[email_subscribe]
Since the Texas Church shootings in early November, more church leaders are preparing their flocks for these scenarios than ever before.
Recently, members from dozens of churches spent a day with Steve Ellis, a local gun shop owner, to learn tactics for stopping a mass shooter.
Ellis told the local NBC affiliate that more goes into dealing with these situations than you may think, saying:
“Part of it is situational awareness, threat assessment, be a good witness, knowing what to look for and what to watch out for so that you can get that information and communicate to other members of the team.”
POLL QUESTION: Do You Support National Reciprocity? CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE
Local church member, Zach Cochran, was eager to be involved in the training, saying,
“It is true there is only one thing that can possibly stop a bad guy with a gun, that’s a good guy with a gun.”
With churches being attacked in a growing number of states, congregations are increasingly taking concrete steps to secure their congregations, including armed security, surveillance cameras, active shooter training and more.
Pastor Weber of Connected Life Christian Church in Florida, told the Sun-Sentinial that he is very proud that members of his congregation carry their firearms to church each week.
“It’s a good thing to have citizens who are carrying if, Heaven forbid, the need arises for them to defend against evil terrorist or whatever,” said Weber, who himself is licensed to carry. “I have no problem with that.
When asked about his thoughts on the church shooting in Texas, Weber responded by saying,
“It made me sick to my stomach that a place where people come to worship God, to seek peace, could be the scene of violence, …One of the first thoughts I had was, I wonder if there were people in church who were legally armed?”
Church congregations aren’t the only ones preparing for an active-shooter event. Some schools have also joined in on preparation, just in case something were to happen.
POLL QUESTION: Do You Support National Reciprocity? CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE