Firearms not allowed at work, but we've been cautioned about a disgruntled fired empl

I work at a building that has multiple stories and multiple tenants. Earlier this week, a memo was posted inside of all the doors at my workplace that had a picture of a guy and to call 911 if he was spotted in the building. I called the property management to get more info. Apparently, he was recently fired and didn't take it well. According to our employee handbook, firearms are not allowed inside the workplace. Despite the fact that I have a ccw permit, if there was an incident where I had to use my firearm to protect myself or others as a result of this disgruntled employee at my workplace, I'm guessing that I'd likely be let go if there was an incident where I used my firearm.

I'm curious what others would do in this situation.

If it is not an illegal place to carry by law and only a work related policy stating no firearms, don't take chances and carry. Concealed is concealed.

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Originally Posted by Jdunn217

If it is not an illegal place to carry by law and only a work related policy stating no firearms, don't take chances and carry. Concealed is concealed.

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Right, but once you use it, it's not concealed. Obviously, I'd rather save myself and lose my job than to be killed or injured, but from a legal perspective, would my employer have the right to terminate me if I actually had to use it? I work in a corporate building, not a federal building or anything like that.

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Originally Posted by lnferno

Right, but once you use it, it's not concealed. Obviously, I'd rather save myself and lose my job than to be killed or injured, but from a legal perspective, would my employer have the right to terminate me if I actually had to use it? I work in a corporate building, not a federal building or anything like that.

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Yes, they would probably have a legal right to fire you. You'd be alive and fired, though.

Or if you carry and accidentally are discovered you could be terminated also. Which do you think has the best odds of happening?

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Originally Posted by lnferno

Right, but once you use it, it's not concealed. Obviously, I'd rather save myself and lose my job than to be killed or injured, but from a legal perspective, would my employer have the right to terminate me if I actually had to use it? I work in a corporate building, not a federal building or anything like that.

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Unless you have a contractual agreement with your employer, he can fire you for having a booger hanging out of your nose if he wanted to.

If it were me, I'd carry it concealed and hope there wasn't in incident which forced me to deploy it. It sure beats being killed in a workplace shooting while you were unarmed.

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Originally Posted by lnferno

... would my employer have the right to terminate me if I actually had to use it? ....

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Sure - it's his shop and his rules. You violate the rules and you're gone.

You could always sue to get your job back, but it would be expensive and if you won I could imagine that you would be fired for something else in a short time.

In many places, even asking if you could carry in the situation you describe would be likely to get you fired.

Decide what the risks are: in my case, even though we have occasional disgruntled ex-employees, the risk to my family's well-being is far greater if I get fired than the actual likelihood of my getting in the way of an angry ex-employee. Your results may vary, of course, and no criticism for whichever course you choose. But I don't carry and can't imagine a situation where I would.

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Regarding reasons for firing: many states are 'right to work' states (look yours up): it's a bit of a misnomer in my opinion, because what it boils down to is that you can quit for any or no reason and they can fire you for any or no reason. They might wait until they find a violation of rules so they don't have to pay unemployment insurance (you don't get it if your firing was because of rulebreaking), but they can legally show you the door just because they don't like your haircut.

Better to be shown the door than to be carried through it feet first.

The company can fire you if they can document cause. In this case you know they have a "no guns" policy. If you decide to carry and are found out somehow or if you need to use it in a defensive situation, yes you are likely to be fired. However, if it's not illegal to carry (with permit), then there are no legal ramifications. So, you need to weigh the pros and cons of carrying in your building, especially in light of the news about the disgruntled ex-employee.

I worked a 12 hr shift in manufacturing for 31 yrs.We had something like that to happen, over the years,a couple of times.Thankfully,nothing bad happened.The company,i worked for,if you got caught with any ammo,at all,you could kiss your job good bye.I was lucky enough to make some fairly decent money,and i wouldn't risk it.If i knew i had to have it,to save my life,that's different.

There come times in our lives when we have to weigh the situation and choose the lesser of two evils. Choose wisely.

I guess we are lucky in Maine ,as a law was passed making it legal to keep your firearm in your vehicle.My truck was my office and I had a loaded pistol in my glove box
all the time.I worked at a college that had a large middle Eastern population.Anyway, I made a consious decision to make sure my pistol was not far from my reach.

hmm....

keep a job

or

keep your life.

carry concealed. nobody will ever know your carrying and if they do, that's only because you had to save your own life.

I would advise you to ask what steps the building's management or the former employee's company was taking to ensure the safety of the employees and tenants. Being that they felt the threat was real enough to post the information everywhere I would want some assurances that something besides the plan to "Call the LEO's if you see this guy." was being done. If that was the only plan in place I think I would carry discreetly and not mention a word to ANYONE, not even my best work buddy. Good luck and stay safe.

I will add it may also be good to plan for getting caught. Make a copy of the poster that was handed out so that in your defense you can show that there was a present and identified threat. I am not a lawyer and this may not hold water, but I would want this info in writing just in case you: A) are caught with a weapon on company property, or B) You defend your life in some type of situation. Better to have the issued warning poster to give your lawyer.