Firearms and the Faithful: Approaches to Armed Security in Jewish Communities

A Message from Michael Masters, National Director and CEO of the Secure Community Network.

Click here to view recording of special update on matters of security and use of firearms in shuls by Michael Masters of SCN.

Click here to download Firearms and the Faithful: Approaches to Armed Security in Jewish Communities

January 15, 2020 – Since October 2018, we have seen two deadly attacks at Jewish houses of worship, a deadly attack on a Jewish kosher supermarket just over four weeks ago, and – most recently – the attempted murder of Jewish community members gathered to celebrate Hanukkah just over two weeks ago.

At the same time, over a dozen individuals who were plotting attacks on the Jewish community have been arrested by law enforcement, to include in Washington state, California, Ohio and Georgia, among others. According to the FBI’s latest statistics, 58% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the United States were directed at the Jewish community, the highest level in decades and three times higher than the next group.

While the United States remains one of the safest places in the world to be Jewish, there is a new reality to being Jewish in the United States today – and increasing concern for members of every faith.

Amidst a complex and dynamic threat environment, many organizations and institutions are questioning how to best provide for the safety and security of leadership, staff, members, and visitors. This includes, among other things, considerations on having armed or unarmed security, as well as who provides the same – from on- or off-duty law enforcement to private entities – in addition to an increasingly vocal national conversation related to conceal and carry laws and the place of firearms in community organizations, as well as who should possess them, along with policy considerations related to the same. In the event of an incident, issues of training, supervision and liability may all be scrutinized, among other areas.

After the attacks in both Pittsburgh and Poway, SCN received multiple inquiries from security directors, professionals and other colleagues for materials and products related to what questions should be asked when considering the above topic, as well as best practice.

Recognizing the criticality of these conversations, last August, SCN convened a group of former local and federal law enforcement officials as well as Jewish Community Security Directors to discuss the deployment of firearms in houses of worship. The purpose of the convening was to identify, discuss and make recommendations, by security and law enforcement experts, surrounding best practice policies and procedures regarding firearms in Jewish houses of worship, to include questions pertaining to working with law enforcement, private companies as well as civilians who may be licensed to carry firearms.

As a result of that convening, the Working Group developed a paper that is intended to assist and support security professionals, as well as houses of worship, security committees, leadership and professionals as well as others to be able to fully consider the issues and concerns around the matter of armed security and how to best effectuate the same.

The report, like any general document, will not answer every question or address every situation. It is intended to act as a guide to allow individuals and organizations to begin to ask relevant questions and consider related issues. While the document has been heavily vetted, we would encourage any feedback, suggestions or ideas that you may have to improve future editions/releases of the report.

Click here to download Firearms and the Faithful: Approaches to Armed Security in Jewish Communities