A grandmother who used a concealed weapon to shoot a would-be-thief is getting a medal from the city of Rio de Janeiro.  A self-defense action being received so enthusiastically is quite a breath of fresh air, especially for someone with the New Jersey perspective.  This is in Brazil no less, where they recently conducted a highly publicized yet unsuccessful referendum to ban guns.

The bad news is she is going to be charged for illegal possession of the gun.  Using a firearm in self-defense should really be an affirmative defense (i.e., justification) against charges of illegal possession.  She has demonstrated that she was justified in carrying it and morally should be exculpated from the charge. Heck, carrying an unlicensed weapon in the absence of any crime or demonstrable intent to commit a crime should be nothing more than an administrative violation not a criminal one.  In a perfect world.