Police Magazine: 2 Ways to Harden Soft Targets Like Churches, Synagogues, and Mosques
In this article, POLICE Magazine asks, “Will the year 2020 mark the moment in our nation’s history when we dramatically pivot and truly harden so-called “soft targets”—places that are frequently the targets of deranged killers bent on delivering death?”
It goes on to offer two recommendations:
Step One—post armed guards in as many houses of worship as possible. It’s unreasonable to expect total coverage, but the mere fact that there MIGHT be a “good guy with a gun” inside might be sufficient deterrent to keep parishioners safe.
Step Two—at the state level, abolish the notion of “gun-free” zones.
[ Read SemperVerus articles about Church Security ]
The article’s author, Doug Wyllie, says:
With gun violence by disturbed gunmen usually occurring in “gun free zones” such as houses of worship, perhaps the possibility exists that those “safe spaces”—which are clearly not particularly safe—might begin to tolerate the bearing of arms.
The fact is, even in the 30-plus states that have “shall issue” gun laws—allowing concealed and open carry of firearms by law-abiding citizens and law enforcement officers alike—those legal guns largely remain prohibited in places like churches, synagogues, and mosques.
At least half of the states in this country could legislate “gun free zones” out of existence. No such bill stands a snowball’s chance in places like California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, or Massachusetts. But a law banning “gun free zones” would WIN IN A WALK in almost every state if you took out a map of the country and drew a triangle from Montana south to Arizona, then east to Georgia, then northwest back to Bozeman.
Further, I would wager a waist-high stack of green money that violent crime in those states would drop pretty rapidly over time.
In that time, the states that cling to the idea that a posted placard can prevent evil from raining down on parishioners—as they exercise their Constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and religion—might take notice.
Would-be attackers would most definitely take notice—and reconsider unleashing hell on innocents for fear that one of them might abruptly end the assault.
Doing this one simple thing is certainly a whole lot better than doing nothing.
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