Texas church shooting: Good guys with guns saved a congregation

A man walked into West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas and opened fire as the worship service was live-streamed. Viewers watching online saw the horrific scene play out in real-time. Thanks to the quick response of two armed volunteer security men, the shooter was stopped within six seconds. The video shows five other men springing into action from the church pews with handguns.

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White Settlement is ten miles northwest of Fort Worth. The church normally has about 280 parishioners attending Sunday services. During this church service, the lives of 240 people were spared when the shooter was shot and killed by armed security. His shotgun was kicked away by a member of the congregation. Good guys with guns saved the lives of loved ones, friends and neighbors. Wearing a dark hoodie, the shooter stood up from a back pew and opened fire with a shotgun. The shooting happened during communion.

The two church members who were shot by the man were taken to the hospital. One died en route, one died at the hospital.

Tiffany Wallace told Dallas TV station KXAS that her father, Anton “Tony” Wallace, was one of the victims killed in the attack. She said her father was a deacon at the church and had just passed out communion when the gunman approached him.

“I ran toward my dad, and the last thing I remember is him asking for oxygen, and I was just holding him, telling him I loved him and that he was going to make it,” Wallace said.

The gunman’s name has not been released as I write this Monday morning. FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno said they’re working on identifying the gunman’s motive. He is “relatively transient” but had roots in the area. The shooter, DeSarno said, “had been arrested multiple times in the past.” He was not on any watch lists. DeSarno didn’t release any additional details.

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From the comment of the FBI special agent, it sounds as though this man shouldn’t have been in possession of a firearm, depending on what his “multiple” arrests were. After the Sutherland Springs church shooting occurred on November 5, 2017, lawmakers came together to address the problem of unarmed church congregations. A law was passed to allow licensed handgun owners to legally carry their weapons in places of worship and went into effect earlier this year. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke to the effectiveness of the new law.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the incident was over within six seconds thanks to the quick response of the security team members. Recent changes in Texas law allow licensed gun owners to carry firearms into houses of worship.

“Two of the parishioners who are volunteers on the security force drew their weapons and took out the killer immediately, saving untold number of lives,” he said.

At the time of the implementation of the new law, gun grabbers were quick to disparage Texans for wanting to protect themselves and their loved ones by way of concealed carry. The fallacy of gun-free zones is that the victims are unarmed, following the law. The bad guys don’t follow laws, obviously. A gun-free sign in the front of a building may make those squeamish about guns feel better but it doesn’t increase public safety. Disarming law-abiding citizens isn’t the answer. The congregants in this small Texas church prove the people wishing to deny gun owners the ability to protect themselves and others is wrong-headed. At the time Governor Abbott signed into law the state legislation, Joe Biden was quick to call his actions “irrational”. Slow Joe is a part of the problem. He dissed Governor Abbott on the subject the day after the mass murder in the Walmart in El Paso.

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“Dealing with firearms, it is irrational, with all due respect to the governor of Texas, irrational what they are doing,” Biden told reporters on September 2. “On the very day you see a mass shooting … and we’re talking about loosening access to have guns, to be able to take them into places of worship, it’s just absolutely irrational. It’s totally irrational.”

Biden continued, saying that any weapon that was capable of carrying “magazines that can hold multiple bullets” should be banned – which is nearly all firearms.

“It’s no violation of the Second Amendment,” Biden falsely claimed.

Later asked if there could be any compromises with Republicans on the issue, Biden responded, “None. None on this. I think this is no compromise. This is one we have to just push, and push, and push, and push, and push.”

Who is “irrational” now, Joe?

I live in Texas. I’ll end with this – God bless Texas.

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