In light of events in White Settlement, Texas many have asked about the laws and or restrictions regarding gun possession or "open carry" in Virginia as it relates to places of worship.
The tragedy at the West Freeway Church of Christ demonstrates the effectiveness of "citizen first responders" or "gun responders" to such incidents and their necessity. There was no police on site at the venue at the time of the shooting but because of the laws passed by the Texas State Legislature recently the church was permitted to have its own security detail of trained parishioners who could carry within the venue in order to perform security for worshipers.
Good thing. Compare West Freeway to what happened at Emanuel African Methodist Church long used as the symbol of Progressives assault on firearms as well as the advancement of the "white nationalist" narrative.
Could the shooter at the 2015 Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina shooting been stopped had there been "gun responders" on site where nine worshipers were killed by Dylan Roof? Important to note as well that this shooting was not an "assault rifle" style shooting as many in the Virginia legislature have used as an example of why such firearms should be banned.
Roof was able to reload his Glock handgun five times. Five times! May have this ability been curtailed or even stopped immediately had there been "gun responders" on site at Emanual?
Back in 2011 then Virginia Attorney General and now Acting Deputy of Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli stated that open carry of firearms was permitted in places of worship for self defense.
Cuccinelli stated:
"The right of self-defense lies at the heart of the right to keep and bear arms... carrying a weapon for personal protection constitutes a good and sufficient reason under the statute.”
Virginia law has clearly barred persons from carrying weapons into churches while a religious meeting or service is being held UNLESS a person has what is deemed "good and sufficient reason".
The issue remains who makes that determination: the individual or the State? If an individual is concerned for their safety or security is that not "sufficient" and if detained by law enforcement due to a complaint from another citizen who feels "uncomfortable" by the presence of a firearm whose "right" becomes greater than the other?
Virginia Progressives appear to be claiming the the person who feels "uncomfortable" has greater standing than the person executing a Constitutional right that admittedly Progressives do not support in the first place.
The current Attorney General Mark Herring has not commented regarding the issue of open carry in places of worship thus far following the Texas shooting. This could be political calculus given the rise of over 100 Virginia localities passing pro-2A "gun sanctuary" resolutions leading into the next General Assembly session in Richmond.
In 2010, Delegate Mark Cole (R) of Fredericksurg had proposed a bill in the House of Delegates that would permit the open carry of firearms within a place of worship if approved by the venue itself to permit such possession on its grounds. The religious institution would have the say as to whether a firearm could be brought onto its property.
In light of recent instances, many churches are now reviewing stated positions on firearms given the manner in which "gun responders" intervened quickly and efficiently without endangering other worshipers in responding to the shooter in Texas. Most Jewish synagogues in Virginia already have full time armed security forces on site.
The all volunteer security team at West Freeway Church of Christ was led by Jack Wilson who not only works security but is also a certified instructor of firearms. Being armed and on site permitted Wilson to respond immediately within seconds to the active shooter and ultimately put the shooter down before more could be harmed.
The video of inside the church continues to be removed by social media platforms. This could only be an attempt to sway the messaging that the real impact of "gun responders" like Jack Wilson demonstrate. The video illustrates not only how fast these things occur but also how little time citizens have to react or respond. How long would citizens have had to wait inside before local police arrived? How many more would have been killed?
These are questions that Virginia Progressives do not want to have to answer. They will tell you that if they just are permitted to remove all guns than these types of tragedies would be avoided. Yet, the shooter in Texas appears to have not been able to even purchase a legal firearm in the first place and still managed to secure a weapon.
How will Progressives address criminals from securing weapons? They won't. They know they cannot prevent a criminal intent of securing an illegal firearm from securing one and that is not what there gun ban and restriction legislation is intent on preventing.
Progressives will seek to ignore the Texas shooting. It is counter productive to their narrative and their political end. Jack Wilson is a hero, but try and find one of these Virginia Progressives praising him for his actions. They will twist the shooting to their own agenda and point to it as a "see what can happen" moment if guns are not removed from Virginia's communities.
"Gun Responders" should be the new front line of first responders to deter and/or respond to shooters. In January 2019, the Virginia Senate narrowly passed a bill that would permit first responders who are former law enforcement or veterans like EMT, Paramedics and Fireman to conceal carry if they so chose to do so.
Senate Bill 1012 will likely be repealed by the new General Assembly convening this month with new Democrat majorities in both chambers.
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