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'Disgusting and insensitive': Colorado sheriff's office slammed for giving 'gun permit to Santa'

'Christmas is a time of peace and joy, not guns and division,' a user tweeted, slamming the El Paso County Sheriff's Office

El Paso County Sheriff's Office in Colorado faced the wrath of the Internet after they tweeted a celebratory post about Santa getting his permit for concealed handgun. Lauding the large number of personal firearm permits issued this year, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office tweeted, "Guess who came in to receive his Concealed Handgun Permit today? 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?"

They shared a photo of a man dressed like Santa getting his gun permit from the Sheriff's office. Though the authorities considered this a celebratory feat, their intent backfired as the tweet attracted only online criticism from Twitter users. Especially because El Paso County in Colorado had a mass shooting this year that claimed the lives of six people. 

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According to reports, the gun-toting Santa was not a staged photo, but happened in real life. A man wearing red suspenders and red pants and sporting the Santa beard actually visited the Sheriff's office to get his handgun permit. The incident prompted spokeswoman Lt Deborah Mynatt to make a "fun, educational" post for social media.

The post racked up intense criticism within minutes as Twitter users dubbed it 'gross', 'disgusting' and 'insensitive'. Eventually the EPSO posted a clarification that they did not mean to be insensitive with their tweet. "EPSO intended to highlight our staff in the Concealed Handgun Permit Office, not to be insensitive. Santa correlates to the month of December and we thought he would help to recognize our hard working staff," they stated. 

However, their apology did little to placate social media users who continued to demand that they take down the post. "I’m sitting here in downtown Oxford, MI, waiting for the candlelight vigil to start to pay tribute to 4 students who were murdered by a handgun smuggled into the school. But by all means, tell kids Santa carries a concealed weapon," one user tweeted. "Gun people are invariably the bottom rung of society. Let me know when you've handed out 49,750 new library cards," another user suggested. A third user tweeted, "Disgusting. Those interact w kids have no place carrying concealed handguns. Do those you issue these permits to know how to lock & secure their firearms? Do they have any firearm safety training? You’re actively making society less safe, rather than “protecting and serving.“

"This is gross, Santa is for children. advertising weapons for children is horrible and they can’t legally have one. Christmas is a time of peace and joy, not guns and division. Ask any Jesus," another user slammed the EPSO.