When an anti-Semitic sociopath attacked those attending a service in a synagogue in Poway, Calif., heroes in waiting leapt into action.
First, Lori Kaye, who was 60 years old, jumped in front of the murder’s gun to save Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein. She was tragically killed. Goldstein was injured.
At the sound of these gun shots, an Army veteran named Oscar Stewart, who is 51, charged the murderer as others hurried children out an alternate exit.
“Get down!” screamed Stewart at the killer. “You mother------! I’m going to kill you!”
Stewart says he doesn’t remember what he screamed. His wife and others told reporters what they heard him yell. Others in the synagogue would later say he screamed so loudly they couldn’t believe the sound came from one person. Stewart would tell the Daily Callerthat perhaps an angel was speaking through his voice.
Stewart says he doesn’t know what made him run toward the gun shots or to scream. The impact he had on the murderer was pivotal. The man dropped his firearm and ran. Stewart chased the killer outside. The murderer ran to his car and locked himself in. Stewart got to the vehicle and began pounding on the car with the idea that he’d somehow break in and drag the killer out and to justice.
Right behind Stewart was Jonathan Morales, an off-duty Border Patrol agent, who was also at the service. Morales had a gun. Morales fired several shots as the murderer fled the scene.
The killer was later taken into custody.
Before the above facts came out, some politicians attempted to use the evil actions of this killer to push for more restrictions on Second Amendment-protected rights.
“Spare us your thoughts and prayers,” tweeted Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) in response to a tweet from President Donald J. Trump that offered prayers and thanked law enforcement. “It’s an alibi for inaction,” said Swalwell. “You told the NRA yesterday you’d keep dangerous guns in the hands of dangerous people. We will take it from here with action.”
“Less gun!” nonsensically tweeted Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) even though two good guys, one with a gun, had just saved a lot of lives.
“Heartbroken to hear of the San Diego synagogue shooting, particularly so on this final day of Passover,” wrote New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) on Twitter just before pushing for more gun control. “We have a responsibility to love + protect our neighbors. The longer the Senate delays holding a vote on #HR8, the more we put Americans at risk.”
Ocasio-Cortez is referring to so-called “universal” background check legislation passed by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives last February. This legislation, if it ever does become law, would criminalize what has always been normal, law-abiding behavior in America. It also wouldn’t have stopped the alleged murdererOcasio-Cortez was referring to, as San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephanhas said they believe he bought the firearm legally.
As so often happens, after the facts of this story began to come out the media began downplaying or outright ignoring these parts of the story. A lead story on CNN.com on Tuesday, for example, didn’t even mention Kaye,Stewart or Morales. The heroic actions of those people just doesn’t fit the anti-gun narrative.
This isn’t just disingenuous of left-leaning news outlets. These political editorial decisions keep important facts from the public, facts that could help more Americans come together behind real solutions.
The mainstream media could at least have highlighted the selfless actions of these normal Americans. Stewart served in the Navy in explosive ordnance disposal from 1990 to 1994. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he enlisted in the Army. He spent his life preparing to take on evil.“It takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun,” Stewart told the Daily Caller.
After the murderer drove off, Stewart ran back into the synagogue. He found Kaye and began giving her CPR. He continued until a couple of doctors arrived.
“She had different political views, so we had interesting discussions when we talked,” Stewart said about Kaye. “We didn’t just talk about the weather. It was kind of cool. She was a very loving woman…. People in the aftermath here have been saying it’s important to be strong and defend ourselves. I also think it’s important to know that being strong and defending ourselves requires a lot of sacrifice too,” said Stewart.
The weighty decision to carry concealed is a sacrifice. By deciding to carry, a person is implicitly agreeing to voluntarily get all the training they need to be safe and proficient with their firearm. They are also agreeing to go to the trouble to wear that inside-the-waistband holster or to utilize whatever carry technique works best for them. These are sacrifices for the greater good that more and more Americans are taking on.
Stewart, in an interview with the Daily Caller, refused to call himself a hero, which is precisely how heroes act—they know it’s not all about them. He then said something the media needs to try to understand: “The whole media thing—people don’t get to know people, and they get to sit in a cocoon, and sit and make opinions on what somebody writes. It’s not good…. The most important thing I want to share is that we need to know each other. If you make an opinion on anyone, you need to know what they’re about, and who they are. You can’t generalize and say every blue person is evil because they’re blue. That’s ridiculous.”
As for Morales, Rabbi Goldstein said his congregation can’t afford an armed guard, so he had spoken with Morales “about coming to the synagogue armed, because he’s trained, and I want trained security as much as possible.”
“The Constitution of the United States guarantees freedom of religion for all faiths. We are so grateful to live here in this country that protects our rights to live openly and proudly as Jews,” Rabbi Goldstein told NBC.
Congress’s Passes the “Range Bill”
Both houses of Congress have passed of the “Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act” (H.R. 1222). The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has now been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Companion legislation (S. 94) was previously passed by the Senate. As this was being written the bill had to return to the Senate for a legislative formality, but was expected to pass as the bill language is identical. It was then to be sent to President Donald J. Trump to be signed into law.
The Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act, also known as the “Range Bill,” will allow states to use their allocation of Pittman-Robertson funds (taxes on guns and ammo) on new ranges or to improve existing state-run public recreational shooting ranges. Currently, states are required to put up 25 percent of the cost of range construction projects to access the matching 75 percent of funds from Pittman-Robertson allocation. This legislation would allow states to access those funds with a 10 percent match and allow states five fiscal years to acquire land for range construction or expansion projects.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation says this legislation has long been a top priority “as a crucial step forward in promoting, protecting and preserving hunting and the shooting sports. It has been introduced as 29 different numbered bills, since the 110th Congress. In those 14 years, the legislation was included in 15 separate bill packages, that for reasons unrelated to the Range Bill failed to reach Congressional consensus.”
Pro-Freedom Quote of the Week
“THANK YOU @NRA @NRAAM” –President Donald J. Trump tweeted after speaking at the NRA’s Annual Meetings in Indianapolis.
