Good guys with guns are the only thing that stops bad people with evil in their hearts from destroying innocent lives.
Yes, Virginia, the most effective thing that stops a bad guy with a weapon of some sort and evil in his or her heart is a good guy with a gun. Sometimes that good guy wears a badge. Sometimes that good guy isn’t a cop, but a licensed civilian.
Sometimes he’s even a pastor of a church – and sometimes violence is visited upon a place of the Lord:
Kissimmee, FL (Orlando Sentinel) – The pastor of a Kissimmee church shot and critically wounded an employee Tuesday morning in a shootout after he notified the man he was being fired, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting shortly after 8 a.m. was witnessed by other church workers at Living Water Fellowship on Pleasant Hill Road, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain.
Benjamin Parangan Jr., a member of the maintenance crew for at least eight years, allegedly opened fire when he was told he no longer had a job, Lizasuain said.
The bullets missed Pastor Terry L. Howell Sr., 61, who drew his own pistol and critically wounded Parangan, 47, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Like the old song said, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.”
Or perhaps, “God helps those who help themselves”.
Nice shoot, pastor.
Thank God you had a gun!
Pistol Packin’ Pastor; I like the sound of that! Good for him and anyone else at that moment. Sending out a giant high five to Pastor Terry.
I doubt that the pastor feels good about it; there is always a psychological toll of some sort, and that can be some serious baggage. (I do not speak from personal experience, but rather I’m relating anecdotal reports from those who have been there.) I hope Pastor Howell is able to come to terms with the fact that he did what was necessary, even if it was difficult, and I hope that his congregation and community will be supportive. I don’t think that shooting an attacker is something you take lightly, although I’ll admit I find it satisfying when I learn that bad guy gets lead poisoning, and the good guys have prevailed. I carry continuously, and the only time I can’t, well, my carry weapon is within reach on the vanity in the bathroom when I take shower. I will carry 24/7/365, til death do us part. What remains, though, is the fact that the only thing to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun. Time after time after time, it’s truth.