In this recent incident, an aberration of society walked into a church in Spartanburg, raising a shotgun.
Fortunately, before mayhem could ensue, an armed parishioner took him at gunpoint. This was not what the violent intruder had come for; he surrendered, and a mass murder was averted.
These things don’t always have such happy endings. For a number of reasons, houses of worship are disproportionately likely to be the targets of mass murderers. Across the spectrum of the faiths, clergy and church management have taken to heart the words attributed to Jesus Christ: “If thou hast not a sword, sell thy cloak and buy one.” (Luke 22:36)
Yeah, it’s Sunday. Some of you are religious, some are not. I once gave that quote to a friend who happens to be an atheist, who replied with a puzzled look, “Whose screen name is Luke twenty-two thirty-six? What forums does he post on?” Well, if you don’t read the Bible, you’ll find the same principle in Ethics 101. There is such a thing as a responsibility to protect the innocent from evil. This is why so many houses of worship now provide discreet armed security for their members in attendance.
One such was Jeanne Assam, an ex-cop working volunteer security at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado on December 9, 2007. In the wee hours of that morning, a crazed young man had shot multiple people at an affiliated church in a suburb of Denver. The same monster showed up at the Colorado Springs facility with an AR15, a couple of handguns, and a backpack with more than a thousand rounds of ammunition. He opened fire in the parking lot, killing two and wounding two more. Entering the church, he found himself facing Ms. Assam…and his own mortality.
Disregarding her own safety, Jeanne Assam moved in on the heavily armed gunman, firing her Beretta 92 FS with deadly accuracy, and cut him down in a hail of 9mm bullets. Some say that at the last moment he put a fatal bullet into himself, but that wouldn’t change the fact that he died only after Ms. Assam disabled him with multiple solid hits, and stopped a rampage that could have claimed dozens of lives.
We are a nation that seems driven to tear down its heroes, and Jeanne Assam became a target of the mainstream media and other forces thereafter. You can read her compelling story in her own words. Her book “God, the Gunman, and Me” is available for $14.99 plus $5.00 postage from http://www.jeanneassam.com/jeannes-book .
From the brave man in Spartanburg to the courageous lady in Colorado Springs, we have logical testament to the fact that if you’re going to refer to those folks in the pews as “the flock,” and their spiritual advisor as “the shepherd,” it makes a lot of sense to have some sheepdogs around, with good sharp fangs.
“We are a nation that seems driven to tear down its heroes”
Too true Mas. Heh any bets if the guy in the Whitehouse will acknowledge this most recent event (/sarcasm off)?
I think the best Ms. Assam got in the news was “private security” or “off-duty cop” not citizen with a CCW. Although I suppose she might not have had a CCW?
There was another self-defense incident near Denver a few months ago. Store owner shot one of the two robbers. Barely, got any coverage but at least as far as I know, owner was cleared- no arrest and no charges against him.
Had to LOL at your friend’s comment too.
Anyway, thanks for the link, might have to pick up that book! I’m seriously running out of space for all my books…
AMEN!
Tim from CO…Hopefully the book will be available as an e-book. The cloud is much lighter than paper.
Mas, Is their any pattern to attacks on churches? e.g. attacking (likely) easy targets, attacking God, past negative dealings with religious institutions? I use the term “church” generically for any place of worship regardless of faith.
Unfortunately, here in Arkansas, carrying into houses of worship is against the rules.
Amen brother! Too bad so many in our society are too busy wearing hoodies in support of a questionable character to really hear the truth.
Here in Virginia, it’s a Class 4 misdemeanor to carry a gun into a place of worship where a religious meeting is being held, unless you have a “good & sufficient reason” for doing so. I wonder if guarding the parishioners against would-be murderers constitutes a good & sufficient reason? Probably not in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, or Richmond, but in the rest of the state it might. Is there any case law on this subject?
Peel the skin back on the tragic demise of Trayvon Martin, & it’s clear the core movement is directed towards the disarming of FL’s ” stand your ground” statute. Media outlets around FL cities are now citing lop-sided statistics of justifiable homicides based on the statute, having doubled since enacted. We know what’s coming our way…
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms…disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes… Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.”~ Thomas Jefferson
There have been two situations in my life where I felt threatened enough to begin the mental process of moving toward possible cover, making sure there was nothing behind the potential threat in case I had to engage, etc, and both of those were in a house of worship. Fortunately, neither proved to be a situation where I was forced to defend myself, but it was scary nonetheless. We all know that most active shooter incidents happen where the bad guy thinks they have the extreme upper hand, in a school, house of worship, or at a workplace where concealed carry is prohibited. In Binghamton, NY, a few years ago, a disturbed shooter opened fire at the American Civic Association, killing and wounding immigrants who were in classrooms working their way toward becoming citizens of the United States of America. None of them had the credentials to carry a concealed firearm, and the shooter knew that. I will never forget that day.
