Open carrying to a job interview...

[everallm]

Oldskool,

The only thing keeping the thread open, not gratuitously abusive and having you branded a troll is your post count.

People are TRYING to get across to you what is at BEST a seriously career limiting move.

A right to bear arms is a personal and individual right

It is not an obligation

With Rights come Responsibilities

You would equally have the "right" to go to the interview, dressed like a muppet, reeking of Thunderbird and carrying a 5 gallon can of gas.

Guess what, you probably wouldn't get the job then either.

If you still don't understand the problem then nothing anyone is saying is going to get through.

 

[N003k]

I'm still not sure what the problem is. I thought that as fellow gunowners you would support my decision to prepare my self for the worst. For all those who say that I should lock it up or not carry, then why carry at all if not to protect myself?

I think we all support you being able to defend yourself, but your question isn't "Should I carry to the mall?" or "Should I carry going to some shops?"

As rbernie and others pointed out that I should check the rules of the house, does this apply to every place I go? Does it apply to concealed carry? Everytime I enter a McDonalds should I call ahead to make sure that they allow carry of a firearm either openly or concealed?

Depends, are you going to McDonalds for a job interview, or to buy from them? Do you REALLY wan't to eat there? If so, yea, find out before going. Otherwise don't be surprised if you don't get the job/get asked to leave.

My question still stands, why should I not carry? Isn't open carry a normal everyday thing? It is legal and my right, so why should I disarm for their sensibilities? I am an American and I am exercising my Constituitional rights. I would think that many of you would be glad to see your fellow employees and countrymen exercising thier rights at work and in life.

Because while it may be legal and your right, it sends a message that "This guy doesn't have a bit of sense about how to present himself during a job interview." By all means, carry if you don't want the job, but keep in mind, they CAN choose not to hire you for carrying a gun. Firearm Owners are not a protected class...

As Werewolf pointed out either RKBA is real or it isn't. Nobody has given a good reason why they would not hire someone who carried a defensive pistol to the interview. I assume that many here CCW so how is it any different when I explain that this is my only legal option right now in regards to carrying a pistol? I need to carry a pistol to protect myself, but I cannot conceal it right now. I am sure they would understand? Are you guys saying that you would not understand that?

Because you're going to a professional situation.

If I showed up asking for a job from you dressed in medieval equipment and with a sword on my belt, would you hire me? (Assuming the job is anything not requiring the wearing of that garb) I'd guess not.

And it's different because concealed is concealed. They don't see it. If they don't see it, they don't have that become a concern. If it's not a concern, it's not a factor in you getting hired.

 

[wvshooter]

Yes, open carry to the interview. Not one gun but two. You are interviewing for the position of sheriff in a really rough cow town aren't you?

 

[CRDNLPLT]

You have got to be kidding.

 

[PandaBearBG]

WereWolf - I'm just saying around here the home service people around here that come to my house aren't large chains, they usually aren't in uniform or have service vehicles. The people who come to service our house come in personal non marked vehicles (mini vans or their SUV, in regular clothing, their own tools and no business cards or etc. Not my choice my landlords choice.

Regardless, I always look out for the most important people me and my family. My personal experience and my personal character, I just don't trust anybody. I always carry when someone is working on my house, when someone knocks on the door, when I walk my dog at nite, when I'm working in the garage. I've known the handyman for 2 years but only as the guy who occasionally comes to fix my things not as a person. I am all for right to carry but during your professional work day as a person coming into other peoples homes to do maintance as a stranger, carry your weapon to me is a sign of aggression. If you trust a perfect stranger to come in your home armed, in my mind there is always a chance he could be scamming you. 99.99% of the time I know I am giving unfair judgement about a person but all it takes is once.

I was just giving an example of how the OP would think in relation to bringing in a firearm to his job interview. Similar circumstances, both instances are concerning professional working enviroments. If you think I am wrong than I assume you think it's ok to for the OP to carry in his interview?

 

[wyohome]

If the place is so dangerous that I needed to carry in the main office or I was afraid of theft in the parking lot for what I am sure will be a short interview, I wouldn't want to work there anyway.

