Florida Is Closer To Expanding Church Carry

by Tom Knighton: The state of Florida is one step closer to allowing people with concealed carry licenses to take their firearms to church in the wake of the deadly massacre in a Sutherland Springs, TX church.In a narrow vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Thursday that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on the property of churches and other religious institutions with schools.

The measure was amended to specify that guns would only be allowed on church property when school is not in session.

The amendment was put in place to address the concern of guns being permitted during school hours.Lawmakers point not just to Sutherland Springs, but also to the deadly shooting in a church in Charleston, SC in 2015 as evidence that such a law is needed, and they’re right.

As a Christian myself, I’d love to believe that church is such a sacred space that we’d have no need of firearms in a place of worship. However, if I did believe that, I’d be a naive fool with absolutely no grasp of recent events. These shootings happen and that means people have a right and a duty to protect themselves.

Unfortunately, the law in many places bars individuals from carrying a firearm in places of worship for various reasons. It prevents people–and not just Christians, but people of any faith–from having the means to defend themselves from armed maniacs.

In Florida, they’re one step closer to fixing that, though it shouldn’t have been that narrow of a vote. This should be a no-brainer, even for liberals. But it’s not.

They’re conditioned to believe that more guns somehow means more crime, but that’s not the reality. Licensed gun owners are cautious, law-abiding people. While they get angry like anyone else, they also know they have a gun and they work to keep that anger in check. We have a little something called “self-control.” We don’t act on base impulses just because we can.

It’s kind of what separates us from the animals.

People with concealed carry permits aren’t looking for any excuse to draw their firearm. Most are terrified they might have to pull it, for crying out loud. They’re just more terrified of watching their loved ones bleed out on the floor because they didn’t carry a gun.

That’s why expanding where people can carry a firearm isn’t going to lead to an increase in criminal uses of a firearm.

Further, this is Florida. They’ve allowed church carry for some time and there’s been no problem. The bill will allow carrying of a firearm in churches with a school attached, a situation not uncommon in many places. It won’t allow carry in the school during the school day, only during times of worship.

With the track record of concealed carry permit holders in not just Florida, but throughout the nation to show there’s little to no risk, laws like this should be a slam dunk.

The fact that they’re not proves that anti-gun politicians aren’t driving by facts, but emotions and the idea of guns in churches is icky to them.

Well, suck it up, buttercup.
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Tom Knighton is a Navy veteran, a former newspaperman, a novelist, and a blogger at Bearing Arms. He lives with his family in Southwest Georgia and contributes to PJ Media.

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