Crestwood gun range teaches churches how to be better prepared in case of active shooter

CRESTWOOD, Ky. (WDRB) -- Crestwood's OpenRange hosted a church safety seminar aimed at helping gun owners at churches be better prepared.

To set the mood, the class was held in the pit of one of the gun ranges.

"It's sobering," Marlan Ingram, director of training said. "It brings a certain reality because if someone walks into your church or facility and they start shooting, you are on a shooting range."

About 30 people filled into the range Wednesday night, including gun owner and gospel choir singer Terra Leavell.

She says she wants to feel prepared to face reality if it happens at her church.

"I'm just praying for society as a whole," Leavell said. "It's really scary to think you could leave your home and not be safe."

Being prepared can be a game changer, like in Nashville. Ingram said a pastor on Sunday did exactly what he'd recommend, tackling the gunman from behind to disarm him.

Another lesson, don't make it easy for a gunman to get in. In 2018, police said a gunman tried to go into First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown before he went and killed two people at a Kroger — but the doors were locked.

"To simply hope that the problem goes away, that's not a reality. That's not a method," Ingram said. "You have to have people who are prepared to respond, but once again, they have to be trained to respond as well."

OpenRange said it expects to host another church safety seminar in about six months.