The Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops said yesterday that despite a law signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal earlier this month, there will be no guns allowed in Roman Catholic churches in the state.
On July 6, Jindal (R) signed a law that permits places of worship in Louisiana to designate congregants with concealed weapons permits as members of a “security force,” who are then allowed to be armed during services. Previously, only members of law enforcement could enter places of worship while carrying guns.
But according to USA Today, Danny Loar, executive director of the church’s public policy arm in Louisiana, said that “we don’t think it is appropriate to have guns in churches.”
“The bishops decided that, if the bill became law, the bishops would let their pastors know that this would not be permissible in Catholic churches,” said Loar.
The bill was originally proposed by state Rep. Henry Burns (R) for “those unique situations where maybe a church can’t afford law enforcement,” and requires training sessions and background checks for “security force” members in churches that elect to take part in the law.
Loar also said that the Catholic church “stayed out of the picture” before the law was passed, telling Burns that they would not oppose it as long as it remained optional for churches to create the “security forces.”
