LDS bar guns at church

Invoking a state law, LDS Church leaders are putting gun owners on notice that the weapons are unwelcome in ward houses, temples and other church facilities in Utah.

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a written statement Friday that it had mailed a letter drafted Jan. 16 to local-level leaders informing them of plans to follow "Utah law and give public notice that firearms are prohibited in the church's houses of worship, including temples, meetinghouses, the Assembly Hall, the Salt Lake Tabernacle and the Conference Center."

Utah's 50,000 concealed weapons permit holders are allowed to carry their guns "without restriction" except in previously designated places like airports, jails and courthouses, which have other kinds of security.

The law also allows churches to adopt a no-guns policy but requires those organizations to make such policies public.

Under the notification options put in law by legislators last year, churches may publish their policies in a newsletter, bulletin, worship program or newspaper of general circulation. Those that opt to do so must also register with the state Bureau of Criminal Identification, which posts the names of registered organizations on its Web site.

Churches may also publicize a no-gun policy through personal communication to the permit holder, the posting of signs on a building or an announcement from the pulpit.

"The (LDS) Church will register its position with the State Bureau of Criminal Investigation and provide notice in the newspaper," the Friday statement reads. Currently, only three churches — St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Shepherd of the Mountain Lutheran Church in Park City and the Summum Church of Salt Lake City — have registered with the state.

The decision by LDS leadership to register puts the church in compliance with state law while at the same time setting the faith apart from other denominations in the Salt Lake Valley that oppose the registration requirement. In December, leaders from about two dozen religious organizations, including the Roman Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church, said they believe that under the protections of the U.S. Constitution, Utah has no jurisdiction to dictate how churches must handle such policy.

The LDS Church officials did not take a stand with other faiths in December, saying at the time they had not determined their position, said Toni Marie Sutliff, a member of the Episcopal Church's statewide lay leadership.