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January 2, 2010

Guns in church?

Legislature may expand list of places where concealed weapons are permitted

By Charles Oliver

Firearms have no place in church, says the Rev. Dean Taylor of Dalton’s St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

“To arm ourselves in a place of worship, whether it is church or mosque or synagogue, is an insult to all that we believe about God’s kingdom and ultimately an insult to God,” he said. “Of all places, churches should be the closest that we come to the kingdom of God, in which we are at peace with one another.”

But the Georgia General Assembly may consider legislation in the upcoming session that would allow those who have concealed carry permits to take their guns into places that are currently off limits, such as churches, school zones, bars and college campuses.

The General Assembly passed a bill in 2009 allowing those with concealed carry permits to take their weapons into state parks and restaurants that serve alcohol, among other places, but some said that bill didn’t go far enough.

“Some of the things that have happened this year might make us think about allowing guns in churches,” said state Sen. Don Thomas, R-Dalton.

There were a number of church shootings in 2009, in Arkansas, Kansas and Illinois, among other states. Some gun rights advocates say that allowing those with carry permits to bring them to work might discourage such shootings.

“It makes sense for solid good citizens with no criminal background on their record, who are licensed and properly trained, should have the right to have their guns in the church if the church wants that,” Thomas said.

But Rep. Roger Williams, R-Dalton, says he is wary of such proposals.

“There’s certain places, churches, that I don’t think are appropriate to carry a concealed weapon. I’m in favor of gun rights and don’t want to curtail those, but there are sensitive areas,” Williams said.

Steve Williams, chairman of the Dalton Board of Education, said he doesn’t want guns in school zones.

“I don’t care if they have permits or no permits. The only person I want with a gun in a school zone might be a uniformed police officer,” he said.

Whitfield County Sheriff’s Maj. John Gibson said it’s difficult to tell what impact such proposals might have if they become law.

“All the permit holders have to have checks done on them that are pretty thorough,” he said. “We’ve never had much of an issue with concealed weapons (permit holders). A lot of people have the permits, and they carry them in a responsible manner, and we haven’t had any issues with them.”

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