Senate Democrats Push Bill That Could Prevent Churches From Having Armed Security
Senator Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is advocating for a bill known as the Preventing Private Military Act of 2024.
This legislation aims to restrict churches nationwide from employing concealed carriers within their congregations and parishes as part of a “security services unit.” Senator Laphonza Butler, also a Democrat from California, is co-sponsoring this bill with Senator Markey.
The text of the bill prohibits “acting as part of or on behalf of a private paramilitary organization and armed with a firearm, explosive or incendiary device, or other dangerous weapon.”
Another section of the bill outlines actions that are considered prohibited, including the usage of “large capacity ammunition feeding devices,” a term used by those on the left to refer to magazines with a capacity exceeding ten rounds.
The bill has raised concerns, with Protestia warning that it would criminalize activities such as publicly patrolling, drilling, or engaging in techniques that could cause bodily harm or death.
Texas church hero Jack Wilson says that Michael Bloomberg’s gun controls would have rendered congregants defenseless on the day of the church attack. https://t.co/4G05Mhuwxl
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 22, 2020
They warned that “power to enforce this law would be derived from the interstate commerce clause of the constitution and would be applicable whenever a church security team utilizes either weapons or ammunition.”
Protestia stated, “Additionally, if an active shooting situation took place, and the shooter was killed or injured by the church security team, the proposed law would make members of the security team subject to criminal penalties that range from 5 years to life in prison.”
The applicable text of the bill says, “In the case of a violation that results in…bodily injury, the person shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both; or death, the person shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for any term of years or for life.”