So fortunately i was not at my church last Saturday evening so the details are all seecond hand and there are a lot of what ifs but help me think this through.

There were two guys involved in a shootout at the gas station across the street from my church as people were gathering for service.  They began chasing each other and moving towards our parking lot.  What would you do?

Thankfully it ended before they got completely across the street and none of our parishoners were harmed but it did get me thinking.

I do carry (yes, even to church) and i do have a long gun in my vehicle.  So my thoughts have ranged from call 911 and alert the other parishoners in our parking lot to grabbing my rifle and setting up a sort of perimeter that if broken i would take action or if bullets started hitting close by return fire to hiding behind my car and crying like a baby...

Again, what would you do and for our LE guys, what can I legally do?  Do i go to jail if I open fire on two guys having a shootout that is endangering others?

Just my two penny. If they are shooting at each other, leave them alone. You never know the story or who one or they may be. Call the police and stand guard for those you care for.

If they/he comes into the church and you perceive a threat then take action.

I would say "Get Out" but I hate conceding ground to the Welfare Crowd.

I'm not LE anymore, but I am the Director of Security at my church.  We're located on a busy US highway, with a car dealership, gas station, apartment complex and residential homes surrounding our property.

I've told our folks that our responsibility ends at our property line.  If we see something going on in the car dealership, gas station, etc, we be a good neighbor and call 911 to get the police involved.

However, if something spills on to our property, we can get involved and take action, such as locking down the church, or other options depending on the situation.  I also stress calling 911 when in doubt.

FPNI