Orange County Sheriff, DA 'Fully Support' Citizens Carrying Licensed Firearms
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The Sheriff of upstate Ulster County made waves Thursday when he called on all citizens there licensed to carry handguns to start doing so.
Now the Sheriff and District Attorney of neighboring Orange County, a little more than an hour north of New York City, are sounding off on the idea.
"This country was founded, in part, on the principle that the responsible use of firearms is an important safeguard to our liberty. We have always fully supported the law-abiding citizen's right to responsibly bear firearms and continue to do so," District Attorney David Hoovler and Sheriff Carl DuBois said in a joint statement. "We have arrested and prosecuted licensed gun holders who have acted recklessly or unlawfully with their firearms. The vast majority of firearm permit holders act responsibly and realize that holding a pistol permit does not make them either police officers or vigilantes. We encourage all licensed gun holders to continue to take advantage of gun safety courses such as those offered by the various sportsmen's associations, other Orange County gun safety instructors, and the Orange County Sheriff's Office, which who also offers a civilian tactical handgun training program."
Information on the gun safety programs can be found by clicking here.
On Thursday, Ulster County Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum posted a message on Facebook urging citizens there to start carrying their licensed firearms. He wrote the post on the heels of terrorist attacks in Paris and the mass shooting in San Bernardino. Officials said Friday the San Bernardino was being investigated "as an act of terrorism."
December 3, 2015 ATTENTION LICENSED HANDGUN OWNERS In light of recent events that have occurred in the United States...
Posted by Ulster County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, December 3, 2015
Van Blarcum told CBS2's Sonia Rincon he did not expect his post to spark debate.
"All I was doing was reminding people that here in Ulster County, if you are a licensed handgun owner, and you feel comfortable carrying that handgun, you're proficient with that handgun, and you're responsible with that handgun, then I encourage you to carry that handgun," he said.