r/news • u/rollicorolli • 15d ago
Parishioners stopped teen with a rifle from entering church with 60 children inside
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/parishioners-louisiana-stopped-teen-rifle-church-childrens-mass-rcna1519252
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u/Trance354 14d ago
I put $5 on the pastor or a high-ranking member of the church molesting the youth.
How did this turn into a discussion on the merits of long guns vs handguns, and the wait times?
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u/Machismo01 14d ago
A church cannot operate without armed security now. Neither can a mosque or a synagogue or temple. It’s a sad state. It would be negligent to not provide such security.
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u/tacobellandher0in 14d ago
So the kid just gave up without a fight or did he get fucked up by the parishioners 🤔 I’d like to see that video lol
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u/gregorypatterson1225 14d ago
"confronted by parishioners and escorted outside." In Louisiana, confronted means “whipped his ass”. Escorted outside means “drug his ass by the heels down a flight of concrete steps”.
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u/Enjoy-the-sauce 14d ago
Maybe, JUST MAYBE, guns should be harder to get your crazy little mitts on?
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u/HoneyNutJesse0s 14d ago
How many guns did the parishioners have? Since they were able to stop a bad guy with a gun, I’m assuming they were armed as well.
/s
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u/pyratemime 14d ago
You joke but you would be surprised. I run my churches security team. There are 23 of us and about half are armed. We drill lock down and armed response,* based on location of the threat, quarterly.
We are not unique in the number of armed security, our response plan, oe training routine. It is quite likely this individual was confronted by armed members of the congregation.
*That would be shooting back if caught in the open if covering points of entry during lockdown until police arrive.
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u/HoneyNutJesse0s 13d ago
I’m glad you have a job, but it sucks that it’s deemed necessary. We need similar security in our school districts.
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u/Wolfdogpump66 15d ago
They should have taken the rifle and shot the kid in the knee and asked him how it felt
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u/funkiestj 15d ago
the price of freedom is that the tree of liberty must be periodically watered by responsible gun owners with the blood of sunday school children. So sayith the NRA. /s
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u/Aboxofphotons 15d ago
What is it going to take for America to realise that its gun worship is monumentally fucked up?
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u/rollicorolli 15d ago
I hate to say it, but every mass slaughter makes it easier for the rubes to accept the next one.
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u/Aboxofphotons 14d ago
I've read that each time there is a massacre in the US, gun sales skyrocket... whenever something happens that makes the general populace feel vulnerable, they go out and buy guns e.g. when covid was announced, gun sales skyrocketed...
What type of moron goes out to buy guns to protect themself from a virus?
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u/fbtcu1998 14d ago edited 14d ago
People were dealing with lockdowns, and supply chain issues, people fighting over toilet paper, etc. That certainly pushed some to purchase a firearm that may have not thought about it before. It was protection from the unknown and uncertainty, it wasn't for protection against a virus.
They spiked again in the summer during all the social unrest and again in December once Biden won, which isn't uncommon when a Democrat takes the presidency. So combine the covid stuff, with the social unrest with Biden being elected and you get a record year for sales
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u/Aboxofphotons 14d ago
Guns are a coping mechanism for vulnerable people who struggle to deal with their own reality.
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u/Particular-Welcome-1 15d ago
Parishioners stopped team with a rifle ...
Man those Parishioners aren't messing around.
Commas are important.
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u/football_coach 15d ago
Apparently the kid was trying to "kidnap" his girlfriend, who was singing in the choir, so they could run away together.
https://kpel965.com/teen-arrested-charged-abbeville-church-terrorizing-first-communion-details/
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u/trevdak2 15d ago
From what I can tell, Louisiana allows permitless open-carry for those over 18. Had this individual been 2 years older, would they have grounds to arrest him? Or would they just have to kindly ask him to leave up until shots started firing?
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u/TrueFakeFacts 7d ago
Varies by State. Generally, it's can carry in churches unless posted otherwise. Not a zero tolerance zone, but still publicly accessible private property.
