A Brooklyn preacher is calling on city and state leaders to give clergy members frictionless access to gun permits after becoming the victim of a recent robbery.
At a Friday press conference, Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead of the Leaders of Tomorrow International Church made his plea.
“They need to pass a law expeditiously that pastors of houses of worship — anyone on the ecclesiastical staff — need to be able to have permits for firearms,” he said, per Fox Digital. “If the teachers can have it, we should be able to have it.”
Miller-Whitehead, who spent five years behind bars for a felony conviction related to identity theft, believes that despite his criminal record those with a privileged access to grace should have the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense outside the home.
“No matter if we have a record, it should be exempt,” Miller-Whitehead explained. “So we should be able to bear arms as the Constitution says.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was asked about Miller-Whitehead’s request.
“Do you think it’s a good idea that like clergy should get a special dispensation when it comes to gun permits?” a reporter asked the mayor on Monday during a press conference about expanding the city’s speed camera program.
“No,” Mayor Adams said, with a chuckle. Mayor Adams is apparently a longtime friend of Miller-Whitehead.
The bishop was robbed while recording an online sermon on July 24. Three masked men held Miller-Whitehead at gunpoint and made off with over $1 million in jewelry.
Along with calling on city and state leaders to step in, Miller-Whitehead made an appeal to President Biden.
“I’m calling on every elected official that has power to protect houses of worship,” the bishop said. “We need protection. We need you to sympathize with us. We don’t get the luxury of having firearms. All we’re asking is help us protect ourselves. Pass a law where we can carry our firearms, because this gun violence has gone to a new level.”
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Back in June, the Supreme Court struck down New York’s restrictive “may-issue” concealed carry standard that required citizens to provide to the state a “proper cause” on why they needed to exercise their 2A rights.
This “proper cause” scheme was used by state officials to arbitrarily deny permits to ordinary New Yorkers, thus, in effect, creating a “no-issue” standard.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Gov. Kathy Hochul immediately passed new gun laws that work to keep the de facto “no-issue” standard in place, including requirements that an applicant: display “good moral character,” disclose their social media accounts, have in-person interviews with law enforcement, provide character references, and undergo 18 hours of training.
Gun Owners of America has already sued Gov. Hochul in federal court over the new requirements.
“Instead of acknowledging the clear line in the sand drawn by the U.S. Supreme Court, Governor Hochul and the radical anti-gunners in Albany are doubling down on nearly every front to restrict the rights of their citizens to carry arms for self-defense,” said Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President in a press release obtained by GunsAmerica.
“Especially when crime is on the rise in places like New York City, GOA stands ready to fight for Americans’ right to defend themselves in public when danger rises,” he added.
Unfortunately for Bishop Miller-Whitehead, as a convicted felon, it’s unlikely that he will be able to obtain a permit even if GOA succeeds in its lawsuit. Longstanding federal law bans prohibited persons (felons, minors, fugitives from justice, mental defectives, etc.) from possessing firearms.
If you didn’t harm someone with a weapon and you did your time. You should have your human right of effective self defense restored.
But I also think if you stole someone’s identity and jacked up their life,they or someone they designate is allowed to give you 10 lashes with a 3/4″ 4feet long rattan rod across your buttocks after your jail time. Call me cruel I give zero effs
I have no problem with felons not having firearms, one less potential repeat criminal.
what ever happened to turn the other cheek???
Jeez the hypocrisy of these people is blinding. 1 million in jewelry? I should have become a felon pastor.
The Bible warns about false prophets …
You’re no “man of God”. You’re a grifter, a charlatan, a THIEF! You take money from people by “spreading the word”, yet use it to purchase expensive jewelry and cars, houses, vacations, etc. You are Joe/Hunter without the politics.
Thankfully I live in Louisiana and Baton Rouge just passed a law that if you are an honorable discharged veteran or active duty you can conceal carry without a permit just proof of such mentioned status by paperwork or Vet status on drivers lic.
Myself being a Vietnam vet and former law enforce off. I never considered conceal carry but the way things are going now I have second thoughts.
What a country, a convicted felon that has scammed his way to a church and accumulated 1 million dollars in just jewelry and is a close friend of the scumbag mayor of N. Y. C. He becomes a victim of his own people. What a curious turn of events.
The second amendment is clear about guns for self and family protection! I applied for a conceal carry permit in Orange County Ca. I was married and had children living at home! Even though I met all requirements and sent to St Louis for DD 214 I had a honorable discharge! Sherriff’s Hutchinson
denied as she was waiting for a pending case in San Diego , Puruta vs San Diego!
That case had nothing to do with Orange County! I moved to Tennessee and got met all requirements and finally got a concealed carry permit. I’ve never had to shoot anyone but I feel a lot safer. As far as ex convicts you have to actually look at the cases individually! If they convicted in a violent crime I would deny but not all ex cons are bad people and in this day in age you can buy guns at garage sales! Wouldn’t it help if the good guys had a permit?
He was robbed of over one million dollars in jewelry while recording a sermon?
It appears Im in the wrong line of work.
Let me get my head around this: a convicted felon has accumulated over $1,000,000 in jewelry. Wow, the American dream.
A “man of God” flaunting his riches to the poor people he preaches to? Seems apropos to me that he was robbed. What a hypocrite.
Sorry , Vicar .
Felons are prohibited from firearm possession .
( That’s the way it’s supposed to be .)
‘ Might wanna contact your criminal associates or
former cell mates to assist you in that matter .
This presents some interesting church and state questions. Setting up an express lane for clergy might run afoul of “separation of church and state” but seeing as how that came from one of Jefferson’s letters and not the First Amendment, it lacks the force of law. Preferred issuance of carry permits for clergy doesn’t seem like establishing a state religion but at the same time it does feel like a religious test. But, is the prohibition against religious tests just for the feds or does it apply to the states too?
Refreshing to see you stopped just short of claiming the “separation” clause is actually in the Constitution . This really isn’t a “religious test” but a discrimination test: should any group receive preference in its execution of Constitutional rights? The answer should be “no;” everyone should enjoy equal rights (or equal abuse in the case of states like NY, IL. &CA)
Here we go again, stirring the pot. It could just be a bad boy Felon who voided his rights by breaking the law.. Play by the rules[to some extent] and live in society or proselytize in some sham of a church.. I am not going to define what legally defines a church. I will only paraphrase – “There’s a sucker born every minute” is a phrase closely associated with P. T. Barnum, which seems to come to mind.