Florida, the new Wild, Wild, West
The Florida Legislature has bowed to the wishes of the National Rifle Association and approved legislation that bars employers from banning guns on their property. Employees and customers can now bring guns just about anywhere as long as they have a concealed-weapons permit and leave the gun locked in their car.
The bill (CS/HB 503) was approved by the Florida Senate on Wednesday. Governor Charlie Crist has vowed to sign the bill into law.
David Daniel, a vice president with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, has stated that organizations will probably challenge this issue in court. Oklahoma’s similar law was found by the courts to be a violation of workplace safety rules.
Personally, I find this bill to be ludicrous in the extreme. It sure as hell won’t make me any safer.
For example, lets say that I work on the 10th floor of a local bank. My job has an attached parking garage where employees park their cars. The parking garage is only accessible from the building from the ground floor, however. A co-worker has a mental breakdown, brings a gun into my office, and starts shooting. Just what good is that gun going to do me locked in my car in the building next to mine? None at all.
Or what if my co-worker has just worked my last nerve and I snap. What is to keep me from going to my car, getting my gun, and bringing it into the office to shoot everyone? Not a thing. Matter of fact, now I won’t have to fume about the issue, go home, sleep on it, and have the chance to come back in the next day with a calm head. Nope, now I can just storm out of the office, get my gun, and come back blasting.
Yep, I feel much safer with this bill about to become law.
Reilly:
I’m willing to bet that anyone who’s going to carry a gun in the first place is probably going to have it locked in their car, anyway - legal or not. So, I don’t think you’re really in any more danger with or without this law. As for what would keep you from getting your gun and shooting everyone in the office? Well, I would hope your sense of morality would prevent that.
13 April 2008, 12:40 amCuba Journal:
Very good post! I have taken the liberty of reproducing it in my blog (http://cubajournal.blogspot.com) with a link to your post at the beginning. Excellent quote from Sinclair Lewis in your header. I agree.
13 April 2008, 9:12 amLaura:
True, Reilly, those who are going to break the current law will break the current law. Now, though, if a business finds out an employee has brought a gun onto its property (ie the parking lot), they can do something about it. If (more likely when) this goes into effect they won’t be able to do anything.
Morality goes out the window when someone has a breakdown and goes a little crazy.
Cuba Journal, thank you!