Leonardtown, MD — Incidents such as the mass shooting in Orlando renew passionate arguments on both sides of the gun control issue. Such was the case at the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County June 14 meeting two days after America’s worse mass killing.
Current county personnel policies prohibit county employees from bringing guns to work, even if they have a permit to do so. The personnel policies are currently under review by the Director of Human Resources Catherine Pratson. Commissioner John O’Connor [R – 3rd District] (shown at left),wants the gun prohibition abolished. He made an impassioned plea in support of the Second Amendment during the June 14 review of proposed policy changes.
O’Connor’s comments led the commissioners to delay implementation of the policy changes.
O’Connor argued that prohibiting employees from bringing guns to work would not prohibit outsiders from doing so. He said the policy for county employees “is asking them to make a choice between their life and their jobs.” He added, “I think it should be stricken from the policy. There is no need to have it.”
Commissioner Mike Hewitt [R – 2nd District] wasn’t quite so sure. “People having guns around makes me nervous.” he said, noting the policy not only affects those who might carry guns but those who don’t. “The key is how people feel about their public safety,” Hewitt said, observing that public buildings are protected by the police.
O’Connor argued that the policy prohibits hunters from stowing their rifles in their cars if they are intending to hunt after work. Commissioner Tom Jarboe [R – 1st District] noted the prohibition of guns on Patuxent River Naval Air Station and that rifles in trunks are even prohibited. But Jarboe seemed to support O’Connor for allowing county employees who have concealed carry permits to bring their guns to work.
O’Connor’s business includes providing training for persons to get state gun permits from the Maryland State Police.
Pratson surveyed other counties in the state and found all except Calvert County banned guns for county employees. But O’Connor wasn’t convinced. “The rest of the state is controlled by liberal Democrats,” he insisted. “I don’t care what the rest of the state is doing,” he added.
O’Connor, in reflecting on the Orlando tragedy, observed that the incident occurred in a place where guns were banned. He said most active shooter situations are in similar circumstances.
Commissioner President Randy Guy [R] suggested some compromise to take into consideration the hunters who work in county government.
Although he didn’t give any idea how he may be leaning, Commissioner Todd Morgan [R – 4th] made the motion to table a decision on the personnel policy changes to further review the specific policy on guns that O’Connor deemed ”horrible.”
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com