This was a different kind of shotgun wedding ceremony.

Some couples gathering to exchange or renew wedding vows at a controversial church in Pennsylvania on Wednesday carried AR-15 rifles during the ceremony, WFMZ reported.

The ceremony comes two weeks after an AR-15 was used to kill 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

Ammunition was not allowed in the church, and guns were zip-tied at the door, WFMZ reported.

Wednesday, members of Sanctuary Church in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, said they were following God’s will to honor the Second Amendment, WFMZ reported,

Pastor Hyung Jin Moon said in a prayer that God gave people the right to bear arms, according to The Times-Tribune of Scranton. Moon is the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who founded the Unification Church.

Moon and his followers believe the AR-15 is a symbol of the “rod of iron” described in the Bible’s book of Revelation, the Times-Tribune reported.

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A Korean Air plane takes off from Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. The plane is chartered to bring back Korean workers detained in an immigration raid in Georgia. (Yonhap via AP)

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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