In response to a Missouri firearms bill, peace-centered congregations in Jackson County resolve to remain gun-free
By Melody Cook
In the face of a bill proposed in January regarding firearms in places of worship, peace-centered faiths in Jackson County have resolved to stay gun-free.
Under current state law, Missourians with a current concealed carry permit cannot bring a weapon into a place of worship without express permission from the minister. Missouri House Bill 1698 would let individual congregations decide whether they will allow firearms. Under the proposed bill, if a church opts to ban concealed carry weapons, its administration must post signage on the doors of the church, indicating as such.
Bill supporter Alicia Proctor said in a testimony to Missouri congress, “So-called ‘gun-free zones’ only disarm law-abiding citizens, while criminals ignore such arbitrary boundaries.”
One of Community of Christ’s tenets is peace. Lee’s Summit CoC pastor Debi Harding said, “Our temple in Independence was built, and is dedicated to the pursuit of peace. So, as you might guess, we are very much opposed to this new bill.”
Harding said her faith has generally been opposed to guns for over two decades. In 2000, CoC leadership made a resolution asking local church leaders to discourage the use of personal firearms, with the use of guns for hunting or sport left to the discretion of each member.
If the proposed bill passes, Harding said her church will be posting signs on their entryways to disallow firearms inside the building.
Despite the option to maintain a gun-free congregation, Harding said she is concerned about the bill’s implications.
“We believe in the worth of all persons,” she said. “So the thought of a weapon being used toward another human is totally against our thinking as a church.”
Reverend Kendyl Gibbons of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Kansas, City, Missouri, said she respects the right of other churches to allow firearms.
“As long as we have the right as a congregation to forbid weapons on our property,” she said, “I'm okay with other religious groups doing what they choose to do.”
Still, Gibbons said her parishioners will hold fast to the faith’s peace-based teachings.
“Our covenant within our own congregation will continue to be that we expect each other not to bring guns into our sanctuary, regardless of what the law may say,” she said.