Right to bear armsRep. Baxley says workplace gun bill will bring 'safer society'RICK CUNDIFF
State Rep. Dennis Baxley is confident his proposed bill to allow employees to have guns in their vehicles on work property is a surefire winner.
"It's a national issue, really. I felt like Florida should take a position," the Ocala Republican said Tuesday. "It's just a matter of time until the anti-gun lobby gets to every major employer."
But some Ocala employers who currently prohibit their employees from bringing guns into the parking lot are uneasy about Baxley's proposal.
"It seems precarious to me," said Pat Reddish, human resources director for Signature Brands. "It just opens up so many opportunities for things to happen."
Under current policy, Signature Brands reserves the right to search employee vehicles on work property, and having a gun in a vehicle could result in an employee being fired, Reddish said.
Baxley's bill would allow employees to bring firearms to work, provided they were kept in a locked vehicle. The bill would make any employer restrictions on such gun possession a felony.
"I think some of those things may be negotiable, but I think you need a firm response that you cannot do this," Baxley said.
The bill also would exempt employers from lawsuits in the event an employee used a gun from their vehicle in a workplace shooting.
Lockheed Martin is among local employers that prohibit guns on their property.
"Employees are prohibited from storing weapons in vehicles on company premises, or carrying them while conducting company business," company spokeswoman Jennifer L. Allen said in a written statement. "Lockheed Martin is committed to providing its employees a safe place to work, free from workplace violence."
Munroe Regional Medical Center also prohibits employees from bringing guns to work in their vehicles.
"Our policy is that you cannot park on campus," spokeswoman Erl Piscitelli said. "If you are carrying a firearm in your car, you should park off campus."
Ocala Regional Medical Center also prohibits guns on any hospital property, said spokeswoman Allison Campbell. An employee with a gun in their car would be subject to discipline, "up to and including termination," Campbell said.
Liz Whitacre, though, supports Baxley's bill. The founding force behind the Ocala YMCA, Whitacre carries a handgun in her car nearly everywhere she goes.
"There's not enough protection of an average human being, a normal human being," said Whitacre, a National Rifle Association member and former police officer.
She disagrees with policies that restrict firearms on company property.
"I think that is absolutely absurd," she said. "Because the bad guys are out there. They're going to do wrong."
Baxley downplayed past workplace shootings across the nation.
"Because of those situations that occur, we're going to prevent everyone from exercising a right that's guaranteed in the Constitution?" he said. "That's a no-win situation."
Data about workplace shootings isn't accurate, Baxley said.
"That data's very contaminated by events outside the workplace, such as taxi drivers and pizza deliverers," he said. "I don't think the workplace safety issue holds up."
Information from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics tends to support Baxley's point on that issue.
A 2000 BLS report shows work-related homicides dropped 34 percent between 1994 and 1998. A total of 40 percent of those killed in the workplace in 1998 worked in retail businesses such as food stores, bakeries and gas stations, the report noted.
Baxley acknowledged there hasn't been a wave of businesses moving to regulate employees bringing guns to work, but said "there is an organized effort" to do so.
Baxley said he believes his proposal will do more than preserve Second Amendment rights.
"I think," he said, "we'll have a safer society."
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