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January 23, 2020

LUMBERTON There was a standing-room-only crowd Thursday evening in the A.D. Lewis Auditorium at Robeson Community College during a forum on preventing and stopping an active shooter situation in churches.

The forum was in response to a recent shooting at a church in Texas during which a person who was armed killed the assailant, but not before two people had died and others were injured.

The auditorium accommodates about 800 people.

To be honest, we were only expecting 200 people, Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said.

More than 100 people were turned away because of fire codes related to crowd size, the sheriff said. But, because of the large turnout at the event that began at 6 p.m. and public interest generated by the event, he is considering holding more forums in the future.

The days and times we are living in, we need to protect people at all times, said Sheila Beck, a member of Ten Mile Center Baptist Church in Saddletree.

Beck said the forum gave her very educational life-saving information to help her church form a plan in case of an active shooter situation.

Others echoed her concern.

I hope to protect our church, said Danny Smith, who attends Island Grove Baptist Church in Prospect.

Michael Bowen, pastor of East Lumberton Baptist Church, said the church has a security team and he came hoping to develop a plan of action.

Its a good idea. We need this, Bowen said. All churches need this.

Members of Faith Assembly Church of God, on Evans Street in St. Pauls, also were present.

We came out to hear about how we can prevent some of the tragedies we are hearing about in the media, Christopher Clark said.

The event hit home for members of Westside Baptist Church in Red Springs.

The churchs pastor was beat up during a robbery that occurred at a choir practice in March 1996, said Kevin Mauldin, a member of the church. After the incident, the church formed a security team to protect those in attendance, Mauldin said.

Im a firm believer its my responsibility to take care of me, he said. You have a right to take care of yourself.

Sheriff Wilkins agrees.

We cannot allow you to remain in church as a sitting duck and just sit there, Wilkins said.

Lt. Lewis Woodard, Robeson County Sheriffs Offices training coordinator, showed a video of the Dec. 29 church shooting at West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas that left two people dead. Woodard then used images showing the behaviors of the people present during the shooting to demonstrate what should be done.

Churchgoers should be aware of their surroundings at all times, Woodard said.

In the event of gunfire, they should get down, move away from the shooter and follow directions of the security team, he said. He encouraged using anything available, such as fire extinguishers or books, to try to stop shooter.

If you got 100 people in your church, hit him with 100 hymn books, he said. Hit him with 100 Bibles, its OK, I promise you.

Security teams should consist of more than one person, with a weekly rotation, the lieutenant said.

You need to have a plan, Woodard said. If you dont have a plan, you got nothing.

People with concealed carry permits should practice regularly to maintain accuracy, he said.

Sen. Danny Britt Jr. used the forum to speak about about Senate Bill 90, also called the Protect Religious Meeting Places bill.

The bill was filed Feb. 19, 2019, and if it becomes law it would allow people with concealed carry permits to carry handguns into churches that also operate as schools. Britt mentioned Antioch Baptist Church, located at 5089 Old Whiteville Road, which also houses Antioch Christian Academy.

Under current North Carolina law, they cannot have individuals in that church Sunday even when school is not going on with a firearm, Britt said.

He said SB 90 will allow handguns on the property outside of the schools regular hours of operation.

That is something that is very important to churches like Antioch Baptist and other churches like that across the state, Britt said.

As of June 11, 2019, the bill was in the Senate Judiciary Committee. No action has been taken on SB 90 since it entered the committee.

People can carry weapons into churches that dont double as schools.

Sheriff Wilkins reminded forum attendees that Robeson Community College offers the concealed weapon course once a month.

Shauna Hammonds, a civilian employee with the Robeson County Sheriffs Office, hands out on Thursday programs to guests at the Prevention and Response to the Active Shooter in Houses of Worship Robeson County Forum at Robeson Community College. The event was in response to a shooting last month at a Texas church that left two people dead.

Sheriff Burnis Wilkins speaks Thursday to a large crowd at the A.D. Lewis Auditorium on the campus of Robeson Community College during the Prevention and Response to the Active Shooter in Houses of Worship Robeson County Forum. About 800 people attended, with some having to be turned away.

Read more from the original source:
Britt wants Robeson as Second Amendment Sanctuary - The Robesonian