In the wake of Sunday’s shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, gun control activists, including Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts, almost immediately jumped online to try to use the terrible tragedy to tweek Texas politicians and push for gun control.

.@KenPaxtonTX shouldn’t be shocked by the church shooting in White Settlement. As Texas Attorney General, he specifically made sure that guns are allowed inside churches in the state: https://t.co/wBlzuBpGZt #txlege https://t.co/lLGfMgYD2S

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) December 29, 2019

Does Shannon Watts really believe that if guns had been banned from churches in Texas, the killer who opened fire in the sanctuary would have decided not to bring his shotgun inside the house of worship?

What really would have happened is that this guy would have broken one more law before committing his murders, only instead of armed parishioners responding, he would have faced an unarmed and defenseless crowd. Allowing guns in churches didn’t cause this crime, but it did allow for an armed citizen to end it before he could get off a third shot.

A reminder that days after the mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart in August, @GovAbbott signed @NRA-supported laws weakening protections at schools, churches, and the homes of foster parents. #txlege

White Settlement

https://t.co/jpKhe0QSyB

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) December 29, 2019

Remember this the next time Shannon Watts and Moms Demand Action claim to be supporters of the Second Amendment who are only interested in a few “commonsense” gun regulations. Their agenda is simple: to make it as difficult as possible for the average American to exercise their right to keep and bear arms, particularly when it comes to self-defense.

Media reporting that one armed security guard killed by the White Settlement gunman.

Armed parishioners and “security teams” in places of worship aren’t freedom, they’re the cost of allowing gun lobbyists to write our gun laws.

White Settlement #txlege

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) December 29, 2019

What changes to Texas gun laws would have prevented this crime from taking place? Of course Watts didn’t say. Neither did Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who tried to make the case that armed parishioners didn’t make a difference, but some unnamed gun control proposal would have.

Another tragic deadly shooting in Texas. In a church. Where congregants had guns.

My prayers & condolences go to the White Settlement community members who have to endure this awful pain.

⁦@GovAbbott⁩ and ⁦@senatemajldr⁩ – when will you act? https://t.co/uVzCfahOvH

— Rep. Veronica Escobar (@RepEscobar) December 29, 2019

Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke made the same call for unnamed gun control laws. Perhaps he wants to ban and “buyback” shotguns?

So saddened to hear about another church shooting in Texas, this one in White Settlement near Fort Worth. Clearly what we are doing in Texas, what we are doing in this country, when it comes to guns is not working. https://t.co/krwcpL1lih

— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) December 29, 2019

I find comments like Escobar’s to be among the most politically cowardly of all. If you’re going to try to argue that gun control would have made more of a difference than the fast response by armed citizens, at least have the guts to advocate for a specific law or laws. Instead, Escobar was simply trying (and failing) to score political points off of this tragedy.

Make no mistake; if guns had been banned in churches in Texas, that law wouldn’t have stopped this killer. It would have stopped the West Freeway Church of Christ from using armed citizens as church security, which would have resulted in far more deaths.

West Freeway Church of Christ Senior Minister Britt Farmer: "I’m thankful our government has allowed us the opportunity to protect ourselves" pic.twitter.com/5fLSnSjQzg

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 30, 2019

Self-defense is a human right, and by publicly taking the stance that they believe churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship should not be able to allow armed citizens inside their doors, anti-gun advocates like Watts and anti-gun politicians like Escobar have come down squarely on the side of keeping good people disarmed and helpless.