Poll: Concealed Weapons among Plain Anabaptists?

[RZehr]

If you're an employer, and an employee steals from the company, do you report it to the cops, or handle it internally?

Determined case by case. Burglary is normally reported, petty theft not.

[Judas Maccabeus]

I understand that some plain Anabaptist groups have members who carry concealed handguns, even to church.
..

I’m still stuck on this... why do Anabaptists need handguns at church?

I don't get this either. If someone carried a gun to church in my home church, they would basked to leave. Serious, I just do not get any of this either.

J.M.

[Judas Maccabeus]

I understand that some plain Anabaptist groups have members who carry concealed handguns, even to church.
..

I’m still stuck on this... why do Anabaptists need handguns at church?

I imagine people who feel they need them find they need them every where.

Two weeks ago I was exiting Lowes and the man walking behind me reached into his pocket/pants and accidentally discharged his concealed handgun. I helped him to the curb and called 911. The bullet severed his femoral artery and by the time help arrived, he had lost more blood than I thought a person might have in total.

I have been reading through Isaiah and noticed the warnings against turning to unreliable things for safety.
" Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him". 36:6

When I worked shock trauma I NEVER saw some come in having been shot by a homeowner in self defense. I saw LOTS of people that has shot themselves either intentionally or accidentally. Much more frequently with pistols then long guns.

That is, if I remember correctly, is one of the few cases when a tourniquet is indicated. People frequently bleed out and die. Glad you were there to help.

If you buy a pistol, statistically, the most likely one it will kill is the owner.

J.M.

[Josh]

A rule of thumb is you need to spend more on training classes, range time, first aid class, etc. as you do on the firearm, holsters, accessories, ammo, etc.

(Same rule I used to have when I rode motorcycles. I'd tell young guys they need to spend more on gear like helmets, leathers, etc. that they did on the bike. Of course, a lot didn't listen, and bought a brand new fancy sportbike, and a cheap $50 helmet which was uncomfortable, and no leathers at all. Then they'd end up sliding down the road, and learned about the "built in" layer of leathers every human comes with.)

[Judas Maccabeus]

A rule of thumb is you need to spend more on training classes, range time, first aid class, etc. as you do on the firearm, holsters, accessories, ammo, etc.

(Same rule I used to have when I rode motorcycles. I'd tell young guys they need to spend more on gear like helmets, leathers, etc. that they did on the bike. Of course, a lot didn't listen, and bought a brand new fancy sportbike, and a cheap $50 helmet which was uncomfortable, and no leathers at all. Then they'd end up sliding down the road, and learned about the "built in" layer of leathers every human comes with.)

And in the ER we would spend an hour or so picking out the rocks.

I well remember the guy that went riding in flip flops. Had a fall at about 50 mph. Front of his foot must have slid for quite a way, between his bike and the road. Asked "where are my toes?"

ER doc answers "Route 40."

J.M.

[steve-in-kville]

ER doc answers "Route 40."

J.M.

Funny but not funny.

[Judas Maccabeus]

ER doc answers "Route 40."

J.M.

Funny but not funny.

If you took every situation with the gravity it deserved, you would be insane within a week. Bad humor is a defense mechanism.

Normally, such returns are limited to people who have done really stupid things.

J.M.

[steve-in-kville]

If you took every situation with the gravity it deserved, you would be insane within a week. Bad humor is a defense mechanism.

Normally, such returns are limited to people who have done really stupid things.

J.M.

Totally get it. I was a paid & volley EMT for years. Left my number go about a decade now. I was recently offered the ability to get my number back quite easily because of the pandemic and I never (and will never) consider it.

[steve-in-kville]

I don't get this either. If someone carried a gun to church in my home church, they would basked to leave. Serious, I just do not get any of this either.

J.M.

For the sake of conversation, and only for conversation, why are people so scared of a properly holstered weapon, kept concealed, by a responsible person? What if an off-duty cop wanted to visit your church? If he was experienced in concealed carry, you most likely wouldn't know if was packing heat.... just sayin.'

[Ken]

I don't get this either. If someone carried a gun to church in my home church, they would basked to leave. Serious, I just do not get any of this either.

J.M.

For the sake of conversation, and only for conversation, why are people so scared of a properly holstered weapon, kept concealed, by a responsible person? What if an off-duty cop wanted to visit your church? If he was experienced in concealed carry, you most likely wouldn't know if was packing heat.... just sayin.'

I can't speak for J.M's church. But I expect for most it is not a question of "being scared" but rather it is as much (or more) symbolic as practical--like much of Mennonite life with the plain clothing, simple churches, plain lifestyle. Carrying weapons into church, and walking around armed, is just not compatible with a plain, simple, pacifist lifestyle, of putting one's faith in God, and "living quiet in the land."

Amish, for example, wear beards but no mustaches simply for the symbolism because mustaches were once associated with military style in the 19th Century. That actually pretty much faded in real life by the end of WW1 but it is still a symbolic statement. For many decades, Mennonites followed suit with not wearing mustaches. My grandfather would have strictly disapproved of them. Concealed carry and packing weapons in church would fall into the same category in a much more dramatic way.