Court Upholds Georgia's Ban on Guns in Church; Pastor, Some Members Want Guns for Protection

The Religion News website reports today (July 25, 2012) that a federal appeals court has upheld Georgia's ban on bringing guns into places of worship.

The Rev. Jonathan Wilkins -- a Baptist pastor -- and a gun-rights group had argued that church members should have the right to carry guns into worship services to protect the congregation.

But the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on July 20 that a Georgia law adopted in 2010 does not violate the Thomaston congregation's First and Second Amendment rights. 

Gun-rights advocates might want a weapon for self-defense, but that is a "personal preference, motivated by a secular purpose," the court ruled.