Tennessee Governor Signs Guns in Parking Lot Law
Author: Ashley Shaw, XpertHR Legal Editor
Starting on July 1, 2013, business owners will no longer be permitted to keep guns out of their parking lots. A new law signed by the governor decriminalizes keeping a gun in a privately-owned car if the following conditions are met:
- The gun owner has a proper license;
- The car is parked in a place it has permission to be;
- The gun is:
- Kept out of sight if the owner is in the car; or
- Kept out of sight and locked in an approved fashion if the owner is not in the car.
This law does not extend to employer-owned cars.
Employers and business owners will not be held liable for any injuries or deaths caused by firearms or theft of ammunition or of the firearms themselves that result from properly following this law.
It is worth noting that this bill is silent as to whether keeping a gun in a locked car is a "protected activity" for which an employee may not be terminated. This question may be answered through future court cases that are likely to arise from this new law. Stay tuned to XpertHR US to see how this new development could affect employers.
Additional Resources
Risk Management > Workplace Security: Tennessee > Guns and Weapons in the Workplace
Guns in Parking Lots Laws by State