SB730 Employer Parking Lot Bill Passes Senate

[MojoTexas]

From http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 85a88.html

Texas Senate backs guns in cars at workplaces
10:31 AM CDT on Thursday, March 26, 2009
By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
tstutz@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – Texans could carry their guns and ammunition to work – as long as they keep them in the car or pickup – under a bill passed unanimously by the Senate on Wednesday.

The measure by Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, would bar businesses from having policies that prohibit their employees from storing legal firearms and ammunition in their locked vehicles outside their place of work.

"People like their firearms in Texas, and if they want to bring them to the workplace, they are going to do it whether there is a policy or not," Hegar said in response to concerns that a disgruntled worker might be encouraged to bring a gun to work to settle a dispute.

He added: "It is not the firearm in the car that causes the problem, it's the individual who possesses the firearm."

About 230,000 Texans have a state license to carry a concealed handgun.

Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, a co-author of the bill, said company policies that prohibit employees with a concealed-handgun license from bringing a gun to work run counter to the original intent of the program – to allow license holders to protect themselves.

"If we continue to see more and more businesses adopt policies like this, pretty soon we are going to render a [concealed-gun license] ineffective. You won't be able to take a gun anywhere," he said.

Hegar said his bill would still allow businesses to bar firearms in company offices and in company vehicles. It would not apply to places where firearms are not permitted by state or federal law, such as a county courthouse or a federal government building.

Asked about the possibility of the measure sparking violence in the workplace, Hegar said cases of shootings in Texas businesses have been rare. One occurred two years ago at the Johnson Space Center in Houston when an engineer brought a handgun into a NASA office building – in violation of NASA policies – and shot and killed another engineer before killing himself.

Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, said he was concerned that someone might use the law to legally carry dynamite or another explosive to work.

"What happens if somebody brings in dynamite under the provision that allows a person to carry ammunition to work?" he asked, saying such a situation could pose a serious threat at an energy or chemical plant.

Hegar countered: "Under this bill, you are not able to have dynamite in your car. Dynamite is not ammunition."

Employers would be able to ban firearms in vehicles that are parked in a fenced lot with controlled access. But the employer would have to provide alternative parking nearby.

Employers also would be protected from any civil liability for personal injury, death, property destruction or any other damages resulting from an occurrence involving a firearm transported onto their property.

[CainA]

Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, said he was concerned that someone might use the law to legally carry dynamite or another explosive to work.

"What happens if somebody brings in dynamite under the provision that allows a person to carry ammunition to work?" he asked, saying such a situation could pose a serious threat at an energy or chemical plant.

Dynamite? Who is this cat?

What a moron!!

-Cain

[tfrazier]

EDIT: Thanks for the correction, I had my topics mixed up and this one is the campus carry interview. Leaving the original wording intact so the next post still makes sense (although it really hurts my ego to leave my mistakes out in the open like this!

Here's the interview Charles referred to:
http://www.krld.com/topic/play_window.p ... Id=3549768" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
He did us proud, as usual!

[Keith B]

Here's the interview Charles referred to:
http://www.krld.com/topic/play_window.p ... Id=3549768" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
He did us proud, as usual!

This was the interview/debate on Concealed Carry on Campus from a couple of weeks ago. I believe Charles is referring to a new interview that Scott wants to do on the Employee Parking Lot bill

[tuckerdog1]

I know this is a step forward. And I'm glad it looks good for becoming law. But I have a couple questions. Didn't the version last year have a provision where you had to notify your employer if you kept a gun locked in your car? And didn't that kind of set an employee up for being terminated for some "other" reason the employer might cook up later, just because they didn't like the idea you had your gun? That brings us to the fenced parking lot provision in this bill. I really don't get that part. What's the deal about the parking lot being fenced, that makes it okay to deny me self protection to & from work? I know it says alternate parking OR a place to lock unloaded guns up has to be provided. I doubt most employers are going to pony up to pay for more parking, just for us gun guys. And even if they do, for employees to suddenly start parking in the unfenced lot just screams GUN IN THE CAR. BREAK INTO ONE OF THE CARS IN THIS LOT. So they opt for the locked up thing. And that again puts us in that situation, where they now know you bring guns to work. Every morning they smile & lock your gun up for you. And now are just looking for ANY reason to give you the boot. I really don't think we should be put in a situation where the employer can easily ID an employee as someone that has a gun in the car. So what is the big deal about a lot having a fence?

