It’s perhaps every person’s greatest fear: getting senselessly gunned down on a Sunday morning at church. While Americans don’t have to deal with that scenario to the same extent that Christians in, say, Iraq or Syria do, it’s still something that can and does happen from time to time.
Shootings in churches often result in large numbers of casualties, as many states require churches to remain gun-free zones. Not only is banning guns in churches an infringement of the God-given right to bear arms, it’s also an infringement on the private property rights of churches, which should be able to govern for themselves the rules concerning carriage of firearms on their property. But not all churches are gun-free zones.
Just last week a church in Texas became the target of a crazed gunman. But thanks to armed and vigilant congregants, the would-be mass shooter was neutralized and numerous lives were undoubtedly saved.
The incident, which took place at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, TX, featured a gunman pulling out a shotgun from underneath his coat and firing twice before an armed congregant returned fire. The entire incident lasted less than six seconds, and the quick response of the armed churchgoer ended the gunman’s actions so that he couldn’t harm any more innocent people.
How many people in churches across the country have fallen victim in similar incidents, and didn’t benefit from having armed churchgoers present to prevent such tragedies? These churchgoers were fortunate that they lived in Texas and that there were numerous armed people present in the church. They’re also fortunate that the governor of Texas signed legislation allowing people to come to church armed, despite the protestations of gun grabbers like Joe Biden.
But had this incident occurred in California, New York, or Washington, DC, it undoubtedly would have resulted in dozens of deaths. This should be a lesson to all would-be gun grabbers that the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is still and always will be a good guy with a gun.