Bill to allow guns in church passes in Mississippi

The House Bill (HB) 786 was passed by a Mississippi Senate committee last week to allow guns in churches.

HB 786 would allow designated people in churches to have concealed carry permits as security staff. The said bill would also require the designated member would also unddergo firearms training under the supervision of someone with military or law enforcement background, the Associated Press reports.

While Mississippi already permits some people to carry concealed firearms in their handbags, HB 786 would modify the state's gun law to allow concealed weapons to be placed in holsters, the report explains.

Mentally unstable individuals and those convicted of a violent felony are not allowed to carry concealed weapons under the HB 786, the report adds.

HB 786 started out as church security bill that would allow people with concealed carry permit to bring a gun to church. The said bill passed the House in February in an 85-33 vote, Guns.com details.

Meanwhile, some faith leaders and a group of mothers have opposed HB 786, saying the bill would only endanger the lives of more locals by putting more guns on the street, the report relays.

Shirley Davis, who heads the Mississippi chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (MDA), said they are not against guns but they just want to promote responsible gun ownership.

Davis had previously said the measure would just lower the standards for concealed carry permit,

"As a mother and a grandmother, I am concerned about dangerous people carrying hidden, loaded handguns in the public places that I frequent with my family," said Davis. "It's just common sense that if a person wants to carry a loaded, concealed handgun in public, particularly if they are in a place with children, they need to demonstrate they have a clean criminal record."

After passing the Mississippi Senate, HB 786 now awaits Gov. Phil Bryant's signature for it to officially become a law.