COURTESY PHOTO

1. Open Carry officially prohibited in Smith County buildings housing courtrooms

On Thursday and Friday November 13th and 14th, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office will present a free training event relating to open carry as well as Active Shooter incidents. The training on Friday will be from 8 a.m.- 12 p.m. and is reserved for commissioned law enforcement officers only. The training on Saturday morning will be open to the general public and will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This training will cover the new open carry laws that go into effect January 1, 2016 and also a class entitled “Citizens Response to an Active Shooter”.

The Smith County Sheriff’s Office believes it is necessary to discuss these issues in order to have a smooth transition to open carry on January 1st. The open carry class will discuss the new law and what law enforcement and citizens can expect to see in their communities. Their rights to carry and the requirements for businesses to allow or restrict people from carrying firearms.

The Active Shooter class will discuss what Law Enforcement is doing and what citizens can do to prepare themselves for an event and how to best defend themselves and the people around them. Discussion will be on different situations such as in schools, businesses, churches and public venues. The training will be conducted at the Tyler Junior College West Campus. The address is 1530 SSW Loop 323, Room 104. information on the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, visit www.smithcountysheriff.com. The Sheriff’s Office also has a Facebook page and can be followed on Twitter at @SmithCSO.

Twitter: @TMTMelissa