You may remember Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright [above]. The Sheriff hit the headlines back in October after a woman was raped within his jurisdiction. Dan the Man posted on the Sheriff’s assertion that women should carry a concealed firearm (Sheriff Wright: Carry a Concealed Weapon. That’ll Fix It). Turns out Wright was right on principle: an armed citizen is a good thing, not a bad thing. charlotte.cbslocal.com tells the tale: “Jesse Gates had already been to the Southside Freewill Baptist Church in Boiling Springs once Sunday morning, so the pastor’s grandson was keeping his eye on the parking lot when he saw Gates come back, this time taking a shotgun out of his trunk . . .
“They locked the door and they were calling 911 at the time. He didn’t draw his weapon or make any move or action toward this gentleman until he kicked the door open and forced the issue,” Wright said.
After Gates kicked in the door, the pistol pointed at him distracted him enough that the pastor was able to grab the shotgun. Members of the church kept him down until deputies arrived, Wright said.
As the article details, Mr. Gates had a history of bugging church members with his less than entirely rational behavior. Thankfully, it’s now firmly in the past. But anyone who thinks that armed citizens aren’t the first line of defense against violence face a less certain future than the ones who do. IMHO.