Mississippi governor signs law allowing armed church members

[47of74]

Source: New York Post

Gov. Phil Bryant has signed into law a bill that allows some members of churches to undergo firearms training so they can provide armed security for their congregations.

The Church Protection Act specifies that those designated can carry guns into church buildings. It also allows people to carry holstered weapons without a permit.

Republican State Representative Andy Gipson of Braxton says the law gives small congregations an option to defend themselves against attack. He proposed the bill as a response to the slayings last year of nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Read more: http://nypost.com/2016/04/15/mississippi-governor-signs-law-allowing-armed-church-members/

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Who would Jesus grease?

[DebbieCDC]

1. Who do they love more?

Gawd or Gunz?

[HowHasItComeToThis]

18. they ARE INSANE

[shenmue]

2. I am not going to drop the hymnal

Somebody might spray me.

[underpants]

3. All that's missing are the white sheets

What, too soon?

[Jackie Wilson Said]

7. They are hoping Muslims will attack them so they can kill brown people.

[jtuck004]

8. We don't need white sheets or chains. Everything is virtual now.n/t

[kimbutgar]

4. Every day I thank God I wad not born in Mississippi or live there

It is the most repressive backwards state in our country.

[Still In Wisconsin]

11. Actually shit like this is happening everywhere. I live in Wisconsin...

I have no doubt that Scott Walker would LOVE to have a law like this.

[keithbvadu2]

5. Need protection from radical Christian terrorists.

How many militia types are going to intimidate places of worship now?

[Runningdawg]

28. I am going to guess you live in the north.

In the south, church/militia can be interchangeable. Many churches have formed their own militia movements, complete with fully stocked bunkers and an armory for their members. This is nothing new. Before the OKC bombing these groups were prevalent in OK. They've been on the down-low for awhile, but no less busy I am sure.

[keithbvadu2]

39. "can be"

Does it matter where the militia forms to intimidate others?

[jwirr]

6. I expect this to work out well. My grandmother lived one house

away from a rw church when I was a teen. One Sunday morning we were setting on our front porch when church ended.

The sermon topic that morning had been about the sheep and the goats and how God knows them apart. Family after family stormed out of the church and went down the sidewalk screaming at each other about what sins each had that put them in one of those categories. Would have been really interesting if there had been guns that morning.

[jpak]

31. One time, I went to a restaurant in a Florida shopping center...

Two fundy women were outside yelling and shaking bibles at each other when I went in.

When I came out, they were rolling around on the ground shrieking and beating the shit out of each other.

I got the hell out of there in a hurry...

[jwirr]

36. LOL

[elljay]

9. Off the top of my head, I can only think of five attacks at religious institutions

In no particular order, the first was the assassination of George Tiller in church by an anti-abortion extremist. The second was the attack by a white supremacist against the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. The third was the murder at the Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles, and the fourth the murders at the JCC in Overland Park, Kansas, both by antisemitic white supremacists. The fifth was the massacre at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston by racist Dylann Roof. It seems more likely that this law will protect progressives and minorities from murderers in Gov. Bryant's core base of white right wing racists. I'm quite sure Bryant didn't properly think this through......

[mark67]

21. You've been watching too many Steven Seagal movies...

...even with my dinosaur Ruger SR9 I can accurately fire 15 rounds in 3-4 seconds. Unless guys carry rifles slung at chest level and patrol the pews, concealed carry would have stopped none of these attacks. At least one of the attacks you mention was a targeted assassination.

Nice try but I'd be more concerned about accidental misfires from the untrained guy sitting in the pew next to me. I'm sure the statistics would say the same.

[elljay]

30. Not me

No, I'm not saying I approve of this - I think it is ridiculous. The last thing we need is a bunch of untrained amateurs firing blindly in a public place. I'm just commenting that his justification is that this "protects" people and, in actuality, the people who he would supposedly be protecting are the ones he hates, and the ones they would be protected from are his supporters.

[sarisataka]

27. There is also the 2007

Shooting at New Life Church. Two died and three were wounded before the shooter was killed by an armed church member/guard
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Colorado_YWAM_and_New_Life_shootings

[braddy]

41. They forget that even Peter carried, and used it when they came for Jesus.

[mark67]

44. Again...not really a good example to justify this law if that's what you are saying...

The person who shot Murray was a former police officer who also had the benefit of knowing Murray was going to enter the building after several shots had been fired out in the parking lot. There's also a dispute in this case of whether Assam (the former police officer) actually shot Murray or if Murray committed suicide.

I'm sure there may be a single case out there which would seem to justify this law. But I'd be more comfortable with the churches having armed and well trained volunteers/employees protect the congregations.

[Vinca]

10. Maybe they need them to shoot the snakes that get away.

[stopbush]

12. Just another reason to avoid church at all costs.

[redwitch]

13. Pew pew pew!

Sorry, just had to.

[Coventina]

14. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!!

[Fritz Walter]

29. I prefer the Firesign Theatre version

"Pass the Lord and Praise the Ammunition"

From their 1970 album, "Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers"

[mike_c]

15. "...the law gives small congregations an option to defend themselves against attack."

I would especially encourage AME congregations in Mississippi to arm themselves and post guards outside church doors. What could possibly go wrong?

[Javaman]

16. gods army?

our very own baptist madrasa.

[demigoddess]

17. dangerous

once when I went to church, afterwards I heard one church goer say to other men that there was a woman living nearby and "maybe they should go over and beat up and maybe kill her" just for the crime of "maybe being an atheist". I have rarely gone to church since. But once I went to church and they were talking about changing the religious affiliation of college goers because they were in a vulnerable state in college and away from their parents. Apparently some parents are not allowed to choose the religion of their children.

[Solly Mack]

19. Jesus by a .38. Pass the ammo, pass the plate.

Pearly gates that match my grip.

Praise the Lord! and let'er rip!

[sinkingfeeling]

20. Does it include temples and mosques as well?

[LiberalFighter]

22. The church needs permission to allow firearms in their buildings?

Shouldn't this be decided by the church themselves? As well as not allowing parishioners to bring in firearms.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. Their bible

[LuckyLib]

24. All that Mississippi needs, and THIS is what the legislature and governor crank out.

It's disgusting.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. Jesus

[Politicalboi]

26. GI Jesus

Ready for action, just pull his string.

[malthaussen]

32. How about the minister?

He has the best view of the congregation and the best line-of-fire. And the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a minister of the Gospel with a gun.

-- Mal

[47of74]

34. Yeah...

Of course if he or she wanted to be really hardcore they could get a pulpit with one or more machine guns mounted on them.

[malthaussen]

35. If you ever played Fallout...

... you'd have seen exactly that.

Hey, there's good money to be had in bulletproof pulpits with twin .50-cals installed.

-- Mal

[Pakid]

33. One word

Idiots.

[Zira]

37. The Regressive party.

Taking us backwards every day.

[Zira]

38. Because Mother Emmanual could have been prevented if all those senior citizens and preachers had gun

Oh wait, they would have ruled Dylan Roof in the right for standing his ground against all those scary black people.

[Initech]

40. Praise the lord and pass the ammo! Literally!

[bluevoter4life]

42. Coming soon, to a Mississippi church near you...

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[47of74]

43. No kidding.

Or He comes back as Republican Jeeeeeezus.