Gov. Phil Bryant of Mississippi is in the headlines again after signing the Church Protection Act, also known as House Bill 786, which specifies that designated church members can carry guns into church buildings.
The bill also allows people to carry holstered weapons without a permit.
The controversial bill was signed in front of supporters and media, complete with a centerpiece displaying a gun on top of a bible. It also bought anger and criticism from groups who disagree with parts of the legislation.
The Mississippi Association of Police Chiefs has opposed the portion of the bill that loosens permit requirements.
The group says the legislation breaks down Mississippi’s licensing system and makes it harder to check if someone who has a gun also has a record as a violent criminal.
The law gives small congregations an option to defend themselves against attacks. The bill was proposed as a response to the slayings last year of nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.
This comes just weeks after Bryant signed the Religious Freedom bill, which some say discriminates against members of the LGBT community.
Under current state law, people in Mississippi already have immunity from prosecution if they use a gun to defend their home or if their personal safety is threatened.
One of the principal purposes of the “Church Protection Act” would be to expand these legal protections: If someone were to use a gun to defend their house or worship, he or she would also be immune from civil liability.
Under the plan, ministries would train members to carry guns and act as security guards during religious services, knowing that if they opened fire in defense of the church, they couldn’t be prosecuted.
It seems strange that a judge in Newton, Connecticut decided that gun companies could face penalties for selling dangerous weapons (to possible criminals who use their product) only days ago while the governor of Mississippi signed into law something that the Bible itself does not agree with.
If you believe in the Almighty, aren’t you supposed to put your life in His hands?
