Colorado police prompt anger with tweet about Santa collecting concealed handgun permit
Sheriff’s deputies defended tweet amid insensitivity claims
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Social media users condemned a Colorado sheriff’s office at the weekend after it shared a Twitter post about Santa collecting a concealed handgun permit.
Taking to Twitter on Friday, the sheriff’s office in El Paso County shared an image of a so-called “Santa” along with a caption about collecting a handgun permit.
“Guess who came in to receive his Concealed Handgun Permit today,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that it was among the “49,750 Concealed Handgun Permits” issued by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) so far in 2021.
“Annnnnd Santa’s no longer allowed at my aunt’s house,” an angry Twitter user wrote, with many accusing EPSO of trivialising firearms with Santa, a children’s character.
“Perhaps equating a beloved children’s character with instruments of death would create some insensitivity,” added another in a tweet. “There’s enough people shooting up schools as is.”
EPSO blocked replies from Twitter users a few hours after tweeting out the Santa image following the accusations of insensitivity.
“EPSO intended to highlight our staff in the Concealed Handgun Permit Office, not to be insensitive”, it said in a following tweet. “Santa correlates to the month of December and we thought he would help to recognise our hard working staff.”
The controversy followed the school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, last Tuesday in which four students were fatally wounded, and others injured.
The parents of Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old student, meanwhile face charges of “negligence” for the tragedy.
“So it’s all about attaboys for you guys, huh? Nothing to do with being tone deaf after another school shooting where four families won’t be celebrating the holidays with their child ever again,” a Twitter user wrote of the timing.