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Carrying at work

4K views 32 replies 29 participants last post by  olfarhors 
#1 ·
Today is the first day I've ever carried a gun at work. (Oh--- I'm working from home this week! :D )

Seriously, for as long as I can remember (been working 45 years) I've always worked for employers that "banned" carrying in the work place. Some even had company-sponsored trap teams and yet we weren't permitted to have our shotguns in the vehicles on the property.

Some of the security chiefs (and legal eagles) I knew at those employers told me they worried about folks dropping or forgetting their firearms (e.g. while in the restroom) and that creating liability for the company.

What are your thoughts?
 
#2 ·
Here in Kansas, it is against state law for a business to ban guns from private vehicles, even on the company owned parking lot.

As far as I'm concerned, if it is the employer's private property, he gets to set the rules, just like I do in my home. Sure, you'll get someone who argues that it is a public place since it is open to the public, but I suspect that is either ignorance of the rights of property owners, or some type of communistic "I want my rules on his land" scenario.

I had a disagreement with one of my students one time who thought they were free to bring weapons in to the classroom. He was ignorant of both state law and the student policy he had agreed to by signing.

I, too, have never worked at a place where guns are allowed on property. It's never affected me though, as I don't carry anyway.

I'll set my rules on my land. You sent your rules on your land. Ain't freedom great?
 
#3 ·
My employer does not have a policy against carrying a weapon. I carry, always, where ever I legally can and avoid place as much as possible where I can't.

Funny story, one day we fired a nut job employee and the owner came up to me and said he would not object to me carrying as this guy was pretty crazy. I just nodded and said okay. Guess he has no idea I have been carrying for the last who knows how many years. That is how it should be, nobody at work knows I carry at work.
 
#5 ·
We are prohibited from carrying while at work. Kinda' sucks but I work with 3-4 other guys and we are usually carrying a 10" chef's knife that is very sharp. No defense against a crazed lunatic with a gun but better than nothing. Its OK for guests to come in concealed carry and this is Texas so there are a number that are.
 
#6 ·
Our employee handbook says nothing about firearms and I have never been told I can't carry. So I do. The owner and his son both have guns and shoot so if I were discovered I would think/hope they would just tell me to put in my truck and don't do it again. Plus there is 1 woman that keeps a pistol in her purse while at work.
 
#7 ·
Although I never thought of myself as the workplace authority, I guess I actually am- I carry almost always and certainly during this time. I am licensed to do so and so are a number of my associates who carry if and whenever they wish. My immediate superior, (which really means he signs my paycheck), is a collector and a cwp holder. No push back there.

This is primarily the benefit of working in a small company that is not too hung up on policy as long as we adhere to the requirements of Florida Department of Professional Regulation, Real Estate and Community Association Management, and believe me, there is plenty to adhere to...
 
#8 ·
The last time I had any interaction with a police officer in Florida, he said the law deemed parking lots as "Private property open to the public" if there was a connection to the street without a gate. And any persons on the lot were deemed to be "trespassers at the sufferance of the owner", and if the owner wished to exclude anyone, he had to exclude ALL the public as well, either by signage or gates, and signage was a real grey area where different judges might rule differently.

All this I learned just by driving my 13'-6" truck across a department store's lot and tearing down a telephone cable that was only at the 12'-6' line.

(I was dragging 50 yards of cable with a pole on each side of the trailer. My company fought it and the upshot of it was that I, personally, was forbidden to enter the property again. No charges, no cost. Phone Co's fault for failing to make cable at least 15' above traveled portion.)
 
#10 ·
The last time I had any interaction with a police officer in Florida, he said the law deemed parking lots as "Private property open to the public" if there was a connection to the street without a gate. And any persons on the lot were deemed to be "trespassers at the sufferance of the owner", and if the owner wished to exclude anyone, he had to exclude ALL the public as well, either by signage or gates, and signage was a real grey area where different judges might rule differently.

All this I learned just by driving my 13'-6" truck across a department store's lot and tearing down a telephone cable that was only at the 12'-6' line.

(I was dragging 50 yards of cable with a pole on each side of the trailer. My company fought it and the upshot of it was that I, personally, was forbidden to enter the property again. No charges, no cost. Phone Co's fault for failing to make cable at least 15' above traveled portion.)
I spent some time in Warsaw in the late 80's and somehow I don't think the local cops would have been so understanding if I dragged two Poles on a cable!
 
#9 ·
^^ That's quite the visual! :D
 
#11 ·
Our employee handbook states no firearms on the premises. I comply with it although it's always nagging at me. Been there 7 years -- always have my sidearm in the truck in the parking lot which is legal in FL.

I haven't had a long gun in the truck recently, but if and when things return to "normal" that may change.

Working from home right now means a .45 and a 12 gauge at hand. :D
 
#13 ·
I too am prohibited from carrying at work but I leave my gun in the car and wear my holster in, with my untucked shirt over it. Nothing in the code of conduct that says I can't wear a holster. In Texas, employers cannot restrict you from having a gun in your car in their parking lot so as soon as I get back to my car, I am armed again.

