Church security and armed guards

At the recent shootings in Colorado, one of little blurbs that really stood out to me was the revelation that the effected Colorado Springs church uses armed security. While I've been on the board of a couple of churches and we've discussed security and safety in board meetings, we've considered the idea of armed security staff.

This article in the Toronto Star looks a little deeper at this topic.

Churches want to present an open and welcoming image, but in an era of mass-casualty shootings and terrorism threats, the violence at New Life highlights a new emphasis on security. Some of the U.S.'s estimated 1,200 megachurches – places where more than 2,000 worshippers gather each week – have been quietly beefing up security in recent years, even using armed guards to protect the faithful.

It's an enlightening and somewhat sobering look at the realities of protecting large groups of vulnerable people.