Gun Policy at Work: All You Need to Know as an Employer

27 of July, 2022

With the recent rise in cases of gun violence and mass shootings in the country, the safety of the workplace has never been at as much of a risk as it is today. It falls on your shoulders as the employer to provide your employees with as safe a work environment as possible. An understanding of the U.S. gun policy at work, especially any gun laws in your region, can help reduce the likelihood of such violence. In this article, we would be telling you all you need to know about gun policies. We also provide a few strategies to help improve the chances of your business staying safe in these tough times.

Can Employees Carry Guns?

Let’s start with this, the Second Amendment does NOT guarantee an individual the right to carry firearms on your premises. The Second Amendment only applies to the government’s restrictions on gun ownership, possession, and use. This, however, does NOT include the private sector. So, yes the Second Amendment permits your employees (and customers) to own, carry, and use guns. However, this doesn’t mean they have the right to bring their firearms into your business.

Moreover, the Second Amendment does not restrict employers from placing restrictions on or even prohibiting the possession of guns in the workplace. And why should they? The workplace is NOT the place for guns. Except your business is a security agency or you employ armed guards, there really shouldn’t be guns in your business in the first place. 

State Laws that Affect Gun Policy at Work

With that in mind, the Second Amendment is not the only law in place that affects gun rights in the workplace. Many states have laws that affect the possession of firearms at work. Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, for example, have laws that permit employees to bring their firearms to work. These laws usually come with conditions; the firearms remain stored in their vehicles or they remain concealed (if the owner has a concealed carry permit).

There are also some states with laws preventing employers from requiring employees to disclose whether or not they own and carry firearms, placing restrictions on the possession of firearms on the premises, or retaliating against employees for owning or possessing guns.

As an employer, these are the laws you should pay attention to.

Implementing Gun Policies in the Workplace

With different states having different gun laws, implementing workplace gun policies in your business should first start with finding out the gun laws in your region. 

If your business is located in states with similar gun laws as those in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, you can prohibit the possession of guns on the premises altogether. If your region has gun laws that place restrictions on what sort of gun policies private organizations can implement, then things might get a bit tricky. 

Before creating any gun policies in your workplace, you need to know exactly where you stand. Find out what gun policies and laws your state has in place. Then create your company’s gun policy around that. Anything less and your business might violate available gun laws. You can find out your state gun laws here.

A Final Note

With an understanding of how much damage can cause a gun, it can sometimes be very easy to forget that guns, in themselves, are not the problem. In the same way, an unarmed person can still cause a lot of harm. So as you think about gun policies to implement in your workplace, also keep in mind that workplace violence policies need to be put in place as well. These policies also need to be enforced if they are to be effective at discouraging any future occurrences of such events. By doing this, you build a workplace that is not only safe from gun violence but the various other violence-related work hazards that threaten employees and employers alike.

Did this information help you? We hope so. To learn more about human resources, labor laws, and much more, continue in our blog section.