A Kay Jewelers in North Carolina turned away a uniformed county sheriff who was picking up a pre-purchased engagement ring because he was carrying his firearm, according to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff was notified that the ring was ready to be picked up, but when he arrived at the store on his lunch break on Tuesday, the manager on duty stopped him from entering because his uniform, which includes a gun, didn’t meet store policy.
“The deputy informed the manager he was in uniform and his marked patrol car was in the parking lot, and it would be a violation of policy for him to remove his service weapon while in uniform,” officials said in a Facebook post.
According to the deputy, the manager told him he would need to return to the store when he was not armed.
Kay Jewelers responded on Facebook, apologizing to the sheriff and the county sheriff’s office.
“We have tremendous respect for law enforcement, and we thank the Office for bringing this to our attention. We will be sure to reinforce store training regarding our firearm policy with specific regard to uniformed law enforcement,” they wrote.
Another manager at the Kay Jewelers store located in Statesville, North Carolina, declined to provide a comment to The Federalist because she said she had already been receiving threats.
The sheriff’s office, which said they were “saddened” by the incident, had to explain that armed officers are important for the safety of both themselves and the general public.
“Thank you to the citizens and businesses in our area who whole heartily support the men and women who wear the badge,” they wrote.
