Canon USA demands employees reveal CHL or be terminated

[Big Calhoun]

Is there anything (official) accessible via the public web that can be referenced as to their policy? I've been a Canon customer for many years and am very disappointed by this stance.

I've been thinking about switching over to Nikon. Guess this could push me over that line.

 

[Plink]

See, the problem with America being willing to permit foreign ownership of its companies, is that these companies do not hold American values.

Neither do a great many Americans. Our biggest enemy is not foreign nations and their values. Our biggest enemy is within. Americans who either never knew what our country is supposed to stand for, or simply do not care.

I can't believe any company would care about a person's CHL status as long as they weren't in violation of the company's policies while on their premises. I don't pretend to be a lawyer, but I can't even see how that's legal, actually. I hope we see some lawsuits soon! It's a drag that it turned out to be Canon. I own a number of their products, from cameras to printers.

 

[Doggy Daddy]

Assuming this turns out to be true, I'm prepared to post pics of how to "upgrade" a Canon inkjet with a Mossburg.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

I expect greater respect for law and cultural custom from a Japanese owned company. In fact, I find this hard to believe. Please, some more explanation. Cannon makes fine products and it would be a shame to have to put them on 'the list'. But not a problem if the facts bear this out.

 

[ezypikns]

Here's what the TSRA (Texas State Rifle Association) just sent me.

Texas State Rifle Association

HB 991 by Rep. Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) moves out of Calendars Committee to the floor of the Texas House for debate on Monday, April 16th.

Newspapers insist that any information gathered by a governmental entity should be "public information" and available to them. They testified in court that no one had ever been harmed because of this access but how can this be true. We know that Canon USA in Irving threatens their employees with termination if they so much as apply for a CHL and do not inform the company. Their employee manual states that The Company may, from time to time, obtain this information from the Texas Department of Public Safety, under the Texas Open Records Act. Any employee who misleads or actively prevents the Company from obtaining information regarding their status as a licensed handgun permit holder will be immediately terminated.

This is more than a safety issue, more than a privacy issue; access to a CHL's personal information is intimidating Texans in fear for their jobs.

Immediately Contact your Texas State Representative: www.capitol.state.tx.us

Urge them to vote FOR HB 991 by Rep. Patrick Rose on Monday and Concealed Handgun Licensee's Confidentiality!

The TSRA sends out legislative alerts when they deem it necessary. They are NOT some 'fly by night' group. I'm a member and so are numerous other Texans. I trust their content. I have already emailed my Texas State Representative. If you are a Texan, I urge you to do the same!

 

[mec]

Several months ago, I bought a canon XTi and found out about this policy the next day. I wrote Canon explaining that I would have picked sony or nikon if I had known beforehand. they replied that they were unfamiliar with the policy regarding CHL/

"Personel. Personel is for A**H**les."
Harry Calahan.

 

[MikePGS]

So a company called Canon is against guns? yeah yeah i know its spelled differently

 

[Erebus]

Only reason I can see for them wanting that info is if they fire someone with a CHL. Maybe they automatically think gun owners are nuts and they get an RO or make sure they surprise you with the termination.

I can't think of any good reason they would want that info.

 

[Technosavant]

And what about that great American camera company Minolta. Nope, not American but Japanese-German. In 2006, they announced getting out of the digital and optical camera business.

Minolta's camera line seems to have been taken over by Sony. The Sony Alpha DSLR is the next version of what Minolta was working on and (IIRC) it even takes Minolta-mount lenses.

I use Pentax, myself. We don't get much respect, but with how little I paid for my K100D, I laugh all the way to the bank.

 

[Car Knocker]

Sure would be nice to get some verification of this alleged policy. Like maybe a scan of the relevent portion of the employee manual.

 

[nobody_special]

Only people have rights; be they the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the right to self defense, or rights they would enjoy as a result of owning property. Corporations are allowed to own property by state and federal law. Corporations can only operate in accordance with the law, as proscribed by the law, not in accordance with anything that would be considered a right. Corporations are granted powers by the law. A corporation can no more violate an inalienable right of a person than government can(or is not supposed to!).

Unfortunately, that's simply not true. Corporations have rights just like anyone else.

 

[shooter503]

Sent today:

I object to Canon's policy of attempting to influence ownership of firearms by employees.

Ownership of firearms in the USA is a constitutional right.

I will be contacting my investment fund managers on Monday to instruct them to divest all shares I may own in Canon enterprises. I will also refrain from purchasing Canon products in the future.

XXXXXXXXX,
President
XXXXXXXXX Inc.

 

[RNB65]

Sorry, but I can't boycott Canon no matter what their ccw policies may be. Canon's digital technology is head and shoulders above everyone else. No one else is even close.

