In the wake of so many recent reports about illegal immigrants (even one who had previously been deported, and was now living in a “sanctuary city”) killing people, I thought a look at the other extreme would be in order.

____________________________________

The drunken thug hollered threats at the parishioner as she stepped out of her church in Boulder, CO on the evening of July 30.

Police say Heriberto Haro-Luna, inebriated and out of control, confronted his estranged wife in the church parking lot, grabbing her by the neck and threatening to slit her throat.

As this confrontation exploded, an employee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church was walking to his car –- with his concealed handgun.

Haro-Luna rapidly put the woman in a choke-hold and viciously stabbed her.

As she gasped her final prayers, the church employee drew his handgun and sprang into action. The assailant fled and was quickly apprehended by police.

Thanks to the quick action of the armed church employee (he has not yet been identified), the 41-year old woman is expected to make a full recovery.

Sadly, this kind of attack is not an isolated incident.

Less than two months ago, the infamous massacre at a Charleston, SC Bible study left nine people dead and even more injured.

No one was able to effectively stop the shooter as he unloaded round after round into the defenseless people.

You see, South Carolina law forbids guns in places of worship without express consent from the church’s owner.

The Emanuel AME Church opted to be a “gun-free zone.”

The pastor, Clementa Pinckney, also served as a SC State Senator and was a staunch supporter of gun control, regularly opposing concealed carry and self-defense legislation.

In 2011, Pinckney voted against a bill that would’ve allowed gun owners to bring their guns to church.

So on the evening of June 17, 2015, when the crazed shooter brought his gun to the Bible study illegally and opened fire, the law-abiding parishioners were sitting ducks. Tragically, Senator Pinckney was among the slain victims.

Yet, after this senseless shooting, anti-gun talking heads on every major media outlet parroted rhetoric about how gun control could’ve prevented this.

The only thing that could’ve prevented the Charleston, SC massacre would’ve been a good guy with a gun in that church.

And as disheartening as these “gun free zone” shootings are, I am very glad to report that similar incidents are stopped by armed citizens on a regular basis, saving hundreds of lives.

Take the incident in Texas, where a pro-gun pastor proved he’s nobody’s victim.

On July 28 of this year, a would-be robber kicked down the door of the Church of New Beginnings in Baytown, TX with Pastor Benny Holmes inside.

Holmes had a gun, so he was able to defend himself and hold the intruder until police arrived.

It isn’t just pastors who have been known to save the day, though.

In Boiling Springs, SC, a shotgun-wielding man interrupted Sunday service by kicking in the door of the pro-gun Southside Freewill Baptist Church.

Stepping into the church, the intruder brandished his shotgun and took aim at the pastor, only to be met by a parishioner’s handgun pointed right back at him.

Upon seeing the churchgoer’s handgun, the intruder froze.

This brief moment allowed several members of the congregation to seize the thug’s shotgun, disarming him and preventing a potential tragedy.

And of course, one of the best examples of a shooting stopped in mid-course by an armed citizen happened a few years ago at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO.

On December 9, 2007, Jeanne Assam ended what could have become one of the worst mass shootings in American history, saving possibly hundreds of lives.

The church was the second stop for Matthew Murray, a madman on a murderous rampage through local worship centers.

First, Murray went to the Youth With a Mission office, a training center for international missionaries, in Denver, CO – a city so harsh on guns, even open carry isn’t legal.

Entering the YWAM office, he asked to stay the night and after being declined, the 24-year old opened fire with a handgun, killing two people before slipping out the door.

12 hours and 65 miles later, Murray struck again, this time at Colorado Spring’s New Life Church.

As soon as he reached the parking lot, Murray opened fire, killing two teenage girls and wounding three others.

Stepping past his five victims, Murray moved towards the church, shooting out the glass doors, then walked down the hallway towards the congregation with over 1,000 rounds on his person, along with 3 firearms and a grenade.

Thankfully Jeanne Assam, a member of the congregation, was carrying her handgun that day and had volunteered to serve as church security. As Murray entered the building, Assam returned fire, stopping him in his tracks and saving the lives of the 7,000 people worshipping inside.

Police and officials later confirmed that the death toll would almost certainly have been in the hundreds without Ms. Assam’s brave actions.

Time and time again, law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights have saved countless lives and helped serve justice – often without a single shot being fired.

Stories like these are proof that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens save lives.

Yet, after every mass shooting, the gun control zealots bombard the media with their message that stricter gun laws are the answer.

But if the gun-grabbers had their way and the law-abiding were disarmed by so-called “gun free” zones, there would’ve been nothing between the madmen and their victims.

I shudder to think about what would’ve become of so many innocent churchgoers had law-abiding citizens been stripped of their firearms.

After all, if someone is willing to break God’s law and commit murder in a house of worship, why would they obey state or federal laws not to have a gun?

You and I know that logic just doesn’t add up.