When a tragedy happens such as a terrorist attack, the default response for many people is to simply hide away and to try to avoid the situation. This is why many people call for more gun control after these kinds of horrible situations.
But sometimes people surprise you, and, with the reputation that New York City has about its position on gun control, I certainly did not expect to see this from a church in New York State:
They want people to bring their guns to church.
Now, this isn’t the kind of thing that happened during the crusades where priests blessed the weapons of knights about to go to battle in a crusade. No, this is a church that is trying to be intelligent about making sure that it’s people are safe (hat tip to here for the lead). From the Daily Mail’s piece on this church:
The pastor of a New York state church has declared that his church is ‘NOT a gun free zone.’
In the wake of November 5’s deadly church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, the Lighthouse Mexico Church of God in Oswego County, New York is inviting its congregants to bring their firearms to church services as a protective measure.
This is a smart move on the part of this church. The church even offers self-defense lessons. They are simply taking practical means to save the lives of church goers at the location.
But some may argue that the church is no place for weapons. The Daily Mail article reported this reply to that thinking:
‘People say ‘well, pastor, you’re talking about killing some,’ and I say ‘well, if I don’t protect my people, I’m being complicit,’ Russell said, adding that, ‘A shooting here, that’s not going to happen.’
Simply put: the leadership at this church gets it. No Christian wishes harm on another person, but, sometimes that harm is exactly what you have to bring to save more lives. In the wake of that horrible shooting in a Texas church a few weeks ago, more churches would be smart to put this into practice, too.