 

[JoeShmoe]

Oldskool is doing a good job of pointing out the fact, that although open carry may be legal, it isn't always prudent. Some of the diehards still don't see it, but most do. Nice work Oldskool.

 

[Ed Ames]

Humans are extremely sensitive to deviant behavior. Down to, "That guy's wearing a pink shirt! Something's wrong with him!!!" And, as a rule, we respond negatively to any whiff of deviance. Even when we try to keep an open mind, we have a hard time warming up to people who trigger that "he's not like us" reaction.

When you interview for a job, a LOT of what you are doing is proving that you aren't unacceptably deviant relative to the clique (company) you are trying to join.

If you actually want to join a clique, you have a choice... you can make a best guess about what will be considered normal and try to chameleon yourself into that mold before you go meet them, or you can try to establish some value for yourself that causes the clique to settle, to accept your deviance in exchange for your contributions. Of course, in order for that to work your talents must be more than a match for the clique's anti-deviance reaction. The harder you ring that "deviant! deviant! deviant!" alarm, the better you've got to be to stand a chance.


Open carrying a handgun in a city is deviant behavior. I've spent a lot of time in cities and can count on my diabetic neighbor's remaining toe the number of openly carried handguns I've seen on people not wearing a uniform of some sort or working at a gun store. It's more deviant than the guy wearing hair down to his coccyx was in the 1960s, or the gal with the tattoos all over her body was in the 1980s, or, well, you get the idea.

It isn't that deviants can't get jobs, it's that they need to choose cliques carefully or be very very good at what they do. If you meet a girl with tattoos all over her arms and legs (where they would be difficult to conceal), it's not unreasonable to think she works at a head shop, tattoo parlor, seedy bar, or the like. If you find out she is an investment banker you can bet she's very very good at what she does.

If you are honestly afraid of walking around in a city... something done by perhaps 240,000,000 Americans every week... I'd suggest you think long and hard about how good you really are at whatever you do.

 

[jnyork]

I think Oldschool is just yanking you feller's chains, he cant possibly be serious, has to be some sort of tongue-in-cheek joke. Isn't it?

 

[rbernie]

As rbernie and others pointed out that I should check the rules of the house, does this apply to every place I go? Does it apply to concealed carry? Everytime I enter a McDonalds should I call ahead to make sure that they allow carry of a firearm either openly or concealed?

Depends on how you want to be treated and the nature of your business there. By law in many states, there are specific legally-binding signage that a business can display if they do not want concealed or open carry in their establishment. In those cases, they are telling you up front what they expect of you when you enter their property. If they do not, you do not have to ask first before entering, but you will have to deal with the reactions that you'll get once you're inside.

There's a difference between buying a Big Mac and asking for a job. In the first instance, they can get huffy at you and all that happens is that you walk out and go down the street to get a burger elsewhere. In the latter case - you're out the cost of the plane fare and you still didn't get the job.

You can get all righteous and RKBA indignant with them if you want - I'll not tell you that you can't. I'll just tell you (along with almost everyone else here, apparently) that such behavior lowers the probability of gettin' a job by a pretty substantial margin.

Your call.

But if you want to score max points in the 'righteous flame of RKBA' category, feel free to ignore all common sense and intermingle your politics with your source of income. And make no mistake - carryin' into the interview instead of leaving the carry weapon in the car *is* making a political statement, and your own responses have clearly alluded to the fact that you know this.

It is legal and my right, so why should I disarm for their sensibilities? I am an American and I am exercising my Constituitional rights. I would think that many of you would be glad to see your fellow employees and countrymen exercising thier rights at work and in life.

Uh, yeah. You really aren't asking because you need protection - you want validation of your political beliefs, or validation that it's OK to shove your political beliefs into the workplace.

Have fun with all that.

