(MLIVE) — An Ann Arbor Catholic priest announced that he will continue to hold concealed pistol license (CPL) classes at Christ the King parish and urged his parishioners to arm themselves, according to a letter he sent following the announcement of the lessons.
The Rev. Edward Fride, who sent the letter, called upon his parishioners to not allow themselves to "assume that they live in Mayberry [the fictional North Carolina home of Andy Griffith], trusting that because they know the Lord Jesus, everything will always be fine and nothing bad can happen to them and their families."
Fride first made the announcement about the classes at a Palm Sunday Mass, and the letter was sent to explain his reasoning for offering the CPL lessons. He said that some people expressed discomfort with the idea of guns in the church or the class being held on the church's property, 4000 Ave Maria Dr.
"Several people have said to me, I'm afraid of guns," he wrote. "My response to one woman was, 'well, how do you feel about rape?'"