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Author Topic: CCW in Church  (Read 2531 times)

Offline Hardwood83

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CCW in Church
« on: August 10, 2009, 12:19:23 PM »
Howdy new around here and hoping for some input- My Pastor has asked me to look into creating a policy/procedure for Concealed Carry in our church once the new law becomes effective. The idea being to create a volunteer 'security' force in case things go horribly awry.

It is a smaller church (65-75 Sun morning) and I only know of a few of us that have state issued 'permits' if that matters. I guess I'm looking for guidance on a written policy, any ideas or resources to recommend? Everything I'm finding online talks about the law but not the implementation.

Thanks- 
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Offline LawyerJan

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Re: CCW in Church
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2009, 03:42:11 PM »
Hardwood:

Our church is doing same thing.  We're a little bigger which means we have about three more people with similar concerns, lol.

I subscribed to www.christiansecuritynetwork.org they have lots of good tips.  There are others as well.

Are you in Lincoln? as chair of the committee establishing a security plan let me know I'd be happy to visit with you over coffee or even invite you to our meeting sometime.  We're also looking at a full list of issues, child snatching, medical and weather emergency, building security etc. 

A CCW instructor in Lincoln periodically gives an "advanced CCW class" tailored for church security.

To answer your question about a policy, I've heard lots of ideas about how to deal with it, from a sign in the parkinglot and by the front door saying "Armed security may be on premises at any time" to a letter to members saying essentially the same thing, to a note in the corporate minutes saying "armed security is authorized".  The last thing we want to do is alarm people that we're expecting an incident. However you handle it, make sure it doesn't frighten people. Pastor may want to preach a sermon or two on self defense (Jesus had to tell his buddies to put their swords away so we know they were concerned with defense) and teach that turning the other cheek doesn't necessarily mean that you line up and let some deranged idiot who can't get a date start shooting at you.

I've already heard that some churches have authorized "any regular member" with CCW to carry (once the law goes into effect) and others are being a little more selective authorizing only certain members.

One thing you might want to consider, what will your insurance do if you authorize CCW?  I'm not saying call up the insurance company and let them know you're expecting the OK Corral to happen on Labor Day, but you might want to consider what they might do, including drop coverage.
NRA, USCCA, NFOA

Offline JebM

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Re: CCW in Church
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2009, 05:22:19 PM »
Hardwood:    Where are you located?  I have a real good resource for you if you are in Lincoln.

Offline Hardwood83

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Re: CCW in Church
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2009, 09:28:24 PM »
Thanks for the link/info, LawyerJan, I am in Omaha. Btw our insurance company is officially neutral on the subject but their info is pretty slanted against: http://www.churchmutual.com/riskalert/displaycontent.php?id=9
« Last Edit: August 11, 2009, 09:33:19 PM by Hardwood83 »
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Offline JebM

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Re: CCW in Church
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2009, 08:01:10 AM »
Hardwood:    Check your PM's

Offline Rich B

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Re: CCW in Church
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2009, 08:25:12 AM »
The wording of LB430 mentions authorized security.

IMO, each "authorized" person should receive a notarized letter stating that the person is authorized.  I'd have the pastor and the head/president of the church council, board of elders, or whatever your congregation has sign off on it.

If your service includes the consumption of alcohol, I would not consume it while carrying due the wording of the statute.  You could rotate or maybe ask the pastor to do it privately for you before or after so you don't have 50 witnesses who tell the police "the guy with the gun was drinking!". 

Good luck to you.
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Offline Hardwood83

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Re: CCW in Church
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2009, 11:37:59 AM »
Good thoughts- thanks for the input.
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud