ULSTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- In a Facebook post Thursday, Ulster County Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum encouraged residents who are licensed to carry a firearm.

“Here in Ulster County if you are a legally licensed pistol permit holder and you feel inclined to carry it, I encourage you,” he wrote.

 

 

December 3, 2015ATTENTION LICENSED HANDGUN OWNERSIn light of recent events that have occurred in the United States...

Posted by Ulster County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, December 3, 2015

 

Blarcum encouraged all licensed handgun owners to carry their firearms in public. This message comes a day after the San Bernardino shooting and weeks after the Paris attacks. The sheriff says residents and police should work in tandem in an emergency.

“I always worry about something happening somewhere," van Blarcum said. "You know, we always say plan for the worst and hope for the best. So we train all our people to the best of our ability, and I want to remind the pistol permit holders you got a pistol permit for a reason, and one of those reasons is to carry it and I encourage you to carry it."

The Facebook message has more than 18,000 likes and 24,000 shares as of 10 p.m. Thursday. Not all comments are in agreement with the sheriff, and some members of the county legislature oppose the sheriff’s thoughts.

“I have a deep affection, and, in fact, respect for the sheriff, but on this particular issue I just think he's wrong,” said Ulster County legislature member Hector Rodriguez.

"I think that personally, we have police force for a reason, we have law enforcement for a reason and I don’t think we need to add more guns to the situation.”

Although there is no direct threat to Ulster County, the sheriff wants residents to be prepared.

“It wouldn't break my heart if something was to happen and the fellow citizens of the county was there to help us," van Blarcum said.

The County Legislature Chairman, John Parete, agrees that residents should better protect themselves.

“I don’t think he meant people walking around with bandoleers or bullets and going into the gin mills and that sort of stuff. I think we was expressing rhetorically or not that people are very concerned,” said Ulster County Legislature Chairman John Parete.

County officials also say Ulster County is one of the few counties in the state that requires anyone seeking a gun permit to take classes.