with the 911 operator on one phone and her husband, Donnie Herman, on the other phone. Donnie felt stranded as he sat over an hour away from home. She was instructed by the 911 operator to stay calm in the attic until police arrived. "Melinda,” her husband instructed, “if he opens up the door, you shoot him! You understand?" (Phillips) The intruder did open the locked attic door, and in self-defense, Melinda shot him 5 times. Without her handgun, Melina would have been unable to protect her family. In the Phillips article, the Walton County Sheriff, Joe Chapman said: “Had it not turned out the way that it did, I would possibly be working a triple homicide.” Herman’s situation was very real, unfortunately, this incident is very similar to many others in America. Her quick thinking truly highlights how important the Second Amendment really is to the law-abiding citizens in America. Firearms not only allow for protection, but promote hunting and wildlife