Homeowner exchanges gunfire with pair of would-be burglars in middle of night. Homeowner's aim is much better.

Chalk up yet another crook who's learned the often painful lesson that fewer and fewer Americans are succumbing to victimhood as more and more of them take charge of their own protection, put the Second Amendment into practice, and arm themselves with guns.

What happened?

Sheriff's deputies said two individuals attempted to burglarize a home in Joshua Tree, California, just after 1 a.m. Monday, the Hi-Desert Star reported. At least one of the burglars was armed with a gun.

Unfortunately for the crooks, the homeowner also had a gun at the ready.

And after the homeowner confronted the burglars, a shootout ensued at the home in the 6000 block of Del Oro Road, the paper said.

When the smoke cleared, one of the burglars — 36-year-old Joshua Watson of Apple Valley — was shot in the leg, the Star said.

The homeowner was not hurt, the paper added.

The whereabouts of Watson's unnamed accomplice aren't clear.

Several people called 911 to report the shooting, the Star noted.

“There was an exchange of gunfire between the homeowner and either Watson or his unknown friend,” Sgt. Scott Stafford told the paper. “At this point we are still trying to figure out who it was.”

What happened next?

Watson was treated for his injuries and arrested for attempted burglary, weapon charges, and a probation violation, the Star said, adding that he was booked into the West Valley Detention Center without bail.

Turns out this wasn't the first time Watson had a run-in with the law. The paper said he also faces charges for inflicting corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant and making criminal threats in a case filed last May.

The Star said court dates for the burglary charges had not been set.

Anything else?

Those with information for the investigation should call Deputy J. Galindo at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Morongo Basin Station, at 760-366-4175 or leave an anonymous tip at 888-782-7463, the paper said.