A potentially dangerous situation turned out well for a Natchez homeowner last weekend after he caught a burglar red-handed and held the man at gunpoint until police could arrive.

We applaud resident Michael Blattner for his efforts and control when he found the man in the act.

First, he has every right to defend his property and we’re happy he did so.

He could have easily reacted quickly and pulled the trigger on his pistol and ended the thief’s life.

Some residents will say, “That’s what should have happened. We’d have one less thief in the world if he had.”

That’s easy to say when the man arrested isn’t someone you know or a relative.

The truth is criminals are still people and their lives still matter.

In this case, it was fortunate that the thief wasn’t armed or a gun battle may have ensued.

Such cases also always bring up the gun control opponents and proponents.

We’ve long believed that background checks on the legal purchase of guns should be a must, but we acknowledge that just like a thief who has no regard for someone else’s property, a criminal who wants a gun will get one, regardless of the means necessary.

Fail the background check? No problem, they say, I’ll just steal one.

The solution to our nation’s — and our community’s — crime problem is going to be citizens such as Blattner who don’t merely discount a strange noise or something that seems out of place, but instead pick up the phone and call the police or sheriff’s office to investigate.

Criminals will only win if we let them. More law-abiding citizens exist in our community than law-breakers. We simply have to stand up for our community and ourselves.