Dispatch: "More Ohio churches keep eye out for violence"

By Chad D. Baus

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that another church in Ohio is utilizing churchgoers who are carrying a concealed weapon as part of its security strategy.

From the story:

John Cray remembers the days when every church left its doors open so that people could come in and pray.

Unfortunately, those days are long gone, thanks to a string of fatal church shootings, said Cray, 62, a retired police officer and deacon at Christian Assembly, 4099 Karl Rd., on the North Side.

The latest case occurred Sunday in Maryville, Ill., where the Rev. Fred Winters was killed by a gunman who then stabbed himself and two men who tackled him. Terry Sedlacek, 27, of Troy, Ill., was charged yesterday with two counts each of first-degree murder and aggravated battery.

"If there's anybody with the question why we have security, this is exactly the reason," Cray said.

The story recites a few of the more recent attacks in churches, including a December 2007 attack when a gunman killed four people in two shootings at Youth With a Mission and New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado (before being stopped by a churchgoer with a concealed handgun), and a July 2008 attack when two people were killed at a Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

I attend church several times a week. Ohio law forces me to disarm each and every time I do. As I enter the building, as I sit in the auditorium, or as I look across a room packed with teens, the names of these and other congregations across the country echo through my mind, including Wedgewood Baptist Church in Texas (1999 - seven killed), Living Church of God in Wisconsin (2005, seven killed), and The Ministry of Jesus Christ in Louisiana (2006, five killed).

Again, from the story:

Before last year, security at Christian Assembly was lax. Now, it has 21 people trained to secure the building and respond to violence, Cray said. At each service, three are on duty, roaming the building and parking lot and communicating via walkie-talkie.

Security-team members have learned codes so they can communicate about various events without alarming churchgoers. Some have permits to carry a concealed gun.

About 350 people attend Sunday services.

Christian Assembly's security leaders have been trained by FBI Special Agent Harry Trombitas, who has given about 30 training sessions in Ohio on every aspect of church safety, from building maintenance to the supervision of children.

They also heard from a Columbus police officer about how to approach unfamiliar people and what nonverbal cues to watch for, Cray said.

Such plans could not be put into effect in Illinois, where this latest attack occured, because of that state's draconian gun control laws that ensure only the criminals will have guns.

In Ohio, the law is not much better. While Ohio does permit the issuance of concealed handgun licenses (CHLs), the law prohibits CHL-holders from attending worship services (or even entering the building) while armed, unless they have received special permission from church/synagogue/mosque officials. And obtaining this permission is exceedingly hard to obtain once the officials consult their uninformed, liability-conscious attorneys and insurance agents, who seem to labor under the false impression that an accident by an armed citizen is more likely than a violent attack by a crazed madman.

If a churchgoer is caught violating the ban, the law calls for a license-holder to be arrested and charged with a felony of the fourth degree if they bring their firearm to church as a means of protection against such an attack. A conviction would earn her up to $5000 in fines and 18 months in prison.

How did it get this bad in the Buckeye State, where, once upon a time, state law encouraged citizens to bear arms at church services? Will it take a church massacre (or massacres) in Ohio before the General Assembly does anything about it?

ACT NOW: Ask the leaders in your place of worship if you and fellow CHL-holders can be a part of a ''security guard ministry''. And tell your legislators that places of worship shouldn't be treated differently in the law than any other private property in the state of Ohio. Finally, please join me in praying that these decision-makers act to allow the flock their right to self-protection before the next wolf comes out of the woods.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.

Related Story:
Ohio's ban on defending lives in places of worship: How did it get this bad?