The Gun Revolution: Coming to a Workplace Near You?

As state legislatures continue to consider laws that would allow citizens to carry concealed weapons anywhere they want, two recent articles caught my eye. The first is about a movement to arm teachers and students to protect themselves against another Virginia Tech. The second is about a lawsuit to overturn a Bush Administration rule allowing visitors to national parks and wildlife refuges to carry concealed guns.

This country was born of violence, was held together by violence, and appears ready to embrace violence, at least via guns, to prevent violence. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year in District of Columbia v. Heller, recognizing an individual’s Second Amendment right to bear arms, gun rights groups are clearly winning its non-violent confrontation with gun control groups.

I’ve indicated in previous posts (click here, here, here, here, here, here and here) that my interest in this subject is based on employer policies that prohibit weapons in the workplace. Some states have laws that allow such policies. But those laws are being challenged with laws that allow citizens, including employees, to have a concealed weapon with them at all times.

My opinion that employers should be able to control their workplaces, particularly when it comes to weapons, was once a no-brainer, but no more. A gun on every person is now the policy being advanced. (See Jottings By An Employer’s Lawyer for a recent court decision upholding Oklahoma’s statute.)

You need to know what your state law says about this and be aware of current legislative activity. We hear tales of Americans openly carrying guns in the days of the wild west. We see pictures of citizens in other countries doing that today. If the current movement continues to gain ground, you’ll need new policies about proper shooting procedures at work.