Senior US District Judge Declares Gun Magazine Capacity Limits Unconstitutional

In 2017, Judge Roger Benitez, senior judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, struck down California’s ban on standard capacity magazines which the state had arbitrarily ruled to be “high capacity.” That ruling was overturned by an en banc Ninth Circuit ruling. The case was then appealed to the Supreme Court which vacated that ruling based on its Bruen decision, and remanded it for reconsideration. September 22, 2023, Judge Benitez struck down California’s ban as clearly unconstitutional.

Here are excerpts from his well-reasoned and articulate 71-page ruling:

“The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution ‘guarantee[s] the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation.’”

“The guarantee protects ‘the possession of weapons that are “in common use.”’”

“It’s our duty as judges to interpret the Constitution based on the text and original understanding of the relevant provision—not on public policy considerations, or worse, fear of public opprobrium.”

“This case is about a California state law that makes it a crime to keep and bear common firearm magazines typically possessed for lawful purposes. Based on the text, history, and tradition of the Second Amendment, this law is clearly unconstitutional.”

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4 Ways to Make Your Church Safer

Do people confidently consider your church building and property a safe place while they’re gathering for worship services and events? “When incidents happen that we fail to properly address, it poorly represents our call to protect the vulnerable,” says Buddy Gosey, a former pastor who now serves on the business development team of the Indiana-based church security firm Safe Hiring Solutions.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Planning and Armed Congregants Top Church Security Measures ]

According to the Lifeway Research article, 4 Ways to Make Your Church Safer by Tobin Perry, “church security and safety measures can entail everything from caring for minor medical situations such as falls on the church property and kitchen mishaps to sexual abuse prevention and handling active shooter situations.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

The article suggests at least four steps churches can take to provide a safer and more secure place of worship for congregants:
        1. Organize a Team
        2. Conduct Thorough Safety Assessments of Your Church
        3. Develop a Safety Plan
        4. Prioritize Training and Preparedness

[ Read articles in the SemperVerus category of Church Security ]

Kris Moloney, founder and program creator for Sheepdog Church Security Academy, says a church safety team can be started immediately, responsible for a simple single task. “You could have a team next Sunday,” Moloney says. “Theoretically, you get a group of volunteers together and say, ‘We’re going to patrol the church before, during, and after the services. Even though none of us have any training, really, and all we have is cell phones, that’s fine. Our job is to do this: look for anything suspicious. If we see something suspicious, or there’s an emergency, it’s our job to call 911.’ If that’s all you did, you would increase the level of security at your church immediately, because oftentimes people aren’t paying attention.”

Read the complete article.

[ See the SemperVerus list of links to Church Security Training Resources ]

Learn about the Sheepdog Church Security certification program for your church safety team

Invite SemperVerus® to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

Join the SemperVerus Brotherhood™!

Self-Defense Legal Insurance Options

According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, 22 million Americans are legally licensed to publicly carry a firearm in the United States. That doesn’t include those who keep guns strictly in their homes for domestic protection, along with people who open carry or live in one of the more than two dozen states that don’t require licenses.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Survey: Protection Is the Main Reason People Own a Gun ]

Using a firearm to defend against a criminal act that could result in your death or serious bodily injury means you’ll have to deal with the legal aftermath to justify your firearm usage. That’s where purchasing a self-defense insurance program might be helpful.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law ]

In the broad sense, “self-defense insurance” is basically a membership in an organization that will help connect you with a criminal defense attorney and help pay for legal expenses involved in a court case. As an informational service to you, we’ve compiled the list below of just such entities. Each listing includes a brief statement of the organization’s purpose taken from its website.

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Texas Enacts Church Self-Defense Civil Immunity

Effective September 1, 2023, Texas now provides self-defense immunity to churches as institutions as well as to the individuals who serve churches as armed security.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

The new law, Senate Bill 694, establishes enhanced protection for church security teams, granting them civil immunity against legal repercussions when dealing with disruptive individuals during services.

[ Read articles in the SemperVerus category of Church Security ]

According to Texas Defense Force Security, the law “specifically targets disruptions during church services and provides church security teams with civil immunity when taking action to preserve the safety and sanctity of the worshippers. This legislation acknowledges that incidents of violence or disturbances can potentially impact not only the immediate congregation but also the broader community.

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