A bill that would add churches to Alabama’s 2006 Stand Your Ground law has been reintroduced into the Alabama Legislature. The Stand Your Ground law permits the use of deadly force as a defense against perceived threats.
The Alabama Church Protection Act, filed by State Rep. Lynn Greer (R-Dist. 2), of Rogersville, would allow churchgoers to defend themselves with guns at church.
Previous bills adding Stand Your Ground rights for churchgoers have stalled in the Legislature, but Birmingham attorney Eric Johnston, president of the Southeast Law Institute, believes the law is a good idea.
“Small churches don’t have the budgets to have a policeman,” he said. “All he’s saying is you authorize someone in the church to have a weapon.”
The bill reads: “This bill would provide that a person is not criminally liable for using physical force, including deadly force, in self-defense or in the defense of another person on the premises of a church under certain conditions.” (TAB)
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