HURST -- Jack Wilson stood before 600 churchgoers Sunday for a different kind of service, one that emphasized the need to train armed parishioners in case they ever confront an attacker like Wilson did at his church in White Settlement.

“There’s no question,” Wilson, 71, advised the crowd gathered at North Pointe Baptist Church in Hurst. “If you see someone and they display a gun, it’s time to act.”

The event marked the first time Wilson has spoken at a major church safety seminar since he shot the assailant who opened fire Dec. 29 in West Freeway Church of Christ and killed two worshippers. He’s received at least 20 more invitations to address similar trainings that are surging in popularity after a series of deadly church shootings.

Wilson, a firearms instructor who trains his congregation’s volunteer safety team, used his platform to emphasize the importance of practice and preparation. He also warned of an attack on the Second Amendment, specifically criticizing Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg, who has made addressing gun violence a focus of his campaign.

“If we were operating under Bloomberg’s position, we wouldn’t have had any guns in there,” Wilson said in an interview. “The outcome would have been extremely more severe than it was.”

Wilson said the attacker, who police identified as 43-year-old Keith Thomas Kinnunen, had seven more rounds in his shotgun and three more in his pocket.

"Mr. Wilson certainly acted bravely, but the killer had a history of violence and mental health issues and under Mike’s plan, he would never (have) had a gun,” Elizabeth Lewis, a spokeswoman for his Bloomberg’s campaign, said in a statement Monday.

Gun debate

As Wilson now finds himself in a position of public fame, it remains to be seen whether he will use his clout in the political arena. He is running as a Republican for Hood County commissioner in the March 3 primary and firearms will likely emerge as a campaign issue. Addressing gun violence in wake of mass shootings in El Paso and Midland-Odessa is expected to be a priority when state lawmakers return to Austin in 2021.

Wilson has been praised by Republican leaders such as Gov. Greg Abbott as a hero and example of a “good guy with a gun." Advocates for gun control, however, have questioned whether the attack would have occurred if stricter laws had been in place.

Ed Scruggs of the advocacy group Texas Gun Sense recently told The Dallas Morning News that the attacker in White Settlement, who he noted had a criminal history and showed signs of mental instability, was “a walking poster for the need for a red-flag law.”

This is the good guy with a gun who stopped a bad guy with a gun at the church in White Settlement.



It took 6 seconds.



He saved countless lives.



He is Jack Wilson and a true Texas hero. pic.twitter.com/kfAv79xcoT — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 3, 2020

Those laws generally allow judges to temporarily remove guns from those deemed a danger to themselves or others. The policy, however, has faced fierce pushback in Texas from gun rights advocates, including Stephen Willeford, who confronted the gunman in the Sutherland Springs church attack. Wilson also opposes them.

3 of 20000   Jack Wilson, the head of the West Freeway Church of Christ volunteer security team who stopped a gunman at the church in White Settlement, autographs a copy of the book 'Texas Gun Law: Armed And Educated' during a church safety seminar at North Pointe Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Hurst, Texas. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

“If somebody wants a gun,” he said, “they can get it whenever they want, red flag laws or not.”

Celebrity status

Wearing a black cowboy hat and a gray suit coat, Wilson was something of a celebrity at the Sheepdog Seminar on church safety Sunday.

A few men asked Wilson to pose for selfies with them, which he did. Other parishioners shook his hand or clapped him on the back, offering words of thanks. Most of the time Wilson was flanked by a volunteer security team member, who was there for the event and wore a collared shirt, a sidearm and an earpiece connected to a radio.

After Wilson answered a few questions at the start of the four-hour program, those in attendance rose among the wooden pews to give him a standing ovation.

“I hope the outcome of all this is getting people to become aware of their surroundings, to become aware they are responsible, in a large part, for their safety and well-being, whether they are in church, a grocery store, or wherever,” Wilson said in an interview.

Such awareness was on full display Sunday, when the seminar’s leader, pastor and retired police officer Jimmy Meeks, asked for prayers for Wilson and his church.

“We’re going to ask you to pray differently from here on out,” Meeks said. “Do not bow your heads.” He instead asked congregants to keep their heads raised to remain alert.

Wilson said he noticed Kinnunen at church that Sunday because of the fake beard and long coat he was wearing. Wilson asked that one of the church cameras, usually used to stream the day’s service online, be focused on the man. A member of the volunteer protection team, 67-year-old Richard White, positioned himself behind Kinnunen, who sat in one of the back pews.

When the man turned his gun on parishioners Anton “Tony” Wallace and White, Wilson drew his firearm.

“I know God’s hand was on mine when I did take the shot,” he said. “It was meant to be and that’s how I am handling the situation.”

Since the shooting, nearly 20 members of the congregation have approached Wilson, saying they want to get their license to carry. Members of the church’s volunteer security team are still training on the firing range, some with an even greater focus, Wilson said. Last week, White’s wife came to shoot, he said.

“If you sign up for a security team, practice, train, practice, train,” he said, “because if you don’t do that, when it comes down to the real life scenario, you probably will not react as you need to.”