Jennifer Wertz probably got up that day expecting it to be like most others. Get up, go to work, come home, do family stuff, go to bed. Such is the wheel of life.

However, it wasn’t like most days. That day, a man burst into her store and pointed a gun at her, which was a mistake…for him. Wertz didn’t walk away unscathed, however. She found herself suspended and soon looking for work.

Of course, with a job that expects you to be killed, unemployment might not be the worst thing possible.

Life has continued for Jennifer Wertz, and it did so in some unexpected ways.

While police may not be pressing charges, she now faces the challenge of finding a new job. However, there could be a change in fortune for Wertz. She is already receiving multiple job offers and overwhelming support from the community. Wertz said she plans to take some time off to deal with the emotional trauma of what she’s been through, before deciding what to do next, but she said Calibers Gun Shop and Shooting Range has already contacted her. “I would love to set up an interview and see if it’s a good fit for me and good fit for them,” she said.

In addition, there’s been an outpouring of support from people all over the country who want to help the single mother who is also taking care of her disabled mom.

People from all walks of life, hearing of Circle K’s termination of a long-time employee for merely defending herself, have responded to a Go Fund Me page. Ms. Wertz’s mother set it up and as of this writing, it stands at $71,500.

As of this writing, it’s over $72,000, which should be more than enough to cover Wertz as she takes a little time to process what happened, which I don’t blame her. I’ve never had to pull the trigger on a human being, but I can’t imagine it’s particularly easy. Luckily for her, she isn’t dealing with killing someone, which would be more difficult even if justified.

Frankly, I love that a gun store and range has reached out to her. After all, self-defense is a key part of the firearm industry, and Wertz has already proven she’s good with that. She even said as much to the local news station.

“And the law states that your home, your car and workplace is all an extension of your personal property, so you have the right to conceal your weapon,” she said. Wertz hopes her experience gives others the courage to protect themselves and take a stand against crime in Albuquerque. “They don’t have to be nonchalant and a sitting duck and bow down to these criminals, because that’s the problem,” she said. “We’ve bowed down so many times they’re now running our city. We need to stand up and show them that we are willing to protect ourselves and protect our home and protect what matters.”

I couldn’t agree more. Carrying a gun against company policy is something everyone has to decide for themselves, and I won’t tell anyone to go against their employer’s policies on the matter. After all, you could find yourself out of a job and I don’t want to be responsible for that. However, I will say that if criminals know they may face armed resistance when they try something like this, fewer of them will be inclined to do so.

Getting a real job would be far safer, after all.