Tsewall, historically the answer is “all of the above.” In Ms. Assam’s case, the killer apparently perceived himself as alienated from that particular church, and had a focused grudge. At least two mass killers in the past clearly picked the house of worship they attacked because they knew there would be no armed resistance. On the international front, a lot of it is terrorists motivated by fanatical hatred for what they perceive as an opposing faith.
“Disregarding her own safety, Jeanne Assam moved in on the heavily armed gunman, firing her Beretta 92 FS with deadly accuracy, and cut him down in a hail of 9mm bullets.”
Now you’ve done it Mas!!!! We’re going to again start hearing this talk of how 9mm is wimpy and that everyone must carry a 45!
Here we go again, I bet!
I’ve attended a local Jewish temple occasionally, a nice small community where people are very close. When my wife addresses the issues happening in many places with violence in places of worship, we are very surprised that most people simply hadn’t thought about the possibilities and dangers.
Personally I couldn’t see living in a state where I could not carry in a place of worship for just such reasons.
Well done to Mr. Aaron Guyton.
And well done to Ms. Jeanne Assam.
What you carry into a church is between you and God.
Unfortunately, Wisconsin adopted the Guns-Free-School-Zone nonsense and my Lutheran church has a (wonderful) school. It’s the ONE place outside my house that I’d really REALLY want to be armed and protectful, but I’m prohibited from doing so. Shame on them.
Luke 22:36
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
Acts 5:29
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Banning guns from churches is not just a 2nd Amendment issue but also a 1st Amendment issue. And the only way “they” will ever know is when it no longer matters.
In Colonial Massachusetts and Colonial Virginia (and possibly others as well; I haven’t checked) the law required people to take their guns to church on Sunday. Where did this squishy pacifism come from? It’s not Christian.
Dave — VA: According to the state AG, personal protection is a good and sufficient reason. http://hamptonroads.com/2011/04/cuccinelli-concludes-guns-church-are-legal It hasn’t been tested in court though.
Mr. Ayoob: A year ago, I attended a VCDL meeting that featured a guest speaker with an experience similar to Jeane Assam’s. In South Africa, he used a cheap little revolver to drive off assailants armed with Kalashnikovs from his church. It’s a fascinating story. Video of the meeting is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ga-dwP8gME
Too many churches are still in denial despite these examples. I taught my pastor and his sons to shoot and he proposed to the board at my request that I be allowed to carry there, only to get a unanimous ABSOLUTELY NOT! I later learned of someone who atttends there who leaves his equipment in the car when he goes in.
I have begun to pull security at my church (again). Some of our team carry and some do not. In Washington, it’s a matter of private property (except in K-12 schools, courthouses, and jail lockups).
I tell people the stories of Ms Assam and the South African gentleman. Also the off-duty cop in Texas who hadn’t carried in church UNTIL he experienced an active shooter incident but could only protect his family by shielding them with his own body. They do listen.
I had no idea that Virginia was so squeemish about guns in church. Actually, where does VA get off banning legal carry on private property? It’s not like these churches are state-owned.
I’m a member of a small church here in AZ, so we don’t have “private security”… well, not officially. However, I’m armed (discretely, but well… with at least one spare mag), and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one there who is. So, I guess we’ve got our security right there.
Well, the person with the best view of the front door is armed at our church. And, I understand, fairly well trained, if MAG40 qualifies as good training and IMHO it does.
Unfortunately, any gathering of people, be it school, church, shopping malls, amusement parks, sporting events, even government buildings, are ripe for an active shooter situation.
In some jurisdictions, legal carry in any or all of these target areas is forbidden. Security? Yes, some have security personnel, some even have ARMED security personnel, but i too many cases they are barely adequate or not at all.
I’m a deputy sheriff, and I always carry off duty. I wish I could say all cops do, but that would not be a true statement. I carry to my grandsons programs at school, to there sporting events, when I go to the doctor, to Wal-Mart, to the car wash…everywhere. I do that because I know that active shooter situations happen in schools, malls, churches…everywhere in this society where people gather in peace. And where they go unarmed or are forbidden to go armed.
I wish the lawmakers would allow good, honest citizens to carry anywhere they felt the need. We would all be safer.
Whose screen name is Luke twenty-two thirty-six? OK Who?
Forgiveness comes from many directions. During my stint in the seminary I heard about one missionary priest stationed in one of the southern African countries who was warned by his superiors to get out during local civil unrest. He remained, saying Mass with an AK on the altar. While it may not have been the most reverent thing, it may have saved lives.
Also, long and glorious mention should have been made of the Savage package rifles in the article: “Affordable Firearms.” They have to be one of the best values in hunting rifles under God’s blue sky. As far as used guns go, my favourite remains the good old No. 1 Mk. III SMLE .303 in original (un- Bubbafied) condition with stripper clips.