Religious leaders oppose concealed weapon bill

Three major church denominations have rallied together to oppose legislation that would allow Kansans the right to carry a concealed weapon. Church officials said they oppose the legislation for more than just personal safety, and if it passed, the bill could effect church attendance.

During a House committee meeting Thursday, the United Methodist Church of Kansas, the Central States Synod in America and the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas urged legislators to add churches to the list of places where concealed weapons would be banned.

Sen. Phillip Journey, R-Haysville, a sponsor of the bill, originally opposed adding churches to the list, but now says he's willing to compromise in order to see the legislation pass.

"I believe that it is an individuals choice just as it is an individual churches choice whether they decide to turn their church into the church of the unarmed victim," Journey said.

The bill is necessary, Journey said, because self-defense is a fundamental right whether granted by the United State Constitution or by God. He believes citizens have the right to exercise that freedom even in a place of worship.

"We've seen anecdotally that there have been instances of less than sane people walking into churches and shooting people, and some might want to protect themselves because churches don't normally have security guards," Journey said.

Bishop Dean Wolfe, the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, said if churches are not added to the list of prohibited places for concealed weapons there might be a decrease in church attendance on Sunday morning. That's because he said a sign that says weapons are prohibited, which would be many churches only option in keeping weapons out of their parish, is unwelcoming.

"That seems to me to be a very ungracious way of welcoming people into a house of worship. Not even in the wild, wild west in Dodge City did you have people bringing firearms into houses o worship," Wolfe said.

Under the proposed bill, Kansans who are 21 or older and U.S. citizens could obtain a concealed weapons permit after filling out an application and paying a fee of up to $150.