The Quick and the Dead

Disclaimer: The facts surrounding this situation are still incomplete. Also, I understand that the word “quick” as used in the phrase I chose to title this piece does not refer to speed. It still applies.

As I write this, only the most fundamental details surrounding today’s shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas have been revealed. So far there are said to be two dead (including the attacker) and one critically injured.

First, it appears that an armed congregant engaged the attacker almost immediately. Screen captures from a livestream of the service show a church member with a handgun, though it is not yet clear if the attacker was killed by the defender or by his own hand. Either way, quick intervention minimized the number of dead. There is no way that an armed police officer could have been summoned and responded as quickly.

Second, the anti-gun movement moves quickly to exploit events such as these as opportunities to spread lies. Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, wasted no time in taking to Twitter to attempt to lay blame on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for his role in allowing guns in Texas churches.

She says this with full knowledge that murderers do not care whether guns are allowed any more than they care whether murder is allowed. She says this, as if disallowing guns in churches would have prevented this crime. This is a lie.

Third, do not let anyone tell you that you cannot prevail against a long gun if you are armed only with a handgun. It has been done before, and appears to have been done again. Even if the attacker killed himself, the presence of rapid armed resistance…even with only a handgun…ended it quickly.

Can you make that shot?

It is better to be quick than to be dead. Carry your gun. Train. Train some more.

YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.