Carry at work, maybe

[Teamless]

I work for a small chemical company in Pasadena, not a major one that most of you would have ever heard of.
I work in the office and rarely do I go into the plant.
1- Our employee handbook says nothing about carrying at work.
2- I have never been told we cannot carry at work.
3 - There is a sign on our gate that specifically states.. well, see for yourself

It specifically says "into the plant"
I work in the office building, and I can lock my desk, if I need to go the plant (but that would mean unconcealing to do so).
My HR Manager is an ex-cop, and he has said before, in casual conversation that "I (meaning he) always has a gun on him". This came up prior to my looking into and trying to get a CHL, and did not pry any more than that. But I am worried that if I go to him and ask, I will get the "no you can't" when as I read the sign, I can, as long as I do not go into the plant itself.

I do say there is a distinct difference from the plant to office as you are required to wear a hard hat, steel toes and safety glasses in the plant, but not in the office.

How do you all see this scenario playing out?

[shortysboy09]

Personally I wouldn't carry in there. When they say "Plant" it can interpreted in different ways. One may view it your way as the plant means the actual shop part, but one may view it as the whole property including your office area. Plus, if a supervisor has told you that you cannot carry then that is effective notice I think. Hate to say it, but looks like your hands are tied.

[paynewp]

The sign states no weapons are allowed. I work for a gas and chemical company and they have the same type sign posted. If effect you have been notified that they do not want weapons there. I am not going to risk my job testing the waters. It says plant but I am sure all the building are included.

[davidtx]

My HR Manager is an ex-cop, and he has said before, in casual conversation that "I (meaning he) always has a gun on him". This came up prior to my looking into and trying to get a CHL, and did not pry any more than that.

The next time he says that, you might just reply "even here?" and see where the conversation goes from there. I don't see how you could be worse off than you are now.

[Teamless]

yep, when I actually get my CHL, I will bring it up with him. Worse case, I am told no, best case I am told Dont Ask Dont Tell, and I will end up no worse than I am now.

[GOP]

Actually it is clear that no weapons, or anything that can be deemed a weapon... wait, does that include knives? Hmmm, what about heavy objects? Maybe it's not so clear...

j/k

I'd bet money that "plant" includes all company owned property. Would you bet your job on it?

[MojoTexas]

In today's litigious society, most corporations that are larger than a certain size are going to post signs and policies forbidding weapons. Whether or not it's enforceable, or will ever be enforced, is something you have to decide for yourself. For instance, if they ban knives, it's doubtful they are going to crack down on employees carrying small pocket knives, even though the letter of the policy may ban any knife. However, if an employee pulls a knife and stabs someone on company property, they can point to the signs and policies and say, "He was forbidden to carry the knife, and was breaking policy." They're just covering their bottoms.

Even if they forbid you leaving your handgun in your vehicle, how likely are they to search your vehicle? I know it has happened before, such as at the Weyerhaeuser plant in Valliant, Oklahoma back in 2002, but in that case they were originally looking for drugs after a drug overdose. The police dogs "alerted" on the cars containing firearms, and even though employees lost their job after a second search still revealed weapons in vehicles, Oklahoma now has a parking-lot law.

I'm in a similar situation...I work for a moderately sized company and our company policy forbids weapons, plus my boss has verbally told me I'm not allowed to carry at work. In reality, if I'm doing a good job of concealment, who would know? Nobody, unless a situation came up where I had to defend myself. However I'm not willing to risk it, because I feel relatively safe at work.

Just be aware of the consequences, and let your conscience be your guide. If I worked in a bad part of town and felt that my work place was unsafe, I might consider carrying anyway despite the policy. However, I work in a high-security high-tech environment, with restricted access to the building and parking lot, and security guards roaming the grounds keeping an eye on things. You're never 100% safe, but I'm a lot safer than I would be than if I worked the graveyard shift in a convenience store in Fort Worth.

[WildBill]

How do you all see this scenario playing out?

I see the person getting fired for having a gun on company property.

[PSLOwner]

I looked at our corporate employee handbook online and it says nothing about CHL. Someone in my group took the class on Saturday and sent a note to HR today and asked them what our policy was on CHL at work. They wrote him back and called him and said that we do not have a policy against it..... and our building has no signage on it!

[74novaman]

I looked at our corporate employee handbook online and it says nothing about CHL. Someone in my group took the class on Saturday and sent a note to HR today and asked them what our policy was on CHL at work. They wrote him back and called him and said that we do not have a policy against it..... and our building has no signage on it!

Y'all got lucky...if I worked at a place that didn't say anything one way or the other, I would carry and go on my merry way without ever saying anything.


Oh, and the original sign confuses me. So you can bring drugs onto the plant with express management approval?

[GOP]

Oh, and the original sign confuses me. So you can bring drugs onto the plant with express management approval?

I'm sure what is meant is if there is a legal prescription then the employee must notify his or her's manager. Most companies have requirements for employees to notify management if the employee is using controlled drugs. I am a manager where I work and have several drivers that can not drive for me if they are on certain prescriptions. If they have a script then we task them with desk jobs; otherwise they are risking their jobs if they get into an accident. All employees involved in an accident are drug tested.

[Toadstone]

You know, a while back I remember seeing a story on the news about how prepared our coastal plants are in the event of terrorist attacks. They did some drills and found security/reaction times to be unacceptable.

I would think that for this reason alone, it might be helpful for at least some of the people already in the area to be able to provide an immediate, armed response should the need arise.

[boomerang]

Oh, and the original sign confuses me. So you can bring drugs onto the plant with express management approval?

I'm sure what is meant is if there is a legal prescription then the employee must notify his or her's manager. Most companies have requirements for employees to notify management if the employee is using controlled drugs. I am a manager where I work and have several drivers that can not drive for me if they are on certain prescriptions. If they have a script then we task them with desk jobs; otherwise they are risking their jobs if they get into an accident. All employees involved in an accident are drug tested.

The way it's written, the sign prohibits ibuprofen just as much as it prohibits handguns.

[GOP]

Oh, and the original sign confuses me. So you can bring drugs onto the plant with express management approval?

I'm sure what is meant is if there is a legal prescription then the employee must notify his or her's manager. Most companies have requirements for employees to notify management if the employee is using controlled drugs. I am a manager where I work and have several drivers that can not drive for me if they are on certain prescriptions. If they have a script then we task them with desk jobs; otherwise they are risking their jobs if they get into an accident. All employees involved in an accident are drug tested.

The way it's written, the sign prohibits ibuprofen just as much as it prohibits handguns.

Perhaps, but the use of the word "controlled" at the beginning of the bullet seems to extend to the entire phrase. Either way, it is in the company's discretion, as is the case for all companies.

And certain OTC medicines, like cold remedies, may be required to seek permission as well. Cold medicines can make one drowsy.

[quickerNu]

Ahh, the joys of working at a Harley shop. More of my co-workers carry than don't.