If you live in Northampton County and would like to carry a concealed weapon, you need a license from the County Sheriff. But before that happens, he conducts a background check. In the People's Republic of Northampton County, that includes contacting your employer.A few weeks ago, Northampton County Council member Lamont McClure questioned that practice, stating it has a "chilling effect" on the right to bear arms. Although I agreed with the Sheriff, the rest of you agreed with McClure.
One of you argued, "If you want to make the argument that employers should be contacted when someone applies for a concealed carry permit, that's a pretty slippery slope. Should employers also be contacted by the government if they haven't paid their income taxes? After all, employees who aren't paying their tax bills might be more likely to embezzle. I'm guessing that most of us don't want our employers having access to our tax records."
I ended up conceding I was wrong.
Last Thursday. McClure introduced a non-binding resolution requesting the Sheriff only to contact an applicant's employer as a last resort. "It is felt that contacting an employer has the distinct potential to create an unjustifiable chill on the employer / employee relationship in this time of economic hardship and uncertainty." McClure also characterized the Sheriff's background check a form of "bureaucratic harassment."
Council Prez Ron Angle worried that McClure's resolution is "interfering with the Sheriff's office." Council member Ann McHale suggested tabling the resolution and inviting the Sheriff to appear before Council to explain his rationale.
The motion to table passed 6-2, with McClure and Tom Dietrich voting against it. Council member Bruce Gilbert had to leave the meeting early and missed the vote.
I think the analogy is weak. No one ever died because a coworker didn't pay his or her taxes. An analogy just as weak can be made in the other direction by saying that if we're not going to inform bosses about employees who carry concealed weapons, then we shouldn't inform them about who is a child sex offender. What I don't understand is that if you feel some necessity to walk around with a gun like the Wild West, then why are you ashamed to have your boss know? Aren't you supposed to be proud? Wave it around at a Board Meeting and tell everyone that they're jealous of your freedom. I don't where the shame factor comes in on the part of the gun rights apologists if they don't see anything wrong with carry a gun... unless deep down they realize that carrying a gun in public is an unnatural, aggressive, dangerous and intimidating act that would cause other people, like your boss, to be suspicious of your decision making capabilities and your mental health and interfere in the work place. But forget bosses, I would want to know if any of my coworkers were carrying guns. It's always innocent coworkers that get killed rather than the bosses. I realize that we all live in constant terror of the British Empire surprising us on our shore and making us into a colony again, but as long as the U.S. has no standing army, we'll just have to rely on our pitchforks to defend ourselves from Queen Elizabeth's Redcoats. Long live the Second Amendment.
ReplyDeleteunlike the aclu, or the nra, i cherish ALL of my civil rights.
ReplyDeleteMcLure is correct.
Of course, each Sheriff may implement their own policies and procedures in accordance with the law, the previous three Sheriffs only utilized employment information, in case there was a violation of the law and needed that information to revoke the license and/or possible intelligence for arrest. The previous Sheriffs never disclosed information because of privacy rights. I don't know with the new open records law if indeed this is still true.
ReplyDeleteAnon said:
ReplyDelete"What I don't understand is that if you feel some necessity to walk around with a gun like the Wild West, then why are you ashamed to have your boss know?"
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No shame involved.
Just the well founded concern that some employers would be as ignorant about the subject as you.
Anon said:
ReplyDelete"No one ever died because a coworker didn't pay his or her taxes."
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And no one ever died because of a concealed carry license.
Again, if someone wants to do harm to someone else with a gun it is highly unlikely they would go through the hassle of applying (and waiting for approval of) a concealed carry license.
The ignorance displayed in your entire post is incredible.
The anti-gun mindset is what has left law-abiding Philadelphians defenseless amid a city of criminals who carry weapons despite numerous laws that prohibit them. Those with means weren't disarmed. They simply moved away. Those without means were left helpless. And then the bodies started to pile up.
ReplyDeleteGuns don't kill people. Misguided liberals do by preventing the law-abiding from defending themselves against criminals who laugh at each new gun law.
8:40 -
ReplyDeleteRight on.
1:19 -
Look up the definition of "Concealed". There is a reason the permit is not call a "Displayed Carry" permit.
It took me some time, but i think McClure is right on this one. He could certainly ask the Sheriff not to contact employers, except as a last resort. I do think that Council is right to want to hear from the Sheriff. he may hacve a point that the rest of us have missed.
ReplyDeleteAnon 1:19 has given the reason why we don't need to have an employer asked about a cwp. What if the bossman is a lefty liberal like 1:19 and just throws out shit to screw with your license. The Sheriff denies it and you never know why, only that you were refused.
ReplyDeleteI am concerned that this new Sheriff being a former Chief from a City may have a "lets disarm the people" mentality that city leaders tend to have.
No one has to fear a person with a cwp, it is the scumbag trash you see walking the streets with the guns that are not registered and driving the cars without a license.
No wonder law abiding folks are pissed off.
Hey Ohare, maybe bossman should be checked with before someone gets married or takes a dump.
I didn't know the Company town and store mindset still existed. I guess in Stoffa's Northampton County it does.