southern California churches advocate arming congregants

Valkyrie144

Valkyrie144
Southern California churches advocate arming congregants
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Submitted by cbaus on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 00:05. Education Guns in the News
By John Longenecker

The genius of concealed carry of handguns is that would*-be murderers remain uncertain as to who is armed and who isn't. You never know if the target is armed with lethal force, and more to the point, how alert and prepared they are to resist. This is true for everyone interested in being as safe as they can be from future violence, because it comes to the realization of specific unalterable realities: you're on your own. It's a matter of positive attitude, not belligerence.

This week some Southern California church leaders came to that very same conclusion, and took up a position advocating not only a very discreet security presence of professionals, but also took the advice of their consultants and adopted the policy of advocating concealed carry of handguns among the congregation.
 

Realities are the core of solving the problem of church violence, and having the stomach to face those realities and to meet them. For too long, employers, churches, schools and others have said many different ways that they are sad to see things have to come to this, but this is a trap which serves not the people, but the killers. Other objections have also delayed facing the reality of how to meet the reality of murders and mayhem on campus. Fifteen Southern California church leaders refused to fall into that trap, and they sought out expert advice. Among other steps, it involves concealed carry of handguns in church, and they took it.

Yes, concealed carry of handguns by the members who come to worship. This is huge. Especially in California, and this makes it national news.
 
The Southern California churches' consultant is Interfaith Intruder Response, a security firm who respects church worship and sanctuary deeply while elaborating specific realities the church needs to accept where threat assessment is a new function for them. Some of those realities involve not only understanding how families fall apart or how political sentiment can act out, but how to meet grave danger with action at the most critical moments, and some of that action may involve lethal force of their own.

Other churches around the nation have their own story to tell on the subject of not only how they have become pro*active and prepared, as in Bring*Your*Gun*To*Church Day has done, but also real experience in stopping murderous assailants the moment the assault begins. It works. So does announcing it publicly. Very shrewd. That alone can have a deterrence effect.
 
I teach a CHL class at our church. A lot of the staff and I am sure quite a number of the members have their CHL. The reality is there are no safe places these days and everyone should be armed at all times.
 
I've posted this before, but myself and at least 4 others carry concealed in church every Sunday, with the pastor's blessing. And I think that this is catching on rapidly.
 

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