‘Take a gun to church’ law passed in Louisiana: The Church of England Newspaper, July 23, 2010 p 5.

First published in The Church of England Newspaper.

Louisiana clergy may have an incentive to improve the quality of their sermons, for beginning on Aug 15 a new state law will allow parishioners to carry concealed handguns to church.

On July 12, Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law House Bill 1272, the church gun law.  Under the terms of the new law, authorized individuals may carry concealed weapons in houses of worship as part of a church security team.

The law requires ministers to inform their congregations that armed individuals are worshiping amongst them, either in a written statement in the service leaflet or in an announcement from the pulpit.  Members of God’s security squad in Louisiana must undergo eight hours a year of training and be licensed by their minister as a church security officer.

State representative Henry Burns proposed the bill in the Louisiana legislature arguing that churches in crime-ridden or “declining” neighborhoods need armed protection from thieves.  The bill also allows churches to hire uniformed off-duty policemen to serve as security guards during services.  The law does not apply, however, to churches who also have schools on their parish grounds.

Louisiana is believed to be the first state to specifically authorized the carrying of concealed weapons in church.  Earlier this year, Georgia passed a law that allows churchgoers to carry concealed weapons in the parking lots of churches.

The Louisiana law follows a June 28 decision by the US Supreme Court that overturned local government gun-control laws.  In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court held the US Constitution’s Second Amendment provision that grants the right to bear arms to Americans extends to all states and local governments. It struck down a 28-year old Chicago city ordinance banning the possession of handguns.

The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana has not seen the need to arm its members, however.  A spokesman for Bishop Morris Thompson told The Church of England Newspaper the bishop was “disappointed some believe there is a need to carry guns into a house of worship”

In a statement released after the Bill was passed by the legislature on June 20, Bishop Thompson said the diocese believed the “need to carry weapons into worship seems inappropriate.”

“However, we have not seen the final bill that has been passed and we will need time to study this piece of legislation before we can respond further.”