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If the new bill becomes law, will private employers no longer be able to tell employees they can't carry at work? From 790.251

(e) No public or private employer may terminate the employment of or otherwise discriminate against an employee, or expel a customer or invitee for exercising his or her constitutional right to keep and bear arms or for exercising the right of self-defense as long as a firearm is never exhibited on company property for any reason other than lawful defensive purposes.
 

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If the new bill becomes law, will private employers no longer be able to tell employees they can't carry at work? From 790.251

(e) No public or private employer may terminate the employment of or otherwise discriminate against an employee, or expel a customer or invitee for exercising his or her constitutional right to keep and bear arms or for exercising the right of self-defense as long as a firearm is never exhibited on company property for any reason other than lawful defensive purposes.
You're going to have to provide a little more information because I cannot find any Bill before the Florida House or Senate with the text you've provided! So what Bill exactly are you talking about, Florida House or Senate, Specific Bill number?
 

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I saw that as a post somewhere. I just looked it up so maybe it is a current law. It is in this link and I pasted the statute below with the pertinent section in purple.
How do you interpret the section in purple below?


1790.251 Protection of the right to keep and bear arms in motor vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes; prohibited acts; duty of public and private employers; immunity from liability; enforcement.—
(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008.”
(2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
(a) “Parking lot” means any property that is used for parking motor vehicles and is available to customers, employees, or invitees for temporary or long-term parking or storage of motor vehicles.
(b) “Motor vehicle” means any automobile, truck, minivan, sports utility vehicle, motor home, recreational vehicle, motorcycle, motor scooter, or any other vehicle operated on the roads of this state and required to be registered under state law.
(c) “Employee” means any person who possesses a valid license issued pursuant to s. 790.06and:
1. Works for salary, wages, or other remuneration;
2. Is an independent contractor; or
3. Is a volunteer, intern, or other similar individual for an employer.
(d) “Employer” means any business that is a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, professional association, cooperative, joint venture, trust, firm, institution, or association, or public sector entity, that has employees.
(e) “Invitee” means any business invitee, including a customer or visitor, who is lawfully on the premises of a public or private employer.
As used in this section, the term “firearm” includes ammunition and accoutrements attendant to the lawful possession and use of a firearm.
(3) LEGISLATIVE INTENT; FINDINGS.—This act is intended to codify the long-standing legislative policy of the state that individual citizens have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, that they have a constitutional right to possess and keep legally owned firearms within their motor vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes, and that these rights are not abrogated by virtue of a citizen becoming a customer, employee, or invitee of a business entity. It is the finding of the Legislature that a citizen’s lawful possession, transportation, and secure keeping of firearms and ammunition within his or her motor vehicle is essential to the exercise of the fundamental constitutional right to keep and bear arms and the constitutional right of self-defense. The Legislature finds that protecting and preserving these rights is essential to the exercise of freedom and individual responsibility. The Legislature further finds that no citizen can or should be required to waive or abrogate his or her right to possess and securely keep firearms and ammunition locked within his or her motor vehicle by virtue of becoming a customer, employee, or invitee of any employer or business establishment within the state, unless specifically required by state or federal law.
(4) PROHIBITED ACTS.—No public or private employer may violate the constitutional rights of any customer, employee, or invitee as provided in paragraphs (a)-(e):
(a) No public or private employer may prohibit any customer, employee, or invitee from possessing any legally owned firearm when such firearm is lawfully possessed and locked inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot and when the customer, employee, or invitee is lawfully in such area.
(b) No public or private employer may violate the privacy rights of a customer, employee, or invitee by verbal or written inquiry regarding the presence of a firearm inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot or by an actual search of a private motor vehicle in a parking lot to ascertain the presence of a firearm within the vehicle. Further, no public or private employer may take any action against a customer, employee, or invitee based upon verbal or written statements of any party concerning possession of a firearm stored inside a private motor vehicle in a parking lot for lawful purposes. A search of a private motor vehicle in the parking lot of a public or private employer to ascertain the presence of a firearm within the vehicle may only be conducted by on-duty law enforcement personnel, based upon due process and must comply with constitutional protections.
(c) No public or private employer shall condition employment upon either:
1. The fact that an employee or prospective employee holds or does not hold a license issued pursuant to s. 790.06; or
2. Any agreement by an employee or a prospective employee that prohibits an employee from keeping a legal firearm locked inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot when such firearm is kept for lawful purposes.
(d) No public or private employer shall prohibit or attempt to prevent any customer, employee, or invitee from entering the parking lot of the employer’s place of business because the customer’s, employee’s, or invitee’s private motor vehicle contains a legal firearm being carried for lawful purposes, that is out of sight within the customer’s, employee’s, or invitee’s private motor vehicle.
(e) No public or private employer may terminate the employment of or otherwise discriminate against an employee, or expel a customer or invitee for exercising his or her constitutional right to keep and bear arms or for exercising the right of self-defense as long as a firearm is never exhibited on company property for any reason other than lawful defensive purposes.
 

