Proposed Pennsylvania Law Would Make Gun Owners in that State a Protected Class

Well, this is something you don���t see every day.

There is a legislative effort underway in Pennsylvania���spearheaded by 24 Republican state representatives, as well as one Democratic representative���to see gun owners classified as a ���protected class��� in that state.

���Protected class��� measures generally have as their centerpiece concern the matter of workplace discrimination. Such is the case here. According to the Pennsylvania Record, House Bill 38, which is presently in committee, would serve to protect gun-owning employees from discrimination by their employers. The specific purpose behind the legislation is to deprive Pennsylvania businesses of the ability to prevent employees from keeping firearms stored in their cars during the workday. If passed, the law would make state residents��� right to keep and bear arms a part of the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act (PHRA).

Bans like the one at issue here have long been a thorn in the side of firearms owners who reside in otherwise-gun-friendly states. Those citizens claim that such policies enacted by private businesses effectively deprive them of the very rights they supposedly have as duly licensed concealed weapons permit holders.

Unsurprisingly, the bill has an array of opponents, including Shira Goodman of the anti-gun group CeaseFirePA, who says businesses should absolutely have the option of banning firearms from their premises in an effort to curb the threat of ���workplace violence��� and ���domestic instances spilling over into workplaces. In the minds of supporters, however, the bill, in addition to enhancing the practical application of state residents��� right to keep and bear arms, would give employees a true fighting chance of staying safe and even neutralizing a workplace threat that would arise anyway, without regard to a given company���s policy prohibiting firearms at the business location.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large