{"id":3540,"date":"2026-07-01T13:05:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T13:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540"},"modified":"2026-07-01T13:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T13:05:28","slug":"new-florida-law-allows-trained-volunteers-to-carry-guns-at-houses-of-worship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540","title":{"rendered":"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MIAMI \u2014 A new Florida law taking effect Tuesday gives churches, synagogues and mosques the option to authorize qualified volunteers to carry guns as part of their security teams.<\/p>\n

Read more Americans step out for their nation\u2019s 250th in a proud moment sown with division and doubt<\/a><\/p>\n

Supporters say the measure provides an added layer of protection for congregations, particularly smaller houses of worship that cannot afford professional security. Others, however, worry about introducing more firearms into places meant for prayer and peace.<\/p>\n

State Rep. Omar Blanco, a Republican who co-sponsored the legislation, said the law allows members of a congregation who are already legally permitted to carry a firearm to volunteer as part of a security team after meeting the law\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis law allows there to be volunteer armed security to protect the places of worship,\u201d Blanco said.<\/p>\n

Law aims to improve security<\/b><\/h3>\n

Lawmakers said the legislation was prompted by a series of deadly attacks at houses of worship across the United States over the past two decades.<\/p>\n

Blanco said there were 379 violent incidents at houses of worship nationwide between 2000 and 2024, resulting in 487 deaths and hundreds of injuries.<\/p>\n

The law is intended to supplement\u2014not replace\u2014law enforcement by providing an immediate response if violence breaks out before officers arrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially for those of smaller congregations that don\u2019t have the budgets to allow for armed security,\u201d Blanco said.<\/p>\n

To qualify, volunteers must be members of the congregation, be legally allowed to carry a firearm under Florida law and complete the required screening and training.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be legally able to constitutionally carry a weapon,\u201d Blanco said.<\/p>\n

Former Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said training and coordination with local law enforcement will be critical for any congregation choosing to participate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would encourage anyone who is thinking about having volunteers at their religious institution, or any individual themselves that are going to be taking part of this new process, to train themselves thoroughly,\u201d Morales said.<\/p>\n

Reactions vary among South Florida faith leaders<\/b><\/h3>\n

Religious leaders across South Florida are divided on whether they plan to participate.<\/p>\n

At the Islamic School of Miami in Kendall, security measures already include controlled-access gates, surveillance cameras and monitored entry points.<\/p>\n

Read more Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeats longtime US House incumbent in Colorado<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have cameras everywhere, we have signs everywhere, we have live TVs so we can see who came in from the gate up to here,\u201d said Bilal Karakira, of the Islamic School of Miami.<\/p>\n

Despite those precautions, Karakira said most members of the congregation oppose allowing armed volunteers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith my research with the congregants, male and female, I\u2019m telling you, more than 90% said no,\u201d he said. \u201cThey don\u2019t want that. They don\u2019t want guns on the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, worshippers already pass through metal detectors before entering services, while uniformed and undercover police officers provide security inside the church.<\/p>\n

Pastor Arthur Jackson said his church has the resources to maintain a comprehensive security plan but believes the law could benefit smaller congregations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows smaller congregations and less affluent congregations that can\u2019t staff a security team or have a full-time security team to have parishioners and volunteers to serve as their quasi-security staff,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Mak Kushner also expressed support for the law, emphasizing that any volunteers should be carefully selected.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone that\u2019s level-headed, someone that obviously has training, and someone that is capable of doing the job,\u201d Kushner said. \u201cAnd not just leaving it up to anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participation is optional<\/b><\/h3>\n

Blanco said the legislation is ultimately about ensuring Floridians can worship without fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think at the end of the day, this bill is so that every Floridian who wants to practice their faith can feel safe, protected and free to do so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The law does not require houses of worship to create volunteer security teams. The decision is left entirely to each congregation.<\/p>\n

Some South Florida religious institutions said they have no plans to participate, while others have already begun evaluating potential volunteers. Regardless of their approach, faith leaders say the shared goal is keeping worshippers safe.<\/p>\n

Read more Vance and Rubio take different approaches as Iran tests their 2028 prospects<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/div>\n
\n
Latest headlines from:<\/div>\n
\nMiami-Dade
\nBroward
\nFlorida Keys<\/p>\n
\nCities<\/span>\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
\n
\nMiami
\nFort Lauderdale
\nCoral Springs
\nDavie
\nDeerfield Beach
\nDoral
\nHialeah
\nHollywood
\nHomestead
\nLauderhill
\nMiami Beach
\nMiami Gardens
\nMiramar
\nPembroke Pines
\nPlantation
\nPompano Beach
\nSunrise
\nTamarac\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new Florida law taking effect Tuesday gives churches, synagogues and mosques the option to authorize qualified volunteers to carry guns as part of their security teams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship - South Florida Moving Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship - South Florida Moving Guides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A new Florida law taking effect Tuesday gives churches, synagogues and mosques the option to authorize qualified volunteers to carry guns as part of their security teams.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Florida Moving Guides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T13:05:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/20969a46eb23057893f2f0726e65003e\"},\"headline\":\"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T13:05:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540\"},\"wordCount\":766,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/8fc3d862f2ecbe4747703114b1af64ff.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540\",\"name\":\"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship - South Florida Moving Guides\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/8fc3d862f2ecbe4747703114b1af64ff.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T13:05:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/20969a46eb23057893f2f0726e65003e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/8fc3d862f2ecbe4747703114b1af64ff.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/8fc3d862f2ecbe4747703114b1af64ff.avif\",\"width\":700,\"height\":394},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?p=3540#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"South Florida Moving Guides\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/20969a46eb23057893f2f0726e65003e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/southfloridamovingguides.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship - South Florida Moving Guides","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship - South Florida Moving Guides","og_description":"A new Florida law taking effect Tuesday gives churches, synagogues and mosques the option to authorize qualified volunteers to carry guns as part of their security teams.","og_url":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540","og_site_name":"South Florida Moving Guides","article_published_time":"2026-07-01T13:05:28+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/#\/schema\/person\/20969a46eb23057893f2f0726e65003e"},"headline":"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship","datePublished":"2026-07-01T13:05:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540"},"wordCount":766,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8fc3d862f2ecbe4747703114b1af64ff.avif","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540","url":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540","name":"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship - South Florida Moving Guides","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8fc3d862f2ecbe4747703114b1af64ff.avif","datePublished":"2026-07-01T13:05:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/#\/schema\/person\/20969a46eb23057893f2f0726e65003e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8fc3d862f2ecbe4747703114b1af64ff.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8fc3d862f2ecbe4747703114b1af64ff.avif","width":700,"height":394},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3540#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New Florida law allows trained volunteers to carry guns at houses of worship"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/","name":"South Florida Moving Guides","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/#\/schema\/person\/20969a46eb23057893f2f0726e65003e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com"],"url":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}