Home > Alerts & Updates > Alert 1/6/2020: Armed Texas Non-Mormons Stop Shooter: Lessons for Disarmed Mormons

Church shooter in the upper right is about to be stopped by an armed citizen in the upper left.  Click on any picture to enlarge it.

Armed Texas Non-Mormons Stop Shooter: Lessons for Disarmed Mormons*

Alert for 1/6/2020: On Dec. 29, 2019, during services at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement City, Texas, an individual concealing a shotgun opened fire, murdering two church members.  An armed member of the church returned fire and killed the assailant in a matter of critical seconds, and before he could continue the carnage.

What lessons can be learned, especially for Mormons* — in Utah and throughout the world — who were recently commanded, in no uncertain terms, to disarm themselves when attending facilities they paid for?

* "Mormons" are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Jump down to any topic:

1. Lessons for Those Already Armed and Serious

2. Mormons Risk Incarceration for Carrying Concealed Firearms in their Facilities

3. Protected Mormon Corporate "Leaders" Lecture Future Victims on How to Be Slaughtered

4. Mormons Who Secretly Violate Corporate Policy Must Lie to Pass Membership Test

5. Pick a Path, Snowflakes

1. Lessons for Those Already Armed and Serious

A church security camera captured the incident.  UT Gun Rights presents the following independent video analysis by Active Self Protection for your awareness and study.  The narrator makes several points worthy of serious consideration for those with the determination to fully defend themselves and others in group situations.

The video contains real world material, and viewer discretion is advised.

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Mormon facilities worldwide are now victim disarmament zones.

2. Mormons Risk Incarceration for Carrying Weapons in their Facilities

In a recent update, UT Gun Rights exposed Mormon corporation President Russell Nelson's efforts to disarm church-goers.  From the update:

In August of this year [2019], the Mormon Corporation further tightened its defenseless noose around visitors to ALL PROPERTIES WORLDWIDE, by altering its official policy to read:

"With the exception of current law enforcement officers, the carrying of lethal weapons on Church property, concealed or otherwise, is prohibited." [Click here and go to "21.2.4 Firearms".]

Mormon corporation President Russell Nelson is all a-buzz for gun control.

No further definition is provided as to what constitutes a "lethal weapon."  What about tasers, knives (folding or fixed blade), scissors, baseball bats, screwdrivers, containers of gasoline, lumber, rocks, glass containers, motorized vehicles, pencils and pens, bows and arrows, and similar items?  Nearly any object could potentially be considered "lethal" by a triggered Mormon corporate paid or lay officer.
Source: Bloomberg's Busy Bees: Mormon Corporation President Russell Nelson A-Buzz for Gun Control, September 3, 2019.

Let the impact of this policy sink in.  All Mormon corporation facilities worldwide, to include church buildings, are now victim disarmament zones.

Imagine if the Texas incident above had occured in a Mormon congregation that had fully complied with such disarmament policies?  How many victims might the assailant have murdered and injured before he was stopped?

Some Facebook participants were critical of the tone and temperament of the aforementioned update.  To read some of the back-and-forth commentary, click here.

Regardless, philosophical meanderings abruptly end when actual shooting starts, and people you care about are mowed down in front of your helpless, defenseless self.

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Everyone is comfortable ridiculing billionaire elitists like Michael Bloomberg who push for gun control while enjoying 24/7 armed security.

3. Protected Mormon Corporate "Leaders" Lecture Future Victims on How to Be Slaughtered

Top Mormon corporation "leaders" enjoy elite armed security details, secret tunnels to "avoid crowds," and other luxuries afforded to the rich and famous.  For example,

"Men dressed in dark suits, wearing two-way earpiece radios, resembling Secret Service agents sans dark sunglasses, protect a man revered by a 12-million-member church as a modern-day prophet, seer, and revelator. The Church Security Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints oversees security for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...

"A system of underground hallways connects the Conference Center, the LDS Salt Lake Temple, tabernacle, Joseph Smith Memorial Building and church administration buildings. These allow the First Presidency and other General Authorities to discretely travel between the buildings and avoid crowds...

"The First Presidency travels with a detail of bodyguards who oversee local security composed of volunteers from local stakes."
Source: "Security Staffed by Full-timers and Volunteers," by Kelly Bingham, Standard-Examiner, Sep. 30, 2006.

Everyone is comfortable ridiculing elitists like Barack Obama who push for gun control while enjoying 24/7 armed security.

For an idea of the professional level of security they demand for themselves, consider this:

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to build a new training center for its in-house security forces... complete with two shooting ranges and facilities for teaching about defensive tactics and the use of force.

"Tentatively called the Church Security Department Training Center, the 67,600-square-foot facility would be remodeled from part of an existing bishops’ storehouse at 390 S. 5200 West in Salt Lake City, according to Feb. 8 architectural drawings leaked online and obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.

"Church spokesman Eric Hawkins confirmed the new training center was under consideration but said that no final construction plans had been approved."
Source: "LDS Church planning a new training center in Salt Lake City for its guards, complete with two firing ranges," Tony Semerad, Salt Lake Tribune, Apr. 2, 2019.

24/7 elite security for top corporate shepherds... Sesame Street's "Elmo Approach" for the sheep.

As if enjoying such a huge double-standard of protection and security were not audacious enough, Mormon corporate "leaders" instructed disarmed local lay members to essentially take Sesame Street's "Elmo Approach" of merely "asking" misbehaving individuals to "stop" their inappropriate behavior. From their October 10, 2019 letter to leaders worldwide:

"Explain to the individual that his or her behavior is inappropriate in this setting. Ask them to stop and leave. You may also invite them to meet with a leader in the foyer."

