Indiana Take Your Gun to Work Law

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels recently signed a law allowing employees to have guns on company property, even if the employer prohibits it.

 

The new gun control law permits Indiana employees to keep lawful firearms and ammunition in their locked cars on company premises. The guns must be legally owned, and the owner must meet all applicable licensing requirements, and must not be stored in plain sight in the vehicle.

 

Many employers have prohibited guns anywhere on the property, including in parked cars, in an effort to curb workplace violence. While Indiana employers can still prohibit guns inside the workplace, they no longer have the option of prohibiting them in the employees’ locked cars.

 

The “Take Your Gun to Work Law” goes into effect immediately.

 

The law allows some employers to continue to ban guns, including utilities, chemical plants, schools, daycare centers, domestic violence shelters and group homes.

 

With this law, Indiana joins eleven other states that protect the employee’s right to have a gun in his or her car at work. Those states are: Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alaska, Arizona and Utah.

 

Proponents claim the law will deter violence in the workplace and allow employees to protect themselves. Opponents of the law, including many employers, fear that incidents of workplace violence will increase when a disgruntled employee can simply go to his car and take a loaded gun from the trunk or glove box.

 

Employers can still prohibit workers from having guns inside the building at work, even if the employee has a concealed carry permit.

 

The law permits employees whose right to bring a gun to work is violated to sue the employer and recover actual damages, attorney’s fees and possibly penalties. Indiana employers should be cautious to balance workplace anti-violence policies with the gun owner’s rights.

 

 

 

 

Bookmark the permalink