Wow--look...A gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen saves another life.

This is the sort of story that undoubtedly makes Sarah Brady and Chuck Schumer very sad, if only because it underscores the fact that guns in the hands of good people are beneficial to society.

A 53-year-old woman will spend 30 years in prison for participating in a home invasion robbery in December 2009 that left a Northeast Baltimore homeowner dead, the city State's Attorney's Office announced on Friday.

Bonnie Lee Lizor had pleaded guilty to a first-degree murder charge and was sentenced this week. Her accomplice, Austin Lassiter, 28, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Police said the two suspects broke into a house in the 4700 block of Glenarm Ave., the same block on which Lizor lived at the time.

A friend of the victim, who was walking by, heard "unusual noises" from the house and went inside, prosecutors said. Police said that the friend took out a 9mm handgun he had been carrying and detained Lizor until officers arrived.The other suspect escaped but was arrested a short time later.

Authorities said they found 64-year-old David Monath tied up and unresponsive. Prosecutors said the victim had been beaten and then suffered a heart attack during the break-in. Lizor told police that she and her friend knew that Monath was "known to possess valuable items."

Gee, it sure is a good thing that that friend of the victim was carrying a 9mm handgun, isn't it? Maybe the Maryland legislature needs to think about this the next time they vote down a concealed-carry law in that state. (Yes, that means that the hero was more than likely carrying this handgun without permission of the state.)