House panel considers loosening gun restrictions for churchgoers

BY WICKER PERLIS

Missouri News Network

JEFFERSON CITY — Religious leaders voiced their opposition Wednesday to bills that would make it easier to bring guns into houses of worship.

The two bills would essentially flip the law surrounding guns and churches on its head.

Currently, churches may allow individuals, or the congregation as a whole, to carry firearms by explicitly giving permission. These bills would set the default position for all houses of worship in the state to allow those with concealed carry permits to bring their weapons. They would further require churches that wish to be weapon free to post signage saying so at their entrances.

There are currently 17 types of locations in the state where concealed-carry permit holders are not allowed to bring firearms without explicit permission. These include liquor stores and amusement parks. The bills would remove houses of worship from that list.

Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, sponsored HB 1698. He said these bills are necessary because people may need to defend themselves in the event of an active shooter.

“To me, if you don’t have a gun, your life could be lost, or your children’s lives could be lost,” Schroer said.

Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho, sponsored the identical HB 1912. He said a version of this bill passed the House last year but did not make it through the Senate.

“This is a bill we almost got done last year, but like many, (it) died a horrible death on the other side of the building,” Baker said.

The bills faced opposition from clergy and religious groups, who do not want to see weapons in their holy spaces.

“There’s a reason that this bill died a horrible death, but it pales in comparison to the deaths in Charleston, South Carolina at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church,” Rev. Darryl Gray said, referencing the 2015 shooting which killed nine people. Gray said he was friends with a pastor who was one of those killed.

Gray spoke as a representative of Missouri Faith Voices, the Missionary Baptist State Convention and the Progressive Baptist State Convention. He said after polling their churches, they found no pastors who supported the bills.

“We don’t need all of our members bringing guns to church. We need them bringing Bibles, or Qurans, or Torahs.”

Rabbi Daniel Bogard of Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis said this bill, and others like it, put a “Second Amendment tax” on Jewish communities. He also said many Jewish people see the lack of weapons in their holy spaces as a vital part of their faith, going so far as not allowing knives to be used when cutting bread.

“I believe that this bill violates my First Amendment rights to practice my religion,” Bogard said. He also voiced concerns about the security implications of these bills. His congregation spends roughly $75,000 a year on security, and it is looking into spending about $250,000 on bulletproof windows.

“Every time a law like this is passed, Jewish communities pay a tax in order to practice our First Amendment rights and protect us from an anti-Semite with a gun.”

Brian Kaylor also referenced concerns about the First Amendment. Kaylor serves as associate director of Baptist network Churchnet, as well as being president and editor-in-chief of a Christian media publication, Word&Way.

“The Second Amendment shouldn’t trump the First Amendment,” Kaylor said.

Kaylor also added that having to place “prominent signage” regarding guns “at every single entry point” in order to prohibit them could be off-putting to parishioners.

“This is the first thing people will see when they come to the door,” Kaylor said.

Gray pleaded with lawmakers to consider the concerns of the clergy in the state.

“Please listen to those of us who pastor,” he said.

Schroer, however, said he was sponsoring this bill precisely because of pastors in his district who had reached out to him. Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, questioned whether Schroer had any data on the opinions of pastors beyond those who had reached out. Schoer did not.

“I do suspect it might be a surprisingly high majority that prefers the current law,” Merideth said. “Most religions, at least Christian religions that I am familiar with, are religions of nonviolence ... . Pastors don’t want a shootout.”

Former state Rep. John Bowman spoke in opposition to the bill on behalf of the Missouri NAACP. He is currently president of the St. Louis County NAACP.

University of Missouri law professor Royce Barondes, speaking only in his personal capacity, testified in support of the bill.

The committee also heard a bill that would protect firearm-related businesses, including manufacturers, retailers and shooting ranges, from closure during declared states of emergency. This was a response to other states closing such businesses during periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.