VI – Self-Defense – Page 9

A Prayer for Church Security Team Members

Being a volunteer member of your church security team is a demanding responsibility. You invest considerable time, effort, and expense training and learning as much as you can to be able to properly respond to any emergency that may occur during a gathering of your church.

[ See the SemperVerus list of links to Church Security Training Resources ]

One excellent training opportunity is Sheepdog Church Security, which offers a certification program that covers Security Team Fundamentals, Active Shooter Response, Deescalating Disruptive Persons, Protecting Children from Abuse, Use of Force Laws, Arson and Fire Safety, Storms and Disasters, and Mass Trauma Emergency.

[ Read articles in the SemperVerus category of Church Security ]

Since attention to church safety and security encompasses so many physical—as well as spiritual—dangers and threats, here’s a prayer by SemperVerus^® you may want to say every time you start your security team volunteer shift:

Video: Always Carry Pepper (OC) Spray for Non-Lethal Force Self-Defense

Always, always, always carry OC (pepper) spray.* It will help you defend yourself in situations where deadly force is not being used against you, and therefore, you cannot use deadly force to stop it. Always be prepared with OC spray as a self-defense option for non-lethal attacks.

As part of its “Daily Defense” educational videos, Brownells—the national gunsmith and firearms retail store based in Iowa—has produced two videos focusing on the use of OC spray.

Here is the introduction to the videos: “Pepper spray is a non-lethal self-defense option to use against attackers that are not enough of a threat to justify using deadly force. Before you carry pepper spray, make sure it’s legal in your state or city. And remember that it has limitations. When sprayed at the eyes, nose, and mouth (mucus membrane areas), pepper spray will reduce an attacker’s capacity but not his willingness to attack you. Some individuals may be less physically incapacitated by it than others, so be prepared for it not to be as effective as you were expecting!

Florida Is Now the 26th USA State That Allows Permitless Carrying of Concealed Firearms

More than half of the USA now allows the concealed carry of firearms without the need for a permit or license from the government.

Florida became the 26th state when Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Bill CS/HB 543–Public Safety into law April 3, 2023 that eliminates the requirement for an individual to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm. The 26 Constitutional Carry states now are