Hmmm, I'm glad she's ok, but I'm surprised no one has said...
Why was she 'clearing her house' w/ the gun when she heard the noise?
I mean, I know we can't rely on accurate reporting, but it sounds like she woke up hearing a noise, went looking for the noise w/ her gun... put herself in a position of opening a door into an enclosed space, which seems to be off the porch of her house, possibly inside her living space, possibly not, knowing she has bad knees....
Certainly within her rights, and not trying to be judgemental based on one news report's account of the situation, but I'm just saying it might not have been the smartest way to handle it.
If someone does live near her, maybe they should drop off a copy of the 4 rules and some basic self defense info too, like call 911 and hold up in a safe place when you hear a noise, alhtough I know not all areas are created equal, and response times and attitudes of responders may vary, I'm just saying, she should do what she can to keep herself out of harm's way.
And like other's said, offer her some basic training, or a source to get some. Maybe get her to round up some neighbors w/ her new found notoriaty and encourage, train, maybe even convert some new folks in the area...
Just thinking out loud...but I'm glad she's ok, hope she gets her pistol back soon, or a back up from somewhere, I hate reading lines like that, to me it's the most irresponsible journalism possible, to basically broadcast someone is now defenseless, after giving their name and address, or enough info to locals to be able to locate her, either out of desparation for a thief, or retaliation from fellow criminals, gangs, or crazy family, etc.
Karz