TexasCHLforum.com

Well I posted a question a while back about company policy prohibiting weapons being on any company property, including parking lots and such; without the proper 30.06 postings. In the mean time I've noticed old faded signs that seem to metion something about weapons being prohibited on company property (one of which has fallen down and prompted the grounds crew to mow around it rather than pick it up), however they're so faded that they're not legible.

All this ignores the fact that I work at a national defense plant (won't say which one) here in the DFW area. Would this fact alone preclude me from being able to keep my pistol in my truck if there wasn't a company policy against it? I'm sure this is covered somewhere in one of the laws, but in the time that it would take me to find it, I'm sure there will be three posts in response.

Don't have any plans to violate company policy, just bugs me that I can't at least leave it in my truck.[/b]

SigM4 wrote: Would this fact alone preclude me from being able to keep my pistol in my truck if there wasn't a company policy against it? I'm sure this is covered somewhere in one of the laws, but in the time that it would take me to find it, I'm sure there will be three posts in response.

Don't have any plans to violate company policy, just bugs me that I can't at least leave it in my truck.[/b]

Whatever you do, don't tell a single person you work with.

Learn from my mistake---> I mentioned to work follks that I had a CHL and they should get one.. next thing I know I was in a room facing two big time corporate security guys.. I didn't get fired but I had to read out loud the company policy on weapons.

Very bad feeling, and not sure how it effected my career.. I am curious to see what happens to my employee ranking next year.

Actually being that we're a defense contracted company, a good amount of those around the office have military and weaponry paraphernalia around. I'm not too worried about being ousted for having a CHL, and in jumping through the hoops to get hired, I'm fairly confident that they probably already know. Either way, I work late some evenings and don't like the idea of being in the parking lot, or the areas I have to drive through unarmed.

ejector wrote:

SigM4 wrote: Would this fact alone preclude me from being able to keep my pistol in my truck if there wasn't a company policy against it? I'm sure this is covered somewhere in one of the laws, but in the time that it would take me to find it, I'm sure there will be three posts in response.

Don't have any plans to violate company policy, just bugs me that I can't at least leave it in my truck.[/b]

Whatever you do, don't tell a single person you work with.

Learn from my mistake---> I mentioned to work follks that I had a CHL and they should get one.. next thing I know I was in a room facing two big time corporate security guys.. I didn't get fired but I had to read out loud the company policy on weapons.

Very bad feeling, and not sure how it effected my career.. I am curious to see what happens to my employee ranking next year.

That makes me sick. They treated you like a child.

SigM4, I'm in total agreement with The YoungGuy that your company's response was childish and totally inappropriate. I don't know if I could have maintained the composure you managed.

As for the legality issue, from past corporate experience, the vast majority of large Texas businesses have weapons clauses in the standard HR agreements you have to sign either upon hire, or as updates are added.

You will have to get one of the true legal eagles here on the forum to advise you of the specifics, but it is my guess that they have their bases covered regarding employees possessing any type of weapon on company property.

Good luck.

If it is a privatly owned company, it has to be properly posted. However, if it is owned by the federal gov., then it's a no no.

Now, as a private company, they can have rules against carrying that could get you terminated.

I also work for a Defense Contactor in the DFW area, in fact I have worked for several. It is my experiance that the weapons on company grounds will be prohibited by company policy. You will have to search your company policy to find out for sure, but part of taking a job is that you agree to abide by company policy.

If it is in the policy handbook (our company policies are online) and you get caught you can almost bet that you will be terminated. So you have to decide if your job or right to carry is more important. I have decided that my job and providing for my family comes first. I don't like it, but there is nothing I can do about it.

Others on here have said they would take a chance on getting fired. While it is my opinion that being terminated is never a good thing, I would not want to have to explain to a future employer why I was terminated for violating a weapons policy at my previous employer.

I just hope that in 2009 we can get this parking lot thing fixed for CHL holders.

Kinda makes y'all wish a certain "parking lot" bill had gotten passed here in Texas this last session...

Then most of this would be one of those...

(insert chirping cricket sound effect here)

Just remember, its not just the employers and other "civic" organizations fighting us on this...Its the insurance comapnies that force employers to put these restrictive and infringing policies in an employers manual to force the companies to comply so they can "give" you insurable benefits...

Thats what is really driving this boat...

Sounds like Perot Systems to me :-)

Right2Carry wrote:I just hope that in 2009 we can get this parking lot thing fixed for CHL holders.

Amen to that!

At the same time though, I wonder how many people will provide the required information to their employers only to find that shortly afterward their services are no longer required.

In an at-will employment state, they really don't have to have a reason to let you go. Nobody will say that it was because you told them you had a CHL and were going to keep your weapon locked in your car - but just because they don't say it doesn't mean that it isn't the case.

Sangiovese wrote:

Right2Carry wrote:I just hope that in 2009 we can get this parking lot thing fixed for CHL holders.

Amen to that!

At the same time though, I wonder how many people will provide the required information to their employers only to find that shortly afterward their services are no longer required.

In an at-will employment state, they really don't have to have a reason to let you go. Nobody will say that it was because you told them you had a CHL and were going to keep your weapon locked in your car - but just because they don't say it doesn't mean that it isn't the case.

I am hoping that with the the fix in 2009 that any requirement to notify your employer WILL NOT BE NECESSARY.

I am hoping that all restrictions to places will be removed next session, except 30.06 and a few others. Forget parking lots, go for the big picture!

Governor Perry agrees with this.

Flatland2D wrote:I am hoping that all restrictions to places will be removed next session, except 30.06 and a few others. Forget parking lots, go for the big picture!

Governor Perry agrees with this.

These are completely separate issues. A law changing the restricted areas of carry is in no way going to change whether an employer can restrict your ability to carry on private property, much less the ability to fire you for having your gun in your car. This does need to be addressed in a separate bill.

Considering Florida's failure to pass a parking lot bill, and our own TSRA's relative silence on the issue since the legislative session ended, I am not optimistic about 2009. We need to figure out how to work this out politically... It's not just the usual suspects against us this time. How do we get the business community, including the insurance companies,to come over to our side? TSRA is going to have its hands full this time.

This bill is a very tough sell because business is united against it.

It succeeded in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is a more rural state than Texas, and more uniformly conservative (OK, shoot me, but it's true).

Legislators need to hear that if they do not support a measure, you (their constituent) will be voting for someone else in November, even if it's a Libertarian. It helps if the legislator has heard from you before you bring up a single issue. It helps even more if you assisted their previous campaign in some way.

Big business donates a lot of money to legislators and usually gets its way, but companies and chambers of commerce can't vote.

Here's the opposing point of view, for those who are interested:
http://www.workerscompinsider.com/archives/000344.html

I am pessimistic that we will ever change the minds of insurance companies or lawyers.

- Jim