Santa Claus says he was fired for holding a gun

Man dressed as armed Santa claims firing tied to photo 
Detroit News 
October 27, 2017 

Before the event in December 2015, he posted the photo of himself holding the assault rifle in his home. In the background is his Christmas tree, an American flag and his military medals and commendations. 


Santa Claus says he was fired for holding a gun. 

In this case, Santa is Calvin Congden of Tipton, Michigan, who likes to dress as the Jolly One for charity events.

But when he posted a photo of himself dressed as Santa and clutching a semiautomatic rifle to Facebook in 2015, he claims a supervisor at the state Department of Health and Human Services wasn’t happy. Congden had recently started working for the department as a child protective services worker.

He was let go by the agency at the end of his yearlong probation and blames the manager’s distaste for the armed Santa photo.

Congden filed a federal lawsuit against the agency Friday, saying it violated his rights to free speech and bear arms. The Army vet, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, also says the state discriminated against him because of his disability.
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