Employees Increasingly Choosing to Arm Themselves in the Workplace

It seems like every week we have to remind politicians that the right to own a gun is protected under the constitution and not something they can take away from us. While the rights of the second amendment extend to recreational use for weapons, one of the main reasons the founding fathers added this right was so that citizens could protect their families, homes and most importantly themselves.

Increasingly citizens are exercising that same right to self-protection while they are in the workplace. In conjunction more employers are extending the rights of their employees, allowing them to carry weapons in the workplace so that they can defend themselves in the event of a robbery, a threat of violence, or any other event that may need them to respond with force.

Some companies are going as far as providing their employees with access to company-provided guns and training in the workplace. While employers support an employee’s right to not risk themselves for the sake of company money, they want them to have protection in the event that they are put in a dangerous situation in the workplace.

Sisters Samantha Brown and Toni Whaley, the owners of a mobile coffee shop in Anchorage, Alaska called The AK Sweet Cup, recalled a robbery that happened at their shop. They said while they do keep a weapon inside in the event of an emergency, the barista she did not feel as though she could get to it safely during the robbery.

The sister’s supported their employee and told news outlets that they do not want employees to risk themselves over money, but believe that they should have the means to protect themselves available should they feel a physical threat.

In response to the recent robbery, the sisters have decided to add a second gun to the store that will provide easier access for the employees in the event they are ever robbed again.

These employers and employees are not the only ones supporting the use of firearms in the workplace. In the fall of 2017 Taco Bell came out in support of their employees right to self-defense when they praised their employee who acted by firing on masked robbers during an attempted robbery in the city of Cleveland.

After another robbery was foiled by an employee at La Bella Pizza in Amarillo, Texas, the owners took to the media to issue their statement supporting an employee’s right to practice their constitutionally protected right to self-protection in the workplace. Their statement to the press was,

“We at La Bella Pizza on Olsen are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred last Tuesday, January 9th. Our hearts go out to all the families that are involved during this trying time. Our policy always has and always will be that our employees are welcome to legally and responsibly possess the means to defend themselves and others around them.”

In another recent self-defense shooting by a U-Haul employee in Portland, police officers were quoted as recognizing the rights of employees to defend and protect themselves against injury. In his statement to the press Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Chris Burley was quoted as saying,

“We do encourage people to be good witnesses, but we also realize that if you feel like your life is in danger or someone else’s life is in danger, a person may need to protect themselves.”

While many company’s respect an employee’s right to comply with robbers when they feel it is the best way to ensure their safety, more and more business owners are also showing their support for employees who want to exercise their right to protect their place of employment, their lives, and the lives of their coworkers.

As businesses continue to recognize these employee rights, not only for the protection of themselves at home but at the workplace, perhaps assailants will no longer target businesses that are vocal about supporting their employee’s right to carry a firearm at work.

~ American Gun News