COLORADO SPRINGS — On Friday, Dec. 3, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office tweeted out a photo of Santa receiving his concealed carry permit. However, it quickly started receiving hundreds of comments from people who said they considered the tweet insensitive, given the recent Michigan school shooting.

Original EPCSO tweet. Credit: FOX21

The office responded later saying that the tweet was never meant to be insensitive, but that it was intended to highlight the hardworking staff, adding that Santa correlated to December, which seemed fitting.

EPCSO later tweeted a response to the criticism. Credit: FOX21

This circumstance brought forward questions of gun ownership during this holiday season, as well as the responsibilities that come with owning a gun.

Some responses to the original EPSCO tweet. Credit: FOX21

According to the sheriff’s office tweet, they have issued close to 50-thousand concealed handgun permits, and around 25-hundred are still under review for this year.

The post saw several hundred tweets in a couple hours. Credit: FOX21

Isaac Chase, co-founder of Guns for Everyone, said that gun permits alone have increased over this past year as well.

“Uncertainty always gets people more interested in protecting themselves,” Chase said. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen an increase in crime in the Colorado Springs area.”

With the holidays coming up and many still figuring out what to gift their loved ones, Chase said that a popular item on many people’s wish list is a gun.

Chase gives people things to keep in mind if you are considering getting a gun for Christmas. Credit: FOX21

“It’s really important that people understand that there is a lot of responsibility that comes with that. Especially if you plan to use the gun to defend yourself or keep it in the home when you have children in the home,” Chase said.

Children obtaining guns from their parents is still fresh in people’s minds, according to the responses under the sheriff’s office tweet, so Chase reiterated the importance of understanding the potential danger involved.

“It’s ultimately every parents’ responsibility to keep their household safe and their children safe, and so we really stress that for families in here not to underestimate their children and not to underestimate the risk they’re taking,” Chase said.

FOX21 reached out to EPCSO, but they were unable to comment on the tweet at this time.