Lost my job as a result of firearms!

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hankdatank1362

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And I'm Okay with it.



A little background info: I am (was) a bartender at a local restaurant. Been there about two years. Restaurant has no-weapons-on-company-property policy, which we had to agree to (among other things) in order to obtain employment. Policy aside, several people keep weapons in their car, myself included. Management knows about this and is okay with it... actually, management made jokes about me running to get a gun should the need arise. They called it the "Hank! Car!" drill. The general manager keeps a Makarov in the office on nights he closes.

Friday night, a regular couple comes into the bar. I've met them before; a nice couple, but their night usually ends in swearing after the gentleman has had two of three drinks.

This night was a little different. Towards the end of the night, he began his usual tirade of swearing against his girlfriend, a very sweet, kind woman who holds a master's degree in teaching and has two little boys.

He then proceeded to push her to the ground and grab her by the back of her neck and toss her around. Myself and the floor manager escorted the guy out, without hurting or harming him in any way. He made several threats along the line of "coming back to get you." We then counseled the woman for about an hour, and walked her to her car.

Saturday night, I was thinking about that guy's threats. He's a real piece of work, with nothing to lose; unemployed, lives with his mom, alcoholic, etc. I decided to forgo company policy and bring my SIG P226 in with me to work.

I placed it high in a cabinet behind the bar, out of sight or reach for anyone but me, unless they had a stepladder. It stayed there all night until after we closed, and it was just me and the floor manager in the restaurant. (whom I considered somewhat of a friend; he is the one who coined the "Hank! Car!" drill, and has been over to our house several times.) he saw me remove the firearm from the cabinet and stuff it in my pants as I was heading to my car to leave for the night.

He noticed I had the firearm and asked "Did you bring your gun in with you?!?!?" I told him I did, and I told him why. Hell, he was there the other night when all this went down. I was suprised he didn't understand. He told me to go put it in my car, so I did. He asked me why I would bring it in.

I reminded him about the guy's threats the previous night.

He said "You're bigger than he is... just kick his ***!"

I asked "Well what if he comes in shooting? He doesn't have anything to lose."

He replied "Well then I guess we all die then, don't we?" sarcastically.

I told him that I was not comfortable with that option, and left for the evening.




Fast forward to today; I get to work, and he (the floor manager) is waiting for me in the outside office. He motions me to come inside. When I do, I notice the company policy packet that I signed when I first started, with the firearm policy highlighted. Basically, that was it. We politely shook hands, and parted our ways.



At the end of the day... typical anti-gun C.Y.A. policies cost me my job.

I'm still alive. Nobody had to get shot. Realized that some people who you think are friends are ignorantly blinded by idiotic policies (the same manager who disciplined me for giving his lifelong friend, HIS LIFELONG FRIEND, not mine, a free draft beer... when we drink draft all night for free).

Oh well. Life goes on. Putting in applications tomorrow at various local LE agencies.

Funny part? my wife actually prayed to God (litterally, on her knees prayed) this morning while I was in the shower for something to change in our lives, because she was tired of me having to work so late in such an environment.

I think God answered.

What do you guys think?
 
I routinely carried or had a handgun in the safe when I managed a Hardees years ago. We had a no gun policy. F*** em.
 
Yes on all counts. Get a job where your rights will not be violated and where your wife isn't scared all the time.
 
You can always get another job, you cannot get another life if you wind up dead due to stupid corporate policies.

I'd say you did the correct and proper thing.


Best of luck with the job search.
 
Dude, that is a great story. More power to you for standing up for your beliefs. I am sure another opportunity will present itself shortly.
 
I think that may have been the best way. I wouldn't subject myself to a work environment like that without a gun somewhere close. Maybe better luck in your next one.
 
I lost a job over firearms...

I used to work late (to the closing hour) at a retail store, and it occurred to me with the store having 10-20 thousand dollars in cash on a daily basis, we had some risk of robbery... I figured it wouldn't take much for somebody to come into the store right before we close, stick the place up, and shoot everybody in the store.

One day the district manager was in making his rounds, and asked if I had any questions, he kept pressing me with "sure you don't have any?" so I first asked about the employee stock option plan. When he continued to ask if I had "any other" questions, I decided to ask one more.

I asked him what the employee handbook meant in regards to saying no employee can have a firearm in the store, I said "I often shop here on my own hours, do I count as an employee then?" and he said "yes, you cannot have a gun when you are here even on your own time."

The next day my boss called me into his office, had a 20 minute talk with me, asked me what my problem was, told me there was no need to ask about ever bringing a gun to work. He then told me, "I like guns myself, I have some, but if you have your 33 (sic) and I don't have mine, what good does that do me?" We talked about the nature of closing at the store and such, and it was with him who I discussed my concerns about late night safety issues. He then said "well we all walk to our cars together" and I said "four unarmed people are just as vulnerable as one unarmed person."

It was clear from his reference to a "33" that he had no idea about firearms, none at all...

The next week I was informed that they had "scheduling issues" with the hours and they could no longer allocate me any hours and thus had to let me go.

