DEFENSE MINISTRY: Growing Number of Motor City Clergymen Packing Heat (Guests in DC or by phone)
Critics of folks like the Reverend Lawrence Adams of the Westside Bible Church, or the Reverend William Revely of the Holy Hope Heritage Church, would say these men of the cloth are not practicing what they preach but, rather, are shaming the peace-loving Jesus for whom they serve.
But for Larry Pratt, Executive Director of the Gun Owners of America (GOA), the decision by these and other pastors throughout Detroit—and America for that matter—to carry firearms, even at the pulpit during service, is more than a Constitutional right. Considering the escalating crime in the Motor City—one of the hardest hit by the current recession—it’s a duty they hold to their congregation.
To those critics, Pratt says reality dictates, and self-defense is hardly immoral. “I have interviewed a pastor and a rabbi on this subject,” confesses Pratt, “and a church where guns are forbidden is a church where murderers are invited.”
Case in point, Adams recently used his firearm when another man broke into his church to steal money and confronted him. Other stories over just the past few years, from New Jersey to Oklahoma, from Illinois to Colorado, have ended in even more tragic ways.
“As a pastor, I’m referred to as a shepherd,” says Adams in a FoxNews.com report (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,558804,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a4:g4:r7:c0.000000:b0:z5). “Shepherds have the responsibility of watching over their flock. Do I want to hurt somebody? Absolutely not.”
“Churches that either encourage or have no problem with members carrying guns are places where the right to life is more than a bumper sticker,” said Pratt, adding, “Such churches are places where protecting life is taken seriously.”
Also available for interviews is Erich Pratt, GOA Communications Director, who asks your audience question like: Are gun rights are over the line when it comes to clergy packing heat in God’s house? How far is too far when tough economic times are tightening the screws on people, turning many into a greater threat to churches that are expected to be passive? And how dangerous is this situation, having not just armed clergymen, but armed congregation members?
For a fascinating perspective, call Special Guests today to schedule an interview with Larry Pratt or the GOA’s communications director, Erich Pratt. Both are available for interviews.
ABOUT YOUR EXPERT GUEST, LARRY PRATT:
Larry Pratt has been Executive Director of Gun Owners of America for 30 years. GOA is a national membership organization of 300,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their second amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.
GOA lobbies for the pro-gun position in Washington and is involved in firearm issues in the states. GOA’s work includes providing legal assistance to those involved in lawsuits with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal firearms law enforcement agency.
Pratt has appeared on numerous national radio and TV programs such as NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ Good Morning America, CNN’s Crossfire and Larry King Live, Fox’s Hannity & Colmes, MSNBC’s Phil Donahue and Dan Abrams show and many others.
Larry Pratt has debated Congressmen James Traficant, Jr. (D-OH), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Vice President Al Gore, among others.
Larry’s columns have appeared in newspapers across the country.
Pratt published a book, Armed People Victorious, in 1990 and was editor of a book, Safeguarding Liberty: The Constitution & Militias, 1995.
Pratt’s latest book is “On the Firing Line: Essays in the Defense of Liberty.”
Pratt has held elective office in the state legislature of Virginia, serving in the House of Delegates. Pratt directs a number of other public interest organizations and serves as the Vice-Chairman of the American Institute for Cancer Research.
ABOUT ERICH PRATT…
Erich Pratt is currently the Director of Communications for Gun Owners of America. Shortly after getting an MA from Regent University in Public Policy, he went to work for GOA where he has been employed since 1990. GOA is a national membership organization of 350,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their Second Amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.
GOA lobbies for the pro-gun position in Washington, DC and is involved in firearm issues in the states. GOA’s work includes providing legal assistance to those involved in lawsuits with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal firearms law enforcement agency.
Pratt has appeared on numerous national radio and TV programs such as NBC’s Today Show, MSNBC, CNN and Fox Cable News. His columns have appeared in newspapers across the country.
In addition to authoring a book, Bearing Arms: Our Rights, Our Duties & Our Freedom, in 1991, he is the author of a forthcoming civil government textbook, The Constitutional Recipe for Freedom: Twelve Principles of Liberty Today’s Politicians Don’t Want You to Know.
Mr. Pratt and his wife, Stacy, have ten children.