A home-schooled 11-year-old boy in Talladega, Alabama obviously has learned more than just the Three Rs.  Emily Sal writes in the New York Post:

Youngster Chris Gaither was just chilling at home with his dogs when he heard a suspicious noise on the second floor of his Talladega, AL, home, he told NBC affiliate WVTM-TV.

Gaither grabbed a knife and went to investigate, but when the intruder saw the blade he pulled a gun.

“He was coming down the stairs, that’s when he told me he was going to kill me, f-you and all that,” the boy told the station.

Unfazed, Gaither grabbed a nearby .9mm handgun, and threatening to kill the man if he didn’t scram.

“I guess when I pulled the gun out on him, he didn’t think it was a real gun, cause he didn’t worry about it,” the boy said. “He just kept on walking.”

Once the thief was outside, lugging a hamper full of stolen loot, the 11-year-old emptied the magazine — firing 12 shots before the intruder had even made it to the edge of the yard.

The unidentified intruder was hospitalized with one bullet wound in his leg, so maybe a little more marksmanship training lies ahead for Chris. Still, he did stop the theft and the burglar will recover.

Young Chris is lucky to live in a state that allows the use of deadly force against an armed intruder.  In California and other states, he would be prosecuted.  When I first acquired firearms and learned about the law in the Golden State, I was told that I could not use a gun against an intruder unless I had both a reasonable fear for my life and no possibility of flight from the threat.

Chris had a few words for the burglar, whom he described as a “meth head” who had robbed his home before:

“I hope you learned your lesson from coming to this house trying to steal stuff,” Gaither warned.

“Be brave, you’ll be okay,” the boy continued. “Trust God.”