Anti-gun zealots like to say that there’s no reason to use an AR-15 or similar rifle. They claim there’s no use for it in civilian hands, that they’re weapons of war that are only good for killing human beings.

Well, I’d love for someone to tell that to a Florida girl and her family after what sounds like the most Florida thing humanly possible.

With a single shot from his AR-15 rifle, a Lake County deputy sheriff quickly put an end to a large alligator that had a teenage girl trapped in a tree for nearly an hour, authorities said Monday. Jordan Broderick, 15, was eventually able to climb safely down from the tree, according to a sheriff’s report. Just after 3 p.m. Friday, the Sheriff’s Office received calls from Michael Henderson of Titusville and other family members, saying that his daughter couldn’t come down from a tree near a boat ramp because a 10-foot alligator sat at the base of the tree hissing at her for more than 30 minutes, the report said. “My daughter’s stuck in a frickin’ tree and there’s gators surrounding her!” the teenager’s mother said frantically to a 911 operator. “Oh my God! Please hurry! Please hurry!”

The girl was apparently floating when she saw the gators moving quickly toward her. She then grabbed hold of a low-hanging tree branch and climbed up to safety.

The deputy put the gator down with an AR-15, which I’m sure anti-gunners will point to and claim it doesn’t count because it was a police officer. Of course, that’s bovine excrement. This isn’t a situation that only the police would be in. Had anyone else had an AR-15 or similar rifle, it would have served just as well.

Unfortunately, the left has stigmatized gun ownership well enough that carrying something like that so it’s handy if needed is considered the mark of a paranoid individual. The fact that this little girl could have died waiting on the deputy to arrive is irrelevant to some folks.

The deputy made the right call, of course, but it would have been ideal if he’d just been there to take the report on the weapon being discharged and called it a day. The one thing you should never do is to count on the police being able to save you.

Yes, in this case, they did. Thankfully. The next time? Well, that person might not be so lucky.

Have the means to deal with threats, even four-legged threats, and make sure it’s sufficient to do the blasted job. Let’s be honest, there’s something to be said about the AR-15 as a truck gun, and I’m not even a fan of the truck gun concept (due to theft, nothing else). If people call you paranoid, just smile like you know something they don’t and move on. The truth is, you probably a know a lot of things they don’t.

For example, you know how to be prepared and not wait for the government to swoop in to save you.

Hat tip: The Truth About Guns