January 1, Sheriff’s Office Faces Outrage After Sharing Photo of Santa Getting Handgun Permit

Colorado’s El Paso County Sheriff’s Office faced outrage after tweeting a photo of a man dressed as Santa Claus applying for a concealed handgun permit.

“Guess who came in to receive his concealed handgun permit today?” the sheriff’s office tweeted alongside the photo and a Santa Claus emoji.

“Did you know the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has issued 49,750 concealed handgun permits with another 2,560 awaiting to be issued?” the tweet continued, concluding with a link to its website for more information on how to obtain a concealed handgun permit.

Many people took exception to the post, finding the timing insensitive given the recent shooting at a high school in Oxford, Michigan.

“I’m sitting here in downtown Oxford, MI, waiting for the candlelight vigil to start to pay tribute to four students who were murdered by a handgun smuggled into the school. But by all means, tell kids Santa carries a concealed weapon,” one person wrote.

“Respectfully, as an Australian, this sort of thing very neatly illustrates the US’s completely insane & deeply unhealthy relationship with firearms,” another wrote.

The sheriff’s office posted an explanation later that same day.

“EPSO intended to highlight our staff in the Concealed Handgun Permit Office, not to be insensitive. Santa correlates to the month of December and we thought he would help to recognize our hard working staff,” the tweet read.

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Outcry after Colorado sheriff’s office tweets photo of Santa getting handgun permit