Federal Judge Upholds Florida's NRA-Backed "Guns at Work" Law

This week, a federal judge handed down a decisive victory for gun owners in Florida.  U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that state law allowing employees with Right-to-Carry permits to keep a firearm in their private vehicles while at work is constitutional.  The "Guns at Work" law, as it is known, has been part of a three-year effort by NRA to expand the self-defense rights of law-abiding gun owners.

"This ruling is a significant victory for Florida gun owners," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox.  "NRA wanted to reinforce that it is wrong for corporations to arbitrarily demand that every man and woman on their payroll give up their right to defend themselves and their loved ones or give up their jobs.  We are thankful the judge found Florida's law to be constitutional and we hope the ruling will bring an end to a pattern of corporate disregard for gun owners' civil rights." 

"This is a huge win for the people.  This bill is about protecting the sanctity of every working man and woman's fundamental right to self-defense," declared Marion Hammer, NRA's Florida lobbyist and the first-ever woman to lead NRA as President.  "In a day and age where commutes are longer and people spend more time running errands before and after work, hard working men and women in our country should not have their basic God-given right to self defense trampled by corporate giants." 

Judge Hinkle rejected the argument by Florida's Chamber of Commerce that the law is an unconstitutional taking of private property without just compensation.  He also rejected the chamber's argument that the law violates OSHA standards.