All county employees are now allowed to carry firearms into county-owned buildings, other than into the Platte County Community Centers.
At its meeting on Monday, the Platte County Commission made a slight adjustment to the county order addressing firearms in county buildings. The new tweak allows all county employees to carry into the administration building. Previously only county employees with an office or workstation inside the administration building were allowed to carry a weapon into the administration building.
The order continues to state that“signs shall be posted at each entrance of a building entirely owned, leased or controlled by the county stating that carrying firearms is prohibited. Where the county owns, leases or controls only a portion of a building, signs shall be posted at each entrance to that portion of the building stating that carrying of firearms is prohibited.”
The prohibition has certain exceptions, including now the exception for all county employees.
The adjustment will allow public works employees to carry firearms, county officials indicated.
“I’m in support of public works employees being able to defend themselves. They’re working in rural areas, doing snow removal after hours,” Dagmar Wood, first district commissioner, remarked.
Bob Heim, public works director, said in his time with the county there has twice been an indication where somebody walked in the door very angry about service and that it will be nice for public works employees to have the ability to defend themselves if needed.
“This is not intended (for public works employees) to be a secondary police force. It’s about the ability to defend oneself if pushed into that role,” Heim said.
Bob Shaw, county counselor, presented the new wording to the commissioners, who unanimously voted to approve the change.