Mississippi passes bill allowing Christians to bring guns to church

The State Capitol of Mississippi passed a bill on Wednesday allowing church members to undergo gun or firearms training, as well as bring their weapons to church in order to protect the congregation.

House Bill 786, or also known as the Mississippi Church Protection Act, was overwhelmingly passed by legislators at the State Capitol 86-32.

In the Guardian report, the legislation was drawn up after a fatal church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina last year.  Nine people were killed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015.  The main suspect, Dylann Roof, had said he wanted to start a 'race war'.

Andy Gipson, a Republican representative and pastor of a local Baptist church in Braxton, said he authored the bill in response to the shooting.

Gipson said that most churches cannot afford to hire professional security to protect them from people like Roof.

"A number of congregations ... don't have the resources to hire professional security," he said. 

As a result, he proposed the bill so that church members could take firearms training in order to keep their churches secure.

The bill extends legal protection to members of the church who use their gun in the course of carrying out their duties as designated members of the church's security program.

Some House members raised concerns about safety hazards, saying that these churches may come under "law enforcement scrutiny" because they have members who have guns. 

Representative John Himes also asked if Muslims would be permitted to bring guns into their mosques.

"Could they be considered terrorists?" he asked. 

In addition, Hines also asked Gipson if there were instances where he brought a gun out at the pulpit while preaching God's Word in his church. 

"There have been occasions when I have, yes," Gipson replied.

Gipson also said that because there is a state law that prohibits bringing guns to church, and another that allows an individual to bring firearms as long as he has the necessary documents and permits, the new state law would eliminate the conflict between the two.