JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After the deadly mass shooting and arson at a church in Michigan, safety at places of worship is top of mind, and Florida lawmakers will soon consider a bill that aims to make it easier for them to have armed security.

The current proposal, sponsored by State Senator Don Gaetz (R-Pensacola), would waive several licensing and training requirements for armed security volunteers to serve at places of worship.

“Unfortunately, hate is no respecter of denominational differences,” said Gaetz. ”And so we’re seeing whether it’s Mormons, whether it’s Catholics, whether it’s Jews, whether it’s Muslims, no matter who it is, there is now in this country, sadly, a feeling among people of faith that they have to be prepared to defend themselves and my bill makes that possible.”

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Action News Jax spoke with Pastor Chris Tomlinson of Destiny Church in Jacksonville over the phone as he was in between appointments.

“It is sad that we even have to be thinking about these types of things,” said Tomlinson.

Tomlinson said while his church hasn’t implemented armed security, he has employed training for members of his congregation on how to spot threats and respond in the event of an attack.

“So that we could even help to try to stop the bleeding and to try to administer first aid until an EMT would get there,” said Tomlinson.

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The bill would still require churches to get their security plans approved by their local sheriff’s office, and armed volunteers would have to pass a background check and obtain a concealed carry permit.

Gaetz told Action News Jax his goal is to make security more accessible and affordable, especially for smaller congregations.

“I hope my bill is never necessary and I’m really sorry that we had to file it, but the fact is that congregations need to have some way to provide area security for themselves if they can’t afford to buy or arrange for an armed security patrol,” said Gaetz.

And Tomlinson said he’d like to see the bill go a step further, and possibly free up some funds to help churches either hire security or offer crisis response training.

“Because those are things that do cost money and a lot of churches don’t have the money to be able to afford that type of training,” said Tomlinson.

Gaetz’s bill still has a long way to go.

Committee weeks kick off next month, and session officially begins in January.

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