Mississippi governor signs law allowing church members to carry guns

The bill was written after nine churchgoers were killed in South Carolina last year

(Scott Barbour/Getty)

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a bill into law on Friday that will church members to undergo firearms training to enhance security at their places of worship.

The Mississippi Church Protection Act specifies that those designated can carry guns into church buildings. It also allows people to carry holstered weapons without a permit.

Republican state representative Andy Gipson wrote the bill following the mass shooting that left nine practitioners dead at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

"The bill is effective immediately and, among other things, extends the protections of the castle doctrine to local churches who elect to establish a trained and licensed security team for protection of the congregation," Gipson wrote in a Facebook post. "Thank you Gov. Bryant!”

The Mississippi Association of Police Chiefs said that they oppose a portion of the bill that loosens permit requirements, the Associated Press reports, claiming that it dismisses Mississippi's licensing system, making it harder to ensure that violent criminals aren't toting guns inside churches.

Only two states, Georgia and North Dakota, prohibit guns from places of worship, ABC News reports, while eight states prevent concealed carry permit holders from bringing firearms into houses of worship.