Music minister purchases gun after being attacked

Music Minister Mathew Maglasang shows the target he used in his concealed carry test. Sydney Stavinoha

By Sydney Stavinoha

Mathew Maglasang, a music minister in Sugar Land, Texas, decided to purchase his first handgun nearly two years ago.

Maglasang was out shopping with his mother when a man wanting to fix the dents in his car approached them in a parking lot. He told the man, “No thank you,” and tried to leave. A second man pulled his car around to block Maglasang and his mother from leaving. The situation escalated, and the men demanded money from him for fixing the dents.

“Me being a Christian, I’m just like, OK, let’s just let this go, give them the money, and we’ll be on our way,” Maglasang said.

Maglasang offered the men some money, but it wasn’t enough for them.

One of the men pulled out a gun, and before he could pull the trigger, Maglasang grabbed it from him and threw it away from the scene.

A third man pulled up and got out of his car. He saw what was happening, and came to assist Maglasang. The other two men ended up getting in their cars and driving away but were later apprehended.

This incident made Maglasang consider his safety and how to protect himself in these types of situations.

“The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun would be a good guy with a gun,” Maglasang said.

This led him to purchase his first handgun and get his concealed carry license.

“I carry it around with me. My priest knows that I’m a carrier, but we don’t talk about it,” Maglasang said.

Sydney Stavinoha is an Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation News21 Fellow.