Should you talk guns at work?

[dleeharrison]

I talk weapons with a few of the guys I work with. Depends on the company. Most of the personnel in our office are somewhat liberal so Iam selective who I talk with about weapons and firearms.

 

[lovemachine]

I think it depends where you work, like what everyone else has said. Working where I do, it's no big deal. We talk about guns almost all the time.

 

[hicap30]

I say lay low, it's not polite to let people know what you have. Never know when you will need that ace in the hole.

 

[seekertol]

I work for a hospital and I also teach the ccw classes on the side. I had a lot of docs and ceo, cfo and want not take the class from me. So of the people in my department (IT... Yes, I'm a computer guy) think they need to start off talking guns with me as if that is all I know.

 

[HICKMAN]

i wouldnt do it if you work in an office setting, or around regular sheep. you all know what i mean. im guessing it will earn you a label that you dont want. plus I wouldnt want them to know that im packing or give them any indications. i ALWAYS have at least one gun on me, so it wouldnt be beneficial for me to advertise the fact that i like guns if i worked in a setting like that. I couldnt work with a bunch of socialist, communist, non-patriotic freaks.

exactly what the brady bunch would hope for. I talk about guns like they are nothing but a screwdriver in the toolbox.

A lady I work with took a picture from my facebook page of me shooting and made in to a big ass poster for my birthday.

Damn right it's still hanging on my wall.

I've opened the eyes of several at work, now many of them ask how I shot over the weekend and can't wait for the next video.

 

[INGunGuy]

The Fourth does not protect you from employers requiring that you allow them to search your car.

Hmmm well just let them try, you may NOT be able to park on company property, but I say so be it. If you want to keep a gun in your car, then sometimes we have to go to extraordinary lengths to do that. When I go to any of my kids stuff at school, I have to park off school property or become a felon. We still have the 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech, etc... well you are able to exercise that right at work, BUT that may get you fired, remember the extraordinary lengths we have to go thru being a free people. I am free to carry a gun, say what I want, when I want to and to who I want to say it to. I have the right to tell the government OR ANYONE else they can not search me, or my vehicles. I give up my 4th Amendment when I store my personal belongings in a company provided locker inside a company building. General Petraus used his 1st Amendment right to speak out against the President and the White House, and guess what, it got him fired. Ok, I agree that for one to be in the military one has to follow orders to a T and be able to take orders from ones superiors, and not bash the superiors in front of your subordinates, but he felt what he needed to say was important enough to give up a career in the military.

We do have all our rights, it is just how we as a free people decide to use them if it is or is not advantageous to us. If I worked in a anti-2A crowd, I would not talk about guns, I will still have my photograph of my daughter holding her first rifle, but talk, and just being overt about guns wouldnt happen. Just like church, one would not go to a regular Catholic mass and start speaking in tongues and dancing with serpents like some Pentecostal religions teach, because it is not in the right church.

So next time an employer states that as a condition of employment one must submit to random vehicle searches, and you sign saying you understand, and you get pulled over for a random inspection, you have the right, yes the right to say NO, no search. It may very well cost you your job, but you signed saying you knew the company policy.

INGunGuy

 

[jimbo-indy]

At my work place, it's no secret that I carry concealed daily. If someone wants to talk guns, fine. I know who likes them and confine my comments to those people. I post a recent target, with good groups, on my office wall in case anyone doesn't know where I am coming from. Our employee manual simply states, "No illegal weapons", so with my LTCH I am legal.Several others carry in various ways. A few close friends even try to guess what I am carrying and in what style holster. On occasion, when it is necessary to terminate a hot-head employee, I am notified in advance, since my office is right inside the back door (unsecured) to the shop and the loading dock. I see all who come and go. I am sure that if they ever decide to terminate me, the Sheriff will be on hand.

 

[Cemetery-man]

We're always talking guns everyday all day at work. Visitors stop so we talk guns some more then the boss stops by and the gun conversations really pick up.

 

[HighStrung]

Though I work for a somewhat large company, the department I'm in is rather small. We (my dept) are pretty open about our interests, when someone gets a new toy it's always brought in (even before the new law) and everyone gets all drooly over it. We often talk about different things relative to guns (competitions, hunting, etc) and most of us shoot with each other from time to time. That being said, I don't usually bring it up when I'm in corp headquarters, too many stiff's up there that I don't even enjoy talking to, let alone give them a reason to single me out. I did however have my LLTCH laminated in the big office, the girl who did it for me said "Good to see someone else protecting themselves", until then I would have had no idea that she too carries as I would have never expected it from her.

 

[Eddie]

I'm in an office setting but within my own suite I am boss. I carry on my hip daily and on days when I go buy something while I am at work the purchase comes in with me instead of being left in the car. In the past year I've had a Remy 700, LR-308 and just yeasterday an FAL sitting on the conference room table. So far no one has complained and they make great conversation pieces. I am getting the smoking crowd, the ones that hang outside the doors to the parking lot trained that when they see me carrying a long black box that it means there is something cool to look at/talk about.

