Puyallup UMC is a Weapons-Free Zone
By Megan Ernst Kilpatrick | Photo by Pastor Karen Yokota
The seed to make Puyallup UMC a firearm-free zone was first planted at our last Annual Conference in June. I was pretty vocal in my support of legislation that would encourage other churches to be in conversation about becoming Weapons-Free, but sadly it was sent back to committee. I spoke afterward with Pastor Ann Berney about the possibility of PUMC ‘opting out’ of the policy as it currently stands and becoming a firearms-free zone. She was very enthusiastic and supportive! I wrote a proposal that was debated at a June church council meeting and was ultimately tabled. (To be fair, the council had quite a full agenda, including discussion of budget items and renovation plans, so my proposal being postponed didn’t hurt my feelings. Much. I wasn’t at the meeting so I didn’t have any more specifics than that.)
Between the June and July meetings, PUMC approved new church council and committee officers and I rewrote my proposal to be more specific as well as include supportive church doctrine. At the July meeting, I again presented my proposal, which was well received by the council and by both pastors. I outlined the Church’s stance on alcohol, tobacco, and family violence, as well as affirmed our support for our Safe Sanctuary endeavors. Prohibiting firearms on the property naturally aligned with what we stand for as Methodists and how careful we are to protect children and vulnerable adults from other dangers. The proposal would allow a firearm to be carried only if the owner was legally required to (as in law enforcement), but would not allow concealed weapons if the owner was not legally required to carry. This would encompass the church grounds, including the parking lot. The council was very supportive of this, especially as we have a robust youth program/nursery, and there had been some thefts reported from cars in the church lot. One important point that was agreed upon was that if anyone had a real fear for their safety, that they could privately bring their concerns to the pastors to be handled at their discretion.
Right now we’re in the process of implementing the policy. Pastor Ann’s recent letter to the congregation was included in our most recent Circuit Rider, and also uploaded to the Tacoma District UMC blog. This fall, we will look at signage to be posted in the church, and the council liaison to the preschool that uses our building has already informed them of our change. They are already firearms-free, so we feel this will add an additional measure of safety and security. (We’ve passed this to include Whitney Memorial pending their approval.) We count ourselves fortunate to be right down the road from many city services, including fire and police. We also have a contract with a security company that patrols the area regularly.
So how do we enforce it? That will be trickier. We’re certainly not going to start searching handbags or patting people down, nor will we be peeking in car windows during services. I would imagine we’ll make some announcements during both church services (if that hasn’t been done already), and continuing in thoughtful dialogue as issues arise. I hope that most people will understand and support our church’s efforts to be a safe place for all people. Should someone bring a firearm to PUMC, I would imagine that a simple reminder/awareness of our policy would be enough. If not, well, there’s that dialogue!
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Tacoma District Blog: “Puyallup UMC is a Weapons Free Zone” |
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