Lessons to be Learned About the Church Shooting
As the details began emerging about the church shooting on Sunday, gun zealots immediately began boasting and calling for even fewer restrictions on gun ownership in Texas, which already has some of the worst gun laws in the US and is experiencing an explosion of gun violence as a result. Why? The shooter was taken down by a “volunteer” security guard, and about a half a dozen other parishioners were also carrying guns. Bolstered by this fact, idiots like Jonathan Stickland, the goofball state rep from Bedford who actually wants to loosen gun laws even further, boasted how “constitutional carry” (translation: no licensing, no training, no ID confirmation) would save lives. Ken Paxton, who has now avoided trial for almost 5 years for multiple felony charges, chimed in, “We can’t prevent mental illness from occurring, and we can’t prevent every crazy person from pulling a gun. But we can be prepared like this church was.”
Both Stickland and Paxton are wrong on both counts. Objective data-based research has proven over and over that more guns equals more gun violence, everywhere, every time, all the time. Unlicensed carry and unregulated gun sales is not only bad public policy, it’s just downright stupid, and it’s stupid by the numbers. But there are lessons that can be learned here. Here’s how I see it:
First, the “volunteer” security guard is Jack Wilson, a firearms instructor who owns a gun range in Hood County. He trains and coordinates the security team in the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement where the shooting occurred. He took out the gunman with ONE SHOT to the head at what looks like a distance of about 10 yards. That is very difficult to do, and only someone who is highly trained can do that, especially in a live fire situation. The rest of his team coordinated together to protect the other parishioners and begin evacuation. The result here proves that guns, in the hands of highly trained experts, can save lives. It also demonstrates that guns, in untrained hands, can have unintended consequences, like killing other innocents.
Second, the shooter had a rap sheet as long as your arm, including illegal gun possession and felony assault. He had no business with a gun. How did he get his hands on the shotgun he used? We don’t know yet, but Texas, like many other states, allows private gun sales without a background check. This is one of the most stupid laws we have which allows a private transaction between two people, with no intermediary like a licensed gun dealer to check for criminal record. Also, the NICS background check system has more holes than Swiss cheese, including making it VOLUNTARY for states to report criminal records and mental health adjudications. Some local police agencies inconsistently report, some don’t do it timely. Even the Air Force has failed to report to the NICS system, which is how the church shooter in Sutherland Springs got his hands on the AR-15 he used to massacre the congregation there.
Third, one of those killed was a trained security guard for the church. One thing the FBI found in it’s active shooter study in 2014 was that armed people trying to stop a shooting are themselves shot almost 47% of the time. Think about this – almost HALF of trained law enforcement officers who engage an active shooter are themselves shot. A much better result is to keep guns out of the hands of potential shooters than to put police and armed civilians in harm’s way.
Fourth, the security team identified that guy as suspicious when he came in and were on high alert. Wilson even said he was wearing a wig and a fake beard, and was in a long overcoat. Had they approached him earlier, they could have prevented the two deaths he caused before Wilson killed him. The lesson here? Even highly trained people make mistakes, and when the bad guy has a gun the results are deadly, even when the good guys are armed, too.
Overall, we know that more guns do NOT equal more safety; in fact the opposite is true by the numbers. However, highly trained people (like the police) can prevent gun deaths, even though those occurrences are rare. Instead of crowing about undoing more gun laws, our politicians should be working to fix them. I’m not holding my breath.
Guns are like cars – dangerous if used by someone lacking proper training.
1“Objective data-based research”… There ya go with yer sciencey facts and stuff. 😉
2Good stuff, El Jefe! But for Pete’s sake, does anyone expect Paxton and his ilk (there are a lot of them) to ever stop themselves from acting like free range chickens on any damn thing. Would like your thoughts on what might have gone down if the security guards had approached the shooter while seated in the congregation.
3While I agree that we need to rework the whole system, we are here and now, and have to deal with things as they are today. Which is why I’ll continue to be armed, as I have been for ~60 years.
Yes, mostly the Rethugs, NRA, arms mfg&dealers have put a much changed society into this sorry state. Maybe it can be resolved, though I doubt it [like our F’ed up medical care system].
You even mentioned the Sutherland Springs church massacre, which is just a few miles away from me.
The perpetrator of that one had free reign inside the church, he killed 26 people and wounded 20 more, in a few –unchallenged– minutes. He was then engaged by an armed neighbor while leaving the building, wounded, and pursued some miles up a road I used to commute on. The killer finally crashed and died [of wounds or suicide, don’t remember]. Possibly an armed churchgoer there could have minimized the killer’s effect, maybe not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutherland_Springs_church_shooting
[BTW, the preacher at that church, Frank Pomeroy, after building a multimillion-dollar replacement church complex [donations…] in a village of 600, is likely going to be running for political office soon, –as a RWNJ guntoter judging from video interviews–; he might be running against Dem Rep. Henry Cuellar, TX-28…]
I find that watching the inevitable video/news clips of these incidents is disturbing, it’s insane that we’ve come to this. But I’ll take the usual personal precautions, vote for Democrats [and always against the Rescummies], and wait for the whole mess to shake out.
.
BTW, Biden is looking an even worse choice, recently whiffing on a question about maybe picking a goddamned Rethug as his VP. No Joe, it isn’t even the slightest of options, period; and you should have bristled at the suggestion, rather than politely leaving the door open.
4Numerous studies show that trained police hit their target fewer than 1/3 of the time in a shooting situation (New Orleans PD = 25%). Civilians who face little more training than going to the range to shoot at paper targets are more likely to shoot and wound/kill one of their own than the assailant.
The John Wayne mentality projected by gun nuts is harmful and disgusting but they’ll never let facts get in the way of their desire to kill a crook for Jesus.
5Repubanon #1 … also you need a license to drive a car.
6Not only do you need a license to drive a car, you also are required to carry insurance on that car. Because it’s dangerous, and there’s a chance you will hit somebody.
The gun is also dangerous, and there is also a chance you will hit somebody. Why aren’t gun owners required to carry insurance?
7One of the individuals killed was one of the armed ‘security’ personnel. So an armed man presumably on alert was still killed by the bad guy. So much for the ‘good guy with a gun making a difference’ theory……it’s clearly an imperfect solution. While research shows reducing access to guns does work.
8There was another shooting in FtW back in September, 1999. 8 people were gunned down at Wedgwood Baptist Church. Knowing people who attend both congregations makes this senseless violence hit close to home. Cannot justify the idea that more guns means less violence, no matter how you spin it. Our so called leaders will once again pay lip service to the fallen while voting for the NRA money line that keeps them flush with election contributions.
9Overlooked in church and synagogue incidents this week: neither had automatic weapons-just a machete and a shotgun. Could have been very different if the perpetrators had used more lethal weapons.
10If anyone could actually read The Constitution, that person would know that Amendment II states
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
So enlist in our National Guard or another of our military services and be properly trained.
When I was an officer trainee, the USAF taught our Class 62E gun safety, then taught us how to actually shoot a hand gun.
Later as a paying officer to enlisted tech school airmen, I was required to be armed when I was paying the troops actual cash money.
11