Florida Employers Claim Exemptions to Bring Gun to Work Law
In May I reported on an injunction action to challenge Florida's "Bring Gun to Work" legislation, which allows gun owners who have a concealed weapons permit to take guns to work as long as they remain locked in their vehicle.
Now come news reports that some of the larger businesses in the state are claiming that they are not covered by the law, which exempts schools, prisons, nuclear power plants, military facilities, defense contractors, and explosives manufacturers, as well as any property leased or owned by an employer who has a permit for explosives.
If you have ever visited Disney's Magic Kingdom around sundown, you know that Disney is one of those employers that has a permit for explosives (which includes fireworks). And Disney is claiming an exemption from the law, according to news reports. Actually, it appears that Disney lobbyists may have created their own exemption, according to this article. In any event, when a Disney security guard announced recently that he was going to bring his gun to work despite Disney's claimed exemption, he was promptly terminated, and then filed a lawsuit against Disney. He is represented by attorney Jon Gutmacher, who apparently has a sincere interest in the case: his web site is http://www.floridafirearmslaw.com.
Meanwhile, the injunction action filed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation that I reported on in May remains pending. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Disney security guard who was fired sought, and was denied, an injunction that would have allowed him to get his job back while the judge tries to decide whether Disney has the right to ban employees from keeping guns locked in their vehicles. The judge, Thomas Turner, advised the plaintiff's lawyer, Jon Gutmacher, that he would be better off if the Florida Attorney General joined the action.