If asking nicely doesn't work, and it didn't for the church security team in Texas, Mormon corporate leaders instructed their flock to adopt a "run," "hide," or "fight" strategy and mentality.  From the same letter:

"Active Shooter or Other Active Assailant

"If an active shooter or other active assailant enters the building, do one of the following, based on the circumstances:

"Run. Flee immediately if a safe path is available. Move quickly to the safest exit and away from the building to a safe location. Exit quietly, without drawing the attention of the assailant. Adults are to ensure all children are supervised and accounted for. Do not return to the building or to an office or classroom for personal items. Do not carry anything that could be mistaken for a weapon by responding law enforcement.

"Hide. If you are unable to escape safely, hide out of sight of the assailant’s view. If possible, close, lock, and barricade the doors to the classrooms, offices, or other rooms where you are hiding. Turn out the lights, silence mobile phones, and keep low to the floor and away from windows. If there is an exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the assailant, everyone in the building is to stay in their barricaded rooms until instructed otherwise by law enforcement.

New non-lethal weapon of choice for Mormon defenders?

"Fight. As a last resort, if there is no time to run or hide, fight back against the assailant. Use anything available as a weapon, and fight to stop the assailant. If others are present, organize to defend yourselves."

Note: These instructions have been reiterated and reinforced in other Mormon corporation publications.  See "Church releases new safety guidelines to help members in case of shootings, emergencies," Mormon Church News, Oct. 10, 2019, and  "Safety in Chapels Is the Responsibility of Every Latter-day Saint," Mormon Newsroom, Oct. 10, 2019.  The latter title is particularly ironic.

If everyone "runs" and/or "hides," people you care about are likely to be left behind to suffer and potentially be murdered.  Trapped in the middle of church pews, defenseless older citizens and the very young will be particularly vulnerable.

And if some choose to fight, what are they supposed to fight with?  Throwing purses and scriptures?  A rolling pin from the kitchen?  Disorient the attacker by blasting the volume on the church organ?  Or maybe throw the least favorite members of your flock at the shooter to buy time for everyone else to continue running and hiding?

Without lethal weapons to assist Mormon members, such "counsel" is asinine and dangerous.  It was a firearm that saved more victims in White Settlement, Texas, and in countless other violent events.  To pretend otherwise is deadly nonsense.

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How many more innocents would have died if Jack Wilson had been prevented from carrying a concealed weapon in his Texas church?

4. Mormons Who Secretly Violate Corporate Policy Must Lie to Pass Membership Test

In October of 2019, two months after all "lethal weapons" were banned in Mormon facilities worldwide, Mormon corporate "leaders" altered several "temple recommend interview questions."  These questions help determine whether a member is sufficiently "worthy" to participate with full access in the organization.

In particular, consider Question 7 prior to October 2019:

"Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?"

The new Question 7 is as follows:

"Do you support or promote any teachings, practices, or doctrine contrary to those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?"

The difference is significant.  Under the old question verbiage, an individual might truthfully answer that he does not support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary.  Under the new question verbiage, however, if he personally supports or promotes any teachings, practices, or doctrines that are contrary, he must honestly answer "YES," which is the "incorrect" answer.

In other words, if an individual is opposed to this victim disarmament policy, and especially if he conceals weapons while in Mormon facilities, by answering Question 7 honestly, he risks losing his access to core places of worship, and, by extension, to the Mormon concept of salvation.  If, upon follow-up interrogation, he admits to actually carrying concealed weapons into Mormon facilities, he also makes himself legally vulnerable to any criminal trespass charges that might be pursued.

Mormon members are in the unenviable position of realizing that their virtuous and honorable act of bearing arms for defense of self, family, and other church members against murderous attacks is held in deep contempt by their own "leaders."  These "leaders" are resorting to de facto spiritual extortion by threatening the "salvation" of any Mormon who refuses to disarm and/or personally support their victim disarmament policy.

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Those who claim to value their natural rights must choose one path or the other.

5. Pick a Path, Snowflakes

Many Utahans are VERY sensitive when it comes to confronting problems related to the Mormon organization.  Yet, if this were any other voluntary organization or association, a boycott and walkout would be the clearly-recognized solution.

Why are despicable double-standards between "leaders" and members tolerated?  Perhaps they never read George Orwell's The Animal Farm, wherein the duplicitious ruling pigs elevated their status above the other animals by declaring: "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

Why do Mormons and others tip-toe around the plain facts?  Do they imagine that lip-biting silence and juvenile excuses will magically make these life-and-death problems go away?

Whatever the answers, it's long past time for some tough love.  Like it or not, the ultimate power in this situation resides solely in the hands of individual Mormon members.

If sufficient numbers of Mormons who oppose victim disarmament zones were to walk away and refuse to return to facilities (they paid for) until their rights were again respected and safeguarded, it is highly likely that this abominable policy would be rescinded.

At that point, there would be no further need for UT Gun Rights to imperfectly post anything further on this matter.  Except perhaps to highlight the inherent power gun owners possess to challenge, confront, and overcome adversity.

Contrary to coddling excuse-makers, this discussion has nothing to do with whether one believes in Mormonism, Catholicism, Agnosticism, or other -isms.  This is about natural rights and accountability.

Natural rights are only safeguarded insofar as ALL individuals and organizations are held to an equal standard of accountability.  If the standard is unequal, then there is no accountability at all, and every individual can do as he pleases — under the flimsy rationale that Sacred Cows are more important than absolute fidelity to true principles.

UT Gun Rights will continue to expose and confront any organization, religious or otherwise, that attempts to disarm its members, customers, and visitors.  Insane and cowardly policies such as the ones discussed in this alert will result in intolerable consequences, including the murder of innocent people, and the continued effeminate degradation of society.

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