Ga. ministers files lawsuit challenging ban on guns in churches after US Supreme Court ruling

Ga. minister files lawsuit over guns in churches

ATLANTA — A minister in Georgia is challenging the state’s ban on guns in churches after the U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a decision supporting Americans’ right to keep and bear arms.

The Rev. Jonathan Wilkins accuses state officials of violating his First Amendment freedom of religion right and his Second Amendment right to bear arms. Wilkins’ attorney John Monroe said Friday that the minister wants to carry a gun to church for protection considering church shootings over the years.

Wilkins is a minister at the Baptist Tabernacle in Thomaston in central Georgia. The lawsuit is being filed on his behalf as well as a handful of gun rights advocates.

The lawsuit was widely expected following the Supreme Court’s decision.