Texas attorney general: congregations should be armed after church shooting

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian


Ken Paxton, a Republican, tells Fox News having guns in church means parishioners can ‘take out’ a gunman
Lois Beckett
@loisbeckett
Monday 6 November 2017 00.57 EST

Hours after a mass shooting that left at least 26 people dead, the Texas attorney general said American churches should be “arming some of the parishioners” or hiring “professional security”.

“It’s going to happen again,” the state attorney general, Republican Ken Paxton, told Fox News in an interview hours after the shooting at Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church in Texas, which claimed victims as young as five and as old as 72.

If more church-goers were armed “there’s always the opportunity that the gunman will be taken out before he has the opportunity to kill very many people,” Paxton said.

As America’s mass shootings grow deadlier and more frequent, and Republicans like Paxton continue to block any new federal gun control laws, churches, schools and workplaces are devising security plans for responding to an armed attacker.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/06/texas-attorney-general-congregations-should-be-armed-after-church-shooting

[sakabatou]

1. Because more people with guns speeds up processing evidence

[Kablooie]

2. Churches should install emergency gun dispensers behind every pew.

And they shouldn't require a quarter to open them.

[Hoyt]

3. Most gunners believe in more guns in more places. I bet there were plenty packing in that church nd

and Kelley still killed 24.

[7962]

13. Apparently one did shoot him, but what took so long to DO it?

From other stories I've read, he was chased by the man who shot him and another man until he ran off the road, apparently died from blood loss from that gunshot wound

[HAB911]

17. Finally a good guy with a gun?!

I read he was not a parishioner but a neighbor.

[Hoyt]

19. That's what I heard too. I actually looked up the guy's facebook page. Sure as chit, he

was wearing a confederate flag baseball hat.

I guess it was good that he came along and the other "hero" came from across the street, guns ablazing. But the shooter was leaving and the cowboy with a gun could have driven the shooter back into the church or into killing more people while on the run. Who knows about that, it's conjecture.

Wish I could post the photo of Johnnie Langerdorff from his FB page confederate hat and all.

Update -- Just heard Langerdorff on TV interview. He actually says he wasn't armed but picked up other guy intervening to chase after Kelley. Except for the confederate flag, Langerdorff actually seems like a decent fella.

[LanternWaste]

23. Evidence shows Kelley shot himself.

Evidence shows Kelley shot himself.

That's certainly going to deflate a lot of biases. good luck!

[7962]

31. Hence the use of "apparently". This mornings article mentions him being shot.

http://nypost.com/2017/11/06/sharpshooting-plumber-fired-shot-that-took-down-texas-church-gunman/

As did one in Daily Mail.

[7962]

34. Evidence shows he was shot 3 times; twice by the citizen. You're welcome.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/06/us/texas-church-shooting/index.html

[Midnight Writer]

4. Glad that we are not politicizing this issue in the wake of a tragedy.

[msongs]

5. murdered by their own god while praising it in their own church. they need more than guns to

protect them. like maybe stay away from that god

[LanternWaste]

24. Yours seems a most irrational conclusion, lacking any evidence to support it.

Yours seems a most irrational conclusion, lacking any evidence to support it.

Post hoc ergo prompter hoc is in fact, a logical fallacy in case you were unaware. It's delicious and certainly validates biases, but yet still a fallacy. Good luck!

[aggiesal]

6. Of course the commandment ...

Thou shall not kill
is lost on the state attorney general.
Oh the irony.

[Dustlawyer]

18. There is a lot lost on Texas Republicans:

Honesty; empathy; common sense; what Christianity is all about; equality; and justice, to name a few.

[workinclasszero]

7. Armed to the teeth to go to church just damn, MAGA baby!

Next will be kindergartners with bumpstock AR-15's strapped to their back in school

The NRA will be happy as hell to sell your school kids the latest mass killing assault weapon, don't doubt that!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

8. I can just see the headlines now....

one person shot by evil gunman and ten people shot in parishioner crossfire.

[Historic NY]

9. Well it was only a matter of time for your little cracker, wine and Glock to get together to worship

Meanwhile the AG should be asking how a guy with a dishonorable discharge got car load of guns?

[7962]

14. Ahhh good point. Should be a disqualifier; as should convicted spousal abuse. nt

[7962]

32. I've seen later where he should NOT have been allowed to purchase a firearm.

So one of those infractions IS a disqualifier.
Like to see who dropped the ball on this

[raccoon]

10. That's rich, you go to arm yourself to go to church.

That's rich, you got to arm yourself to go to church.

[Skittles]

12. that is the goal of the NRA

everyone armed, everyone paranoid

[TexasTowelie]

28. Not everyone armed--

skin color must be taken into account.

[Skittles]

33. you are correct

[Skittles]

11. gun humpers are sick fucks

no one is safe from them

[Vinca]

15. Arm the church goers! Arm the Girl Scouts! Arm the nurses! Arm the hamburger flippers!

Arm the grocery store clerks! Arm the UPS guy! Arm the children on the playground! Arm the hotel maids! Arm the . . .

[Maeve]

16. Who would Jesus shoot? eom

[eppur_se_muova]

20. Why didn't he just suggest people stop going to church ?

I mean, if you're going to sacrifice your whole way of life to appease the murder lobbyists, what difference how you go about it ? You're going to give up everything, including your life, eventually, because nothing will ever be enough to appease their insatiable appetite for GUNZ.

[Gothmog]

21. Ken Paxton is an idiot

[TexasTowelie]

29. +1 for conciseness.

[TexasBushwhacker]

22. It's Texas! There's a good chance some of the churchgoers

WERE carrying concealed weapons. They said the shooter fired his weapon for around 15 seconds. Most people's brains are still thinking "What's happening?" and "GET DOWN!" in that period of time. With 27 fatalities and over 20 injured, it sounds like he hit just about everyone in the church.

[Ilsa]

25. Prince of Peace Parishoners Packing Pistols.

A tongue twister they want to teach the kiddos.

Who would Jesus shoot, anyway?

[ChicagoRonin]

26. If the people in Texas all want to arm themselves (even in churches), fine with me . . .

I just won't go to that state

[Ilsa]

27. Honestly, I'm surprised this hasn't happened before in texas.

Given the size, population, numbers of people with little access to mental health care, access to guns, etc, I'm surprised a scene much like this didn't happen years ago.

[Paladin]

30. That's Ken Paxton, right-wing douchebag and criminal. Pay him no mind. (nt)

[Demonaut]

35. the baptists will shoot unarmed mormans