Florida Gun Law Protects Employees’ Rights to Carry Weapons at Work

– House Bill 543 in Florida prohibits employers from making employment conditional on carry authorization for concealed weapons or firearms.
– Employees and applicants are allowed to keep a legal firearm locked inside their private vehicle in a parking lot for lawful purposes, and employers cannot prohibit this.
– Employers cannot prevent individuals from entering parking lots with legal firearms in their private vehicles, as long as the firearms are out of sight and being carried for lawful purposes.
– Employers cannot discriminate against employees, customers, or invitees for exercising their constitutional right to keep and bear arms or for exercising their right to self-defense.
– Employers cannot violate the privacy rights of employees, customers, or invitees by inquiring about the presence of firearms in a parking lot or searching private vehicles for firearms.
– Employers cannot take action against employees, customers, or invitees based on statements about the storage of firearms in private vehicles. – Employers or landlords with property where national defense, aerospace, or homeland security activities are conducted are exempt from the prohibition on firearms.
– Employers are not liable for actions taken to comply with the law on weapons in employer parking lots, but they can be sued for unrelated actions.
– People using deadly force in a motor vehicle are not subject to civil or criminal liability.
– The Florida attorney general enforces the law on weapons in employer parking lots and can take action against employers for violations.
– Employees can sue their employers for violating the law and may be entitled to personal costs and losses, attorneys’ fees, and court costs. – Employers in Florida should be cautious when drafting workplace violence policies to ensure compliance with state laws.
– Policies should include a carve out for firearms in the employer’s parking lot or allow employees to keep firearms in their privately owned car.
– Employers should not discriminate against employees for exercising their constitutional right to keep and bear arms or for exercising their right to self-defense.

https://www.nelsonmullins.com/insights/blogs/the-hr-minute/florida/florida-gun-law-bars-employers-from-conditioning-employment-on-carry-authorization