The El Paso county sheriff's office in Colorado thought it would be cute to tweet a photo of Santa applying for a concealed handgun permit — and they posted it just three days after the deadly Michigan high school shooting last week, in which a 15-year-old boy killed four students and injured seven other people.
"Guess who came in to receive his Concealed Handgun Permit today," the tweet, posted December 3, said, along with a Santa 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 then offers a link for more details on how to apply.
From The Guardian:
By Monday, the post had been commented on and shared more than 5,000 times.
Many condemned the insensitivity of such a post so soon after the deadliest US high school shooting this year, in which in Oxford, Michigan last Tuesday a 15-year-old killed four students and injured seven people including a teacher.
"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 replied.
Another wrote: "The families of the kids slaughtered in Oxford, MI would like a word. My daughter, who's best friend is fighting for his life due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, would like one as well. This is a reason this keeps happening."
Another wrote: "I don't think the idea of Santa needing a handgun is as uplifting as you think it is."
The El Paso sheriff's office said that it had "intended to highlight our staff in the concealed handgun permit office, not to be insensitive.
With 222 school shooting so far in 2021, you'd think it would be obvious why using Santa — who appeals to more children than any other mythical character on Earth — to promote guns is appalling, not to mention egregiously irresponsible.
