WASHINGTON — Following another deadly shooting on Sunday, Texas Republicans praised members of a church security team who stopped a gunman, citing state laws allowing weapons in houses of worship. Meanwhile, Democrats repeated their call for more restrictive gun laws that they say would prevent shootings.

Politicians weighed in on the Sunday morning shooting at West Freeway Church of Christ in the Fort Worth suburb of White Settlement, where a gunman killed two churchgoers before being shot and killed in the sanctuary.

At a Sunday evening press conference in White Settlement, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick credited laws passed by the Texas legislature for allowing churchgoers to carry weapons and have a trained security team.

“The immediate responder is the most important; the citizen responder,” Patrick said. "Because even though the chief’s brave officers were here in less than a minute … by the time they got here, the shooting was over. And that always happens, that over 50 percent of shootings, our first responders, it’s usually over when they get there, no matter how hard they try.”

Democrats said Texas could do more than allow worshippers to be armed.

“As elected officials, we must do more to protect Texans,” state Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Burleson, said in a statement. “Months ago, I, along with many of my colleagues in the House and Senate, called for a special session to address the rise of gun violence in Texas. We can and must respect the Second Amendment, but the time has come to address serious solutions to save the lives of innocent Texans.”

My statement on today’s shooting in White Settlement: pic.twitter.com/rFpWfWFbst — Senator Beverly Powell (@beverlypowelltx) December 29, 2019

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called the shooting an “evil act of violence” in a statement Sunday afternoon and made no mention of any possible legislative solution.

“Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life,” Abbott said. “Cecilia [Abbott’s wife] and I ask all Texans to join us in praying for the White Settlement community and for all those affected by this horrible tragedy.”

Statement on shooting at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement: pic.twitter.com/Crrrvavvs6 — Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) December 29, 2019

Abbott faced pressure from Democrats to call a special session of the Texas Legislature following the August mass shootings at a Walmart in El Paso and on the highway between Odessa and Midland.

That pressure was renewed after this latest shooting.

Thankful for those that stopped the shooter in #WhiteSettlement today. Sad that I even have to offer those thanks. Church shootings shouldn’t be our new normal, and they don’t have to be. #txlege — Joe Moody (@moodyforelpaso) December 29, 2019

“Thankful for those that stopped the shooter in #WhiteSettlement today,” tweeted state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso. “Sad that I even have to offer those thanks. Church shootings shouldn’t be our new normal, and they don’t have to be.”

Following the mass shooting in El Paso, Abbott appointed commissions on safety and domestic terrorism but has declined to call a special session.

State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, alluded to the Texas Legislature’s debate over gun control in his own tweet.

We should never waver in offering sincere prayers for comfort and healing for victims and their families. And we should never waver in being laser focused on aggressively cracking down on law-breakers while vigorously protecting the rights of law-keepers. — Jeff Leach (@leachfortexas) December 29, 2019

“We should never waver in offering sincere prayers for comfort and healing for victims and their families,” he wrote.” And we should never waver in being laser focused on aggressively cracking down on law-breakers while vigorously protecting the rights of law-keepers.”

Moody and Leach then engaged in a back-and-forth on Twitter, where Moody called for background checks on sales at gun shows, uniform protective order laws and a program that incentivizes gun owners to safely store their firearms.

Leach agreed that the state needs to “close any and all loopholes that empower bad guys” but offered no specifics. He also said the state needs to be tougher on people who violate existing gun laws.

So I’ll be specific.



First of all, you and I work in TX, so let’s talk about that.



We don’t enforce our protective order laws in a uniform way. We have no private sale background checks. We have no safe storage incentive. We don’t flag in state fugitives. #txlege https://t.co/6U7RC06rvP — Joe Moody (@moodyforelpaso) December 30, 2019

A state law went into effect in September 2017 that allows churches to have armed volunteer security. Licensed handgun owners are also allowed to bring firearms into a place of worship as long as the church allows it, and a law passed earlier this year required churches to give notice to their congregations if they want to ban guns.

Guns in churches, synagogues and mosques previously weren’t explicitly allowed under the law, but lawmakers decided to clarify the state code in response to the 2017 Sutherland Springs church shooting in which 26 victims were fatally shot and 20 more were wounded. The gunman in that attack also died.

O’Rourke, Castro, Cruz, Cornyn weigh in

Texas’ former and current presidential candidates called for change in how gun violence is addressed.

So saddened to hear about another church shooting in Texas, this one in White Settlement near Fort Worth. Clearly what we are doing in Texas, what we are doing in this country, when it comes to guns is not working. https://t.co/krwcpL1lih — Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) December 29, 2019

“So saddened to hear about another church shooting in Texas, this one in White Settlement near Fort Worth,” tweeted former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who dropped out of the presidential race in November and is now focusing on helping Democrats win a majority in the Texas House. “Clearly what we are doing in Texas, what we are doing in this country, when it comes to guns is not working.”

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and San Antonio mayor Julián Castro echoed O’Rourke.

Terrible news out of White Settlement, Texas, where churchgoers have experienced another mass shooting.



We can take steps to reduce these horrific attacks right now—we just need our elected leaders to have the courage to act.https://t.co/uAv7EoJ4N0 — Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) December 29, 2019

“We can take steps to reduce these horrific attacks right now — we just need our elected leaders to have the courage to act,” Castro tweeted.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, pointed out that this was the second attack in less than 24 hours on worshippers, following a Saturday night knife attack at a Hanukkah celebration in New York that left 5 people injured. Crenshaw called on Americans to “work together to stop the growing hatred in our country.”

First it was Monsey, NY, where anti-Semitism again reared its ugly head as a man attacked Jews attending a Hanukkah celebration, stabbing 5 victims. Then it was in White Settlement, TX, where a man started shooting during a service at West Freeway Church of Christ...1/4 — Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) December 29, 2019

“This season is supposed to be one of faith, family and love,” Crenshaw said. “But evil cowards are trying to make it grief-ridden by attacking our churches and synagogues. We will not allow them to win.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also called the attacker “evil” on Twitter before thanking those who shot the gunman.

Heart wrenching to learn about the evil that entered the West Freeway Church of Christ today during the congregation’s sacred time of worship. Heidi & I are lifting up in our thoughts & prayers the victims & their families. — Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) December 29, 2019

“We are also grateful to the local law enforcement & brave men & women of the congregation who helped stop the shooter,” he wrote. “By courageously putting your own lives in harm’s way today, you helped save many others.”

Sen. John Cornyn praised the worshippers who shot the gunman.

“Very sad. Fortunately there were citizens present prepared to prevent further loss of life,” he said on Twitter.

Correction. 9:55 p.m. A previous version of this story said that a 2017 Texas law allowed churches to have armed security. The law allowed armed volunteer security.