Apprehension about concealed carry at work

[Big_Red]

I've had my CCW LTC for a couple of months now and haven been carrying whenever possible. I would like to start carrying at work but feel apprehensive about doing so. Even though there isn't anything in the employee handbook about weapons, I have a suspicion that being "caught" while carrying a firearm would have some unpleasant repercussions. I suppose if I had a good IWB holster and wore appropriate clothing, nobody would even have a clue I was carrying.

What really gets me is the fact that even though I am legally allowed to carry a weapon I somehow feel like I am going to break the law if I carry while at the office. Am I just being paranoid?

 

[tuna]

Yeah, but just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

You may want to "practice" with either a kind of bulky pouch (camera case or eyeglass case or whatever) and see just how many people DON'T notice the bulge on your hip. Of course, since it isn't a gun, you probably won't think it too big, even though it is much larger than whatever you're carrying.
Or you can get a smaller gun. I started out with a mousegun for carry, until I realized that no one could see the HUGE BULGE (well, to me anyway) that my derringer made. Now that I'm more confident in the general apathy of most people, I've upgraded to a real firearm, and no one notices.
Someone will mention that "concealed is concealed", but it takes a while to realize that you're doing a good job concealing - at least for me anyway.

 

[Davidk]

I pocket carried at work for years. Nobody ever realized that the bulge was a gun. Go to the www.armedresponsetip.blogspot.com and look for my article and video on pocket carry

 

[Rusty Barrels]

If some disgruntled psycho ever shows up with an axe they'll be mighty quick to forgive you for carrying!

No weapons are permitted at my work at all (I work for the post office). If you ever go back and read the accounts of people "going postal" the one thing almost all of them have in common (and it's true outside the PO as well, of course) is that the shooter took his time taking out one victim after another. They just casually walk around killing while everyone in the place cowers and waits for the police to show up! At least I've got my dog spray...

 

[tele_mark]

J frame revolvers virtually disappear into IWB holster....

 

[EddieCoyle]

Concealed means concealed.

 

[Cross-X]

Deep cover is your best friend. Maybe you'll want to give Thunderwear a try.

 

[firtree]

What are you carrying? This can have a huge influence on both your confidence
and concealability in a "hostile" environment. It's hard not to hide a Seecamp,
pretty easy to hide a KelTec P11, not so simple to hide a 1911 ...


F

 

[Dieseldog1]

carry at work

I work in large law firm in a major city in MA. I have been carrying at work for years. There is a policy in my handbook regarding weapons on company property. I never much cared about it though. The way I see it, the students at Virginia Tech obeyed the weapons policy also. I'm usually carrying either a Glock 22 or an sp 101. Everybody now a days has either a cell phone or a Blackberry on their hip, I take full advantage of this bulge. A belly band type holster works well for me also for either gun. I'm 6'1 about 275 so I can hide pretty much anything within reason. A secretary at work once said, " Nobody in MA carries guns, if they did, I would see it." I think this pretty much sums up the attitude of co workers who don't know any better. I could probably hide my AR M4 in my pant leg and nobody would notice.

 

[Jose]

There is a policy in my handbook regarding weapons on company property. I never much cared about it though. The way I see, the students at Virginia Tech obeyed the weapons policy also.

+1

 

[MichaelJ]

The way I see, the students at Virginia Tech obeyed the weapons policy also.

x2 (I still don't carry at work though - P99 IWB + Polo shirt + Pants + Big Box Retailer - Employer concern for employee safety [we can't use fire extinguishers...they are there for the FD ONLY and you will be terminated if you use it] = me carrying 24/7 outside of work.

Oh yeah...this is still the policy even after an assistant manager was shot/stabbed @ about 10am from a disgruntled customer in FL IIRC. Go figure.

 

[Ripach]

If there is no written policy forbiding it, and you want to carry, IWB it and carry away.

[we can't use fire extinguishers...they are there for the FD ONLY and you will be terminated if you use it]

I know it's off topic but I have to respond. Your company is nucking futs, I have been a full time firefighter for ten years and have never even considered touching an extinguisher in any incident I've ever responded to. That's why we have 2000+ feet of hose on our trucks, we cannot possibly know the qaulity/serviceability of your company's equipment. If the need for an extinguisher arises, we have at least two on each of the trucks that would be on the scene.

 

[Chris]

Makes me wonder just what those Business Majors are being brainwashed with....

Sure isn't anything that matches reality.

 

[USMA-82]

I worried about carrying at work until I found that both my boss and the owner carried!

Experiment with what works best for you. Being rather "large caliber" around the waist, I hate IWB - too uncomfortable. During the colder part of the year, I just wear a Columbia-style fleece vest all the time, with a holster on my hip. My S&W 642 is barely noticeable, expecially with a darker vest.

During the summer I'm forced to drop the vest. I found Thunderwear to be too painful over a long day (tight around the belly and the scratchy strap always riding up my back), so I've gone to something else. I never thought I could get used to an ankle holster, but I have. As long as you're wearing either dress slacks or jeans, they disappear. Be careful about things like crossing your legs when you sit, and you're all set.

I wouldn't recommend it for anything much bigger than a snubbie, though.

My boss and I have discussed contingency plans in cases a "disgruntled" walks through the door (which has to be "buzzed" open). If another "Mucko" shows up, we'll have something for him.

 

[sksguns]

If you are more worried about being fired than you are about being dead than don't carry at work. You have to live with your decision...or not.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Some things worth noting -

Prevailing thought in some training materials I have seen for HR professionals is that possession of a firearm on company property is one of the very few offenses for which the company need not fear any legal reprisal - even in the absence of policy. I do not know if this is true - but this is what people in the HR business are being taught.

