Hamilton County sheriff Jim HammondHamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond appeared before county commissioners today to explain comments he made Tuesday about insecurity-driven gun sales in the community.
During an interview Tuesday, Hammond said because President Barack Obama was in office as the nation's first black president, some in the community were insecure.
Today Hammond told commissioners the headline of the story was sensationalized, but he did say fear existed in the county.
"If one reads that article they won't see anything like what that headline is saying," Hammond said.
" ... As sheriff, I take very seriously the healing, whether it's racial healing, whether it's political healing. ...
"What you see in those headlines was not Sheriff Jim Hammond. It was editorial staff taking words and making their own headlines."
For more on the story, see Friday's Chattanooga Times Free Press.