Civilian Gun Owner Mark Wilson Saves Lives in Texas

Outside a courtroom in Tyler, Texas a disgruntled psycho armed with an AK-47 and bullet resistant body armor decided to try and kill his ex-wife and son, and anyone who got in his way.

Authorities credited the bystander who died, Mark Alan Wilson, 52, with saving the son's life.

Wilson, a gun enthusiast who had a concealed weapons permit, intervened after Arroyo started shooting, witnesses said. ...Wilson shot at Arroyo several times but his rounds didn't penetrate the armor.

Mr. Wilson's rounds may not have killed the attacker but they slowed him down, distracted him and helped buy the police time to respond. The attacker fled the scene in his nearby pickup truck and was pursued by and eventually shot to death by police officers.

In addition to murdering Mr. Wilson, the attacker wounded three police officers and his own 23 year old son.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Mark Alan Wilson for engaging and repeatedly shooting the psycho with his legally carried handgun. The police have credited him with saving the son's life.

Think about this for a second. Imagine yourself going about your day minding your own business and then suddenly an armor-clad psycho whips out an AK-47 and starts firing on innocent people near you. Would YOU have had the courage to pull your little handgun and be the very first person in the area to offer resistance to this killer? Would you have risked losing your life for some strangers and challenge someone with grossly superior arms?

Or, think of it this way:
Imagine you are the 23 year old son and have been shot and are about to be finished off by your attacker. As you await the fatal bullet from your father, you think of your mom and realize she will probably be the next person to die after you. Would you have ever dared to hope that a perfect stranger would intervene on your behalf to spare your life? Would you have even thought it possible that an armed civilian would be there to save you in this era of anti-gun political correctness?

Mark Alan Wilson died a hero and deserves some recognition. In order to have done this, he would have first had to do all of the following:

• Decide that life is worth protecting
• Purchase a costly firearm and learn how to use it
• Obtain a concealed weapon permit (often a very difficult and costly thing to do, depending on local laws)
• Get in the habit of carrying and concealing a heavy and uncomfortable weapon just in case he ever needed to defend himself or someone else
• Have the valor to put his life on the line for strangers when the bad guy started shooting
  

Why is it that I had to hear about his heroics from internet gun enthusiasts rather than the news? I had to read no fewer than 12 news stories before I could find ANY mention that Mr. Wilson engaged the enemy. Nearly all of the stories mention him as a mere "bystander" or victim. Is the news media really so anti-gun that they would deny a fallen hero his moment of glory in order to avoid mentioning that a legally licensed civilian gun carrier used a gun for good purposes?