The funny thing is that their sister store just a ways away has been robbed recently, and there have been a number of robberies of local stores. But then again, we're all safe, right?
 
This kind of change is likely to appear as a good one when you look back years from now.

I like that part of life. There are certain principles I stick with and let circumstances and friendships adjust themselves to align with those principles.

It would be ironic that as a LEO you wind up arresting that guy who manhandled the teacher.
 
Stupid policy or not, I'm glad ya'll parted on decent terms. Sounds like he doesn't have a problem with you, it's just a case of him being a "company man".

Either way, you'll find something new.

Coincidentally, this sort of thing is why I'll be opening my own bakery as soon as I can. That way, I'm the one who decides the policy, which I can assure you will allow carry on company time. :)
 
hankdatank1362, I feel for you. I live with the thought of discovery and dismissal everday at work because carrying is against the company policy. But it's worth the risk to me. I'd rather be unemployed than dead. A colleague of mine who works for the same company in a nearby town was stabbed in the throat at work by a robber. Our wonderful judicial syatem will let this scumbag out soon. My wife encourages me to carry and I do.
 
Why would you put your pistol in a cabinet? I've worked at places where the no-firearm policy exists, but a simple tuck in the waistband solves all the problems you faced.
 
I do belive it's every business owners/property owners complete right to allow or disallow whatever items they choose on thier property.

As for "
she was tired of me having to work so late in such an environment.
Click to expand...
"

How is being a LEO a safer enviornment? Second being a LEO is SO muhc more than firearms. if that's the reason to get i nto that career, you're doing it for the wrong reason.
 
Because My job involved a lot of reaching and/or squatting in which my firearm would have been exposed by the ill-fitting shirts we were required to wear.

Thanks for all the positive encouragement guys.
 
8 or 9 years ago, I walked into an armed robbery at a grocery store thast I used to work at, by sheer accident. It was a middle-of-the-week afternoon, and I wanted to stop by to say hi to one of my old managers (I left on good terms, and stayed in touch). Long story short, I showed up right after the robber had, had a gun put to my gut (didn't really comprehend it at the time) and then he fled. It didn't hit me until later.

My perspective has changed. Will I need a sidearm 100% of the time? No. But I can recount the number of times I WISH I had it, and I'm lucky to be here for a few of those.

Moral: I carry. Good on you, Hank.
 
Fast forward to today; I get to work, and he (the floor manager) is waiting for me in the outside office. He motions me to come inside. When I do, I notice the company policy packet that I signed when I first started, with the firearm policy highlighted. Basically, that was it. We politely shook hands, and parted our ways.
Click to expand...

Sounds fishy- was it for something else? Did he have an agenda with you? Honestly, it doesn't really matter at this point.

I bounced in bars before, and generally they are not a place you want to have a career. You really see the underbelly of the night life and the dark side of boozing. I knew at least two bartenders who got stuck in it... and years later they had no other options, didn't want to leave due to the money, but were sick of working in a noisy loud bar till 2 am four or five nights a week. :( (sort of like the guy in the Billy Joel song).


Tip: do not bring up this story when interviewing for your next job. You may want to simply dismiss it like "the bar was an unsafe place (fights) and I didn't want to continue working there."

Keep your chin up, you'll be ok. Good luck.
 
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Too bad about the job but it does appear as if your wife's prayers were answered. Good luck and my prayers are with you to find a good job with more pay and gun friendly.
 
Sorry for the loss of your job, but on the bright side, I think God may have answered your prayer, and if so, He will provide a better job for you, in my opinion.
 
My company's policy was for me to keep a shotgun under the counter right by the register and a C & L .45 in the safe.

'Course, it was my company.

I'm glad you left that environment. Hope you could get unemployment, but I doubt it, since you were fired for your good judgement.
 
I'm unclear on one thing:

The manager who let you go-is this the same manager who keeps a Makarov in the office with him?

BTW, best of luck in your job search; I'm sure something good will turn up for you.

Sam
 
Restaurant has no-weapons-on-company-property policy, which we had to agree to (among other things) in order to obtain employment.... The general manager keeps a Makarov in the office on nights he closes.
Click to expand...

So how does the floor manager fire you for doing one time what the general manager apparently does on a fairly normal basis? Good luck in the job search.

Oakville Shooter
 
No. The general manager (who was not present for the incident, did not witness me having the firearm inside, and was not there today when I was fired) is the one with the Mak. We've actually gone shooting before. Hell of a trap shooter.

The floor manager is the one who fired me.

ETA: The kitchen manager actually told me that "We can carry. You guys can't." (referring to employees)

Regardless of policy, it's against the law to carry in an establishment that serves alcohol for on premises conSumption in SC. So neither of us could legally carry.
 
Don't sweat it. As one door closes, so will another door open.

Sometimes I carry in places and situations where I really shouldn't. My wife always worries about what might happen if I get caught. My standard response to her is "I'll only get caught if I need to use it and I'll take alive and in a world of sh** over dead any day."
 
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