Hassled at work about firearms

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good lord...I can't imagine working at a place like that.... where I work, whenever someone get s a new gun, they usually bring it up to the office for everyone to admire. We also go shoot sporting clays together at least once a month...

The only guy we give a hard time to about being a gun nut is an ex marine that has over 100 guns in his collection...and even then it's just because we're all jealous.


Someone else said it.... move to texas....friggen yankess :)

as for this being a slam dunk issue, and just shutting up and doing what the owner says...what if you were talking about your religion? what if he didn't want you talking about your family?

my thinking is, you're not talking about anything illegal. You may as well be talking about baseball or collecting pokeman cards. I don't see how he can say you will be fired for talking about some random topic he doesn't like.

it may put you on the short timer list... and probably not a good career move...Is Chicago a right to work state?
 
Just a little observation about employers and sales. I used to work for a firm and about half of their total business flowed through me ($millions). It seems that both employers and employees get a bit stale after about 7 years or so. I was not happy as I felt I wasn't being rewarded for my contribution. Well, I left and started my own business.... trust me, at least half and probably two-thirds of "your" customers are regular customers of the business not you personally. You leave and they keep doing business as before, just with a different person. In essense, I was very easily replaced. I was not as special as I thought. I have not bad mouthed my former employer publically a single time since I left. I always felt they were a pretty good company and still do. I even refer work to them for things I don't do.

The moral of the story is to step back and think about your priorites and choices in the real world. Make you decisions. But being able to discuss firearms at work is such a small thing in the grand scheme of things.
 
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Regardless of whether the employer has the right to tell you what you can discuss at work (I think they do), the problem is, now you're marked as a "troublemaker." My guess is at this point they're going to be looking for an excuse to get rid of you. Jobs are tight right now, so they have the upper hand. They know if they let you go they can have their pick of any number of good candidates. If I was in your shoes I'd be looking for another job right now, just in case.
 
I have more to lose by seeking new employment.
Click to expand...

How so?

For whatever it's worth, a little about my job. I am a sales manager for a Goodyear shop. I produce more sales and a larger gross profit then all the other employees combined, every month. I'm 100% ASE certified. I've worked at this store for 14 years. I have won numerous awards for top salesman in the district. I have a bachelors degree in sales management, graduated from Notre Dame, Indiana.
Click to expand...

If this is true, you should be able to get another job tomorrow.
 
What would you do if the shoe was on the other foot?

Let's take a hypothetical case:

You live in an area with very few restrictions on firearms. You agree with that and are very pro gun, as is your partner in your business. This is a "hot button" issue for both of you. Many of the citizens in the area seem to have the same political position.

Your 21 year old son lives at home and thinks there should be more gun control laws, or the outright banning of private ownership of firearms. You might have had some heated discussions about the topic.

In your business you have a productive employee, but he sometimes discusses Handgun Control, Inc. with customers or fellow employees. You're not happy about this, and it's your business. You don't have a lot of pro gun posters or pamphlets displayed in your business, and don't want these discussions happening at your place of business. Your son sometimes comes into the business, and lately has been talking about gun control more. Another "discussion" happens at home.

You're uncertain how to handle this well, but you've let it slide for a while.

Next week you see a stack of Handgun Control, In. pamphlets on the employees desk. The son asks the employee who is for more gun control to take him to a Sarah Brady fundraiser.

Your business is in an "at will" state and you could just fire the employee. The economy is in rough shape and you could easily find a replacement, probably for less money. However, he is a good employee, has received several salesmanship awards, and has been with you for 14 years.

So, you advise the employee that Second Amendment issues are not to be discussed at work. You tell him in private, and hope that this will at least resolve the issue at work. Your son may still disagree, but he won't be having any more anti gun propaganda discussions at your business.

You've tried to "take the high road". Do you think the employee will understand and comply? Do you think, or expect, the employee to have an "attitude" about this, especially since it is YOUR business?

Sometimes it's interesting to put yourself in the other persons position, and ask yourself how you would handle a situation.

FWIW

GB7
 
Greybeard, that is a pretty good analogy. I like it and I obviously agree with your point. I think the OP does as well at this point. He/she just had to vent and see where the wind blows.

But there are lessons to be learned that can be gained from other's experience and mistakes. That is the only reason at this point I feel posting in this thread makes any sense. It is about life.
 
22-rimfire:

Thank you. I understand the OPs frustration, and venting on a board with like minded people sometimes helps. (Sometimes not. :scrutiny:) I thought putting a different perspective on it might help the OP feel a little better about the situation.

A lot of the quit, find another job, relocate possibilities aren't always available, practical or financially sound. Particularly in today's job market.

I know how frustrating it can be dealing with people who fear firearms and their "belief" that more restrictive laws might solve the problem or make their fear go away. If they don't have the facts and have been mislead by the major media propaganda campaign, sometimes a calm, reasoned discussion and presentation of the facts may start them on a path that questions the propaganda. If their belief and/or fear is too great, I think it is best to just walk away.

