I read recently about yet another federal proposal, this one originating via a republican in the U.S. Senate as S2123, known as the “Pray Safe” act. It came about after a foreign citizen illegally obtained a gun and took hostages at a Synagogue in Texas. I’ll note the federal government did right here by investigating where the gun criminal got his gun, and arresting the felon that had been in possession of it. That’s using existing gun laws as they should be used to reduce gun crime.
In summary, here’s what the bill does:
1. Create a federal “clearinghouse” run by the department of homeland security (dhs). This is a new layer of bureaucracy.
2. Funnel our tax dollars via grants to religious organizations such as churches so they can provide security of attendees.
Here’s why I oppose it:
1. The federal government has no constitutional duty to perform any of this under Article 1 Section 8. It can’t be justified as general welfare since not everyone attends a church. In fact, this is specific welfare.
2. Accordingly, the federal government is not justified in spending our tax dollars for this purpose. This includes the blank check given the unelected dhs secretary to staff the clearinghouse.
3. Making churches reliant upon so-called “federal money” (called “safety and security homeland security assistance programs”) only increases dependence upon the central government, and
4. It’s just not needed. Small churches and large ones alike can call upon local law enforcement at no cost to obtain the best practices for church security and hands-on training. Large churches can pay for professional security (such as off duty law enforcement), while small ones can have in-house volunteer security teams. Last year, the excellent Gov. DeSantis signed a law removing a barricade to doing so.
For proof of this final point, I’ve previously written about the “irrational” (according to the highly rational <sarcasm> Joe Biden) lawfully armed church security member that shot and stopped an armed gun criminal at a small church in Texas back in 2019. The security member did so because state law had changed to allow him to lawfully possess his gun at his church. .
It’s telling we never read about the “Debt Reduction” act, only increases to the debt ceiling. The last deficit reduction act I found was back in 2005. Why is that?
Paul Henry