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Expanded Concealed Carry Rights For Employees – Effective March 20, 2017

03.08.17 written by

The new Ohio law expanding concealed carry laws will require changes to employer policies which prohibit weapons in an employee’s vehicle and in employer parking areas. This new law will take effect on March 20, 2017. The new law allows employees with a valid concealed carry license to store a firearm on the employer’s premises, so long as the employee remains in the vehicle, or the firearm remains in a locked container in the employee’s vehicle, and the vehicle is an authorized location, such as a company parking lot. The rule applies to both public and private employers.

Employers may still prohibit an employee from possessing a firearm inside their building or in a company-owned or company-leased vehicle. The law includes protections that shield employers from liability for incidents arising from a stored firearm.

Employers should review their employee handbooks and workplace violence policies now to ensure they are compliant with the new law. Many employer policies prohibit employees from bringing a firearm on company property, including the parking lot. Such policies will be unlawful as of March 20, 2017.

For additional information on the law and its effect on your company and its policies, please contact Michael J. Bogdan, Esq., or any member of the Labor and Employment Section of Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co., L.P.A. at 877-876-9958 or legal@www.kwgd.com.

NOTE: This general summary of the law should not be used to solve individual problems since slight changes in the fact situation may require a material variance in the applicable legal advice.