by Rohan Kapur ’20, Staff Writer

On November 5th, a gunman opened fire on the people in the Baptist church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 people and injuring many more. The victims, including the pastor’s daughter and a pregnant woman, were aged from 5 to 72. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history. The shooter, 26-year-old Devin Kelley, was a former member of the Air Force who had been discharged in 2014 because of misconduct. After a neighbor exchanged fire with Kelley, Kelley fled the scene and was later killed during the chase, but left behind a gruesome scene. According to CNN, Kelley was chased down by Stephen Willeford, who lived by the church and used his gun to neutralize Kelley. He had obtained his gun legally and was able to use it to stop Kelley from killing additional people.

This mass shooting has brought up the issue of gun laws and background checks. According to the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, Devin Kelley should not have had that gun. Kelley had been guilty of felony and domestic violence, and thus legally should not been able to obtain a gun. He had been denied a firearms license in the past, but according to Time he had purchased the gun in San Antonio. It is unclear whether the purchase was legal, but Kelley should have been denied the right to obtain a gun according to gun laws. His illegal acquisition of a gun has sparked debates on whether or not more gun laws need to be implemented or reconsidered, or if gun laws need to be more strictly enforced. A 10th-grade student said, “This mass shooting proves that gun laws do not work and citizens owning guns can only help, as Kelley was able to bypass all gun laws that should have stopped him, while his killer used his legally owned gun to stop the shooting.” This student argued that gun laws are useful and although agreed that certain weapons should be unavailable for sale, most guns should be obtainable easily to help stop mass shootings, as all citizens will be armed to protect themselves. A 12th-grade student disagreed, saying, “I think that the Texas shooting incident shows that mental health and gun control issues are two sides of the same coin; in order for gun control laws to be effective, we need to invest in identifying and treating mental health issues of US citizens. We need to strengthen the enforcement of gun laws in order to ensure that a shooting like this does not happen again.” This student argued that gun laws are useful, but only with the right enforcement. The student continued by saying that mental health should be discussed more frequently and there should be more ways to help, to ensure someone like Kelley could get medical care instead of resorting to violent activities and hurting other citizens.

The town has started its long rebuilding process, and has focused on light over darkness. One week after the shooting on November 12, the town pastor, Frank Pomeroy, fought back tears as he delivered his sermon. He told the people that they had the freedom of choice in their destiny. Although the church was closed, hundreds came from all around to pay their respects. Inside the church, which opened later that day, the walls had a fresh coat of white paint and the pews were gone. Folding chairs stood where the victims were said to have been worshipping at the time of the shooting. Red roses with chiffon ribbons rested on the chairs, where the first names of the victims were painted in gold. Families have also started to move on as funerals have been planned, as people remember the people lost in the shooting. At the service, Mr. Pomeroy said he wanted to remember the victims through their broad personalities and their life achievements.

The church shooting in Texas was a horrible, gruesome shooting, which showed the best and worst of humans. The shooter was a man filled with hatred who killed many. While the townspeople showed the unification of the town as seen with the town pastor who preached for light over dark one week after he lost many. The shooting has also brought up the issues of gun laws, in which some argue that it proves gun laws don’t work, while others say they need to be enforced more strictly. In any case, there is lots of rebuilding to do for Sutherland Springs in Texas, and also lots of reconsideration in Congress.