Out of all of the amendments to the United States Constitution, the Second Amendment is one of the most important. This is because it protects our right to bear arms. Doing so gives people the ability to protect themselves and others from harm.

For example, earlier this week, a father in Oklahoma tried killing his two infant children. Thankfully, a 12-year-old girl was able to run to a neighbor for help. He grabbed a gun, raced over, and saved the day, further demonstrating the importance of gun ownership. Firearms literally save lives and help protect the most vulnerable in our society.

According to reports, the neighbor, Cash Freeman, was relaxing in his home when a 12-year-old girl from next door ran up to his house and screamed for help. When he asked her what was wrong, she told him that his neighbor was trying to kill his wife. Alarmed, he grabbed a revolver that he keeps for protection and hurried next door.

Upon entering the house, he made his way to the bathroom. There, he found his neighbor, Leland Foster, holding his estranged wife, Michelle Forrells, at knife-point while he attempted to drown his two 3-month-old children. Thinking quickly, Freeman aimed his revolver at Foster and shot him dead, saving the children.

This is not the first time Foster tried harming other people. Back in 2011, he pleaded “no contest” to charges of arson and domestic violence by strangulation in the first degree. He was accused of choking his ex-girlfriend and setting some of her clothes on fire inside her apartment.

Unsurprisingly, the incident shocked nearby residents. One neighbor, Summer Piece, who called the incident “awful,” was particularly affected because she personally knew the mother. “I’ve held the babies, and I’ve played with them, and I just gave them clothes,” she told reporters. When asked what she thought about the shooting, she replied, “I think he did the right thing, because who knows what would happen? Who knows what would have happened to the babies if he hadn’t intervened? They might not have made it.” Fortunately, he did intervene. Thanks to his brave actions, the two infants are “doing great.”

Although the killing of Foster was undeniably justified, it’s up to a district attorney to officially decide whether or not the shooting was a “justifiable homicide.” Given that it took place in Oklahoma, it’s likely that it’ll be considered justifiable. This is because the state has broad protections for gun owners living who act in the defense of themselves or others.

Situations like this underscore just how important it is to own guns. Without a gun, Freeman might not have been able to stop Foster from killing the two children and would have likely been killed as well. There are countless stories similar to this one. Earlier this year, for instance, a man with a concealed weapon saved patrons at a restaurant in Texas by killing a deranged criminal who stormed in and murdered the restaurant’s manager. And before that, an employee with a gun stopped an armed robber’s attempt to rob a convenience store.

Despite this, many continue to push for more gun restrictions even though doing so puts people’s lives in danger. Just recently, lawmakers in Oregon proposed legislation making it easier for people to have their personal firearms confiscated. Specifically, the legislation states, “a peace officer or a family or household member of a person [to] file a petition requesting that the court issue an extreme risk protection order enjoining [a] person from having in the [their] custody or control, owning, purchasing, possessing or receiving, or attempting to purchase or receive, a firearm or ammunition.” This means that some people would be prohibited from possessing any guns for a year and forced to “hand over any guns in their possession,” despite not committing any crimes.

Conservatives must not let the authoritarian left continue to take away our gun rights. Guns are one of the best things a person can use to defend themselves from danger. Anyone supporting laws restricting guns needs to be voted out of office immediately because doing so jeopardizes the lives of countless innocent people.