‘This worked’: Texas AG credits new gun law with saving lives in church shooting

Texas should be a model for gun laws after heroic armed parishioners stopped a mass shooting at a church in White Settlement, Texas, on Sunday.

A recent change to Texas law explicitly allowed licensed gun owners to carry in houses of worship, and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton hopes that other states and churches will take note, Fox News reported.

“This [law] worked,” Paxton said on Fox News’ “The Story.” “We cannot stop every incident, and we can’t change the fact that there are people who are mentally ill.” Paxton also praised another recent change which makes it easier for Texas churches and nonprofits to use volunteer security guards. Watch:

Texas AG credits new concealed carry law

Many have seen the rapid response from armed parishioners at the church, captured on live video, as a real-world refutation of the idea that “good guys with guns” never stop mass shootings. Jack Wilson, the 71-year-old man who stopped the gunman’s rampage in less than six seconds with one bullet, has been hailed as a hero whose actions saved hundreds of lives.

Tragically, two people in the congregation were killed. They were identified as Tony Wallace, a deacon at the church, and Richard White, a member of the security team who returned fire with Wilson.

But many have credited a recently adopted concealed carry law with limiting the death toll. Paxton said that the law which was passed after a gunman killed 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs in 2017 and clarifies the right to carry in churches, was created precisely to prevent another tragedy like Sutherland Springs — and it worked.

“Within six seconds, they dealt with the issue and saved potentially hundreds of people,” Paxton said. “I hope that other churches around the country will adopt policies like this and we can stop losing some of the people when these incidences occur.”

President Donald Trump also praised the security team’s readiness on Twitter:

Armed congregants quickly stopped a crazed church shooter in Texas. If it were not for the fact that there were people inside of the church that were both armed, and highly proficient in using their weapon, the end result would have been catastrophic. A big THANK YOU to them!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019

Democrats double down on gun control

Other top Republicans in Texas including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have touted the law, but Democrats have largely brushed off the “good guy with a gun” scenario as the exception rather than the norm. Indeed, Democrats have responded by doubling down on calls for gun control, which they suggest would have prevented the shooting from happening at all.

“Clearly what we are doing in Texas, what we are doing in this country, when it comes to guns is not working,” said Beto O’Rourke, who dropped out of the presidential race after infamously vowing to confiscate guns nationally.

The shooting also brought attention to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s earlier comments attacking the law as “irrational” after it went into effect in September. No doubt many Democrats still feel that way, despite evidence that it helped save many lives.

If those parishioners were unarmed, the carnage would likely have been much worse. Let Texas be the model.