Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Guns in Church

There are sheep, wolves, and sheep dogs. You are one or the other.

Typical behavior that I should have expected, insult hurling and not answering the questions posed. I have been held hostage at gunpoint for several hours, I negotiated my out of that situation without the need to bring deadly force into play. Doing so would have escalated things to the point that I would have been injured or killed. I am not comfortable with the prospect of being a victim of friendly fire when a bunch of untrained (as far as using deadly force under stress) CCW's turn the church into a shooting gallery.

I did not hurl insults.

I conceded what you posted were possible, even likely, scenarios. And I said I would live with the consequences, whatever they may be. That is the answer to your questions.

But surely you would agree, negotiating a hostage release and responding to active gunfire from a madman are two different scenarios. No, I haven't been in either situation and hope never to be. But I have enough common sense and real world experience to know the two cannot be compared.

So I repeat my question to you. If YOU were in church, and a gunman walked in and started shooting people with no warning, and he was positioned 25 feet from you, how or what would YOU do to stop him?

This is not in any way meant as an insult. I would like to hear your answer.

I answered your questions.

I find it telling that your position is colored by your experience, almost to the detriment of other folks experience, or moreover, the potential for any other event that differs from your successful negotiation.

Kudos for navigating a terrible situation.

But all of mine were not so fortunate, not to mention not all encompassing by world standards.


My {future} hostage taker may not be as responsive as yours, nor my negotiating skills for the situation as savvy.

I would just as soon have the gun, and decide whether to use it, rather than not have it, and wish I did.

1)Yes. Firing my weapon with my congregation in the background would be an absolute last hope measure with no downside, i.e. a crazy with a weapon actively shooting people.

2)No. See 1). However if confronting an armed threat in a hallway, parking lot, etc with safe foreground and background I would absolutely begin gaining experience immediately.

3)Yes. I do not fear being dead. Not too crazy about the dying part but I will fight to save my loved ones and congregation.

4)If that's all I have that's all I can use. I will make the best of the situation. See 1),2),& 3).

I'm not saying everybody. Some of us are trained and experienced to act in a crisis situation. Select people, LE, retired LE, Corrections, people like that.

Remember when the disciples told Jesus they had two swords among them he said "It is enough" So it is not the intent to make church an armed camp, but certainly enough.