Employers Push Back Against 'Bring Your Gun to Work' Laws

Employers across the country are struggling to come to terms with gun laws that give employees the right to carry weapons onto private company premises, citing concerns about workplace safety.

The "bring your gun to work" laws, or "parking lot" laws, give gun owners the right to bring firearms to company parking lots and leave them in their cars, though employers can ban guns from offices and factory floors, The Wall Street Journal reports.

"Much like a private homeowner is able to tell his guests whether they can bring a gun into his yard, FedEx should have the right to decide what it will and will not allow on its private property," Mark Hogan, vice president of U.S. security for FedEx Express, told Tennessee lawmakers last year, according to the Journal.

"Allowing employees to have near, immediate access to firearms, at work, creates an element of risk that is unacceptable," he said.

Twenty-two states have passed the so-called "parking lot" gun rights laws since 2004, according to the Journal. Proponents of the laws believe workers should have a right to protect themselves during their commutes to work.

With no choice but to comply, many companies are taking extra precautions to mitigate against the risks of gun violence on work premises, such as making changes to violence prevention policies, training employees to detect early signs of aggression from colleagues, and beefing up security for tense situations such as termination meetings, the Journal reports.

Starbucks recently made headlines after its chief executive asked customers to keep guns out of its stores, prompting protests from gun rights activists.

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