Mississippi Governor Signs Bill Allowing Some People To Bring Firearms in Houses of Worship
Mississippi GOP Gov. Phil Bryant has just signed a bill into law allowing some people to bring firearms into churches. The Church Protection Act allows designated church members “to undergo firearms training so they can provide armed security for their congregations,” the AP reports.
The new law, HB 786, will also allow people to come to church with holstered guns, even if they do not have a permit, something the Mississippi Association of Police Chiefs oppose.
It would also reportedly “provide criminal and legal protections to those serving as church security.”
The law passed the House this week 85-35, in response to the murder of nine people in a Charleston, South Carolina church last year.
Â
Image by mele avery via Flickr and a CC license