GRIFFIN, Ga. — A local business owner with several offices in Georgia is now requiring all of his employees to get a concealed carry license and be armed.
After each employee at Lance Toland Associates gets their license, Toland presents them with a gun known as the judge. He says it is one of the most effective self-defense weapons and all his aviation insurance agencies carry them openly in the office.
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Everybody has one of these in their drawer or on their person. I would not want to come into one of my facilities,” Toland said. “It's a 5 shot .410, just like a shotgun and you call it hand cannon.”
Toland said after hearing about recent home invasions and violent crime in the metro Atlanta area, he came up with the new office mandate.
“They all had their conceal carry permit within 3 to 4 weeks of me announcing that this was something you had to do,” he said. “With the presentation of their license, they all got a 4/10 judge pistol.”
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Toland told Channel 2’s Craig Lucie he did it out of concern for his employees’ safety.
“I have a number of offices and most of my employees are women,” he says.
Toland has offices in Griffin, St. Simons Island and Atlanta where they insure aircrafts worldwide.
Agent Andrea Van Buren said the mandate is a great idea for other companies, if employees agree to several things.
“As long as they are willing to get the training, become an expert and if you pull it out, you have to be ready to use it,’ she said.
Toland says several high-profile business owners who have private planes he insures may follow his lead.
“A lot of my clients are high fiving when they hear this. They think it's the best things for a company to mandate gun ownership and be responsible,” he said.
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