 

[22-rimfire]

My question still stands, why should I not carry? Because it brings un-necessary attention to a political belief and you want the job. Isn't open carry a normal everyday thing? NO It is legal and my right, so why should I disarm for their sensibilities? Because you want the job. I am an American and I am exercising my Constituitional rights. I would think that many of you would be glad to see your fellow employees and countrymen exercising thier rights at work and in life. I'd like to see you get a job that you want.

You must have some very special qualifications for a prospective job if you are willing to rock the boat before you are even hired. Go for it.

 

[junyo]

I'm still not sure what the problem is. I thought that as fellow gunowners you would support my decision to prepare my self for the worst. For all those who say that I should lock it up or not carry, then why carry at all if not to protect myself?

As rbernie and others pointed out that I should check the rules of the house, does this apply to every place I go? Does it apply to concealed carry? Everytime I enter a McDonalds should I call ahead to make sure that they allow carry of a firearm either openly or concealed?

My question still stands, why should I not carry? Isn't open carry a normal everyday thing? It is legal and my right, so why should I disarm for their sensibilities? I am an American and I am exercising my Constituitional rights. I would think that many of you would be glad to see your fellow employees and countrymen exercising thier rights at work and in life.

As Werewolf pointed out either RKBA is real or it isn't. Nobody has given a good reason why they would not hire someone who carried a defensive pistol to the interview. I assume that many here CCW so how is it any different when I explain that this is my only legal option right now in regards to carrying a pistol? I need to carry a pistol to protect myself, but I cannot conceal it right now. I am sure they would understand? Are you guys saying that you would not understand that?

Because as an interviewee you're not a customer, you're some stranger asking me to give you a bunch of money. Any decent sized company has hired people that appeared perfectly qualified, friendly, and balanced in their interview that turned out to be wacko, drunks and/or a$$holes once employed. And it costs me a ton of money to get rid of you once I've hired you. Therefore anything that makes me wonder about you, any red flags, means I'm not taking the chance.

I carry a gun, and actually I'm fairly paranoid, and even I don't think open carry, all the time everywhere, like Wyatt Earp, makes much sense, and I wonder about people who do. So if I had to decide whether to give a bucket of money, plus benefits, plus the ramifications of the freaked out other employees and/or any additional liability, it's a massive hurdle to convince me that you make me more money than the next guy, who in all likelihood won't be visibly carrying a gun.

By all means, do what you think best, just don't be suprised when you don't even make it into the interview.

 

[kwelz]

I used to work in staffing and anyone applying for a job should understand what is an isn't appropriate for an interview. You have the right to wear just about anything you want anywhere you go but if you came into an interview in anything less than dress pants, a button down shirt, and a tie, then you were probably not going to get placed.

Just because something is your right doesn't mean it is appropriate at all times. A job interview is not the place for an exposed weapon. It is also not the place to wear your 25 piercings and sleeveless shirt showing off your tattoos.

I swear the Open carry movement is becoming the 2A version of a Gay Pride parade. I support GLBT just like I support the 2nd Amendment but sometimes you can be a little to "in your face" and it works against you.

 

[donato]

Some things are just not worth falling on your own sword over. This OC to an interview thing reminds me of California girls back in the 70s. Back then there was a guy(s) (Hillside strangler or someone like that) picking up young girls hitchhiking, then raping and killing them. However, a lot of the girls never stopped hitchhiking because it was their God-given right to do so and they had also worked so hard to become liberated and they weren't about to give up that right for which they had struggled so hard to achieve. Go figure.

 

[scottaschultz]

Well this is all hypothetical at this point. If the OP insists on exercising is Constitutional rights, I think he should OC with pride!!

Scott

P.S. Please come back and let us know how the interview turned out. I have $5 that says you doesn't make it past the receptionist's desk!

 

[Blackbeard]

Put me down in the "this is a joke" column. If he's not joking, he's in serious need of a reality check. There are all sorts of things you have the right to bring to a job interview, that will guarantee you don't get hired. I'm not sure why anyone would even consider carrying at a job interview.

P.S. Now I'm really curious what the job is. I hope it's not "daycare worker".

