Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a bill into law that will allow church members to undergo firearms training so that they can protect their congregations against violence.
The Church Protection Act allows places of worship to select members who would be given firearms training for security purposes. The law does not require people to have a permit to carry a holstered weapon, making it the ninth state in US to do so.
Bryant wrote in a Twitter post that he passed the bill because "churches deserve protection from those who would harm worshipers."
Author of the bill, Republican Andy Gipson who is also a Baptist Pastor said, "I wish we lived in a world where this bill wouldn't be necessary."
Gipson asserted that he filed the bill in response to Charleston shooting in South Carolina last year.
"A number of congregations ... don't have the resources to hire professional security," said Gipson, whose church has about 100 members.
After the law was approved, he thanked the governor on his Facebook page for the measure he said will secure the churches.
"The bill is effective immediately and, among other things, extends the protections of the castle doctrine to local churches who elect to establish a trained and licensed security team for protection of the congregation," Gipson wrote in a Facebook post. "Thank you Gov. Bryant!"
The NRA touted the act a "big win" for gun rights in Mississippi.
"It's a great day for law-abiding gun owners in Mississippi. This will allow them to carry firearms for personal protection in the manner that best suits their needs," said Chris W. Cox, Executive director of NRA Institute for Legislative Action.
Opponents of the bill said that this measure endangered public security, instead of alleviating it.
"There's simply no good reason to pass a law that makes Mississippi less safe from the threat of gun violence," Everytown for Gun Safety said in a statement.
Senator Hillman Frazier (D) said that the gun law was passed in the guise of offering protection to churches.
"We don't need to pimp the church for political purposes," he told lawmakers during a debate on the bill last month. "If you want to pass gun laws, do that, but don't use the church."
According to Mississippi Association of Police Chiefs, it creates loopholes in the state licensing system, and makes it difficult to verify if the gun has not passed into the hands of a prospective assailant.
"This bill would put law-enforcement officers and all Mississippians directly in harm's way," Ken Winter, MAPC executive director, said in February.
