Office policy / accommodation for CHL holders

[wally775]

Thank you for attitude towards employee CHL.

I am not a lawyer.
Like everyone I do have an opinion. I have had employees and have dealt with issues (not this particular one) where company policy is involved. I give you great credit for thinking this through beforehand and not in a reactionary situation.

My observations (fancy word for opinions).

• Speak with your attorney and get his observations.
• Speak with your insurance agent and make sure he has no surprises for you.
• Requiring or directing personnel to do things in a prescribed manner may well
be the minefield you mentioned.

You may want to consider doing nothing. If specifically asked about this you could say
if you have a Texas (because your business is located in Texas) CHL and you follow the rules set forth under the CHL the company has no issue with the CHL.
This way you allow the employee to carry if they see fit and they are responsible for
their decision to carry and carry method. They are responsible for their actions under
the CHL rules of Texas. There are of course many areas and separate situations that may come up but no reason to go into them here. My post is already long enough.

Also I have no idea what type of business entity you are and that may have some
bearing on how you approach the issue. It is one thing to have corporate liability
and quite another to be also personally involved.

Again these are just my opinions but that is what you asked.
I applaud and thank you again for your CHL support.

Good luck.

[b322da]

Thank you for attitude towards employee CHL.

I am not a lawyer.
Like everyone I do have an opinion. I have had employees and have dealt with issues (not this particular one) where company policy is involved. I give you great credit for thinking this through beforehand and not in a reactionary situation.

My observations (fancy word for opinions).

• Speak with your attorney and get his observations.
• Speak with your insurance agent and make sure he has no surprises for you.
• Requiring or directing personnel to do things in a prescribed manner may well
be the minefield you mentioned.

You may want to consider doing nothing. If specifically asked about this you could say
if you have a Texas (because your business is located in Texas) CHL and you follow the rules set forth under the CHL the company has no issue with the CHL.
This way you allow the employee to carry if they see fit and they are responsible for
their decision to carry and carry method. They are responsible for their actions under
the CHL rules of Texas. There are of course many areas and separate situations that may come up but no reason to go into them here. My post is already long enough.

Also I have no idea what type of business entity you are and that may have some
bearing on how you approach the issue. It is one thing to have corporate liability
and quite another to be also personally involved.

Again these are just my opinions but that is what you asked.
I applaud and thank you again for your CHL support.

Good luck.

Very good "observations."

Many good points which I failed to make in my earlier post, particularly these:

• Speak with your insurance agent and make sure he has no surprises for you.
• Requiring or directing personnel to do things in a prescribed manner may well
be the minefield you mentioned.

A very good example of the reason for my canned sgnature. I have to be so careful making off-the-cuff "observations" on the Internet.

Elmo

[Matt78665]

When I need to carry while in my Scrubs, I use the fanny pack. Not optimal, but beats the heck out of nothing.

[WildBill]

It is interesting that the OP states that "I see a liability minefield here". This is the reason that many companies don't allow firearms to be carried by employees.

You didn't say how many employees you have but how about buying a small locking file cabinet for each office or cubicle. If that is not practical, then buy some lockers to put in the restrooms. Assign every employee a locker, whether or not they carry.

As for policy try posting the standard language sign "the unlicensed possession of a firearm is a felonly. . .etc" sign on your building. State the same language in your HR policy.

Unless your policy has some kind of clause that discusses firearms, I don't know why you would have to consult your insurance company unless you encourage employees to carry and then have additional rules about how they carry and store their handguns. Did you tell your insurance company that you carry?

IANAL, so consult one if you need one.

[threoh8]

I am the only full time male in the office, but that is another story

This begs a question I will not ask ...

[DoubleJ]

I am the only full time male in the office, but that is another story

This begs a question I will not ask ...

srsly, tho. The only thing I'd like to add, is the consideration that if a person begins to dictate how someone carries, that someone may decide that it's too much of an inconvenience to carry, thusly leaving it at home. If Purse Carry is their chosen method, well shewt, I think giving them somewhere very close to their desk to lock up their purse is a great idea.
I mean, you're not saying gun, you're saying purse!

my thinking here, is that you're mostly looking for a way to secure the firearms away from little hands (like someone's kid rooting around in a purse for gum/candy), not really fortifying something against an assault team, so a locking file cabinet is appropriate in my mind.

good luck!

[sailor2000]

Can anyone point me to a 'model' policy for this? I recall that SWA was at the forefront on this issue.

Responses from others in similar situations or attorney's greatly appreciated.

Thanks

SWA or DuPont employees maybe?????

Thanks