Odd Stories: "Please Don't Bring Weapons" Asks Church

Milwaukee - After a new law permitting people to carry concealed weapons was passed, Catholic bishops in Wisconsin are asking their parishioners not to bring them to church.

The statement, read by Archbishop Jerome Listecki, reads “intuitively, we understand that acts of violence, destruction, and murder are antithetical to the message and person of Jesus Christ and have no rightful place in our society, especially sacred places," the bishops said just before the law went into effect on Tuesday.

"We ask that all people seriously consider not carrying weapons into church buildings as a sign of reverence for these sacred spaces.”



Listecki said the law makes it an individual church's decision whether to ban weapons or not. The permit allows people to carry concealed handguns, electric weapons, any knife except for switchblades, and clubs. Machine guns, short-barreled rifles, and shot-barreled shotguns are not part of the law and are still banned.



An employer may bar an employee from bringing their concealed weapon to work but cannot stop them from keeping them in the car even if it's on workplace property.



In order to get the permit a mandatory four-hour training course or hunter-safety course must be passed.



Since the bill passed on Tuesday, there have been more than 20-thousand permit applications. So far 879 were approved and 793 were printed. The state's Justice Department said 117 were rejected due to incomplete applicant data, insufficient training documentation, or a missing payment.