PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- A group of protesters from Kansas are planning a rally outside a local soldier’s funeral in Port Orchard Friday afternoon.

Sgt. First class Johnny Walls, 41, was killed on Nov. 2 during a small-arms fire from enemies in Afghanistan.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church plan to raise their signs and chant messages saying, "God is punishing the United States by killing its soldiers because of our country’s tolerance of gay people."

“Them people is sick in the head I tell you,” Port Orchard resident Walter Barrett said. “It’s out of this world, just plain stupid.”

According to state law, the protesters must stay 500 feet away from the church.

“They should just let people mourn,” one woman said.

Bob Hultberg runs a Christmas tree lot near the intersections where the protesters will be and he said he may bring an American flag on Friday to show respect for the Walls’ family.

"What if one of their loved ones died and because we don’t believe their philosophy we protested their funeral? And we all stood around and mocked them? That doesn’t make much sense either,” Hultberg said.

In a statement issued from Walls’ family they said, “Our hope was that the few protesters who planned to dishonor Johnny and his memorial service would not receive any publicity. However, since it is now well-known by the media our only response would be to say thank you to the overall support of our great military community. Johnny gave his life in defense of his team, the Afghan soldiers whom he mentored, and for peace and freedom of our nation and the nation of Afghanistan. Our family's standard is based on King Solomon's wisdom of Proverbs, 'Let kindness be the rule for everything you say.'"

Kitsap County Sheriff’s officials said they have heard that counter protesters are planning a rally and deputies will be there to make sure things don’t get violent.

“This is what they want. They want to incite emotions, they want people to be angry,” Deputy Scott Wilson said.

The Westboro Baptist church is not affiliated with the mainstream Baptist church.

Earlier this month a federal jury ordered the group to pay $ 11 million in damages to the father of a Marine after the group picketed at his memorial service.

The group is appealing the ruling.