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Feds Release First Guidelines for Confronting a Church Shooter

By Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service
Photo courtesy RNS/iStockPhoto.
Gun laying on top of a wooden cross. Photo courtesy RNS/iStockPhoto.
Jun 19, 2013
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For the first time, the federal government has issued written guidelines for houses of worship that are confronted with a homicidal gunman.

Vice President Joe Biden released the new rules on Tuesday, six months after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left 26 dead, including 20 children.

Beyond seeking shelter and waiting for police to arrive, as many Newtown victims did, the new rules also advise adults in congregations to fight back — as a last resort — in a bid to stop the shooter. The new federal doctrine is “run, hide or fight.”

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Gun laying on top of a wooden cross. Photo courtesy RNS/iStockPhoto.
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