I'd vote no, but that would skew the results since I don't attend church. If I had some sudden change of opinion and somehow became religious, I'd carry in church without hesitation.

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

I'd vote no, but that would skew the results since I don't attend church. If I had some sudden change of opinion and somehow became religious, I'd carry in church without hesitation.

Same here. (If my permit had arrived by then)

-Jeff-

I voted "NO" for the following reason off the back of my permit...


PERMITEES ARE PROHIBITED FROM CARRYING A CONCEALED FIREARM INTO ANY:

#8- place where persons are assembled for public worship, without the written consent of the chief administrator of that place.

Previous priest wrote me a letter, stating I could carry. New priest wouldn't have it. No letter, no carry.


Zhur

My last visit was for a funeral and yes I was carrying.

When I dress after showering in the morning I include my Galco Summer Comfort for either my M&P40 or GP-100 (mood dependant). I insert whichever I have chosen into the holster within a few minutes of dressing.

About the only deviation from that practice is when something unusual occurs like changing oil in my truck or car which involves use of a creeper or similar activities that yield discomfort or damage if carrying. As soon as the task is over I re-arm.

I don't require a plan to leave my residence to arm myself.

I had to get that plug in there Mike given that you agreed with me once this week. Amazing

I don't go to church on sunday morning. so no
My church is the outdoors. So yes.
and at the last funeral? yes
last wedding, no. Why? I live in a tri-state area. my CPL for that state has not been approved yet.

I don't go to an organized church... but if I did I would carry as places of worship have traditionally been a place where a-holes like to make a statement.....

Weren't two people recently killed at a church by some psycho, and a CCW person or security guard shot him? I seem to recall that in the news a few months ago....

I carry every where it is legal to do so.

If I knew exactly when and where I would need my CCW, it would sure be more convenient. Then I would only have to carry it on those "special" occasions.

Originally Posted by James NM

If I knew exactly when and where I would need my CCW, it would sure be more convenient. Then I would only have to carry it on those "special" occasions.

And if I knew that, I'd just stay home with a shotgun handy.

Good variety of answers keep it coming

I haven't attended church since I was a kid, but if I did, I would definitely be carrying, since it is one of those ideal targets for a coward who needs to take defenseless people with him on his way out of this world.

The only time I have been in church since I began to carry has been for weddings and I have carried at all of them.

Yes -

more yes Votes then I thought.

Hell yes!

I took it out the other day and held it up to the preacher. I said " Preach about revelations or its golden gate time for you".
Actually, No I dont take mine to church. LOL HG

I carry most of the time when I go to church. The instructor that I got my CCW from has armed deacons at churches. He also informed me that a church is one of the top places that a terrorist might target. From what I know we have security but they dont carry. So if I can get a few of the BGs then more of the members will live.


So yeah I carry anywhere I can.

I didn't vote because I don't have a carry permit but, if it was lawful I would carry to church. My reasoning is simple, I've seen "Kill Bill II".

I don't go to a church so I don't think I should vote. If I did attend I don't think I would though. I guess I'd just have to ....have faith that anything requiring a weapon wouldn't occur.

IMO, if law allows, there is valid argument for CCW in church. In addition to the guy in CO that killed two girls at the church who was then killed by the CCW holder we have:

• August 12, 2007: A lone gunman, Eiken Elam Saimon, opened fire in a Missouri Micronesian church, killing a pastor and two other churchgoers.
• May 20, 2007: A standoff between police and a suspect in the shootings of three people in a Moscow, Idaho, Presbyterian Church ended with three dead, including one police officer.
• Although not at a church building, the Oct. 2, 2006, attack in Lancaster County, Pa., by a gunman who killed five girls and then himself at an Amish school targeted a religious site.
• May 21, 2006: Louisiana. Four were killed by a man at Jesus Christ Church.
• Feb. 26, 2006: Michigan. Two people were killed at Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church by a man who reportedly went to the church looking for his girlfriend. He later killed himself.
• April 9, 2005: A 27-year-old airman died after being shot at a church in College Park, Ga., where he had once worked as a security guard.
• March 12, 2005: A man walked into the services of the Living Church of God in Milwaukee and open fired immediately, killing seven people.
• Oct. 5, 2003: A woman opened fire in Turner Monumental AME church in Kirkwood, east of Atlanta, killing the pastor and two others.
• Sept. 16, 1999: Seven young people were killed when a man opened fire during a prayer service for teen-agers at the Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

Source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=59219

Originally Posted by DevilsJohnson

I don't go to a church so I don't think I should vote. If I did attend I don't think I would though. I guess I'd just have to ....have faith that anything requiring a weapon wouldn't occur.

I like your thought process!

I guess I'd just have to ....have faith that anything requiring a weapon wouldn't occur.

