Editor’s Note: This article about concealed carry at work represents the opinion of the writer and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult not only local, state and federal laws, but also the rules established by applicable businesses and organizations.
In the United States, the Second Amendment enshrines the universal human right to keep and bear arms. However, private property is also a thing here in the United States, and the two can come into conflict. A business sets the rules by which it operates, and sometimes, those rules include banning firearms on the premises. Is this a good idea? In my opinion, no. But it does happen.
Thankfully, there are also places that either encourage defensive firearms in the workplace or take a neutral stance on the issue. In years past, I have been fortunate enough to work in such places and practice the subtle art of concealed carry in the office. With a little effort, it’s easy to remain safe in just about any environment, so let’s begin.
Can I?
Let’s start by defining the problem. According to the Center for Disease Control, the most common types of workplace violence are:
- Criminal action
- Violent customers or clients
- Violence between co-workers
- Outside relationships entering the workplace
In addition, we have to consider our commute to and from the workplace. Road rage can happen despite our best efforts at de-escalation, and stopping at the grocery store or gas station presents additional risks. Add all of this up, and all of a sudden, having some means of defense before, during and after your job makes a lot of sense.
Now the question becomes, can you do so ethically and legally? This is a thorny question indeed, and deserves a lot of consideration.
Let’s begin by stating the obvious. I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. Don’t rely on what I say here, but rather take it to a legal professional who gets paid to make these sorts of calls. Got it? Okay, let’s move on.
Even though it should be self-obvious, it still needs to be said. If you work somewhere where you are barred by law from having a firearm or other weapon either on your person, in your work area or in your car, do not, under any circumstances, break those rules.
I cannot be more clear on this: Having a felony conviction for carrying a weapon in a legally prohibited area means you’ll probably never own a gun in your life, and the certainty of that punishment far outweighs any other consideration.
Secondly, if your employee handbook or other manual bars firearms from the workplace or in your vehicle on company property, obey those rules. I have a good friend who was fired from what he described as his dream job because he had a firearm with him in the office, which was contrary to that company’s employee handbook.
Whether or not it is right for companies to have these sorts of regulations is a topic for another place and time. The fact is, they exist, and it’s in your best interests to follow those rules while you work there. It’s up to you to find out if this is the case at your workplace. Find a copy of your employee manual and read it carefully. If necessary, have a lawyer look at it. See what the policy is regarding weapons in your workplace and follow it to the letter at all times.
Should I?
We’ve talked about workplaces where you are legally barred from having a defensive firearm with you, and we’ve talked about places where it may be legal, but it’s against policy to do so. Now let’s talk about a third option: Places where it is legally permissible to carry a firearm and approved by management, but would be socially awkward if someone found out you were carrying a firearm with you when you went to work every morning.
I spent twelve years working in this sort of environment. I worked in marketing, so business casual was what I wore five days a week. This presents some unique challenges, as common concealment garments such as a loose or open-front shirt just aren’t an option when this is the standard of dress. In addition to this, discretion was first and foremost in my mind, so I wanted to avoid the awkward bumps and bulges that are quite common when carrying concealed.
The solution I came up with back then was pocket carry, specifically with a .380 ACP semi-automatic pistol. That solution worked well 15 years ago, but times have changed and brought us new options for concealed carry in the workplace. New guns, new holsters and new choices for accessories mean it’s easier than ever to stay safe not only at home, but when you’re at work as well.
Gun manufacturers have figured out that smaller guns are easier to carry. Yes, you give up some firepower in the process, but a 2021 study by Georgetown University showed that the bad guy frequently ran away when an armed citizen presented a firearm, thus proving the wisdom of the First Rule Of Gunfighting: Have a gun.
How Will I?
The evolution of the small, pocket-sized defensive pistol, or “mouse gun” to some, has led us to guns like the Springfield Armory Hellcat chambered in .380 ACP. In the past, I had to compromise accuracy and firepower for concealment. The pistol I carried for many years held six rounds of .380 ACP in the magazine with another ready to go in the chamber. The sights on the pistol were minimal at best, non-existent at worst. Yes, it was small and easy to conceal, but that small size meant it was hard to hold onto: I could barely wrap two fingers around the gun, and there was no way my pinkies were finding purchase on that gun.
Modern compact .380 ACP pistols solve many of those problems. At 6” long, the Springfield Armory Hellcat 3″ Micro-Compact OSP is slightly larger than a first-generation pocket .380 and weighs just over five ounces more when empty. Every other dimension also falls a few tenths of an inch more than the other gun. What you get in return, however, is easier to control, holds more ammunition (up to 13 rounds) and can mount a red dot for even more accuracy. All of a sudden, that little “mouse gun” starts to roar, and 25-yard precision shots go from being theoretical to actually possible.
Holsters have also advanced since my days of concealed carry in the workplace. “Tuckable” IWB (inside the waistband) holsters were considered the norm if you wanted to carry a larger pistol with you and still be discrete. These were only partially successful at this task, as they left the clips that held the holster to the belt exposed for all the world to see.
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Enter the PHLSter Enigma. This revolutionary holster provides the safety and retention of a Kydex holster with its own integral belt, eliminating the need to attach it to your existing belt. This has a profound effect on the kinds of clothing we can use to conceal our firearm.
Up until now, I have been talking about how men can conceal a firearm in the workplace because, well, I am one. However, if you haven’t noticed, women’s workplace clothing rarely has belts, making it darn hard for them to conceal on their person.
Because the Enigma has its own belt, it’s now possible for women to carry just about any firearm they want wherever they can legally do so, opening up a new world of self-protection in just about any situation you can think of.
The Other Ways
Finally, let’s talk about other carry options, such as ankle holsters or off-body carry. I am not a big fan of ankle holsters, as it’s quite common for me to cross my legs in a meeting, and that increases the risk of the hem of my pants rising and exposing a pistol hidden there.
I am, however, warming up to the idea of off-body carry.
I live in Florida, and about one in five men I see have some sort of cross-body sling bag with them to store their phone, wallet, earbuds and whatnot. It’s slower on the draw, but boy howdy, is it convenient to carry.
Adding a small defensive pistol into that mix is a piece of cake, but if you choose to carry off-body, remember that now your gun has to go with you everywhere you go. If you leave that bag behind and it is stolen, congratulations, you’ve just armed a criminal, which I think we can all agree is a sub-optimal outcome.
Conclusion
Above all, remember to abide by the laws of your area and the rules of your workplace. The last thing you want is to wind up losing your freedom because you were careless in living according to the laws that once protected you from harm.
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