Seconds after a gunman opened fire on a church congregation in White Settlement, Texas, parishioners unholstered their pistols and shot him fatally..Parishioners told local media that they had never seen the gunman before the service, and his motives are not yet clear..The service was live-streamed for worshipers at home, and shows a man stand up form the pew, pull out a shotgun and fire two shots. Almost immediately after the second shot was fired, a parishioner shot and killed the gunman. In the seconds after the first defensive shot was fired, a total of seven church-goers could be seen producing handguns of their own and moving in on the gunman..The gunman and the two people he shot at point-blank range were found dead on the scene, but more than 240 churchgoers survived..Earlier this year, the Texas state legislature passed new legislation upholding the right of licensed handgun holders to carry weapons in places of worship if permitted by the church..Less than 24 hours earlier, five orthodox Jews were stabbed in a rabbi’s home during Hanukkah celebrations in New York City, which boasts some of the toughest gun-control legislation in the United States. The perpetrator escaped unharmed until apprehended by police..Two years earlier, a gunman massacred 24 unarmed people at another Texas church.
