The Mississippi Senate has approved a bill that would allow church members to carry firearms to protect fellow churchgoers.

Some Vicksburg pastors said they have conflicted feelings when it comes to congregants carrying guns in church.

A number of local congregations already have security teams in place with some members armed.

The Rev. R.D. Bernard of King Solomon Baptist Church said his church has had a security team made up of church members for some time, and the members of that team are not even entirely known to the congregation.

“Every church really should have an overall security plan and program because the church is open to the public,” Bernard said. “Each time the doors of the church are open for public religious instruction, there is no telling who is going to end up in the pews.”

He said the team is also necessary because of the collection money the church accumulates. The church’s security team is properly permitted and trained in the use of firearms and in conflict resolution should someone become disorderly, Bernard said.

“This is almost like having a fire extinguisher, it’s good to have it, you hope to never use it,” Bernard said.

The church has signs that say firearms are not allowed on the church campus, and he said only one security team member wears a gun during the service.

“Most of the security team is about conflict resolution and about medical emergencies as well,” Bernard said.

First Baptist Church pastor Matt Buckles said it is hard to identify those carrying a gun because of concealed carry permits, and he thinks a lot more people are armed than the public realizes.

“I don’t know in my congregation who carries a handgun or not,” Buckles said.

He doesn’t have an opinion on the bill specifically, but he does think all churches should have a safety and protection policy.

“It’s troubling on one hand. On the other hand, we live in a depraved world. We really do,” Buckles said.

He said he is struggling with his thoughts about the bill. Each church is different, he said, and they have to choose what works best for them. He said some churches don’t allow people to bring backpacks in the sanctuary and others have a heavy police force.

His church has a trained outside security guard, a security team of church members, cameras and intercom entry into the building during business hours among other measures to keep the congregation safe.

Larry Macomber of Vicksburg Church of Christ said he would let designated members of his congregation have guns at church for protection, but he thinks it is necessary for those who carry guns to have a permit.

“I would prefer a bill that would mandate they had to go through the concealed carry permit class,” Macomber said.

He along with 10 members of his congregation, men and women, went through the class a year ago, but because of personal reservations, Macomber did not apply for the permit.

“I support those that have gone through the personal examination within themselves and feel like that’s what they want to do,” Macomber said.

He said it is a topic he has put some serious thought into. While he has been put in situations during his ministry where he would have been more comfortable with extra protection, he said he has never experienced a real life-threatening situation, which he attributes to God.

“It’s a matter of, in one sense, having faith and then the other sense of just realizing we live in a violent world,” Macomber said.

Bovina Baptist Church pastor Chas Rowland said he didn’t know the details of this specific bill, but said he is concerned with churches being the targets of violence, referring to the Easter incident last weekend at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis where a gunman was prevented from entering the sanctuary by the church’s security team.

“When you hear stories like that it makes you certainly cautious and worried about the danger churches seem to be facing right now for whatever reason,” Rowland said.

He said he believes in people’s right to carry guns and thinks people should go about using those guns in the legal way, but his foremost concern is that his church is a safe place.

The legislation — House Bill 786 — is known as the Mississippi Church Protection Act. It passed the state Senate by a vote of 36 to 14. The bill now returns to the Mississippi House.

“Unfortunately, our nation has seen tragic incidents carried out in places of worship,” Lt. Gov. Reeves said. “Mississippians should be able to attend church knowing they have security measures in place to protect them from anyone trying to do them harm.”

However, the Mississippi chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, is concerned that the bill will allow those without permits to legally carry guns in public and undo the state’s concealed carry permitting system.

“Today’s vote is a dangerous setback for our state that dismantles the concealed carry permitting system that has helped to keep Mississippians safe for years,” said Shirley Hopkins Davis, volunteer Chapter Leader of Mississippi Moms Demand Action. “Mississippi lawmakers have made it clear that the will of 83 percent of Mississippians who agree that a person should have a permit to carry a hidden loaded handgun in public does not matter to them at all.”