BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the state's gun law that prohibited concealed carry in houses of worship.
The recent ruling sided with two WNY congregational leaders who filed a lawsuit regarding the gun law just last week on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Pastor Jimmie Hardaway and Bishop Larry Boyd, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, both claimed that carrying weapons in their churches would benefit them in cases of self-defense or other similar situations.
U.S. District Judge John Sinatra Jr. ruled in favor of the two leaders, writing that allowing people to carry guns in places of worship "would serve the public interest of fostering self-defense at places of worship across the state."
Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn, who was named in the lawsuit, says that he is "prohibited" from prosecuting cases concerning the blocked law and that he has "notified all police agencies in Erie County to not charge that crime temporarily."
The matter is scheduled to be argued further in court on Nov. 3.
