Concerns about church security brought more than 300 people together Wednesday night at Trinity Point Church of God in Clarion.
“Church security is an issue that, 20 years ago, we never thought we would ever be talking about,” Clarion County District Attorney Mark Aaron said.
Many of the church leaders present were concerned about armed security inside a church.
Aaron said Pennsylvania laws related to the use of deadly force are complicated and that having someone with training is preferable.
“If you are threatened by someone pointing a gun at you then you obviously have the right to defend yourself with a firearm if you are in fear of your life,” said Aaron. “Under Pennsylvania law, if another member of your congregation is under threat of deadly force you are permitted to use the same force to defend them. The more training you get, the better.”
Elected officials at Wednesday’s meeting agreed that a firearms ban is not in the best interest of a church.
“My office hands out concealed carry permits five days a week,” said Clarion County Sheriff Rex Munsee. “I believe that is protected under the Second Amendment. To close the door to some of your congregants who are responsible citizens with guns would not allow some good resources into your church. I would not come up with blanket policy that says no guns allowed.”
“I think if you came up with that policy you might be making yourself more of a target than anything else,” said Aaron. “I think you might be surprised by how many people come into the church asserting their Second Amendment rights and you don’t even know that they have a firearm under their jacket. I just don’t think that would be a good idea.”
Munsee cautioned the crowd about the danger that may result from a Protection From Abuse order.
“You might have a young lady in your congregation that has a PFA against her boyfriend or husband or whoever, and you won’t know because it is confidential,” he said. “He might decide that church is a good place to see her and just walk in. Suddenly you might have a crisis on your hands. You will need to know what to do.”
Aaron said he and Munsee could provide an hour-long seminar to discuss the needs of church congregations.
Officials also said Wednesday that with more than 100 churches in Clarion County it is important to properly identify the church in the event of an emergency. The initial call should be to the county 911 center and the center will dispatch the appropriate emergency services.
The time of that response depends on where the caller is located. In most of Clarion County the call for police would be directed to Clarion state police.
“We are undermanned,” said Robert Hageter, a corporal with Clarion state police. “It will take us some time to respond. There is no way for us to determine how long. A patrol car could be in the immediate vicinity or it could be in another part of the county. I can assure that in the event of a shooting we will respond immediately.”
Bob Winters, a 13-year veteran of the Department of Homeland Security, urged members of local churches to develop a plan to meet emergencies, including an active shooter.
“There are ways that we can prepare our communities to head off this potential crisis,” said Winters. “No one is a genius at the time of a crisis.”
Winters said it is important for church members to be vigilant.
He also said it is important to establish contact with emergency services such as police or fire companies.
“You need to know what the response times are,” Winters said. “A response time of 10 or 20 minutes can make a difference in who lives and who dies. The police and fire personnel also need to know the floor plan of your facility. Where do the teenagers meet? Where do the primary children meet?”
Winters said there are three responses to an event like an active shooter – flee, hide or fight. Winters said fighting should be used only if a person can’t flee or hide.
Winters told the assembly there is also concern for what happens after en event.
“Physical injuries can be healed but the mental ramifications and the anguish is the most profound today,” he said. “The ramifications will impact the community for the rest of their lives.”
Small churches with few resources don’t need to develop their own plans from scratch, he said.
“You don’t need to start with a blank piece of paper,” said Winters. “There are plans available through Homeland Security and state police. You can adopt one of these templates and then tailor it to fit your needs.”