Brent Hartman
Regular Member
I've always thought that the only people "Gun Free Zones" really benefit are homicidal maniacs. I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that my church, the LDS Church, actually supports "Gun Free Zones". Not only that, but the Church actively goes out of its way to legally make sure that those attending services in LDS buildings in Utah are prohibited from defending themselves with firearms.
I started looking into this when I heard a local church leader talking about the shooting in Connecticut, and he mentioned in passing that we shouldn't bring guns to church. He kind of chuckled after he said this so I thought he might of been joking. I decided to go to the Church Handbook of Instructions and find out if there is an official position on this issue. This is what I found:
21.2.4
Firearms
"Churches are dedicated for the worship of God and as havens from the cares and concerns of the world. The carrying of lethal weapons, concealed or otherwise, within their walls is inappropriate except as required by officers of the law."
Inappropriate? Why would it be inappropriate for me to have a tool that could be used to defend my family and others? If it's inappropriate for me, then why not for cops, and why not for the bodyguards that protect the president of the Church?
This kind of troubled me, so I went to some LDS Liberty friends of mine to ask them about this issue. They assured me this was just a meaningless policy, and that it was ridiculous for me to compare a church policy with a government law establishing gun free zones. They snickered at the "stupidity" of my argument.
That enlightening conversation got me wondering what the law was in the State of Utah on cocealed carry in churches. That's when I stumbled upon this newsletter sent out by the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification to all CCW instructors. In this January 2004 letter, the BCI states:
"According to SB108, All churches must notify BCI in writing if they wish to have concealed weapons restricted from their premises...So, please be sure to tell all of your students to check on our website (www.bci.utah.gov) to see if their church has become a restricted area."
It turns out that in the State of Utah, concealed carry in churches is actually protected in the CCW law. A church has to register with the state, to make an exception in the law, in order to establish "Gun Free Zones" in its buildings.
I decided to go to the BCI website to see what churches felt like it was a good idea to disarm its members. Here is what I found:
"Houses of Worship Prohibiting Firearms on Premises
The following churches have notified BCI of their intent to prohibit firearms in their "houses of worship" in Utah.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Instructions for notifying the Bureau of Criminal Identification of your intent to prohibit firearms.
Read Utah Code 76-10-530 regarding the prohibition of firearms by Utah houses of worship."
There was only one church on the list! The only church in Utah that feels the need to legally disarm its members is the LDS church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supports "Gun Free Zones", and one can only assume that the leader of the Church, President Monson, also supports "Gun Free Zones".
I fully understand that the LDS church has the right to determine what happens on their property. Likewise, I have the right to point out how stupid it is to disarm the good members of the Church, and make them sitting ducks for those that intend to do evil.
The most disgusting thing to me is that the men that made this flawed policy are themselves protected by armed security. How dare they place a greater value on their lives, than the lives of my children and all the other common folk of the Church.
Sources:
http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/docs/JAN2004_Instructor_New...
http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/CFchurch.html
https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-ch...
I started looking into this when I heard a local church leader talking about the shooting in Connecticut, and he mentioned in passing that we shouldn't bring guns to church. He kind of chuckled after he said this so I thought he might of been joking. I decided to go to the Church Handbook of Instructions and find out if there is an official position on this issue. This is what I found:
21.2.4
Firearms
"Churches are dedicated for the worship of God and as havens from the cares and concerns of the world. The carrying of lethal weapons, concealed or otherwise, within their walls is inappropriate except as required by officers of the law."
Inappropriate? Why would it be inappropriate for me to have a tool that could be used to defend my family and others? If it's inappropriate for me, then why not for cops, and why not for the bodyguards that protect the president of the Church?
This kind of troubled me, so I went to some LDS Liberty friends of mine to ask them about this issue. They assured me this was just a meaningless policy, and that it was ridiculous for me to compare a church policy with a government law establishing gun free zones. They snickered at the "stupidity" of my argument.
That enlightening conversation got me wondering what the law was in the State of Utah on cocealed carry in churches. That's when I stumbled upon this newsletter sent out by the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification to all CCW instructors. In this January 2004 letter, the BCI states:
"According to SB108, All churches must notify BCI in writing if they wish to have concealed weapons restricted from their premises...So, please be sure to tell all of your students to check on our website (www.bci.utah.gov) to see if their church has become a restricted area."
It turns out that in the State of Utah, concealed carry in churches is actually protected in the CCW law. A church has to register with the state, to make an exception in the law, in order to establish "Gun Free Zones" in its buildings.
I decided to go to the BCI website to see what churches felt like it was a good idea to disarm its members. Here is what I found:
"Houses of Worship Prohibiting Firearms on Premises
The following churches have notified BCI of their intent to prohibit firearms in their "houses of worship" in Utah.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Instructions for notifying the Bureau of Criminal Identification of your intent to prohibit firearms.
Read Utah Code 76-10-530 regarding the prohibition of firearms by Utah houses of worship."
There was only one church on the list! The only church in Utah that feels the need to legally disarm its members is the LDS church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supports "Gun Free Zones", and one can only assume that the leader of the Church, President Monson, also supports "Gun Free Zones".
I fully understand that the LDS church has the right to determine what happens on their property. Likewise, I have the right to point out how stupid it is to disarm the good members of the Church, and make them sitting ducks for those that intend to do evil.
The most disgusting thing to me is that the men that made this flawed policy are themselves protected by armed security. How dare they place a greater value on their lives, than the lives of my children and all the other common folk of the Church.
Sources:
http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/docs/JAN2004_Instructor_New...
http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/CFchurch.html
https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-ch...