Florida’s “guns at work” law is set to take effect July 1 unless a suit by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation stops the legislation, which allows Floridians to keep a gun in their locked cars on work premises if they have a concealed weapons permit.
The groups filed suit in federal court in Tallahassee, seeking to block the legislation.
The Florida chamber’s stance is “a business owner should be able to decide if employees can or cannot bring guns on their property,” according to the group’s Web site.
According to numbers from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and estimates from the NRA, 490,760 current permit holders legally could keep their guns at work, of an estimated 6 million gun owners in Florida.
The retail federation represents 11,000 businesses in Florida, and the chamber represents 139,000 businesses. In their federal lawsuit, the organizations said the law violates the Fifth and 14th Amendments and is in direct conflict with the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
The plaintiffs contend the Florida law essentially infringes on private property rights and the rights of businesses to establish safety policies, and there is no compensation for that infringement.
