Law adds church gun rights

A new law going into effect this fall gives legal immunity to people who use deadly force while defending themselves in church.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed House Bill 2632 this week, just months after a gunman killed more than two dozen people in a small Texas church.

People already have the right to defend themselves and others with the state’s selfdefense law, which also covers lawsuits if someone is accidentally injured, for example, in a shootout. The existing law only lists homes and businesses as places where it’s valid, however.

Supporters said that covering “places of worship” as it’s defined in the bill would help legally protect people who want to defend themselves and others in church, a place where they said the right didn’t exist before. It would also protect the church itself, said the bill’s author, state Rep. Greg Babinec, R-Cushing.

“This is necessary to protect the place of worship from basically being sued out of existence,” Babinec said as the bill made its way through the Legislature. “It’s proactive, and I think it’s necessary based on what we’ve seen in the past.”

The Catholic Conference of

Oklahoma, a group that represents the state’s Catholic bishops on public policy matters, didn’t take a stance on the measure during the legislative session. Executive Director Brett Farley, however, said he monitored the bill and is concerned about what might come of it.

Farley said the conference supports the Second Amendment and the right of an individual to defend themselves, but echoed the worry expressed by some lawmakers that there could be unintended consequences.

“We may have a potential situation where folks are in an active shooter situation, where guns are pulled and bullets are flying, and there could be innocents injured,” Farley said. “There’s no countervailing incentive for folks to be prepared for that situation should they choose to be carrying.”

In other words, while the law protects selfdefense accidents, it doesn’t require training to deal with a situation with an active shooter.

“We’re not saying that’s going to happen, certainly we hope it does not. We think there’s a very high potential for unintended consequences,” Farley said.

Oklahoma’s SelfDefense Act does require a firearms safety course and a live-fire demonstration to legally carry a gun. That requirement could disappear, however, if Fallin signs another bill that lawmakers approved, Senate Bill 1212, which does away with the permitting process. She has until the end of next week to make a final decision.

Farley said some churches in Oklahoma, particularly larger ones in metro areas, have or are considering hiring off-duty police officers or security guards, someone who is highly trained and can respond to a shooting or other kind of violence.

“That’s more preferential to having parishioners or anyone else that might be carrying respond themselves,” said Farley.

We may have a potential situation where folks are in an active shooter situation, where guns are pulled and bullets are flying, and there could be innocents injured.” Executive Director Brett Farley