Butler County pastors talk packing heat


HOW TO GO

WHAT: Prayer vigil, open to the entire community

WHEN: 6:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: First Presbyterian Church, 2910 Central Ave., Middletown

BY THE NUMBERS

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine issued Tuesday a report indicating that more than 116,000 concealed carry licenses were issued or renewed in Ohio in 2015, according to data compiled by Ohio’s county sheriffs.

The following total concealed carry numbers were reported to the Attorney General’s Office from county sheriffs in Ohio for the calendar year of 2015:

• Number of new licenses issued: 71,589

• Number of licenses renewed: 44,551

• Total licenses issued: 116,140

The Attorney General’s Office compiles an annual report as required by law about the number of licenses issued each year. Licenses expire five years after their issue date.

Source: Ohio Attorney General’s Office

The fatal shooting of a pastor at his Dayton church and the shooting incident at Madison Junior Senior High School have some members of the local faith community calling for religious leaders to have a more active role in stopping gun violence.

“The church leaders, not just locally or statewide, but nationally, need to get legislators, law enforcement and citizens actively involved in addressing gun violence and poverty in our communities,” said Rev. Michael Bailey of Middletown’s Faith United Church. “It’s time to quit just praying and then doing nothing — the church has got to start becoming more actively involved.”

Bailey has addressed issues of gun violence as well as arming pastors with his congregation.

“There is a point where you get conflicted,” he said. “The leader of the church is supposed to protect the flock (congregation), but the flock also wants to make sure the leader is safe. You wouldn’t want anybody having a gun that wasn’t supposed to, but safety is always a concern especially after the church shooting last year in South Carolina when that white supremacist killed innocent members of the church.”

Violence in the community could pose a threat to congregations, said Curtus Moak, lead pastor at Hamilton Christian Center. For that reason, he said women and men in the pulpit should consider arming themselves.

“If a pastor is comfortable and well trained with a firearm, it may be a good idea,” Moak said. “It is a decision not to be taken lightly. The pastor should seek advice from law enforcement and stay in good communication with his church leadership.”

Conceal and carry might be an option in the future he would think about, he said.

“To me, a church is not anymore dangerous than any other public facility. Guns, if carried by good law abiding and trained citizens, would not be a danger but added safety and security,” Moak said.

Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office said it is a moot point for conceal and carry in a church no matter what the leadership of a congregation decides.

“Ohio’s concealed carry law does prohibit the concealed carry of a firearm in a church,” Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the AG’s Office, previously told this newspaper. “Open carry is the term used to describe when a state does not regulate firearm carry in the open. Ohio law is silent as to rules for a firearm carried in the open. The law is silent on open carry period, only concealed is regulated.”

So the only way for congregants to legally have a weapon in church would be to openly carry firearms in their respective places of worship.

Many churches, Moak said, have security teams and crisis plans in place, including his.

“We currently have a security team. They have and will continue to seek professional qualified training,” Moak said.

However, Bishop Mark Monroe of the Second Baptist Church in Middletown, said when gun violence strikes the community, he isn’t in favor of arming ministers or having guns in churches.

His weapon of choice, he said, is bringing people together. He has helped to organize a public prayer vigil Wednesday for those affected or touched by the Madison Twp. school shooting.

“We have invited the school superintendent, members of the school board and the clergy community,” he said, stressing that the event is open to everyone.

Dr. Michael D. Reeves Jr., senior pastor of the Pilgrim Baptist Church and president of the NAACP’s Unit 3186, which includes the Hamilton, Fairfield and West Chester Twp. areas, said while its always wise to review security measures, allowing guns in churches may not be the answer.

“Bringing more guns to the gun fight is not the key to solving this. More guns, could mean more incidents could occur,” he said.

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