An Albertville, Alabama pastor has come out in opposition to a House bill that would see gun control laws extending their reach into the state's churches.
The bill, which is sponsored by Democrats Thomas Jackson and Darrio Melton, will prohibit guns inside churches without permission. The two Congressmen believe churchgoers should be spared from worrying about guns being brought into any church service that they attend.
However, the bill is not receiving support from some of the church groups it purports to protect.
According to WAAY 31, Pastor Matt Brooks aired opposition to the bill. Brooks, who serves in the Lifepoint Church, said that that "(e)ach individual church should be responsible for determining (whether or not to allows guns inside churches) themselves."
"I don't think we need State government to determine whether or not we can have guns in a church or not," Brooks concluded.
In addition, Brooks revealed to WAAY that he has gun carrying security personnel inside the church during services.
"I hope it never comes to a situation where we have to use our weapons, we never want to take lives from anybody. But we do want to be able to protect our congregation," he explained on the decision of having armed guards inside his sanctuary.
Brooks is not alone in his opposition of the gun ban. Local representatives Kerry Rich and Will Ainsworth also oppose it and say it "has no chance of passing."
WAAY 31 said that that they were able to contact advocates of gun control in the United States. Though they declined to appear on camera, they told WAAY 31 that it could "help with public safety."
The gun control debate is currently raging across the United States in the aftermath of several shooting incidents in the country. Last year, the LA Times reported that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation noted a rise in mass shootings in the country from 2000 to 2013.
The frequency rose from an average of 6.4 incidents in the first seven years to 16.4 in the last seven years, the FBI said.
