The echoes of shotgun blasts were still reverberating off the walls of the sanctuary as Jack Wilson tried to draw a bead on the gunman.

"The only clear shot I had was his head because I still had people in the pews that were not all the way down as low as they could," Wilson later told The Associated Press. "That was my one shot."

In the tangle of confused and panicked people scrambling for safety, Wilson's line of sight cleared for an instant.

"I fired one round. The subject went down."

And there it was: "A good guy with a gun had stopped a bad guy with a gun." Two members of the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, near Fort Worth, had been killed by the shooter but Wilson's quick actions on Dec. 29 had undeniably prevented more deaths among the 240 people in attendance.

Wilson estimated that the attack and his response lasted about six seconds. The shooter at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs two years ago had seven minutes and had killed 26 people and wounded another 20.

The fact that Wilson was there to immediately intervene became exhibit No. 1 for those who argue that the best response to gun violence is to arm more law-abiding citizens to stop shooters in their tracks.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton credited a state law passed last year that clarified that Texans with concealed-carry licenses may bring their weapons into places of worship unless expressly prohibited.

“If there is any church in this state, in America, that was prepared for this, it was this church,” Paxton said a day after the shooting. “They had done their training. And I think that you could see it in the results.”

President Donald Trump weighed in with a supportive tweet: "It was over in 6 seconds thanks to the brave parishioners who acted to protect 242 fellow worshippers. Lives were saved by these heroes, and Texas laws allowing them to carry arms!"

A Republican lawmaker in Alabama said events at the church had inspired him to reintroduce legislation that would strengthen "stand your ground" laws in that state.

Church leaders across Texas said they already were focused on security and whether to incorporate volunteer security teams into their worship plans.

Skeptics of the "good guy with a gun" solution to gun violence, including the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board, must concede that there are certainly cases when it works, whether the armed response comes from a law enforcement officer or a well-trained private citizen.

Deadly weapons in sacred spaces are an unholy notion for many of us — regardless of our Second Amendment views. They shouldn’t be necessary. But in a country with more guns than people, the dangers seem omnipresent. It has become clear that declaring public spaces to be "gun-free zones" doesn't deter those intent on doing evil, especially in places where they know people are particularly vulnerable, such as places of worship.

But "good guy" proponents need to be careful about reading too much into the events in White Settlement. The answer is more complicated that a catchy slogan.

George Zimmerman no doubt believed he was the “good guy” when he confronted Trayvon Martin. The armed security guard at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., was ineffective until backup arrived. And even the quickest response is not enough when firearms with high-capacity magazines and some at-home modifications allow a gunman to shoot a person per second.

Not every church can be blessed with a Jack Wilson, a 71-year-old firearms instructor and former reserve sheriff’s deputy who had the composure to wait that extra second for innocent bystanders to get out of the line of fire. Nor can every church expect the self-control of the five or six other volunteers Wilson said were also on hand but didn't recklessly open fire in the crowded room when the shooting started.

It also should be noted that Wilson and his team were specifically tasked with security during the service and were already alert to the gunman's suspicious behavior even before he pulled his shotgun. That is very different from the idea of arming teachers who would be dealing with dozens of other details and distractions with students in different buildings and locations across a large campus. It's also not the same as depending on "good guys" in darkened movie theaters or crowded malls to exercise the kind of care and coordination as Wilson's team showed during the Sunday morning service.

We should continue to push for responsible gun ownership, improving efficient background checks and using red-flag laws to keep lethal weapons out of the hands of those who would do harm.

We can be grateful for this good guy with a gun while we do everything possible to make sure the bad guys don’t get one..