Articles by semperverus

Lessons from Executive Protection to Adapt to Church Security

What can past attacks teach us about protecting executives today? The report, Historical Patterns in Attacks on Executives: Threats Exposure and Protective Strategy by Joe LaSorsa of LaSorsa & Associates, examines recurring motives, vulnerabilities, and practical lessons for security teams, such as:

  • Visibility, predictable routines, and access help shape an executive’s exposure.
  • Threats can involve overlapping motives, including grievance, financial gain, and ideology.
  • Digital privacy and physical security need to work together.
  • Protection plans should include family support, medical response, and business continuity.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Protection Book Review: Just 2 Seconds ]

While the report focuses on violent incidents in the corporate and political worlds—involving Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, J. Paul Getty III, Ronald Reagan, and others—the defensive principles extracted from these executive protection attacks can be applied to church security environments—including ministry leaders, congregational attendees, and the church building—such as the following:

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Enhance Your Self-Defense and Church Security Training With the ASP Unlimited App (Review)

ASP Unlimited is the membership app of Active Self Protection, founded by John Correia. ASP’s mission is to “help others develop the Attitude, Skills, and Plan to better protect themselves and their loved ones from harm” through research-informed evidence-based lessons.

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

A fee-based subscription service for either iPhone or Android, ASP Unlimited gives you access to the entire Active Self Protection library—featuring John Correia, Neil Weidner, Stephannie Weidner, and the entire ASP team.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview With John Correia of Active Self Protection About Church Security Teams ]

This video and text content is rich in self-defense education, equipping you with the mindset, skillset, and toolset to safeguard you, your loved ones, and your congregation if you’re a member of your church security team.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense and Church Security Lessons by John Correia Reviewing an Attempted Carjacking ]

Church security team members should regularly watch ASP’s video analyses to learn defensive principles they can apply in their church contexts. As John Correia says, “While we do cover church incidents when they arise, the main value for church safety teams in learning from the daily ASP analyses is to have mental reps of real situations that happened to real people, giving team members a broad experience of actual incidents to draw from in their own encounters.”

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How Much Do You Practice Your Guitar Playing?

Editor’s Note: Cody Blocker, Certified Protection Specialist, is the founding member and past president of the Midwest Church Security Coalition, author of  Protecting Your Church: Thoughts on Church Security and Leadership, founder of Safety Systems Group self-defense training company, and lead instructor and training coordinator at Serving Watchmen, a biblically-based and ministry-focused training company helping churches develop policies, train people, and build the programs leaders need to protect their congregation.

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

With his permission, we have published below his email newsletter message about the importance of practicing (training) to develop sharp security skills. When you download his free resource, Church Security Playbook, you’ll receive regular email messages by Cody describing best practices to lead a security ministry with excellence.

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2.2 Million Defensive Gun Uses Per Year in America: Latest National Firearm Survey

88 million American adults—32.7% of the adult population—own 461 million firearms: 208 million handguns, 154 million rifles, 99 million shotguns, according to the 2026 National Firearms Survey by William English, PhD, assistant professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of THE 2ND AMENDMENT ]

The research shows that

  • 60 million AR-15 and similarly styled semi-auto rifles are owned by American adults; 30% of gun owners
  • 37.6% of gun owners have used a firearm defensively—about 2.2 million per year
  • 44.5 million adults own magazines holding more than 10 rounds—50.5% of gun owners—539 million such magazines in total (roughly 265 million handgun magazines and 273 million rifle magazines)—88% cite defensive purposes for owning such magazines.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Senior US District Judge Declares Gun Magazine Capacity Limits Unconstitutional ]

The research sample size was 51,398 US residents aged 18 and over, including 16,688 self-identified gun owners, and the survey was conducted in July and August 2026 across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

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500 Years Since the Tyndale Bible Translation

The year 2026 is the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament, as reported in this BreakPoint article by John Stonestreet and Glenn Sunshine of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of THE BIBLE ]

Tyndale (1494–1536) was an English Bible scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the years leading up to his execution.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Discover the Compelling Evidence Proving the Reliability of the Bible ]

His Bible translations were

  • the first English Scriptures to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts
  • the first English translation to take advantage of the printing press
  • the first of the new English Bibles of the Reformation and
  • the first English translation to use Jehovah as God’s name.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Nicene Creed Still Compelling After 1700 Years ]

They were a direct challenge to the authority of the Catholic Church and to the laws of England that maintained the Church’s position. The work of Tyndale continued to play a key role in spreading Reformation ideas across the English-speaking world.

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