VI - Self-Defense Archives - Page 10 of 50

A List of Active Killer Incidents at Houses of Worship and Religious Schools

Photo credit: David von Diemar, https://unsplash.com/@davidvondiemar Some people in leadership at churches still question why it’s necessary to have an armed and trained church security/safety team as part of their dedicated ministry efforts.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Active Killer Advice Compendium ]

The following list should be reason enough:

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

• Temple Israel Synagogue, West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, Mar. 12, 2026
After waiting in the Temple Israel parking lot for more than two hours, a 41-year-old man rammed his pickup truck through the front doors of this 3,500-member family / 12,000-member Reform Jewish congregation, drove down a hall, opened fire through the windshield with a rifle after striking the congregation’s director of security, knocking him unconscious, and after which the vehicle burst into flames, engulfing the structure. The attacker exchanged fire with armed synagogue security personnel, then killed himself during the gunfight. Large quantities of commercial-grade fireworks and several jugs of a liquid believed to be gasoline were found in the back of the truck. All 140 students in its early childhood center, along with staff and teachers, were unharmed. At least 63 law enforcement officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Armed Congregants & Considerations for Synagogue Security ]

• Brisbane Synagogue, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia, Feb. 20, 2026
With his utility truck, a 32-year-old man slammed into and knocked down the front gates on the Shabbat evening, then sped off. Police tracked down the vehicle and charged the driver with a hate crime. No injuries were reported.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Biblical Case Why Every Church Needs Armed Security ]

• Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters, Brooklyn, New York, Jan. 28, 2026
A 36-year-old driver repeatedly rammed his car into the entrance doors, damaging the building on a night when thousands had gathered there to celebrate. No injuries were reported. Police arrested the man.

Counterterrorism Guide: Situational Awareness to Hinder An Attack

The Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team (JCAT) is a US interagency collaboration based at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), which is aligned under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

Working with intelligence analysts from NCTC, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), JCAT’s primary mission is to improve counterterrorism information sharing between federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies and the private sector. The latter is where that information is adaptable for personal self-defense and church security teams in being situationally aware to pre-indicators of criminal and terroristic attacks.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ]

One resource is JCAT’s Counterterrorism Guide For Public Safety Personnel, offering content to assist self-defenders and church safety volunteers in:

Enroll in the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification Program

Church security teams usually consist of every-day volunteers: men and women who are passionate about doing all they can to protect their congregation from natural and man-made threats, but who are not professionally trained in law enforcement, military defense, or medical emergency skills.

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

SemperVerus highly recommends the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification program as an excellent online training curriculum that prepares volunteers to handle the full spectrum of threats churches face today—emergency response, disruptive persons, violent intruders, and abuse. Students gain practical skills rooted in legal clarity, real-world tactics, and biblical values.

Bill of Rights Anniversary September 25, 1789

The United States Declaration of Independence excerpt: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Important US Dates to Commemorate ]

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States begins: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” (Read the Presidential Proclamation: Constitution Week.)

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SPIRITUAL FITNESS ]

The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution comprise the Bill of Rights. Passed by Congress on September 25, 1789 (and officially ratified December 15, 1791), these God-bestowed civil rights (that are “self-evident truths,” that “provide for the common defence,” are “the Blessings of Liberty,” and are “unalienable Rights” endowed by our Creator) place strict limitations on government power over American citizens.