Texas AG: Employers Cannot Impose Handgun Bans by Penal Code Notice or under Federally Approved Facility Security Plans

Beginning in 2011, Texas law prohibits most public and private employers from preventing employees who otherwise lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition from transporting or storing those items in a locked, privately owned motor vehicle in employer-provided parking areas. Texas employers may not impose handgun bans by posting a notice under the Texas Penal Code or by including such a ban in a mandated, federally approved facility security plan, the Attorney General of Texas has said in an opinion released November 5, 2012. In addition, the Attorney General noted that, although the Texas Labor Code (Section 52.061) does not provide a specific remedy to employees for any such violation by an employer, employees might be able to pursue claims for violations against employers under the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act.