Police Officer Leaves Gun in Church by Mistake

From: Associated Press

A law enforcement officer visiting a church in Lebanon got sick in the bathroom, put his gun on a shelf and didn't retrieve it.

The Rev. Frank Moloney of First Christian Church tells the Albany Democrat-Herald church members found the handgun the next morning, Sunday.

For a time, Moloney says, they believed it belonged to a homeless man who slept in the parking lot and had used the bathroom Sunday morning.

But during the Sunday service, church leaders spoke about finding a "very expensive item," and the deputy claimed the handgun.

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Teens Charged after Church Gunpoint Robbery

From: Examiner

Church attendees at the Ira Groves Freewill Baptist Church, 1701 Belmont, in East St. Louis, were startled to see three gunmen enter their church at 5:30 pm and commit armed robbery, the Belleville News Democrat reported yesterday, Jan. 31, 2013.

One of the three men held a gun to the minister's head and ordered the congregationto the floor. The other two men proceeded to take valuables from the attendees which included jewelry, electronics, and their wallets

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Carl Chinn - Think About It - Nehemiah Griego

An Attack Sitting Ready in the Parking lot …

By. Carl Chinn 

 

I don’t know Vince Harrison, and have never been to the Calvary Albuquerque Church where he serves as Security Chief in Albuquerque, NM. Next time I am in Albuquerque I am going to look him up.

 

On Saturday morning, January 19th, Mr. Harrison was teaching dozens of Sunday School teachers on principles of incident readiness – including active shooter readiness. While we don’t know exactly what time 15-year-old Nehemiah Griego began wandering aimlessly around the church campus, it is quite possible that as Harrison was teaching that group, Griego had arrived.

 

Harrison was called back to the church after completing the readiness classes, as young Griego had been saying some disturbing things to a pastor. When Harrison began to interview the teen, his flags went up and he called the sheriff’s office. Harrison then drove Griego to their rural home to meet arriving law enforcement. There they found many Griego family members – Mom, Dad, a 9-year-old brother, and sisters 2 & 5 years old -- laying throughout the house shot to death.

 

The 15-year-old confessed to shooting all of them in their beds around 1:00 AM that day, except his dad. His dad had been working all night at a homeless shelter, so the teen had waited in ambush in the family bathroom for his dad to come home. When dad got there, he too was gunned down and killed.

 

Then Nehemiah had taken the assault rifle he used and another gun, loaded them in a van and headed to town where he planned to shoot some random people. His primary target was Wal-Mart, but he went instead to the church, where the van with the weapons sat ready in the parking lot. Church video confirmed he had wandered the campus for hours, speaking to many he knew from church.

 

Nehemiah confessed that he intended to “shoot people at random and eventually be killed while exchanging gunfire with law enforcement”. Thankfully he never carried out the rest of his attack plans.

 

Think About it:

• You never know when someone enters your campus, or walks into your front door where their mind is at, or what kind of things they have encountered before being there at your place. 

• While “intruder awareness” is a good readiness subject, attackers are often not an “intruder” at all – they are familiar faces. Nearly 1 in 4 (24.5%) of attackers in the DFI study were affiliated (member, past member, employee, or volunteer) with the ministry.

• The Greigo family were “front row seat regulars” at the church. The elder Griego and Nehemiah had been on missions trips together. Nehemiah played drums in the church youth band. Harrison had known the family for 10 years. Griego’s dad had served as a pastor at the church.

• The pastor that young Griego was talking to followed something (Instincts? Policies? Training?) to call the church security director. Does your church have that kind of culture with the counselors, pastors, teachers and staff? Please fix it if it isn’t in your culture – print this TAI off and give a copy to your church administrator and / or senior pastor – anyone who can start the staff talking to security when needed. Blame me – I made you do it.

• When you feel an urge to prepare your people – follow that urge. While the incident you see in your mind isn’t how “it” will go down, readiness will help when “it” takes shape in front of you.

• Harrison said it sent chills up his spine to later learn what kind of potential was present and waiting in the church parking lot. It sent chills up our spines as well brother.

• Pray for this church as if they were your own. It could have been any of us, and this is a hard thing for them. More than 2,000 attended the funerals for this widely known and respected family. Pray for Harrison as well as he continues to lead his people in readiness.

Gun Laws - Church - Gun Policy - Church Security

Since the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT gun policy has been on the top of the agenda for both Washington and local state legislators. Based on the political makeup of your state new legislation has been introduced to support gun rights, as well as, to restrict the constitutional rights of gun owners. Below are highlights from a few states that had pending legislation that could apply o places of worship.

From: The New Republic

Georgia
Charles Gregory, a freshman state representative that the Atlantic dubbed “one of the most zealously pro-gun legislators in America,” introduced four bills that would largely obliterate any restrictions on carrying firearms in Georgia. The bills would declare that “evil resides in the heart of the individual, not in material objects” and would allow people to carry guns pretty much anywhere, including college campuses and churches. It would also prohibit the governor from suspending guns sales during an emergency. Gregory represents a district that includes Kennesaw, the only place in America where it is required for households to own at least one gun.


Virginia
A bill proposed by Del. Bob Marshall would require school districts to designate at least one qualified person to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds. Gov. Bob McDonnell has said there should be a discussion on whether people with concealed-carry permits should be allowed to carry firearms in schools, but he has not gone as far as saying it should be required. Meanwhile, two Northern Virginia lawmakers have introduced legislation that would close the state’s gun-show loophole, which allows unlicensed arm dealers to sell at gun shows without conducting background checks.

Security at Church: How will this apply to your facility if it runs a school? It will be important to see how this will apply to you if you are renting out a school facility to hold your church service.

Florida
Two lawmakers are pushing a bill that would allow state agencies and local governments to decide whether they want to prohibit concealed firearms inside public buildings and at some public events. Currently, a concealed-carry license allows Floridians to carry a weapon in most places in the state. The law is likely to face resistance in the GOP-controlled legislature, and some legislators are already arguing that the restrictions proposed by the bill violate the Second Amendment.

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Sheriff: Concealed Weapon Saves Church From Man Armed With Shotgun

From: CBS Charlotte
"A South Carolina sheriff is praising a man with a concealed weapons permit who helped disarm someone who kicked in the door of a church armed with a shotgun."

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Note: Many comments have come into me asking for information on how many incidents occur at churches involving concealed weapons. Unfortunately, there has never been an easy way to respond to this. This story does point to a good outcome for having a concealed weapon in a church.  

Choir Robbed at Gun Point at Church!

From: The Post and Courier

{As the strains of "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" filled the sanctuary, a man with a long gun interrupted choir practice Wednesday in a Goose Creek church and made off with purses, wallets and cell phones.

"He yelled, 'Get on the floor! Get on the floor!' the whole time he was coming down the aisle of the church," said one of the nine robbery victims, 77-year-old Dorothy Causey, on Thursday.}

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Man with AK-47 Runs Towards Church

I received a lead on this story today from one of our readers in Florida. (Thanks Matt)

I would ask the question, "What would you do" if this happened at your church next Sunday?


From: Fox40

{AUBURN—A church in Auburn was locked down during a Sunday evening service because a man who stole an AK-47 was hiding nearby.

Just after 4 p.m. the parishioners at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church were told to stay inside and lock their doors. Placer County Sheriff’s Deputies say a man stole an AK-47 gun, a small amount of medical marijuana and some cash from a home he was staying at in Auburn. The man, identified as Ryan Thomas Bailey, then ran toward St. Teresa.}

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