Faith didn't do much for these poor folks:

Originally Posted by Todd

*August 12, 2007: A lone gunman, Eiken Elam Saimon, opened fire in a Missouri Micronesian church, killing a pastor and two other churchgoers.
*May 20, 2007: A standoff between police and a suspect in the shootings of three people in a Moscow, Idaho, Presbyterian Church ended with three dead, including one police officer.
*Although not at a church building, the Oct. 2, 2006, attack in Lancaster County, Pa., by a gunman who killed five girls and then himself at an Amish school targeted a religious site.
*May 21, 2006: Louisiana. Four were killed by a man at Jesus Christ Church.
*Feb. 26, 2006: Michigan. Two people were killed at Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church by a man who reportedly went to the church looking for his girlfriend. He later killed himself.
*April 9, 2005: A 27-year-old airman died after being shot at a church in College Park, Ga., where he had once worked as a security guard.
*March 12, 2005: A man walked into the services of the Living Church of God in Milwaukee and open fired immediately, killing seven people.
*Oct. 5, 2003: A woman opened fire in Turner Monumental AME church in Kirkwood, east of Atlanta, killing the pastor and two others.
*Sept. 16, 1999: Seven young people were killed when a man opened fire during a prayer service for teen-agers at the Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

Faith didn't do much for these poor folks:

Nor does it really give any sort of realistic representation of gun violence. There are far more incidents of gun/any other type of violence than are reported or readily available for statistical posting on forums. It often times doesn't post that the gunman took their own life after the shooting and that the amount of people killed were a direct corrolation of one magazine/cylinder with the last round going thru the BG's own head. 2 killed, 4 killed... a result of missing with some, hitting others, then killing themselves with the remaining bullets. Sure there are some standoffs, but as Mike likes to point out, (rightfully so) why aren't people fighting back? If he's gotta reload, rush 'em.

Making this about Faith is disingenuous. It's about people not fighting back, but rather running away rather than fighting. There is danger everywhere, regardless of the venue, people should prepare as best they can for bad joo joo to happen wherever they are.

Like I said before, I carried in church when I had authorization to do so, but I don't now because I'd be breaking the law. I can't see the point of breaking the law just because some other whacko is breaking the law. If we all did that, there'd be an example of the degredation of society we were looking for earlier.

I liken it to the shark attacks of a few years ago. There have always been shark attacks, but when the media becomes fixated on it, they sure seem to be happening every other day. If I recall correctly, the year they were all over the news, there were actually less shark attacks than the previous couple of years.

The point is, once the media gets their meat hooks into a story, you'll hear about it more and more. I bet there were many shootings in those same communities that never made anything more than the local paper. It's a relatively rare and very tragic thing to happen in a church, so it goes to the front of the line on the "Oh-how-sad-O-meter".

Zhur

Zhurdan, I agree with most of what you've written (as usual), but I was mainly pointing out that just being in a church offers no real protection from violence. The reason we carry our guns with us is because we don't know in advance when and where we might need a pistol. It might be the supermarket, a parking lot, the bank, our job, at home, in church, whatever. We don't have any control over that, and just based on Todd's list, apparently neither does some deity.

I fully understand and support the fact that you don't carry in church because it's illegal. That is a perfectly appropriate reason not to carry. Were I religious, I suspect I would not change churches merely because I couldn't carry, just like I continue to go to alcohol-serving restaurants here in AZ even though I can't carry in them.

The media blows everything out of proportion, including crime, whether it's church-related or not.

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

...The reason we carry our guns with us is because we don't know in advance when and where we might need a pistol...

Yea, if I knew that, I'd "just stay home with a shotgun handy".

Originally Posted by Todd

• August 12, 2007: A lone gunman, Eiken Elam Saimon, opened fire in a Missouri Micronesian church, killing a pastor and two other churchgoers.
• May 20, 2007: A standoff between police and a suspect in the shootings of three people in a Moscow, Idaho, Presbyterian Church ended with three dead, including one police officer.
• Although not at a church building, the Oct. 2, 2006, attack in Lancaster County, Pa., by a gunman who killed five girls and then himself at an Amish school targeted a religious site.
• May 21, 2006: Louisiana. Four were killed by a man at Jesus Christ Church.
• Feb. 26, 2006: Michigan. Two people were killed at Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church by a man who reportedly went to the church looking for his girlfriend. He later killed himself.
• April 9, 2005: A 27-year-old airman died after being shot at a church in College Park, Ga., where he had once worked as a security guard.
• March 12, 2005: A man walked into the services of the Living Church of God in Milwaukee and open fired immediately, killing seven people.
• Oct. 5, 2003: A woman opened fire in Turner Monumental AME church in Kirkwood, east of Atlanta, killing the pastor and two others.
• Sept. 16, 1999: Seven young people were killed when a man opened fire during a prayer service for teen-agers at the Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

Source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=59219

These are some of the instances that helped me decide to carry at church. I understand the media's fixation on these type of events, like plane crashes, but it just shows that no place is safe. I carry anywhere I legally can, but church is a little bit different and made me think about it. My wife also has her CCW permit but she doesn't carry to church and doesn't like me carrying to church either. You know everyone at church (especially our small one) and if one person "made" you, everyone would know. I'm sure there would be a few who would be upset. There would also be some who either didn't care or supported it. It will be the ones who are upset making the noise though. When I carry at church I am even more careful about concealment than when I am out in public, say at a store or something. I don't find myself being as concerned if a stranger spotted me carrying, although I am always careful about it. I figure that after a stranger spots me, even if they call police, once its sorted out I probably won't have to deal with that person again. Not the story at church and I guess that is what makes me be REALLY careful about concealment there.