Guns In Church

The Internet is abuzz today over word that Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has singed that allows people with concealed-weapons permits to bring weapons into churches and other houses of worship.

The bill does not allow people to simply walk into a church packing heat, however. According to the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, individuals must pass a background check and undergo eight hours of training per year if they want to bring weapons to houses of worship; the idea seems to be that they would serve something like a de facto security force.

In addition, the head of the religious institution - be it a church, synagogue, mosque or anything else - must announce to congregants that the weapons are being wielded for security purposes.

The bill, which will reportedly go into effect on August 15th, is the brainchild of Republican state Rep. Henry Burns, who argues that houses of worship in rough neighborhoods need the protection that a concealed-weapons security force could provide.

The legislation also extends the period to have a concealed weapons permit from four to five years and gives houses of worship the option to hire off duty police or other security forces. It was one of hundreds of measures signed into law by the Republican governor.

Woman Brings Gun To Church

Woman wears gun in holster to church

She drives away and is stopped and ticketed by police

By Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel

A Unitarian Universalist church might well be the last place you'd expect to find someone wearing a gun.

Maybe that's why Krysta Sutterfield chose the Unitarian church in Brookfield for an open-carry demonstration on Sunday. If she wanted to bring attention to the gun rights debate, she surely succeeded, though she probably didn't plan on getting arrested in the process.

Brookfield police said Thursday they were called to the church at 13001 W. North Ave. about 10:30 a.m. by a church staffer who said a woman was wearing a handgun in a hip holster. By the time three squad cars arrived, Sutterfield was driving away. She was stopped, and police found the loaded 9mm gun in a zipped case on the passenger seat.

She was handcuffed, taken to the police station, processed and ticketed for having the loaded gun in her car - a state forfeiture citation, not a criminal offense. Sutterfield was then released.

She was not ticketed for openly carrying the weapon into the church, which did not have signs prohibiting firearms.

"We've referred the case to the district attorney," Police Capt. Phil Horter said.

Sutterfield, 41, of Milwaukee, referred questions Thursday to her attorney, Rebecca Coffee, who said she couldn't comment on her client's intentions or actions Sunday.

Caryl Sewel, president of the congregation at Unitarian Universalist Church West, said Sutterfield may have attended a service before but was not a registered member of the church. Because of the Fourth of July holiday, Sunday's service was lightly attended, Sewel said, and a guest minister was speaking about civil rights.

Sewel said that Sutterfield's gun was clearly visible on her hip, but that she didn't ever remove it from its holster or do anything overtly threatening. Still, it concerned Sewell.

"I didn't feel comfortable asking her why she was wearing the gun," Sewel said. "Truthfully, we found it very intimidating," especially in light of the 2005 shootings at a church service at a Brookfield hotel that left eight people dead, and a 2008 shooting at a Unitarian church in Tennessee that killed two people.

But Sewel said other members did ask Sutterfield, and she replied she was expressing her 2nd Amendment rights.

Sewel said other staff called the administrative line of the Brookfield Police Department for clarification about the legality, and the officers responded in force with at least three squad cars. She said she didn't think that was an overreaction, again because of the memories of the 2005 shootings.

The church will probably now post a sign banning guns, Sewel said, but it has no grudge against Sutterfield.

"We'd be happy to have her come back," Sewel said. "Just don't bring a gun."

Gun rights advocates are riding some momentum lately. Last year, state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen advised law enforcement that open-carry was not, in itself, a basis for a charge of disorderly conduct. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the 2nd Amendment right of most individuals to possess firearms applies to the states, and within a day, one Wisconsin district attorney said he would no longer prosecute cases of concealed carry or transporting uncased or loaded guns in vehicles. A challenge to Wisconsin law banning guns within 1,000 feet of a school is pending in federal court.

Nik Clark, president of Wisconsin Carry Inc., called the state "behind the times" for prohibiting transport of loaded guns, which most states allow.

