Burnside Church

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is walking through a mine-field once he has signed into law a measure that would allow people to bring guns into churches and places of worship like temples, synagogues or mosques. Originally the project was rejected by the state legislature, but on August 15th, this controversial bills will go into effect in Louisiana .

Rep. Barbara Norton had some rhetorical question two months ago: “If we are going to turn a church into the wild, wild West, how can we put our hearts and minds into God’s business? If we can’t feel safe in church doing the business of the Lord, where else can we feel safe?”

Supporters of the measure said they are worried about churches in crime ridden neighborhoods and the bill would allow increased security at the religious institutions, but the opponents argued that allowing any weapons in a church can mean a higher risk for everyone attending.

Churches choosing to allow concealed carry must announce either verbally or in a weekly newsletter that its members may be carrying weapons. The bill would authorize persons who qualified to carry concealed weapons as part of a security force, but they will have to take an extra eight hours of tactical training each year. The new law does not apply to churches on school property.

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