How Will ‘Bring Your Gun to Work' Law Impact Employers?

Birmingham attorney Marion Walker was quoted in the June 7 Birmingham Business Journal article “How Will ‘Bring Your Gun to Work’ Law Impact Employers?”

The article reported on a new Alabama law that allows employees to store a weapon securely in their privately owned vehicle on a company-owned parking lot.

The law does not allow employees to bring firearms into the workplace.

Marion said the new law poses a risk for employers. "It provides the employees with a cause of action and a right to go into court, which is a big change for this subject." 

She noted that, as a general rule, employers should not ask employees if they have a firearm in their vehicle.

If an employer suspects one of their employees poses a risk to themselves or others, the employer can then inquire if the employee has a firearm in their vehicle, but the law does not define how a company could arrive at the conclusion that the employee poses a danger.

The guidelines for those actions aren't spelled out in the law. "While the law does decrease the employer's liability, it doesn't define what constitutes as an adverse action."