"A woman in a car who saw the attack honked her horn to try to get the dogs to stop..."

"Police have warned residents to be on the lookout for the pit bulls, which remain on the loose..."

Sheriff officials say they are using a helicopter to search for the four tan-coloured dogs in the rural community of Littlerock, about 40 miles (65km) northeast of the city of Los Angeles.

"When the first deputy on scene saw one dog still attacking the woman, he tried to chase the dog away," Lt Corina said. "The dog ran off into the desert, then turned around and attacked the deputy, the deputy fired a round at the dog and tried to kill the dog, and the dog took off into the desert."...

"It's really scary... I really think I'm going to be getting a gun to protect myself," Littlerock resident Diane Huffman told KABC-TV.

It's great to take action to protect yourself, but I note that the multiple cops were unsuccessful trying to shoot one dog when they showed up prepared for the attack and the dog was running away. The woman was jumped by 4 dogs in a sudden, surprising attack. If she'd had a gun, would she have won the fight?