The HQ is located in WI.
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Welcome to the Community, @David12! The company you worked at had 2 workplace shootings? That’s scary!
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i cook at a local college, which in delaware is considered a gun free zone. my employer, aramark, also has a zero tolerance policy for weapons carried in the workplace… all that being said, a person has to do whatever he / she can to protect themselves and those around them
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Aramark is also the company with all of the prison contracts here in Michigan. That would explain the zero tolerance policy.
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Policies are designed to protect the company from liability, NOT to protect the employees!!!
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I think I’d have been looking for other employment opportunities. 
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I used to work for a company who the owner was “pro 2A” and carried a gun himself. The guy had zero civilian training, never served in the military or LEO and I think had a John Wayne sort of attitude when it came to the possibility of someone coming through the door and him getting the chance to drop someone. With that being said, we where not allowed to even have a pocket knife or anything that may be used as a weapon. Does anyone else have a John Wayne employer like I used to?
Obviously the company I currently work for is very pro gun and allows and encourages us to carry at work. Thank you to our founder @Tim !!
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Not quite the same but once I had a firearms enthusiast boss where he and I and half the engineering team took sporting clays lessons at lunch a couple days a week. That was fun!
Kept our shotguns in the cars though, not in our office.
LOL! I did think of Tim when reading your post, @Jack, but in the same respect you did - that he is the furthest from the John Wayne approach. He encourages us to train and gives USCCA Staff tons of opportunity to get training for free or close to free.
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My employer has our home office as a marked gun free zone. However we go to patients homes. I do not know if the company policy specifically does not allow concealed carry outside the office with a concealed carry permit. I do not believe this is specifically addressed in the employee handbook.
Do you believe I should or should not carry concealed when going to a patients house?
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To add a little more information. The only reason I am even considering this is just for some certain patients. These patients have medical conditions which can effect their cognitive abilities, usually due to hypoxa related to end stage emphysema. some of them which live alone always have a loaded firearm on a end table right beside them. I guess I am just being overly nervous.
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@Matthew4 I’m going to predict that @Dawn will recommend a conversation with your lawyer as part of figuring out what the right way to handle this is. You want to understand both your job risks and liability risks, along with your personal safety. These things get messy when there’s a lot of moving parts.
Welcome to the community, this is exactly the place to come work these questions out.
In general I’d say this. If you find yourself going into a situation where you feel you need to be armed for your own protection you probably need to find a way to avoid those situations. Arming yourself only gives you a means to defend yourself in the event you must and you should never go anywhere armed that you would be afraid to go unarmed. The gun is not a shield against harm.
In your situation I’ll just offer this. With the patients you’re dealing with they aren’t physically capable of doing much besides laying in bed and grabbing a gun if they feel threatened. The only way therefore you’re going to be at particular risk then is if they grab it and point it your way. In such an event you’re already “in the hole” so to speak because you’d be “drawing from the drop” which is a great way to get killed.
All that being said I’ll just add this, I carry everywhere I can legally do so. I never go looking for trouble, avoid places where I can expect it, but I’m always ready to deal with it if I’m forced to.
I’ll also say that in your situation I’d be particularly mindful of having my firearm carried very securely and discreetly. A struggling patient half our of their mind gasping for air and grasping for any help they can find could easily inadvertently or incoherently grab your gun and harm you with it if you don’t.
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Good thoughts. I do make sure they know who it is that is entering their home. I will not enter without unless they come to the door if possible or verbally acknowledge that I can enter. I do not want to be shot due to mistaken identity.
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I just wanted you to know these patients are not bad people. I believe they feel vulnerable due to their physical disability and would like the option to defend themselves. Most live alone and out in the country where help is not always available. Please know I have NEVER had any patient threaten me.
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that was clear in your post @Matthew4 … I think they’re not that different from a lot of us.
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I get that and I’m sure we all do. I watched my own Mother die slowly of COPD and a grandfather of Pneumonia.
Both conditions are akin to drowning slowly to death. Just like a drowning victim in the water that fear of death and hypoxia can make them delusional, desperate, and dangerous at times and effectively not responsible for their own actions because rational thought is impossible to the same degree the criminally insane are not.
One doesn’t have to be evil to be a danger to yourself and others.
You as a caregiver however could still easily find yourself facing a deadly threat as a result so carrying is a perfectly rational decision.
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I find it interesting the difference my employer treats behavioral health patients from medical patients. On admission behavioral health patients are asked if they own any guns and where are they kept. My employer has actually denied service to patients who owned guns and could not legally poses them due to previous involuntary psychiatric admits and/or felony convictions.
I really do not believe all behavioral health patients are a danger to society. Having worked in behavioral health for over 10 years I have met a few who where dangerous to society, but not many.
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That really bothers me. Unless your employer is a private entity or individual the law requires they accept anyone regardless of such things.
I’m not even sure a private hospital or service could justify it if they were sued.
From a caregivers protection standpoint though I certainly understand it.
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They are a private entity, I only no of one patient who was denied service. Every time staff would arrive son would threaten with firearm. After son went to prison and patient went to assisted living we resumed service.
As far the questions for Behavioral Health Patients I believe that is part of the mandatory questions required by Medicare. Apparently statistically Medicare wants to know how many behavioral health patients own firearms.
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