I put my leftover gun magazines in the waiting room right alongside the entertainment ones that the secretaries bring in and people seem to pick them up and read them just as much as anything else.

Guns in the workplace are like any other topic, its all about how you spin it. Make it fun and cool to talk guns and others will follow suit or shut up.

 

[technobear]

since i work on a college campus i rarely initiate a firearms discussion.. too many politics and opinions floating around. and definetly too much butthurt and people that will take the issue to my supervisor if they disagree..

if someone starts the conversation with me i will join.. but unless im with my closest coworkers/friends i keep my yap shut.

 

[ATM]

I will talk guns wherever I happen to find myself.
Specifics regarding current carry status may obviously be left out at some locations.

 

[IndySSD]

I put my leftover gun magazines in the waiting room right alongside the entertainment ones that the secretaries bring in and people seem to pick them up and read them just as much as anything else.

Anyone else read this and go.... WTF you leave your old Mag's around for other people for free?? Got any G22 mags leftover?!

I personally am very blessed to work in a "Man Cave" type engineering building with like 7 other guys that grew up using/being around guns. Even the one or two that don't carry keep a rifle or shotty around the house for general purpose. My boss has an AR I've been itching to "break in" for him hehe since he hasn't made time to get to a range yet. We generally get one or two breaks a week where we all end up congregating around the coffee machine chatting about recent purchases/shooting outings/new firearms legislation locally and nationally.

Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

 

[n9iui]

I have a picture of my 12 year old daughter holding her first rifle, a Remington 597 with 30 round banana mag in a frame on my desk... People think she is soooooo cute...

INGunGuy

My Grand-daughter already has her first gun, a Remington 870 with youth stock. Of course, it will be a few years before she gets to shoot it as she's only 2 1/2 right now. Kudos to her Dad for starting her out early!

 

[AuntieBellum]

since i work on a college campus i rarely initiate a firearms discussion.. too many politics and opinions floating around. and definetly too much butthurt and people that will take the issue to my supervisor if they disagree..

if someone starts the conversation with me i will join.. but unless im with my closest coworkers/friends i keep my yap shut.

I also work on a college campus. However, living in the small town that I do, you get to know people and they you. There's just a point when you can longer leave out entire days of what you did over the weekend when chatting with friendly coworkers (especially when you bought a new toy over the weekend!). So I started telling my officemate, who is now thinking about applying for his LTCH. And then word spread. And one coworker wants to go to an Appleseed with me sometime. And then my boss found out and didn't really know what to think. Then he asked how many of us have shot a gun before, and his was the only hand not up. He's now thinking about coming out the range with me sometime.

 

[technobear]

I also work on a college campus. However, living in the small town that I do, you get to know people and they you. There's just a point when you can longer leave out entire days of what you did over the weekend when chatting with friendly coworkers (especially when you bought a new toy over the weekend!). So I started telling my officemate, who is now thinking about applying for his LTCH. And then word spread. And one coworker wants to go to an Appleseed with me sometime. And then my boss found out and didn't really know what to think. Then he asked how many of us have shot a gun before, and his was the only hand not up. He's now thinking about coming out the range with me sometime.

lol that is awesome!

well the nature of my job has me all over campus. and talking to many many people. i know which offices are firearm friendly and you better bet we talk guns when im there..

 

[AuntieBellum]

lol that is awesome!

well the nature of my job has me all over campus. and talking to many many people. i know which offices are firearm friendly and you better bet we talk guns when im there..

Good to hear you've found some friendly offices - that's 40 hours of week of no gun talk, otherwise!

 

[6birds]

We all have co-workers that think only gov and leo should have guns. Should you let them know your interest?

Absolutely! How else are the new shooters going to find a range buddy and get hooked?

When they see how completly normal shooting is, and how stupid the press-dogs blow things out of proportion, if we, the gun-toting public won't educate them, who will?

I have employees ask about holsters, accessories, gun laws, shotgun models, shooting classes, safes, hunter safety courses, etc, etc.

We also discuss the REALLY really stupid posts on this site (yes, he knows who he is...).

Several employees are members in the indiana gun sites, I shoot with two in a Sporting Clays league, and hunt with several of them out west each year.

 

[johntheplinker]

I do, on a regular basis, but usually only before/after work, and breaks. At least one of the guys there has a couple of Class III goodies, and there many hunters and casual shooters. I've become know as the go-to guy on older military stuff, and AKs.

 

[djl02]

Why not,Its just a job.We talked about all kinds of stuff Legal and illegal where I use to work. You get bored going over the same thing day after day.Especially after working side by side after 20 plus years.Who knows maybe you can teach them something.