| Soli Deo Gloria |
| "For the glory of God alone" |
| 02/09/09 - Guns in the Church |
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The lawmakers in Arkansas are deciding whether to allow churches to make their own decision to let visitors, who are licensed to carry a concealed weapon in that state, bring them into the church. Like Arkansas, most states that have concealed carry permit laws restrict permit holders from bringing their guns into certain places such as government buildings, schools, hospitals and places of worship. There are legitimate concerns on both sides. The Christian Security Network has never taken a stand endorsing or condemning churches that allow weapons as a means of protection. We totally support people’s second amendment rights and respect our constitution and that freedom. We do feel that allowing weapons into the church as a protective measure is a decision each church leader has to make and as with all security and emergency planning decisions, we want those leaders to make informed decisions and look at all the information available. I have heard, especially after a church shooting incident, that churches immediately allow certain members to carry guns as a security measure – that is a “knee jerk” reaction. We get calls about this on a pretty regular basis, and even though the decision may seem cut and dry, there is a lot that should go into an armed security program at a church, ministry or school. In almost all “active shooter” situations, the whole incident is usually over in less than 10 minutes – there are exceptions, however this is generally the pattern. It is a very fast paced, dynamic situation that does not allow anyone time to make plans, assess options and wait for help. Consider that states require between 8 and 20 hours of training before a concealed carry permit is issued to civilians, armed security personnel may get 40 hours and the average police officer has to undergo hundreds of hours before they may carry a weapon. And even then, many police officers lack the weapon proficiency and mental readiness to react properly in an active shooter situation. Arming personnel in a church setting is tough. In a parking lot it may be easier, but in a crowded interior of a church the situation becomes much more difficult. When the Christian Security Network conducts training for armed security personnel, we spend a lot of time talking about things like what type of weapons should personnel carry, what type of bullets, how are personnel identifiable to responding police, what type of on-going qualifications will the personnel have to undertake and who will administer that? These are just a few concerns and all factor in when you talk about armed security in a crowded, public environment. Then we ask if the church’s insurance company has signed off on the use of armed security? Has the local police authority endorsed it? Are there laws in the church’s state that govern the use of armed security personnel? If using off-duty police as security, has the officer’s department signed off on this position, be it volunteer or paid? And this is just the beginning of the questions that need to be answered and put into policy and procedure format. You see there is more to providing protection than just carrying a gun. Any church that makes the decision to do so must fully commit to it and make sure acceptable standards and practices are followed to protect the people coming into the church and the church from any liability. These decisions should not be taken lightly, but they do need to be addressed – the threat of a rapidly, escalating violent confrontation is not going to go away for the Christian church, school or ministry. As always, I appreciate your thoughts and comments; please send them through the “Contact Us” page on our website. In Christ, Jeff Hawkins Executive Director |
