ATLANTA (AP) — The owner of a Georgia-based insurance firm is requiring all of his employees to get permits to carry concealed weapons and providing each of them with a handgun.

Lance Toland of Lance Toland Associates says the slaying of his uncle several years ago influenced his decision to form the policy for the 10 women and two men who work in the company’s three offices in Georgia.

Toland says the policy is both about protection and citizens “enjoying and using our right to bear arms.”

Toland says that if someone tries to rob his business or harm his employees, they will be able to defend themselves against the aggressors “and get a piece of them.”

Toland is a pilot, and his business provides aircraft insurance risk management services.