True, California law did not stand in the way of that lady possessing a firearm, but propaganda machines like the Brady campaign warp peoples thinking and contribute to citizen disarmament regardless of law.
I wouldn't necessarily jump the the conclusion that gun laws have nothing to do with it. That is a lot of assuming.
I have known people that thought about purchasing a gun and decided not to after the whole 10 day waiting period and the paperwork involved made it seem like a really big 'evil' decision, rather than just a decision to purchase an expensive tool.
For example I know a woman who was having problems with her ex-boyfriend who she had broken up with. She called the police, even had him arrested previously.
She went to purchase a firearm she could barely afford (have to thank laws against Saturday Night Specials), and then learned about the waiting period which I think was 15 days at the time.
She needed it immediately, and so decided not to get something that she didn't really have money for.
She was later kidnapped and raped over a period of several days before the policecaught them and the ex was arrested.
I don't remember if the incident happened more than 15 days after trying to get a gun. I think it did because there was several other incidents in the meantime where the police came out to her residence and he escaped before they arrived.
I do however know it was the fact that there was a waiting period that kept the woman from purchasing one.
But I guess to many that is a win/win. She didn't get a gun, nobody was shot, and she was not killed, nor was the ex killed, even though the ex stated if he couldn't have her, nobody would, and may have been going to kill her before being arrested (were on the way to Mexico when caught and he made many such statements.)
So for all you know this lady in the OP's story, or her husband thought about purchasing a gun and were turned off by the "vibes" given by the required process. The paperwork required, the waiting period, the required locks.
For all you know there was in fact a gun in the home, they just stored it the way the Brady's recommend, locked, unloaded in a safe with a child lock installed even while home.
Retrieving, unlocking, and loading a firearm one has little practice with while adrenalin is pumping and criminals are in the home suddenly becomes a lot more complicated than making a phone call to 911 as she did.
Especialy if there is multiple firearms, multiple types of ammunition, and she does not know much about them, they are primarily her husband's (as is the case in many households), and her knowledge consists of 'point and shoot at bad guy' not locking and unlocking, loading and unloading, turning off the safety etc.
Many such individual's limited range time was with the gun loaded for them, husband helping them, and does not prepare them to defend themselves with a firearm that is put away with locks, perhaps even unloaded when thier forebrain constricts, and they go into fight or flight with adrenaline and fear clouding thier thoughts.
So even assuming they had no firearms is assuming a lot. There may indeed have been firearms in the home "properly" stored and worthless for her defense.