Clayton has some thoughts up. I tend to agree with the approach of using liability laws to try to change these practices. Companies institute these policies in the first place to avoid being sued in the event someone goes postal. “Hey, we had a policy, it wasn’t our fault!” kind of thing. Yes, to employers that do this, not being sued is more important to them than your personal security. Altering liability laws changes that equation for them, without outright forcing employers to accept certain practices on the part of employees.
7 thoughts on “Employers and Guns”
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I have been arguing for that approach for a while now. This kind of legislation has been introduced in a few states over the last few years–Georgia, Arizona, and even Illinois(!)–that I know of, but never went very far. I don’t know that a great deal of lobbying effort was put behind it, though.
I hope that changes.
My employer won’t even allow knives on site. Proud to say I have been carrying a razor sharp folder quite openly for the last 12 years and have never been questioned. Most people here flagrantly defy this policy by carrying and using knives routinely even though the stated policy is immediate termination.
As far as firearms go, the policy is the same and applies to everyone. The only people who have dared to defy this openly are the CEO’s body-gaurds. We have since fired that bitch but I do remember that whenever she showed up at our site, all the metal utensils in the cafeteria dissappeared and were replaced with plastic “silverware” and all the ceramic coffee mugs were replaced with styrofoam.
She was so afraid of being attacked that she would humiliate the staff by doing such things while being surrounded by no less than 4 body-gaurds carrying 1911’s on their hips.
Oh yeah, one more thing. When the Well Fargo armored car shows up to collect the money from the cafeteria, they be packing heat as well.
So remember, firearms can be used to protect money, but not your life, unless you’re the CEO.
Hope that clears everything up for ya’ll
Once again, the liablility angle isn’t what concerns them. A non-helpless, independent minded, self-reliant employee pool scares the Hell out of them. They much prefer their role as surrogate parent to their employees. It is a psychological advantage for them in every dealing with employees on every matter.
Oklahoma had included a protection against liability for employers in the event of an untoward event or criminal assautl on employer property and in parking lots when they tried to pass a bill to allow automobile carry on employers’ parking lots. There was no diminution of resistance to this bill and it was successfully lobbied against by all the corporate entities in the state.
People, this is about control of minds and spirits, not control of guns nor is it about property rights.
“We have since fired that bitch but I do remember that whenever she showed up at our site, all the metal utensils in the cafeteria dissappeared and were replaced with plastic “silverware†and all the ceramic coffee mugs were replaced with styrofoam.”
Oh dear: we work for the same employer. The morning Queen Carly was fired, you could tell when people arrived at work: you would hear cheering as employees read the email announcing her termination.
One more post to take off my to-blog list.
I think that carrying on the jobs site would have to rely on the customer that are coming in. I sell guns on the wholesale level so bring a gun to work isn’t a big deal when your customers are picking them up all day long. but if I’m buying a cheese burger I don’t want to worry about the kid taking my orderpulling out when I yell at him for the tomatoes on my burger.