Don't assume that "no policy" means you will keep your job if caught.

Do assume that, in all but the most unusual of cases, a policy will be created if they find someone carrying or if someone asks about it.

Don't assume that carry by the "big names" at your company means they won't fire you for doing it.

Employers are far more worried about "one of the masses" shooting up the place than they are about their employees being unable to mount an armed defense in the fact of violent criminal attach. An individual's position on this is frequently motivated by personal philosophy (collectivism vs. individualism) rather than facts, and arguing the point is a waste of time as the workplace is not a democracy and, unlike society, power does not come from the consent of the governed.

 

[Big_Red]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

If some disgruntled psycho ever shows up with an axe they'll be mighty quick to forgive you for carrying!

One can only hope.

J frame revolvers virtually disappear into IWB holster....

Unfortunately I do not own a revolver...yet

Deep cover is your best friend. Maybe you'll want to give Thunderwear a try.

I've heard that it can be quite uncomfortable.

What are you carrying?

I either carry a full size M&P40 or a Sig P229. Not what I would call compact.

I could probably hide my AR M4 in my pantleg and nobody would notice.

I wish I could just come right out and ask my HR person about the firearm policy. Unfortunately there is one major problem with that. The HR person is the biggest gossiper in the World. I am 100% positive that if I present her with my question, the rest of the company is going to know about my "hobby" by the end of the day. Heck, I could probably ask her how much my boss earns and she would tell me.

I am probably going to take my chances and carry. If I conceal well, nobody is even going to know that I carry. Besides, I prefer to ask for forgiveness rather than for permission.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Ask and it will be banned!

It really is that simple!

Concealed is concealed.

Don't ask, don't tell works best here.

 

[pdm]

You wouldn't be asking for forgiveness at my company, you'd be looking for a new job. Here, we can't even leave it in the car, if the car is on company property.

 

[sksguns]

as I've stated in another post....if the shtf find yourself a meaty liberal to use as a shield until you get out safely. Hopefully it will be one of those HR rats that either make or enforce the policy. Justice is served.

 

[drgrant]

If you've just started carrying and you don't want to be compromised at
work, the best advice I can offer is to be comfortable in the act, so to
speak. Carrying should be second nature before you go into a non
permissive environment. (read: anyplace guns aren't welcome for whatever
reason, not just "legally speaking".)

The dead tell/giveaway for most people carrying a gun is the fact that some
people act like they're carrying one through their body language. Keep
it concealed and don't act any differently than you would if you weren't
carrying, and 99.9% of the population will never know.

You won't be "breaking the law" unless your employer is covered by
special circumstances; (eg, school, courthouse, some federal facilities,
etc... ) I would float a fair guess, however, that in most companies if
discovered you'd probably get fired, unless your boss or company is
pro gun.

If you're in a job where your concealment won't be blown easily, I would
carry in a heartbeat. Find the right gun holster etc that maintains a high
level of concealment and go for it, when you're confident enough.

-Mike

 

[Dirtypacman]

Its nice being in a pro-gun office - since the boss carries, it makes it alot easier to do the same.

As others have stated if done properly you should never be revealed when carrying concealed.

 

[Rockrivr1]

My company didn't have a policy on firearms in the workplace and on the property until the latest release of the handbook that came out last month. It's in there now and forbidden. I carry just about every day and I wear it to work, but like you I'm nervous about carrying it in work, so it stays in the car. Not happy about it, but I'm not fully confident in the conceal part of my CCW. I pocket carry and to me it seems like it patterns enough so that someone may know what it is. Normally I wouldn't care, but at work I think differently I'm probably just paranoid, but it is what it is. I've been contemplating ankle carry while at work, figuring my pants would cover it well. I need to look at that more and find a quality ankle holster that won't slip down.

 

[Coyote33]

...
I wish I could just come right out and ask my HR person about the firearm policy. ...

Do they have a general "employee handbook" or something like that which lists all the employee "policies"? If so, just ask for that and see for yourself if there is anything in it.

 

[jon]

Pretty sure, my work doesn't care officially. and damn sure they don't unofficially. but considering many jobs here require an LTC to handle hardware its not a surprise.

 

[truthprotector]

I don't have a very dangerous job, but i carry every day and no one is the wiser. I just assume that I have it and never have to use it than be without it when I need it.

 

[codenamepaul]

If you are more worried about being fired than you are about being dead than don't carry at work. You have to live with your decision...or not.

10X

 

[KMaurer]

Point of fact: no employee of any company has ever been terminated for doing something their employer never knew about.

Ken

 

[RKG]

I've had my CCW LTC for a couple of months now and haven been carrying whenever possible. I would like to start carrying at work but feel apprehensive about doing so. Even though there isn't anything in the employee handbook about weapons, I have a suspicion that being "caught" while carrying a firearm would have some unpleasant repercussions. I suppose if I had a good IWB holster and wore appropriate clothing, nobody would even have a clue I was carrying.

Generally speaking, making a decision about conduct based on the assessment that you won't get caught is a bad idea.

Your employer has the right to decide that he doesn't want armed employees in the workplace. And, in most cases, he has the right to terminate an employee for any reason (other than statutorily prohibited discrimination) or no reason.

The mere fact that you are apprehensive means that you sense that your employer would disapprove -- perhaps to the point of termination -- were he to learn that you come to work armed. Trust your sense and pick one: the gun or the job.