Polk sheriff recommends armed security for churches

LAKELAND (FOX 13) - Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and President Donald Trump are seeing eye to eye following the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh over the weekend. 

The call from some to protect churchgoers with arms came after the president tweeted, "If they had some kind of protection inside the Temple, it would have been a much different situation."

Judd said he advocates having guns in houses of worship.

"If the active shooter is starting in the back door of your house of worship, you need to shoot him a lot," Judd told FOX 13. “Shoot him so you can read a newspaper through him.”

Judd admits that guns in churches, synagogues, or mosques could make some people uncomfortable. But he says it is a new world and people have to come to terms with it.

“We can live in denial for as long as we want to, but the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” he said.

He says the guns should be concealed and the people carrying them should be well-trained.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office offers free courses on how to carry a gun and survive an active shooter. The classes are designed for houses of worship, businesses, and individuals who want to be prepared, just in case.

The sheriff's next Active Assailant Training class is coming up Tuesday, November 20 at the PCSO Sheriff’s Operations Center, located 1891 Jim Keene Blvd, Winter Haven, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The sheriff’s office also teaches concealed weapons permit courses.  You can reach out to them for more information: crimeprevention@polksheriff.org.