Sort of like giving good business advice to managers that won't listen. Much like trying to teach a pig to sing, it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

GB7
 
My two pence. You spend five sevenths of your adult life up until around age 60 / 65 at a place of work - not because you want to but because you have to. That's the bulk of your life from here on in spent somewhere you probably don't want to be. If you've got a pair of knobheads making your working environment crap (even though you're a good employee) then you should be making inroads into leaving for somewhere better. That's just sense. If you're in a position to take some of their customers with you then you should - just to flip them off. When you've left you should take that guy's son shooting and get him hooked good and proper. Life is about making yourself as happy as you can be and winning small victories along the way helps. :)
 
Greybeard7 - actually pretty good. My cubicle is plastered with my best targets. All three monitors have gun related wallpaper and my boss loves to shoot the breeze on all things gun related. We have, on occasion, talked guns for an hour as a break from some particlarly arduous networking problems. I've just talked him into joining a club and making his first steps towards getting his firearm certificate. The boss in my previous job was a total berk. He made me redundant so he could move his mistress into my role. I sued for unfair dismissal and made a nice wedge of money - just under $40K. Always knew that law degree would come in handy. :) That's been tucked away for when I eventually move to the States.

... Oh, and the guy's wife found out because it went to tribunal.
 
Dark Skies:

Thank you for your polite and informative reply. I apologize for my previous comment. I was being a bit snippy and erroneously focusing on the UK gun laws.

I don't know the general attitude about firearms in England, and was assuming that the gun control attitude was prevalent there.

I'm glad that you won your lawsuit regarding the nepotism practice at your workplace. I can't speak for others, but I welcome your outlook on freedom and the right to "keep and bear" the means for self defense.

As to your intent to move to the states, I would welcome any freedom loving individual that wants to come here, become a citizen, and support the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

If you come to visit, and you will be in the North Carolina area, I would be pleased to welcome you and invite you to go shooting.

GB7
 
Greybeard7 to be honest any snippyness went over my radar - so nothing to apologize for. Gun control here has not become quite as rampant as we all feared it would after Dunblane and the handgun ban - all whipped up by the media and politicians on the make. Things have been pretty quiet since then and rifle shooting has been unmolested since 1988 when semi-autos above .22 LR were banned. Probably because the handgun ban didn't work as everybody promised it would - illegal firearm crime actually rose by 400% and shows no sign of abating.

And cheers for the invite - I'd be grateful to take you up on it if the opportunity arises.
 
Directed to all that responded to my post.

I was venting my anger & frustration. But those of you that said shut-up and do your job are 100% right.

Looking for another job at my age is almost impossible. The few places I did apply could care less about education and previous experience when, and I was told this by more than one place, Why should they hire me for the wages I demand when they can hire & train three 21 year olds for a third of the cost?

Now, I have free health insurance and 3 weeks vacation per year, plus profit-sharing and a 401K program I'm invested in. That's why I said I have to much to lose.

So, from this point on; no gun talk even if asked. But nothing saying I can't talk about flowers and the love of gardening to customers.

:eek:
 
Here Here!

I was pretty unhappy for several years prior to splitting my last job after about 10 or so years with them. The 401K came with me. Now I create my own vacation (which is never) and being in business is a dream fulfilled, but a tough road to hoe.

I'm pretty much risking everything I have for this business and if it fails, I'll be homeless.
 
In Colorado it would be legal for the owners to prohibit discussion of firearms with customers as it is not job related.

It would aslo be illegal for them to attempt to punish you for engaging in lawful activities while not at work.

Don't know how it would work in other states, but Colorado protects workers against the kind of threats your employers are engaged in with regard to off work activities with their son.
 
Without reading all 4 pages, here's what I'd suggest.

Chicago is a battleground area. Public opinion there is VERY important to the overall cause of firearms ownership. Be understanding of the shop owners position, but also offer to help 'teach' them about guns. Tell them that you'd love to take them to the range sometime, find some way to involve them with gun ownership and other people who own guns.

People who hate guns typically spend their entire lives avoiding them. It's this aversion that leads to ignorance, and consequently hatred. Part of the human condition is to dislike things that we don't understand, or fear.

You have a chance to do a small good for the cause, why not give it a shot. But also cover your butt, document the event somehow. And if it escalates to something like you losing your job, then hell yea talk to a lawyer.
 
There have been people in the world who have conquered new worlds, climbed the highest mountains, fought for truth, justice and the American way, and stood for all kinds of right and worthy things. I used to work for an oppressive employer, politically correct in every way (except double standards and hypocrisy, which seemed to be acceptable). I used to follow orders and be a good little employee. Then I started thinking, " What would Gengis Khan do?", since that seemed to be the most absurd, un-politically correct thing I could possibly think of. Then, shy of grabbing a sword, and lopping off my antagonist's (boss's) head, and taking over, I decided that I would like to be among the people who rule their OWN lives, and parted ways. Oh, I pondered lopping off heads, but after I went my own way, my war was over. They no longer got a piece of me. One deserves better than that, so I never felt bad about it. Don't leave your fate in the hands of fools.
 
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