On Wednesday, a bill authorizing designated members of churches in Mississippi to carry firearms and protect the congregation was advanced at the Mississippi Capitol. The bill, known as the Mississippi Church Protection Act (House Bill 786) was voted by the House 86-32. With this vote, the bill has been proposed to move to the Senate for further evaluation.
The author of the bill, House Judiciary B Committee Chairman Andy Gipson, is both an attorney and a small Baptist church minister. According to ABC News, Gipson filed the bill as a response to the slayings that happened last summer in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Gipson shared that "a number of congregations don't have the resources to hire professional security." This prompted him to author the bill and propose it to the congregation. Gipson's own rural church has around 100 members.
Apart from simply allowing authorized members to carry a gun, he has proposed that they be protected legal protection as well. Once passed, the bill will provide the same kind of immunity from prosecution that is being given by the state law to individuals with a gun protecting their own home, business or vehicle.
For some House members, however, this proposal could be a safety hazard or even be scrutinized for having members carrying armed weapons. Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville asked Gipson: "What if a mosque full of Muslims decides to have weapons inside of their church? Could they be considered terrorists?" Hines further asked Gipson if he was carrying a weapon whenever he stands in the pulpit to minister. At first, Gipson hesitated to answer but Hines pushed for a yes or no response from him. Gipson answered that there had been some occasions where he had carried a weapon.
Prior to starting the legislative session, Gipson pointed out that there was one existing state law that generally prohibited carrying guns in churches, while another law allowed people with an enhanced concealed-carry permit to bring their weapons. With his proposal, Gipson is hoping that the conflict between the two existing laws can be eliminated.