Tuckerdog1

[Keith B]

I know this is a step forward. And I'm glad it looks good for becoming law. But I have a couple questions. Didn't the version last year have a provision where you had to notify your employer if you kept a gun locked in your car? And didn't that kind of set an employee up for being terminated for some "other" reason the employer might cook up later, just because they didn't like the idea you had your gun? That brings us to the fenced parking lot provision in this bill. I really don't get that part. What's the deal about the parking lot being fenced, that makes it okay to deny me self protection to & from work? I know it says alternate parking OR a place to lock unloaded guns up has to be provided. I doubt most employers are going to pony up to pay for more parking, just for us gun guys. And even if they do, for employees to suddenly start parking in the unfenced lot just screams GUN IN THE CAR. BREAK INTO ONE OF THE CARS IN THIS LOT. So they opt for the locked up thing. And that again puts us in that situation, where they now know you bring guns to work. Every morning they smile & lock your gun up for you. And now are just looking for ANY reason to give you the boot. I really don't think we should be put in a situation where the employer can easily ID an employee as someone that has a gun in the car. So what is the big deal about a lot having a fence?

Tuckerdog1

It's called 'compromise'. Sometimes when you want to get something you have to give up some things you would like to have. Works the same in a marriage or you end up divorced. While it may not be optimum, it will be much better than what we have. Just look at the Open Carry folks who tried to bully their way in. They found out that trying to push too much too soon will get you nothing, alienate a lot of folks and possibly damage your chances in the future.

[stevie_d_64]

Great...

Now if I can just find another job and continue to carry to work anyway...

Everything will be back to normal...

Well sort of...

[stevie_d_64]

I think it would be great to start seeing those Center-of-Mass vehicle safes start flying off the shelves...That could slow down your average smash and grabber...But we've been saying that for a couple of years now...

[sneedb82]

Cool. Sounds like a good amendment. Leases are private property of the leaseholders (ie farmer Bob) with mineral rights leased to the E&P developer. This protects them from worker hooligans on thier very private land.

I need to see the amendment to see if it really does only that. But that was exactly the concern, because it was claimed that many mineral leases have a "no guns" provision so Farmer Brown doesn't have to let oil company employees on his land with guns.

Chas.

Chas,
I work for an oil drilling company, and I also was a Petroleum Landman (never certified, because it was not my intended career path), and most oil/gas leases do not contain a "no guns" provision, and most Oil/Gas drilling companies and operators prohibit their employees from having firearms period. Most of the time, their employees are contracted out (in the case of an operator and a drilling company), and therefore, those contracts usually also include a "no firearms" policy for indemnity and liability purposes.

My $0.02 --- for what it's worth in today's economy, probably $1,000,000,000,000 Rubles.

[artx]

Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, said he was concerned that someone might use the law to legally carry dynamite or another explosive to work.

"What happens if somebody brings in dynamite under the provision that allows a person to carry ammunition to work?" he asked, saying such a situation could pose a serious threat at an energy or chemical plant.

Dynamite? Who is this cat?

What a moron!!

-Cain

Guess he wasn't to worried about it as he didn't cast a Nay vote!

[KD5NRH]

Dynamite? Who is this cat?

Well, ISTR some accounts of experiments involving building a portable gun with a breech strong enough to use dynamite as propellant. OTOH, "portable" in this case referred to trailer mounted.

[boomerang]

If he's worried about explosives he should make sure none of those cars have gasoline in them!

[KD5NRH]

SB730 passed the Senate minutes ago, with one floor amendment. The amendment was proposed by Senator Ogden to deal with private property that is leased to an oil company for oil drilling. I haven't seen it yet.

Any thoughts on how this will affect people who use their personal vehicles for their employer's business? Outside sales reps or pizza drivers, for example. (Assume, for the sake of argument, that the person does not carry the gun with them upon exiting the vehicle while on business.)

[sbb]

The amended bill also exempts school districts. What a slap in the face to educators. My better half, as a high school teacher, will continue to be denied her basic right of self protection on her daily commute. Or she could keep her pistol in her auto and risk dismissal due to a no firearms policy in her employment contract. The state of Texas issued her a CHL but will not trust her to safely store her firearm at work. What a bunch of hippocrites.

[shawn]

so where does the bill go from here? Does the house have to vote on it, can they sit on it and not ever vote? do they have a date set on voting?