Shooting Back - The Right and Duty of Self-Defence
by Charl van Wyk

“Grenades were exploding in flashes of light. Pews shattered under the blasts, sending splinters flying through the air. An automatic assault rifle was being fired and was fast ripping the pews — and whoever, whatever was in its trajectory — to pieces. We were being attacked!

“Instinctively, I knelt down behind the bench in front of me and pulled out my .38 Special snub-nosed revolver, which I always carried with me. I would have felt undressed without it. Many people could not understand why I would carry a firearm into a church service, but I argued that this was a particularly dangerous time in South Africa…”

Charl van Wyk was an ordinary Christian man until the day he was called upon to be extraordinary. The date was 25 July 1993 and the event was what was to become known as the St James Massacre. Charl was catapulted into the media’s attention by shooting back at the terrorists who attacked the innocent congregation.

Shooting Back is his story.

Dr. Peter Hammond, the Director of Frontline Fellowship has written:

“As Charl’s story so clearly shows: armed citizens save lives, but unarmed citizens too often become helpless victims. This book is most important because it not only presents a seldom heard first hand perspective on a very key event, but it looks at the practical implications and what we can do to help save lives and prevent such atrocities recurring.”

Shooting Back deals with the burning questions that plague all God-fearing people:

Should we carry arms?

When is it appropriate to defend ourselves and our families?

What can we do when our freedom to carry arms is legislated away from us?

Larry Pratt, the Executive Director of Gun Owners of America had this to say about Charl’s book:

“As Van Wyk’s experience illustrates, no place is totally safe — not even a church. The notion that declaring an area to be gun-free, will keep criminals from maliciously using guns is ludicrous. Any law that makes self-defence illegal or impractical is an illegitimate law, because such a law ultimately subjects people to the criminal element. I hope that Charl van Wyk’s book will help turn the tide. South Africans – and people everywhere – need to refuse to support any laws that leave them defenceless against murderers, robbers, rapists and arsonists.”

Shooting Back has been published by Christian Liberty Books, is 150 pages long with 7 colour photographs. It is available for R 65 within South Africa and $10 for overseas readers (including postage).