Charlie Blackmore Jr. is a hero for using his legal gun to stop a woman from getting beaten by her ex-boyfriend in West Allis.

Unfortunately, it doesn't solve the problem with too many guns out there.

Many NRA folks who support the position that more Americans should arm themselves as a way to deter violent crime were likely pleased to hear about the scenario that Blackmore, a 32-year-old Marine veteran, found himself in early this week.

Blackmore was driving home when he saw a man attacking the woman in West Allis. He stopped his car, got out and drew his gun when the man started to approach him.

Blackmore, who has a concealed carry gun permit, kept an eye on the man while calling for police. After West Allis police arrived, the man was arrested; the woman, who described her assailant as an ex-boyfriend, was injured badly but safe.

The incident was a positive version of the concealed carry narrative that suggests residents with guns can be lifesavers when the police aren't around to protect and serve.

It's basically the same philosophy that Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has been promoting for weeks, the fact that residents can't really depend on police protection so they should own their own guns.

Blackmore reportedly owns about eight guns.

My take on this story is that I'm glad Blackmore was able to help a defenseless woman from being hurt but it's still not the solution for a problem many people see as getting dangerously out of hand as they search for ways to curb the easy access to more guns in society.

For all the people who used Blackmore as a symbol of what goes right with guns, I felt compelled to remind them that around the same time he was receiving praise for his lawful and competent use of his firearm, four people were killed in upstate New York by a 64-year-old man with a shotgun who was later killed in a shoot-out with police.

And in yet another testament to the madness of gun violence in Chicago, a precious six month old girl was killed after being shot five times during what was been described as a gang related shooting. She was just the latest in a long list of young victims killed by violent gang-bangers in that city who find ways to get deadly firearms way too easy.

I'm glad Blackmore was able to summon an inner Clint Eastwood to stop a cowardly male beating on a woman but distinctions have to be made. The suspect wasn't armed and no shots were fired. As someone who was passing by  the scene and had time to consider his actions, Blackmore wasn't caught by surprise or ambushed by a criminal.

He had the advantage most crime victims don't even if they have a concealed carry  permit.

He deserves all the praise he's received but if he's honest, Blackmore will concede his experience wasn't typical. He was fortunate to ride up on a crime scene where cops weren't available in order to basically perform a citizen's arrest.

That's not what happens in a typical life-or-death situation, regardless of what the sheriff or the NRA says; most police officers would likely agree Blackmore had everything in his favor during this particular incident.

The problem is that some people believe what Blackmore did could be easily duplicated by citizens without his military experience or gun training. They also tend to believe more examples of this type of citizen vigilance with guns would serve to bring about a new day where dangerous criminals would give up their evil ways because of the fear of being shot by their victims.

No, it doesn't sound feasible to me, either.

Blackmore proved that having a gun can be a benefit in some cases but it doesn't do much to solve the larger problem of what happens when people who don't have as much respect for deadly weapons are the ones in the headlines.

And usually, there are no heroes in sight.