Guns in the Workplace

There are a couple of stories in the news about employers allowing guns in or near their workplaces. First from the Magic Kingdom in Florida:

ORLANDO, Fla. - Walt Disney World is revising its employee gun ban policy.

That's according to a company memo obtained Friday.

With the change, some Disney employees will be allowed to keep a gun locked in a car as long as the employee has a concealed-weapons permit, the gun isn't visible, and the weapon isn't taken out of the car.

The memo says the change only applies to employees who work at facilities outside the Walt Disney World Resort area.

Disney had previously claimed to be exempt from a new state law that allows Florida residents to keep firearms in their vehicles while at work.

The company's policy applies only to employees. Guests with valid permits can keep guns in their cars.

If Florida is anything like Disney's California parks, guests can take a gun right on in. Just don't put it in your purse or backpack.

The other story comes from a small Texas school district:

HARROLD, Texas — A tiny Texas district will allow teachers and staff members to carry concealed firearms to deter and protect against school shootings when classes begin this month, provided the gun-toting employees follow certain requirements.

The small community of Harrold in north Texas is a 30-minute drive from the Wilbarger County Sheriff's Office, leaving students and teachers without protection, said David Thweatt, superintendent of the Harrold Independent School District. The lone campus of the 110-student district sits near a heavily traveled highway, which could make it a target, he argued.

"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that's when all of these shootings started. Why would you put it out there that a group of people can't defend themselves? That's like saying 'sic 'em' to a dog," Thweatt said in a story published Friday on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Web site.

Barbara Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas Association of School Boards, said her organization did not know of another district with such a policy. Ken Trump, a Cleveland-based school security expert who advises districts nationwide, said Harrold is the first district with such a policy.

Trustees approved the policy change last year. For employees to carry a pistol, they must have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun; must be authorized to carry by the district; must receive training in crisis management and hostile situations; and must ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricocheting bullets.

Works for me. Anytime you declare an area a "gun-free zone", you effectively make the place a shooting gallery for the bad guys who don't pay much attention to "gun-free zone" signs. Several school shootings were stopped by staff members running to their cars, which had to be parked 1,000 feet away, to retrieve weapons. People died because of the delay.

Good citizens should be allowed to carry concealed firearms anywhere they want to, provided they have met the requirements such as they have in Texas.