by Sky King » Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:02 pm
I have been thinking. There may be another way to crack this nut in regards to a parking lot bill. We have been approaching this thing from a handgun prospective. That brings all the negative media attention right on top of us. Just as they tagged the restaurant bill as "Guns in Bars" to get the general public all spooled up, they will tag a parking lot bill as "Guns at Work". They will bring out all the workplace violence events and spin it to say this will make things worse.
I think there could be a different approach. My employers policy is NOT specifically a "no gun" policy, it is a "weapons" policy. In the policy it specifically lists things such as "firearms and weapons include, but ARE NOT limited to, disabling tear gas dispensers (and similiar disabling devices LIKE tasers or "STUN GUNS") guns, starting pistols, flare pistols, and any knife or similiar object with a blade exceeding 3 inches in length."
What this policy does is disarm ANY and ALL employees from having ANYTHING they may have to provide for their own protection. The policy states, "Possession of or carrying of unauthorized weapons on Company property CAN RESULT in immediate dismissal. ENFORCEMENT WILL BE CONSISTENT WITH APPLICABLE GOVERNING LAW".
What this means is that even if you ARE NOT a permit holder and don't even own a firearm, you can not have a can of disabling spray or stun gun in your car on company property. What I would propose is a defensive device protection law. A law that addresses firearms only does nothing for a person who chooses to use pepper spray. If we can write a law that protects persons from disciplinary action regardless of what they may choose as their protection of choice, we MAY beable to divert some of the attention from the gun issue.
Put a lot of attention on the ladies who choose to have a can of pepper spray on their key chain and tell them that some employers will fire EVEN THEM. I know this because I was present in the security screening one morning when on girl was stopped because she had such a device on her key chain. They detained her. I don't know what ultimately happened to her as I had to go on in, but I do know she was stopped and the policy states that she could have been fired right then and there.
What do you all think about that approach?
Sam Cooper
Memphis, Tennessee