Multiple people shot at White Settlement, Texas church

[Lex Luthier]

Leaving aside the tragedy of the two parishioners lost, the Texas incident provided “wins” for almost every group.

Starting big picture with government, Texas politicians felt pretty smart for having passed legislation allowing an armed defense that clearly averted worse tragedy here. Trump likes it because it is consistent with his view on guns, and is supported by his base. Republicans like it because they believe guns are good. Democrats like it because they believe guns are bad. Even Joe Biden, not our brightest thinker, remembers how he was “for shotguns” before the Beretta 1301, and a dedicated sub forum here, made them cool again.

Old shooters love it, because the good guy prevailed using a modified Weaver, showing how the Weaver is a “fighting stance,” and mind set trumps fancy shooting skills every time. They excuse Mr Wilson not having a proper caliber, .45, and a proper pistol, a 1911, but no doubt are setting up a Go Fund Me to solve the 1911 oversight.

Red dot shooters like it, because they know the shoot was at the limit of iron sights, and if it was just three pews further, a red dot would have been necessary to save the day. Does get them thinking about the proper distance for a red dot zero, and BUIS, given the piss poor reliability of optics — it would really suck to draw your gun to save the day and have no dot. No doubt, the Modern Samurai will cover all this in an upcoming class.

USPSA shooters love it, because even though the draw doesn’t matter much in USPSA, their skills shooting PCC and Open guns would have come in darn handy that day. Plus, that first shotgun blast was pretty close to the beep from a Pocket Pro II with a fresh battery. IDPA hasn’t been this excited since the Kenya intervention by an IDPA shooter there. The good guy, Mr Wilson, had a proper IDPA vest, and no doubt this scenario will be done as a stage at the next indoor IDPA Nationals. Even the hero had the right IDPA name — “Wilson.”

Technical Timmies are in heaven. Poor guy got himself killed because he didn’t have even a dark pin draw. A turbo draw from the hero might have gotten the bad guy with no good guy fatalities. If only there was an appendix holster on the security team, a draw from sitting would be cake (of course no sitting reholstering unless SCD equipped). There are probably a half dozen drills of the week possible from this event.

Ammo makers like it, because sales of .357 Sig will likely double, from the 2019 weekly average of 18 boxes of 20 cartridges, all the way to 36 boxes, at least for a few weeks. Sig USA is thrilled, because the last time anyone said anything positive about the P229 — well, it has been so long, not even Sig can remember. Also how nice for Sig to be in the news for their product dropping the bad guy instead of being dropped by the good guy, and then shooting the good guy.

Gun forum owners love it, because it has spawned pages of new discussion, keeping things active until the Glock 44 starts shipping and we can discuss what sights regulate and what rimfire ammo has the fewest misfires.

Evangelicals love it because it proves people still go to church, and church is important enough to shoot up. It probably helps male attendance, as guys that would go to the range on Sunday now kit up and head to church hoping to see the elephant. It also reinforces why the ladies need to look their best at church, since they can end up on national TV when least expected.

Mexico loves it, because it shows crazy stuff happens places other than Mexico. Not even a suggestion a wall would have prevented this event. Muslims appear to have dodged a bullet with this event. Even the FBI looks like they didn’t miss preventing this — unlike that darn last Texas thing or two.

So, as they say, success has many parents, and only failure is an orphan. I hope Mr Wilson drinks, because he won’t be buying a drink for the rest of his days on earth.

Dang, George (May I call you George?) I've seen posts of yours that exhibit an acerbic slant, but never quite so savage nor so bitterly funny. Thanks for that.

[Yung]

Last bit of negativity for the year.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opin...un/2781431001/

He wasn’t just an ordinary parishioner, as gun advocates may want you to believe. The church’s volunteer security team member is a firearms instructor, gun range owner and former reserve deputy with a local sheriff’s department, according to a New York Times detailed account.

In other words, he’s exactly the kind of man you want around with a firearm. But we know nothing about the at least six other parishioners who also appeared to draw their handguns at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas.

And that's terrifying.

[Kanye Wyoming]

@GJM. Motherfucker, this is your best post on the p-f. With all this shit going around, this comic relief is the best NYE gift I could ask for.

Dang, George (May I call you George?) I've seen posts of yours that exhibit an acerbic slant, but never quite so savage nor so bitterly funny. Thanks for that.

Ditto. And just in time to snag post of the year.

[Hambo]

Last bit of negativity for the year.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opin...un/2781431001/

This is proof that you will never, ever, convince some people that it OK to own or carry guns.

[NH Shooter]

Mr. Wilson, BTW, is 71 years old. There's hope for us old pistol packers!

[BillSWPA]

Last bit of negativity for the year.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opin...un/2781431001/

The media is making quite a big deal about Jack Wilson’s status as a reserve deputy for a few years in the 1980’s. While this apparently involved a small time commitment in his case, reserve deputy means very little. In some southern states, reserve deputy cards were freely given out by sheriffs to anyone with no criminal record who wanted to be able to carry a gun in the days before nondiscriminatory concealed handgun licensing. This just shows the media’s willingness to distort the truth to present the narrative they wish to present.

Of course if guns were not so readily available, the shooter would never have had the shotgun in the first place, just like we have completely eliminated the drug problem by banning drugs, right?


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[Gray Ghost]

How much time do you have shooting double action only or DA/SA pistols? The length and weight of a DA trigger pool has no bearing on its usefulness in practical applications. There is nothing sub optimal about it.

More relevant is knowing and being proficient as possible with your equipment. Kyle Defoor, A great proponent of the use of low power variable optics on carbines noted that many of his military and government client expressed frustration with the optics or gear they were required to use but that early in his own career much of today’s cool guys gear did not exist. In particular he had just been training a military unit that was issued and mandated to use the ACOG. He had advised the young soldiers that while in ACOG might not be his first choice, he could make them “pretty deadly quote with an ACOG.

I don't want to derail this thread, but I used to be a firearms instructor for a small agency that issued Sig P229's and have known some solid shooters who have carried them professionally. It is certainly possible to learn to shoot well with the P229 despite the long, heavy DA pull. There are plenty of guys who can shoot much better with one than I can shoot with a striker-fired gun or a 1911. That said, I don't think you can seriously argue that the DA trigger on a P229 is an advantage when it comes to drawing and make a fast hit on a moving target. All else being equal, it would be better to have a gun with a shorter, lighter trigger.

To the extent DA/SA has any advantages, they are that it is harder to shoot something you didn't mean to. That is not an advantage when you have made the decision to pull the trigger. I generally carry H&K LEM pistols as a compromise between the two extremes of being able to shoot fast and accurately and not shooting myself or something else I didn't meant to.

If you are in a job where you have to carry the gun you are issued, then obviously you should learn to shoot it as well as you can.

As I said in my original post this is just my (somewhat educated) opinion. Also, I stand the point of my comment that it's the Indian, not the arrow.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Mr. Wilson, BTW, is 71 years old. There's hope for us old pistol packers!

Just turned 72. An older friend of mine told me that his church might not consider him for their team as he is too old.

[NH Shooter]

Just turned 72. An older friend of mine told me that his church might not consider him for their team as he is too old.

A day at the range for the applicants would no doubt provide clarity. ;-)

[Glenn E. Meyer]

It is well known that a rule of self-proclaimed mastery is never to demonstrate it.