This Texas County Now Allows Employees To Carry Concealed On The Job

GAINES COUNTY, TEXAS — Gaines County Judge Tom Keyes has approved a measure which will allow Gaines County employees to carry their concealed firearms with them. The new measure was first proposed in January and the county commissioner of Gaines County just approved it in March. The rationale, according to the judge, is simple: criminals love gun free zones. Why put county employees at further risk?

via KCBD

“The statistics seem to suggest people commit gun violence in no gun zones. Perhaps the presence of guns can help reduce the commission of gun crimes,” Keyes said.

While the measure has just recently gone into effect, it’s likely impossible we’ll ever know whether armed criminals will be intelligent enough to grasp the concept that the clerks and offices they’ll be dealing with will be equally prepared. It’s our distinct hope that with the abolishment of each “gun free zone”, no one has to ever find out.

The new measure stipulates that Gaines County employees must have a valid license to carry a concealed firearm and keep it concealed at all times. The judge stipulated that all concealed carriers must be trained and licensed but training is a requirement for all Texans with a permit to carry concealed in the first place.

It would be good to see more county and municipal offices take an equal stance on this because these employees sometimes deal with some pretty distressed and irate people. No one has the right to usurp a person’s ability to defend his or her life — and measures like this seek to enforce that throughout.

Now, with that responsibility, it’s up to county employees to take full advantage of it by getting trained, permitted, and above all else — carry every day.