Employers and guns

As far as I’m concerned, a private employer can make any rules it wants to. I will follow the ones that make sense, and maybe even follow the ones that don’t make sense if I want the job. And I’ll violate the ones that represent a threat to my own well being. I’m not likely to follow any rules or laws that limit my ability to defend myself to my satisfaction. I guess it is a good thing I don’t work for Disney.

”Disney’s the safest place on Earth. It’s awesome,” said Fiore, of St. Cloud. “But late at night in the parking lot, and driving the 35 miles to and from home, I don’t always feel safe armed with just a cellphone.”

But theme-park guests might not feel safe knowing that some of the 62,000 Disney employees have weapons in their cars, said company spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez. She said that having armed people on the property violates the company’s zero-tolerance policy concerning workplace violence. Disney has its own security force as well as 50 Orange County Sheriff’s Office employees.

It’s great that Disney has its own security force, but they can take that zero tolerance policy and shove it as far as I am concerned. I’ll use violence to protect myself when and where I deem appropriate. I don’t have any interest in the idea that I should be punished for the indiscretions of others, and I will ignore laws that may endanger my own well being. So should you.

Many people who come across this blog entry may think to themselves that I am paranoid. I prefer to think of myself as prepared. I may one day need a first aid kit. I may one day need a survival blanket. I may one day need a fire extinguisher. And one day, I may need a gun. I keep all of them handy. So should you. That is not paranoia. It’s prudent. Ask anyone who has ever had to defend his or her own life in an emergency.

I value my job, but I value my life more. I may grudgingly pee in a cup for you, but I’m not giving up my survival toolkit. And you shouldn’t ask me to. It is insulting that you think so little of my rationality, my decision making ability and my aim. How can an employee be trusted to operate a ride with hundreds of people on it - their lives are in that employee’s hands. Yet give that same employee a gun and suddenly everyone is in a panic, running around screaming about zero tolerance. This is foolishness.