Anytime a news publication starts looking at what people can and can’t do with guns, I cringe. Milwaukee seems to be the only large city that has a reporter who looks at guns with any degree of neutrality, though the New York Times has one that might be leaning that way–if only he were the only one for the Times who talked about guns.
Most of the time, I dig in and get ready to fight over it.
But the Columbus Dispatch decided to look at what the state says about guns at work, and…I’m not angry.
As of 2022, Ohio is a “constitutional carry” state, meaning people 21 and older who can legally own guns can also carry them, either openly or concealed.
But can your workplace keep you from bringing it into the office?
Many private businesses choose to forbid guns from their premises, but Ohio law limits how far they can go.
Can your employer prevent you from bringing your gun to work in Ohio?
Ohio has no law requiring employers to allow guns on the job. Ohio allows private businesses the authority to ban guns from their premises, and that extends to employees.
That means your employer is within their rights to tell you not to bring your gun into the office.
Can I leave my gun in my car in the work parking lot?
Ohio does limit employers’ abilities to ban their employees from storing firearms and ammunition in locked vehicles on company property. Several states, including Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota and Mississippi, have similar laws.
Strangely, they also felt like they needed to address law enforcement officers, who are required to be armed. However, they also note that businesses can’t require cops to be disarmed while on duty in order to enter the premises, so there’s that.
They also note the requirements in the state for lawfully leaving a gun in your vehicle, which is nice.
All in all, it’s actually a solid breakdown of state law, at least as I understand it.
Now, should employers be able to tell you that you can’t carry a gun while on the clock? I don’t think they should do so, but if they can tell me I have to have my hair cut or what kind of clothes I have to wear on the job, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be allowed to tell me to leave the gun in the car. Again, I don’t have to like it, and if I dislike it enough, I don’t have to take their coin. I can simply find somewhere else to work that has rules more to my liking.
That’s not a position that some of you are going to like, I’m sure, which is fine. I don’t particularly like that they do it, after all. I just don’t want the state telling me what I can and can’t do with my own businesses, so I don’t want to enforce that on anyone else, especially since companies can also keep employees from talking about particular topics like politics while on the clock.
As for the original piece, I was kind of shocked that it was so direct and to the point, all without any serious signs of bias.
Now, if only we could find a lot more examples like this.
Read the full article here
