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The 5 Lines of Defense in Church Security, Beginning Outside

You’ve seen the headlines:

• “FBI Warns of Terror Threats to Churches, Synagogues”
• “Idaho Teen Accused of Planning Church Attacks in Loyalty to Islamic State”
• “Churches Urged to Be Vigilant Against Increasing Threats”

Bollards protecting a building from vehicle attacks [ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]

Here are practical suggestions to harden your church building and sharpen your defensive practices to keep your congregants and facilities safe from criminal and terrorist attacks:

• Erect bollards and/or reinforced concrete planters parallel to the entire church building’s exterior that is most vulnerable to vehicle attacks (e.g., doors, glass windows and walls, etc.).

• Affix security film on all first-floor windows and glass walls, reinforcing them to resist criminal breakage.

Significant Six EDC for Self-Defense in Terrorist Times

We live in dangerous times. Not only do we need to protect ourselves from civilian criminals who want to rob us and run, we need to be ready to defend ourselves from trained enemy combatants living among us who are bent on nothing less than killing as many people as possible.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]

They weaponize anything to accomplish their objective, from fashioning everyday items into shrapnel-infested bombs, to renting cars, vans, and trucks with the goal of viciously mowing down pedestrians, whether in broad daylight or during night-time celebrations.

[ Read articles in the SemperVerus category of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ]

With that in mind, we should reconsider what our basic Every Day Carry (EDC) items should consist of to properly be prepared for possible violent threats as we go about our daily activity. SemperVerus suggests these Significant Six categories as fundamental to bear in mind:

Church Security Armament Recommendations By Tom Givens, John Correia, and 6 Other Professionals

SemperVerus asked 8 firearms training professionals for their recommendations as to what they consider to be optimal for church security team volunteers to carry while on duty, having as their objective to protect others rather than concerning their own everyday self-defense.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Training: Decision Decks Help You Think Through a Crisis Before It Happens ]

Every one of the questioned professionals stresses the absolute #1 prioritization of obtaining ongoing defensive mindset and quality skill training as the primary requirement before considering what guns and gear should be used. It’s not the weapon that makes the defender succeed; it’s the defender’s superior training and mental acuity. Once that is understood, they offer their equipment recommendations.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

The categories to which the professionals responded are:

Brand of firearm
Style (full size/duty size, compact, subcompact, micro compact, pocket, etc.)
Optics/Sights (red dot, reflex, night sights, 3-dot sights, black out rear site, fiber optic, tritium, etc.)
Carry method (IWB, OWB, appendix, shoulder, pocket, ankle, off-body, etc.)
Action Type (revolver, semi-auto)
Action (single, double, DA/SA, hammer, striker, etc.)
External Safety: (yes, no)
Magazine (single stack, double stack)
Magazine Capacity
Number of Extra Magazines
Caliber
Ammo Brand
Weapon Mounted Light (yes, no)

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of AMMO ]

Click each of the following names to view their recommendations:

Tom Givens
John Correia
Kris P. Moloney
Steve Moses
Stephen P. Wenger
Keith Graves
Del Kostanko
Matt Witte

What to Take to the Shooting Range—Including a Prayer

Whether you go to the shooting range to qualify for volunteering on your church security team or to train to improve your personal armed self-defense skills, you go to increase your defensive marksmanship to be consistently accurate.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Firearms Training: A Directory of Shooting Drills ]

The more you train, the more you become proficient in handling firearms and the safer you are as a defender, because you know you are responsible for every bullet that leaves your gun.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety ]

The time you spend at the range is not an expense, it’s an investment, since…