Mom who shot intruder inspires gun control foes Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 4:49 pm, Wednesday, January 9, 2013 (AP) — A Georgia mother who shot an intruder at her home has become a small part of the roaring gun control debate, with some firearms enthusiasts touting her as a textbook example of responsible gun ownership. Melinda Herman grabbed a handgun and hid in a crawl space with her two children when a man broke in last week and approached the family at their home northeast of Atlanta, police said. Herman called her husband on the phone, and with him reminding her of the lessons she recently learned at a shooting range, Herman opened fire, seriously wounding the burglary suspect. The National Rifle Association tweeted a link to a news story about the shooting, and support poured in from others online, hailing Herman as a hero. Herman took her 9-year-old son and daughter into an upstairs bedroom and locked the door. Melinda Herman told police she started shooting the man when he opened the door to the crawl space. Police found the SUV on another subdivision street and discovered a man bleeding from his face and body in a nearby wooded area.