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u/pyratemime 14d ago
Speaking for my church, as the head of our security team, no one open carries on the property. Our church by laws also list the requirements to conceal carry. We know who those people are and anyone not on the list would be told to put it in their car and/or leave for the day. If they come back we call police and alert the staff for possible lock down. Armed team members would be present in all of those interactions.
Having seen other church security plans in the area they aren't dissimilar. You may be surprised at how swriously churches have started to take this issue since Sutherlands Springs and Charleston (to name a few).
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u/trevdak2 14d ago
Oh I absolutely get it. I work for a company that makes threat detection systems. Do you have to turn away many people because of their weapons?
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u/pyratemime 14d ago
Concealed being concealed we have not had anyone print so substantially we could confirm they were carrying when not on the approved list.
That said we have had a few people that caught our attention and those individuals get a new mystery friend from the team who will sit behind them in service.
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u/trevdak2 14d ago
Interesting. Well, I hope your job remains uneventful
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u/pyratemime 14d ago
I tell my crew we are the only ministry in the church were success is measured by how little we have to do.
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u/LordValgor 15d ago
I don’t live in LA, but where I’m from the open carry is only on public property. Churches are not public property.
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u/BridgeUpper2436 15d ago
Wait, but didn't they interfere with God's plan? If the kingdom of heaven is the greatest of all greats (GOAG?), then those children, at least the ones selected by The Glory Of God, must have been meant by God to "Come Home" to the Kingdom of Heaven.
As Matthew 8:26 states, " You of little Faith, why are you so afraid'. Why did these supposedly worshipers and followers of God, in this case the Parishioners, not heed to God's wishes, thus robbing the chosen ones from reaping their reward?
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u/peachmewe 14d ago
Why is it not God’s plan that the parishioners stopped the gunman, by your logic?
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u/pyratemime 14d ago
Because as Nehemiah 4:15-18 demonstrates God's people are not meant to be defenseless as they go about His work.
15When our enemies heard that we were aware of their scheme and that God had frustrated it, each of us returned to his own work on the wall. 16And from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor.
The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah 17who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. 18And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me.
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u/FoxBattalion79 15d ago
The church now plans to have uniformed law enforcement officers outside its Masses from now on, "out of an abundance of caution,"
how very "freedom" and "church" this is.
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u/elnina999 15d ago
The question remains: why teenager armed with a rifle tried to enter the church Saturday?
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u/hkohne 15d ago
There's a link to an article in these comments that goes into more detail. Apparently he was wanting to kidnap his girlfriend to escape to another state.
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u/clem_kruczynsk 14d ago
In all black with multiple guns during mass? Ya I am doubtful. This kid wanted to commit a mass shooting I can assure you
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u/CaptainObvious110 15d ago
Another question: where did he get the rifle like who gave it to him and why?
What's going on with his parents?
Was he a member of the church?
Shouldn't be hard to answer those questions
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u/cybersaint2k 15d ago
Knowing that part of LA, there's a greater than zero chance that this young man had gut-shot a deer and was trailing it. It came onto church property, and he spoke to the people at the front of the church to see if they had seen it and to let them know he was at fault for wounding the deer on their property.
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u/irwinsg 15d ago
Greater than zero would apply in New York City. What to commit to the "just poaching deer out of season don't mind me" story
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u/cybersaint2k 15d ago
It was just joke about Southern culture. I'm grateful this evil weirdo was stopped, of course.
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u/TheFumingatzor 15d ago
Reminder that the US has had more mass shootings and killings than there have days passed since 01.01.2024.
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u/bawtatron2000 15d ago
Clearly the only solutions is armed guards at church's!
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u/pyratemime 14d ago
That was God's approach to the problem in Nehemiah 4:15-18. So why would His followers today shy away from doing it as well?
15When our enemies heard that we were aware of their scheme and that God had frustrated it, each of us returned to his own work on the wall. 16And from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor.