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Yes, current wording of 790.251; NOTHING has changed since 2011 on that statute.
 
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I believe that statute is all about storing a firearm in your private vehicle on company parking lot property... not about carrying on the property.
 

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It seems unclear to me. I did a search and so far have not found any court cases where someone was fired for carrying a gun at work (on their person) and then challenged it on the basis of this law. In the intro, in the "intent" section, and in several places in this law it talks specifically about having a gun in your vehicle. Nonetheless, the specific paragraph highlighted above does not say anything about this being limited to carry in your vehicle.

Without a test case, the answer to exactly what the law means is... Who knows? No one can say for sure what a judge and/or jury would decide. Personally, I don't want to be the test case, but if someone would like to volunteer, it would certainly be interesting.
 

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It seems unclear to me. I did a search and so far have not found any court cases where someone was fired for carrying a gun at work (on their person) and then challenged it on the basis of this law. In the intro, in the "intent" section, and in several places in this law it talks specifically about having a gun in your vehicle. Nonetheless, the specific paragraph highlighted above does not say anything about this being limited to carry in your vehicle.

Without a test case, the answer to exactly what the law means is... Who knows? No one can say for sure what a judge and/or jury would decide. Personally, I don't want to be the test case, but if someone would like to volunteer, it would certainly be interesting.
The intent of Chapter 790, Section 790.251 is quite clear and I'm not surprised one bit that there is not a case testing 790.251(4)(e) for carrying concealed on ones person! The entire statute is intended exactly for what is stated in 790.251(3).
 
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I can tell you how one of my employers interpreted it, and of course that doesn't mean they are an authority, but this is how they operated with it.
Firearms were prohibited inside the building, period, no employees excepted. You were not to bring firearms onto the surrounding property (i.e. - the parking lots and loading areas) unless they were your own firearm, you were lawfully carrying or transporting it, and it STAYED inside your personal vehicle. Now all us field workers were assigned a vehicle and we could drive it home and start work from there if we chose, OR we could leave it parked in the company's lot overnight and drive a personal vehicle to/from the business each day.

So, if you drove the company vehicle, NO firearms. If you drove your own, you could have a firearm and bring it onto the property for purposes of parking the vehicle and the firearm) while you used the company truck during working hours. They were fine with firearms brought onsite so long as they stayed in your personal vehicle out of sight and out of mind. Same held for people who worked in the office and commuted in their own vehicles each day.
 

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Yes, current wording of 790.251; NOTHING has changed since 2011 on that statute.
Yep; I remember when it passed, and the agency I worked for couldn’t have a policy that no firearms were allowed there, because the state said it was legal for employees to keep them in their cars while at work.

It definitely did not require that public or private employers had to allow their employees to carry at work. Citizens with CCWs weren’t ever subject to the Policies and Procedures that governed employee actions and activities.

I carried there several times after I retired. The only statutory restriction that applied to the public as well was the part of the statute that lists Special District Governing Board Meetings (public meetings) among the sites restricted from carry by the public. Those are monthly meetings that generally carry over to two days.
 

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The first sentence states "Protection of the right to keep and bear arms in motor vehicles"
Yep; as in “parked in their employer’s parking lot.”
It was passed before I retired, and that been over 13 years ago now. So probably 15 years ago, at least.
 

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Yep - when the state university had to change their regulations to allow it in the car in the parking lot. Now my students know that when the SHTF and I run for my car, "I'll be back!"
 
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