We’ve seen it at work in several local incidents of late, including a father who shot and killed an intruder in his bedroom; a man who stood his ground and caused a burglar to flee; a woman who chased a guy with a stolen computer, allowing police to make an arrest shortly thereafter.

The latest incident occurred Friday night, when a Provo couple returned home and found a burglar in their garage. The husband confronted the man and called 911 while his wife ran to the neighbors for help. Several people corralled the guy until police arrived.

A common refrain from police is “Don’t confront; just observe and report.” That’s what Provo police Sgt. Brandon Post advised on Monday. Unfortunately, the police are not going to be conveniently at hand when a crime is being committed upon your person or property. They are not in the bedroom when the intruder says he has a gun or when somebody is mugging you in a dark parking lot. So what do you do?

Law-abiding Americans are morally justified in protecting themselves and enforcing the law whenever the cops are not around. All of our history and tradition point to that. It is true that one’s actions should be weighed against the dangers of a given circumstance, but it is a cultural distortion to say, “Just be a victim.”