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If One of the Churchgoers in Charleston Had Been Armed . . .
The National Review ^ | June 20, 2015 | David French, attorney and staff writer

Posted on 06/20/2015 9:41:46 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

While it may be weeks or months before we know the full details of Dylann Storm Roof’s alleged attack on Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., the early reports are both heartbreaking and infuriating. Roof allegedly entered the church, attended a Bible study, sat next to its pastor — state senator Clementa Pinckney — and then opened fire. It’s hard to imagine a more callous and profane act.

It appears that the shooting was quite deliberate. He’s said to have reloaded five times during the course of the attack, allegedly even taking the time to talk to his victims. According to the New York Times, he said: “I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.” If these reports are true (again, it’s early), Charleston, S.C., has just suffered a race-motivated terror attack.

As I read the news and watched the coverage, I felt stricken for the victims, fury at the attacker, and more than a little personal conviction. Not because of any silly notions of collective white guilt or other nonsense peddled by the radical Left — and certainly not because I’ve long opposed the Left’s gun-control efforts and supported the individual, inherent right of self-defense, including the right to keep and bear arms. No, I felt conviction because of the numerous times that I’ve walked out of my house unarmed and thus largely incapable of defending myself — and, more important, others — from violent acts.

Perhaps I chose not to wear the right kind of clothing — pants that allow me to conceal my carry pistol, for example. Perhaps it crossed my mind to carry, but I thought, “I’m not going anywhere dangerous.” The men and women at the Emanuel Bible study probably didn’t think they were in any danger, either. When we go to the movies, or a political rally, or show up for work — or go to any of the sites of recent mass shootings or other acts of violence — danger is generally the last thought on our minds.

Yes, I know the chances of violence on any given day or at any given location are vanishingly small. Yes, I know that even if I’m traveling in higher-crime sections of my community, the odds are overwhelmingly good that I’ll be fine. But I know this: If the unthinkable happens, and I watch as my family, my friends, or even members of my community I’ve never met are hurt or killed when I could have prevented it by carrying the weapon I’ve trained myself to use, I could never forgive myself.

Don’t just carry. Don’t just go to the state-mandated training, buy a weapon, and then forget about it. Unless you train yourself to use it, that weapon would probably be less useful to you in an emergency than a similarly weighted rock. At least you’d instinctively know to throw the rock. Practice with a handgun until you can take it from a position of safe carry to active engagement within seconds. Then practice that again until you’ve beaten your best time. Then practice again. And realize that practice isn’t a burden but a joy. Most people who go to shooting ranges enjoy the experience. Even gun-control activists often grudgingly admit how much they like the simple act of taking shots at paper targets.

None of this, of course, guarantees your personal safety. None of this guarantees that in a moment of maximum stress that you’ll make the right decision. There may come a day when an active shooter immediately guns down a concealed-carry permit holder and then continues with his rampage. Even though — as an Iraq vet — I’ve had far more training than the average American, I still don’t know how I’d respond to any given crisis until that crisis is upon me. Fight or flight is a call that has to be made in the moment, based on the totality of the circumstances. But a gun does give you options, and those options could well mean the difference between life and death, between one reload and five reloads, and between a clean conscience and a lifetime of guilt and pain.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: South Carolina
KEYWORDS: banglist; ccw; charleston; crime
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To: eastforker

it takes 2 seconds to reload a Glock magazine...i have one...its easy.


21 posted on 06/20/2015 10:39:40 PM PDT by basalt (r)
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To: Secret Agent Man

Of course you are correct. Had this delusional twerp gone after Bloods or Crips he wouldn’t be news. Just another stupid kid with a toe tag.


22 posted on 06/20/2015 10:41:36 PM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: basalt

Oh, OK then, just stand around or hide and wait to be shot to death then.


23 posted on 06/20/2015 10:41:58 PM PDT by eastforker (Cruz for steam in 2016)
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To: wastoute
All right.
24 posted on 06/20/2015 10:43:24 PM PDT by period end of story (Give me a firm spot, and I will move the world.)
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To: period end of story

Who brings a gun to church?

Every parishioner should. The Church is like an extended family. They deserve your protection.


25 posted on 06/20/2015 10:55:57 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
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To: basalt
"youre gonna rush somebody with a Glock 45 caliber?....really?"

Is that what he used? Please show the citation. Since he "reloaded several times" I was thinking he used a revolver...

26 posted on 06/20/2015 11:48:49 PM PDT by jonascord (It's sarcasm unless otherwise noted...)
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To: eastforker
If he had to reload 5 times, why didn’t anyone rush him.

I'm wondering the same. And did they run? Is it possible they all were wounded after the first shots and so were unable to do anything? Or could they have been shocked and frightened, and maybe they tried talking him out of it, instead?

Who knows how we all might react in that situation.

Rest in peace.

27 posted on 06/20/2015 11:49:10 PM PDT by Tired of Taxes
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To: Jet Jaguar
Praise God and pass the ammo!

I will guess that at least half of the members in our church are armed every Sunday.

28 posted on 06/20/2015 11:53:34 PM PDT by DYngbld (I have read the back of the Book and we WIN!!!! (this post approved by the NSA))
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To: Tired of Taxes

We can only speculate regarding the details of this event, because not much has been reported. I have wondered where the parishioners were when the psycho was shooting. Did he shoot the pastor first and then turn and make every line up at the altar. Where were they all when this was going down? In the front of the church, at the altar, the back of the church? So few details have been given, that it’s difficult to ascertain what those poor, unfortunate souls could or couldn’t do. Heck, if someone was behind him, one of the ladies could have smacked him in the head with a heavy purse. This is why I am waiting for details on how this all came down. If anyone has any - please post.


