More Info on the Shooting at New Life Church

Yesterday was a deadly day in Colorado religious institutions with two shootings in Arvada and Colorado Springs that are possibly related. As more information comes out about the shooting at New Life Church in Colorado Springs (which took the lives of two church members along with the shooter), it appears that the presence of guns in the hand of good people are not the threat to the public that the anti-gun nuts would have you believe. Here's what happened:

A gunman in a black trench coat and a high-powered rifle entered the church’s main foyer shortly after 1 p.m. and began shooting, Myers said.

The church’s 11 a.m. service had recently ended, and hundreds of people were milling about when the gunman opened fire. Nearby were parents picking up their children from the nursery.

Police arrived to find the gunman had been killed by a member of the church’s armed security staff, Myers said.

“There was a courageous staff member who probably saved many lives here today,” Myers said.

The FBI and the ATF were assisting in the investigation. Officers were combing the campus looking for suspicious devices.

“We had a plan in place, and it worked well,” said Boyd, who in August took over from disgraced pastor Ted Haggard. “Many, many lives were saved today because of some quick, action by the many volunteers here at the church.”

Having spent the entire weekend at a prominent megachurch in Southern California, when services end you have thousands of people moving in a fairly small area, and a nut with a high powered gun could take a terrible toll. However, a gun in the hands of a trained and dedicated volunteer (I haven't heard much about her, but I'll bet she's an off-duty law enforcement officer) saved the day in Colorado Springs. Who knows how many lives were saved by her quick action.

How many lives would have been saved in Omaha had somebody in that mall, whether a security guard or a citizen, had a weapon and been in position to use it? That shooting ended only because the gunman decided to kill himself. He'd done all the damage he was going to do long before the cops were in position to do anything about it.

"Gun-free zones" like the mall in Omaha aren't all the lefties think they're cracked up to be.

UPDATE: According to the pastor, the security officer is not a current law enforcement officer, but has a law enforcement background. She was not in uniform but was providing security in plain clothes. The weapon she used was her own which she was licensed to carry.

Three of the shooting victims were from the same family who were attacked as they exited their vehicle in the church parking lot. Two teenage girls were killed and their dad seriously wounded. That family will need a lot of prayers this Christmas.