Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signs a law that will allow places of worship to designate some members to undergo firearms training and carry weapons inside church to protect the congregation. The governor's handgun rests on a book. (Clay Chandler/AP)

MISSISSIPPI

Governor signs bill on guns in churches

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) signed a gun rights bill on Friday allowing churches to create security programs designating members to carry firearms to defend worshipers against violence.

A holstered gun sat on top of a Bible on the governor’s desk when he signed the legislation, which he said would help protect worshipers from attackers.

The Church Protection Act allows places of worship to designate members to undergo firearms training so they can provide armed security for their congregations. It specifies that those designated can carry guns into church buildings and gives them legal protections.

The law also loosens gun permit requirements by allowing people to carry holstered weapons without a permit, making Mississippi the ninth state with such a law, said National Rifle Association (NRA) spokeswoman Amy Hunter.

The Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police says that part of the bill dismantles the state’s licensing system and makes it harder to check whether someone with a gun is a violent criminal. Other opponents say it endangers people by putting more guns in untrained hands.

Bryant also signed into law a ban on a commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure, setting the state up for a possible legal challenge. The law outlaws “dilation and evacuation” unless it is necessary to prevent a woman’s irreversible physical impairment. Groups that oppose restrictions on abortion say the law could force physicians to use another method of abortion that could be riskier, longer and more painful to the woman.

— From news services

HEALTH

CDC: Zika can spread by male-to-male sex

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed this week that the first U.S. case of sexual transmission of the Zika virus involved two men.

In a report, the CDC said the transmission involved a Dallas man who traveled to Venezuela before returning home and infecting his partner. The case indicates the virus can be transmitted through anal sex, as well as vaginal sex, officials said. Until now, published cases have documented transmission from infected men to their female partners through vaginal sex.

The sexual transmission in Dallas was reported in February and prompted the CDC to quickly issue recommendations urging the use of condoms. The virus is spread primarily by mosquitoes, but scientists researching the Zika epidemic in the Americas now know that sexual transmission is more common than previously thought.

— Lena H. Sun

Zoo tiger kills handler: A Florida zoo worker died Friday after being attacked by a Malayan tiger during a routine procedure at the Palm Beach Zoo, officials said. Zoo spokeswoman Naki Carter said Stacey Konwiser, 38, was killed Friday afternoon by a 13-year-old male tiger. Police said the tiger was tranquilized.

— From news services