A single mom was recently fired from her Wells Fargo bank manager job after security personnel at her bank discovered she was carrying a firearm. The 37-year-old Florida woman claims that she did not know it was inappropriate to bring a concealed weapon with her to work. She is now seeking justice through an employment law case for wrongful termination.
The woman says that when she completed her concealed weapons license course, banks were listed as places where weapons were allowed. As such, she did not think twice about bringing her firearm to work with her. The woman does not know how the bank’s security discovered she was carrying a gun, but she was later questioned about it before being fired.
According to the woman’s attorney, the woman’s termination was a violation of her rights under Florida law. Her attorney says that under Florida statutes an employer may not terminate an employee for exercising his or her right to bear arms, as long as the firearm is not taken out on business property, unless it is displayed for the purpose of self-defense. Wells Fargo states that it cannot comment specifically on the case. However, the bank did release a statement saying that it has a policy that forbids employees from bringing guns to work with them.
There is no way to prevent wrongful termination and other forms of discrimination from occurring at Florida workplaces. However, employees who are wrongfully terminated can seek justice by filing an employment law claim. Justice may include money for lost wages, reinstatement back into one’s former position and other forms of restitution.
Source: baynews9.com, Gun-toting bank manager fired from job at Oldsmar bank, Erin Maloney, Feb. 24, 2014