Florida State Sen. Don Gaetz (R) is pushing legislation to allow churches to use volunteer security rather than being required to pay to hire licensed security personnel.
FOX News reported that Gaetz’s legislation is Senate Bill 52, which has already passed the state’s Senate and will now be weighed by the House.
FOX 13 noted, “Supporters say…[the bill is] aimed at cutting costs while keeping people safe in places of worship.”
Triumph Church of Tampa pastor Elvis Piggott pointed out that “it can get very costly” under the current requirement for licensed security. He said, “Just for myself at an event could be roughly $900 to $1,000 for two hours.”
If passed by the House and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), SB 52 would take effect in July of this year.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at
