A Georgia mother who shot an intruder in her home five times out of self-defense is being lauded as a hero by some.
The National Rifle Association posted the story of the mother and her two children last week, just after the Friday incident occurred. Melinda Herman was at home with her two children when an intruder broke into their Loganville home.
Paul Slater, the man identified in the incident, had rung the doorbell to the house several times before entering. Herman responded by retrieving her gun and then gathering her children to hide in a bathroom crawl space. Herman called her husband Donnie at work as Slater neared their hiding space.
"He's in the bedroom? Shh, shh, relax. Just remember everything that I showed you, everything that I taught you, all right?" Donnie Herman is heard telling his wife in a recording of the phone call, which was retrieved by the Huffington Post. The husband explained that he had previously taken his wife to a shooting range.
When Slater opened the door to the crawl space in which the family was hiding, Melinda opened fire, shooting Slater five times.
"The man pleaded with her to stop, but she kept firing until she had emptied her rounds, she told police," according to the Post.
The NRA shared the story on their Twitter account, prompting many to consider Melinda Herman a hero and example of why gun ownership protection is necessary.
Opponents argued that Herman was armed with a handgun, a type of weapon that would not be targeted for removal if new gun control efforts were put in place.
The president has stated the he would support legislation to reinstate the ban on assault weapons, and to outlaw high-capacity ammunition magazines.
"My wife is a hero. She protected her kids. She did what she was supposed to do as responsible, prepared gun owner," Donnie Herman told WSB-TV, a local news station.
Reports did not state whether or not Slater was armed at the time of the robbery.
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