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Think of it as a way to save on gasoline

By HOWARD TROXLER
Published March 29, 2007

How many times has this happened to you?

You decide to open fire at your workplace, to terrorize your boss and co-workers...

... only to realize that your gun is not in your car out in the parking lot.

No. Your stupid company policy forbids weapons on company property.

So you have to drive ALL THE WAY HOME to get your gun. This, of course, is terribly inconvenient.

Fortunately, the Florida Legislature is all over this problem. There are bills in both our House and Senate this year to make it illegal for employers to ban weapons in their own parking lots.

This is absolutely true.

Senate Bill 2356 and House Bill 1417 say that no employer or business could bar guns, as long as employees or customers owned them legally and kept them locked in their cars.

SB 2356 says that a citizen does not give up the right to keep "constitutionally significant" property merely by becoming "a customer, employee, or invitee" of an employer or business.

Employers and businesses could not search cars on their property, could not have a no-weapons policy as a condition of employment, and could not fire an employee or ask any customer to leave merely for having a gun in the car.

Interestingly, the bill anticipates the consequences, and says that no property owner will be held liable when a gun owner shoots somebody.

The bill has a loophole for employers related to "national defense, aerospace or domestic security," who could still ban weapons if they presented "an increased danger of explosion or reasonably predictable catastrophic event."

Schools are exempt, too.

In the event you think this is a wacky idea that has no chance: SB 2356 was approved this week by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee by a vote of 7-1, and has one other committee before reaching the full Senate.

To quote the singer Alanis Morissette, isn't it ironic?

This same Legislature is considering a bill to allow supermarkets, Wal-Marts and such places to prohibit political activity by citizens and customers on their premises, such as gathering petition signatures, under the theory of "private property rights."

But those places would be powerless to keep out guns. The Second Amendment would trump private property rights, while the First would be a weak sister.

Besides the obvious, another flaw with these bills is that they deliberately misunderstand the Constitution.

As the old saying goes, one person's right to swing his fist stops at the end of the next person's nose. There is no "free speech" right to cuss out your boss or picket in the middle of Sears, for example. Rights are not absolute - they can be limited by employment, by entry onto commercial property, or by being present in public gatherings.

So if we're going to say the Second Amendment trumps all other peoples' rights, I think we oughta include the First too. I envision employee parking lots everywhere filled with bumper stickers saying, "My boss is a $#$%."

Especially in the state Capitol.

Howard Troxler now has a blog for daily updates, bonus commentary and reader reaction. You can find a link to TroxBlog under the "Blogs" heading on www.tampabay.com, or by typing in the address blogs.tampabay.com/troxler.

[Last modified March 29, 2007, 01:15:35]