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Friday, September 25, 2009
Gun law requiring businesses to append policies banning firearms
Phoenix Business Journal - by Chris Casacchia
Arizona businesses must reword policies banning firearms on their property before Sept. 30, when one of the nation’s most controversial gun laws goes into effect.
In summary, Arizona Revised Statute 12-781 states that a property owner, tenant, employer or business cannot establish or enforce a policy prohibiting a person from transporting or storing any firearm in a privately owned, locked vehicle on the property, as long as it is not visible. If a company prohibits storing firearms in its primary parking lot, it must provide alternative parking for employees who want to store firearms in their vehicles.
“It is really important for employers to be aware of the law, especially if they have a ‘no guns’ policy,” said Kristy Hubbard, an employment lawyer at Lewis and Roca LLP in Phoenix.
Changing policies The US Bank building downtown, home to the Phoenix Business Journal, has yet to change its “no guns” policy.
On June 22, Pacific Office Properties Trust Inc., which manages the building, sent an e-mail outlining its policy, which states the US Bank Center, at 101 N. First Ave. in Phoenix, is a firearm- and weapon-free site, and “the possession of concealed or unconcealed firearms and/or any and all dangerous weapons is strictly prohibited on these premises, regardless if you have a valid permit.”
Assistant Property Manager Amanda Roe did not respond by deadline to a request for comment.
Many office high-rises and large employers are changing their policies to fit the new state law.
Two of Arizona’s largest employers, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co., which both occupy large office buildings downtown, said they would comply with the law. Chase Tower houses more than 1,850 workers, said Chase spokeswoman Mary Jane Rogers.
The Arizona Board of Regents was scheduled to meet this week to consider a change to conduct policies for students, employees and visitors to state university campuses. The change would bring the board’s policy in line with the state law before it goes into effect.
“While perceived as a controversial policy change by some, the regents have no choice but to make this change in order to comply with the new state law,” said spokeswoman Andrea Smiley.
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale allows gun owners to give their firearms to security officers while they visit the campus. The hospital is teaching staff about warning signs of violence in visitors and patients, said spokeswoman Rainey Daye Holloway.
Workplace violence The “Guns at Work” law, which faced little opposition this year in the state’s
Republican-controlled Legislature, continues to take hits from gun rights opponents, who say the mandate will lead to more violent workplace incidents.
Private security consultant Robert Sollars said it typically takes 15 to 30 minutes for an angry person to cool off — far longer than it takes to walk to a car to retrieve a gun.
“You just don’t know what kind of trigger will set someone off,” said Sollars, who has trained businesses on workplace security and written research on the subject for 27 years. “There are always signs.”
He said businesses need to develop a notification and evacuation plan, screen employees, establish a crisis management team, take all threats seriously, and encourage open communication between line employees and management. This is especially critical in turbulent times, he said, when businesses are closing, workers are losing jobs and families can’t pay bills.
Workplace violence affects more than 2 million U.S. workers a year and accounts for about 20 percent of violent crimes, according to a 2008 report by ASIS International. The Alexandria, Va.-based organization believes property owners should have the right to decide whether weapons may be brought onto their premises.
Gun rights advocates cling to the Second Amendment, dismissing the theory the new law will increase workplace violence.
“You should not have to forfeit your right to self-defense just because you go to work,” said Landis Aden, president of the Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association, which lobbied with the National Rifle Association to introduce the law here.
“Prohibition of firearms in the workplace doesn’t make it safer,” he said. “Your vehicle is your private property and essentially your business. It should be not be a concern to your employer.”
More than 30 states allow concealed weapons, and a handful of states — Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah — have passed similar laws to the Arizona statute.
Get Connected Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association: http://www.asrpa.com
ARS 12-781: http://www.azleg.gov/formatdocument.asp?indoc=/legtext/49leg/1r/bills/sb1168h.htm
Has anyone seen this?
Friday, September 25, 2009
Gun law requiring businesses to append policies banning firearms
Phoenix Business Journal - by Chris Casacchia
Arizona businesses must reword policies banning firearms on their property before Sept. 30, when one of the nation’s most controversial gun laws goes into effect.
In summary, Arizona Revised Statute 12-781 states that a property owner, tenant, employer or business cannot establish or enforce a policy prohibiting a person from transporting or storing any firearm in a privately owned, locked vehicle on the property, as long as it is not visible. If a company prohibits storing firearms in its primary parking lot, it must provide alternative parking for employees who want to store firearms in their vehicles.
“It is really important for employers to be aware of the law, especially if they have a ‘no guns’ policy,” said Kristy Hubbard, an employment lawyer at Lewis and Roca LLP in Phoenix.
Changing policies The US Bank building downtown, home to the Phoenix Business Journal, has yet to change its “no guns” policy.
On June 22, Pacific Office Properties Trust Inc., which manages the building, sent an e-mail outlining its policy, which states the US Bank Center, at 101 N. First Ave. in Phoenix, is a firearm- and weapon-free site, and “the possession of concealed or unconcealed firearms and/or any and all dangerous weapons is strictly prohibited on these premises, regardless if you have a valid permit.”
Assistant Property Manager Amanda Roe did not respond by deadline to a request for comment.
Many office high-rises and large employers are changing their policies to fit the new state law.
Two of Arizona’s largest employers, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co., which both occupy large office buildings downtown, said they would comply with the law. Chase Tower houses more than 1,850 workers, said Chase spokeswoman Mary Jane Rogers.
The Arizona Board of Regents was scheduled to meet this week to consider a change to conduct policies for students, employees and visitors to state university campuses. The change would bring the board’s policy in line with the state law before it goes into effect.
“While perceived as a controversial policy change by some, the regents have no choice but to make this change in order to comply with the new state law,” said spokeswoman Andrea Smiley.
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale allows gun owners to give their firearms to security officers while they visit the campus. The hospital is teaching staff about warning signs of violence in visitors and patients, said spokeswoman Rainey Daye Holloway.
Workplace violence The “Guns at Work” law, which faced little opposition this year in the state’s
Republican-controlled Legislature, continues to take hits from gun rights opponents, who say the mandate will lead to more violent workplace incidents.
Private security consultant Robert Sollars said it typically takes 15 to 30 minutes for an angry person to cool off — far longer than it takes to walk to a car to retrieve a gun.
“You just don’t know what kind of trigger will set someone off,” said Sollars, who has trained businesses on workplace security and written research on the subject for 27 years. “There are always signs.”
He said businesses need to develop a notification and evacuation plan, screen employees, establish a crisis management team, take all threats seriously, and encourage open communication between line employees and management. This is especially critical in turbulent times, he said, when businesses are closing, workers are losing jobs and families can’t pay bills.
Workplace violence affects more than 2 million U.S. workers a year and accounts for about 20 percent of violent crimes, according to a 2008 report by ASIS International. The Alexandria, Va.-based organization believes property owners should have the right to decide whether weapons may be brought onto their premises.
Gun rights advocates cling to the Second Amendment, dismissing the theory the new law will increase workplace violence.
“You should not have to forfeit your right to self-defense just because you go to work,” said Landis Aden, president of the Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association, which lobbied with the National Rifle Association to introduce the law here.
“Prohibition of firearms in the workplace doesn’t make it safer,” he said. “Your vehicle is your private property and essentially your business. It should be not be a concern to your employer.”
More than 30 states allow concealed weapons, and a handful of states — Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah — have passed similar laws to the Arizona statute.
Get Connected Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association: http://www.asrpa.com
ARS 12-781: http://www.azleg.gov/formatdocument.asp?indoc=/legtext/49leg/1r/bills/sb1168h.htm