"Wisconsin Carry advocates that people follow all Wisconsin firearm regulations, even those we find patently unconstitutional, until such time as we are able to change those laws through legal challenges and/or legislative changes," Clark said.

Jeri Bonavia, executive director of the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, disagrees with the basic open-carry tenet that armed law-abiding people deter criminals.

"When people make a decision to carry a gun or that a gun will keep them safer, they have the opportunity to analyze risks and benefits. They get to decide," she Bonavia said. "But when they bring it into public, they're forcing their analysis on all of us."

Broad research shows, she said, that "guns, overall, do not promote public or personal safety."

Man Sentenced for Killing Toddler with Baseball Bat in Church

Wheaton man sentenced for killing toddler with baseball bat in church

A man who accidentally killed a toddler with a baseball bat while attacking her stepfather in a western Minnesota church has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

David E. Collins, 51, of Wheaton, was sentenced Thursday by Traverse County District Judge Gerald Seibel in the death of Aundrea Brownlow, 14 months, as he went after Claude Hankins, in September inside Thy Kingdom Come church.

Collins and Hankins were in a dispute over $20 and a used washer and dryer.

The Rev. Danny Barnes of the Thy Kingdom Come said Saturday he gave the appliances to Hankins, and that angered Collins.

Collins was convicted in a bench trial before Seibel of unintentional second-degree murder and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

With time served and credit for good behavior in prison, Collins could end up serving as little as 12 1/2 years.

Soon after the killing, Collins' wife said her husband didn't see Aundrea before crushing her skull.

The church's mission includes serving people with drug and alcohol addictions.

Condoms found at historic church

Originally printed at http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/georgia/97275099.html

BEECH ISLAND, S.C. - Thousands of dollars worth of damages have been done to a historic church in Aiken County.

Church members spent Saturday morning restoring their church before Sunday’s service.

Three men, who sat in the Susan Union Baptist church in Beech Island as little boy’s 60-years -ago, came in to clean up the mess.

Reverend Abraham Smith Jr. is one of them.

"When we came to church there wasn't too much fooling around when I was growing up,” Smith said.

The 117-year-old church is five miles from the road, nestled in the woods and has service every fourth Sunday of the month.

Smith says this month someone or someones came early.

"Glass was all in the pulpit,” Smith said pointing toward the broken windows. Several chairs were smashed and King James Bible was thrown on the floor.

He tallied up $2,000 in damages.

"The grounds are said to be holy grounds, but they don't even have respect for the grounds,” Smith said.

Aiken County Sheriff’s Investigators say they think teenagers are to blame.

Deacon Fred Key says he caught them once.

"Teenagers come back and park and do what they got to do, drink beer, smoke reefer and they probably got feeling good and wanted to break some windows,” Key said.

Smith pointed out the beer cans and condom wrappers that littered the area around the church.

“No respect, no respect I can’t believe they left them right there,” he said.

Smith says he expects 15 people to show up to the service.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office is investigating the vandalism at this church as well as several other Aiken County Church vandalism's.

Two Men Steal Items From Bishop Long's Office

2 steal iPad, other items from Bishop Eddie Long's office

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

3:38 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, 2010

At first, the master key to the New Birth Baptist Church was missing.

Then, an iPhone, iPad and other random items – more than $1,300 worth – were taken from Bishop Eddie Long’s office.

The incident happened on June 13, according to a DeKalb police report obtained by the AJC. A security camera at the church on Woodrow Road in Lithonia caught most of it on videotape.

Police arrested the thieves Wednesday. Investigators say they don't know what the connection is between the suspects and the church -- but they do believe that the theft was an inside job.

The camera recorded two men wearing dark hooded shirts, dark pants and white gloves using a key to enter the church at some point during the night between June 13 and 14.

Patrick Simmons, the church’s security manager, told DeKalb police that the master key was missing from the secretary’s desk on June 11 – and then “suddenly appeared” four days later.

Then they noticed that an iPhone, iPad and speaker system as well as some jewelry were missing, Simmons told police.

