A Mississippi law passed in 2016 allowing guns in churches received national attention and was mocked by many who saw it as an unnecessary extension of 2nd Amendment rights to what should be a place of peace.
But, unfortunately, events this weekend confirmed why it is wise to have responsible gun owners carrying weapons in the pews.
Donning a mask, Emanuel Samson fatally shot a woman Sunday outside the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in a working-class neighborhood just outside Nashville. The 25-year-old, whose motivations remain unknown but whose bizarre Facebook posts point toward mental illness, entered the building and began firing on churchgoers (services had just ended).
Most of the people present were elderly and incapable of mounting a counter-attack, but Robert Engle, a 22-year-old usher, worked to stop the shooter. During the scuffle, Samson shot himself and also pistol-whipped Engle. After Samson was wounded, Engle was able to go to his car and retrieve his gun. He held the attacker at gunpoint until police arrived.
If not for the usher’s presence, it’s possible that many more people could have died. Having a gun in his car helped end the bloodshed. It’s impossible to speculate what would have happened if Engle had been carrying a weapon when the attack came, but it surely would have helped swing the odds in his favor during the confrontation.
No reasonable Christian would say it’s a violation of Jesus’s command to turn the other cheek to protect innocent people gathering to worship from a mad gunman.
Bill Watkins, who preaches for the Crieve Hall Church of Christ in Nashville, posted a video statement that rightly expressed the reaction to such attacks from Christians. He admitted he’s angry at Satan and at Engle for allowing himself to be used by Satan but also expressed love for the shooter and said he hopes he has the opportunity to repent and see the love of God. He also reminded believers that they look forward to heaven.
“We don’t live our lives in fear; we live our lives in hope,” Watkins said.
For churches to express and share that hopefulness, they must be open places, not closely guarded towers that make it difficult for people to come.
Allowing certain trained members to carry weapons during services is an efficient way to balance security with the church’s mission.
That had generally been the practice at many churches in the South, but Mississippi’s law, which came after a white supremacist massacred nine black churchgoers in South Carolina, created an organized system for doing that. Congregations can designate members who have firearms training to be security personnel, which exempts them from potential criminal charges if they use the gun in self-defense at the church.
We wish we didn’t live in such a world where sick and evil people targeted churches as places to make a statement by slaying the innocent, but we do. As such, it’s best to have a plan in place to mitigate the damage.
As Christ said, “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