I don't like the policy one bit. My manager is as pro gun as I am and feels the same way. I told my wife that if anything ever happens at work where there is a shooting, and I die, she needs to sue the hell out of them and get every penny she can. As far as I'm concerned, if they tell me I can't carry, then they have an OBLIGATION to protect me from harm. Which, of course, is a joke. Their rent-a-cops are unarmed and would be worthless in that type of scenario.
 
#14 ·
I'm not allowed to carry at work, as I work on a federal installation. But the powers that be granted me and others to have firearms in our privately owned vehicles for protection for any stops we might have to make on our way to, or from work. There's paperwork to fill out, and signatures to attain but I feel it's worth the aggravation to be able to carry off the reservation. At least I don't have to stop by the house before I go to Walmart to pick up milk.
 
#15 ·
I worked in Public Safety for 32 years (Fire department) and I pretty much always worked in very poor areas.
but anyway!
the city forbid firerams on the premises, they even at one time forbid them to be in our vehicles that were in the parking lot. that lasted very shortly as we obtained an attorney and was going to file suit about that.
I am sure it was a liability issue either from workers, or civilians that might b in the Fire station or emergency scene.
interestingly enough we had very, very few problems on the emergency scene for civilian even though it was I think the highest drug crime area in the country!--Known as the "BLUFF"
Seems if you save a few brothas then they kind of appreciate you and you being around ,you know just in case!
 
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#17 ·
Dropping or forgetting firearms is certainly possible. I've even heard of cops doing it. IDK about Iowa but in Ohio all the liability, if any, is on the concealed carrier, NOT the employer, whether they allow it, don't allow it, or have no policy on it, it's written that way in the law. They MIGHT incur some liability if they required you to carry and something bad happened.

Most of the places I used to work at prohibited carry inside the business. Some of the places just prohibited employees but not customers, some prohibited both. (hospitals) I can't say I liked not being able to carry but I went to work anyway, their business, their rules.

I have an acquaintance who works for a pizza place. When he was hired he asked about carrying concealed, and he was told by the owner no carry of firearms allowed, but the penalty if caught was not an automatic termination, the penalty could be anything up to and including termination, depending on the circumstances. For example, the employee does something negligent or criminal the penalty would be termination. If however the employee is delivering a pizza and is forced to defend himself, and the authorities say it's a justified shooting, the penalty might be a few days or week off suspension, with pay. I told him that sounds like a bounty instead of a punishment. :rolleyes:
 
#18 ·
Employers of mine have had policies against it, but since I work from home it doesn't effect me all that much. Besides even if they had let me I probably wouldn't since I have almost always had to fly to an office and I hate checking a bag! :D

Once my business is up and running I won't care, but I will be opening it a less than firearm friendly state so even I won't be.
 
#19 ·
I work at repairing heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems. It takes me into a lot of banks, stores, and restaurants. I carry thousands of dollars worth of tools and repair parts. My company does not allow carrying of weapons. I have a concealed carry license here in Washington state, but not for Oregon, where I work quite often. I'm in the (long) process of getting one there. Once I do I plan on carrying anyway. I can retire if I want to, so if they fire me for wanting to protect myself then it's still good. I'm of the age now where I can't outrun the bad guys, nor beat them in a fight. Our company motto is safety first and so is mine.......
 
#21 ·
We have signs that show a pistol and knife with a line across it. Not really sure what that means as there's no one really there to ask? There is probably 10 people spread out in the building since most are working from home. ;)
 
#22 ·
When I worked in law enforcement I was never allowed to carry or have a firearm in my car in the parking lot (I was never an officer). When I worked for a major bank, not at a branch, but in corporate offices, I was also never allowed to carry, and since I worked downtown, I commuted by public transit and didn't have a car to leave it in, let alone a parking lot to put the car. When I had my own transportation company, I carried every day. I've currently been working at home for 2+ years, and carry at work.
 
#24 ·
100% of us carry at my work. Then again it's just me and my partner. My wife is a manager at franchise Taco Bell and their policy is wishy washy so she carries.
When she worked at franchise Arby's they told her no. But then they had some issues with a past employee and asked her too carry. She made them put it in righting. When she worked at a corporate Steak n Shake they encouraged their employees to get their CCW license.
 
#25 ·
I'm currently three months into my new job with a locally owned roll off company. Not only do they allow us to carry if we have a CCW, they actually encourage it! The owner, his son, and the operation manager all carry. Several of the drivers do as well. They even gave one driver a day off a while back to go get his paperwork/application done for his license.

Sent from my Vivo XI PLUS using Tapatalk
 
#28 ·
I work in the museum field/archaeology field. Firearms are not welcome. While I love the work I do, generally it falls under a more liberal perspective on firearms. I can carry ( I have a ccw permit) in my car, but on site at the office it’s a no go. Its just the way it is. The Grant Cunningham has an interesting podcast that is down to earth regarding such matters. You should check it out.
 
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