County in Colorado debates guns brought to government workplace

WELLINGTON, Colo. -- Wearing flip-flops to work at Larimer County's food stamp office is prohibited. Bringing a gun to work is allowed.

Commissioners in this northern Colorado county are working to clarify their stance on guns in the workplace with a written policy after two employees were spotted with handguns. There were no injuries in either case.

With no policy in place, the assumption is that bring a gun to work is OK.

Under one proposal, all 1,300 county employees, from janitors to the county manager, would be permitted to carry concealed weapons if they have permits and inform their supervisors in advance. It would not apply to courts, which are governed by state laws prohibiting guns in courthouses.

If the proposal were approved, Larimer would become the first county in the nation with a written concealed weapons policy, according to the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Counties.

A representative of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said a county that allows workers to bring guns to work is unheard of because most prohibit guns in public buildings.

Building of cowboys

County manager Frank Lancaster changed the proposal on Friday to ban all guns, except in extreme cases, after residents expressed concerns.

"I don't want to be in a building with a bunch of cowboys," retired Fort Collins high school teacher Fred Schmidt said this week. "Let's take this to its logical conclusion. What if they get into a gunfight? They could cause more damage than good because they're not trained like police officers."

Carpenter Ben Stein, 42, of Fort Collins said, "Walking into a public building and knowing that the person you're dealing with is armed, is frightening to me. It doesn't create a pleasant environment."

Commission Chairman Tom Bender, a strong supporter of the proposed policy that allowed guns, said the new proposal is "the responsible way to go."

Located about 50 miles north of Denver, Larimer encompasses Fort Collins, home to Colorado State University and Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a growing urban region that is home to several high-tech firms and an Anheuser-Busch brewery.

Gun-rights issues caught the public's attention in 1999 when newly elected Sheriff Jim Alderden loosened restrictions on issuing concealed weapons permits.

When Alderden took office, there were four concealed-weapons permits in the county. As of Wednesday, there were 2,273 permits. Those who apply for such a permit must undergo firearms training and a background check.

The proposed written policy began taking shape last year after a handgun slipped out of a human services employee's holster and clanked down a stairwell. Later, a co-worker opened her purse, exposing another handgun.

The human services department then proposed a policy banning guns for workers other than law enforcement personnel. Lancaster drafted a countywide ban meant to close the loophole.

"We had never thought about it," Lancaster said. "Even though I feel like I kicked over a can of worms, we were going to have to deal with it at some point."

Alderden led the fight to change the no-gun proposal to allow concealed weapons, arguing that state law allows the public to carry weapons so the county should, too.

"To me, that made a second class citizen of employees," Alderden said. "What the county was looking at doing was keeping employees from being able to defend themselves."

Rob Wilcox of the Brady Campaign, said guns in the workplace would more than likely would be used in a suicide or accidental shooting than to stop an intruder.

Human Resources Director Ralph Jacobs said county needs a written policy. For example, he noted the Child Support and Family Assistance Program, which administers Medicaid and food stamps, has a dress code that prohibits flip-flops and sweat pants for men, and sets skirt-length requirements.

"Would somebody walking into, let's say a driver's license office, with a gun strapped to their side be disruptive?" Jacobs asked. "You could make that argument but we need to deal with this issue directly."