(You hear that, Nikon, you're not even close! Canon even has a new camera with a 35x24mm CCD! )

 

[wingman]

Corporations have rights just like anyone else.

Actually in my opinion they have more rights and that is a huge problem,
the selling of America continues as many corporations care not for the country just the green.

 

[Waitone]

The question is can an employer imposed conditions of employment on an employee which impact the employee's time away from the employer.

 

[camacho]

Actually in my opinion they have more rights and that is a huge problem,
the selling of America continues as many corporations care not for the country just the green.

This is where fundamentally the problem comes from. Powerful conglomerates that behave like kings and queens. They are King George of the todays America.

As to Canon, if that is true, I believe a Zumbo style campaign is in order

 

[stevetexas]

Hi Waitone,

Several companies fire employees who smoke while off the clock and company property, even in their own homes.

Those companies do regular drug testing for nicotine.

Their excuse is that smoking is dangerous and raises the premiums on company health insurance.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Unfortunately, that's simply not true. Corporations have rights just like anyone else.

Can you show us here on this board anywhere in the law or the Constitution that bears up your claim? I have yet to see any right conferred upon or protected as belonging to any state, let alone a company created by any of those same states. I am still curious as to what you can find.

Woody

You can live free holding the stock and possibly never have to pull the trigger, or you can try to live free at the muzzle. I prefer to hold the stock and live free. Those at the muzzle never seem to fare quite so well. B.E.Wood

 

[okcorral]

The company doesn't have to state that they are firing you for having a CHL or carrying a gun. They can state they are firing you for being eight seconds late to work, poor performance, lunch break was too long, not a good team player, position no longer needed, etc, etc.

 

[CDignition]

Nikon glass and Electronics rule over Canon anyhow...let em eat boycott pie.... the size of the CCD is meaningless in this format, as resolution is good enough to make billboard size enlargements..

 

[F4GIB]

TSRA says:
We know that Canon USA in Irving threatens their employees with termination if they so much as apply for a CHL and do not inform the company. Their employee manual states that The Company may, from time to time, obtain this information from the Texas Department of Public Safety, under the Texas Open Records Act. Any employee who misleads or actively prevents the Company from obtaining information regarding their status as a licensed handgun permit holder will be immediately terminated.

Unfortunately, the drafter of this bill is incompetent.

This bill will not prevent Canon form demanding their applicants and employees DISCLOSE their CHL status. The company can ask and refuse to hire or fire you if you hold a CHL. If you lie, the bill makes it harder to catch you but not impossible. If you are caught, you'll be denied employment or fired.

TSRA must get the law amended to ALSO prevent an employer from asking if you have a CHL and to prevent them from taking any employment-related action if you do have a CHL. They can't ask about your First Amendment preferences (Jew, Christian, Libertarian or Democrat), why should they be able to ask about your Second Amendment preferences?

Without this additional restriction, the "privacy" is a charade.

This bill must be amended!

 

[Double Naught Spy]

So at this point, what we have is an allegation that Canon USA is supposedly demanding employees disclose CHL information or risk termination if discovered by a freedom of information-type act that isn't even a law yet?

TSRA may not be a fly by night entity, but it is still currently the only source for the supposed injustice by Canon. This statement is classic,

We know that Canon USA in Irving threatens their employees with termination if they so much as apply for a CHL and do not inform the company.

Translation: Somebody told Fred who told us, but none of us have gotten off our butts and bothered to actually verify it and so since we need a reason to complain about something new, we ran with it is fact and if it turns out to not be true, people with those good American values will quickly forget about our transgression.

 

[cbsbyte]

Why buy Canon photo equipment when you can buy Nikon which makes scopes and is the major supplier of camera equipment to the Military. Of course I realize that Canon make far more than camera equipment.

 

[oneshooter]

This was sent today to my Texas Senate Rep. Dan Patrick.

This is a "fair" bill, but it needs to be amended. It does not prevent companies( such as Canon USA, in Irving) from terminating employees for upholding thier Second Amendment rights. They have threatened thier emplyees with termination if they APPLY for a Texas CHL and do not inform the company. They state that they will"from time to time" obtain from the Texas DPS that information using the Texas Open Records Act. This MUST BE STOPPED if Texans CHL rights are to be upheld.


Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

In addition to the TSRA alert and a Texas Senator, we also have TSRA quoting a Canon employment manual. Canon states they have 11,000 employees on their website, so it shouldn't be impossible to verify that.

Personally, TSRA has a terrific record in Texas and has never gone on record for something like this and been wrong in the eight years I've been a member, so that is enough for me.