 

[Keb]

I think the company might just ask for their air fare and motel costs to be refunded!

 

[poco loco]

NO to open carry at a job interview

You would equally have the "right" to go to the interview, dressed like a muppet, reeking of Thunderbird and carrying a 5 gallon can of gas.

Heh, We had a similar situation years ago. We were part owners of a towing company and a guy came in applying for a driver job.

After the interview at 8am, he walked up to one of the other owners and asked " where can a guy get a drink around here at this time of day" Needless to say he didn't get the job.

I swear the Open carry movement is becoming the 2A version of a Gay Pride parade. I support GLBT just like I support the 2nd Amendment but sometimes you can be a little to "in your face" and it works against you

Open carry serves 2 purposes imo. One is protection the second is normalization. We need people to see that normal people are gun owners and that a sidearm won't just magically jump out of the holster and start randomly mowing people down.

just for comparison after some time in Az, even in "liberal" Tucson, people pay next to no attention to open carry at all. An AR at a presidential event being the obvious exception. No one really cares at all whether in the city or the country.

 

[Werewolf]

Regardless, I always look out for the most important people me and my family. My personal experience and my personal character, I just don't trust anybody. I always carry when someone is working on my house, when someone knocks on the door, when I walk my dog at nite, when I'm working in the garage. I've known the handyman for 2 years but only as the guy who occasionally comes to fix my things not as a person. I am all for right to carry but during your professional work day as a person coming into other peoples homes to do maintance as a stranger, carry your weapon to me is a sign of aggression.

Ahh...

It's OK for you to carry to defend you and yours but not OK for others if they're on the job. All a function of trust. Yeah that's the ticket. Trust.

Well then that makes it all OK.

Come to think of it there's probably a lot of people in all the work places there are where someone on the job went nuts and started shooting would agree.

Wait... What... Oh they're dead. I guess what they think doesn't matter at all.

 

[Edmond]

Just you can doesn't mean you should.

 

[N003k]

You know the safest way of not getting shot at work Werewolf? Go armed to the interview so you don't end up with the job.

The threads not about "Should it be so normal that you can carry to a job interview without them thinking anything of it?"

Nor is it "Should I be allowed to carry on the job for safety?"

It's "Should I open carry to a job interview?"

If you honestly think the answer to that is yes, then go for it. But theres a larger then otherwise chance that doing so will lead to you not even getting to enter the interview, let alone get the job...

 

[vintage68]

Maybe you should carry to the interview, just so you can report back to us what a disaster it was

 

[Ed Ames]

if you came into an interview in anything less than dress pants, a button down shirt, and a tie, then you were probably not going to get placed.

It's all about being a correct match for the clique you are trying to join. The trick is to guess the prejudices of the prospective employer, and decide whether you'll go along or not.

In my 17+ years in the software/computer industry, I have never worn a tie. In fact I've never owned a tie. They are about as useful in my world as a leather jerkin..probably less. I have worn various shirt/pant combos ranging from tee and jeans to wool slacks and silk shirt, and through it all I've never left an interview without a job offer. Of course I haven't interviewed everywhere...there are many jobs I'm qualified for but don't want...but the point stands.

The reason for wearing, or not wearing, a gun to an interview has everything to do with fitting in with the group you are trying to join. Look at them. Would they do it? If yes, you should. 99.999% of the time the answer is "no, they wouldn't."

 

[mgregg85]

If you plan on open carrying during the interview you might as well just save yourself the cost of the plane ticket and not go. I'd leave the gun in the car for the interview, even if it was for a job in the firearms industry.

 

[22-rimfire]

I'll use an analogy.... If a young woman came in for a job interview for a receptionist or any position for that matter and was wearing a low cut blouse and was all hanging out; I might have to use some male self restraint. I wouldn't even be interested in looking at her resume. The applicant should do everything in their power to focus attention on their credentials and experience. Maybe she has. Needless to say, she would not get the job, any job in my business. I have enough headaches without adding another one. Guns are a little like this as well, but I'm in total agreement about exercising our constitutional righs with discretion.