Bryan County Sheriff's Office: Residents Should Arm Themselves

One Oklahoma sheriff's office is pushing county residents to apply for concealed handgun licenses.

KXII, the CBS affiliate in Sherman, Texas reports the Bryan County Sheriff's Office has a stack of Concealed Handgun License applications in its Durant office.

In the wake of last week's tragedy in San Bernardino that left 14 dead, and the shootings in Paris, the sheriff's office is encouraging county residents to practice their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

"The more good honest citizens that are armed, they're able to a deter a lot of things," Bryan County Sheriff's Investigator John Haislip said.

John Haislip says he doesn't worry about crime rising with more guns on the streets, because to get your handgun license, there's a background check, a gun safety course and convicted felons aren't able to apply.

"We're kind of pushing this process right now," Haislip said.

He says being armed can even curb a crime from escalating and says he wouldn't mind seeing everyone in Bryan County, who's capable, to be armed through having a CHL - with a small catch.

"By capable, I mean, responsible enough to handle the situation," Haislip said.