On Friday, a young woman named Storm Durham posted on her Twitter account that she was fired from her job as a social worker at Roanoke City Social Services in Virginia for the “crime” of merely having a license to carry a concealed firearm. She says she wasn’t carrying the gun itself, mind you. She was simply carrying the permit that proved she had responsibly undergone training to carry a concealed firearm.
She further alleges she was escorted from the building following her termination because her employer deemed her a “safety risk.”
I was fired today. From Roanoke City Social Services, serving as a damn good social worker. I was fired for having a concealed carry permit. Not the gun, the permit. I was escorted by 3 city police officers bc I am a "safety risk to the building"
— Storm Durham (@chelstorrm) March 10, 2018
I was called in my boss’s office around 2 months ago asking if I felt safe at home and if there is any DV bc it was brought to their attention we have guns in the home. LEGAL GUNS.
— Storm Durham (@chelstorrm) March 10, 2018
It should be noted, in Virginia, people older than 18 may carry a concealed weapon as long as they obtain a concealed carry permit.
There have been some responses on social media from people claiming knowledge of the incident that refute the woman’s claim. As of Saturday, there has been no public response from her employer.
The young woman posted to her Facebook page a more detailed explanation of what happened to her:
I was fired today due to having a concealed carry permit. Was my gun on me? No. Has it ever been on me during my job, or visits, or anything related to work? No. When I told them that it has never been on me during work, what did they say? “How do we know that.” Search me. Do I have a criminal record? No. Do I, (yes the 22 year old blonde who is 5’2 and about 140 pounds who loves everything Disney, pink, and basic), come across as a threat to you? If you know me I’m pretty sure you’ve never been shaking in your boots due to my vary presence. But today, I was escorted by not one, not two, but three Roanoke City Police Officers to my office where I packed up months of thank you cards, and pictures of kids I’ve helped.
Saturday morning, she took to Facebook again in a video wherein she said she decided to get her concealed carry permit because she felt safer as a woman. She also said prior to her firing, she noticed that she had been treated differently at work.
Storm added that she has no desire to get her job back but that she intends to “fight” by using the media to get the word out.
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