Grand Blanc — Gun violence against conservative institutions and individuals is surging in frequency and savagery, and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence.
On Sunday morning, a 40-year-old Burton man identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford arrived at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Grand Blanc, where hundreds of congregants had gathered.
According to Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye, the accused allegedly drove his truck through the front doors of the church, exited the vehicle, and opened fire on congregants. It’s believed at this time Sanford may have ignited an incendiary device upon entering the church that ultimately consumed most of the building in flames.
According to law enforcement, a Michigan DNR officer and Grand Blanc Police officer were the first to respond, arriving on-site within seconds. They engaged the shooter and neutralized him in front of the church.
Initially, 11 casualties were reported, with one victim dead at the scene; however, a second victim reportedly died Sunday afternoon, and two more deceased were located inside the church.
No motive has yet been determined, and President Donald Trump stated he’s directed the FBI to assist in the investigation. Chief Renye stated at least 100 FBI agents were working the scene and interviewing witnesses.
Very little information about Sanford has been officially released, though we know through various sources he was a Marine with deployments around the world.
New information was released Sunday night that Sanford may have been previously married and is the father of a child with special needs and ongoing medical conditions.
Local Burton City Council candidate Kris Johns claims to have inadvertently and unknowingly spoken with Sanford at his home on Atherton Road only days before the shooting while door campaigning in the area.
Johns claimed Sanford was friendly but eventually began to complain about Mormons and the LDS church, allegedly stating, “Mormons are the antichrist.”
Johns stated the conversation made him uncomfortable, and he departed believing that Sanford, whose name he did not know until identified on Sunday, had sharp and irrational views about Mormons, though he didn’t seem like a danger at the time.
This shooting comes on the heels of several stunning acts of violence in the last couple weeks: the shooting at a Dallas ICE facility, the Charlie Kirk assassination, the mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school, a Ludington man opening fire at a U.S. Border Facility, a Northern Michigan man stabbing several elderly people at a Traverse City Walmart, and the CrossPointe Church shooting in Wayne.
These events may stem from weaponized left-wing motifs or from the mental health crisis that everyone knows hangs like a thick fog over our society. But nobody is willing to do anything about it.
I recently spoke with several pastors keyed into the disorder and chaos targeted at institutions and individuals of faith. During those interviews, I asked many of them why this is occurring now and what are the reasons behind it?
No answers could explain this intensifying crisis, but most church leaders were averse to the anti-gun policies that politicians have been prescribing for years to voters.
In fact, the prevailing notion was our elected leaders have not only made this situation worse, they even seem glib as they tweet “Thoughts and Prayers” in a tone and manner that translates to: “You get what you deserve.”
In most of the recent acts of violence, Red Flag laws, or Extreme Risk Protection orders designed to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill, were futile. Instead of actually shifting gears to deal with the obvious mental health issue that pervades the nation, the drumbeat of calls to further restrict gun rights will begin.
It’s easier to politicize owning firearms than doing the heavy legislative lifting to get very sick and unwell individuals the help they need, even when they don’t want it.
More importantly, the notion of further restricting access to firearms could make the job of protecting churches or private Christian schools even more difficult.
The elite political agenda to further disarm law-abiding Americans as they live, work, and worship with the real threat of unwell, armed individuals in close proximity will remove the only defense individuals and faith-based institutions have.
How many more church shootings, acts of political violence, and rampages by mentally ill individuals must we endure before we cut the nebulous platitudes about ending hate and banning guns and get serious about the underlying causes afflicting our society?
Unwell armed men are at the doors of churches and faith-based institutions around the country. The reality is that the only thing stopping them from getting in those doors are other armed men.
Jay Murray is a writer for Michigan Enjoyer and has been a Metro Detroit-based professional investigator for 22 years. Follow him on X @Stainless31.
