When blue states responded to the Bruen decision by coming up with a plethora of places that were suddenly deemed “sensitive” and off-limits to lawful concealed carry, houses of worship were popular targets for anti-gun lawmakers. New York, for instance, tried to prohibit lawful carry at every religious site in the state, regardless of what the worship leaders wanted. Thankfully, that particular provision was modified after litigation to allow for property owners to decide whether or not to allow concealed carry, but if gun control activists had their way every church, synagogue, temple, and other house of worship in the country would be a “gun-free zone.”
An incident on Sunday in Wayne, Michigan underscores why that’s not only unconstitutional, but downright dangerous. Authorities say a man armed with two firearms was shot and killed by “church staff” on Sunday, averting what appears to be an attempted mass shooting.
Chief Ryan Strong said parishioners at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne spotted the gunman driving recklessly and then saw him exit his vehicle wearing a tactical vest and carrying weapons. The man began firing as he approached the building and was confronted, Strong said at an evening news conference.
“A parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly,” Strong said. “At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing the fatal wounds.”
Strong said the gunman’s motive remains unclear, but it appears he was suffering from a mental health crisis.The shooting happened around 11 a.m. at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people some 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Detroit, the church’s pastor, Bobby Kelly Jr., told the Detroit News.
It’s not clear at this point whether the “church staff” who shot the would-be attacker were licensed security guards or merely exercising their right to carry, but that doesn’t really matter. There are plenty of churches that can’t afford to hire outside security. Instead, they depend on parishioners or staff members to serve as armed protection during services.
The defensive gun use at CrossPointe Community Church on Sunday is just the latest example of why these practices are so important. The media actually covered armed parishioners thwarting attacks in Texas and Colorado, though in many cases they presented the armed parishioners as official guards and not simply armed citizens who were carrying as part of their church’s security measures.
For what it’s worth, Michigan law declares that “any property or facility owned or operated by a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other place of worship” is considered a “sensitive place” by default, “unless the presiding official or officials allow concealed weapons.” While gun control activists in the state have been able to enact several new restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms over the past several years, including a ban on open carry at polling locations, they thankfully haven’t managed to turn every place of worship into a “gun-free zone”. If they had, the attempted mass murderer who targeted CrossPointe Community Church might very well have been able to carry out his attack instead of being stopped outside.
The parishioner who saw the shooter and tried to take him out with their vehicle should be praised as well. They gave the church staff time to engage the attacker, and at great risk to their own life and limb. Ultimately, though, it was a couple of good folks with guns of their own who put a stop to the man’s nefarious plans, and their actions should serve as a reminder not only of the ineffectiveness of “gun-free zones”, but the importance of ensuring that if someone decides to engage in mass murder there’s more than one target willing and able to fight back.
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