Pastor Melvin Clark of the Washington Missionary Baptist Church in Selby, North Carolina, wants to arm his congregation.
Following the tragic slaughter in a South Carolina church, some churchgoing citizens thought it might be best to place armed guards in predominantly African-American churches. But Pastor Clark has a better idea. Said Clark:
We want to arm the people from the congregation.
Pastor Melvin Clark says that rather than have individuals take matters into their own hands, and carry guns to church to feel safe, whether or not they’re trained in the use, he’ll have ten members of his congregation trained, through a police training program or a local community college program. These members will be armed, and act as plainclothes security guards for the church on a rotating schedule.
“We want to have people licensed, like if they were the bodyguard of a movie star — that kind of license, we want to have them bonded, and we want to have them insured,” Clark said.
The Inquisitr writes:
The church already takes a number of security measures, with cameras on the entrances and a buzzer to let visitors in, but Clark’s focus on security isn’t exactly unfounded. Aside from being only a few hours away from the church where nine members were shot and killed this summer, and from a general flurry of KKK recruitment, marches, and activity in the Carolinas since the massacre, Clark himself has previously been targeted, in his church. According to Fox Insider, in 2002, a man with a gun entered the church and held Clark hostage. He believes appropriate security measures could help prevent a recurrence of such an event.
Good for him. Why should you lose your right to protect yourself just because you are inside a church?
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