Re-thinking carry at work

K

KyJim

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I work in a secure(?) govt office with a number of LEO in the building (I am not LEO). There is a public entrance and employee only entrance. Both doors are locked with security cameras in place. When I get to my office, I normally secure my concealed weapon in a desk drawer. I never thought it necessary to carry to the restroom, etc. I've been re-thinking this given a recent event.

It seems a thief hid on the landing of some stairs, waited for an employee to leave and then hustled through the door before it could shut. He hid his face from the cameras. He stole a woman's credit card from her purse. To do this he had to walk by a room full of LEO.

If it had been some nut intent on doing harm, I may not have had enough time to retrieve a weapon if I was out of my office. What do you all think?
 
Jim, if you're allowed to carry at work I don't see any reason not to carry the whole time you're at work. In TN, it isn't legal to carry in state or federal offices, or on school property, even with a permit. Since I work at a university, that means I'm not allowed to carry at work at all:(
 
It seems to me that the less often a gun is unnecessarily handled during the day, the less likely an unintentional discharge would be.

To my way of thinking, leaving a loaded gun riding in a holster on the hip is far safer and more secure than unholstering, unloading, checking, securing, reloading, and reholstering. All that extra handling really bothers me -- especially since it's difficult to find a safe direction in most offices or public places.

So for me, I would do everything in my power to avoid having to handle my firearm unnecessarily during the day.

pax
 
Jim,

I definately would carry at work if I could. I'm one of those people who think of CC as the default method. I can't think of any reason why I would disarm myself when it was perfectly legal for me to be armed in that situation. why wait for something to go wrong for you to decide that you need to carry? Unfortunately for me, I work on a military instalation, and CC is not allowed.
 
The odds are pretty slim that I'll ever be in a position to need my gun at work, but I have one on me at all times regardless. Seems one of the cardinal rules of conceal and carry is "you never know". I'm sure the vast majority of people who use their firearms in self-defense situations left their homes that morning knowing they weren't going to need it. We don't get warning, and situations seem to occur and end in an instant. Sounds to me like carrying all day wouldn't be a bad idea any way you cut it.
 
In Ky., state law specifically prohibits a state agency from disarming those with CC licenses (even employees) except for in a few places (schools, colleges, courthouses, legislative chambers). I can legally carry so long as I don't display the weapon.
 
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Jim: raiding offices as you describe is a criminal specialty. I work at a Ky University which has been visited by several of these creeps over the years. Recently, I had a small TV stolen from mine, and a colleague an ipod, by a guy posing as a housekeeper. Campus security cameras caught him entering an academic building carrying a mop and large plastic bag, which he used to empty garbage containers in the offices. My situation is different from yours, but if I could carry at work (rather than leaving my weapon in the glove compartment of my car) this experience wouldn't prompt me to start.
 
Which government? State or Federal? As far as I know it is not legal to carry concealed in any Federal building regardless of which state you are in. But I could be wrong.
 
+1 for what Pax said about unnecessary handling.

The bigger concern is making sure it stays concealed. Do other coworkers know you carry? Do any of them carry? Does your office dress-code permit you to wear shirt tails out (i.e. like a Hawaiian shirt?) or is it "professional appearance" oriented? It can be tough on your wardrobe budget if you find yourself constantly having to wear a suit jacket in the office (especially on a humid summer's day).

Our company uses badges to access the various floors of our building, but that doesn't stop the BG's. We had security video of a woman smiling & waving to people while it looked like she was waiting for the elevator. When to folks came out into the elevator lobby she casually caught the closing door and entered the floor -- and stole wallets from two purses, took a purse and a laptop computer! Had this been a homicidal ex-spouse of someone it could have gotten ugly.
 
Like the others have said, if it is OK to carry at work, keep it on you all the time. It is safer and you want to avoid someone stealing your gun when your not at your desk. If it is a comfort or keeping the gun concealed issue, you may need to look for a smaller gun. Carrying in an ankle holster or carrying a pocket pistol can be done regardless of your dress code.
 
Jim-

Even without the events you described i would suggest carry all the time. The one time you don't have your gun will guaranteed be the time you need it. There is a reason LEO have to carry when they are not on duty. Find the most unobtrusive carry possible and never be without it.
 
I agree with most of the opinions on the board. Carry the most concealable weapon you got.

As long as you violate no law and take extra care not to be seen or "printed".
 
There is no safe place

a very good friend of mine is a business lawyer in one of the safest cities in the world. His lawfirm is in the safest and most exclusive part of town. Recently a freak stormed his firm with a folding knife and stabbed him in the head repeatedly until the folding knife's joint luckily broke.

My friend will never recover fully. He has no brain damage, but needed severe face, skull and eye-surgery. Not to mention his psychological injuries. Now he understands why carrying 24/7 for real is not paranoid. He thought so before...
 
When I get to my office, I normally secure my concealed weapon in a desk drawer.
Click to expand...

I'd carry it just for the fact that if something bad could happen in your office, it could just as easily happen while you're in the restroom.

Another reason:

The disc tumbler locks in office furniture are not terribly secure. I'd think it would be more responsible to carry it than leave it in a desk drawer. It could end up stolen, especially with a thief in the building. Or some idiot might go snooping through your desk drawer, fiddle with it and hurt themselves.
 
Picture yourself standing in front of an old man in white robes and a long white beard. You are both standing in front of gates made of pearl.

You're trying to explain that you are there in spite of owning six handguns, three rifles and two shotguns plus having attended several hours of firearms and self defense training, spending many hours on the range and eaten lots of oat bran in your lifetime. You and a bunch of the people standing in line behind you are there because you left your gun-dujour in your desk drawer on the day some whacko decided to imitate Terminator IV in your office.

It's kind of like a manufacturer putting a safety device on a type of gun, they can't decide later to take it off. Once you start down the road deciding that you will be responsible for your own safety, what gives you the right to become reliant again?
 
I wish my employer would let us carry. I work in a outdoor hotel that I have been told by multiple friends of mine who happen to be area police officers is a regular stop of small time drug runners. The first few months I worked there I never ran into a situation that I felt I needed a weapon. However since then I have had many situations I would have felt much more comfortable with it. With my job I have to double as security so I have to go to any rooms that get complaints. I have gone into rooms with people OD'ing and have found guns in rooms after checkouts. You should feel lucky that you work in a place that you can carry. Even with my permit I am not.
 
I'd have to say no...

Stealing a credit card from a woman's purse would NEVER justify pulling out a handgun. They can always be cancelled and replaced, and in the worst event, most major credit cards (MC, Visa, etc.) you're only liable for the first $50.

For that, I would never risk pulling out a firearm.
 
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