Let me state unequivocally that the "Commuter Protection" or "Trunk Doctrine" law they just passed here in Florida is stupid, wrong, and a waste of everything from money to political capital. I'm disappointed in the NRA for pushing such a boneheaded law. This law is supposedly a boon for our rights as it "allows employees to keep a weapon secured in their vehicle". I call bunk.
I dislike this law because it is too narrow to be of any use. It only protects a specific class of citizen from searches for a particular object all the while pitting rights activists against right activists.
The contract between you and your employer is just that. If a place that requires males to dress in hot pink Capri pants and full clown makeup and states that you're not allowed to talk in anything but third person omniscient, then there is nothing the state can do if you refuse to follow their rules and they fire you.
You, as an employee, can also require that your employer sing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" every time you go to the bathroom or else you quit. At-will employment goes either way.
What I believe a company cannot do is fire you for being white, male, straight, or Catholic, just like they can't fire you for being black, a woman, gay, or an atheist. I also believe they should not have the legal right to search your conveyance without a warrant. What is inside my car is my property, period. They can tell me I cannot bring X into their parking lot, they just should be required to get a warrant to see if I comply or not.
Now, since I believe in at-will employment, my company can fire me because it's Thursday and the pollen count is too high. What I want is that if they fired me truly because I refused a search that they would have to risk perjury in court, something I assure you the HR department would much rather avoid.
By doing it that way, property rights are respected across the board, not just for CCW holders and firearms. But instead, the boneheads at the NRA had to make it just about boomsticks and for a protected class of citizen, and about that I'm none too happy.
There's nothing odd about my position. I'm passionate about all rights, not just about guns and this issue sticks out at me as a poor way to go about securing them both.
rolled out on
Thursday, April 10, 2008 4:37 PM