Can a company keep you from having a gun in your car?

[BruceE]

Can a company keep you from having a gun in your car?

I ran across this article while skimming headlines at lunch and it piqued my interest. What are the laws in your states concerning your employer’s private property and policies?

Here in Texas, we do have a law in place to protect law abiding gun owners from prosecution for having weapons on their employer’s private property. The law does not, however, protect us from having our employment terminated for violating company policy. Private property is private property, and the employer can make up his or her own rules, put them in writing, and supply those rules to the employees.

One company I worked at a few years back, a commercial vehicle parts store, had a policy of no firearms on the premises at all, not even locked inside the employee’s vehicle parked in the company parking lot. The company also had a policy that certain customers could call in after hours and a counterman (me) would need to go unlock the building and sell parts, for a nominal fee, of course.

During the day there was no real reason to have weapons on the premises other than it is my right. Wanting to keep my job, I didn’t bring any weapons to work…or so they thought.

After hours was a whole different story.

The store was located a few miles out of town directly across the highway from a large truck stop. All manner of subhuman would prowl our property, INSIDE THE FENCE, looking for a way into our store. After my first close encounter on my first afterhours call, I told my manager I refused to do any more after-hours callouts unless I could carry a weapon.

My request made it all the way up to the President and CEO of the company. He had the legal department write a letter authorizing me to carry a weapon after hours. Shortly after that, all the countermen across the company had the same letter with their names, of course, authorizing them to carry while performing after hours callouts. We could not carry any weapons on the property during normal daytime hours.

There were a few run-ins with unauthorized folks on other company properties after hours which were dealt with expediently. I did not have to discharge my firearm at any time, but I was glad to have had it.

The company I work with now is completely 2A friendly and my employer EXPECTS me to carry while I am at work. I comply with his policy.

[BeanCounter]

Employee Handbook does not mention it
Don’t ask, don’t tell, I guess.

[Brad]

When I was in that situation, I kept one in my car. Hard to be told you can’t protect yourself and be held hostage by your employer.

[BeanCounter]

@Brad

I kept one in my car.

I read years ago about an employee who had to have his car towed from the workplace.
When he removed his portable gun safe, someone noticed and reported him to HR. IIRC he got fired.
I’ll share the link if I could find it.

[Will_B]

Colorado says you’re good as long as it’s stored properly (in a lockbox or locked in your trunk)

That does not provide protection from employers policies that prevent possession of a firearm on premises.

UPS has a culture of grey and unclear policies to make things easier for them to cover their own asses regardless of what happens. (Mostly just to fire employees without recourse)

Myself, I am in compliance with state laws, and while UPS doesn’t allow weapons of any kind past security (though for my particular job a knife is a requirement. Total double standard!). The policy is unclear about guns in cars.

Most of our local facilities the company does not actually own the parking lots. So company policy CANT stop you.

My facility, UPS does own the land, however there is no security or even a fence surrounding the lot, and no signage stating no guns…. Effectively speaking it’s public space.

What they don’t know doesn’t hurt me or the dozens of other employees who I know for fact have guns in their cars.

[TheProtonSpinner]

Unless specifically mentioned in the employee handbook, or they don’t have it posted on company property, then it’s “Don’t ask, Don’t tell”. A socialist Karen in HR will gin up a bogus policy addendum in a heartbeat should you ask.

[BobbyJean]

Brad in Texas I Believe you can keep your EDC in your vehicle even if it’s a Gun Free Zone . I Don’t know about any where else Love Bobby Jean an Debbie ann Sir

[Joel106]

Our handbook only mentions weapons in the building, not in vehicles. If they were gonna fire folks for weapons in vehicles, half our workforce would be walked out.

[Joseph488]

Florida has a law specifically prohibiting employers from excluding guns locked in private vehicles on company grounds, including prohibiting adverse action against an employee for having a gun locked in the car.

[Burdo]

Thanks for the reminder. I’m fortunate in that where I currently work, I have a fairly easy route, and have lower need to carry (EDC CCW). However, it was comforting to read my state’s law today, which does read that my employer is not allowed to prohibit me from having it in my vehicle even if parked on their property parking lot.

As with all, please read the fine print of your own state’s law, they are normally long, contain legal jargon, very specific, and not always easy to understand.

I’m not a fan of having to store it in a car, thus I prefer companies ease up and allow us to bring it inside or at least offer us a way to lock it up inside, so not have to depend on the car, where it can be stolen and harder for us to get to, as opposed to on body.

[TheKid]

In Mississippi an employer cannot prevent an employee from having a firearm in a private vehicle on the parking lot. Mississippi considers your vehicle an extension of your home meaning that what is legal in your home is legal in your vehicle.

[Ronald36]

I’m not allowed by the company in their leased vehicles. As a contractor and since i only have the one vehicle they “can’t” tell me no… in theory. Told my wife if anything happens she should file a ‘Wrongful death’ lawsuit.

[David57]

Surprisingly, in the once great state of illinoid,
“In Illinois, a company cannot prohibit a concealed carry holder from storing a firearm in their vehicle, even in parking lots of prohibited areas, as long as the firearm is kept in a locked container or case. However, employers can prohibit firearms on their property by posting a specific sign at the entrance.”
Parking Lot Exception
Parking Lots: Employees are allowed to carry concealed firearms into parking lots and store them in their vehicles, even if the employer has a policy against firearms on the property.
Conclusion
While employers can control firearm access within their buildings, they cannot prevent concealed carry holders from having firearms in their vehicles parked on the property.
WWG1WGA!

[Gary_H]

I worked in a 1.2 Million ft2 government contractor facility in Orlando Florida. This is the policy there:

I personally carried a pocketknife every single day. It was no secret. I was always aware my management could use this as a “reason” to terminate my employment if they wanted to get rid of me.

There were many policies there that went unenforced until a legal excuse was needed. Therefore, I never worried about my pocketknife as I am sure there was a policy broken, somewhere, somehow, by every single person employed there.

BTW, my estimate of how many people worked there was like most places, about 10%

[Joseph488]

Interesting. If that policy is current, they’re in violation of Florida law preventing you from having a gun in your private vehicle. I can see where they can retain the right to search, considering the risk for, say, sensitive information leaving the company, but they can’t legally do anything about the gun in your car.

Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine

[Gary_H]

I’ve been retired 12 years so things might have changed. My memory isn’t 20-20, but I think I remember the justification was federal employees had offices in the facility and that made the entire property conform to federal law rather than state regarding firearms.

I’ll send an email to one of my former peers and see if he remembers better than me.

[Joseph488]

Oh, you probably worked there before the state law. If I recall correctly, that law passed about 10 years ago or so.

[James845]

Not in Alabama.

[Joel106]

My ffl has a fed job for his real job. He has to park in a private lot vs the fed parking lot due to his EDC. In MI

[Papa_Zed]

Anyone who owns the property can tell you what you can and what you cannot do on that property. Property ownership is king in this country, those who own it get to make the rules for those who are on it. If you disagree with your employers policy, you can do 3 things, abide by their rules, disregard their rules, or quit. The issue with disregarding their rules is that you can lose your job and also be charged with a crime. So if there is an active shooter situation at your employment and you make it to your vehicle with your firearm, I suggest you drive off. No point in grabbing your firearm and saving a life, that is on your employer. Because if you do, you will most likely be fired and if they wanted to press charges they could.