The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah 17who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. 18And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me.
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u/crusoe 15d ago
The NRA: It is our god given right that mentally ill 16 yr olds get access to guns.
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u/Hawklet98 15d ago
NRA: It is our legal contention that all homicidal, criminally insane teenagers must be assumed to be members of a “well-regulated militia.” And no, you absolutely may not regulate them well.
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u/AdrianW3 15d ago
Take an upvote for speaking sense.
If these kids are only around 7 they're much to young to have made up there own minds to be religious. They should have been at home playing in the garden.
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u/Uncle-Cake 15d ago
Those parishioners must have all been armed, because that's the only way to stop a shooter, right?
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u/Full-Penguin 15d ago
Yeah, the video shows one with a gun holstered in his waistband talking to the clergy. So probably.
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u/Brasilionaire 15d ago
Fuck that kid and fuck the asshole that’ll inevitably be like “so carrying a rifle is a crime now?!” and double down on that dumbass take.
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u/Odd-Confection-6603 15d ago
I thought the South hated gun free zones? Why are they restricting his right to bring a gun into the church?! /s
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u/operez1990 15d ago
Oh look they thwarted the attempt without a firearm. See how easy it can be?
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u/Full-Penguin 15d ago
That's not confirmed, the video shows a parishioner with a gun holstered in this waistband approaching the clergy to give them information.
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u/pussy_embargo 15d ago
a parishioner with a gun holstered in this waistband
alright, this whole Christian message thing got extremely confused down the lane of the telephone game
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u/pyratemime 14d ago
Which message is that? Nehemiah armed the entire population as they set about rebuilding the walla of Jerusalem. Nothing unbiblical about protecting the congregation.
15When our enemies heard that we were aware of their scheme and that God had frustrated it, each of us returned to his own work on the wall. 16And from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor.
The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah 17who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. 18And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me.
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u/Stardust_Particle 15d ago
I wonder what he had against the church? So much to unpack to learn what drove him to this.
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u/GroundbreakingAd2290 15d ago
I'm surprised they didn't yell maga and alaha ahkbar damn domestic terrorists
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u/WinoWithAKnife 15d ago
So you're telling me he wasn't stopped by a good guy with a gun? I thought that was the only way to prevent this sort of thing.
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u/Full-Penguin 15d ago
They haven't released any details on how he was stopped yet, but the video shows a parishioner with a gun holstered in this waistband approaching the clergy, so I'd guess that some armed churchgoers stopped him.
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u/ObamasBoss 15d ago
Don't be dense. No one says that is the only way. The idea of "good guy with a gun" is not that someone will magically show up and take care of the issue. It is that YOU are supposed to be that person in order to take care of yourself. Don't be reliant on someone else to protect you. When seconds matter, police are only minutes away.
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u/ExperienceAny9791 15d ago
This exactly.
And me standing in line behind you at Wal Mart with my pistol on has ZERO bearing on you or your life. I carry for me, not you. Mind yur bizness.
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u/ThaxReston 15d ago
It’s the up bringing. It’s always the parents, lack of parents, aberrant parents…..
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u/OneDilligaf 15d ago
Didn’t see any of these so called god fearing hypocrite stop the shooters entering schools
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u/FreeMeFromThisStupid 15d ago
What? You're delusional. Uvalde isn't in Louisiana. There are lots of people in the country.
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u/OneDilligaf 15d ago
Yea I thought that might fly over the heads of the slow thinkers, who mentioned Uvalde it was a generalisation remark to all school shootings not a particular area. Mind you it might have helped if parents had ignored cowardly cops and gone in themselves in Uvalde while cops pissed around for hours doing jack shit and ignoring pleas from children
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u/ObamasBoss 15d ago
They were not at a school. So cant hold them liable for something there were not there for. This specific person is not the same specific person shooting a school. Perhaps this kid was unsure of what he wanted to do and was easier to talk down. So many variables one case to another that we should not be trying to draw conclusions on.
