By now, you’ve no doubt heard about the church shooting in Texas. Two people are dead, one is injured after a man with a shotgun interrupted the church’s communion service.

Yesterday, Cam covered the high points of what transpired.

As of yet, we still don’t have the gunman’s name (thankfully) nor do we have the names of any of the victims.

MedStar spokeswoman Macara Trusty soon reported that the gunman and one of his victims had died at a hospital. The second victim was resuscitated after going into cardiac arrest on the way to a hospital, but authorities announced at an evening news conference that the person died later.

The names of the gunman and the people he killed have not been released.

Two other people were treated at the scene for minor injuries they suffered when they hit their heads while they were ducking for cover, Trusty said.

“We lost two great men today, but it could have been a lot worse, and I am thankful our government has allowed us the opportunity to protect ourselves,” said Britt Farmer, the church’s senior minister.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, speaking at the evening news conference, highlighted changes in state law that ensured the right to carry concealed weapons in churches.

Those changes came after the Sutherland Springs church shooting that left 26 people plus the killer dead. As a result of those changes, this shooting lasted a whole six seconds.

Also, while we don’t have the identity of the victims, we do now know that the hero gunman who dispatched the attacker was a retired FBI agent serving as part of the church’s volunteer security force. His name is Jack Wilson and apparently he’s running for office there in town. Want to bet he’s a shoe-in now?

Right now, information is still limited, but one tidbit we do know is that the killer wasn’t unknown to law enforcement.

The FBI said Sunday evening that the gunman had been arrested in different jurisdictions but declined to go into detail about any charges he’d faced. Although the man had roots in the area, it appears he may have been transient.

Regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, Jeoff Williams, was also quick to praise the church’s security team for stepping up and dealing with the threat.

“I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners,” Williams said. “Our hearts are going out to them and their families as well.”

He said their quick actions had saved the lives of many other churchgoers.

“The citizens in this community have a lot to be proud of,” Williams said.

We can’t really argue with that one.

Texas officials have also had time to offer their own responses. Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, speaking at a press conference, had this to say:

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, speaking at the evening news conference, highlighted changes in state law that ensured the right to carry concealed weapons in churches.

He credited the church’s volunteer security team for protecting their fellow members.

“The heroism today is unparalleled,” Patrick said. “This team responded quickly, and within six seconds the shooting was over.”

Governor Greg Abbot, though, offered less specific comments in a tweet.

Statement on shooting at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement: pic.twitter.com/Crrrvavvs6

— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) December 29, 2019

This incident comes at a time when the gun control debate is at its most fierce, a time when anti-gun forces have made significant headway in pushing their agenda in the wake of numerous mass shootings. Many people see the shootings and then are inundated by the media telling them that the only solution to the problem is gun control.

The problem is, gun control hasn’t stopped California from being on the receiving end of numerous shootings in recent months.

Yet what stopped this incident from qualifying as a mass shooting? Armed citizens who stepped up to volunteer as church security. Numerous parishioners immediately reached for their guns when the shooting started, putting an end to the attack in just six seconds. While the loss of life is still tragic, anyone who objectively looks at this incident can see just how much worse this incident could have been were it not for the volunteers and their lawfully carried firearms.

Will this begin to shift the gun debate back into a more sane and rational direction? It’s too early to tell, unfortunately.

What we can tell, though, is that a lot of people are alive today because of good guys with guns, something we’ve been saying for years and been soundly dismissed.