Your workplace does not allow concealed carry. Do you still carry?

[Poodle Soup]

The gun rides with me to work, but doesnt go inside. I have no place to keep it that would work. I work production in a factory.. I dont need MORE bruises. Its against the rules to have it in the vehicle too but I really dont think some corporate jack *** who lives 1000 miles away really cares about my safety or well being. So why should I care about his blanket feel good policies? None of the doors are ever locked and I work with a bunch of uneducated social misfits...

 

[Mike McLellan]

When you join the workforce, you enter into a bargain. Basically, if you do as you're told, someone will give you money. If they stop paying you, then you don't have to do what you're told. Conversely, if you refuse to do what they tell you, they don't have to give any more money.

 

[Xtasy]

I heard around corners that some people carry concealed on college campus even though it is strictly forbidden by the state. I am wondering who would do that? I mean its a gun free zone so why do you need to protect yourself? No criminal would ever... you know


The company I used to work before had a part in the contract where it said no guns in cars on parking lots. The state has a strict bring your gun to work law so the company could not enforce their ****

 

[Redhawk500]

I obey the law if at all possible. In the event of clear and present danger I withdraw or react as the situation demands. My shield is God's protection first. If I were king for a day, anyone carrying a firearm would get a tax cut from the government and a discount at any business they frequented. Carry where legal!

 

[Hodgin]

Indiana is an "at will" employment state. Employers may terminate you at their discretion for no reason what-so-ever. So unless you can prove that you were terminated wrongfully as a result of discrimination then... well you're pretty much out of luck.

Tn is the same. Unless there's something in a company handbook or other written policy that states reasons for termination, employers can terminate at will.

Tn legislature is taking up an issue over "employees guns in car" right now. A year or two ago the state law was changed to allow employees with carry permits to have guns in cars. The law doesn't have any teeth because Tn is a "fire at will state," subject to the above exception. To my knowledge no one has been fired for having a gun in a car but gun rights advocates have been trying to get the law changed.

I don't know about employers rights to search vehicles. I'm pretty sure they would be able to do so if a condition of employment involved forfeiture of the right against such a search. Employers may be able to search at will but I don't know about that.

As to the comparison of an employer's policy against carrying to that of discrimination based on race, there's a difference. I'm not a legal expert but there are differences between a Constitutional Right and a Civil Right. In this case, the right to own and bear arms is a Con. Right, but not a Civil Right. The right to not be racial discriminated against in employment is a Civil Right.

The civil right is between a protected group (based on race, sex, religion) and an employer. The Con. Right is between govt and individual (sometimes between Fed. govt and state gov. depending on the right). An employer can have a rule forbidding the carrying of a firearm at work, but could not have a rule forbidding blacks, Baptists, or women from carrying but allowing white men to carry. I may be wrong about this distinction but I think its generally correct.

 

[gdnagle]

Indiana is an "at will" employment state. Employers may terminate you at their discretion for no reason what-so-ever. So unless you can prove that you were terminated wrongfully as a result of discrimination then... well you're pretty much out of luck.

West Virginia is also. Ask me how I know. And they don't have to give any reason. They could just say your fires and you are.

 

[Smoke]

Bottom line if my employer tells me I can't carry at work I don't my car however is mine and what's in it is not your business.

That said, this is a moot point for me because carrying is part of my job but it is illegal for a licensed guard to carry a concealed weapon at work it's also illegal for a licensed armed guard to carry on an unarmed site. So long story short it would cause far more problems than it would solve.

 

[feralmerril]

I spent most my working life working for a defense company, lockheed. As a armed guard it was as smoke said, a moot point however for most of our plants the federal government called the shots. We were required to search vehicles at times. Its a different world then working for companys that build refrigerators or whatever. You agree to those rules when you are hired in and the rules are posted at all entrances. Now we did have parking lots that were on the outside of the fence, I am talking about vehicles that had drive in pass`s to park inside the plant. But then again the company also owned the parking lots. We patrolled them heavy too.

 

[Larry from Bend]

Most of my career involved evaluating troubled/unprofitable businesses and reporting my observations to the owners/shareholders and my recommendations on how to improve the situation.

Doing my job usually (not always) led to people losing their jobs, getting demoted and having to justify their actions.

During those assignments, when I felt threatened, I carried a handgun. I didn't ask permission and I'm sure I would have been asked to justify carrying had some of the owners found out. I carried because I judged that protecting myself was more important than possibly losing that assignment.

HOWEVER, once an owner recommended that I go armed and once a Deputy District Attorney highly recommended (insisted) that I go armed.

Most people knew that if I carried a gun, it was for good reason; and it wasn't discussed.

Whether or not you risk termination for carrying probably rests with your value to the Company and whether or not they believe your actions were justified. If you have to ask the question: I'd say you'll be fired if discovered. I have no idea whether your job is more important to you than carrying a gun.

