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The Southern Illinoisan covers church security


mikew

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https://thesouthern.com/news/local/southern-illinois-churches-weigh-armed-self-defense/article_d4e3316a-c2d5-5bc7-bae9-3500a8bf059d.html

 

southern-illinois-churches-weigh-armed-self-defense

 

Excerpt:

Since 2009, Russell has been the leader of his Vienna church’s safety and security team, preparing it to respond to medical emergencies, natural disasters and the possibility of an active shooter.

His team exists as quietly as possible. He will not say how many members it has, nor where they’re stationed on Sundays, nor how many are carrying a concealed weapon.

He will acknowledge that they are trained in watchfulness, conflict mediation and de-escalation, as well as regular tactical exercises with blank rounds or pellet pistols.

“The sound of a gun going off in a church is different than you might think,” he said. “Someone who wasn’t trained might think it was a door slamming.”

Security at Fellowship Baptist begins in the parking lot and extends to all areas of the building, from the computerized check-in system in the childcare wing, to the hidden “panic buttons” that can place an instant distress call to law enforcement.

The team’s vigilance extends past Sunday mornings, when about 170 congregants fill the wood-paneled sanctuary. It’s present in the evenings, when small groups meet for bible study, and most any time the church hosts a community event, Russell said. Team members have clearly assigned roles and are always aware of who is and isn’t carrying a weapon.

By-and-large, the team are lay people, not gun-carrying law enforcement professionals, Russell said. That’s the reality of providing volunteer, unpaid security in a small town.

 

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You want to know how to reduce school shootings? One could do worse then to give this guy a call. We protect money with guns, one would hope we would do the same for our children. There should be some type of reaction force/security in every school. Maybe we can use all those extra funds from the FOID and CCL sweeps to hire and upgrade school security.

 

I don't think any one of us would kick a fuss about that... I would even be willing to donate extra during the renewal process. Instead of donating to the "mental health fund," how about we use the funds to stop the mentally ill from killing our children?

 

Okay, I'll hop of my soap box. :)

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