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Ft. Hood Survivor Pleads for Gun Law Change

CBN

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A soldier who survived last week's Ft. Hood shooting is publically calling for a law change that would allow soldiers to carry firearms on base.

During the April 2 shooting rampage, 1st Lt. Patrick Cook was trapped in an enclosed room with 14 others, with Spc. Ivan Lopez shooting through the other side of the door.

In a letter addressed to the Texas Senate Monday, Cook described the feeling of helplessness he had when shooter Spc. Ivan Lopez opened fire on the base:

"When the first shots rang out, my hand reached to my belt for something that wasn't there, something that could have put a stop to the bloodshed, could have made it merely an "ugly incident" instead of the horrific massacre that I will surely remember as the darkest 20 minutes of my life.

Stripped of my God-given right to arm myself, the only defensive posture I had left was to lie prostrate on the ground and wait to die.

As the shooter kicked at the door, I remember telling myself, "Oh well, this is it." It is beneath human dignity to experience the utter helplessness I felt that day. I cannot abide the thought that anyone should ever feel that again."

Cook also described the heroism of Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Ferguson, who sacrificed his life to stop the shooter from entering the room.

"Through what I can only describe as a miracle, he somehow found enough strength to continue pushing against that door until the shooter gave up and went elsewhere, at which time he collapsed," Cook wrote. "Nearly a week later, I can still taste his blood in my mouth from when I and my comrades breathed into his lungs for 20 long minutes while we waited for a response from the authorities."

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