First off, you are an employee of the business and on private property, and as such you can be openly armed and do not require a permit to carry concealed or openly provided that your employer allows or requires it.
Alabama Statute 13A-11-73 LICENSE TO CARRY PISTOL IN VEHICLE OR CONCEALED ON PERSON - REQUIRED
" No person shall carry a pistol in any vehicle or concealed on or about his person, except on his land, in his own abode or fixed place of business, without a license therefor as hereinafter provided.
Since you are in a fixed place of business, you do not require a permit if the property owner allows you to be armed while on private property.
HALT! HAMMERZEIT!
STATE v REID (1840) “Under the provision of our constitution, we incline to the opinion that the Legislature cannot inhibit the citizen from bearing arms openly, because it authorizes him to bear them for the purposes of defending himself and the State, and it is only when carried openly, that they can be efficiently used for defence.”
QUARTERLY REPORT ATTORNEY GENERAL VOL.79 (1955) pgs. 31-35 “***it is my opinion that a person may carry an unconcealed and unlicensed pistol anywhere, either on his own property, ***, on the public highways, public property or the land of another person without violating either Section 163 (now codified as § 13A-11-52) or Section 175 (now codified as § 13A-11-73).”[This AG opinion is also referenced in Looney v State (1962)]
KJ v STATE,(1997) “.***this court held that § 13A-11-73 does not prohibit carrying an unlicensed pistol if the pistol is unconcealed and the person is on foot.”
MORRIS v STATE (1977) “It is to be observed that this law prohibits carrying a pistol (concealed or not) in any vehicle or "concealed on or about his person, except . . . without a license therefor . . “[**4] . ." It does not prohibit an unconcealed pistol. Acts 1956, 2d Session, No. 43, p. 336. It is immaterial that defendant did or did not have a pistol permit. He had a right to carry the pistol unconcealed at the time and place of arrest. Defendant was under no duty to submit to any other than a lawful arrest.
As the state determined in 1840 with State v Reid, "the Legislature cannot inhibit the citizen from bearing arms openly".
There are two things you need to do, first off is get in writing from your employer that you are allowed to be armed, or required to be armed, while working on the premises.
I wouldn't ask. Either you are or you aren't. If you aren't, then your employer is responsible for your personal security -- which, of course, is something he cannot guarantee.
The second thing is to check with the Alcohol Beverage Control Board to see if they have any regulations that say you can not be armed while working in an establishment that serves alcohol.
No such law in the state of Alabama, nor can there be:
[quote="Code of Alabama of 1975, Title 11"
Section 11-80-11
Regulation of gun shows, etc.; authority to bring or settle certain lawsuits reserved to Attorney General.
(a)
No county or municipal corporation, instrumentality, or political subdivision thereof,
by ordinance, resolution, or other enactment,
shall regulate in any manner gun shows,
the possession, ownership, transport, carrying, transfer, sale, purchase, licensing, registration
or use of
firearms, ammunition, components of firearms, firearms dealers, or dealers in firearm components.
(b)(1) Subsection (a) does not affect the authority a municipality has under law to regulate the discharge of firearms within the limits of the municipality or the authority a county has under law enacted prior to August 1, 2000, to regulate the discharge of firearms within the jurisdiction of the county.
(2) Subsection (a) does not affect the authority of the state, a county, or a municipality to assess, enforce, and collect sales taxes, use taxes, and gross receipts taxes in the nature of sales taxes as defined by Section 40-2A-3(8), on the retail sale of firearms and ammunition or to assess, enforce, and collect business licenses from firearms or ammunition manufacturers, trade associations, distributors, or dealers for the privilege of engaging in business.
Further, nothing herein shall exempt any business which uses firearms or ammunition in the conduct of its business or any business which leases or sells firearms or ammunition from the provisions of county and municipal planning and zoning laws, as long as the code, ordinance, or regulations are not used to circumvent the intent of subsection (a).
This section shall not be construed to limit or restrict the power of a municipality to adopt or enforce ordinances which make the violation of a state firearm law a violation of a municipal ordinance to the same extent as other state law violations.
(c) The authority to bring or settle any lawsuit in which the state has an exclusive interest or right to recover against any firearm or ammunition manufacturer, trade association, or dealer, and the authority to bring or settle any lawsuit on behalf of any governmental unit created by or pursuant to an act of the Legislature or the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, or any department, agency, or authority thereof, for damages, abatement, injunctive relief, or other equitable relief resulting from or relating to the design, manufacture, marketing, or lawful sale of firearms or ammunition, or both, shall be reserved exclusively to the Attorney General, by and with the consent of the Governor. This section shall not prohibit a county or municipal corporation from bringing an action against a firearms or ammunition manufacturer or dealer for breach of contract or warranty as to firearms or ammunition purchased by the political subdivision or local governmental authority.
(Act 2000-762, p. 1744, §1.)[/quote]