VI – Self-Defense

Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security

[ Read articles in the SemperVerus category of Church Security ]

Among the ways of being prepared for unexpected self-defense or church security situations is to intentionally engage your mind to think about possible dangerous scenarios you could encounter and the ways in which you’d respond to them.

[ Read articles in the SemperVerus category of Situational Awareness ]

To help you conduct these mental exercises in a “gaming” fashion, SemperVerus has created the chart below listing at least 36 character personas that could be motivating factors in threatening crises. They represent the spectrum from seemingly minor incidents to major violent acts perpetrated by either males or females: from a “lone wolf” (a single bad actor) to a “wolf pack” (a gang with malevolent intentions); from rational to irrational behavior; from opportunistic to premeditated; from vandalism to synchronized active killers.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Gentle Response De-Escalation Training for Church Security Teams ]

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Components of a Strong Mindset for the Legally Armed Citizen ]

Regularly think through each persona and plan for your own actions in meeting them head-on. For example, what would be your first move if a lone and crazed person accosted you on the street? What would you do if, during your volunteer shift on church security, a coordinated attack of active killers (high on the synthetic stimulant Captagon like these terrorists) simultaneously entered your church through two wings of the building? Plan now to be prepared!

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Concealed Carry Daily Prayer ]

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Situational Awareness: 14 Ways to Walk Like You Drive

How to Improve Your Situational Awareness.

You’ve heard the admonition to “Drive Defensively.” It means to always be ready for the possibility of encountering any dangerous occurrence while driving your vehicle. Be prepared. Think ahead. Anticipate hazards.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense Tactical Driving Tips ]

The scene doesn’t even have to be treacherous. For example, when you’re about to turn a street corner, it merely involves thinking through several sets in succession in what should be an automatic reflex:

  1. Most of your braking should be done in a straight line, before the corner.
  2. Trail off the brake smoothly as you turn in and enter the corner.
  3. Look through the corner for the exit.
  4. Apply throttle as you straighten the wheel back out at the exit.
  5. Choose your speed and driving lines based on the next corner, not just the one you’re in.*

Take the lessons you’ve learned in defensive driving and apply them as situational awareness techniques to your walking environment. Blogger Chris Bird says, “The goal is to be able to use your awareness to detect, assess, avoid, evade, counter, and prevail in the encounter.” These precautions may seem overwhelming at first in your everyday life, but remember, they’ve become second-nature to you when driving and they can be the same when walking.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the subject of Situational Awareness ]

Prepare and Know Your Route

Just as you type your destination into an online map to determine your most efficient trip from point A to point B, think through the avenues, streets, sidewalks, and paths, as well as time of day and other factors before you set out walking to avoid sketchy parts of town and to have the confidence of knowing where you’re going and how to get there.

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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

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