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As a law enforcement officer, I can and do carry a gun almost anywhere.\u00a0 But I never take it to my other workplace \u2013 a church.\u00a0 Besides being a state constable, I\u2019m also a church rector and an Anglican bishop.\u00a0 I am, however, rethinking that personal gun ban for the greater good.<\/p>\n
My reconsideration began while I was trying to enjoy my post-church nap.\u00a0 I was awoken by multiple chirps from my phone.\u00a0 People were texting me about another church shooting.\u00a0 Some craven individual \u2013 for motives still not entirely known \u2013 opened fire in a scared space in Sutherland Springs, Texas \u2013 killing dozens and injuring more.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s shocking that, in a nation founded on the idea of religious freedom, there are monsters out there who now think it\u2019s fair game to target people of faith with deadly force.\u00a0 I\u2019m no stranger to religious bigotry and the condescension of non-believers, but recent church shootings like those in Charleston, South Carolina; Antioch, Tennessee and this latest one in Sutherland Springs bring intolerance to a frightening new level.<\/p>\n
When I previously assessed my duties as a law enforcement officer, priest and bishop, I decided not to carry my pistol with me when participating in Sunday services.\u00a0 I made this choice at my own personal peril because I have recently received credible personal threats and routinely come across people I\u2019ve arrested.<\/p>\n
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This is also despite the fact that, in my capacity as an officer, I have provided protection at synagogues and churches concerned about the safety of their congregants.\u00a0 But, until now, I didn\u2019t think it was appropriate for me and my church.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always seen my job as a bishop as that of an overseer.\u00a0 That\u2019s why a bishop carries an ornate staff called a crozier.\u00a0 Like a shepherd, it\u2019s his duty to collect the flock and guide it clear of the wolves.<\/p>\n
From the founding of my parish, St. Alban\u2019s, in the mid-1970s, we usually left our doors unlocked.\u00a0 That changed about five years ago.\u00a0 The sad fact is that people are more willing to ignore, defile and deface sacred spaces these days.\u00a0 The lines that no one would dare cross before now largely go unacknowledged.<\/p>\n
Maybe the crozier is no longer enough.<\/p>\n
At Sutherland Springs, there were good guys with guns.\u00a0 Residents near the First Baptist Church heard the shooting, grabbed their guns and came to the defense of the congregation.\u00a0 This effort undoubtedly saved innocent lives.\u00a0 Similarly, in Antioch, an usher confronted the assailant and tried to wrestle the gun away.<\/p>\n
While liberal politicians and activists immediately took to social media to call for more restrictions on guns, it\u2019s obvious they fail to understand how a gun can also serve as a tool of salvation.<\/p>\n
A pistol in the pulpit may sound extreme, but \u2013 when people of faith increasingly appear to be targets of armed evil \u2013 a good shepherd must do what he must do to protect the flock from the wolves.\u00a0 From my perspective as both a bishop and a cop, people must be protected.\u00a0 This includes in sacred spaces.<\/p>\n
In the coming days, I’ll be speaking with the members of my parish and examining our approach to future safety and security.<\/p>\n