MARCH 29, 2016 5:33 PM

Mississippi Sen. favors allowing armed security in churches

BY JEFF AMY
Associated Press

JACKSON, MISS. — Asked to choose between a Christian spirit of peace and a "God-given right" of self-defense, Mississippi senators Tuesday overwhelmingly favored the latter.

The state Senate passed voted 36-14 in passing House Bill 786 (http://bit.ly/1ZIUFLb ), known as the Mississippi Church Protection Act. The senators sent it back to House counterparts for further work.

Under the bill, places of worship could designate members to undergo firearms training and carry guns to protect the congregation.

Notably, it also goes beyond church security and would allow people to carry guns in holsters without a state concealed weapons permit, a feature that drew opponents' criticism. That would expand on last year's state law allowing people to carry guns in purses or briefcases without a permit.

The measure also asserts that no state official can enforce any federal executive order or administrative rule that violates the constitutions of Mississippi or the nation, challenging the principle that federal law overrides state law.

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