CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N.Y. – After the Ulster County Sheriff called on anyone licensed to carry a gun to do so following the terrorist attack in California, Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace weighed in with his position on the topic.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Gerace said that just because someone might be licensed to carry a firearm doesn’t mean they necessarily should. He said while he supports the second amendment, there is a lot of responsibility if someone decides to legally carry a firearm. He said they need to know the law and gun safety.
“If people are comfortable with their weapon, they’re well trained with it, they understand Article 35 of the Penal Law which deals with the use of force then if they feel comfortable carrying then I encourage that,” Gerace said. “If they aren’t and there are some pistol permit holders that are not comfortable, then they shouldn’t. They could actually be a harm to themselves or others around them.”
Gerace says Chautauqua County has an extensive pistol safety training program that’s part of the permit process that many other counties do not have.