Two weeks ago, firearms instructor Jack Wilson stopped a mass shooting at his church in White Settlement, Texas. His actions were captured on video, and the footage showed other parishioners drawing their weapons as well.
To most people, it’s reassuring that some folks are ready and able to confront criminal violence. To USA Today columnist Elvia Díaz?
It’s “terrifying.”
In a piece she wrote after the shooting, Díaz lamented how Wilson’s “split-second heroism has been turned into a PR tool by gun advocates.” While Díaz admits “he’s exactly the kind of man you want around with a firearm,” she complains that “we know nothing about the at least six other parishioners who also appeared to draw their handguns.”
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In fact, there is something we know about those individuals: as concealed permit holders, they belong to one of the most law abiding groups in society.
Over 1.3 million people in Texas are licensed to carry a firearm, and the state publishes a report on the crimes they commit. In 2018, one was convicted of murder and another three were convicted of manslaughter. If they formed their own country, its murder rate would be 0.29 per one hundred thousand residents–far lower than the national average.
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This isn’t unique to Texas, as permit holders in other states don’t typically commit crimes either, but they do stop them.
Despite these facts, Elvia Díaz isn’t the only person who’s bothered by the thought of honest citizens carrying; Elizabeth Warren feels the same way.
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During a campaign stop in New Hampshire, a questioner mentioned the Texas church shooting and then asked, “Will you support a universal conceal carry law for everyone in the country who’s willing to be licensed and checked by the government?”
“No,” she replied as her supporters cheered.
Warren later added that she “doesn’t feel any safer” knowing there are people with firearms are around her. That’s curious, because she doesn’t seem bothered by the armed personnel who guard her. Blaze TV contributor Pat Gray pointed out the hypocrisy of that.
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“She said she doesn’t feel comfortable sitting next to someone with a concealed weapon?” Gray asked incredulously. “She does it every day!”
While most of us can’t afford a security detail, that’s no reason for us to be defenseless. Because the facts is, going armed can save a life, and it may not be your own.
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