Your Privacy Choices
According to the online publication This Week In Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints has updated its handbook to explicitly state that firearms are prohibited in Mormon meetinghouses. Prior to the change, the handbook had stated that carrying lethal weapons within the walls of a church was inappropriate. The new guideline also clarifies that only current law enforcement officers are permitted to carry weapons as opposed to “as required by officers of the law” from the previous handbook section.
Additional information and links to the original story can be found below.
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS UPDATES HANDBOOK TO PROHIBIT FIREARMS IN MORMON MEETINGHOUSES
Guns and the debate on access to them are everywhere in the news, and Latter-day Saints of all stripes fall on various sides of the issue, particularly in the United States, where a right to keep and bear arms is codified in the country’s Constitution. However, regardless of how one feels about whether or not everyday citizens should be able to own firearms, let alone keep them on one’s person with a concealed carry permit, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has quietly updated the guidelines of Handbook 2 to expressly forbid firearms in its meetinghouses.
The language change is seemingly minor – down to a few words, really – as the Church has moved from deeming firearms “inappropriate” in its buildings to labeling them “prohibited.” It’s a subtle shift, but is more explicit in both banning firearms and in outlining who is eligible to carry them. Read more.
Previous text of Handbook 2, Section 21.2.4:
Churches are dedicated for the worship of God and as havens from the cares and concerns of the world. The carrying of lethal weapons, concealed or otherwise, within their walls is inappropriate except as required by officers of the law.
New text of Handbook 2, Section 21.2.4:
Churches are dedicated for the worship of God and as havens from the cares and concerns of the world. With the exception of current law enforcement officers, the carrying of lethal weapons on Church property, concealed or otherwise, is prohibited.