29 posted on 06/21/2015 12:33:39 AM PDT by Catsrus
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To: jonascord

If you saw the pics of him at home, he was holding the Glock in several of the pictures. Also a .45acp revolver is somewhat rare. I can think of a couple of manufacturers, but you just don’t see many out there.


30 posted on 06/21/2015 3:26:06 AM PDT by davetex (Location: The Alamo)
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To: basalt; eastforker
youre gonna rush somebody with a Glock 45 caliber?....really?

Absolutely! I'll even take it a step further ....I will rush someone armed with a Kalashnikov.

Why?

Because I am Kenyan, and I have seen what terrorists do to their victims. Compliance simply means they kill you at their leasure. They will not negotiate, they have no mercy, and their plan is to kill as many people as possible before they're taken out. Which means one simple thing ...there is nothing to lose in rushing them! Since they plan on killing you anyway, you might as well give yourself an iota of a chance. After all, compliance only means death. The last couple of attacks, in particular the university attack, has absolutely changed the way such scenarios as perceived. Before it was compliance. Now it is fighting back, even if the tools are teeth and knuckles. If they plan on killing you anyway you might as well try something.

Fortunately I am one of the few armed Kenyans (a Glock 19 that cost 2,500 bucks due to the local market), but the important shift has been mindset.

For this chap the same mindset should have applied, and should apply in the future. Whether the terrorist is a Jihadi or a black gangbanger or a white skinhead ....same application. This person or people, are out to kill you! There is nothing at all to lose in fighting back, and fighting back hard.

31 posted on 06/21/2015 3:28:41 AM PDT by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
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To: spetznaz
"Let's roll!"

The passengers on Flight 93 didn't die without a fight.

32 posted on 06/21/2015 3:39:49 AM PDT by windsorknot
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To: basalt

Does it matter that it is a Glock vs a Sig, Smith & Wesson, Beretta, H&K, Colt, or Taurus shooting a .45 ACP vs. a 9mm parabellum?


33 posted on 06/21/2015 3:48:20 AM PDT by Cobra64 (Common sense isn't common anymore.)
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To: basalt
You would be SOL pre-1984 before Glock was on the market.

Prior to that, everyone threw rocks and chucked spears at bad guys.

Seriously, this is not a Glock: https://youtu.be/Ls4Uq1aCiTA

34 posted on 06/21/2015 3:52:08 AM PDT by Cobra64 (Common sense isn't common anymore.)
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To: jonascord; All
A very popular .45 ACP platform is the venerable 1911 that's been around since 1905 and adopted by the US Army in 1911. (Both 7-8 rounds.)

 photo P1020041-PICASSA_zps6a2ced08.jpg

.

Or a SIG...

 photo P1000575_zpstceditga.jpg

.

(Pistol newbs are seldom aware of any other manufacturer or platform other than Glock.)

35 posted on 06/21/2015 3:59:08 AM PDT by Cobra64 (Common sense isn't common anymore.)
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To: windsorknot

Exactly! When the only option left is death then the choice to rush the attackers is an obvious one. Flight 93 is a great example of a group of heroes who had to do what had to be done, and even though it did not turn out the way they may have hoped for, I still strongly believe that they saved many lives. When facing terrorists, no matter their specific ideology or geography, people should always be prepared to turn the attackers into victims. Even when not successful it will at least make the next iteration of terrorist realize that things will not be as simple as before. For example, it would be ludicrous for Jihadi to plan to hijack an American plane ...even the aged would attack them and even toddlers may be gnawing at their ankles!


36 posted on 06/21/2015 4:35:37 AM PDT by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
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To: eastforker
What I don’t understand is this.If he had to reload 5 times, why didn’t anyone rush him. He was a small guy, hell I bet even some of those 6 women he shot could have tackled his ass.

My thoughts too - of course it's a lot easier to say it from our position of safety than to gather oneself and do it in the face of what was happening. I'd like to think I would have rushed him but until the situation actually arises, none of us can do better than to to imagine ourselves doing what we consider to be the right thing.

37 posted on 06/21/2015 4:36:41 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: South40

Even worse, the law actually provides that the “appropriate church official or governing body” can give permission for CC license holders to carry in any given church. Tragically, such permission was not given here and pastor Pinckney, as a state legislator, ardently opposed shall issue CC legislation.


38 posted on 06/21/2015 6:32:40 AM PDT by libstripper
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To: jonascord
“Is that what he used? Please show the citation. Since he “reloaded several times” I was thinking he used a revolver...”

Here is his gun. It appears to be a G41 with a laser sight. If he got it new he got one spare mag with it. He may have bought more at time of purchase. Its about half way down the page.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3132670/Dylann-Roof-manifesto-Killer-unveils-Charleston-target-church-massacre-calls-black-people-stupid-violent-complains-s-no-real-KKK-help-him.html

39 posted on 06/21/2015 6:42:22 AM PDT by Polynikes (What would Walt Kowalski do. In the meantime "GET OFF MY LAWN")
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To: period end of story; All

“Who brings a gun to church?”

The Sheepdogs.

I do, and I know many others that do. I am a part of my Church’s volunteer security detail. Most are former or serving military/peace officers and have concealed carry permits, though those are not needed in Arizona.


40 posted on 06/21/2015 6:57:34 AM PDT by marktwain
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