On the other side; I once visited a logging operation where handguns were strewn about a company-owned bus used to transport loggers to the woods. I racked the action on a Glock and found it chamber-loaded. We made a rule the next day: no guns in logging rigs. The penalty was termination. These guys were doing a little plinking on their way to and from the job site. These things usually happen when the inmates are running the institution.

 

[Smoke]

I spent most my working life working for a defense company, lockheed. As a armed guard it was as smoke said, a moot point however for most of our plants the federal government called the shots. We were required to search vehicles at times. Its a different world then working for companys that build refrigerators or whatever. You agree to those rules when you are hired in and the rules are posted at all entrances. Now we did have parking lots that were on the outside of the fence, I am talking about vehicles that had drive in pass`s to park inside the plant. But then again the company also owned the parking lots. We patrolled them heavy too.

Totally off topic but the facility I work at is the only facility the city has that doesn't have a sign on the front gate that says entry implies consent to search. I don't know if it's over sight or because we're a no public acess site but I'm not drawing any attention to it

 

[Smoke]

Supposedly all HR can tell a prospective employer is your hire date , separation date , where you fired or resigned and are you eligible for rehire but I am also sure that the HR people in a given town in a given industry know each other at least professionally. So I assume that if I were terminated for a carrying a firearm against company policy that when my next employer checked my out they'd find out about it.

My rule if I carried against company policy would be to tell no one period. If one person knows everyone knows especially in an office.

 

[BC38]

Since we have to walk through metal detectors on the way in AND the way out, I obviously don't even try to carry at work.

 

[Old cop]

When I retired from active LE I went to work for the federal gov't at a fairly high level and travel was a big part of what I did. Weapons were expressly forbidden and any violation was a firing offense. Our offices were protected by armed security, all retired cops who I got to know. They told me if I wanted to carry they would look the other way but I did not want to lose a very good job and only carried "after 5 PM."

It was a difficult adjustment but I was fortunate enough to stay out of harms way until I could collect my second retirement. I've carried every day since being fully retired & will continue to do so until I'm just too old to take care of myself, if I live that long.

 

[Smitty357]

My work advised me that if i fail to show up with my weapon. I may very well end up without my job at the end of the day.

All of our customers as well as surrounding businesses know that we are a bunch of war veterans (not me, but the majority of my co-workers). And for some reason we are always on a conversation about guns in our shop, lol.

So far we have never had any problems in or shop or in any business near our shop. However, down the next block there have been several businesses robbed by those thugs.

But we do have a sign on our front door that says. "Carrying of firearms is allowed in our business by both our customers and our employees."

 

[Donn]

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but I'm genuinely interested to know what your thoughts are.

My workplace rules specifically state that carrying a weapon at work is a terminable offense. Or more appropriately, getting CAUGHT with a weapon at work is terminable.

Given that, do you still carry while at work?

The company I worked at had the same policy, firearms on company premises was grounds for immediate dismissal. I didn't have a CPL back then, but even if I did I wouldn't have carried on the job. Paying the bills and feeding the kids came first.

 

[Frizzman]

Other than during my LEO days, as far as anyone I worked for or with knew, I didn't own a firearm. I never discussed it with anybody in such an environment. I was fortunate that I never had the need to produce a firearm for defense while at a job...If I go to a place that prohibits firearms, I either leave or secure my firearm...If I ever carried one...somewhere off of that property. The environment where I consider working and the risks of that environment to my safety are major issues that factor into where I would seek employment...I wouldn't take a job in a place with high threats of fire or explosion, etc if I had a choice...

 

[Smoke]

My last job in the medical field was working for a doctor who told me the second day I was there that he wanted me to carry because there was an onsite pharmacy in the office. I knew good and well that if I ever did draw my gun to defend his drugs I'd be unemployed before the shell casing hit the floor. Only time I ever lied and told someone I was carrying when I wasn't.

FWIW when I interviewed for the position he asked me where I was working now and when I told him I was a Security Guard he lit up like a Christmas tree and asked if I had a gun. I said yes but I understood that there were places where a firearm was appropriate and places where it was inappropriate (I was trying to get a job). I watched the "what a dumbass" look cross the office manager's face when he said it. Should have known then and there it wasn't going to work out

 

[colts4u]

My work has a written policy which states that "the unlawful carrying of weapons is prohibited." Notice the word "UNLAWFUL?" I did. I have a permit so I figure it is allowed, and if I ever get diciplined for doing so I figure I might have a legal case.

You might have a case, or a box to pack your stuff in on your way out.
No matter what the circumstances are, the employer has the last word. Sure you can challenge it, let's say you win, and keep your job. How long do you think it will be before they find a way to get rid of a troublemaker? Unless you were hired to think, don't! just follow the rules.

47 years in industry.....I've seen about all of it, from both sides of the aisle.