HOUSTON — I’m already feeling sorry for Johnnie Clay Langendorff, who is probably well on his way to a dinner invitation at the Trump White House for driving the car that chased Devin Patrick Kelley out of Sutherland Springs, with an armed sidekick literally riding shotgun. I’ve already caught him on several broadcasts, with the word “hero” running on the banner below the video of Mr. Langendorff respectfully “yes ma’aming” and “no sir-ing” the confounded reporters.

I suspect it’s only a matter of time before the N.R.A. tries to give the kid in the cowboy hat and starched denim shirt whatever award it already has or is currently cooking up for valor under fire. There will, no doubt, be references to the “long, tall Texan,” his drawl and his style. That bull skull tattoo with the horns curling under his jawline? Central casting could not have done better.

Similar accolades will no doubt be lavished on Stephen Willeford, who jumped into Mr. Langendorff’s truck and was, possibly, ready to take Mr. Kelley out while they were giving chase. Mr. Willeford had already used his weapon to take a crack at the gunman fleeing the First Baptist Church, and once he hitched a ride with Mr. Langendorff, he kept a bead on Mr. Kelley until the law finally arrived. We will never know whether Mr. Willeford would have had to fire or not, or would have killed Mr. Kelley or not, because Mr. Kelley killed himself somewhere between the church and the ditch he ran his car into.

At least, some of us will never know. President Trump seemed to have an answer: “Fortunately somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction, otherwise it wouldn’t have been as bad as it was, it would have been much worse.” And there was our state attorney general, Ken Paxton, crowing about Texas’ open carry law, which allows anyone to hang out just about anywhere with a gun on their hip. Mr. Paxton put it this way: “And so if it’s a place where somebody has the ability to carry, there’s always the opportunity that gunman will be taken out before he has the opportunity to kill very many people.”