NY Sheriff Urges County Residents to Carry Guns in Wake of California Shooting

On December 3, Ulster County Sheriff Paul J. Van Blarcum reacted to news of the California shooting by urging all county residents with concealed carry licenses to begin carrying a gun with them throughout their day.

Sheriff Blarcum posted the following to Facebook:

ATTENTION LICENSED HANDGUN OWNERS

In light of recent events that have occurred in the United States and around the world I want to encourage citizens of Ulster County who are licensed to carry a firearm to PLEASE DO SO.

I urge you to responsibly take advantage of your legal right to carry a firearm. To ensure the safety of yourself and others, make sure you are comfortable and proficient with your weapon, and knowledgeable of the laws in New York State with regards to carrying a weapon and when it is legal to use it.

I also want to remind all Police/Peace Officers both active duty and retired to please carry a weapon whenever you leave your house. We are the thin blue line that is entrusted in keeping this country safe, and we must be prepared to act at any given moment.

Thank you,

Paul J. Van Blarcum
Ulster County Sheriff

Ulster County is located in New York, approximately an hour north of New York City.

Blarcum’s announcement comes a day after President Obama and Democrat presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley took a different tack: they called for stricter limits on access to firearms via gun control. Moreover, Clinton and O’Malley called for more gun control–before the attackers, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, had been identified.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.