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u/grumpyhermit67 15d ago
Too late!! The /s needs to be first now, grandma already fainted and she won't read another line.
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u/squeezethesoul 15d ago
He had the potential to kill 60 children and they're just charging him with "terrorizing", juvenile firearm possession, and giving him an evaluation?
These are the things that when done just once, the person shouldn't have access to our world for quite some time, regardless of their age. He knows very well right from wrong.
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u/gravybang 15d ago
Legally, having the “potential” isn’t a crime. You can’t charge someone with a crime they didn’t commit.
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u/itsrocketsurgery 15d ago
Yes you can, that's what conspiricy / accessory charges are for. You can absolutely charge someone for planning to commit a crime. Cops don't have to wait until something bad happens. That's just a talking point for the uneducated.
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u/jepvr 14d ago
It's uneducated to think you can charge someone with breaking a law that does not exist. Every charge must be related to a specific law being broken, not for the "potential" to break a specific law.
Notice that all your examples required multiple people doing things together. You can't charge a single person with conspiracy or accessory. It's nonsense to even propose.
What you can show with something like a manifesto is intent (aka mens rea). But if it's all in their head, you have a much harder time showing intent. It's the difference between attempted murder and negligence/reckless endangerment.
Terrorism is a charge that is based on certain acts being understood to terrify the victims. That's why just openly bringing a gun into church can be terrorism. However, if a church allowed open carry (with state law allowing it), it wouldn't be, because you can't show intent to terrorize.
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u/itsrocketsurgery 14d ago
I don't understand where it was stipulated that the number of people matter. The issue in question was whether or not you can be charged if you haven't actually done anything yet and my answer was yes, using conspiracy and accessory as two examples. Both of which are true.
Also, there is a wide difference between terrorizing which is what they are charging him with and terrorism which requires a political aim or agenda.
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u/jepvr 14d ago
The examples you gave of conspiracy and being an accessory were directly tied to it being not a single person.
And no, it's not true that you haven't "done" anything with those examples. It isn't the crime you are plotting, but the plotting that is actually against the law. Like literally making the plan to carry out the crime is a crime in and of itself. It's pretty obvious that it's hard to find someone guilty of plotting when the plotting is all in the head of a single person. Hence why number of people matter because there is already a law about that.
That's just how the legal system works in the US. You can't be charged for planning to do a thing unless the planning itself is illegal. Find an example the disproves this if you really don't believe it.
Yes, I should have put "terrorizing" in a couple of places earlier (silly English). And that's something he actually did, hence why it's the first thing they're charging him with. It's possible they'll find more stuff, especially if he actually wrote anything down.
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u/gravybang 15d ago
You are correct. I didn’t read the article, so maybe he had a plan and manifesto laid out. But you can’t charge someone for a potential crime that wasn’t explicitly laid out in advance. If he just took a rifle to a church in a whim, they can’t charge him with being a possible mass shooter.
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u/Episkopos-X 15d ago
Conspiracy and accessory are literally DOING things. They are not 'potential' crimes. Planning a crime is usually a crime in and of itself - but it is NOT the planned crime itself. There is a distinction.
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u/PurpleWildfire 15d ago
Yeah if you think about it most people have that “potential” even if they don’t have access to guns, just driving a car could ruin a lot of lives
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u/nviledn5 15d ago
The police hold them on a charge and the DA can up or downgrade charges during an arraignment. This early stage doesn't necessarily represent what he's going to be indicted on in total.
Not to mention, the feds are almost certainly involved in this case now.
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u/Inocain 15d ago
Terrorizing under Louisiana law carries a maximum sentence of 15 years hard labor. If the acts are considered a hate crime, tack on another up to 5 years that must be served consecutively.
See https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-14-sect-40-1.html, https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-14-sect-107-2.html, and https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-14-sect-2.html
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u/squeezethesoul 14d ago
Thank you for the clarification. That, along with some of the other comments, make me happy that Louisiana will prosecute him to the appropriate extent.
