IIRC the door was unlocked, and the good Dr. was napping on the couch. they beat him with baseball bats, hogtied him, and threw hiim in the basement. over time he was able to free himself, where the only sane option available to him was to go to the neighbors and call police.
had there been a handgun in the basement, he would have had a more immediate option.
That’s the scary thing about home invasions. They can happen at just about any time. One should always keep their doors locked and have a good mid to large sized dog. And of course have access to a loaded gun.