‘We are not a gun free zone’: New York church invites its congregation to bring their firearms to services after Texas mass shooting
- The church is reminding parishioners it’s OK to bring their guns to church
- The pastor says allowing guns in the church is a method of protecting his people
- The church offers lessons on self-defense and identifying suspicious behavior
- The church has had an open carry policy since a deadly church shooting in 2015
By Dailymail.com Reporter
The pastor of a New York state church has declared that his church is ‘NOT a gun free zone.’
In the wake of November 5’s deadly church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, the Lighthouse Mexico Church of God in Oswego County, New York is inviting its congregants to bring their firearms to church services as a protective measure.
According to the church’s pastor, Ronald Russell, congregants have been allowed to openly carry their guns since the 2015 shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, when white supremacist Dylann Roof opened fire and killed nine black churchgoers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
‘Times are changing,’ Russell told Spectrum News, noting that it is church leadership that has advocated for the ability to bear arms during services, not necessarily the congregation.
‘People say ‘well, pastor, you’re talking about killing some,’ and I say ‘well, if I don’t protect my people, I’m being complicit,’ Russell said, adding that, ‘A shooting here, that’s not going to happen.’
Outside the Lighthouse Mexico Church of God, a sign now reads, ‘We say it again, we are not a gun free zone’ and the church’s website prominently displays a scrolling message reiterating the message and also stating ‘we protect our people!’
Spectrum News reported that the Pentecostal church offers parishioners lessons in self-defense and identifying suspicious behavior