Senate Bill 535, filed during the Texas legislature, addressed the ability for individuals to conceal carry weapons in church. Trinity Church pastor, J.D. Small, said this could come with both benefits and concerns.
“Every story you can imagine happening in a families life, it happens on Sunday morning here,” he said. “I think this bill is a step toward helping good guys help other people when they see a situation happen.”
According to Small, a strong first solution would be for churches to look into hiring trained professionals or working alongside local law enforcement. They have this in place at Trinity Church, and said it works well.
“They put in the class room hours, range time and all the work that goes into staying profficient in all of their drills…How to act with the public, how to spot a threat before it becomes a threat, how to deescalate situations,” he said.
However, Small said each church needs to make decisions best for them. If they do allow guns into churches, he believed the individuals should be trained.
“I think there is a lot of homework. Inviting people to carry firearms is not something you should take lightly,” said Small. “We have a responsiblity to protect them so they get to go home.”
The next step for the legislature is to get it passed through the Senate Committee, in order to be voted on by the Senate.
