Church shootings

In the wake of the latest church shooting, here's a short article that discusses the idea of churches having a security plan that includes armed guards or volunteers.

When violence breaks out and police are not there, Hawkins says a well-trained armed security force is the best protection for a church. But he also says criminals and terrorists are very aware that qualified civilians with concealed handgun permits usually cannot legally carry their guns in church. "They know that there probably will be nobody armed in there to confront them when they do start to carry out these acts," he warns. "So, I think these kinds of laws just work against the safety of the congregation in instances like this."

The article includes a reader poll, which indicates that only about 23% of respondents' believe their church has an operational security plan or is in the process of implementing one, while 49% say their church has no plan, and almost 28% say no security plan is needed.

Read the article here.