Just over an hour away from the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan – even as lawmakers worked feverishly to pass various gun control measures, including expansion of “gun free” zones – a chilling reminder unfolded of the critical need to fight for the rights of law-abiding citizens to arm themselves for self-protection anywhere they have a legal right to be.
Last Sunday, at a church in Wayne, Michigan, as close to 150 parishioners gathered, an armed attacker was preparing multiple firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in the parking lot. As he began his approach to the main entrance, a late-arriving parishioner was able to initially slow the attack by striking the man with his truck. The attacker then began shooting toward the church. Thankfully, he was immediately met by armed members of the church running toward the gunfire and eventually killing the attacker.
In an interview with WXYZ-Detroit, Jay Trombley, one of the armed churchgoers responsible for thwarting the mass attack, explained that he was part of a church-created security team. These were not hired commercial security guards but rather average citizens who took it upon themselves to carry firearms for self-defense and to train for the safety of their church with intent. Trombley reiterated the ever-important adage: “You are your own first responder. You are the first person on scene.”
Unfortunately, one of the other armed church members responding to gunfire was shot and sustained serious injuries to his leg. In a subsequent interview, he recalled how they formed a small group of armed church members a decade ago and continued to train for what they hoped would be an unlikely scenario. Just three days earlier, the three members of their armed church security team had attended a training at Peacemakers Gun Range, a local gun shop and range.
This thwarted attack is just the latest example of places of worship being targeted. Recall similarly horrifying attacks on churches that were stopped due to an armed citizen. In Texas, armed citizens Jack Wilson and Stephen Willeford successfully stopped gunmen who had opened fire during church services in their communities.
Examples of the “good guy with a gun” abound, including in situations that would likely otherwise have been mass casualty events. Media reports often work to ignore or minimize the central part of the story that law-abiding armed citizens save lives on a regular basis. However, it is undeniable that study after study, including the most comprehensive survey updated as of 2022, conclude that hundreds of thousands to millions of defensive gun uses occur in the United States every year. Attempts to brand defensive gun use as a “myth” merely underscore the true motives and agenda of the firearm prohibition lobby, which ironically is quick to justify its own restrictive proposals as “worth it, if it saves just one life.”
While the Michigan legislature is currently in the throes of gun control hearings, the law governing carry at churches is not on the agenda. Currently in Michigan, churches are considered “gun-free zones” in which concealed carry is prohibited unless church officials have given affirmative permission for concealed carry of firearms.
The attacker in this case clearly was not deterred by the state restriction, while perhaps counting on it to lessen the odds that he would meet resistance. This church fortunately went the extra mile to ensure the safety of its congregants, but many will likely shy away from the potential controversy of the issue. Meanwhile, the legislative default advantages those who prefer churches as “soft targets” for these sorts of opportunistic crimes.
As the work continues to remove the default of prohibition, NRA is grateful for the continually growing firearm training community, for nuanced training opportunities, and for the brave citizens who participate as threats evolve that only underscore the necessity for the right to carry a firearm for self and community protection.
Pretending evil doesn’t exist is neither good theology nor good public policy. Michigan has another reminder of that reality, but do its lawmakers care?
An online fundraiser has been established for the security team member who was hit by gunfire, fortunately the only person (other than the attacker) to be injured in the incident. Proceeds will help cover unreimbursed medical expenses and loss of wages during a recovery period that is anticipated to span up to five months.
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