Law enforcement officers, understandably, often are wary of citizens taking the law into their own hands, specifically pulling a weapon and firing at a criminal.
But one sheriff in Missouri is praising the idea that those competent in handling firearms can help deter crime.
"As long as you've got store owners or store employees who are well trained and proficient with firearms, more power to them," said Taney County Sheriff Jimmie Russell.
He was commenting to Ozarks First, a part of Nexstar Broadcasting, about a situation in Branson in which a man allegedly trying to rob a pharmacy was chased off by an employee who saw the danger, pulled his own handgun, fired one shot, and hit him in the side.
"When this individual went in the store, brandishing a gun and pointing it at people, they didn't know whether he might try to shoot them [or not]. They... were in fear of their lives," Russell said.
"So when this employee stepped around and fired a shot, he definitely turned the robber's attention away from doing the robbery and to making him flee," the sheriff said, according to reports.
The suspect was identified as a 33-year-old man and he was being treated for his wound, authorities said.
According to the Ozarks First report, investigators said the man entered a Family Pharmacy with a handgun and demanded pills.
The worker, "armed with his own handgun, fired one shot at the suspect – hitting him in the side," the report said.
Authorities said the suspect fired several shots while running away, but no one was hit.
He was found at a nearby apartment complex and, based on a description, was taken into custody, authorities reported.
At the Guns Save Lives online site, a commentator said, "After being shot, the suspect was much less inclined to continue the robbery…"
"This is the 43rd defensive gun use we've documented in the state of Missouri, and the 1,304th defensive gun use we've documented overall," the blog said.
"This incident is … one of the most common types of defensive gun uses. That is, one in which no one was killed."
Charges were pending, and a woman caught in the car with the suspect when he was arrested was questioned.
See a report on the situation: