We all strive to get better. We go to the range every now and then, and we send some lead down range. We might even practice some dry fire or mag reloads at home. But that is not always enough. We need to study. We need to read. We need to troubleshoot scenarios. Take this last shooting for example, sure we heard about it on the news, but what do we really know about it? Let’s run down the details first. The tragic event took place at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. According to a live video that was streaming at the time, we see a man dressed all in black with a fake beard and wig stand up and start talking to a man that was sitting by the door. He then backs away from that man and presents a shotgun. A second armed churchgoer struggles to draw his gun (he is carrying in the small of his back). He is shot along with the first man the shooter spoke with. A third armed churchgoer then stops the shooter with an impressive 30 to 50 foot moving headshot. He then approaches the shooter and keeps his firearm trained on him to make sure he is no longer a threat. When something like this happens, we need to study it. We need to learn from it. We need to pick it apart. It is not often we get video footage like this to learn from. So here is what we can learn from this. 1. We are told that the shooter was wearing a fake wig and beard and long black coat with a black hood. We were also told that he was a person of interest as soon as he walked in. The question I have is why did they let him stay? Why was not law enforcement called if he raised red flags? 2. One member of the security team was carrying in the small of the back carry position. This is a horrible way to carry. It is very slow to draw and not defendable at all. This poor team member was shot and killed while he struggled to draw in a timely manner. He just was not fast enough. This was avoidable as there is plenty of material out there discussing the pros and cons of certain carry positions. This security team was trained by the parishioner that shot and killed the shooter. This was a man who was a firearms trainer and worked as a reserve sheriff’s deputy and firearms trainer. He should not have allowed this type of carry. 3. Churches that want to put together a security team should have certain criteria for what they carry, type and size of firearm, and caliber. They should come together on holster type and carry positions and have group trainings where they have to qualify to be on the team. 4. I hesitate to include this—But they may also want to look at each person on the team and assign them their posts based on their agility and levels of fitness. 5. Maybe I missed it, but I did not hear that anyone was alerted when the they first noticed the firearm. Part of me wants to say that someone should have yelled gun or something to alert other security team members that something was about to go down. 6. And now for one more, Jack Wilson, the hero that stopped the shooter with a single head shot, used a SIG P229 chambered in .357SIG. That is an average size defensive weapon. Today, all the rage for concealed carry are these compact or sub compact or even micro guns. Is that a good choice? How well can you shoot. Well enough to take a 30 to 50 foot headshot on a moving target? I am not saying it is impossible because with a lot of practice it is not. But how much time do you spend shooting your carry weapon? Some shoot all the time, but it is a sad fact that most people shoot their guns in their permit class and then go years without ever firing it again. This shot is made a little easier with a full-size weapon though practice and training is still required.

• Caliber: 357 SIG • Action Type: DA/SA • Overall Length: 7.1 in • Overall Height: 5.4 in • Overall Width: 1.5 in • Barrel Length: 3.9 in • Sight Radius: 5.7 in • Weight w/ Mag: 32.0 oz • Mag Capacity: 12 Rounds So this is just my take on this whole shooting. There is a lot to think about and learn from. Overall, I think it went well but nothing is perfect. Some 200 lives were saved that day by some forethought and planning but by most of all training. -Todd Eccles -Patriot Defense 1-1-20