HOWELL, Mich. (WXYZ) — Days before a gunman showed up at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, members of that church and its volunteer security team were learning how to protect their house of worship.
Watch the video report below:
"If it isn't the norm for your church, it's probably the time to start thinking about it," said Matt Balla from Peacemakers Gun Range in Howell.
Hear more from Matt Balla in the video player below:
Churches across Michigan are taking security training seriously, from foundational gun handling abilities to more advanced skills.
"Working our way up from just a basic holster draw to what if there's multiple targets, multiple threats," Brad McClements, training coordinator at Peacemakers, said.
Web extra: Brad McClements talks about approaching a defensive situation
Balla says the CrossPointe Community Church safety team is among dozens of churches throughout Michigan that train at his facility each year. The team completed a class on protecting houses of worship offered by the United States Concealed Carry Association just days before Brian Browning tried to carry out a mass shooting at the church.
Previous coverage: Pastor, security team member, and parishioner reflect on attack at church
"This past weekend was prime evidence that concerned citizens who have taken the time to empower themselves through training, through awareness and were ready to act and did so decisively and undoubtedly saved countless lives," said John “Rob” Chadwick, head of public and private safety for USCCA and former FBI agent.
Chadwick says there are growing threats against religious institutions, and USCCA is offering house of worship security training at no charge. You can search for those classes on their website.
Hear more from John “Rob” Chadwick in the video player below:
"We are offering this kind of training literally every day in every corner of the United States. Hundreds of free training classes, everything from protecting houses of worship to emergency first aid fundamentals, to situational awareness," Chadwick said.
Much of the training focuses heavily on what to do and what to look for long before a firearm is ever involved.
"The firearm is there as an absolute last resort. We don't want to have to use these things," McClements said.
Web extra: Brad McClements talks about navigating around a barrier
Jay Trombley, the CrossPointe safety team member who shot and killed the mass shooting suspect, says the USCCA training at Peacemakers is just one piece of the puzzle their team employs to build and sharpen their skillset to protect their church.
"For many years, as we have trained and practiced and had meetings and evaluated the safety of our building and how to handle situations like this because we know they happen," Trombley said.
Watch when we spoke with Jay Trombley after the shooting below:
When asked what advice he would give to churches, synagogues and mosques that are beginning to think more seriously about security, Balla’s answer was simple: "be prepared."
