Storm Durham Fired For Concealed Carry Permit, Not A Gun, Claims Roanoke City Social Services Worker In VA

Was Storm Durham fired for merely taking a written concealed carry permit to work? That’s the allegation by a former social worker at Roanoke City Social Services in Virginia, who claims she was fired not because she came to work with a gun, but because her bosses realized she had a license to carry a concealed gun.

[Update March 12, 2018] Roanoke city has responded to Durham’s claims. Please see the new article for more details (click me).

On her Facebook page, Durham (whose name is also listed as “Chelsea Durham”) described herself as a “22-year-old blonde who is [five foot, two inches tall] and about 140 pounds who loves everything Disney, pink, and basic.” Durham revealed that she sought a concealed gun license because she was a survivor of sexual assault and wanted a gun for self-defense.

The young woman claims everything started “around two months ago” when her boss allegedly called Durham into the office to ask if she felt safe at home. She said “of course” because her “boyfriend has no criminal record or anything.” The supervisor allegedly said that they had “found out there are guns in [her] home” so Durham asked, “And? What’s the correlation? I said there have always been guns in my home since I was a little kid!”

“[A]nd [the they asked] if there is any DV [domestic violence] [because] it was brought to their attention we have guns in the home. LEGAL GUNS,” Durham tweeted. “I didn’t even carry on the job or the property even though officers told me daily I should be carrying going into this homes alone.”

Apparently, the situation escalated since Roanoke City Social Services allegedly had Storm Durham fired. On March 9, 2018, Durham said her supervisor came to her office and requested that she go to the “associate director’s office.” While she was “being dismissed from the agency,” there were allegedly police officers stationed outside the office.

“They said it was a safety factor. She [my supervisor] said you’re a safety risk to our building due to having a concealed carry permit,” Durham said, according to a Big League Politics interview. “I said, my gun has never even been on the property. She said, ‘How do I know that?’ I said, ‘Search me!’ So then I told them, ‘This is discrimination, why are you treating me like a criminal?'”

Durham claims she was not even allowed to use the bathroom because it allegedly was a “safety concern.” The young woman claims she was escorted out of the building by three city police officers because she allegedly was a “safety risk to the building.”

“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,” Durham said during a Facebook live video that she posted recently. “I was escorted by officers who have been with me on visits where I placed a child with a relative due to risks, or when I was hugged by a child because they finally felt safe again. I was told to pack immediately and that I could not even use the bathroom to take a minute for myself because of my serious safety concerns to the building.”

Roanoke City Social Services allegedly gave Durham a list of reasons for why she was let go as a social worker. One of the alleged reasons was a performance requirement she claims to have corrected. As a social worker, she was required to do so many visits per day, but she claims to have doctor’s notes for absences and she said they were excused. Another reason was that she wore loafers during a training session, which was a department dress code violation. But she says the final reason was her concealed carry permit.

In the Facebook live video, it was noted that some were claiming that Roanoke City Social Services had Storm Durham fired because she and her boyfriend are “psychopaths” who took a gun to work. The accuser claims the boyfriend allegedly “threatened to slit the throat of another worker.” Durham says the claim is false, noting that her boyfriend only came to work twice and once was to carry a bag because she was on crutches due to a broken leg.

“I have a concealed carry permit. I own guns. I hunt. I target shoot. I represent women hunters and outdoorswomen. Does that make me a criminal? Does that make me a safety risk to others?” Durham asked on Facebook. “A big enough safety risk to be escorted by three Roanoke City Police officers? So scary and threatening that I need to be treated like a criminal? To be humiliated and looked down upon for owning a gun? For legally having a gun, registering that gun, and having the appropriate documentation for that gun?”

Durham says her firing was “definitely illegal,” but she does not want her job as a social worker back because she does “not want to work for these liberals.” She also claims that Roanoke Social Services “should be ashamed of themselves” and desires that the public knows what allegedly happened.

“I am an American. A gun owner. And a proud sponsor of hunting across America, and I, nor my lawyers, judges, or support systems will rest until something is done,” Durham wrote. “Until someone answers for punishing me and taking away my constitutional right.”

https://www.facebook.com/chelsea.durham.37/videos/1788277904809090/