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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGeorgia’s Sweeping Gun Law Sparks Religious Backlash
This has to be a duh moment.
Robert Wright, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, sent an open letter last week to the 56,000 members that make up the dozens of Episcopal churches throughout north Georgia with a simple message: Dont bring guns into the house of God.
The week before, Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law one of the most sweeping gun bills in recent memory. The Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014, which goes into effect July 1, allows Georgia residents with concealed carry permits to bring guns into churches that give express permission, while lowering the fine for bringing a gun into a place of worship to $100. It permits guns in bars, school zones, government buildings and certain areas inside airports. It says the state no longer has to fingerprint law-abiding gun owners to renew their licenses, and that dealers wont be required to keep sales records for state purposes (federal government record-keeping laws still apply). The NRA has called it the most comprehensive pro-gun bill in state history. Opponents have derided it as the guns everywhere bill.
But those guns wont be everywhere. The new law has largely split the states Christian denominations between the Georgia Baptist Convention, which supports the bill, and Episcopal and Catholic leaders in the Atlanta area, who have strongly come out against it and expressly told their congregants to leave their guns out of the pews.
Jesus did not preach a gospel of self-protection, a gospel of live by the sword, die by the sword, Wright says. Quite the opposite.
Wright says that while he understands the need for Second Amendment protections for those wanting firearms for self-defense or for sport he sees the very idea of guns in church as blasphemous.
Weapons in a place of sanctuary seem to me to be inconsistent with a God of love, he says. The prince of peace isnt spelled P-I-E-C-E. Its P-E-A-C-E.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta issued similar guidelines last week for its parishes, which encompass 69 counties throughout Georgia. The last thing we need is more firearms in public places, especially in those places frequented by the children and the vulnerable, Archbishop Wilton Gregory wrote in the May 1 issue of the Georgia Bulletin.
The Georgia Baptist Convention, made up of 3,600 Baptist churches throughout the state, lobbied on behalf of the bill largely because it gives its churches more autonomy, allowing each to determine on their own whether to allow firearms.
http://news.msn.com/us/georgia%e2%80%99s-sweeping-gun-law-sparks-religious-backlash
Swede Atlanta
(3,596 posts)is poised to take a vote on this matter very soon. All indications are we will prohibit guns on church property and discourage members from bringing their guns onto church property or in their vehicles except in extreme circumstances.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)I think it would be a good idea if we boycotted the state of Georgia and the Atlanta airport. I am letting Delta know why I won't be buying my ticket from them next month.
The Blue Flower
(5,442 posts)I just wrote to Delta to tell them I won't endanger my family by flying through Atlanta. I reminded of them of fatal shootings at LAX last year.
ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)while I don't support the bill either, it sounds like you are not familiar with what it says. This for two reasons : 1) the shootings in LA were carried out with a weapon in a space where it was illegal to have one... if this law had not passed that could still happen at ATL (or in any airport in the USA). 2) The law only permits weapons pre-TSA checkpoint... connecting passengers do not leave the TSA-checked area. The only time you enter the area where weapons would be allowed is if your flight terminates in ATL.
sP
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)want to support States and cities that promote them.
ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)you never mentioned 'endangering' your family as did the poster to whom i was replying.
sP
okaawhatever
(9,462 posts)X_Digger
(18,585 posts)And Texas leaves it up to each house of worship as to whether to allow or prohibit concealed carry.
Actually, on doing some research, there are 40+ states where you can carry in the non-secure area of airports.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)will rule again and then we can fix this.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)upaloopa
(11,417 posts)in July for a week.
Most likely I would avoid states that are right leaning.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)upaloopa
(11,417 posts)X_Digger
(18,585 posts)And states that you were likely to travel through, well, "maybe we will fix that in the future."
How conveeeeeenient.
Swede Atlanta
(3,596 posts)While Georgia may have a law that alleges to permit gun carry in airports, this is far from being new. Many states permit concealed carry in places including airports.
What is different about the Georgia law is it alleges to allow you to attempt to go through airport security and if you are found to be attempting to transport a firearm you cannot be arrested because attempting to take the gun through security is lawful in Georgia.
So this means that Atlanta police officers cannot arrest you if you attempt this. But what the nuts in the Georgia legislature failed to understand is once you approach the TSA secure area you are under federal jurisdiction. So the feds have all kinds of camera surveillance. They will ID you and they will send federal marshals to arrest you.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)There is already too much intrusion into our lives by the gun culture
oneshooter
(8,614 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)anything positive from them.
Open_n_Shut
(32 posts)Is it OK to broad brush entire religions?
IOW could we say " Too many racists/bigots among Jews"?
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)That still doesn't give me the right to make sweeping negative statements about them in the aggregate.
Bigot: one who regards or treats the members of a group (such as a racial, religious, or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance.
You get the irony, yes?
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)And the majority do, or they'd leave the Southern Baptist Convention congregations.
DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)where I grew up. It was open then, not much better now.
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)against women ministers. Just as they did with slavery, they use their holy book to justify all kinds of abominations.
Open_n_Shut
(32 posts)A fair amount...
They seem to follow the same bell curve of asshole to saint as everyone else...
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)aikoaiko
(34,170 posts)Same with bars.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Just more Stand Your Ground, bigoted gun legislation enacted by the white wing afraid of minorities.
aikoaiko
(34,170 posts)And I'm just a regular Georgia Democrat.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Not saying you support folks like him, but a lot of the legislators supporting the gun legislation aren't far removed from him.
aikoaiko
(34,170 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)disappointed in him. Of course, his granddad was expedient as well. Fortunately, he moderated a lot of the views he espoused when running for governor.
Michele Nunn, on the other hand, has some real guts. I admire her stand.
pipoman
(16,038 posts)Never did understand why someone could legally carry in a grocery and not at a church....assuming that both allowed such things...
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,987 posts)Maybe you're seeing something that isn't there.
pipoman
(16,038 posts)ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)just as is any business.
sP
pipoman
(16,038 posts)Previously guns were prohibited in churches.
Open_n_Shut
(32 posts)PubsFU
(34 posts)In this case the logic is sound, liberals or progressives should just leave or become a victim.
GA is not all that and there are much better places that are gun free and far more enlightened then that place.
For me the choice is easy I just will not go to GA, others are free to do what they want.