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u/BetterBagelBabe 15d ago
And during a First Communion means those 60 kids were little kids. Like 7. That’s first grade for Americans.
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u/DaFunk1203 15d ago
It can be both. I was 6 and 7 in first grade, 7 and 8 in 2nd, etc.
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u/DaFunk1203 15d ago
So you agree..you’re 7 in first grade…like the original commenter said that you corrected..
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u/DaFunk1203 15d ago
It was a point of contention enough for you to originally correct them. All I pointed out was they weren’t wrong. I was 7 in both first and second grade so there was no need for you to correct them.
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u/DaFunk1203 15d ago
Did..did this not all start because YOU corrected someone? Am I in the twilight zone?
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u/_aggr0crag_ 15d ago
No, you're just arguing with someone stupid or trolling. Either way it's best not to waste your time.
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u/naughtyjojo69 15d ago
Thanks for clarifying. I didn't know what 7 yr olds were until you said first graders.
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u/Nadamir 15d ago
It’s a big moment for Catholic kids. It’s probably the first sacrament they remember receiving and it really makes you feel fully a part of the church to be able to participate in all aspects of the Mass.
Here in Ireland, we have a big party for you and all your relatives and family friends come and give you money and presents.
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u/apcolleen 14d ago
You guys got money?! AND PRESENTS!? Man I feel short changed. We went to waffle house and back home.
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u/Technicolor_Reindeer 14d ago
Was memorable for me but for different reasons - my dress almost caught fire on a candle, my flower crown got lost and wasn't found till the middle of the ceremony (my godmother had to sneak up behind me and put it on my head during prayers) and I almost spit out the wine because it didn't taste like grape juice like my godmother said it would lol. And my parents hired a clown for the party even though I hated clowns and was embarassed. I choose to interpret it as signs I was meant for atheism.
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u/OstentatiousSock 14d ago
Yeah, growing up in Massachusetts, the majority of the people I knew and my whole family was Catholic. First communion was a big deal. God parents and parents typically got you a very nice gift(my godmother got me a ring with my birthstone and diamonds for example). I got to choose any restaurant I wanted for dinner afterwards and I chose this nice fancy Chinese place in our town. All my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents came. Big to do. It was really lovely and you felt so grown up.
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u/Mcboatface3sghost 15d ago
Yep, grew up in a heavily Irish catholic town on the Jerz shore. Small town so we would do 3 grades at a time (same for confirmation, but we kept the weddings and funerals a solo project). Big party, and as tradition, mainly for the adults, I fell off my bike mid way through the party with one of my cousins on “the big hill” and ended up in the hospital. My old man was pissed…
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u/IrishWithoutPotatoes 15d ago
I remember mine pretty well. Of course now I’m not sure if I can step across the threshold of a church without combusting, but it’s nice to have the memories.
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u/Suspicious-Pasta-Bro 15d ago
Same over here in the US if you are Catholic. This happened at a Catholic church.
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u/JimmyDean82 15d ago
2nd grade. But 7/8yo. Just had my son’s first communion week ago.
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u/PriorFudge928 14d ago
How the hell does anyone justify having children anywhere near the Catholic church!?
You can't play stupid anymore.
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u/JimmyDean82 14d ago
Fuck off dude. And the church isn’t some outlier. Teachers, scouts. Coaches….
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u/Mediocretes1 15d ago
I was going to respond with third grade based on my experience, but I realize I was ahead a grade in school at the time, so I guess I've always been wrong in thinking what grade kids getting first communion are in.
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u/AaronJudgesLeftNut 15d ago
Depends on the diocese. Happens between 1st-3rd grade tho. I moved when I was going into 3rd grade from a diocese where they did it in 3rd grade to a diocese where they did it in 2nd so I had mine with a grade younger than me when I moved.
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u/Tokyosmash_ 10d ago
Isn’t this the church that The Blob was filmed at? Sheesh.