Commissioners ban handguns inside county courthouse

County commissioners voted unanimously to prohibit concealed handguns, and those carried openly, inside the El Paso County Courthouse.

“The problem with courthouses is that you’re dealing with some of the worst people on their best day, and some of the best people on their worst day,” said County Commissioner Andrew Haggerty.

Commissioners met in executive session to discuss the county’s legal limitations as wells as the concerns county staff and law enforcement.

When making the decision, the court followed the advice of the sheriff’s office, which stated courts and other sensitive areas “cannot be effectively protected unless handguns are prohibited at the main entrances on the 1st and 3rd floors of the courthouse.”

“There’s a lot of people here with guns – sheriff’s deputies, FBI agents, you know, the people who are handling security,” said Haggerty, “If you draw your gun for your protection, or to protect someone else, you could very easily be deemed a threat and shot yourself.”

Commissioners will look into whether to band handguns inside all of the county’s annexes. Some of those annexes include Justice of the Peace courtrooms and constable offices, where handguns are already prohibited.