utbagpiper
Banned
Interesting idea. 18 USC Section 1701: Obstruction of mails generally reads:
Whoever knowingly and willfully obstructs or retards the passage of the mail, or any carrier or conveyance carrying the mail, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
I would have guessed this only applied once the mail had been handled by the post office. But my cursory research indicates that may not be needed.
However, be careful, 18 USC 1705 generally prohibits the mailing of handguns. Violation can result in a 2 year prison sentence.
Not sure I'd want to trade violation of a private employment policy for a violation of a US postal service felony.
If I were to choose to violate a private employment policy by keeping a gun inside my car while parked in a company parking lot, I think my choice of storage containers would be an in car gun safe of one kind or another. $50 will get you one that will at least take more than a rock to open.
This protects the gun from casual theft such as a smash and grab. Some of the nicer safes bolt into the car in such a way that a thief is going to be more or less obliged to steal the car and then use tools and a little time to get the gun out.
Any such safe offers a second level of protection against a company search of the car. If they are looking for guns you are probably going to get disciplined to one degree or another for either refusing the search or when you open the lock box and they see the gun. But if they are looking to see if you've got the missing company laptop in your car, they are going to be hard pressed to argue that you are or should be obliged to open up a lock box that is obviously too small to hold the laptop. Of course, if they are looking for something no larger than your handgun....
Your best bet, employment-wise, of course, is to comply with company policy by either leaving the gun home or by parking somewhere other than the company parking lot.
Assuming you are not violating any laws, I won't fault you for deciding that your life during the daily commute is more important than some policy about what you can have inside your private car. But in that case, your best bet is to keep a low profile at work relative to the gun policy, never give them a reason to search your car, and keep your firearm well out of sight anytime you are anywhere near company property. That probably means finding someplace to stop on the way to and from work to move the gun into its deep concealed (and ideally locked) location. Just remember that with at-will employment and no State laws against such policies, you are placing your employment at some level of risk if you take any course other than complying fully with the policy.
Best of luck.
Charles
