CCW at Church

[mnoe82]

I'm trying to figure out how to approach this issue. I go to a medium (300 on Sunday mornings) sized church. We have a security team which alternates so everybody can enjoy the service. Our security team is 1 man, usually an usher, unarmed. My dad is one if the men who alternates onto the security team. There's no policy at our church on things like ccw. Its just a non-issue to.the pastor and church council.

Our church is Pentecostal but pretty mainstream. Nothing that anyone would target specifically for violence (ie westboro) so I'm not really worried about an active shooter per se.

Until I.started carrying ccw I never even thought about.it but your mindset (at least mine) changes when you're carrying concealed. I'm looking for some advice. Would you talk to the pastor about your concerns and defer to his judgement even if he says I don't want you to carry? Would you just say concealed is concealed and go on about your business?

[Palmguy]

The church in Colorado that had an AS was "mainstream". The fact that you worship Christ means that there are people out there who would like to kill you. Don't think it can't or won't happen.

If it is legal in your state to carry in a church and you are not functioning as a representative of the church (as part of the "security team"), I personally see no need to let anyone else know, including the administration of the church.

[LOKNLOD]

Would you talk to the pastor about your concerns and defer to his judgement even if he says I don't want you to carry? Would you just say concealed is concealed and go on about your business?

If I were carrying to protect the pastor, I would ask his opinion on my doing so.

If I were carrying to protect my family, myself, and potentially my church family, then I would do it discreetly and disclose to as few people as humanly possible.

This may not be an issue in your state, but double check to make sure church carry is legal, I think some states foolishly prohibit there. That may or may not affect your decision...

[Yojimbo]

Just my experience, but most of the time letting people know about your CCW causes more issues than not.

I would just carry and keep my mouth shut...

[M4arc]

Carry concealed and keep it to yourself.

[QuietShootr]

Just my experience, but most of the the letting people know about your CCW causes more issues than not.

I would just carry and keep my mouth shut...

Exactly. I don't know why people make such a big deal out of whether or not to carry at church/camping/shopping/screwing/whatever.

I carry when I go to the store. I carry when I go to work. I carry when I go on vacation. I carry at the beach, out to eat, out to a movie, at a titty bar, at the library, when camping, when mowing the lawn, when cooking, cleaning, hiking, biking, motorcycling, skydiving (yes, no shit), studying, going to a class at the university, going to Shitcago, changing the oil in my car/bike/lawnmower, working in the garden, taking a shit, going to see A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve at the goddamn Repertory Theater, to my niece's band recital, to parties, cookouts, orgies, rabbit slaughters, 4-wheeling, having a Guinness on my front porch, walking my dog, working in the garden, trimming tree limbs back from my house, cleaning the gutters, sitting on the couch answering stupid goddamn posts on the internet when I should be outside shooting, visiting my grandpa in the nursing home, going to meet friends at a bar, washing my car, going to the bank....

It isn't a big deal to think about because I ALWAYS carry. If I have pants on, I have a gun on. I do not live in fear, I live in confidence in my abilities. I don't go to shitholes or associate with shitheads, but I know that the shitheads will come to me. I know this because the ONE time I voluntarily took my gun off in the last 15 years when I didn't HAVE to, I was in an armed robbery less than 2 minutes later on a Saturday afternoon in my little suburban town. For 10 minutes I was at the mercy of four urban yutes with two .45s and two .38s while my pistol and two spare magazines sat 30 feet away under the seat of my Jeep. **** that shit, ain't happening again. I used up a lifetime of good luck in ten short minutes, and I expect I won't be allotted any more.

To those of you who think it's a little "blasphemous" to carry a gun in church, I suggest to you that you really aren't pro-carry, deep in your heart. To truly be pro-carry means that you recognize that trouble can happen anywhere, at any time, and to deliberately leave yourself unprotected because you think it makes you more pious just in fact makes you stupid, whether you want to admit it or not. Jesus doesn't give a shit whether you carry a pistol or not, and if the 'turn the other cheek' asshats you go to church with DO, then I submit to you that you need to find some other place to talk to God....like your house...but that would probably defeat the purpose of most people going to church: i.e. being seen by others in the community to be a pious churchgoer.

/soapbox

[mnoe82]

QueitShootr wow, just wow.

Everyone else, kinda what I expected. Guess I'm carrying at church now.

[organdonor]

You should check your local laws. In Georgia it is unlawful to carry on or within church grounds:

Places off limits to carry

There are 7 laws that address where firearms may be borne(carried)

Public Gatherings: It is against the law (misdemeanor offense) for a person (licensed or not) to carry to or while at a public gathering any explosive compound, firearm, or knife designed for the purpose of offense or defense (including ANY deadly weapon not listed here). A public gathering is defined and includes, but is not limited too, athletic or sporting events, churches or church functions, political rallies and/or functions, publicly owned or operated buildings(Fed, state, or local government buildings), and establishments at which alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises

That is... if you wanna be legal about it.

[CaptainDooley]

While I don't agree with everything QuietShootr said, I agree with his main sentiment - if you're carrying to protect you and yours, don't stop just because you're at church or some other "safe place". I'm carrying in church right now, sitting on the front row, not 10 feet from Bill Hybels. I work for my church and I didn't ask permission. The only people that know are my boss (also carrying) and the head of our security team because he's a good friend and I considered it a personal courtesy.

[BVickery]

Church I belong to there are a few of us CCWing, and if his outfit for his sermon permits (he is the one in charge of young kids) one of the pastors will CCW.