The "Suited Shootist" Got Made at Work

[rob_s]

I could have been that guy.

Small local GC. Carried almost every day. Acquired by larger, publicly-traded company. Former owners stayed on, and their rifle and shotgun collections stayed in their offices. Figured “goose/gander” and kept carrying. Fiancé got sick, economy went in the shitter, keeping A job got more critical, find a new job became harder, making THIS job more critical, stopped carrying at work.

I personally view a lot of these workplace carry issues the same way I do HOAs and other things. People opt in to them to one degree or another. Then they also want THEIR right to bear arms to trump their boss’s right to control what happens on their private property.

Growing up in a “right to work” state I suppose I came away with a pretty unsympathetic perspective on employment.

[BehindBlueI's]

I recollect an interesting podcast with CW where he (in support of his advocacy of small revolvers as a primary) challenged people to take a seasonal side job at some prohibited place like Home Depot (where it wouldn't end a career to get fired ETA:and includes more physical activity than taking a selfie in front of a mirror) to prove they could go a a few months without being busted with their full size gun in an NPE.

I went about a year carrying a 1911 in a Smart Carry. It wasn't a real physical job, mostly desk drone stuff, but I did occasionally have to crawl under a desk for a cable or something.

If anyone noticed a slight bulge, they didn't say anything. Of course, one of the girls in the Training branch did seem real interested in going to lunch with me...

A lot will depend on body size and shape as well. I was definitely obese at the time, still in my post-Army "Fuck everything, let's get drunk!" phase.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

So if HR calls you for a meeting, you won't tell them that you had a boating accident?

Sorry - Le Fran! I agree with what you said. Too much absolutism, like leave your job or state over some sort of ban. Life isn't that easy.

[olstyn]

I personally view a lot of these workplace carry issues the same way I do HOAs and other things. People opt in to them to one degree or another. Then they also want THEIR right to bear arms to trump their boss’s right to control what happens on their private property.

The number of medium to large corporations which don't have prohibitive policies is pretty small, at least as far as I understand. Your employment opportunities in a LOT of fields are significantly reduced if you decide that you can't work anywhere with prohibitive policies, and even if you do find one, there's no guarantee that corporate policy won't change tomorrow.

[Cory]

Most of us have probably heard a lot of chest-thumping silliness (I’ve read it here) about carrying guns into Mexico, carrying despite “no gun” signs with the force of law, keeping ARs after a “turn them in” ban (which is a very similar situation), etc. It’s not lost on me that most of these optimists have never been to prison.

I don't carry at work, and it bothers me to be without. A blade is very acceptable (in fact, expected. Damn near a requirement). I do what I can do.

That being said, I view keeping ARs after a ban as completely different. We each make our own choices, and the way you evaluate the risk/reward doesn't have to match to have mutual respect. Often someone who has put in an honest assessment and come to a different conclusion is instantly dismissed as "chest thumping silliess" or outright stupid because their choice is different. Don't always assume the evaluation didn't happen. Not directed at you Le Français just kind of a general pet peeve when everyone assumes others haven't been diligent in choice making.

[Yung]

I think making a decision to not carry at work is probably the easiest part compared to taking whatever steps are necessary to not leaving the gun at home (or perhaps even having to leave the gun at home) and adapting everything else accordingly.

I also wasn't aware that Alex started making videos. I still look at his blog sometimes, though a lot of it doesn't really fit into my circumstances.

[rob_s]

The number of medium to large corporations which don't have prohibitive policies is pretty small, at least as far as I understand. Your employment opportunities in a LOT of fields are significantly reduced if you decide that you can't work anywhere with prohibitive policies, and even if you do find one, there's no guarantee that corporate policy won't change tomorrow.

I still fail to see the issue.

While I can agree it sucks, particularly if somewhere you work either changes the rules or gets acquired (as happened in my case), it’s still the rules and (as a right to work state makes clear) you have a right to A job, but not necessarily THIS job.

Since my general views on carry are often counter the the majority here, that likely contributes to my opinion on this as well

[rob_s]

I don't carry at work, and it bothers me to be without. A blade is very acceptable (in fact, expected. Damn near a requirement). I do what I can do.

That being said, I view keeping ARs after a ban as completely different. We each make our own choices, and the way you evaluate the risk/reward doesn't have to match to have mutual respect. Often someone who has put in an honest assessment and come to a different conclusion is instantly dismissed as "chest thumping silliess" or outright stupid because their choice is different. Don't always assume the evaluation didn't happen. Not directed at you Le Français just kind of a general pet peeve when everyone assumes others haven't been diligent in choice making.

I think the original post was less about the actual activity of keeping a newly-illegal forearm and more about the bravado on gun forums relative to hypotheticals about non-issues from the safety of a situation where the threat doesn’t actually exist.

In other words, everybody is a tough guy on the internut.

[Cory]

I think the original post was less about the actual activity of keeping a newly-illegal forearm and more about the bravado on gun forums relative to hypotheticals about non-issues from the safety of a situation where the threat doesn’t actually exist.

In other words, everybody is a tough guy on the internut.

I understood the original post, and was addressing the reply I quoted.

Bravado on the internet is a given and a cavalier attitude about the risks is foolish. My point (which I fear was misunderstood) is that making a choice that others don't agree with, doesn't mean considerable evaluation didn't happen. It's not always about bravado when some makes a choice that has incredible consequences if it doesn't work out.

Thats all I'm trying to say. No more - no less.

[Le Français]

I don't carry at work, and it bothers me to be without. A blade is very acceptable (in fact, expected. Damn near a requirement). I do what I can do.

That being said, I view keeping ARs after a ban as completely different. We each make our own choices, and the way you evaluate the risk/reward doesn't have to match to have mutual respect. Often someone who has put in an honest assessment and come to a different conclusion is instantly dismissed as "chest thumping silliess" or outright stupid because their choice is different. Don't always assume the evaluation didn't happen. Not directed at you Le Français just kind of a general pet peeve when everyone assumes others haven't been diligent in choice making.

I sympathize with not being able to carry at work; it’s too bad that so many find themselves in this circumstance.

As for the AR ban issue, I have respect for the people who make bad choices (or resolve to make them in the future), but I do not respect the bad choices.

Let’s say—thankfully it’s not likely—that Florida passed a “turn them in” AR ban enforceable as a felony, and that you decided to keep yours. Live fire practice with them would be extremely risky, and out of the question at public ranges. Defensive use of them would likewise expose you, unless you covered up the shooting entirely (new set of problems). Even having them in your house would be risky; a visit by firefighters, EMS, or police for some unrelated reason could expose you, as could any other person who happened to see them.

So, what would be the point? Would it be to bury them somewhere in hopes of being able to dig them up after a hypothetical societal collapse?

I’m not putting these words in your mouth, but realize that a lot of people who talk a big game about keeping banned guns mean that they’d be keeping them so they could shoot it out with the “tyrannical cops” who would eventually come knocking. If that’s on any level part of your plan, I urge you to reconsider.