IN reading the news today across my news feed, I was troubled to find an article titled, “Peoria pastor preaches support instead of retaliation to curb gun violence in houses of worship” https://www.25newsnow.com/2024/04/18/peoria-pastor-preaches-support-instead-retaliation-curb-gun-violence-houses-worship/. This article, while addressing the eternal condition of the attacker, in my opinion, helped reinforce the idea that as parishioners, security team members, church leaders, or pastors, our first concern should be to try and “talk the attacker down” first in our attempts to save lives. While the ultimate eternal demise of the attacker is a concern we should all be sincerely interested in, first and foremost, the primary mission is to stop or prevent blood shed or any chance of lives being lost. It is paramount that the threat of active killer violence be taken seriously by all persons involved in defeating or preventing active killer attacks in churches. It is time to maintain a high level of situational awareness and the capability to intervene and stop the attack before lives are lost! If you would like to discuss this further, I welcome the opportunity to chat with you. I can be reached at mhowellods@gmail.com.