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| By Augustas Didžgalvis, via Wikimedia Commons |
An interesting bill was passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives last month, the "Church Protection Act" (HB 786). It just cleared a Senate committee this week and is now headed for a vote in the full Senate. With Republicans controlling both chambers of the state legislature (we also have a Republican governor), it is expected to pass in spite of objections by law enforcement. If passed, the bill would allow churches to select people with concealed carry permits to be "security personnel," entitling them to carry concealed firearms in church.
Guns in church seems like a great idea. You know, because that's what Jesus would have wanted.
It seems to me that this is an admission of sorts that the god in which the overwhelming majority of Mississippians claim to believe is not particularly interested in their welfare. Since churches are not supposed to be ordinary buildings but are thought to be "sacred" and/or "holy" in some way, one might be forgiven for expecting that such a god would protect those gathering to worship it. Evidently, this is not the case...so guns.
The bill also would make "reasonably" acting within that capacity a legal defense against criminal charges if they hurt or kill someone.Whew! That's a relief. I'd hate to think that someone who shot and killed another human during church might face legal repercussions.
Not surprisingly, the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) has been promoting the bill.
