Pistol-Packing Pastor Quits to Work for Gun Rights, Protecting Churches

Jim Taylor got the call to go to Mozambique and sold nearly everything to go do that. Ken Pagano got the call to defend Christians by defending 2nd Amendment Rights (might be a very timely calling, too) and that's what he's going to do.

A pistol-packing pastor who drew national attention earlier this year for hosting a "God-and-Guns" event at his church is stepping down from the pulpit to serve his flock with a new mission.

Pastor Ken Pagano ended his 30-year career last month when he resigned from the New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., saying that he wants to focus on church security and Second Amendment rights — a crusade he insists is better fought outside the ministry.

"Thirty years was a good, long run, but it's time for a change," Pagano told the Washington Times. "If I can write my own ticket, I want to get involved more in Second Amendment issues as they affect the church, and I can do more from outside the pulpit than from behind it," Pagano told the paper.

About 200 people attended Pagano's "Open Carry Celebration" at the New Bethel Church in June. The event commemorated the roles of religion and gun ownership in American history, and included a handgun raffle. Attendees were also provided with firearms-safety information.

While Pagano says the event drew mostly positive responses, it made him realize that he might have another calling — keeping worshippers safe.