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Take your Gun to Work

By:  David Yon

With budget and insurance issues dominating the headlines and much of the 2008 Legislature’s time, one of the first major bills to clear both houses and get the Governor’s signature is the "Guns in the Workplace" bill (CS/HB 503).  The bill allows employees and others who have concealed-weapons licenses to keep their guns in vehicles.

The law is far from secure though as the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Retail Federation and some other business groups have retained counsel and intend to challenge the bill in court. A similar law was overturned in Oklahoma because the court ruled that it violated federal worker protection laws. A federal court found that the Oklahoma law – which did not include the concealed-weapons-license provision – conflicted with federal Occupational Safety and Health Act rules requiring employers to provide workplaces free of hazards.