Without Effective Means for Self-defense...

The old will be easy prey for the young and the violent. Two Charged With Beating Elderly Couple. Police are seeking a third person.

Police said the three men beat 70-year-old C.F. Ewing and his 68-year-old wife, Epsie Ewing, before stealing $117 from them. The men were meeting the Ewings under the pretense of buying their truck, police said.

Epsie Ewing is listed in critical condition at Atlanta Medical Center. Her husband has since been released from the hospital.

The wife suffered multiple fractures to her face and arms - a brutal attack.

Now there are no guarantees in this life. If the Ewings had a plan for their self-defense, they had no guarantee that it would work. But you have to have a plan.

You also have to have the means. Without a tool to equalize the field - like a firearm and appropriate training - an elderly couple is going to have a hard time defending themselves from three young, brutal thugs.

With all the attention that Craig's List has received in the past few weeks, everyone should know that people coming to your house, even in answer to an advert, are people you don't know, and therefore a potential threat.

The 2 bad guys are charged with robbery and aggravated assault. Hardly worth $117.