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Member
Agreed: Disarm school, day care
By Catherine Kavanaugh
Daily Tribune Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 23, 2005
ROYAL OAK — The school and day care center at Calvary Christian Church will be gun-free zones from now on.
Police Chief Ted Quisenberry said he warned church and school leaders not to carry concealed weapons near the children anymore after he read in the Daily Tribune about the Rev. Mark Byers' firearms policy.
Byers, 54, heads the non-denominational church on 11 Mile Road just west of I-75, where he encourages members to take advantage of an exemption in the state law regulating the carrying of concealed weapons that allows congregants to pack pistols at church with the pastor's permission.
Byers said he gave approval to individuals "in the highest standing in the church" to carry weapons. The pastor also told the Daily Tribune he let some employees of the
school and day care center, which are on church property, bring guns to work to guard against security breaches.
That was illegal, according to the police chief.
"Even though those facilities are part of the church, they are still separate entities to the state Legislature," Quisenberry said. "The Legislature clearly exempts churches in the (carrying concealed weapons) law, and if they wanted to do the same for day cares and schools, that's how the law would read."
Instead, the law specifically lists schools and private or public day care centers as "pistol-free zones" along with sports arenas, taverns, hospitals, college dorms, college classrooms and entertainment facilities with at least 2,500 seats.
The police chief said he met with Byers this week and told him school and day care workers will be prosecuted if they bring guns to work.
"The pastor said they won't do it again," Quisenberry added.
Violations of pistol-free zones are state civil infractions punishable by a fine up to $500 and a six-month permit suspension for the first offense. The penalty increases for second and third offenses, and violators could face a maximum of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
"We stopped as soon as we realized there was a conflict with our interpretation of the law," Byers said.
The pastor was basing his decisions on a Michigan State Police summary of CCW provisions "that is like a Reader's Digest version of the law," according to Quisenberry.
"We researched this and told the pastor how we are reading the law and what we will enforce," the chief said.
Byers said he has no problem complying with the law. However, he said he still sees a gray area that should be clarified by the Michigan Attorney General's Office in case staff at other schools or day care centers carry concealed weapons.
"We were functioning on faulty information," Byers said. "If we made that mistake, maybe others are, too."
The police chief responded: "My bet is no. I don't think other schools and day cares would even think of it."
The chief said he doesn't understand why Byers and Calvary Christian Church members would bring guns to Sunday services, let alone the elementary school and day care center.
"It's allowable at the church, but why they choose to do so is beyond me," Quisenberry said. "I don't see any public safety issues there."
The pastor said crime is everywhere. He said an armed carjacking suspect tried to get into the school a couple of years ago, and his son witnessed a recent bank robbery and had to give police a description of the culprit.
Byers also points to the Wisconsin church shooting that left seven dead and four wounded March 12. A gunman reportedly upset about a sermon two weeks prior fired off 22 rounds from a 9mm handgun, killing the minister and his son, among others, before killing himself at the church service at a hotel.
Byers said a shooting spree wouldn't be so bloody at Calvary Christian Church, where he estimates six to 12 worshippers carry concealed weapons every Sunday.
"We're living in a crazy world, and what happened in Wisconsin proves it," Byers said.
http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/032305/loc_disarm23001.shtml
By Catherine Kavanaugh
Daily Tribune Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 23, 2005
ROYAL OAK — The school and day care center at Calvary Christian Church will be gun-free zones from now on.
Police Chief Ted Quisenberry said he warned church and school leaders not to carry concealed weapons near the children anymore after he read in the Daily Tribune about the Rev. Mark Byers' firearms policy.
Byers, 54, heads the non-denominational church on 11 Mile Road just west of I-75, where he encourages members to take advantage of an exemption in the state law regulating the carrying of concealed weapons that allows congregants to pack pistols at church with the pastor's permission.
Byers said he gave approval to individuals "in the highest standing in the church" to carry weapons. The pastor also told the Daily Tribune he let some employees of the
school and day care center, which are on church property, bring guns to work to guard against security breaches.
That was illegal, according to the police chief.
"Even though those facilities are part of the church, they are still separate entities to the state Legislature," Quisenberry said. "The Legislature clearly exempts churches in the (carrying concealed weapons) law, and if they wanted to do the same for day cares and schools, that's how the law would read."
Instead, the law specifically lists schools and private or public day care centers as "pistol-free zones" along with sports arenas, taverns, hospitals, college dorms, college classrooms and entertainment facilities with at least 2,500 seats.
The police chief said he met with Byers this week and told him school and day care workers will be prosecuted if they bring guns to work.
"The pastor said they won't do it again," Quisenberry added.
Violations of pistol-free zones are state civil infractions punishable by a fine up to $500 and a six-month permit suspension for the first offense. The penalty increases for second and third offenses, and violators could face a maximum of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
"We stopped as soon as we realized there was a conflict with our interpretation of the law," Byers said.
The pastor was basing his decisions on a Michigan State Police summary of CCW provisions "that is like a Reader's Digest version of the law," according to Quisenberry.
"We researched this and told the pastor how we are reading the law and what we will enforce," the chief said.
Byers said he has no problem complying with the law. However, he said he still sees a gray area that should be clarified by the Michigan Attorney General's Office in case staff at other schools or day care centers carry concealed weapons.
"We were functioning on faulty information," Byers said. "If we made that mistake, maybe others are, too."
The police chief responded: "My bet is no. I don't think other schools and day cares would even think of it."
The chief said he doesn't understand why Byers and Calvary Christian Church members would bring guns to Sunday services, let alone the elementary school and day care center.
"It's allowable at the church, but why they choose to do so is beyond me," Quisenberry said. "I don't see any public safety issues there."
The pastor said crime is everywhere. He said an armed carjacking suspect tried to get into the school a couple of years ago, and his son witnessed a recent bank robbery and had to give police a description of the culprit.
Byers also points to the Wisconsin church shooting that left seven dead and four wounded March 12. A gunman reportedly upset about a sermon two weeks prior fired off 22 rounds from a 9mm handgun, killing the minister and his son, among others, before killing himself at the church service at a hotel.
Byers said a shooting spree wouldn't be so bloody at Calvary Christian Church, where he estimates six to 12 worshippers carry concealed weapons every Sunday.
"We're living in a crazy world, and what happened in Wisconsin proves it," Byers said.
http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/032305/loc_disarm23001.shtml