Police arrested Anthony Boyd, 19, of Decatur, and Maurice Robinson, 20, and charged them with burglary. Robinson’s address were not listed on the police report.

Art Franklin, a publicist for Long, said the bishop was traveling and would not be able to speak to the press. He referred all questions to the DeKalb police.

In a statement, Long said he “forgives the men and hopes that they understand what they did is wrong. Long added that he is praying for them and that God is a God of mercy and compassion.”

Teen stabbed multiple times in church parking lot

By Nicole Gonzales

WEST VALLEY CITY -- A teenage boy was stabbed nearly a dozen times Sunday morning in an LDS Church parking lot. Police are now trying to track down the attacker.

Police say the stabbing happened around 5 a.m. on the north side of the church at 3450 S. 6400 West. The 16-year-old was able to drag himself away from the scene of the crime, but collapsed a block later.

"It was an extremely bloody scene," said Sgt. Paul Gill with the West Valley City Police Department. "It was a violent attack.

Police say the attacker also beat the teen before leaving him to die.

A driver saw the teen, who was bleeding profusely, and called 911. Officers arrived soon after, and an AirMed helicopter landed in the church parking lot.

John Alvarez

"That's where they noticed the bloody clothing and a large amount of blood where it appeared the actual assault took place," Gill said.

Gill says the boy had been stabbed between 10 and 12 times from his torso up to his head. He was taken to University Hospital in stable but critical condition.

Surgeons have operated on him several times already. Investigators have not been able to speak to the teen to get a statement.

The Major Crimes Unit is investigating, looking for leads and witnesses in the area. They are not ruling out the possibility the attack may have been gang related.

"It was an extremely bloody scene. It was a violent attack." -Sgt. Paul Gill

John Alvarez lives next to the church. He didn't hear or see anything and was shocked when he got word of the attack.

"That was surprising," he said. "Out of the eight years, we've never heard of anything like that happen around here."

Alvarez and his family moved to Utah from the Los Angeles area to escape violence. Now, it's in their neighborhood and save haven -- church.

Alvarez says he and his younger siblings go to the meetinghouse every day to play basketball and run around.

"I sometimes even let my sister just go with my brothers. We always thought it was a safe place. Nothing bad and that's it. So it does change everything now," he said.

Investigators plan to look at surveillance video from a nearby Holiday gas station to see if they can find any leads. They don't have descriptions of any suspects or a getaway car.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police.

Church Member Beaten To Death In Her Own Church

Congregation member beaten to death inside her own church

By Lori Brown -

WYNNE, AR (WMC-TV) - The pastor of a Cross County, Arkansas church found an 80-year-old member of his congregation beaten to death inside the sanctuary Sunday.

Lillian Wilson was beaten to death inside the church, which was wrapped in crime scene tape Sunday night. Wilson was at the church helping with storm relief.

"Went over my home where I was born and raised and found it completely demolished," Wilson said in an interview after a tornado tore apart her parent's home in May.

Dixon Platt, Wilson's pastor, found her body under the pew when he walked into the church Sunday afternoon.

Platt had gone to Central United Methodist Church to collect disaster care buckets she had brought over. He noticed Wilson's car was not at the church.

Investigators said they believe the killers drove off in Wilson's car.

Linda Peeler remembered Wilson as a kind woman.

"Anything that helped other people, she was always there," Peeler said.

Wilson was a retired registered nurse, but even in retirement she continued to help people.

"We became friends when my dad got sick and she came and helped us take care of him," Peeler said.

Wilson, an animal lover, was a volunteer at the Wynn Animal Shelter.

"I can't understand how anyone could hurt such a wonderful person," Peeler said. "She would have gave them anything."

Investigators are looking for Wilson's car. It is a gray Mercury Marquis with Arkansas license plate 737-NGN. The front license plate has a tag that says "Eat Rice."

One suspect is reportedly Thomas Tweedle, a man in his early 40s.