With violence at houses of worship grabbing headlines, more U.S. churches are relying on members of the flock — and even pastors — to defend the congregation in case of a mass-shooter attack.
A growing number of conservative Christians also see it as their spiritual duty to pack in the pews and get firearms training.
“Religion and guns have become intimately entangled over the past few years,” said Ryan Burge, a political scientist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
In a 2022 survey by the Tennessee-based evangelical research firm Lifeway Research, U.S. clergy said they had become more reliant on armed parishioners for security. Only 21% said they would prohibit firearms in their house of worship, down from 27% in 2019. Fifty-four percent supported the idea of armed congregants, up from 45%.
— Deena Yellin in More Christian leaders are welcoming guns in church