A lot of Democrats effectively support a gun control policy that would have had the woman dead and the crazy dude running the streets looking for his next victim.

CUSHING — A woman with a shotgun was on the phone to a 911 dispatcher this morning in Lincoln County when she shot and killed an intruder who crashed through her back patio door.

Donna Jackson, 56, told the dispatcher a man she didn't know was at her sliding glass door to her back patio about 12:40 a.m. at 352112 E 800 Road south of the Cushing city limits, said Lincoln County Sheriff Chuck Mangion.

She was armed with a 16-gauge shotgun when the dispatcher heard the glass door smash and the shotgun blast, Mangion said.

A man identified as Billy Dean Riley, 53, was struck once in the chest and pronounced dead when emergency medical workers arrived, Mangion said.

Jackson was not harmed.

Jackson was home alone when her dog woke her up, Mangion said. She turned all the lights in the house on and then armed herself with the shotgun. Her husband was not home, Mangion said.

She went into her kitchen and saw a man trying to break in. The man saw her and screamed threats at her, Mangion said. She told him she was armed and on the phone with police, he said.

The man picked up a patio table and threw it through the patio door, Mangion said. He stepped into the kitchen and that is when she fired the fatal blast, striking him in the center of the chest, he said.

Deputies arrived and found the man lying on the back porch.

I recall a similar story about 10 years ago, when a middle-aged couple had to shoot a similarly deranged and aggressive intruder who had broken into their home. Meth-addled for sure.

I'm no gun nut by any stretch of the imagination, but a few years ago I decided that I would keep a loaded gun by my bed and in the car when travelling. I have insurance, I check my tire pressure and fluid levels, wear my seatbelt, eat sensibly and exercise regularly. Having a weapon "just in case" is just an extension of a reasonably cautious attitude.