PITTSBURGH — The frequency of attacks on U.S. houses of worship has many “hardening” against the possibility of the arrival of a gun-toting intruder in the middle of worship.
The shooting deaths of 11 people at Tree of Life Synagogue on Oct. 27 happened days before the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas, where 26 were killed.
On Oct. 24 a white man who killed two black people at a Kentucky grocery store first tried to enter First Baptist Church, Jeffersontown, a predominantly African-American congregation, but the doors were locked and most congregants had already left.
Some houses of worship have added locks to doors or cut windows in them to provide better visibility. Some have armed their leadership or congregants. Others have sought out security consultants to advise them on how to at least look prepared to ward off an attack.
Some see enhanced security, including armed congregants, as a deterrent to being a welcoming congregation. Others see it as a health and safety issue. (TAB)
Share with others: